Use of auditory event-related potentials to measure immersion during a computer game

The degree of engagement in a computer game is determined by sensory immersion (i.e. effects of display technology) and challenge immersion (i.e. effects of task demand). Twenty participants played a computer game under two display conditions (a large TV vs. head-mounted display) with three levels of cognitive challenge (easy/hard/impossible). Immersion was defined as selective attention to external (non-game related) auditory stimuli and measured implicitly as event-related potentials (ERPs) to an auditory oddball task. The Immersive Experience Questionnaire (IEQ) was used to capture subjective indicators of immersion. The type of display had no significant influence on ERPs or responses to the IEQ. However, subjective immersion was significantly enhanced by the experience of hard and impossible demand. The amplitude of late component ERPs to oddball stimuli were significantly reduced when demand increased from easy to hard/impossible levels. We conclude that ERPs to irrelevant stimuli represent a valid method of operationalising immersion

Effects of the heads-up display in the occurrence of immersion : an experiment with gamers

O design de uma interface gráfica num jogo de videogame pode afetar diretamente a experiência de imersão que o jogador vivencia durante a atividade. Existe uma gama de elementos de design de interface que podem afetar o fenômeno da imersão nos videogames, entre eles o heads-up display (HUD). No contexto de videogames, HUD pode ser definido como um conjunto de elementos gráficos projetados na tela para transmitir informações ao jogador durante a execução do jogo. Este estudo tem como objetivo investigar os efeitos do Heads-Up Display (HUD) no processo de imersão num jogo. Para tanto, uma pesquisa com jogadores foi conduzida. A partir deste experimento foram avaliados os efeitos de diferentes elementos do design de HUD, bem como a percepção dos usuários sobre o fenômeno. Os resultados desta pesquisa apontam para algumas diretrizes sobre o design de HUDs em jogos imersivos.The user interface in a videogame can affect the user’s experience of immersion during gameplay. Several components of said interface can affect the phenomena differently, one of them being the heads-up display (HUD). In this context, the HUD can be understood as the combination of all visual elements projected on-screen to convey information to the player. This study aims at investigating the effects of the HUD in the occurrence of immersion within a game. To do so, an experiment with gamers was conducted. From this point, different aspects of immersion were evaluated, as well as the influence of specific elements within the HUD and the perception of gamers about each aspect. The study is concluded by proposing some design elements that should be noted when designing a HUD for an immersive videogame

Roomalive: Magical experiences enabled by scalable, adaptive projector-camera units

ABSTRACT RoomAlive is a proof-of-concept prototype that transforms any room into an immersive, augmented entertainment experience. Our system enables new interactive projection mapping experiences that dynamically adapts content to any room. Users can touch, shoot, stomp, dodge and steer projected content that seamlessly co-exists with their existing physical environment. The basic building blocks of RoomAlive are projector-depth camera units, which can be combined through a scalable, distributed framework. The projector-depth camera units are individually autocalibrating, self-localizing, and create a unified model of the room with no user intervention. We investigate the design space of gaming experiences that are possible with RoomAlive and explore methods for dynamically mapping content based on room layout and user position. Finally we showcase four experience prototypes that demonstrate the novel interactive experiences that are possible with RoomAlive and discuss the design challenges of adapting any game to any room

Understanding user experience in gaming

This research examines the effect of virtual reality gaming versus desktop based gaming on spatial presence, social presence, and intention to play. It draws on cognitive theory of presence, social presence theory, and theory of reasoned action to generate the research hypotheses and explain the observed phenomenon. A within-subject experimental design (N=53) was used to evaluate the effects of virtual reality versus desktop based gaming. The results suggest that both spatial presence and social presence were significantly enhanced in the virtual reality gaming environment while intention to play was significantly greater in the desktop based gaming environment --Abstract, page iii

Proxemics of screen mediation: engagement with reading on screen manifests as diminished variation due to self-control, rather than diminished mean distance from screen

Objective: Burgoon's theory of conversational involvement suggest that when people engage with a person, they will move slightly closer to them, often subtly and subconsciously. However, some studies have failed to extend this to human-computer interaction. Our hypothesis is that during online reading, engagement is associated with an expenditure of effort to hold the head upright, still and centrally. Method: We presented to 27 participants (ages 21.00 ± 2.89, 15 female) seated in front of 47.5x27 cm monitor two reading stimuli in a counterbalanced order, one (interesting) based on a best selling novel and the other (boring) based on European Union banking regulations. The participants were video-recorded during their reading while they wore reflective motion tracking markers. The markers were video-tracked off-line using Kinovea 0.8. Results: Subjective VAS ratings showed that the stimuli elicited the bored and interested states as expected. Video tracking showed that the boring stimulus (compared to the interesting reading) elicited a greater head-to-screen velocity, a greater head-to-screen distance range, a greater head-to-screen distance standard deviation, but not a further away head-to-screen mean distance. Conclusions: The more interesting reading led to efforts to control the head to a more central viewing position while suppressing head fidgeting

The Effect of Screen Size on Students’ Cognitive Load in Mobile Learning

Mobile learning is becoming a crucial tool in this era of face-to-face shutdown of education, and however the whole process currently faces a significant deficiency due to the kind of cognitive load that does exist and its relation with mobile device screen display size. It is well-established that certain screen sizes are more effective than others. This study aims to investigate the effect of screen size on students’ cognitive load in mobile learning. Specifically, it investigates whether screen size has a role in cognitive role and draws a comparison to reflect on the most effective size to be used in the context of mobile learning. Other factors that might interfere in the process were also investigated which include course content, gender, age, and students' GPA to see whether they play any additional role in burdening the cognitive load when using different screen sizes. To test the effect of screen size on cognitive load, an online survey was distributed to 1,570 students of the University of Jeddah who are studying at the foundation year for the academic year of 2018-2018, particularly for eight online courses. The sample was chosen randomly, where all members of the population, 6,500 students, had equal opportunities to participate in the study. Participants were invited via e-mail by sending an invitation to participate along with the questionnaire link on the "Qualrrics" platform. This research data analysis technique used ANOVA and curve estimation. The research findings revealed that small screen display size produces the lowest cognitive load as compared with larger display screens. This study also supports the use mobile learning process and gives recommendations to the instructional designers in order to make learning experiences more effective. The results of this study suggest a proper use of screen size can improve learning from smartphones, making them equal to learning from laptops and reducing the overloaded cognitive load that may affect students' understanding and hinder retention. Hence, implications were discussed, and further research recommendations were then provided

TV vs. YouTube: TV Advertisements Capture More Visual Attention, Create More Positive Emotions and Have a Stronger Impact on Implicit Long-Term Memory

In an experiment, effects of commercials that are either shown within a TV program or embedded in YouTube videos were compared. These two media environments have not yet been compared empirically in terms of their advertising impact. A within-subjects design and a multi-method approach were used (N = 36). Eye tracking data show that more attention is allocated to advertisements that appear within a TV program compared to the YouTube-condition and the viewing experience elicited more positive emotions in the TV-condition. Two days after reception, no difference in recognition, likeability, and purchase intention occurred, but in terms of implicit long-term memory: In the TV condition, brands that were previously advertised but no longer remembered elicited stronger skin conductance change than brands for which no advertisements had previously been shown. In terms of advertising impact, TV seems to still be the better choice for advertisers. Presentation mode should be considered in future evaluation of advertisement potential

Smartphone-size screens constrain cognitive access to video news stories

Smartphones are expanding physical access to news and political information by making access to the internet available to more people, at more times throughout the day, and in more locations than ever before. But how does the portability of smartphones – afforded by their small size – affect cognitive access to news? Specifically, how do smartphone-size screens constrain attentiveness and arousal? We investigate how mobile technology constrains cognitive engagement through a lab-experimental study of individuals’ psychophysiological responses to network news on screens the size of a typical laptop computer, versus a typical smartphone. We explore heart rate variability, skin conductance levels, and the connection between skin conductance and the tone of news content. Results suggest lower levels of cognitive access to video news content on a mobilesized screen, which has potentially important consequences for public attention to current affairs in an increasingly mobile media environment

The effects of screen size and visual message content on electrodermal activity

Broj ekrana s kojima se ljudi svakodnevno susreću povećava se iz godine u godinu. Zbog tog porasta, ekrani u svim svojim oblicima postali su važnim predmetom istraživanja u područjima poput psihologije, ergonomije i marketinga. Na temelju istraživanja iz tih područja danas je dobro poznato da ekrani, točnije njihova veličina, utječu na iskustvo gledanja kroz promjene u pažnji, pobuđenosti i evaluaciji sadržaja. Vođeno upravo tom premisom ovo istraživanje imalo je za cilj ispitati utjecaj veličine ekrana (mali (5“), srednji (11,6“) i veliki ekran (32“)) i sadržaja vidnih podražaja (pozitivno, neutralno i negativno saturirane slike) na elektrodermalnu reakciju kao mjeru emocionalne pobuđenosti. Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorku od 36 studentica Sveučilišta u Zadru, a utvrđeno je da veličina ekrana ne utječe na elektrodermalne reakcije (točnije – na reakciju provodljivosti kože) ispitanika. Međutim, utvrđene su razlike u reakcijama s obzirom na prezentirani sadržaj. Naime, negativne slike izazvale su intenzivnije reakcije u odnosu na pozitivne i neutralne, dok razlika između pozitivnih i neutralnih slika nije utvrđena. Taj trend vrijedi samo pri ekranima male i srednje dimenzije. U slučaju velikog ekrana utvrđena je samo jedna razlika u reakciji i to ona između negativnih i neutralnih slika pri kojoj su, isto kao i pri drugim veličinama ekrana, negativne slike izazvale jaču reakciju.Since their invention, numbers and differing forms of displays have grown at an almost exponential rate in the last fifty years. That type of growth is making it ever more difficult, in both the developed and developing countries, to find situations where different types of displays do not play a critical role – from our work to personal pleasure. Displays pervade our lives in aspects like entertainment, transportation, military services, industrial control as well as the portable devices which represent modern personal life. For that reason displays, and all of their innate characteristics like size and shape, have captured the attention of scientists from various fields – ranging from sociology, psychology, ergonomy to marketing and philosophy. Based on their extensive research, it is well known today that screens, more specifically their size, have an impact on evaluation, attention, and arousal of the content being watched. Guided with that exact premise this paper set a goal to investigate the effects of screen size (small (5“), medium (11,6“) and large (32“)) and visual message content (positive, neutral and negative) on electrodermal activity (more precisely - skin conductance response). The research was conducted on a sample of 36 female students from the University of Zadar, and it was found that screen size had no effect on electrodermal activity. Consequently, it was found that message content had a significant effect on electrodermal activity. More precisely, the negative message content induced reactions that were greater in intensity than the remaining two content types (positive and neutral). Differences in electrodermal activity between the remaining two content types were not found