Designing Shared Virtual Reality Gaming Experiences in Local Multi-platform Games
Designing multiplayer virtual reality games is a challenging task since immersion is easily destroyed by real world influences. However, providing fun and social virtual reality experiences is inevitable for establishing virtual reality gaming as a convin
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Abstract. Designing multiplayer virtual reality games is a challenging task since immersion is easily destroyed by real world influences. However, providing fun and social virtual reality experiences is inevitable for establishing virtual reality gaming as a convincing new medium. We propose a design approach to integrate social interactions into the game design while retaining immersion, and present design methods to implement this approach. Furthermore, we describe the game design of a collaborative local multi-player/platform virtual reality game to demonstrate the application and effectiveness of our methods. Keywords: Virtual Reality gaming · Multiplayer · Immersion ence · Game design · Player experience · Social interaction
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Make or Break: Social Interaction vs. Immersion
Virtual Reality (VR) games are able to create unique realistic experiences in fictional worlds to an extent that is out of reach for traditional gaming systems. One of the main contributing factors for a compelling virtual reality gaming experience (VRGX) is the system’s ability to shift the user’s perceptive and cognitive attention from the real to the virtual world to elicit sensory [14] and cognitive [13] immersion. Hence, any action or event happening in the real world might destroy this illusion. This holds for any interaction with other social entities, which make the real world become salient again. This is why VR is often perceived as being a solitary technology, which isolates a single individual in an artificial environment [4]. On the other hand, social interactions while gaming are considered a key factor for joyful gaming experiences [8]. Some authors are of the opinion that there is a contradiction between social interactions and cognitive immersion [15]. In contrast, Cairns et al. [2] state that without social interaction some games would not be fun at all. According to the authors, only S. Liszio, M. Masuch—We wish to thank K. Alt, N. Bloch, F. Born, J. Feuerbach, T. G¨ unter, H. H¨ auser, F. M¨ unch, A. Schr¨ oder, P. Sykownik, and especially E. Meinike for their participation and commitment in the development of Lunar Escape. c IFIP International Federation for Information Processing 2016 Published by Springer International Publishing AG 2016. All Rights Reserved G. Wallner et al. (Eds.): ICEC 2016, LNCS 9926, pp. 235–240, 2016. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-46100-7 23
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such interactions which do not happen within the game’s context are a potentially disruptive influence on cognitive immersion. This argument is supported by a study on the disruptive factors on presence (i.e. feeling of actually being in the virtual world [7]) by Slater and Steed [14]. One of the most reported reasons for breaks in presence was the hearing of background noises such as people talking. Then again some participants mentioned the wish to share their experience as a cause for the perceived break in presence. In line with these findings, it was found that players experience higher levels of cognitive immersion whe
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