Video-mediated and co-present gameplay: Effects of mutual gaze on game experience, expressiveness and perceived social presence

We study how pairs of children interact socially and express their emotions while playing games in different communicative settings. In particular, we study how such interactions can vary for environments that differ regarding the level of mediation and the associated feelings of social presence. Overall, the study compared three conditions (one face-to-face gameplay condition, and two video-mediated gameplay conditions; one allowing for mutual gaze, the other not) and focused on the social presence and nonverbal behavior of children in three conditions. The results show that the presence of mutual eye-gaze enriches the feelings of social presence, fun and game experience; conversely, the absence of mutual eye-gaze dramatically effects the quality of interaction in the video-mediated environment. The results of this study stress the importance of mutual gaze, and we therefore argue that it should become an integral component of future VMC systems, particularly in those designed for playful settings and children. 2012 British Informatics Society Limited. All rights reserved.