To See and Fear
A Pilot Study on Gaze Behaviour in Horror Gaming
Keywords:
Horror, eye-tracking, threat, fixation, gaze behaviour, video gamingAbstract
Inspired by a dearth of research in the increasingly popular genre of horror video games, this study piloted a method focused on comparing fixations on visual horror across the variables of differing horror interests and gaming habits. 12 participants were recruited and split into groups after answering questions pertaining to group identification and the Fear Questionnaire (video game player/ horror fan, N = 5; non-player/ horror, N = 2; player/ non-horror, N = 5). Tobii Pro Eye-Tracking Glasses were then equipped to allow for the recording and subsequent calculation of fixation number and fixation threat percentage while playing a short video game demo, Resident Evil 7 Teaser: Beginning Hour (CAPCOM, 2016). Following an independent T-Test for each dataset, horror vs. non-horror and player vs. non-player, this study revealed significant differences in percentage threat fixation in the second of the two scenarios extracted from the demo for analysis. This research concludes that game design or resilience/desensitisation can explain a lack of consistently significant results, as can a lack of sample power. Overall, the research method attains ideal replicability, consequently lending itself to suggestions for continued studies in this area. Noteworthy future directions include a focus on evolving technologies in horror gaming and how non-horror fans interact with the genre.
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