Mood management theory is a critical element of entertainment media studies; therefore, this study adopted this theory to examine the influence of arousal and excitation potential on the emotions and enjoyment of players, specifically when they play motion sensor games. The findings provide new thinking of the application to video gaming.
Two factors, arousal and violence, were adopted to examine their influence on the emotional state and enjoyment of 151 participants exposed to two levels of arousal (stress and boredom) and excitation potential (through a violent boxing game and non-violent bowling game).
The results indicated that playing motion sensor games generated a mood management effect; in other words, gaming enhanced the players’
emotional state. However, no significant difference in mood management effects was observed between the arousal and excitation potential variables. Therefore, the author claims that people who are under stress might not
need to adjust their level of arousal and they can have a positive emotional experience even while playing violent games.
In addition, in contrast to mood management theory, the association between mood management and enjoyment is weak. The author found that excitation potential can increase involvement and enjoyment. The author proposes the aforementioned viewpoints as a new means for rethinking mood management theory in the context of interactive entertainment media.