Art Card Game (ACG): Embedding Illustration in Gameplay to Mitigate Artist Self-Criticism

TL;DR

This paper introduces Art Card Game (ACG), a novel in-workflow intervention embedding illustration in gameplay to reduce artist self-criticism and enhance positive affect, demonstrated through a controlled study with illustrators.

Contribution

The paper presents evaluative off-centering embedded in a card game to mitigate self-criticism during illustration, a novel approach compared to traditional psychotherapeutic methods.

Findings

ACG increased pride in artwork.

ACG improved activity enjoyment.

ACG reduced self-criticism through positive affect.

Abstract

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.