The Idea

This game was born from the question: Would eye tracking aim in shooter games be cheating or at least superior to a mouse?

We set out to create a 360-degree wave shooter that incorporated eye tracking not only for aiming but also for controlling elements like a weapon wheel through gaze. The goal was to find out whether a game could still be engaging if all you had to do was look around and press the shoot button.

The Production

From the beginning, I intended to use pixelation as an animation technique for the enemies. This approach allowed us to easily create characters by dressing up in costumes and capturing the necessary poses, giving the animations a unique and quirky charm. We applied the same technique to the weapons, which, even to our surprise, turned out to look surprisingly convincing.

Even though this was my first time creating an eye-tracking game, the programming process was relatively straightforward thanks to the Tobii SDK. I developed five different weapons, each unlocked by surviving a wave, giving players a sense of progression.

The enemies were designed to spawn at specific points, with their spawn rates increasing as the waves advanced. This scaling difficulty, combined with a high-score system and potentially infinite waves, made the game replayable and engaging for players aiming to beat their own records.

The Result

The eye-tracking mechanic worked surprisingly, however, it didn’t necessarily make it easier to aim than using a mouse. It turns out that constantly focusing on one point with your eyes is more challenging than anticipated, as our eyes are naturally inclined to explore the rest of the image.

Yet, this added difficulty actually created a really interesting playing experience. Although this wasn’t something we initially intended, it turned out to be a compelling aspect of the game. Players found themselves more determined to push through, continuing to play despite failing over and over again. This persistence, driven by the need to adapt to the unique controls, made the game more engaging and rewarding, as players felt a stronger sense of accomplishment when they finally overcame the challenge.