Smash Science - The Color Metagame

Welcome to the first ever edition of Smash Science! This will be a special series of articles delving into the curiosities of Smash through a scientific lens. Imagine if the color of the character a player chose could affect their win rate. Now think if the colors of a stage chosen could change the way two competitors played out a match. Both of these things are VERY possible. So sit down and prepare to learn the science of The Color Metagame!

Color Psychology​

Color psychology is a very unique form of psychological study where scientists study how various color hues can affect human behavior. It may not seem like colors have that much power over the human psyche but it has been proven they often do. They can change how we taste food, reduce crime rates, change how attractive we find people, make people more likely to purchase products, but most importantly to Smash players potentially increase their win rates and change how they play during a given match.

Red vs Blue​

Many competitive sports as well as video games place competitors into separate uniforms with specific colors with the most commonly used being red and blue. While most would never see this as unfair the competitors in red have actually been shown to win more matches of even skill than those who were in blue. In a study publish in 2008 data was taken from 1,347 games with equally skilled players in Unreal Tournament 2004, a game in which teams were either the red team or the blue team. While the data was expected to be split much closer to the middle it turned out that the team in red won 5% more matches than the team in blue.

While it may not seem like a large number, those conducting the study found it to be quite significant. "Our data suggest that joining the red team may offer a slight advantage over the blue team in virtual competition, and this should be accounted for when designing FPS games." the study published. So why is it that the red could actually increase their win rate? "It is likely that "seeing red" may trigger a powerful psychological distractor signal in human aggressive competition that can affect the outcome of sports and virtual contests alike."

Taken From Psychology: Red Enhances Human Performance In Contests​

It doesn't stop in the world of virtual competition either. A study done during the 2004 Olympic games showed that those of equal skill who wore red while competing in boxing, taekwondo, and freestyle wrestling won 10% more of their matches than their blue wearing counterparts. Another study also showed referees were more likely to award the player wearing red more points than those in blue. A study of the 2004 EUFA European Championship found teams in red were more likely to win games and perform better. Yet another study showing player taking penalty kicks in soccer were likely to perform worse if the goalkeeper wore a red uniform.

So does this article just end with Red is Best? It might have if not for studies done within League of Legends. In said study done for The Daily Dot, it was shown that players who were on the blue team were the ones winning a significantly larger number of matches. In the 2014 North American Summer Playoffs for League of Legends the teams in blue won 79.3% of games over their red counterparts. The colors actually affected many aspects of play whether red or blue was chosen all of which can be found in the original study here.

This study however does not show that red cannot offer an advantage, nor does it show that these color choices and results came from random luck. It shows that different colors will help players perform in different ways. It seems that blue colors encourage creativity and thinking in the long term where as red colors encouraged more aggression among players. Famous Youtube channel The Game Theorists covered this subject in more detail in a video released in June of 2015 which can be viewed by those wanting to learn even more.

Applications In Smash​

So how can this color psychology be applied to matches in Super Smash Bros? To start it is worth knowing the affects and associations created in people by the most common colors seen. These descriptions are taken courtesy of Colour Affects UK.

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Red

• Positives: Courage, strength, warmth, energy, 'fight or flight', stimulation, masculinity, excitement
• Negatives: Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain

Blue

• Positive: Intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, logic, coolness, reflection, calm.
• Negative: Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness.

Yellow

• Positive: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extroversion, emotional strength, friendliness, creativity.
• Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, anxiety,

Green

• Positive: Harmony, balance, refreshment, rest, restoration, reassurance, equilibrium, peace.
• Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation.

Purple

• Positive: Containment, vision, luxury, authenticity, truth, quality.
  
• Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority.

Orange

• Positive: Physical comfort, food, warmth, security, passion, abundance, fun.
• Negative: Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity.

Pink

• Positive: Physical tranquillity, nurture, warmth, femininity, love, survival of the species.
• Negative: Inhibition, emotional claustrophobia, emasculation, physical weakness.

Grey

• Positive: Psychological neutrality.
• Negative: Lack of confidence, dampness, depression, hibernation, lack of energy.

Black

• Positive: Sophistication, glamour, security, emotional safety, efficiency, substance.
• Negative: Oppression, coldness, menace, heaviness.

White

• Positive: Hygiene, sterility, clarity, purity, cleanness, simplicity, sophistication, efficiency.
• Negative: Sterility, coldness, barriers, unfriendliness, elitism.

Brown

• Positive: Seriousness, warmth, Nature, earthiness, reliability, support.
• Negative: Lack of humour, heaviness, lack of sophistication.

---​

So when choosing the colors of character outfits or stages these things can be considered. Need to have aggression and confidence in a match? A consider costumes with red, orange, and yellow while picking stages with with lots of similar bright colors. Need to stay calm, collected, and creative? Consider blues or purples Blues could also be useful for teams matches as it encourages communication.

Remember these advantages only start to really show themselves in games where players are equally skilled so these color choices will not give a large edge in a lopsided match. There are many more applications for these color choices that are there to be found so be sure to experiment!

That is all from this edition of Smash Science! Learn something interesting from the article or have a cool application for colors in Smash we missed? Sound off in the comments below and stay tuned to Smashboards for future Smash Science articles!

 

Interesting... Blue is my favorite color

 

This is very cool.

 

I never thought of It this way before, Interesting.

 

...I really doubt this has any effect in actual sports, I honestly think this is a coincidence, a case of correlation does not equal causation.

In Smash especially, a lot of characters can only excel in one particular play style. I wouldn't stop playing Captain Falcon aggressively just because I picked the blue colour, for example.

I also don't think the colour of my Luma (which changes almost every time he respawns) effects my play either when I'm playing Rosalina. I normally use her default colour, which is blue, and while it varies, a lot of people describe my playstyle as aggressive with her.

I just don't think there's any real logistics to this. I think if people playing as red characters win more than those with blue characters, it's just a coincidence.

 

This is an old, silly idea based in self-realizing superstition.

More like Smash Pseudo-science. Not that I don't appreciate the idea, but maybe there could be more... substance than popular psych tropes.

 

Green is my favorite color. Not really sue where "boredom" came from in it's description...

 

...I really doubt this has any effect in actual sports.

More like Smash Pseudo-science. Not that I don't appreciate the idea, but maybe there could be more... substance than popular psych tropes.

How have tons of scientific studies repeatedly come up with similar results then? I mean, I linked to several of them in the article. the cold hard science and all.

 

I can think of a few other negatives associated with brown. Haha.
Black & White top tier - who cares if you are sterile or menacing, totally net gains there. We need Black and White team colors for Smash!

How have tons of scientific studies repeatedly come up with similar results then? I mean, I linked to several of them in the article. the cold hard science and all.

Humans have natural tendencies - our logical systems enjoy pattern and order and grouping by what we observe into something "scientific" can happen logically, but it can also just be grouping for the sake of our own psychological process and have little relevance to realistic goals.
I suspect these are actually "psych tropes" and whatever science behind it is either much more subtly impressive or by and large lost to our humanic syndrome.
Psychology and social fields are not "hard science" (with the exception of a few fields of psychology like neuropsychologic studies of the physical brain), these fit in the category of "soft science". Hard science of Smash is like the physics used in the game.

But, hey, this kind of info is gobbled up by the try-hards; so let's give 'em a feast X^D

 

How have tons of scientific studies repeatedly come up with similar results then? I mean, I linked to several of them in the article. the cold hard science and all.

"equal skill level" is a very debatable critera. Moreover, you have studies both infirming and confirming your point. Also, all these studies exclude the possibility that, should there even be any causation, the effect is simply based on cultural significance of colors. Would the effect turn out the same in asian countries where red is a color of rejoicing and festivities?

Also I fail to see how this is applicable to smash if both players can choose the red color or elect for teams to be green/blue only.

 

Maybe that's why I consistently perform better as Blood Falcon rather than the regular Captain.
But how can purple represent luxury/quality and inferiority?

 

According to this, Sonic is a character of intelligence, logic, and coolness...............well I am convinced.

Seriously though, this was an interesting read. Maybe I need to try playing Red Tink next time I'm in a tourney.

 

Would the effect turn out the same in asian countries where red is a color of rejoicing and festivities?

Color psychology from what I could find does occasionally affect people with different cultural heritage differently yes! In general though these are the results most people have with various color.

Also I fail to see how this is applicable to smash if both players can choose the red color or elect for teams to be green/blue only.

Green vs blue has its own differences too. Just to be clear I totally understand skepticism and this isn't exactly the hardest science but psychology in general is a fuzzy subject. Either way the article is a bit interesting and people can take from it what they want (which includes not believing it at all). Just found the subject interesting and thought others might too.

 

How have tons of scientific studies repeatedly come up with similar results then? I mean, I linked to several of them in the article. the cold hard science and all.

tfw people try to argue against something they probably didn't even read.

 

tfw people try to argue against something they probably didn't even read.

The debate hall in a nutshell.

 

...I really doubt this has any effect in actual sports, I honestly think this is a coincidence, a case of correlation does not equal causation.

In Smash especially, a lot of characters can only excel in one particular play style. I wouldn't stop playing Captain Falcon aggressively just because I picked the blue colour, for example.

I also don't think the colour of my Luma (which changes almost every time he respawns) effects my play either when I'm playing Rosalina. I normally use her default colour, which is blue, and while it varies, a lot of people describe my playstyle as aggressive with her.

I just don't think there's any real logistics to this. I think if people playing as red characters win more than those with blue characters, it's just a coincidence.

Its ok if you think that but it doesn't mean you're correct.

 

...I really doubt this has any effect in actual sports, I honestly think this is a coincidence, a case of correlation does not equal causation.

In Smash especially, a lot of characters can only excel in one particular play style. I wouldn't stop playing Captain Falcon aggressively just because I picked the blue colour, for example.

I also don't think the colour of my Luma (which changes almost every time he respawns) effects my play either when I'm playing Rosalina. I normally use her default colour, which is blue, and while it varies, a lot of people describe my playstyle as aggressive with her.

I just don't think there's any real logistics to this. I think if people playing as red characters win more than those with blue characters, it's just a coincidence.

You used all the fancy lingo you learned in your high school psychology class and didn't read the article at all. For shame!

Data for the League of Legends games needs to be put in better persective: Blue teams get first pick and first ban (more significant than in other games), have different access to the first neutral objective, and until recently the opposing team has been purple.

 

This may be true, since humans looooove associating colors with things; then base snap actions or judgments off the same train of thought. Also, the color meta game could be taken more literally too.

For instance, using Nurse/Wedding or Fireball Peach colors will make it easier to briefly conceal turnips in the heat of battle. Especially after catching one.

Using Shadow Link on FD may make it harder to always track exactly where his hurtbox is.

etc.

 

How have tons of scientific studies repeatedly come up with similar results then? I mean, I linked to several of them in the article. the cold hard science and all.

I didn't see this is scientific at all. It's just generalisation, which is actually considered terrible practice in the field of science.

Literally all it says is that "people who picked red won more, so clearly red gives people an edge". When one could just as easily reason that the people who picked red happened to perform better in their matches, independent of colour.

Furthermore, even if it does effect some people, it doesn't effect everyone, that much is certain. So I really don't think it's something Smash players need to consider.

Besides, if someone couldn't play an aggressive Captain Falcon or something just because they weren't using a primarily red colour, then I would say they probably need a lot of work as a CF player to begin with - assuming a colour choice "buffs" their performance to begin with.

Its ok if you think that but it doesn't mean you're correct.

I think I am well capable of identifying my own play patterns, thanks.

 

This is almost as important as the Menu tilt meta in Melee!

 

its more of a suggestion to your brain. Think of a detour in the highway, it isnt a must to take it, but its still there.
i highly recommend the video of game theory to get more info on the topic.

 

How does one find Anxiety in Yellow when normally Yellow is depicted often as a sunny,bright and happy color.

with red being an aggression inducing color. Maybe that's the reason I win so well with my Link since I usually pick the Red color.

 

Never would've remotely considered colors important to the outcome of a match. While I don't believe them to be significantly more important than I did before, I will consider this in future matches.

 

Mega Man is blue...
HELP

 

I'm not really convinced by the Unreal Tournament study's claim that their result has nothing to do with player preference. Not controlling for that was dumb. Given that they were only accounting for at most 30 players, even a single dominant player with a color preference could skew the results by the ~5% they observed. Look at how ZeRo and Nairo always pick the black colors for their characters. If you were to use that methodology with SSB4 matches, it would be incredibly apparent that the color black sends players into an unbeatable rage.

I haven't read the Olympic study yet, so dunno about that one, but I remain very skeptical that something as minute as color could generate such a large effect.

 

Green: Negative: Boredom.
Well that explains a lot.
@Flight

 

I can get down with this, especially considering I genuinely feel like I can't get as motivated when playing a character unless I use a color that I like for them. If I don't use that color it feels off.

 

I uses yellow wario and I do kind of feel the emtions of yellow expect for emotionally fragile

 

I use green because it is the favorite color of a girl I like. Otherwise, I don't really have a color preference.

 

White

• Positive: Hygiene, sterility, clarity, purity, cleanness, simplicity, sophistication, efficiency.
• Negative: Sterility, coldness, barriers, unfriendliness, elitism.
  
  That sterility being a positive and negative. Where's that neutral position yo?

 

How have tons of scientific studies repeatedly come up with similar results then? I mean, I linked to several of them in the article. the cold hard science and all.

I have a problem with this article's information.

While colors are associated with certain archetypes and can therefore slightly cause some associated thought with said archetypes, the Red Vs. Blue theory is complete bunk.

You have presented some studies showing that blue can also have an advantage with critical thinking sports, but this also has some problems for the same reasons as claiming that the color red has an advantage over the color blue. LoL players agree that there are more factors than just the color to the 'Blue' side of the map.

Further studies into the Red Vs. Blue phenomenon shows that neither color has an inherit advantage over each other. The following is a passage from a book (Proofiness: How you're being fooled by the numbers by Charles Seife) dedicated to debunking and informing mathematical fallacies: https://books.google.com/books?id=g...b1A9A#v=onepage&q=proofiness red blue&f=false

"In truth, the authors were simply looking at a bunch of random data and constructing a pattern out of that random event. It was a fluke that slightly more red-wearing athletes beat blue-wearing athletes than vice-versa, and anthropologists created a study to explain that fluke. ...analyzing sports in the 2008 Olympics shows there's no advantage to wearing red; if you look winners of the same events (studied), there seems to be a slight disadvantage. Athletes wearing blue won more matches than those wearing red..."

While the idea is interesting, the information you've presented is unfortunately outdated. I personally would not advise picking one color over another to gain an edge, but I will agree that a color you have strong feelings for may motivate you to try harder.

For instance, Player A may like blue, so he chooses a blue Mewtwo alt. He's more at ease with his choice than Player B, who chose a green Sheik alt, and hates the color green.

While the color blue has no intrinsic superiority over the color green, player B may become annoyed when he views his character, possibly causing distractions.

Besides this, color may be a subjective. We can't prove that everyone sees 'red' as 'red' because human language lacks significant adjectives for color. The color 'red' to you may be the color 'blue' to me, and so on. But I'm starting to go off on a tangent.

With this in mind, you may want to update your data in order to avoid some misinformation. I look forward to any more future articles in this "Smash Science" series.

 

One of green's positives is "rest"

I guess Hungrybox knew all along.

 

Huh. This actually lines up pretty well to how I play Game and Watch depending on if I use Black or Yellow

 

So does color describe our playstyle as a whole or just our playstyle for that character? For example, Bowser's black skin is my favorite for him, but Mewtwo's white/purple default skin appeals to me way more than the others.

 

How have tons of scientific studies repeatedly come up with similar results then? I mean, I linked to several of them in the article. the cold hard science and all.

The only poor comparison is the League of Legends comparison. The map isn't evenly balanced and it's common knowledge that blue side has advantage in both jungle start positions, laneswaps, positioning for early game objectives etc. That's not actually based on how the colors work out, but by how objectives are placed on the map by the designers of the game and how the meta game has developed around early game objectives.

Everything else checks out as far as I can tell though, and that's not to say that the data acquired is unscientific.

 

Ooo... Very interesting! I love color psychology. Also, to everyone pointing out contradictions within the colors' moods and effects, I'd imagine that it has something to do with cultural differences. For example, black is generally the color of mourning in the Western world, whereas red fills that role in South Africa. It's just a dissimilarity between cultures, is all. Also, a few fun facts about color!

Titanium dioxide is the whitest known substance, while vantablack is the blackest. My favorite, however, is the fact that pink isn't actually a color. Basically, pink is supposedly the color that's created when red and violet light are the only colors that are reflected off a given object. The problem is, that never actually happens. If you were to try to bend the visible color spectrum into a circle, you wouldn't be able to get the very ends of the spectrum, red and violet, to touch, thus leaving the circle incomplete. That gap is where invisible light, such as ultraviolet light and infrared rays, belong, but our brain just fills it in with pink. Ergo, pink isn't actually a color; it doesn't exist. Pretty neat, huh?

 

...I really doubt this has any effect in actual sports, I honestly think this is a coincidence, a case of correlation does not equal causation.

In Smash especially, a lot of characters can only excel in one particular play style. I wouldn't stop playing Captain Falcon aggressively just because I picked the blue colour, for example.

I also don't think the colour of my Luma (which changes almost every time he respawns) effects my play either when I'm playing Rosalina. I normally use her default colour, which is blue, and while it varies, a lot of people describe my playstyle as aggressive with her.

I just don't think there's any real logistics to this. I think if people playing as red characters win more than those with blue characters, it's just a coincidence.

Or more aggressive people are likely to pick red.

 

Green

• Positive: Harmony, balance, refreshment, rest, restoration, reassurance, equilibrium, peace.
• Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation.

And I happen to be known for boredom on this site. Fits me well.

 

Or more aggressive people are likely to pick red.

Like I said, that's a generalisation. Not science.

 

Purple --> Inferiority. Yep sounds about right for me.