Towards designing diegetic gaze in games: The use of gaze roles and metaphors

Abstract

Gaze-based interactions have found their way into the games domain and are frequently employed as a means to support players in their activities. Instead of implementing gaze as an additional game feature via a game-centred approach, we propose a diegetic perspective by introducing gaze interaction roles and gaze metaphors. Gaze interaction roles represent ambiguous mechanics in gaze, whereas gaze metaphors serve as narrative figures that symbolise, illustrate, and are applied to the interaction dynamics. Within this work, the current literature in the field is analysed to seek examples that design around gaze mechanics and follow a diegetic approach that takes roles and metaphors into account. A list of surveyed gaze metaphors related to each gaze role is presented and described in detail. Furthermore, a case study shows the potentials of the proposed approach. Our work aims at contributing to existing frameworks, such as EyePlay, by reflecting on the ambiguous meaning of gaze in games. Through this integrative approach, players are anticipated to develop a deeper connection to the game narrative via gaze, resulting in a stronger experience concerning presence (i.e., being in the game world).