Data Feel: Exploring Visual Effects in Video Games to Support Sensemaking Tasks

TL;DR

This paper investigates how visual effects in video games aid players' sensemaking, proposing that similar effects could enhance data visualization tools by supporting reasoning tasks.

Contribution

It provides a survey of visual effects in games that support sensemaking, highlighting potential applications for data visualization enhancement.

Findings

Visual effects in games support reasoning about the game world.

Certain visual effects can be adapted to improve data visualization tools.

The study identifies specific sensemaking tasks that benefit from visual effects.

Abstract

This paper explores the use of visual effects common in video games that support a range of tasks that are similar in many ways to analysis tasks supported in visual analytics tools. While some visual effects are meant to increase engagement or to support a game's overall visual design, we find that in many games visual effects are used throughout gameplay in order to assist a player in reasoning about the game world. In this work, we survey popular games across a range of categories (from casual games to "Triple A" games), focusing specifically on visual effects that support a player's sensemaking within the game world. Based on our analysis of these games, we identify a range of tasks that could benefit from the use of "data feel," and advocate for the continued investigation of visual effects and their application in data visualization software tools.