This thesis research considered whether players were more likely to develop an emotional connection to characters in a game when the game featured more or less visual richness of detail.
The foundation of this research was sparked by Scott McCloud's ideas that people will project themselves to less detailed cartoon characters, thus creating a stronger bond.
Four versions of the game were created and tested.
This was the Masters thesis of Carl Sommer at Purdue University. David Whittinghill was the faculty adviser and Esteban Garcia and Samantha Blackmon served on the committee.
