Conceptualizing Fidelity for HCI in Applied Gaming

Abstract

Fidelity of games as a concept describes the level of representation of, or accordance with reality. The level of fidelity has influence on the interaction between player and game. Our study discusses the outcomes of a literature study and three cases with the goal to propose a comprehensive framework of game fidelity. This framework could help game designers and researchers to adopt the 'right' or sufficient level of fidelity to achieve the intended objectives related to applied games. Our results show that functional and psychological fidelity have a higher impact on the experience and effects of applied games than their physical fidelity. Social and ethical fidelity are proposed as new dimensions of game fidelity that still have to be explored. In literature, both low and high levels of fidelity are described as effective in applied games, while a medium level seems not to be beneficial for the player.

Exploring the role of virtual reality in military decision training

“…The stationary nature of the 2D task, without any real need for using room clearing tactics, may also have reduced the decision-making challenge. Returning to Lukosch et al (2019) fidelity framework, and the importance of quality user-environment interactions, the more interactive aspect of movement in VR environment may be where they are particularly superior to video-based approaches (Bermejo-Berros and Gil Martínez, 2021).…”

“…This correspondence with the real-world is known as construct validity, which is often assessed by comparing the performance of experts and novices in the simulation (e.g., Bright et al, 2012;Wood et al, 2020). Lukosch et al (2019) propose a framework for conceptualizing fidelity in human computer interfaces which focuses on the quality of the interaction between user and environment, not just realistic visual representation. Consequently, they also identify aspects of fidelity such as psychological and social fidelity.…”

Human Factors Research in Immersive Virtual Reality Firefighter Training: A Systematic Review

“…However, the authors concede that different factors of visual complexity could affect the task performance in varying levels of severity and that future work would be required to gauge the impact of each factor. Lukosch et al (2019) stated that the low physical fidelity of environments does not significantly impact learning outcomes or the ability to create an effective learning tool. Therefore, while there could be certain factors that are impacted by lower graphical quality, we cannot find sufficient grounds to discount or significantly question the results of the aforementioned studies.…”

“…As the main focus of this inquiry is specifically looking at VR as a predictive tool for training, we deem it important to consider the ecological validity of each study to judge its efficacy in real-world applications. This is not to be confused with simply considering the physical fidelity, or graphical realism, of the virtual environment, which has been shown to have a limited impact on the user experience (Lukosch et al, 2019). Rather, this article directly considers the input methods used, the equivalent real-world equipment and the relevance of the virtual task to realworld situations.…”

Immersive virtual reality and passive haptic interfaces to improve procedural learning in a formal training course for first responders

“…According to Lukosch et al (2019), the fidelity in interactive experiences like, e.g., games, can be categorized in four dimensions: • Physical fidelity the extent to which the simulation emulates the physical properties of the real-world scenario; • Functional fidelity the degree to which the simulated devices and tools behave as the real counterparts in the task; • Psychological fidelity how much the simulation can evoke emotional states close to the real experience; • Social fidelity how much the simulation can imitate social interactions.…”