Playing the Impostor: Translating Impostor Syndrome into Dynamic Game Physics - A Research-through-Design Exploration of Mechanical Metaphor in High-Intensity Games

Sammanfattning

This thesis explores how mechanical metaphor can translate the experience of Impostor Syndrome (IS) into a playable game system. While existing research hasdemonstrated that game mechanics can express psychological states, few studieshave achieved this by modulating core motion physics parameters in real time. Thisresearch first collected embodied descriptions of the experience from students withIS tendencies through a questionnaire, from which somatic markers were extractedas design basis. An automated parkour and track-grinding game prototype, SugarGloss, was then developed in Unreal Engine 5. Its core mechanic is a sugar shell thatthickens continuously during skating, driving dynamic changes in steering inertia,lateral drift, and friction, forming a loop of trade-offs between "collapse caused byan overly thick mask" and "exposure caused by an overly thin mask". The prototype was evaluated through two iterative rounds of testing. The results indicatethat the prototype successfully conveyed the somatic dimensions of IS, with participants generally reporting persistent feelings of pressure, loss of control, and beingpushed forward. However, the symbolic dimensions of the metaphor, such as the fearof being found out and the accumulation of external success, were not adequatelyperceived. Based on these findings, the thesis identifies several research directionsfor mechanical metaphor targeting psychological states and discusses directions forfuture work.