Non-Conventional Interaction Study on Rythm Games M´ arcio Zacarias and Luciana Nedel Instituto de Informtica Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre, Brasil nedel@inf.ufrgs.br, mrzacarias@gmail.com Abstract The video game industry is experiencing a very positive moment. High quality and low cost hardware allows the fast popularization of game consoles and the games cul- ture dissemination for a diverse group of gamers, includ- ing from addicted to casual players. However, even if we have new games with high quality rendering and involving stories, comfortable and innovative interfaces are not yet a reality everywhere. In this paper we explore the use of non- conventional interfaces for casual games in portable com- puters, a platform that has being neglected in terms of user interfaces for games. We describe a study of unusual inter- action techniques and devices with rhythm games. Several interaction possibilities were implemented and tested with users, most of them involving the Nintendo Wii devices, a low cost solution. Our experience on developing and test- ing it with users is presented and discussed in this paper. Finally, we demonstrate that the use of creative interactive methods is essential to achieve a complete user experience for casual games in terms of efficiency, fun, and comfort. 1. Introduction The video game industry is experiencing a fantastic growing in the last few years. It was considered the more profitable entertainment activity in England – overcoming cinema and music. Additionally, games industry is also growing in diversity, presenting each year a larger list of types and titles. With new types of games, new needs – as the search for innovative interaction techniques – should be addressed. In this context, personal computers are yet an impor- tant platform, comparable to last generation game consoles regarding the graphics power. However, unfortunately we cannot say the same regarding interaction. While the indus- try of game consoles is becoming to explore and produce alternative interaction possibilities [4] [8], video games for personal computers are yet based on mouse and keyboard interaction, that are very efficient for conventional 2D ap- plications, as well as, for some kinds of games, like the First Person Shooting games (FPS), for example. Gamepads, as the ones used on game consoles, are alter- natives to keyboard and mouse and provide a good usability for some types of games but are far from an universal so- lution that gives an enjoyable experience for many groups of gamers. Examples of games that require more creative interactions include the casual and party games, usually in the preference of users that do not have much time to invest playing games, or that use games as a socialization tool. Casual gamers were the main target public of Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS consoles. Both have introduced new interaction metaphors, achieving an enormous success in the video games market since 2006. A sub-set of casual games is the rhythm games, where music plays a funda- mental role on the gameplay. In this kind of games, the game history is normally very simple, focusing mainly on the interaction experience. Probably the best example of a rhythm game is the Guitar Hero, distributed by Activision Inc. In this game, the user is challenged to hit the musi- cal notes that appear in the display, having the experience of a guitar player. The game is simple and can be played by users with different levels of expertise but, undoubtedly, its success is due to the new interaction devices that were proposed, simulating simplified guitars and, more recently, other music instruments. Due to the success of Guitar Hero, other games in the same genre were released and explore similar interaction metaphors. Examples include Dance Dance Revolution [1], a pioneer on rhythm and dance video game genre, where players stand on a dance platform and hit colored arrows with their feet to musical cues. Osu! Takakae! Ouendan! [6], for Nintendo DS, is a rhythm game where the player uses the stylus to hit circles that appear in the screen also using musical cues. The last Nintendo consoles (Wii and DS) introduced in- novative interaction devices, increasing the user experience