1 Introduction
The white room is gradually obliterated over the course of the exhibition, the space changing measurably with the passage of time as the dots accumulate as a result of thousands and thousands of collaborators. (Kusama 2015).
2 Establishing a Framework
3 Aims and Objectives of the Case Study
4 Methods
4.1 Design
4.2 Creation
Software package | Justification |
---|---|
Unity | Personal experience working with this game engine |
Adobe photoshop CC 2015 | Ease of use |
Blender | Personal experience of using this package. |
Substance painter 2 | Personal experience, ease of use |
Microsoft visual studios | Ease of use |
Fraps | Gameplay recording. Ease of use |
Sound recorder | Personal preference, ease of use |
Audacity | Audio file editing |
NVivo | A simple method of combing and sorting through all the data gathered |
Hardware Required | Justification |
---|---|
Microphone | Recording end user feedback |
Keyboard and Mouse | Players had to use these devices during the game |
Case study computer | Used during the case study |
USB button | Possibly required for the artefact |
Tablet device | A device for the participants to carry out the survey portion of the case study |
Handheld camera | Recording the participants’ activities during the experiment |
4.3 Questionnaire and Interview
4.4 Experimentation
5 Results
5.1 Case Study
5.1.1 Participant Reactions
5.1.2 Environment
5.1.3 Issues
5.2 Interview Questions
6 Discussion
6.1 Coding Analysis
6.2 Discussion
6.2.1 The Moment When Participants Realized They Had to Complete the Game in Both Digital and Real Worlds
I wasn’t expecting it, which was quite nice to be honest. (Participant 1).Because I wasn’t expecting it, it was very strange because I was looking within the game for the answers, when actually the answers were right in front of me on the desk. Which is pretty crazy. So…I liked it. (Participant 12).It was a little surprising at first, but I felt it was OK…Brilliant. Right. (Participant 4).It was unexpected, but I liked it. It’s unusual to get that in games. (Participant 6).However, two participants, both of whom had been in the office room before, had hitherto suspected that the game involved the room itself:I saw it coming because of the post-it note on the screen… It helped that this is Rod’s office. I’ve been here a few times. (Participant 9).In all honesty, the first time I entered the room the first thing I took notice of was the piece of paper [with] the computer password. And after that, he wants me to put in a password, so that’s probably it. (Participant 16).
I thought it was…creative, but it was actually limited in terms of when and where you can play it. (Participant 2).
6.2.2 Feelings of Discomfort
Yes, going through his own cupboards felt a little naughty. Yes, that felt a little invasive. (Participant 13).So, looking through peoples filing cabinets that feels a bit weird to me. (Participant 14).I felt a bit bad going through someone else’s stuff. (Participant 17).
…Because I was rushing it. I thought I’d be dead clever. (Participant 3).
[I felt uncomfortable with] the last task of quickly looking for the book, but apart from that the game was all really good. (Participant 11).I kept thinking to myself, ‘I’m looking around this guy’s desk.’ (Participant 4).…Having to do something a bit different, a bit weird, threw me off slightly. (Participant 8).
And because you’re there, I kept thinking to myself, ‘Am I doing something stupid?’ (Participant 1).
I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing. (Participant 1).All of them. Only because of not knowing.” “I kept thinking, ‘What if I can’t find the thing?’ But otherwise, I didn’t feel uncomfortable… (Participant 7).
…I’ve done those ‘escape room’ [games] before, and that’s fine when you know when you’re going to do it. I think it was a bit weird because it was a surprise but it was kinda nice. I like those kinds of games when they do that.
6.2.3 Enjoyment
I really liked it. It’s quite unusual in games, but I feel like it makes the user more involved. (Participant 6).To start off with, obviously, I was taken aback because it’s not something I was accustomed to; but, once I…searched around the desk and stuff a few times it became quite seamless. (Participant 12).I liked it; I thought it was quite nice. I noticed that once you stepped into the office that it’s actually a representation of the office. (Participant 13).
Ah! It was really cool. It’s a nice touch… (Participant 13).I thought that it was one of the best bits of [the game]. (Participant 2).It was interesting and unique. I quite enjoyed it. (Participant 7).
It was good, I personally quite enjoyed it. Because I quite like interacting with things. (Participant 1).…I do like that interaction. It went above and beyond a normal game. (Participant 11).
6.2.4 Immersion
When I get immersed in a game…the monitor becomes my reality rather than this [the real world]…But from the viewpoint of that I’m actually playing the game here [in the real world], it was very immersive in that sense…you get the cut-off point when that isn’t you in there [in the digital world], so then you’re not that immersed…and this conflicts with the immersion you’re used to… (Participant 14).
Later on when I knew what I was doing, it was quite immersive. (Participant 1).A lot more than I was expecting it to be, it’s not quite VR. But it’s probably up there. (Participant 12).To the point of virtual reality, if not more immersive than that. Because there is a merge; there is a blur between what is real and not real. (Participant 13).I would say that there wasn’t anything that wasn’t immersive. (Participant 7).
It was not super-immersive, but…there was a feeling of immersion. (Participant 15).Not super-immersive if I’m honest because, obviously, I didn’t find the art style that immersive. (Participant 19).
The second you start interacting with things in your world to then influence the virtual world, I think it becomes very immersive to the point of virtual reality. If not, more immersive than that. (Participant 13).
At first I wasn’t sure, but then I understood that I was, physically, Agent B, even though I was playing Agent A. And they were two separate characters, I guess that was an interesting take on it. (Participant 18).Maybe not straight away, but I began to think about it. At the time, I was just…doing what I was told. But like the more you think about it, that’s actually really cool. (Participant 3).
It’s good. I like how the person you’re playing in the game is one character and you outside are meant to be a different character.
6.2.5 Game Ending
That was very good. Very cheeky. It reminded me of Stanley Parable at lot as well, so trying to fool you into certain things and then literally blowing up in your face. (Participant 13).
It was…clever because of the way it was phrased…you would assume if you pushed the button it would stop the bomb, but then it didn’t. (Participant 6).
This guy (the narrator) has told you what to do and each time it’s been correct and you should listen to him. And then he tells you to push the button and you panic…it was building up to this point well, to then there’s the flip. (Participant 17).
Heavily hinted towards the ending with all the props. I did mention that it looked very suspicious with the double-cross being the password. (Participant 5).
I felt unsure because it told me to push the red button and it blew up anyway. (Participant 20).It was very abrupt. Not really sure what was going on. I assumed there was more, so I pushed the button and I didn’t get to hear what he said. (Participant 7).
6.2.6 Game Characters
It’s hard to say because you are role-playing as two different people and not in the conventional way. (Participant 2).
No. I didn’t see them as separate characters: I saw them as me in different worlds. (Participant 13).
Even when I was looking around the room, I felt that it wasn’t me. Well, it’s not something I would normally do. The game was instructing me to do it, so again I’m a video game character at that point. (Participant 14).
I feel there is a slight disconnection between the two… If the narrator is referring to the same person it might make more sense. But the game is still fairly good. (Participant 16).
There was the character I was controlling and then I was the other character it was talking about. So, it was making me a character. Do I feel like me? (Participant 10).I got more immersed into that character, because it was me. [Laughs] First one less so. (Participant 8).
So I was basically controlling Character One in the game and I myself was Character Two in the real-world game. (Participant 17).I felt more involved with them and more like I was acting in the role of one of them, more so than just sitting and playing. (Participant 6).
…I don’t know if you’ve ever played ‘The Stanley Parable’? So when I heard the narrator’s voice, it was an instant reminder. Really well done, really well presented. (Participant 11).The voice acting made it good. (Participant 17).I felt connected to the voice that was speaking to me. (Participant 4).
It’s a sort of Archer-style voiceover, so it’s not really something I can relate to…I just thought it was rather comical.
I’m used to playing games in which I’m the guy on the screen; I thought that maybe I’m Agent B. I felt strange knowing I’m not this guy here, that I’m just looking at and watching him. (Participant 14).
6.2.7 Interaction
Going through his cupboards felt a little naughty. Yeah, that felt a little invasive. (Participant 13).Looking through people’s filing cabinets – that feels a bit weird to me. (Participant 14).
There almost seemed like a sense of urgency though, so…it was good. (Participant 12).It was a bit of a change from the rest of the game, because the rest of the game felt quite relaxed. (Participant 6).
I think it was well done. It was very nice having physical things to do like entering the password. (Participant 14).That was the best bit; you notice it when you sit down. Is this just a scruffy office, or is it part of the game? Then you realize it’s part of the game. (Participant 3).
6.2.8 References to Other Forms of Art
…It’s quite similar to immersive theatre, in that respect where like you’d be in a room with an actor. So, instead of a voice-over, it could’ve potentially been that exact same scenario just with an actor. (Participant 19).
I’ve not ever tested virtual reality before, so that’s [case study] probably the closest experience that I’ve had to that.
It was quite enjoyable actually, kind of like an escape room-type experience.
6.3 Questionnaire Analysis
Q1: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much did you enjoy the experience? | Q2: On a scale of 1 to 10, how surprised were you when you found that the game extended into the real world? | Q3: On a scale of 1 to 10, how immersed did you find yourself? | Q4: On a scale of 1 to 10, how interactive do you think the game was? | Q5: On a scale of 1 to 10, how difficult did you find the game? | Q6: On a scale of 1 to 10, how stressful did you find the experience? | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Participant | ||||||
1 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 3 |
2 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 1 |
3 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
5 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
6 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 1 |
7 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 |
8 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 3 |
9 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
10 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 2 |
11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
12 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 2 |
13 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 4 |
14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
15 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
16 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
17 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 5 |
18 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
19 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
20 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 3 |
Q1: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much did you enjoy the experience? | Q2: On a scale of 1 to 10, how surprised were you when you found that the game extended into the real world? | Q3: On a scale of 1 to 10, how immersed did you find yourself? | Q4: On a scale of 1 to 10, how interactive do you think the game was? | Q5: On a scale of 1 to 10, how difficult did you find the game? | Q6: On a scale of 1 to 10, how stressful did you find the experience? | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Participant | ||||||
2 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 1 |
7 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 |
13 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 4 |
11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
20 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 3 |
16 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
6 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 1 |
10 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 2 |
1 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 3 |
15 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
9 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
17 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 5 |
18 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
3 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
5 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
19 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
12 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 2 |
14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
8 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 3 |
Q1: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much did you enjoy the experience? | Q2: On a scale of 1 to 10, how surprised were you when you found that the game extended into the real world? | Q3: On a scale of 1 to 10, how immersed did you find yourself? | Q4: On a scale of 1 to 10, how interactive do you think the game was? | Q5: On a scale of 1 to 10, how difficult did you find the game? | Q6: On a scale of 1 to 10, how stressful did you find the experience? | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Participant | ||||||
2 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 1 |
7 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 |
13 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 4 |
18 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
8 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 3 |
11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
3 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
12 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 2 |
20 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 3 |
17 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 5 |
15 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
16 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
1 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 3 |
5 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
6 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 1 |
9 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
19 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
10 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 2 |
14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
Q1: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much did you enjoy the experience? | Q2: On a scale of 1 to 10, how surprised were you when you found that the game extended into the real world? | Q3: On a scale of 1 to 10, how immersed did you find yourself? | Q4: On a scale of 1 to 10, how interactive do you think the game was? | Q5: On a scale of 1 to 10, how difficult did you find the game? | Q6: On a scale of 1 to 10, how stressful did you find the experience? | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Participant | ||||||
11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
2 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 1 |
12 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 2 |
18 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
3 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
13 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 4 |
20 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 3 |
1 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 3 |
6 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 1 |
8 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 3 |
7 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 |
5 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
16 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
17 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 5 |
4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
10 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 2 |
9 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
15 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
19 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 |