| In recent years, button-based controllers for gaming consoles have evolved into dynamic, sensor based controllers that track movement and mimic real life instruments. The sudden popularity growth of this novel and interactive sensing technique has led us to consider whether realistic motion controllers will become the standard of future entertainment. This notion inspired us to investigate the preferability of physical interaction techniques over their virtualized equivalents. To accomplish this, a multi-user prototype was developed and designed using affordable and portable commercial hardware components. Our system features an overhead camera as the main form of input, coupled with a vibration sensor for touch-detection, and a projector for graphical output. Three gaming applications, an augmented tower defense game, roll-and-move board game, and augmented Settlers of Catan, were implemented to test the hypothesis that physical components will be most suitable for social situations while digitization is preferred for mundane tasks. Additionally, two formal experiments were conducted in the context of the last two gaming applications to determine the overall effects on player enjoyment. Our findings suggest that while it is possible to use either physical or digital implementations of game components, scenarios involving more than two simultaneously interactive players benefit from tangible components. |
