Taking a Look at the Player’s Gaze: The Effects of Gaze Visualizations on the Perceived Presence in Games

Abstract

Gaze input in the context of games proves to be an interesting and challenging field. One research area is the integration of gaze interaction into the game interface (diegetic/virtual approach) and its effects on players. In order to address this issue we conducted an experimental study consisting of two game prototypes with two variants (2D platformer/3D exploration game) focusing on presence. Results show that the game genre has a strong influence on the perceived spatial presence. The type of interface (diegetic/virtual - the players’ current gaze position) plays only a minor role. However, some effects can be identified: although an explicit gaze visualization may have a negative impact, the visualization is ignored by the subjects after some playtime. Furthermore, players interpret the interface sot that it matches their perceiption of the game world.