Manipulating Attention in Computer Games

Information

• Publication Type: Conference Paper
• Workgroup(s)/Project(s):
  • General Purpose Visibility
• Date: June 2011
• ISBN: 9781457712852
• Publisher: IEEE
• Location: Ithaca, NY
• Lecturer: Matthias Bernhard
• Booktitle: Proceedings of the IEEE IVMSP Workshop on Perception and Visual Signal Analysis
• Conference date: 16. June 2011 – 17. June 2011
• Pages: 153 – 158
• Keywords: saliency, attention guidance, inattentional blindness, in-game advertising, guided search

Abstract

In computer games, a user’s attention is focused on the current task, and task-irrelevant details remain unnoticed. This behavior, known as inattentional blindness, is a main problem for the optimal placement of information or advertisements. We propose a guiding principle based on Wolfe’s theory of Guided Search, which predicts the saliency of objects during a visual search task. Assuming that computer games elicit visual search tasks frequently, we applied this model in a “reverse” direction: Given a target item (e.g., advertisement) which should be noticed by the user, we choose a frequently searched game item and modify it so that it shares some perceptual features (e.g., color or orientation) with the target item. A memory experiment with 36 participants showed that in an action video game, advertisements were more noticeable to users when this method is applied.

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BibTeX

@inproceedings{bernhard-2011-maicg,
  title =      "Manipulating Attention in Computer Games",
  author =     "Matthias Bernhard and Le Zhang and Michael Wimmer",
  year =       "2011",
  abstract =   "In computer games, a user’s attention is focused on the
               current task, and task-irrelevant details remain unnoticed.
               This behavior, known as inattentional blindness, is a main
               problem for the optimal placement of information or
               advertisements. We propose a guiding principle based on
               Wolfe’s theory of Guided Search, which predicts the
               saliency of objects during a visual search task. Assuming
               that computer games elicit visual search tasks frequently,
               we applied this model in a “reverse” direction: Given a
               target item (e.g., advertisement) which should be noticed by
               the user, we choose a frequently searched game item and
               modify it so that it shares some perceptual features (e.g.,
               color or orientation) with the target item. A memory
               experiment with 36 participants showed that in an action
               video game, advertisements were more noticeable to users
               when this method is applied.",
  month =      jun,
  isbn =       "9781457712852",
  publisher =  "IEEE",
  location =   "Ithaca, NY",
  booktitle =  "Proceedings of the IEEE IVMSP Workshop on Perception and
               Visual Signal Analysis",
  pages =      "153--158",
  keywords =   "saliency, attention guidance, inattentional blindness,
               in-game advertising, guided search",
  URL =        "https://www.cg.tuwien.ac.at/research/publications/2011/bernhard-2011-maicg/",
}