Visual attention in a fast-paced 3D platformer game

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Volume Title

School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Master's thesis
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Date

2023

Department

Major/Subject

Mcode

Degree programme

new_media

Language

en

Pages

52+16

Series

Abstract

In this study, I investigate different methods of affecting visual attention with environmental art in first-person platformer games, a specific video game genre known for its demanding focus on precise gameplay mechanics. This genre offers a unique context to explore how players distribute their cognitive resources to navigate both the game's mechanics and its narrative and aesthetic aspects. This research highlights the importance of environmental art assets in capturing players' attention. It challenges the assumption that players exclusively concentrate on navigating the game environment and reveals that they naturally allocate cognitive capacity to engage with the game's visual and narrative elements. This nuanced allocation of visual attention prompts a deeper examination of the potential to guide players' focus toward non-gameplay-related visual elements that enhance immersion without disrupting the intended pace of gameplay. Through a case study of the Marmortal game project, a fast-paced platformer game I helped develop at Aalto University, I illustrate the practical application of this research, emphasizing its relevance and significance. This study illustrates that the players will put effort and attention into understanding the game’s environment if the effort required is limited. Additionally, the players show interest in learning about the game world and would feel frustrated if they cannot afford to spend enough time and attend to the story sufficiently. Ultimately, a fine balance is needed for how demanding the environment is for the player to understand, to be able to deliver a good game experience.

Description

Supervisor

Junnila, Miikka

Thesis advisor

Valja, Heikka

Keywords

visual attention, video game, player experience, environmental art, saliency, questionnaire, art direction

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