Master's Thesis
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Exploring The Rooms with Lykta Creating Immersive Gaming Experiences through Projected Augmented Reality JACOB MICHELSEN Master's Thesis in Interaction Design Department of Applied Information Technology Chalmers University of Technology Gothenburg, Sweden 2013 Master's Thesis 2013:146 ISSN: 1651-4769 The Author grants to Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg the non-exclusive right to publish the Work electronically and in a non-commercial pur- pose make it accessible on the Internet. The Author warrants that they are the author to the Work, and warrants that the Work does not contain text, pictures or other material that violates copyright law. The Author shall, when transferring the rights of the Work to a third party (for example a publisher or a company), acknowledge the third party about this agreement. If the Author has signed a copyright agreement with a third party regarding the Work, the Au- thor warrants hereby that they have obtained any necessary permission from this third party to let Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg store the Work electronically and make it accessible on the Internet. Exploring The Rooms with Lykta Creating Immersive Gaming Experiences through Projected Augmented Reality ⃝c JACOB MICHELSEN, November 2013. Examiner: OLOF TORGERSSON Department of Applied Information Technology Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96, G¨oteborg, Sweden Telephone +46 (0)31-772 1000 Gothenburg, Sweden June 2013 Abstract The immersive gaming capabilities of projected augmented reality using a prototype system, Lykta, are investigated. To accomplish this a horror game is designed and implemented, drawing design methods from the fields of game design and interaction design. An approach with two design iterations is used, followed by a playtest in which interviews and questionnaires are used to gauge the immersiveness of the experience provided by the game. Throughout the process, improvements are made to the prototype system. The result is a game played in a dark room. The experiences provides the players with the illusion of exploring the game world using just a flashlight, which in reality is a projector projecting out the game. The results from the playtest are compared to several different kinds of immersion, with findings showing that the players had at least tosome degree experienced several different kinds of immersion. Future evaluations of amore quantitative and comparative nature are suitable for determining the immersive aspects of projected augmented reality in more detail, but tentative results suggest that a new type of immersion, spatial immersion, might be a relevant addition to other immersion models. Acknowledgements This master thesis was conducted at Chalmers University of Technology, G¨oteborg Swe- den. Many thanks goes out to my supervisor, Staffan ¨orkBj at Chalmers Institute of Technology. I am very thankful to Anders Christiansson, Simon K¨ohlstr¨om and Aleks Molcanov for their hard work creating amazing audio and graphics for The Rooms. Pe- ter Ljungstrand at the Interactive Institute was a great help throughout the project in providing advice, lending parts (including his personal smartphone) to me, and for allow- ing extensive use of the Institute's 3D printer. Also thanks to Peter Holm who assisted during the playtest. I would also like to thank all the users who participated in user tests and interviews throughout the development process. Thanks also goes out to my opponents Joakim Melkersson and Fredrik Olaisson for their patience, and for helping me to improve this work. Finally, this work would not have been possible without the assistance of Edvard Rutstr¨om, Fiona Rolander and Julia Adamsson during the creation of the first version of Lykta. Jacob Michelsen, G¨oteborg November 2013 Contents 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Project Context . 1 1.2 Research Question . 2 1.3 Purpose..................................... 2 1.4 Delimitations . 2 2 Background 4 2.1 VR and AR Systems . 4 2.1.1 Projected Augmented Reality . 6 2.2 Lykta ...................................... 8 2.2.1 Positioning . 10 2.2.2 Orientation . 10 2.2.3 System Overview . 10 2.2.4 Unity . 11 2.3 AR & VR Games . 12 2.4 Horror Games . 14 3 Theory 15 3.1 Ludology and Ludic Activities . 15 3.2 Game Design Theory . 16 3.2.1 The Role of Game Design . 17 3.2.2 Flow . 17 3.2.3 Diegesis . 18 3.2.4 The HUD and Immersion . 18 3.3 Definition of Immersion . 18 3.3.1 Brown & Cairns . 18 3.3.2 Ermi & M¨ayr¨a ............................. 19 3.3.3 Pasch et al. - Movement Factors Affecting Immersion . 20 3.3.4 Critique Against Immersion . 21 3.4 The Field of Interaction Design . 21 i CONTENTS 3.4.1 Methods for Gathering Data on Users . 22 3.4.2 Other Theories and Techniques for Design . 23 4 Design Methodology 25 4.1 Interaction Design . 25 4.2 Playtesting . 26 4.3 Game Design . 26 4.4 Horror Games . 27 5 Planning 28 5.1 Time Plan . 29 5.2 Risk Analysis . 30 5.2.1 Sound and Graphic Design . 32 6 Execution 33 6.1 Prestudy . 33 6.1.1 Similarities to Other Systems . 33 6.1.2 Initial Game Design . 33 6.1.3 Unity Networking Model . 35 6.2 Dev I - Exploring Interactions . 36 6.2.1 Assistance with Graphics and Audio . 36 6.2.2 Lykta System Development . 36 6.2.3 Design of Interactions . 37 6.2.4 Formalizing Interactions Possibilities . 39 6.2.5 Time plan Deviations . 40 6.3 TestI ...................................... 41 6.3.1 Testing Procedure . 41 6.3.2 Test I Results . 42 6.3.3 Testing at Vetenskapsfestivalen . 43 6.4 Dev II - Design of the Experience . 44 6.4.1 New Art Team Member . 44 6.4.2 Game Design . 44 6.4.3 Graphic Design . 54 6.4.4 Sound Design . 56 6.4.5 Overall Experience Design . 57 6.4.6 System Development . 58 6.4.7 Time Plan Deviations . 60 6.5 TestII...................................... 60 6.5.1 Testing Setup . 61 6.5.2 Testing Procedure . 64 6.5.3 Questionnaire Design . 65 6.5.4 Interview Design . 66 6.6 User Testing . 67 ii CONTENTS 7 Results 68 7.1 System - Lykta 2.0 . 68 7.2 Software - The Rooms . 69 7.2.1 Concept . 69 7.2.2 Software Implementation . 71 8 Discussion 74 8.1 Evaluation of Playtest Results . 74 8.1.1 Evaluated Immersion Model . 74 8.1.2 Controls and Lykta Hardware . 75 8.1.3 Audiovisual Aspects . 76 8.1.4 Game Mechanics and Puzzles . 78 8.1.5 Emotional Reactions and Overall Player Experience . 81 8.1.6 Trajectory into Experience . 82 8.2 Hardware Result Discussion . 83 8.3 Process Discussion . 83 8.3.1 Structure . 83 8.3.2 Planning . 84 8.3.3 Playtesting . 84 8.3.4 Implementation Issues . 85 8.3.5 Risk Analysis Follow-Up . 86 8.4 Generalizability . 86 8.5 Future Work . 87 8.5.1 Possible Modifications and Uses of Lykta . 87 8.5.2 Building upon The Rooms . 87 8.5.3 Comparative Study . 88 8.5.4 Presence as a Design Tool . 88 9 Conclusion 89 9.1 Answering the Research Question . 90 Bibliography 91 A Questionnaires 96 B Interviews 135 iii 1 Introduction Projection mapping, casting an image from a projector onto an object with correct perspective on the projected image, is seeing greater and greater use in areas such as advertising. It has been used in static exhibitions such as haunted houses1, car com- mercials2, and projections on the sides of buildings for events3, to name a few examples. By overlaying the physical space with digital content from a static projector many new ways of displaying digital media are made possible, but this technology has so far not been applied to commercial games systems. Simultaneously there is a strong drive for using augmented reality in a variety of ap- plications. Here, the real world is overlaid with digital information but this is generally done through transparent screens which the users sees through (such as with Google Glass4), or by manipulating a real-time camera video feed, e.g. on a camera-equipped smartphone5. With the Nintendo 3DS, augmented reality has entered mainstream gam- ing with the included AR cards6, which serve as identification markers for the built in camera and can be used in a variety of included games. These augmented reality devices move the viewpoint around but keep the digital content in roughly the same place. This technique can be applied to projectors to achieve projected augmented reality. What the the possibilities of using this technique for games? 1.1 Project Context A technical solution for exploring how the concept of augmented reality can be combined with projection devices was developed during the fall of 2013 at the Interaction Design 1Secrets of the Haunted Mansion - The Seance Circle http://www.doombuggies.com/secrets seance.php 2Toyota - Auris Hybrid campaign site http://www.getyourenergyback.co.uk/ 3Clarion Post Opening Ceremony (Swedish) http://www.clarionpost.se/invigningsfest 4Google Glass http://www.google.com/glass/ 5LAYAR augmented reality app https://www.layar.com/ 6Nintendo - 3DS AR Cards http://www.nintendo.com/3ds/ar-cards 1 1.2. RESEARCH QUESTION CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION & Technologies programme at the Chalmers University of Technology. This low-cost solution uses commercial, off the shelf parts such as miniature projectors and game controllers, and is called Lykta, which is Swedish for lantern. The creators tested it in a virtual art gallery application, but there was also a wish by one of the developers to continue developing the platform to support for interactivity and investigate what possibilities exist in utilizing the technology for gaming applications..