Dr. Rob Teather

We present four experiments comparing player performance between several information displays used in first-person shooter (FPS) games. Broadly, these information displays included heads-up displays (HUDs), and alternatives such as spatial representations, and diegetic (in-game) indicators. Each experiment isolated a specific task common to FPS games: (1) monitoring ammunition, (2) monitoring health, (3) matching the weapon to the situation, and (4)...

We propose a workshop that will solicit contributions from the game user research and human-computer interaction communities. The workshop will provide a format for discussion of issues in best practices in user research and experiment methodology, as well as technical contributions in novel game user interfaces.

We present a study comparing player performance in a shooter game using two different types of scaling across four display sizes. The first scaling type used uniform scaling where increasing the display size also increased the size of all in-game elements by the same factor. The second employed non-uniform scaling where all in-game elements remained fixed in size, but the...

In this paper, we present a case study for the use of modding as a pedagogical practice in a humanities-based game design course. In particular, this approach has been extremely beneficial as it allows students to sidestep technological barriers. In our case study, we show how two different mods of the same platformer game can allow students to engage with...

We present an experiment comparing five ammunition display methods in first-person shooter (FPS) games. These included both diegetic (in-game) and heads-up display (HUD) options. HUD displays included a bar, icons, and a counter. Diegetic displays were displayed in-game beside the player’s weapon. Two diegetic displays were evaluated: a number and bullets. We compared the performance offered by each ammunition display...

We present two experiments on large tiled displays used for fast-action gaming. Using a simulated tiled display, we assess the effects of interior bezel size, and configuration in a top-down arcade style space shooter game with many moving objects. Our experiments also investigate the effect of bezel compensation. The first experiment examines bezel size independent of configuration, using simulated bezel...

We present a study comparing differences in visual scale due to perspective (distance) and software scaling. The software scaling method corrected for quantization of the input device and resolution to ensure equivalency in the scaling methods. Results indicate that while perspective yields consistent performance across different scale factors, software scaling did not.

Many spatial UI systems (e.g., VR) rely on large displays. One method of building large high-resolution displays is to use multiple HD monitors as tiles in a single large display. The downside is the presence of monitor borders – bezels – between each tile in such a display. We present a study looking at the impact of bezel width on...

INSPECT is a novel interaction technique for 3D object manipulation using a rotation-only tracked touch panel. Motivated by the applicability of the technique on smartphones, we explore this design space by introducing a way to map the available degrees of freedom and discuss the design decisions that were made. We subjected INSPECT to a formal user study against a baseline...

We experimentally evaluate display size in arcade style “bullet hell” shooter games. Two scaling methods were compared: uniform, and non-uniform. Results indicate a strongly linear increase of performance with display diagonal size. This was more pronounced with non-uniform scaling.

The method used to display game information, either overlay or in-game, in first-person shooters, likely has a measurable impact on player performance. Quantitative research is needed in this area, as game designers are pushing for heads-up displays to be as minimal as possible. This is especially important for the smaller screens (such as tablets and even cellular devices), which are...

We examine the effects of screen size and target movement on selection performance using an experiment based on Fitts’ law. Results indicate that small screen sizes reduced pointing throughput by around 20%. Target movement also negatively impacted performance, but the performance difference between static and moving targets was lower on small screen sizes.