Pepper Partners analyzed a study by Canadian researchers on how synchronization between music and on-screen events affects player engagement. The experiment involved 89 participants who played Geometry Dash — an arcade game where actions need to be performed in time with the music. In some sessions, the audio was synchronized with the on-screen events, while in others it was not. Heart rate, breathing, and skin response were measured with sensors during gameplay.
How the experiment was conducted
🔵 Each participant played four consecutive three-minute sessions
🔵 In the first session, the music was synchronized with the on-screen events; in the second and third, it was desynchronized; in the fourth, it was synchronized again
🔵 The final session was designed to test whether players would return to their previous state once the audio was restored
🔵 After each session, participants completed questionnaires about their emotions, tension, and immersion in the game
🔵 During gameplay, researchers measured heart rate, breathing rate, and skin conductance
Breathing recovered completely
🔴 When the audio was synchronized with the action, breathing rate increased by approximately 10%
🔴 When the audio was desynchronized, breathing slowed down
🔴 In the fourth session, breathing returned to exactly the same rate as in the first session
Heart rate recovered only partially
🔵 When the audio was synchronized with the action, heart rate was approximately 13% higher
🔵 When the audio was desynchronized, heart rate decreased
🔵 In the fourth session, heart rate increased again, but the difference was only 7%
🔵 In other words, by the end of the experiment, synchronized audio increased heart rate only half as strongly as it had at the beginning
The emotional response did not fully recover
🔴 Skin conductance was the only one of the three indicators that directly reflected the emotional response to the game
🔴 In the first session, when the audio was synchronized with the action, the indicator was high
🔴 In the second and third sessions, when the audio was desynchronized, it decreased by 7−8%
🔴 In the fourth session, when the audio was synchronized again, the indicator increased, but did not return to the level recorded in the first session
Conclusion
As long as the audio stays synchronized with the gameplay, it keeps the player engaged and physiologically activated. But once desynchronization occurs, restoring the audio does not produce the same effect as before. The player’s response to the game remains weaker than it was at the beginning.
🔵 Each participant played four consecutive three-minute sessions
🔵 In the first session, the music was synchronized with the on-screen events; in the second and third, it was desynchronized; in the fourth, it was synchronized again
🔵 The final session was designed to test whether players would return to their previous state once the audio was restored
🔵 After each session, participants completed questionnaires about their emotions, tension, and immersion in the game
🔵 During gameplay, researchers measured heart rate, breathing rate, and skin conductance
Breathing recovered completely
🔴 When the audio was synchronized with the action, breathing rate increased by approximately 10%
🔴 When the audio was desynchronized, breathing slowed down
🔴 In the fourth session, breathing returned to exactly the same rate as in the first session
Heart rate recovered only partially
🔵 When the audio was synchronized with the action, heart rate was approximately 13% higher
🔵 When the audio was desynchronized, heart rate decreased
🔵 In the fourth session, heart rate increased again, but the difference was only 7%
🔵 In other words, by the end of the experiment, synchronized audio increased heart rate only half as strongly as it had at the beginning
The emotional response did not fully recover
🔴 Skin conductance was the only one of the three indicators that directly reflected the emotional response to the game
🔴 In the first session, when the audio was synchronized with the action, the indicator was high
🔴 In the second and third sessions, when the audio was desynchronized, it decreased by 7−8%
🔴 In the fourth session, when the audio was synchronized again, the indicator increased, but did not return to the level recorded in the first session
Conclusion
As long as the audio stays synchronized with the gameplay, it keeps the player engaged and physiologically activated. But once desynchronization occurs, restoring the audio does not produce the same effect as before. The player’s response to the game remains weaker than it was at the beginning.