Understanding the Impact of Feedback on Players’ Motivation When Experiencing Defeat in Online Competitive Games

Negative psychological effects from losing in online competitive games, such as frustration and reduced self-evaluation, can lead to player disengagement. Previous research using puzzle tasks has shown that providing losers with positive feedback on their performance after the task can enhance their intrinsic motivation. However, such findings were demonstrated in analog settings where feedback was delivered verbally by a human experimenter, and it remains unclear whether similar effects hold in digital environments such as online competitive games. This study investigates a feedback intervention using a virtual agent on a computer, aimed at mitigating such negative impacts and promoting sustained intrinsic motivation. In a controlled experiment with 45 participants, we compared three types of feedback: No Feedback (NF), Feedback for the Participant (FP), which included praise for the player's good moves, and Feedback for Both (FB), which also praised the opponent and emphasized social connection. The results indicated that providing feedback, whether it was directed at the player alone or at both the player and the opponent, significantly increased perceived competence, autonomy, intrinsic motivation, and the intention to play again compared to not providing any feedback at all. We discuss the potential of personalized, praise-based feedback in sustaining healthy motivation during competitive gameplay.