Glow the Buzz: a VR Puzzle Adventure Game Mainly Played Through Haptic Feedback

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) has become a popular tool, leading to increased demands for various immersive VR games for players. In addition, haptic technology is gaining attention as it adds a sense of touch to the visual and auditory dominant Human-Computer Interface (HCI) in terms of providing more extended VR experiences. However, most games, including VR, use haptics as a supplement while mostly depending on the visual elements as their main mode of transferring information. It is because the complexity of haptic in accurately capturing and replicating touch is still in its infancy. To further investigate the potential of haptics, we propose to Glow the Buzz, a VR game in which haptic feedback serves as a core element using wearable haptic devices. Our research explores whether haptic stimuli can be a primary form of interaction by conceiving iterative playtests for three puzzle designs - rhythm, texture, and direction. By proposing a VR haptic puzzle game that cannot be played without haptics, the study concludes that haptic technology in VR has the potential extendability. The study also suggests elements that enhance discriminability of haptic stimuli in each puzzle.