Investigating the non-disruptive measurement of immersive player experience

There exists a phenomenon whereby individuals playing digital games enter state of intense engagement. One definition of this state is the theory of immersion, which defines immersion as a gradient process with barriers that players must pass towards achieving total immersion. The IEQ is a questionnaire that captures this experience of immersion, usually after playing sessions. This thesis aims to explore new methods that non-disruptively and granularly measure immersion.

The first study looked at whether pupil diameter, fixation rates, and fixation durations could be used to measure immersion over time. Replicating a previously published experiment, immersion was manipulated by informing them of either an advanced AI or a standard AI before play. No effect was found for the immersion manipulation. While there were significant effects on pupil diameter change and eye tracking, these were not conclusively indicative of immersive states. Issues with this study’s design also revealed considerations incorporated in subsequent experiments.

The second study investigated a specific component of immersion in a rhythm game. Cognitive load was measured in a repeated measures experiment, where participants played difficult and easier levels. The NASA-TLX and electrocardiography were taken as measurements. Significant differences in heart rate variability, heart rate, and cognitive load were observed between different levels of difficulty. Results also demonstrated that repeated small questionnaires can also enable more granular measurements.
Finally, four studies more were conducted to develop an IEQ short form. The first two studies used unidimensional and multidimensional item response theory factor analyses to construct the IEQ short form (IEQ-SF). The last two studies validated the IEQ-SF by replicating previously published IEQ results, and measured immersion in a pre-registered validation experiment.

This thesis provides novel insights on the non-disruptive measurement of immersion over time. It reveals considerations for research using psychophysiological measurements, and the development of short form questionnaires.