Dr P Keir, Dr G Bruce
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) is seeking to attract PhD candidates of outstanding ability and commitment to join its vibrant and growing programme of internationally excellent research. Successful applicants will benefit from our intellectually stimulating and inclusive research environment and from enhanced career development support and professional skills training.
Programmable eye-tracking hardware has recently become available at a price point appropriate for a mass market, with products from successful European companies such as Tobii and The Eye Tribe available at less than 100 euros. Such pioneering product releases are significant in that they are marketed less towards conventional areas such as research on the human visual system and in psychology, than to the domain of videogame research and development.
The videogame industry is massive, the Entertainment Software Association reported that the industry in the US took in 25.1 billion dollars in 2010; more than double the figure for 2008. Newzoo predict that global revenue from videogaming in 2015 will rise 9% to 91 billion dollars.
Nevertheless, history indicates that innovation is crucial. After the transition from 2D to 3D, graphical fidelity has now reached a point where casual users cannot usefully distinguish between medium and high quality graphics. In 2006, Nintendo achieved massive success with the Wii, a home video game console having the distinctive characteristic of allowing gameplay control through physical gestures. A similar, though long predicted disruption will occur this year with the introduction of three virtual reality devices to the home market.
Eye tracking holds similar potential for innovation within videogames. Naturally, games involving the aiming of a weapon; or menu or map navigation will be enhanced; but such a direct control paradigm only scratches the surface. By looking at an object or person in a virtual environment, the player may reveal something of their intentions. Consider a first-person perspective football penalty scenario, with the goalkeeper conscious of the player’s gaze. Games themed on horror also offer the potential to surprise the player at precisely the right moment.
The surprising perceptual phenomenon of change blindness may then also be uniquely exploited within the game dynamics. Rather than the use of a discrete masking stimulus, there is the opportunity for the game to instantaneously react upon the crucial saccadic movement of the player’s eye, and so introduce a subtle, gradual or perhaps significant change to the three-dimensional simulated environment. Ultimately, the project aims to exploit synergy between UWS research expertise in eye-tracking and attention, from cognitive psychology; with the high-fidelity programmable virtual environments familiar to colleagues researching within the domain of serious games.
Funding Notes
The studentship offers an annual stipend of £14,296 per annum for three years and payment of tuition fees (current value £4052). Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed and successful candidates will be put forward to a final selection panel which will decide on the award of studentships (i.e. funding will be considered as part of a competitive round and there is no guarantee that it will be awarded). Candidates will not be required to attend the final panel. Successful applicants will be expected to contribute up to 6 hours/week to UWS’ academic related activities.
References
Studentships are open to Home/EU candidates with a first degree in a relevant discipline. Non-EU students can apply, but will not receive the stipend and will be required to pay fees.
Candidates must be available to commence their studies on 1st October 2016.
How to apply:
Postgraduate Degree by Research Applications should be completed online at
http://www.uws.ac.uk/research/graduate-school/prospective-students/
Applications without all relevant documents will not be considered. Please quote the Project Reference Number. The deadline date for applications is 15th May 2016.