Investigating Player Engagement and Character Popularity Using YouTube Data Analysis

This study investigates player engagement and character popularity within the mobile game "Honkai: Star Rail" through the analysis of user-generated comments on YouTube. By employing the YouTube Data Application Programming Interface, 5,771 online textual reviews from the official trailer "Monodrama" were collected and analyzed using Voyant, a text analysis tool. The findings highlight that player exhibited significant emotional engagement and expressed strong positive sentiments toward characters, particularly focusing on the newly introduced character "Sparkle". The frequent mention of "Kurumi," a character from another media franchise, indicated associative engagement, suggesting players connect new characters with familiar designs. Terms relating directly to gameplay mechanics, such as "pull" and "fix," were prominently discussed, demonstrating the players' active interest and feedback regarding game functionality and improvements. Additionally, informal and expressive language observed in comments reveals players' deep emotional investment and community-driven interactions. This study contributes to existing literature by highlighting the importance of visual and emotional design elements in character-driven engagement within gacha games. The practical implications offer valuable insights for game developers and marketers, emphasizing the significance of distinct and relatable character designs for maintaining player interest and monetization potential. Despite limitations such as dataset scope and absence of demographic data, this research underscores the effectiveness of social media platforms in analyzing gamer engagement.