Evidence for a Player's Position Advantage in a Videogame

Abstract

An understanding of videogame performance may increase our knowledge of human performance generally and clarify ways in which performance can be enhanced. Few studies to date have examined factors that may contribute to successful performance in videogames. The hypothesis, based on preliminary observation, was that the position one occupies—right or left—affects performance in a television ping-pong game (“pong”). Analysis showed that right-handed male university students (n = 40) performed better when seated on the right than on the left. The right-side advantage was maintained even when subjects were presented a mirror-image of the game, indicating that characteristics of the apparatus were not solely responsible for the effect. Perhaps compatibility of certain display and response components in the pong game accounted for the advantage of the player's position.