This paper proposes the concept of "live-action virtual reality games" as a
new genre of digital games based on an innovative combination of live-action,
mixed-reality, context-awareness, and interaction paradigms that comprise
tangible objects, context-aware input devices, and embedded/embodied
interactions. Live-action virtual reality games are "live-action games" because
a player physically acts out (using his/her real body and senses) his/her
"avatar" (his/her virtual representation) in the game stage, which is the
mixed-reality environment where the game happens. The game stage is a kind of
"augmented virtuality"; a mixed-reality where the virtual world is augmented
with real-world information. In live-action virtual reality games, players wear
HMD devices and see a virtual world that is constructed using the physical
world architecture as the basic geometry and context information. Physical
objects that reside in the physical world are also mapped to virtual elements.
Live-action virtual reality games keeps the virtual and real-worlds
superimposed, requiring players to physically move in the environment and to
use different interaction paradigms (such as tangible and embodied interaction)
to complete game activities. This setup enables the players to touch physical
architectural elements (such as walls) and other objects, "feeling" the game
stage. Players have free movement and may interact with physical objects placed
in the game stage, implicitly and explicitly. Live-action virtual reality games
differ from similar game concepts because they sense and use contextual
information to create unpredictable game experiences, giving rise to emergent
gameplay.
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