'Arc Raiders is almost like a social experiment': Embark Studios' CEO reveals a neurology professor encouraged him to submit the game for scientific testing to study player behaviour

arc raiders flickering flame update — (Image credit: Embark Studios)

If you asked me to write a list of which gaming communities should go under scientific study, I'd come back to you with a thesis. Honestly, I think most game fanbases should be closely examined for one reason or another, but it seems that Arc Raiders has stirred some real interest in the scientific community.

In an interview with IGN (via GamesRadar), Patrick Söderlund, CEO of Embark Studios, revealed that a distinguished neurology professor actually approached him about Arc Raiders and why it should be used in a psychological experiment.

A raider points their gun at a stop sign in Arc Raiders. — (Image credit: Embark Studios)

"I've read a bunch of articles saying the Arc Raiders is almost like a social experiment, and it kind of is, and I love that," Söderlund says. "I genuinely love the fact that that's what it is. I actually had a conversation at dinner three days ago with a very prominent professor in neurology who had gotten to know about the game, and said, 'Listen, you have no idea what you've built. Forget about the game itself.'"

"From just the whole idea of psychological experimentation and social experimentation, and what this game can be. She, a good friend of mine, basically said, 'You should go and do a collab or work with people from the medical field to study what behaviours are triggered in Arc Raiders.'"

No complaints here. Some of the behaviour I've witnessed in Arc Raiders is truly astounding for varying reasons. I've encountered a wild player in Stella Montis who was running around with his pickaxe, begging to duel someone to the death. He was pretty angry, but when I killed him, he started crying.

Arc Raiders Stella Montis - Corridor — (Image credit: Embark Studios)

There are also horror stories of players turning the same Arc Raiders map into a death maze with 65 door barricades, 13 deployable barricades, and three jolt mines. The guilty party even named themself "the engineer of chaos". Yeah, put that person under a microscope.

Another time, I came across someone just jumping on a stretch of path in front of me. They didn't say a word, but when I got closer to them, they jogged away. I followed them for some time, and they led me to an untouched weapons cache. I said thank you and asked them if they wanted anything, but they just stared blankly at me before jogging off into the distance, never to be seen again.

There really is ample psychological study material to be found in Arc Raiders, and that's not even mentioning the rats who pretend they're friendly before shooting you in the back. But unfortunately, we likely won't get that in-depth look into the psyche of an Arc Raiders player.

"We may not go that far," Söderlund adds. "That would not be anything to do with the game itself, but it points to something that I believe is so fundamental to this game, and I believe is a big component to why the game has been successful."

Elie is a news writer with an unhealthy love of horror games—even though their greatest fear is being chased. When they're not screaming or hiding, there's a good chance you'll find them testing their metal in metroidvanias or just admiring their Pokemon TCG collection. Elie has previously worked at TechRadar Gaming as a staff writer and studied at JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs about Smash Bros. or any indie game that crossed their path.

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