Playing the empathy training game Crystals of Kaydor produced no greater improvement in adolescents' empathic accuracy than playing the commercial control game Bastion¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2018 · checked against its sources 2026-10-27 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Adolescents randomized to Crystals showed no significant group difference in post-minus-pre empathic accuracy change compared to Bastion, and neither group changed significantly within itself. → Kral 2018
Evidence¶
Kral 2018¶
Kral, T. R. A., Stodola, D. E., Birn, R. M., Mumford, J. A., Solis, E., Flook, L., Patsenko, E. G., Anderson, C. G., Steinkuehler, C. & Davidson, R. J. (2018). Neural correlates of video game empathy training in adolescents: a randomized trial. npj Science of Learning 3:13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-018-0029-6
q3 · i? · causal · r2
Two-sample t-test of post-minus-pre empathic accuracy change scores in a randomized trial (34 Crystals, 40 Bastion) found "no significant group difference in empathic accuracy change"; within-group tests were likewise non-significant (Crystals t(32) = −0.78, p = 0.44; Bastion t(39) = 0.71, p = 0.48). Equivalence was not tested.
"There was no significant group difference in empathic accuracy change ( t(71) = −1.04, p = 0.30, b = −0.06, CI = [−0.16, 0.05]"
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Social Awareness and Relationship Skills — outcome: instruction changes it
Related Claims¶
- Crystals gameplay increased DMPFC–posterior cingulate resting-state connectivity relative to Bastion, specific to the empathic accuracy-related network — related
- Improvements in empathic accuracy after Crystals gameplay were associated with strengthened amygdala–MPFC resting-state connectivity relative to Bastion — related
- Adolescents who engaged more with Crystals' empathy training mechanics showed greater increases in empathic accuracy-related RTPJ activation, controlling for total playtime — related
- Adolescents with higher empathic accuracy report higher empathic concern, and improvements in the two track together over training — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
crystals-no-group-difference-empathic-accuracy-change |
title |
Playing the empathy training game Crystals of Kaydor produced no greater improvement in adolescents' empathic accuracy than playing the commercial control game Bastion |
description |
Playing the empathy training game Crystals of Kaydor produced no greater improvement in adolescents' empathic accuracy than playing the commercial control game Bastion |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2018 |
source_checked |
2026-10-27 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-27 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — kral-2018 |
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