The Cognitive Science Behind in Online Play

Modern online video games are introducing complexity to the gameplay mechanics, rules and systems. These games require players to navigate complex scenarios, develop strategies, and decide on the best course of action to achieve the desired outcome.

This concept of understanding the situation, assessing the opponent’s actions, and making the right call is why decision-making is effectively pursued in online gameplay.

This blog will explore the concepts of cognitive sciences and how they dictate a player’s decision-making route in online gaming.

Understanding Decision-Making: A Cognitive Perspective

The study of the mental processes that are undertaken in decision-making is commonly called cognitive psychology. Cognitive sciences, led by cognitive psychology, explain how people remember, think, and determine information and make choices.

How Does Cognitive Science Define Decision-Making?

From a cognitive science perspective, decision-making is a dynamic process with continued revisions in individual choices in specific environments. The formation of perspectives based on learning and experience develops the cognitive approach towards decision-making.

Another facet of this concept is how choice involves different cognitive processes. Processes such as perception, attention, and memory affect choices and define decision-making.

Decision-making, as per Daniel Kahneman, can either be intuitive or deliberate. Kahneman called the two processes, System 1 (fast-thinking) and System 2 (slow-thinking).

System 1 is quick and usually done with low effort. System 2, on the other hand, involves making a deliberate choice. Here, an individual puts a more intentional spin on the automatic functions of memory and attention. Thereby, they use cognitive functions to make a choice.

Core Processes Involved

Now, what are the core processes that decision-making involves? According to Kahneman, the System 2 of decision-making is a gradual and tiered process of making a choice. So, decision-making involves a few core concepts.

The core processes involved include the steps taken to gather and filter information based on relevance. Here, the data that is irrelevant or repetitive is removed, and the necessary data is used. This makes the process more efficient.

Moreover, making a decision also involves evaluating the risks to filter out the decisions that mainly lead to a positive outcome.

Finally, cognitive sciences in decision-making require an evaluation of the social consequences of a decision. A choice should be made after considering how it can impact social relationships and interactions.

Key Cognitive Factors at Play in Online Gaming

How do the key components of cognitive sciences impact decision-making in online gaming? The decisions you make when participating in an online game can impact the overall outcome of the game.

Not only that, in an online game, different types of decisions need to be considered, namely, deciding between various choices, an overall strategic decision impacting the overall outcome of the game, short-term tactical decisions, and so on.

All of these potential decisions involve cognitive factors such as memory, attention, reasoning, and problem-solving.

Reaction Time and Split-Second Choices

Many online games, such as competitive first-person shooters or MOBA games, require swift reactions, quick thinking, and making split-second decisions that could completely alter the outcome of the game.

Unlike deliberate decision-making, making split-second choices involves immediately taking action in a pressure situation. Thus, processes such as evaluating valuable information and considering long-term consequences take a back seat due to their time-consuming nature.

In such cases, it becomes important to process visual and auditory stimuli quickly and apply experience to come to a decision.

Pattern Recognition and Strategy Building

In online gaming, due to the split-second nature of decision-making, pattern recognition becomes a key cognitive skill. Pattern recognition usually involves identifying and understanding behavioural traits among individuals in specific environments.

For example, in poker, pattern recognition can help you predict a set of outcomes based on your opponent’s tendencies and tells. This can help you leverage your opponent’s aversion to risk to increase your probability of winning.

Working Memory and Cognitive Load

Online games also often involve a complex combination of cognitive processes to be considered. You have to juggle comprehending instructions, performing the level’s objectives, and maintaining situational awareness to predict your opponent’s decisions.

Furthermore, it is also said that gaming can have a positive impact on an individual’s working memory. So, how does working memory impact the online gaming experience of a player? While participating in any game, you need to store key temporary information, such as the rules, enemy placement, button combinations, user interface, and so on.

There are negative consequences of this as well. A game’s user interface can be overloaded, inducing confusion among the players, leading to harmful effects on memory retention.

Risk-Taking and Reward Systems

The risk and reward exchange is a very relevant decision-making tool in online gaming. An example of this is an online poker app. If you choose to take a risk, you know that if it pays off, your rewards will be immensely increased. However, if the risk fails, your probability of losing increases as well.

This works in all forms of online games as well. In a strategy game, a high-risk, high-reward tactic can have a massive pay-off.

On the other hand, you can also exploit your opponent’s perspective towards risk-taking. Returning to the example of poker, you can convince a risk-averse opponent to fold by calling a bluff, a valid tactic to win, even with a weak hand.

Comparison of Decision-Flow Between FPS, Strategy and iGames

While the decision-making processes are similarly defined for different genres of online games, there are certain key differences in the decision flow when it comes to the three major genres, namely FPS, Strategy and iGames.

Here is a comparison table discussing the basic differences:

Decision-Making Stage FPS Strategy iGames

Goal-Setting Elimination, Survival, Objectives Tactics, Objectives Score, Sequences

Information-Gathering Mini-Map, UI Field Tactics, Positioning Tells, Odds, Patterns

Risk Assessment Quick Call Probability Assessment Pattern Recognition

Execution Quick Reaction Time, Mobility, Aim Turn-Based Inputs Taps and Swipes

Outcome Evaluation Elimination, Capturing Objective Map Control Call/Raise/Fold

Multiplayer Dynamics and Social Cognition

Multiplayer games promote competitiveness among players. However, they also improve social cognitive abilities among individuals.

In gaming scenarios, such as on an online poker app, your social interactions are mostly on a competitive level. However, in RTS games and in shooter games, you are often placed in a team-based combat scenario.

In such cases, an important aspect becomes that of trust. Here, your decision-making will be less dependent on how to win over another player, and more about connecting with trust, empathy and working as a cohesive unit.

Conclusion

Games may seem like simple hobbies, but in gaming, decision-making involves different complex cognitive processes. Varying aspects of choices depend on the genre of the games, as the cognitive processes involved work differently.

Finally, in a team-based multiplayer scenario, the decision-making processes change from competitiveness to being more focused towards working as a unit.