Investigation of Depth Perception Through Gaming

In this study, we investigate how depth cues and immersive 3-dimensional (3D) video content characteristics can activate mirror neuron activities and improve depth perception experience while playing a very well-known game (i.e., Tower of Hanoi). For these investigations, subjective tests are carried out by employing an auto-stereoscopic display, with content developed in Unity to replicate realistic environments and facilitate dynamic interactions, exemplified by the Tower of Hanoi game. Subjects are exposed to atmospheric perspective depth cue and 3D video content characteristics, including different viewing angles (i.e., 0°, 45°, and 60°) of the objects placed in the game. The findings indicate that enabling the atmospheric perspective depth cue and different viewing angles considerably enhanced depth perception and task performance, resulting in smoother and more immersive user experiences. We believe that significant insights from this investigation will provide the advance of future robotics, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), 3D video processing, and game technologies that aim to leverage mirror neuron activation to improve cognitive and motor skills in intricate tasks.