Yilin Li, Yuen Kuang Jun
Moral choice systems are widely implemented in role-playing games (RPGs) to enhance players' narrative immersion. However, existing research has yielded inconsistent findings regarding whether different types of moral choices (i.e., high-morality vs. low-morality choices) produce different levels of immersion. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the present study incorporates autonomy and moral emotions into a model of narrative immersion and proposes an integrated model that includes both moderation and parallel mediation, examining whether moral choice influences narrative immersion through moral emotions and whether the direct effect of moral choice on narrative immersion is moderated by autonomy. Specifically, guilt, shame, and pride were modeled as three parallel mediators, whereas autonomy served as the moderator. A 2 (autonomy: high vs. low) × 2 (moral choice: high-morality vs. low-morality) mixed experimental design was employed. Classic moral dilemma scenarios from Detroit: Become Human and BioShock were used as experimental stimuli, and 320 Chinese players participated in the study. The results indicate that (1) moral emotions mediate the relationship between moral choice and narrative immersion, and (2) autonomy moderates the direct effect of moral choice on narrative immersion. Specifically, under conditions of high autonomy, low-morality choices unexpectedly produced stronger narrative immersion than high-morality choices, revealing a crossover interaction effect. These findings suggest that moral choice influences narrative immersion not only through the elicitation of moral emotions but also that the strength of this effect varies with players' level of autonomy. By integrating emotional processes and autonomy into a unified framework, this study advances the understanding of the relationship between moral decision-making and narrative immersion in video games.