An experimental protocol to access immersiveness in video games

Abstract: In the video game industry, great importance is given to the experience that the user has while playing a game. In particular, this experience benefits from the players' perceived sense of being in the game or immersion. The level of user immersion depends not only on the game's content but also on how the game is displayed, thus on its User Interface (UI) and the Head's-Up Display (HUD). Another factor influencing immersiveness that has been found in the literature is the player's expertise: the more experience the user has with a specific game, the less they need information on the screen to be immersed in the game. Player's level of immersion can be accessed by using both questionnaires of their perceived experience and exploiting their behavioural and physiological responses while playing the target game. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an experimental protocol to access immersiveness of gamers while playing a third-person shooter (Fortnite) with UIs with a standard, a dietetic, and a proposed HUD. A subjective evaluation of the immersion will be provided by completing the Immersive Experience Questionnaire (IEQ), while objective indicators will be provided by face tracking, behaviour and physiological responses analyses. The ultimate goal of this study is to define guidelines for video game UI development that can enhance the players' immersion.