The questions are formulated based on questions in the Social Presence in Gaming Questionnaire(SPGQ) and the Network Minds Measure of Social Presence(NMMSP). After removing the repeated and not suitable questions, 10 five-point intensity scale questions are left. In addition, there are four open questions in order to ask players about their social presence and gaming behaviour.
Results
Players in general agree that they feel connected to each other (Q3), enjoy being with others (Q4), depended on others (Q6) and the other player’s mood affected their emotional state (Q2). All the participants strongly agreed that players must cooperate and help each other to win the game(Q9).
When asked if one’s opinions were clear to others(Q5), it got an average of 3.9 points. It seems that the original indicating graphics didn’t provide a convenient and direct way for players to communicate. Therefore, in later versions of the game, it was removed and replaced by verbal communication.
Feedbacks
Many participants mentioned that they felt a sense of social presence when they saw the avatar of the other player. Some mentioned that when collaborating with each other, they felt a sense of social presence. For instance, “communicating and guiding each other in order to complete the tasks – e.g. showing which direction to go to and in turn free the pc player character from a room.” or “When we tried to arrive at the same gate and my partner helped me remove obstacles”. Overall, most players give positive feedback and affirm that these types of tasks are helpful to stimulate social presence.
Future Work Suggestions
Many participants suggested that only verbal communication is not enough, especially when they see that VR players can manipulate the avatars and have the ability to show some simple gestures, such as waving, pointing, and making a fist. Some others mentioned the importance of 3D sounds so that the players can distinguish the direction and distance of their partner based on which direction the sound comes from or the volume of the voice. There are also some interesting points mentioned that can be applied to this work in the future, such as tactile feedback or competitive interaction mode.