Graceful Failure: Investigating Frustration, Motivation, and Engagement with Video Games

Games offer a unique way to study human behavior by extending traditional lab-based research into more complex, naturalistic, yet highly controllable settings. A key feature of games is their potential to reframe failure as a learning opportunity, supposedly leading to persistent engagement and competence. This study empirically tested this idea by developing a platformer game in two versions: one with regular checkpoints (resulting in less negative consequences of failure) and one without (resulting in more negative consequences of failure, i.e., having to restart the level). Among 172 participants, those randomly assigned to the checkpoint condition completed more levels of the game on average, but were less committed to individual reward opportunities within each level. Importantly, they also reported significantly lower frustration and higher perceived competence, an essential predictor of intrinsic motivation, compared to participants in the condition without checkpoints. Subjective frustration of the basic need for competence partially mediated game-induced frustration, suggesting that reducing negative consequences of failure facilitates reframing failure as a learning opportunity. These findings illustrate how game design can reduce frustration and enhance motivation and engagement.