3D電腦遊戲玩家空間能力與尋路策略對地標使用與空間知識之影響

Abstract

過去3D電腦遊戲的相關研究，主題都放在空間能力、尋路策略或或環境地標之有無等因子，來評估玩家的任務表現，但卻鮮少提及這些不同條件的玩家是否有選擇不同特性的地標作為尋路依據的傾向，又對於空間知識的建構有何影響？

本研究依空間能力與尋路策略區分受測者為「高空間能力/地標型策略」、「高空間能力/縱覽型策略」、「低空間能力/地標型策略」與「低空間能力/縱覽型策略」四組進行實驗。四組受測者在納入多種類別互異地標物件、接近真實城市場景之虛擬環境，完成指定的尋路任務。研究發現地標型策略的玩家常用節點類地標，縱覽型策略者則常用地區類地標。無論何種尋路策略的玩家，低空間能力者都較高空間能力者注重地標的視覺性。研究另結論：個人空間能力顯著影響地標使用種類，而尋路策略傾向則顯著影響注意的地標性質。故3D遊戲環境設計上，路徑規劃複雜化、區域之間的視覺差異模糊化、路徑的交叉點最小化，可使空間能力不同者感受難度差異。而降低地標－尤其是節點上－的視覺特質、減少文字或圖樣等易產生認知意義的物件、去除特別高大的物件，也能有效加強遊戲經驗。

From previous studies of 3D computer games, the gamer's spatial ability, wayfinding strategy, and landmark interface these three important issues has attracted many concerns and investigations to examine their effects on the computer gamer’s performances, however, how gamers’ different characteristics (spatial ability and wayfinding strategy) might affect their landmark usages and spatial knowledge constructions has been rarely discussed.

This present study categorized subjects into four groups of 3D computer gamers according to their spatial ability and wayfinding strategy scores: "high spatial ability/landmark strategy", "high spatial ability/survey strategy", "low spatial ability/landmark strategy", and "low spatial ability/survey strategy". A 3D computer game simulated the urban scenes of the real world was chosen as the experimental environment where four groups of 3D computer gamers completed their assigned wayfinding tasks as the study request. The results showed that the landmark-strategy gamers usually applied the node type of landmarks, and survey-strategy gamers prefered to apply the district type of landmarks. Regardless their wayfinding strategy tendencies, the low spatial ability gamers focused more on the visuality of a landmark comparing to the high spatial ability gamers. It is also concluded by the study that as gamers’ spatial abilities result significant effects on their decisions for applying different types of landmark, their tendencies of wayfinding strategies will also affect their behaviors of differentiating natures of landmarks, Therefore, when designing the environment in a 3D game, complicating the path planning, blurring the visual difference between the regions, and minimizing the cross points can make gamers with different spatial abilities experiencing the different levels of difficulty. Additionally, reducing the visual features of landmarks, especially those locating on the route nodes, as well as subtracting elements that might easily produce cognitive meanings such as texts or drawings, and removing tall objects, are also very effective approaches to enhance gaming experiences.