AR Fighter: using HMDs to create vertigo play experiences

Game designers working with Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) are usually advised to avoid causing disorientation in players. However, we argue that disorientation is a key element of what makes “vertigo play” (such as spinning in circles until dizzy, balancing on high beams, or riding theme park rides) engaging experiences. We therefore propose that designers can take advantage of the disorientation afforded by HMDs to create novel vertigo play experiences. To demonstrate this idea, we created a two-player game called “AR Fighter”, in which two HMD-wearing players attempt to affect each other’s balance. A study of AR Fighter (N=21) revealed three recurring vertigo-experience themes for researchers to analyse and associated design tactics for practitioners to create digital vertigo play experiences. With this work we aim to guide others in using disorientation as intriguing game element to create novel digital vertigo play experiences, broadening the range of games we play.