Agents and Avatars: Event based analysis of competitive differences

Investigations into playing against computer and human controlled opponents have shown higher levels of arousal against human opponents. Most experiments however measure this by using post play surveys. In contrast, the study reported in this paper used physiological measurements to allow for different events during competitive play to be analysed. Twenty participants played two death matches in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Although participants played against an agent in both matches, participants were told that they were playing against an agent in one match, and an avatar in the other. Significant differences in participants' arousal level were found when the enemy was first encountered, though measures became more mixed as the interactions played out. The believability of the avatar may have influenced the results, as not all participants seemed convinced of the humanity of the AI. Overall, the experimental results can form a basis for further investigation into this area.