"I Packed My Bag and in It I Put...": A Taxonomy of Inventory Systems for Virtual Reality Games

TL;DR

This paper develops a comprehensive taxonomy of inventory systems in VR games by analyzing popular titles and consulting developers, aiming to improve the design and implementation of item management in virtual reality gaming.

Contribution

It introduces a structured taxonomy of VR inventory systems based on analysis and developer feedback, filling a gap in VR game design literature.

Findings

Identified key design components of VR inventories.

Provided practical guidelines for developers.

Demonstrated taxonomy application in real game scenarios.

Abstract

On a journey, a backpack is a perfect place to store and organize the necessary provisions and tools. Similarly, carrying and managing items is a central part of most digital games, providing significant prospects for the player experience. Even though VR games are gradually becoming more mature, most of them still avoid this essential feature. Some of the reasons for this deficit are the additional requirements and challenges that VR imposes on developers to achieve a compelling user experience. We structure the ample design space of VR inventories by analyzing popular VR games and developing a structural taxonomy. We combine our insights with feedback from game developers to identify the essential building blocks and design choices. Finally, we propose meaningful design implications and demonstrate the practical use of our work in action.