Who's Watching Me?: Exploring the Impact of Audience Familiarity on Player Performance, Experience, and Exertion in Virtual Reality Exergames

TL;DR

This study investigates how familiarity with NPC audiences in VR exergames influences player performance, experience, and exertion, revealing that familiarity enhances enjoyment and reduces perceived effort, especially for self-conscious players.

Contribution

It is the first to systematically examine the effects of NPC audience familiarity on VR exergame performance and experience, incorporating appearance and voice familiarity factors.

Findings

Familiar NPC audiences improve game performance.

Players find the experience more enjoyable with familiar NPCs.

Familiarity reduces perceived exertion, especially for self-conscious individuals.

Abstract

Familiarity with audiences plays a significant role in shaping individual performance and experience across various activities in everyday life. This study delves into the impact of familiarity with non-playable character (NPC) audiences on player performance and experience in virtual reality (VR) exergames. By manipulating of NPC appearance (face and body shape) and voice familiarity, we explored their effect on game performance, experience, and exertion. The findings reveal that familiar NPC audiences have a positive impact on performance, creating a more enjoyable gaming experience, and leading players to perceive less exertion. Moreover, individuals with higher levels of self-consciousness exhibit heightened sensitivity to the familiarity with NPC audiences. Our results shed light on the role of familiar NPC audiences in enhancing player experiences and provide insights for designing more engaging and personalized VR exergame environments.