Art Card Game (ACG): Embedding Illustration in Gameplay to Mitigate Artist Self-Criticism
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arXiv
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| Auteurs principaux: | , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Publié: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866917514350428160 |
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| author | Mullings, Catherine Bernstein, Michael S. |
| author_facet | Mullings, Catherine Bernstein, Michael S. |
| contents | Persistent self-criticism--harsh evaluative self-talk--can undermine illustrators' performance and well-being. Traditional interventions draw on psychotherapeutic approaches (e.g., compassion training) but sit outside the illustration workflow, requiring time, facilitation, and skill transfer. We propose an in-workflow alternative: evaluative off-centering, a mechanism redirecting self-critical evaluation away from an inherently self-evaluative task (like illustration) by embedding it in an alternative activity. We instantiate evaluative off-centering in Art Card Game (ACG) that integrates illustration into a card customization game: players illustrate cards that become playable assets in a head-to-head battle. In a four-day randomized controlled study with hobbyist and professional illustrators (N=38), ACG outperformed a control condition with identical illustration constraints but no evaluative off-centering mechanisms (e.g. multiplayer, gameplay), yielding significantly higher pride in produced artwork and activity enjoyment. Pride and enjoyment--positive affect states linked to lower self-criticism--help explain how ACG reduces self-criticism. We discuss design implications for creativity support tools that apply evaluative off-centering across creative domains. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_20465 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Art Card Game (ACG): Embedding Illustration in Gameplay to Mitigate Artist Self-Criticism Mullings, Catherine Bernstein, Michael S. Human-Computer Interaction Persistent self-criticism--harsh evaluative self-talk--can undermine illustrators' performance and well-being. Traditional interventions draw on psychotherapeutic approaches (e.g., compassion training) but sit outside the illustration workflow, requiring time, facilitation, and skill transfer. We propose an in-workflow alternative: evaluative off-centering, a mechanism redirecting self-critical evaluation away from an inherently self-evaluative task (like illustration) by embedding it in an alternative activity. We instantiate evaluative off-centering in Art Card Game (ACG) that integrates illustration into a card customization game: players illustrate cards that become playable assets in a head-to-head battle. In a four-day randomized controlled study with hobbyist and professional illustrators (N=38), ACG outperformed a control condition with identical illustration constraints but no evaluative off-centering mechanisms (e.g. multiplayer, gameplay), yielding significantly higher pride in produced artwork and activity enjoyment. Pride and enjoyment--positive affect states linked to lower self-criticism--help explain how ACG reduces self-criticism. We discuss design implications for creativity support tools that apply evaluative off-centering across creative domains. |
| title | Art Card Game (ACG): Embedding Illustration in Gameplay to Mitigate Artist Self-Criticism |
| topic | Human-Computer Interaction |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.20465 |