A Proposal for the Selection of Eye-Tracking Metrics for the Implementation of Adaptive Gameplay in Virtual Reality Based Games

Eye tracking has been shown to be an effective method for evaluating usability and User eXperience (UX) in various environments. With the advent of affordable high performance Head Mounted Displays (HMDs), Virtual Reality (VR) has rapidly expanded and opened new channels for fun and “serious” game experiences. However, there is a lack of effective quality indicators that measure satisfaction, frustration, boredom, or attention of users immersed in VR environments. Traditional approaches such as questionnaires, surveys, and interviews can easily interfere with the user’s sense of presence if the assessment is performed while the experience is in progress. If performed after completing the experience, users are forced to recall memories that may be incomplete or inaccurate. In this context, the integration of eye tracking technology into HMDs provides a reliable and non-intrusive mechanism to assess UX and feed real-time data which can be used to design and develop adaptive VR experiences. In this paper, we discuss the assessment capabilities of eye tracking technologies in immersive VR environments and describe strategies to apply this information to the creation of VR games that can adapt to the player’s performance, mood and behavior.