Masahiro Sakurai discusses players finding relief in defeat

Masahiro Sakurai is back with another video in his game development series, and this one falls into the ‘Game Essence’ category.

According to Sakurai, a study found that players feel anxiety after defeating an opponent, and relief when they themselves are defeated. Sakurai says most people would expect the results to show the exact opposite, so why is that?

In today’s video, Sakurai dives into the topic of player challenge and struggle, and how sometimes a defeat can be a very welcome respite.