A practical evaluation of the influence of input devices on playability

Abstract

Innovations being achieved with interactive devices (screens, sensors etc.) allow the development of new forms of interaction for many applications. Videogames played with these devices are completely changing how we use them and taking advantage of intuitive interfaces. Based on that, we ask “What aspects of playability are affected using different input devices for a certain gaming task and how is gaming performance affected?”. Our contribution is to present a practical evaluation of four different input devices (Mouse, Gamepad, Kinect and Touchscreen) used to interact with the same game, Fruit Ninja, with our data analysis indicating that changing input device brings significant differences in certain aspects of player experience for this game, such as sensation, challenge and control, while for others there was very little difference since this particular game rarely provides intense experiences for those aspects.