Intersectional Pleasures: An Empirical Study of Embodied Emotions in Video Games

Abstract

This study deconstructs the complex and multifaceted pleasure experiences in video games by integrating embodied cognition theory with an intersectionality framework. The study applied mixed research methods, found out that multimodal spatial environments form the foundation for activating players' perceptual neural pathways, with their sense of realism deeply intertwined with players' emotional experiences. Identity formation arises from the synergistic interaction between virtual bodies and embodied cognition, manifesting through sustained "role-playing". Culture and embodied emotion exhibit a bidirectional shaping relationship: cultural design provides social contextual scripts for emotion, while bodily practices reinforce their interconnection. The findings demonstrate that game pleasure is not a universal sensation, but an intersectional experience emerging from the dynamic interplay of body, space, identity, and culture, which is grounded in neural systems for empathy, reward, and emotional regulation, of the human brain. This paper provides further conclusions regarding methodology of DiGRA (Conference) and empirical results across interdisciplinary fields.