Game Design for Emotional Dynamics: The Role of Visual Color and Gameplay Activities in Shaping Emotional Transitions in Digital Game-Based Language Learning

Understanding how game design features shape learners’ emotional dynamics is crucial for advancing digital game-based language learning from a human–computer interaction perspective. This study investigated the associations between interface color features, gameplay activities and emotional transitions in a 3D role-playing digital game-based language learning environment. Facial expression recognition was applied to continuously track affective states, with emotional transitions categorized into four outcomes: positive, negative, neutral, and engagement. Results indicated that transitions occurred most frequently under cool hues with low-to-medium saturation and high brightness, with cyan-green to blue-green tones (80–100) producing the highest transition ratios. Engagement and neutral transitions predominated in these conditions. Activity-level analyses further revealed distinct patterns: conversation-based tasks stimulated positive transitions, feedback and response activities elicited negative transitions, and large language model (LLM)-based tutor dialogues primarily guided transitions toward engagement and neutral states. These findings demonstrate that both interface design and in-game activities were systematically associated with emotional transitions in DGBLL, offering practical guidance for the development of emotionally responsive educational games.