Game design in virtual reality

The last decade showed immense improvements in Virtual Reality (VR) technology. VRis used in many different areas other than gaming such as in the medical area. As an example, surgeons can learn how to perform certain complicated surgeries over and overin VR without risking anyone’s life. The possibilities such as this example widened its application areas significantly as the leading sector, gaming, became more appealing to consumers. Many game development companies started to produce immersive experiences which led to strengthening their position on the market by attracting new users. However,VR gaming still falls behind the traditional video gaming experience mainly due to the lack of quality content and the additional costs that come with VR devices. The main reason behind the scarcity of quality content is that creating VR games still involves trying out new ideas by using the general knowledge of game design inherited from developing video games. The fact that the player is present inside VR games should change the perspective of the game designers while building the experience. They need to adapt game design elements such as aesthetics, challenge, and replayability and change them in such a way so the VR can be still compelling to players. To address the secontent-related issues, this thesis investigates the applicability of different digital gamedesign elements onto VR games by developing a VR game called Astroclimb. Astroclimbis a science fiction and space-themed game that revolves around climbing a celestial wallin outer space. The climbing part of the game also takes place in reality thanks to theVreeclimber project of TU Wien, which is a virtual reality climbing system that enablesan infinitely rolling climbing wall.During the development stage of Astroclimb, improving the quality of user experience and the level of immersion were the two main goals for Astroclimb. The final version of the game was evaluated by a small test group with questionnaires and optional short unstructured interviews as well as observing the player during the playthroughs. The evaluation showed that the application of different game design elements successfully increased the immersion level in the game and made the game more compelling to players.