HUMAN COMPUTER INTERFACE (HCI)

Human–computer interaction (HCI) involves the study, planning, design and uses of the interfaces between people (users) and computers. When playing games on a range of different devices is there are several ways we control the game, such as with a PC we mainly use a keyboard and mouse, with consoles such as the Playstation and Xbox it's done by a controller and even a touchscreen for our smartphones. 

There are several new ways how gamers can interact with games such as the Wii controller, the controller is not connected to the console itself and uses a motion bar to pick up the movements of the player. However the biggest craze in the gaming industry is Virtual Reality. 

Many gamers want to be more involved with the games and often want to be 'integrated' within the game, virtual reality is the closest step towards that, this allows players to become the character, giving the ability to see the game and environment through the characters perspective, giving a 'first person' experience. 

Although this is a fantastic way to play games, all the equipment is affordable, giving more and more players the opportunity to experience something new. From a headset which allows the player to look around and move with a controller to a full body system that gives the player the ability to move the character with their own body giving the player full range of VR. 

VR is new and exciting and is improving each year, over time the ultimate VR experience could well be a common thing within every household.

Virtual Reality is even used within the Military to simulate certain aspects of a warzone, emergencies and many other vital roles. VR has caused several motion sickness problems due to lack of awareness of the physical needs of the user. 

Keyboard and Mouse

Obviously the Keyboard and Mouse is one of the most popular way of playing games, with its huge range of different shapes, sizes and colours it caters for thousands of games that are available for the PC gamers. PC gamers generally have gaming Keyboard and Mouse, although it isn't essential for everyone to have one, but not having them generally puts you at a disadvantage, the mouse in particular. It is important to use a good gaming mouse if you want to better your skills in First Person Shooters , the accuracy, speed and range of the mouse and effect your game. The keyboard isn't necessarily important but having a LED lit, mechanical keyboard are popular for mainly aesthetics.   

As a Console gamer I don't see the full benefits of using a Keyboard and Mouse, however with the amount of games i've played on my PC it is enough to say the range of play is good to have, it gives you a better sense of control because you are more hands on, but for simply playing games a Controller is so much better for using. 

Console Controller

By far my favoured use of gaming interface the controller is also a very popular way to play games, sheerly for the ease of play the controller gives the player. Unlike the Keyboard and Mouse the controller is compact and sits between your hands limiting the range of movement you hands need to make to play, which is what I prefer because it requires little movement and in my opinion allows you to be more connected to a game due to being able to feel the movement more etc. Unlike with the PC you also have the vibrations that come with the controller, also with the Dualshock 4, the Playstation 4 controller, it has a speaker, a touchpad, a share feature, a microphone/audio jack and the vibrations that were mentioned before.

 This is what brings you into the game more and is of course wireless which allows the gamer to sit back and enjoy the game more rather than sitting upright, of course wireless Keyboard and Mouses' are are also used but still doesn't give that sense of freedom.  

Mobile Gaming

The most popular HCI is the smartphone touchscreen, with millions and millions of people with smartphones many games have been downloaded and played on a smartphone, this is mainly down to the fact that phones are almost always with people, small, easy to use, simple and of course mobile. Having a mobile phone with you lets you play any game available at any time you wanted. It also attracts a wider range of audience, such as women that wouldn't generally use consoles or PCs to play games but would play mobile games because of those reasons. Players can move characters, swipe, shoot, jump, roll, climb and everything else by using two thumbs. 

Although easy to use some phones are difficult to use due to the small screens and the difficulty it brings, such as having large hands and being unable to hold and press the screen. Also the phones obviously wouldn't be able to cater for certain games such as First Person Shooters, due to the fast pace shooting and aiming which can be difficult with a screen that sometimes can be unresponsive and slow. However the Mobile gaming attracts many player and general players that just download a game to pass the time on journeys and waiting around.