Study on the Influence of the Language Symbols on Side-Scrolling Puzzle Games ---- Focused on the Players' Empathy

Abstract

According to whether language symbols are used to solve puzzles, puzzle games can be roughly divided into puzzle games with language symbols and puzzle games without language symbols. Puzzles games with language symbols can be subdivided into dialogue puzzles games and word puzzles games. These different puzzle-solving methods have different characteristics and have different effects on the empathy in the game. In horizontal scrolling games, due to the characteristics of the third-person perspective of horizontal scrolling games, there is always a f‘ ourth wall’ between the player and the controlled character, making it difficult for players to gain a empathy when playing such games .Especially when there is a dialogue between a player-controlled character and an NPC, the sense of distance between the player and the character will be further amplified. As one of the most common game types in side-scrolling games, side-scrolling puzzle games can be divided into language symbols-based puzzle game and non-language symbols-based puzzle game according to whether language symbols are used to solve puzzles, and then promote the development of the game plot. We combine the characteristics of horizontal scrolling games, and analyze the influence of language symbols on empathy in puzzle-solving games by summarizing the game characteristics of two different puzzle-solving methods. The results show that in horizontal scrolling puzzle games, solving puzzles without using language symbols can better expand the player's sense of plot substitution.