video game beta test reveal
Video game beta test reveals how we might act if the world ends
Have you ever wondered how you would act at the end of the world? Players' actions in a video game could reveal insights into how an impending apocalypse might affect people's behaviour. A team of researchers analysed how players behaved in a beta test of ArcheAge, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). The players knew that all of their character information and progress would be deleted at the end of the test, which lasted about 11 weeks. This meant the researchers could watch how their actions changed as they got closer to the virtual world's end.