Neurodivergent Pleasures in Game Environmental Design

This paper examines how environmental design in digital games can support cognitive accessibility for players with ADHD, arguing that spatial composition, lighting, color, and visual hierarchy are not merely decorative but function as tools that distribute information and regulate attention. It situates this inquiry against a substantial body of research on gaming-related problems among ADHD populations, noting that far fewer studies address how game structures can accommodate neurodivergent players in a positive, inclusive way. The authors propose disaggregating ADHD into its clinical subtypes (ADHD-HI, ADHD-I, and ADHD-C) to yield more precise design guidance, linking each to distinct needs such as low-distraction environments, moderate sensory variation, or balanced signaling.

The study's central claims concern how these subtypes relate to specific design strategies. For players with inattentive profiles, the paper suggests that sparse indexical cues, such as visual disruptions or decal-based markers, can attract curiosity and embed narrative content, while players with hyperactive-impulsive profiles are better served by challenge-reward loops and immediate feedback than by environmental storytelling. The authors also draw on color-processing research, distinguishing slow-processing hues such as blue and low-saturation tones from fast-processing high-contrast combinations, as a basis for building color hierarchies that support attention without overloading perception.

The proposed methodology combines controlled close play with comparative environmental analysis across four 2025 single-player titles built in Unreal Engine 5, focusing on roughly the first three hours of play. Analysis centers on onboarding, early navigation, and the first complex spatial challenge, examining spatial guidance, visual hierarchy, and storytelling cues. The work is presented as a preliminary study, with findings described as initial, and its stated aim is to encourage developers to treat neurodivergent cognition as a formal design parameter embedded within environmental design practice.