Abstract

In light of the paper book's stagnant popularity and the decrease of children's reading performance, it is important to find ways to keep books alive and motivate people to read. To help with those goals, this master's thesis aims to create a game that combines paper books, interactive stories and AR pop-up elements. Research into many different related topics such as books, games, puzzles, AR, input interactions and usability creates a solid foundation for the design and implementation of the AR Pop-Up Book. The user study that was performed shows how users perceive the game in regards to other related media and gives insights on the usability. In conclusion, the participants’ reaction to the game was positive and the project shows potential when it comes to increasing users’ motivation to read.

Game Concept

The general setting of the book is that the player comes into their office to find a mysterious chest with a note from their aunt. This note prompts them to start investigating the chest and its contents. The player has to solve a first puzzle in order to open the lock on the chest. Once the chest is unlocked, the player gains access to its content: five objects, each in itself a puzzle that unlocks part of a Norse myth when solved.

AR Pop-Up Book

Conclusion

This master's thesis gives an insight into a wide array of related work, from books to games to puzzles, AR, interaction techniques and usability. This knowledge acts as a solid base for the development of the AR Pop-Up Book. The aim of this project was to give users a new experience, encourage reading and figure out how augmented reality can be integrated in this context. The result is an interactive AR puzzle game on the subject of Norse mythology. The user study that was performed shows how users perceive the game in regards to other related media and gives insights on the usability. The participants' reaction to the game was generally positive and last but not least, the project shows potential when it comes to increasing users' motivation to read.