Combining Tangible and Gestural Interaction During Collaborative Gameplay With Multiple Displays

Abstract

We explore collaborative gameplay in a configuration where gestural interaction manipulates reference content projected on a wall-mounted display, to support tangible interaction on a tabletop display. We conducted a within-subjects user study with 92 children between the ages of 8 and 15, and considered the impact of several factors (game type, orientation control, group size, age range) on collaboration. Participants played two games: Block Rock, which permitted parallel play, and Furniture Finder, which encouraged coordinated role-based play. Territorial infringement when acquiring and placing tangibles was more pronounced in Furniture Finder, contrary to our expectations. In Block Rock the amount of gestural control was greater when discrete gestures cycled through canonical orientations of reference content than when continuous gestures allowed precise orientation control, but this did not affect completion time. We identify 5 unique collaborative strategies observed across our groups and consider how our experimental factors influence strategy choice.