VR Almost There: Simulating Co-located Multiplayer Experiences in Social Virtual Reality

Document Title

VR Almost There: Simulating Co-located Multiplayer Experiences in Social Virtual Reality

Document Information

• Subject Area: Multiplayer interactive experiences in Social Virtual Reality (Social VR)
• Keywords: Social Virtual Reality, local multiplayer games, social presence, player experience, social interaction

Research Background and Problem

• Problems or Challenges:

  • It remains unclear how current consumer-grade Social Virtual Reality (Social VR) applications can provide meaningful social interaction experiences over long distances.
  • Can simulating locally collaborative multiplayer games in Social VR offer similarly rich social experiences when face-to-face (f2f) interaction is not possible?
  • How do technological limitations in VR (e.g., lack of facial animations, restricted body language, narrow field of view) impact the social experience?

• Significance:

  • Multiplayer modes in video games are becoming an important form of social entertainment. Local multiplayer games often provide higher social presence due to the richness of real-time interactions (e.g., body language, facial expressions).
  • Social VR has the potential to combine the presence of local multiplayer games with the spatiotemporal flexibility of online games.

• Research Motivation and Related Work:

  • Existing studies suggest that Social VR can meet users' social and entertainment needs, but it has not been fully explored whether it can match f2f experiences in specific use cases (e.g., local multiplayer game scenarios).
  • Previous research has primarily focused on virtual social activities such as video watching or photo sharing, without comprehensively examining the combined impact of VR on sociality and presence in multiplayer game interactions.

Solution

• Methods or Solutions:

  • Developed a custom Social VR application that allows two physically separated users to engage in multiplayer gaming. The design aims to simulate locally collaborative multiplayer game scenarios.
  • The game was developed using the Unity engine, including both VR (based on Meta Quest 2) and PC versions.
  • Conducted a controlled experiment to compare player and social experiences of the same game in f2f (local) and VR scenarios.

• Innovations:

  • First detailed comparison of locally collaborative game experiences in Social VR and f2f scenarios.
  • Introduced more granular measurement scales to evaluate sociality, including dimensions such as social presence and social connection.
  • Considered the actual technical capabilities of current consumer-grade VR hardware, avoiding excessive discussion of unattainable technical features for consumers.

• Implementation Steps and Techniques:

  • Designed a 3D virtual environment and calibrated users' physical positions to make them appear to share a couch in the virtual space.
  • Developed customizable virtual avatars for players, supporting real-time body motion (hand gestures) representation.
  • Adopted a mixed-methods approach (questionnaires, behavioral recordings, and interviews) to explore user experiences in the experimental design.
  • Recruited 25 pairs of players (50 participants) for alternating comparative experiments in the two scenarios.

Research Findings

• Specific Findings:

  • Player experiences in VR and f2f scenarios were relatively similar, with VR even outperforming f2f in terms of immersion.
  • In terms of social experiences, VR scenarios slightly underperformed compared to f2f, particularly in collaboration, emotional understanding, and the richness of social interaction.
  • Both scenarios enhanced users' sense of social connection, indicating that Social VR applications can partially replicate the social effects of f2f interactions.

• Advantages:

  • Provides an alternative for social interaction among users separated over long distances.
  • Game mechanics (e.g., shared control) effectively promoted collaboration and communication between players.

• Experiment and Evaluation Results:

  • Quantitative analysis showed that social presence, joint attention, and emotional understanding scores in VR were slightly lower than in f2f.
  • Qualitative interviews further revealed that VR innovations (e.g., customizable avatars) and technical limitations (e.g., restricted field of view and expressive capabilities) directly influenced the experience.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  • The current experiment was conducted in a laboratory setting and did not fully simulate real-world scenarios (e.g., home environments). Future research should involve long-term studies in real user contexts.
  • The experiment was based on Meta Quest 2, which is representative of current technology, but follow-up studies could incorporate new hardware (e.g., devices with facial tracking support).
  • Further research could explore the role of non-human avatars in virtual interactions, such as whether designs beyond human likeness could enhance entertainment and social interaction.

Conclusion

• In conclusion, Social VR can approximate f2f experiences in many aspects and enable meaningful social interactions, especially when face-to-face interaction is not feasible. Despite current technological limitations, it already provides sufficient social support for users. With advancements in technology and cost reductions, the potential for everyday use of Social VR for social interactions could be further enhanced.