Building Digital Empathy through Cooperative Play

Online games build empathy by making players live different experiences faced by their characters and others. These games involve objectives or gameplay centered on teams or the struggles of their characters.

Players live the story of their characters and understand the motivation behind the decisions they make.

They also understand the reasons for the behavior or actions of supporting characters in the game. This understanding helps them build empathy. Some examples of games include The Kokoda VR, and Ghost of Tsushima.

Online gaming has always been a competitive world dominated by leaderboards and top performer badges. However, players also learn empathy when they play some of these games.

In recent times, players have also been found to develop instances of ‘digital empathy’ through online games. That’s why you can use online gaming to teach your children the value of empathy. This will ensure that your children grow up to be healthy, balanced individuals.

But it is not just limited to children. Say, for instance, you are an adult regularly playing on Rummy app. As you learn the game’s strategies, you will find yourself becoming a lot more patient and calmer under pressure in real life. This will let you take a step back to assess situations, and you will become a lot more empathetic to others as a result.

Let us explore more on this below.

What Is Digital Empathy?

In simple terms, digital empathy refers to the ability of players to do the following within the framework of a game:

• Relate to
• Understand
• Feel the emotions and decisions of their characters, as well as other characters

In the case of online multiplayer games, it refers to the ability to:

• Form bonds with and understand other players
• Fulfil objectives by building deep bonds with other players

This form of empathy also helps them in the real world. It helps them understand how or why other people make some particular decisions or behave in a particular manner. They also develop emotional intelligence, which helps them navigate everyday life more easily.

For example, say they’re on their way to work, and someone accidentally scrapes their car or bike and behaves aggressively. Instead of behaving similarly, players might smile or just ask if the other person is okay, and then continue traveling to work.

That’s because it’s similar to an in-game interaction in an RPG or Role Playing Game, where they can choose to behave similarly or respond calmly. On the other hand, players become friendlier towards each other after they play a co-op game.

Another example is when people play team games. They have to trust each other to win the game.

You’ve understood how single-player games help players develop empathy.

Let’s now understand how multiplayer games contribute to this below.

The Psychology of Cooperative Play

While online multiplayer games like Counter-Strike or Call of Duty Mobile often involve competitive elements, this isn’t true for all MPGs. Some of them help players build empathy as well.

Let’s understand this development better by taking a look at the differences between cooperative and competitive gameplay.

Now let us consider the positive effects of co-operative gaming in depth below.

Emotions/Traits Developed through Cooperative Games

Players gain the following traits or emotions when they play certain co-op or single player games:

Trust-building and Empathy

Some multiplayer games or single-player games involve certain choices or decisions without which the games cannot progress. For example, in the single-player ‘Ghost of Tsushima’, the protagonist has to trust a woman who teaches him how to take down enemies by stealth.

The character initially rejects her teachings until he realises that this is the only way to progress. So he accepts her knowledge and steps away from the way of the samurai to become a guerrilla warrior.

On the other hand, in the online multiplayer game Pandemic, players have to collaborate to stop the disease from spreading. They have to make fast decisions. So if one player accidentally makes a wrong decision, the other players understand that it is due to stress.

This understanding demonstrates the development of empathy for each other, since their decisions impact the overall flow of the game.

On the other hand, during an online Rummy game, you can teach them how to play Rummy if you see them performing poorly during the game, provided the platform allows players to communicate with one another. Once they learn, you can partner with them to win.

You can then win games by partnering with them.

Communication

Games like ‘Overcooked 2’ involve players who have to learn effective communication skills to serve dishes to all the guests. The trick lies in navigating the chaos when all players try to use the virtual kitchen at once.

Another popular example is ‘Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes’. This game also hinges on communication since other players have to guide the main player towards defusing the bomb. That’s because only one player can see the bomb.

Since one wrong move can cause an explosion, players have to develop effective communication skills.

Examples of Digital Games That Foster Empathy

Let’s take a look at some of the games that help you develop empathy below.

Foster Empathy through Digital Games

Cooperative games are a powerful tool for developing emotional intelligence in digital spaces. They help children develop vital skills such as building trust, empathy, and prosocial communication, and trust.

Children learn these skills by living the journey of each character. They understand how to make the correct decisions to progress the gameplay.

So, you should definitely introduce your children to co-op games early to help them become well-rounded human beings.