Researching Interfaces for Platform Games on Touchscreen Devices

Krog, Kim Srirat ; Kragegaard, Christian Skriver

4. term

Medialogy, Master

2013

2013-06-04

78 pages

The main focus of this thesis is to research the problem with interfaces that are directly converted from physical controllers, and what impact this has on users' performance in 2D platform games in relation to accuracy, error rates and stress. Two initial tests are conducted; the first in order to research users' accuracy between a physical controller and a directly converted to touch interface during simple tasks, and the second in order to research the difference in errors between physical and touch interface during rapid repeated actions. Three new interfaces that included the use of vibration, gestures and a mix of virtual buttons and gestures was designed from knowledge gained from the two initial tests. These were tried and tested in an advanced game prototype and compared to a directly converted interface in order to find any performance differences. Lastly the effect of repeated actions on a physical and directly converted interface in relation to stress was researched. These tests showed that there was no difference between the two interfaces during simple tasks. On touch interfaces users made more errors and made them faster than on the physical controller when performing rapid repeated actions. The results from the game prototype showed no significant improvement over the directly converted interface. There was also no significance difference in relation to stress during rapid repeated actions.

Interface ; Touchscreen ; Platform Games ; Smartphone

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