Holo Games: Investigating Game Mechanics and Player Experience Factors in Mixed Reality Platform

Mixed Reality (MR) is a hybrid technology that blends digital elements with the physical world, enabling interaction across both worlds. The integration of typical video games into MR headsets can be challenging due to device limitations, user comfort, limited hardware capability, and interaction modalities. This research investigates two types of MR games, with a focus on spatial aspects, player experience, and players’ brain activity analysis. We analyzed design considerations and interaction patterns suitable for MR environments. For our study, we developed two games: a high-intensity action game and a low-intensity puzzle-solving game, and deployed them on Microsoft HoloLens 2. We conducted user studies with 14 participants using objective and subjective data collection methods. Objective data was gathered through an electroencephalogram (EEG) device, measuring players’ brain activity and emotional states. Subjective data was collected from post-test surveys that evaluated user experience, cognitive load, and emotional responses.