Abstract
As virtual reality (VR) technology continues to advance, researchers are exploring new interaction methods to enrich players’ gameful experiences. While handheld controllers remain the standard input device, emerging alternatives, such as eye-gazing, offer novel and potentially more engaging ways to interact within VR environments. This study examines how different interaction methods—traditional handheld controllers versus eye-gazing—affect players’ experiences during gameplay. A VR game was developed to support both input methods, and 22 participants engaged with the game under both conditions. Their experiences were assessed across multiple dimensions, such as playfulness, immersion, and competition. The results revealed significant differences in two gameful experience dimensions between the two interaction methods, with over one-third of participants preferring the eye-gazing interaction. These findings highlight the potential of eye-gazing as a viable alternative for enhancing user engagement and expanding interaction design in VR games.
Keywords
VR game; Eye gazing interaction; Gameful experience; Users experience
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.262
Citation
Zhengya, G., Petra, N., Ashley, C., V., G.G.,and Jonna, H.(2025) Gameful Experiences in VR Game: Comparison between Eye-Gazing and Controller Interaction, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.262
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 3 - Design, Art & Technology
Gameful Experiences in VR Game: Comparison between Eye-Gazing and Controller Interaction
As virtual reality (VR) technology continues to advance, researchers are exploring new interaction methods to enrich players’ gameful experiences. While handheld controllers remain the standard input device, emerging alternatives, such as eye-gazing, offer novel and potentially more engaging ways to interact within VR environments. This study examines how different interaction methods—traditional handheld controllers versus eye-gazing—affect players’ experiences during gameplay. A VR game was developed to support both input methods, and 22 participants engaged with the game under both conditions. Their experiences were assessed across multiple dimensions, such as playfulness, immersion, and competition. The results revealed significant differences in two gameful experience dimensions between the two interaction methods, with over one-third of participants preferring the eye-gazing interaction. These findings highlight the potential of eye-gazing as a viable alternative for enhancing user engagement and expanding interaction design in VR games.