Feeling With, or Feeling Like? Empathy, Identification, and the Pleasures of Self-Reflection in Story-Driven Games

Empathy has become a central term in both game studies and the games industry, where it is often cited as evidence of games' cultural value, particularly through "empathy games" that aim to convey the experiences of marginalised people. This paper interrogates that framing by examining how empathy, pleasure, and identity intersect in players' accounts of story-driven games. Its central argument is that empathy in these games frequently serves players' own moral and reflective projects rather than sustained engagement with others' structural disadvantage.

The study draws on an online qualitative survey with twenty adult players and applies reflexive thematic analysis. Three interrelated themes emerged: morality, identification, and personal growth. Participants described pleasure in moral deliberation, with ethical choices functioning as a source of engagement in their own right. Their identification with characters was shaped by personal biography and intersectional position, meaning that the same narrative could produce markedly different affective responses across players. Learning experiences were commonly framed in terms of self-development rather than understanding of external social conditions.

The scope of the research is focused on adult players engaging with narrative-driven titles, and the sample of twenty participants supports depth of interpretation rather than generalisation to the wider player population. The reflexive approach foregrounds the interpretive role of the researchers, consistent with qualitative traditions that prioritise meaning-making over measurable outcomes.

Taken together, the findings complicate optimistic claims about games as vehicles for empathic understanding. They suggest that the affective rewards players seek may be oriented toward self-reflection and moral self-image, which carries implications for how designers and critics evaluate the political and educational potential of empathy-focused game design.