[2020]
More than Looking: Using Eye Movements Behind the Eyelids as a New Game Mechanic
Proceedings of the 2020 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY’20)
KryptonEyed: Playing with Gaze Without Looking
International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games (FDG’20)
As eye-tracking technologies become more affordable, the number of mainstream gaze-enabled games increases. These allow triggering in-game actions when the eyes focus on objects and locations of interest. Such gaze interactions follow the interaction paradigm” what you look at is what you get”. We challenge this use of gaze interaction and propose to play without looking-with the eyes closed.
We designed the game prototype KryptonEyed to introduce closing the eyes for eyes-only game control. Players are required to close their eyes and perform eye movements behind the eyelids before opening them to aim the teleportation of the main character. The game contains three levels integrating the proposed gaze mechanic in distinct game scenarios. These explore different challenges in their game dynamics and interaction metaphors to use the technique in various contexts of play.
To validate the interaction mechanic and the game experience, we conducted two user studies. We evaluated the feasibility of using the proposed dynamic, its performance and the game experience. Results show how participants could successfully use the proposed gaze technique and overcome the game challenge. Based on our findings, we discuss the metaphors to “not look” for interaction and give directions to introduce the dynamic in gaze-enabled games.