ABSTRACT
Despite players’ gaming experience is important for game designers and companies, there is few complete theoretical system describing it. Therefore, this study used experimental multi-methods to describe players’ immersion experience, and explored the relationship between physiological criteria (blink rate ratio and heart rate ratio) and psychological measurement (immersion level). The research selected Call of Duty 4-Modern Warfare as a gaming platform, which is a 2007 first-person shooter video game. There were totally 30 Tsinghua University male students aging 18 o 24 participated in the experiment. The experiment used a special made helmet with a camera to record each participant’s eye blinking movement, and used a chest sensor to capture participant’s heart rate changes. Participant’s immersion level was measured through a seven-Likert scale questionnaire, including 27 questions. Players’ immersion level, blink rate ratio and heart rate ratio were taken as dependent variables and the game’s section was taken as independent variable. Through data analysis, there are some conclusions as follows: (1) player’s blink rate declined after they getting into the game, and the decline lasted during the
whole game; (2) there was no relationship between player’s overall blink rate and immersion level; (3) there was no relationship between player's overall heart rate and immersion level; (4) participants’ heart rate ratio were correlated with blink rate ratio in some game period. The research combined a variety of measurement methods, and made a connection between physiological and psychological indicators during the game process.
