HeyThere: Design and Evaluation of an Augmented Reality Multiplayer

Social Game

Wenxuan Zheng

, Yuzheng Wu

, Ziming Li

2 a

, Yue Li

1 b

, Diego Monteiro

3 c

and Hai-Ning Liang

2 d

Department of Computing, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China

Computational Media and Arts Thrust, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou),

Guangzhou, China

Immersion and Interaction Lab - LII, ESIEA, Laval, France

Keywords:

Augmented Reality, Head-Mounted Display, Social Gameplay, Multiplayer Game, Casual Gaming.

Abstract:

Augmented reality (AR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) have rapidly evolved and demonstrated great poten-

tial in various domains, especially for mobile scenarios, including social gaming. In this paper, we present

the design and evaluation of HeyThere, an AR HMD social game developed on the Microsoft HoloLens 2 and

designed to foster face-to-face interactions among strangers. The game aims to enhance social interaction by

facilitating initial ice-breaking and enabling users to build future interactions. It also introduces an element of

”serendipity” into the gaming experience. In the paper, we present our design choices for and implementation

of HeyThere, taking advantage of interaction with virtual pets. Our user studies indicate that such a game like

HeyThere promotes socialization with strangers and uncovers serendipitous aspects of life, thus enhancing

players’ overall life satisfaction. This research contributes to introducing a new approach to social gaming in

AR HMDs and provides valuable insights into the design and development of AR social games.

1 INTRODUCTION

Augmented reality (AR) head-mounted displays

(HMDs) have rapidly evolved in recent years and have

shown great potential in different areas, especially

where mobility is important (Kim et al., 2018; Lu

et al., 2021). The rise of the digital world and media

industries has created prerequisites for more creative

and innovative games. Building social games on AR

HMDs has also attracted increasing attention.

AR HMDs, such as HoloLens 2, can seamlessly

mix virtual objects with the real world, and support a

variety of input modalities, including 3D spatial ges-

tures (Zhao et al., 2025; Shi et al., 2023). They may

become a mainstream platform for the next generation

of social games (Chen et al., 2023). To cater to this

platform, it is important to understand its challenges

and opportunities in different environments. Thus, to

get feasible and informed lessons on AR-based social

https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7529-7176

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3728-218X

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1570-3652

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3600-8955

games, we built an AR social casual game, HeyThere,

to explore the HMD-based social casual games play-

ing outdoors.

HeyThere is an AR HMD game aimed at

enhancing face-to-face social interaction between

strangers—it affords users who are not familiar with

each other a common connecting point to break the

ice, interact with each other through the game, and

then save contact information for future communica-

tion.

We developed HeyThere on Microsoft HoloLens

2 and used virtual pets to help strangers wearing an

AR HMD connect and interact with each other in a

safe way that minimizes the case where one party re-

jects the approach of the other. This is the case be-

cause players can break the ice more easily, as they

have a ”chance encounter” with a commonality (So-

cial Facilitation Triggered by Shared Context) rather

than just a cold introduction (Guerin and Innes, 1984;

Wood et al., 2015). These ”chance encounters” will

now be deﬁned as serendipity, an aspect that can en-

hance the game experience.

The remainder of this paper is organized as fol-

Zheng, W., Wu, Y., Li, Z., Li, Y., Monteiro, D. and Liang, H.-N.

HeyThere: Design and Evaluation of an Augmented Reality Multiplayer Social Game.

DOI: 10.5220/0013142700003912

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 20th International Joint Conference on Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics Theory and Applications (VISIGRAPP 2025) - Volume 1: GRAPP, HUCAPP

and IVAPP, pages 577-587

ISBN: 978-989-758-728-3; ISSN: 2184-4321

577

lows. We present the related work in Section 2 where

we combed through the methods used in previous

studies related to HeyThere. In Section 3, we dis-

cuss the design principle, interface innovation, in-

teraction methods, and implementation of HeyThere.

Section 4 details the experiment, including the ap-

plied procedures and the results. Subsequently, Sec-

tion 5 presents our ﬁndings in the user study, gener-

ates new features for HeyThere, and discusses our ﬁ-

nal design. Finally, Section 6 shows our future plan,

and Section 7 concludes our work.

2 RELATED WORK

2.1 Online Augmented Reality Games

Recent research has explored online AR games. A

beneﬁt of AR games for social interaction is that play-

ers can interact with nearby people face-to-face be-

cause users have the ability to see their physical en-

vironment. AR technology serves more as a tool,

focusing on making the interaction between nearby

strangers efﬁcient or triggering more positive inter-

action. JumpAR (Klimm et al., 2019), a mobile AR

game, supports co-located multiple players to build

a game scenario based on the real environment. In

the self-designed game scenario, the players can con-

trol the game character to play a Jump ‘n’ Run game.

However, this game design limits the game to familiar

locations and can only be played with friends. Fur-

thermore, Mulloni et al. (Mulloni et al., 2008) de-

signed an AR social game on handheld devices like

mobile phones. Research indicates that handheld de-

vices pose ergonomic challenges for AR social inter-

action, as prolonged device handling can cause user

fatigue. In addition, Xu et al. (Xu et al., 2008) found

that involving body movement as an additional inter-

action approach in the AR game can increase physical

presence and enhance the relationship between play-

ers.

Therefore, we chose AR HMDs as the platform

for our social game. Like virtual reality HMDs, AR

HMDs have the following advantages: (1) they have

the capability to involve multiple users (Chen et al.,

2021), (2) they can support various interaction modal-

ities, especially spatial interactions (Xu et al., 2019;

Zhao et al., 2025), (3) they are highly portable and

support seamless integration with the physical envi-

ronment and with other daily activities of users (Chen

et al., 2023; Lu et al., 2021; Guo et al., 2024a), and (4)

they provide high spatial awareness and can provide

real-time feedback (Monteiro et al., 2020; Luo et al.,

2022). In addition, researchers found that complex

gameplay in AR/VR social games may attract much

attention (Xu et al., 2024), which can cause players

to pay less attention to social interaction with other

players (Mulloni et al., 2008). Thus, as our game is

to allow social interaction, we paid attention to this

aspect and did not over-complicate the gameplay re-

quirements when designing the game.

A casual game is a game that is lightweight, re-

quires little knowledge, and is easy to play (Kultima,

2009). Studies have shown that even if players can-

not meet each other in person, playing online casual

games can still increase the liking of other players and

lead to positive perceptions of players’ characteris-

tics (Dabbish, 2008). In addition, casual games often

take only a few minutes to ﬁnish each round, making

it easier for players to start and end the game. There-

fore, to make our game work well with AR HMDs

and to make the socializing features in our game easy

to access in players’ lives, a multiplayer casual game

is a game type that ﬁts our goals.

2.2 Serendipity

The term serendipity originated from Horace

Walpole’s fairy tale, The Three Princes of Serendip,

which narrates the adventures of three princes who

consistently stumble upon beneﬁcial discoveries

without prior planning (Makri et al., 2015; van

Andel, 1994). Some scholars have conceptualized

serendipity as a tripartite construct encompassing

‘accident’, ‘sagacity’, and ‘happiness’ (Merton and

Barber, 2011). In the context of this paper, serendip-

ity is a stand in for unplanned social facilitation

triggered by Shared Context while engaged in unre-

lated pursuits. The idea that serendipitous encounters

lead to increased social engagement draws on the

theory of social facilitation, which posits that people

often modify their behavior in the presence of others

(Zajonc, 1965).

The proliferation and advances of mobile plat-

forms, such as smartphones, smart glasses, and

HMDs, facilitate the integration of real-world spa-

tiotemporal elements with virtual components (Shi

et al., 2023; Lu et al., 2021; Guo et al., 2024b),

thereby enhancing the gaming experience through

serendipity (Liang, 2012; P

anek et al., 2018). Em-

pirical studies have demonstrated a positive correla-

tion between serendipity and user satisfaction and en-

gagement (Chen et al., 2018). Incorporating cutting-

edge technologies such as AR and MR HMDs can fur-

ther enhance the gaming experience by eliciting ex-

citement and emotional engagement among players,

thereby promoting user satisfaction and prolonged in-

teraction (Chen et al., 2018).

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578

2.3 Feasibility of Using AR HMDs for

Social Interaction

Although recent advances in AR HMD technology

have made them more accessible and user-friendly,

using AR HMDs for social interaction still presents

challenges, such as price (Xu et al., 2023), technical,

interaction, and psycho-physiological issues (Wenk

et al., 2021; Xu et al., 2020) and the user’s resistance

(Condino et al., 2020). Despite these challenges, there

are also opportunities for using AR HMDs for so-

cial interaction. AR HMDs can increase social pres-

ence and improve empathy by allowing users to ex-

perience the world from different perspectives (Guo

et al., 2022). This work aims to help us ﬁnd further

insights into the design of an AR-based application,

like games, that could foster social engagement and

interaction, especially among people unfamiliar with

each other, through a case study.

3 HeyThere: INITIAL DESIGN

3.1 Game Principle and Logic

We designed HeyThere as a multiplayer social inter-

action game using AR HMDs. We opted for a ”ca-

sual” game format, as it allows players to quickly

learn and engage with the game, as highlighted in

previous studies on casual gaming and its accessibil-

ity beneﬁts (Hamari and Keronen, 2017), making it

easily adaptable to real-life scenarios without causing

disruptions or requiring signiﬁcant adjustments (Juul,

2010).

We employ the concept of ‘serendipity’ to aug-

ment opportunities for interacting with people in pub-

lic environments, such as a street, a shopping mall,

or a coffee shop. Serendipity is a promising interac-

tion approach for fostering easy engagement among

physically proximate strangers, particularly in pub-

lic spaces, by leveraging shared context to encour-

age spontaneous encounters (Paasovaara et al., 2016;

Guerin and Innes, 1984; Wood et al., 2015; Makri and

Blandford, 2012). The use of virtual pets as interme-

diaries further reduces social anxiety by shifting the

focus from direct interactions to interactions through

a shared digital medium.

We summarize the corresponding lessons from

a user study. In general, HeyThere contains three

stages. Figure 1 summarizes its workﬂow.

Figure 1: The ﬂowchart of the initial design of HeyThere.

3.1.1 Stage One: Personal Involvement

As studies have shown, people tend to overvalue their

creations and acquisitions compared to others (Buc-

cafusco and Sprigman, 2010). This phenomenon can

be seen, for example, in RPGs, where players spend

hours customizing their characters’ appearance, even

though no measurable advantages will come out of it.

Therefore, we decided to include one customization

aspect of the game; this involves an active involve-

ment from the player in order to create a rapport be-

tween the player and the game.

To further increase this feeling of involvement in

the game, we proposed an exploratory element on

stage one to incentivize the feeling of accomplish-

ment of discovery and the serendipity element (Shim

et al., 2011). In Stage One, players can customize

their virtual pets and interact with other players’ pets

using AR HMDs, as shown in Figure 2a. Players

can perform hand- and gaze-based interactions in the

game. If a player shows interest in another player’s

pet, they can invite the other player to a battle game

in the next stage, with the application transitioning to

a new interface, as shown in Figure 2b. We deﬁne

this stage as a “weak interaction” because it involves

only interaction with the pets, not between the owner

players.

Figure 2: Stage One: (a) selecting a pet, (b) entering into

battle mode.

3.1.2 Stage Two: Initial Interaction

Players can choose to accept an invitation from an-

other player who interacted with their pets immedi-

ately or save it for later. In the Second Stage, players

engage in combat with their opponent’s pet, utilizing

hand movements, eye tracking, and/or vocal instruc-

tions, all of which are afforded by current AR HMDs.

HeyThere: Design and Evaluation of an Augmented Reality Multiplayer Social Game

579

Figure 3a depicts the whole gaming scenario. Upon

initiating the game via the start button, players can

manipulate the standard attack launcher using hand

gestures that cause it to move or rotate. This launcher

generates a standard attack gem every ﬁve seconds,

as illustrated in Figure 3b and c. The game follows

a somewhat standard TCG combat mechanics whose

goal is to deplete the other players’ Health Points.

Thus, the game mechanics might appear familiar to

those who have played similar trading card games,

such as Pok

emon, where players engage in turn-based

battles.

Stage Two was designed to actively facilitate so-

cial interaction between players through the combat

scenario with a clear goal. Low-stakes gameplay, like

that in HeyThere, is a principle found in many social

games, as it does not require strong emotional attach-

ment from the beginning, thus lowering the barrier

for engagement and encouraging players to connect

without signiﬁcant pressure. This approach aligns

with ﬁndings from social gaming research, suggest-

ing that low-pressure competitive interactions can act

as effective icebreakers and promote positive social

dynamics (Fonseca et al., 2020). This is the ra-

tionale to use battle instead of a more community-

centered approach such as that of Animal Crossing.

Given the constraints of certain potential environ-

ments (e.g., ofﬁces, lecture rooms, open spaces on

pedestrian streets), we opted for eye-gaze-based in-

teraction as the primary interaction modality, supple-

mented by hand-based interaction during this stage.

3.1.3 Stage Three: Follow-up

In Stage Three, the primary objective shifts toward

fostering sustained interaction between players who

have recently engaged with each other in the game.

After Stage Two, the system automatically saves two

players’ contact information if they have demon-

strated mutual interest. In addition, the victor is

granted the option to clone the opponent’s pet. This

cloned pet is retained as a virtual asset of the win-

ner. The cloned pet also acts as a conduit for con-

tinued interaction between the two players. For in-

stance, when the new owner interacts with the cloned

pet through activities such as feeding or walking, the

original owner is notiﬁed of the pet’s status. This

mechanism aims to facilitate the establishment and

maintenance of an ongoing social connection between

both players, by giving them a common topic of dis-

cussion, thereby enhancing the social aspect of the

game.

3.2 Interaction

3.2.1 Eye Gaze

Eye tracking has become a signiﬁcant interaction

modality in AR HMDs, enhancing the user experi-

ence by allowing hands-free operation (Wei et al.,

2023). In HeyThere, we decided to use eye gaze

as the primary interaction method to limit physical

fatigue (Pathmanathan et al., 2020) and feelings of

self-awareness about making large gestures in public

(Taniberg et al., 2018). In our game, it allowed users

to engage with game elements such as the start button,

cards, and interactive circles.

During the initial phase of HeyThere, eye gaze

helps to identify the mutual interest among players,

using the duration of their gaze as an indicator of

interest level. This feature not only facilitates en-

gagement, but also supports introverts by reducing the

anxiety associated with initiating direct interactions

(Koike et al., 2019). In subsequent stages, players

can interact with all the elements of the game using

eye gaze, which is only later conﬁrmed by air tapping.

Figure 3c and d illustrate these interactions, with a vi-

sual cue indicating the target before conﬁrmation.

The integration of eye tracking was carefully

planned to complement the physical environment and

daily activities, ensuring that gameplay is feasible in

public spaces like workplaces or streets where conve-

nience and non-disruption are crucial. The ﬂexibility

of eye gaze allows for seamless interaction with the

game environment and other players, enhancing fo-

cus and sociability.

3.2.2 Hand Gestures

Hand gestures are utilized primarily for ”natural in-

teractions” such as petting or feeding virtual pets,

analogous to real-world interactions. And brieﬂy, as

validation when eye-tracking could be perceived as

slow and/or inaccurate (Pradipta Biswas and Lang-

don, 2016). The familiarity of hand gestures lowers

the learning curve and compensates for the occasional

instability of eye-tracking technology in devices such

as the HoloLens 2 (Jean et al., 2024).

3.3 Implementation

HeyThere was developed using Unity (version

2020.3.31f1c1) and C#, leveraging the capabilities

of the Mixed Reality Toolkit (MRTK). For real-

time Player Versus Player (PVP) interactions, Pho-

ton Unity Networking 2 (PUN 2) and Azure Spatial

Anchors (ASA) were integrated, enabling seamless

connectivity and synchronization of player data and

HUCAPP 2025 - 9th International Conference on Human Computer Interaction Theory and Applications

580

Figure 3: Screenshots for (a) the entire gaming scenario, (b) standard attack launcher (ﬁst), (c) moving ﬁre circle (start

moving), (d) moving ﬁre circle (during the move).

game elements across multiple AR HMDs. MRTK’s

support for both hand and eye tracking enriches the

interactive experience, making it both immersive and

intuitive.

4 USER STUDY

4.1 Participants

Participants were recruited through a randomized se-

lection process carried out in public parks and urban

streets. Interested individuals underwent a screening

procedure to ensure eligibility based on the study in-

clusion criteria. Each participant received a detailed

explanation of the study objectives, procedures, and

their rights, including the ability to withdraw from the

study at any time without penalty. Informed consent

was obtained from all participants prior to their in-

volvement in the experiment. This consent process

included providing detailed information on the conﬁ-

dentiality of the data collected and how it would be

used for research purposes.

The study sample was intentionally diverse, en-

compassing a variety of age groups, genders, and

educational backgrounds to mitigate sampling bias.

Eight participants were enrolled (two females and six

males). The participants’ ages ranged from 15 to 47

years, with a mean age of 27.125 and a standard devi-

ation of 12.22.

The participants’ experience with AR and VR

technologies was documented to assess familiarity

and potential biases in technology interaction. Two

participants reported previous experience with AR

HMDs, two had engaged with mobile AR games, two

had used VR devices, and four had no prior expe-

rience with either AR or VR technologies. Partici-

pants were grouped and participated in pairs during

the study.

4.2 Procedure

The study was conducted in situ in public parks and

urban streets, providing a naturalistic setting that re-

ﬂects typical user environments. This approach, of-

ten referred to as studying technology in the wild, al-

lowed the observation and collection of data under

real-world conditions, improving the ecological va-

lidity of the ﬁndings. Before experiencing the game,

participants were ﬁrst given a pre-experiment ques-

tionnaire to collect demographic information, includ-

ing their past experiences with the devices, gaming

habits, and personal information. They were then re-

quired to complete the ofﬁcial HoloLens usage tuto-

rial

and eye-tracking user calibration. After this, they

were introduced to HeyThere! and asked to famil-

iarize themselves with its controls and input mecha-

nisms.

During the gaming session, participants initiated

gameplay when ready. Meanwhile, a researcher

meticulously observed and recorded the participants’

behavior, focusing on strategic decision-making, in-

teraction patterns, and other notable behaviors. This

observational data was systematically categorized to

identify recurring behaviors and strategies. The ses-

sion ended once one participant had won.

Following the game session, participants were

asked to complete the core module of the Game Expe-

rience Questionnaire (GEQ) (IJsselsteijn et al., 2013),

which is designed to assess various aspects of user ex-

perience during interactive gameplay. This standard-

ized instrument allowed for the quantitative assess-

ment of participants’ experiences based on predeﬁned

scales.

4.3 Semi-Structured Interviews

We conducted semi-structured interviews to gather in-

sights into participants’ experiences and perceptions

of the AR game. The interviews focused on the fol-

lowing areas:

• Usage Scenarios. Participants were asked to de-

scribe potential scenarios in which they could use

the AR game if it were as ubiquitous as games

for mobile phones today. This question aimed to

explore the contexts in which participants see AR

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens/hololens2-

basic-usage

HeyThere: Design and Evaluation of an Augmented Reality Multiplayer Social Game

581

games ﬁtting into their daily lives and social inter-

actions.

• Social Interaction Comparison. Participants

were queried about how the social interactions fa-

cilitated by the AR game compare to those avail-

able on the current social media platforms they

use. This question was intended to assess the

game’s social dynamics and its potential to sup-

plement or alter existing social interaction pat-

terns.

• Game Design Preferences. Interviewees were

asked to identify and discuss the elements of the

game’s design that they particularly liked. This

feedback is crucial to understanding the features

that resonate with users and could guide future de-

sign enhancements.

• Suggestions for Improvement. Participants were

encouraged to offer suggestions for improvements

or additional features they would like to see in the

game. This open-ended question was designed to

elicit constructive feedback and innovative ideas

from users, which could be invaluable for iterative

design processes.

These questions would help evaluate the game’s

current state and identify opportunities for making

AR gaming more engaging and relevant to potential

users across various contexts.

Figure 4: The results derived from a Game Experience

Questionnaire.

4.4 Results

In this section, we report the results derived from the

GEQ. For all other interview responses, we discuss

them in the next section.

The ratings from GEQ were categorized into ﬁve

distinct dimensions: Game Pace, Emotion, Ability,

Intelligibility, Immersion, Pressure, Sustainable, At-

traction, and Imagination (IJsselsteijn et al., 2013).

Figure 4 shows the mean values for positive and neg-

ative evaluations of each category.

The results indicated that most users were highly

satisﬁed with the game’s pace (M = 3.25) and were

highly immersed in the game (M = 2.94). The results

also indicated that the game acknowledged partici-

pants’ abilities and intelligence (M = 2.54 and 2.56,

respectively), leading them to believe that it ampliﬁed

their positive emotional experiences. However, the

average ranking of pressure was 2.47, indicating that

the game was relatively challenging for some users.

In the semi-structured interviews, we found that ﬁve

players who did not have experience with VR or AR

HMDs initially struggled with the basic interaction

gestures of HoloLens 2. However, three of them re-

ported a sense of accomplishment after completing

complex tasks, while two others found it difﬁcult to

position the healing and ﬁre circle via eye gaze.

4.5 Semi-Structured Questionnaire

During the semi-structured interviews, participants

provided valuable feedback on various aspects of the

AR game, revealing several interesting patterns that

could inform future development. The responses were

categorized into usage scenarios, social interaction

comparisons, design preferences, and suggestions for

improvements.

4.5.1 Usage Scenarios

Participants envisioned using the AR game in various

settings, indicating a strong preference for integrat-

ing gaming into everyday activities. Common sce-

narios included playing after work or school, during

commutes, and in social gatherings with friends or

strangers.

4.5.2 Social Interaction Comparison

The feedback indicated that the AR game facilitates

a unique form of social interaction, distinct from tra-

ditional social media platforms. Participants appre-

ciated the ability to engage in face-to-face real-time

interactions while playing, which contrasts with the

often asynchronous and remote interactions typical of

current social media.

4.5.3 Game Design Preferences

Participants favored design elements that enhanced

interactivity and realism, such as eye-tracking to con-

trol game actions and realistic augmented environ-

ments. The ability to interact with the game through

natural gestures was particularly praised, as it added

an immersive quality that is less prevalent in tradi-

tional gaming.

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582

4.5.4 Suggestions for Improvement

Suggestions for improvement focused on enhancing

user interface intuitiveness and accessibility. Partic-

ipants wanted more intuitive controls and clearer in-

structions to accommodate users of all ages and tech-

savviness levels. In addition, there was a recurring re-

quest for more customizable game elements, allowing

players to tailor their gaming experience to personal

preferences and scenarios.

4.5.5 Emerging Patterns

A notable pattern was the universal appeal of integrat-

ing social interactions directly into the gaming expe-

rience. Moreover, the preference for immersive and

intuitive interaction indicates a trend toward more nat-

ural user interfaces in gaming.

5 DISCUSSION

We have distilled ﬁve key ﬁndings from the user study

and incorporated these ﬁndings into the inclusion of

new features.

5.1 Findings

Based on the results, we have distilled ﬁve key ﬁnd-

ings (F#).

F1: AR HMDs Enhance Immersion and Social In-

teraction. A participant with experience in mobile

AR games noted that AR HMDs allowed for hands-

free interaction, enhancing communication with op-

ponents and fostering more engaging social interac-

tions. Another noted the potential of AR HMDs to

foster real-world connections, suggesting that these

devices could signiﬁcantly enhance the social aspects

of gaming by promoting interactions that feel more

meaningful and sustainable.

F2: Learning Curve and Stress with AR HMD-

based Games. The results of our Game Experience

Questionnaire (GEQ) indicated an average stress level

of 2.47, higher than the neutral rating of 2.00, sug-

gesting that our game poses signiﬁcant challenges,

particularly for novices to AR or VR. Several ﬁrst-

time users of HoloLens 2 struggled initially with basic

interactions, though some reported a sense of accom-

plishment upon mastering more complex tasks. How-

ever, challenges like accurately using gaze to con-

trol game elements persisted for some, underlining

the need for more intuitive game designs that mini-

mize early frustrations and improve the onboarding

process.

F3: Natural Connection Building in the Gameplay.

The players expressed a desire for more organic meth-

ods for establishing connections within the game. Di-

rect interactions, such as expressing affection, were

sometimes perceived as somewhat forced or awk-

ward. This feedback highlights a preference for sub-

tler, more gradual interaction mechanisms that allow

relationships to develop over time, emphasizing the

need for game designs that facilitate natural and less

intrusive social interactions.

F4: Balancing Gameplay Complexity with Social

Interaction. High cognitive demands from com-

plex gameplay features, such as in-depth mathemat-

ical calculations, were found to detract from social

interactions. The players reported difﬁculties manag-

ing these dual demands, suggesting that simplifying

complex game mechanics could enhance social en-

gagement and make interactions more meaningful.

F5: Enhancing Long-Term Engagement in AR

Games. Feedback indicated that while the ini-

tial gameplay period was engaging, maintaining long-

term interest remains a challenge. Strategies to main-

tain player engagement could include incentives for

continued play, periodic introduction of new content,

and mechanisms that encourage resource accumula-

tion and collaborative or competitive play. These ap-

proaches can help extend the game’s life cycle and

promote ongoing player investment and relationship

development.

5.2 Recommendations for Design

Features

Based on the insights derived from our user study,

we propose several design recommendations and new

features that could signiﬁcantly enhance the game’s

quality and appeal. These suggestions are aimed at fu-

ture implementations that may be tested to determine

their effectiveness. Table 1 outlines these potential

design implementations and new features.

Enhancing Replayability. To enhance replayabil-

ity, we suggest introducing Collectible Card Game

(CCG) elements and expanding the variety of cards

and pets. These additions aim to provide players with

new challenges and strategic options, potentially in-

creasing the game’s replayability.

Simplifying Game Difﬁculty. We recommend min-

imizing the reliance on numerical cards to simplify

gameplay. This change is intended to make the game

more accessible and enjoyable by reducing its com-

plexity and enhancing visual interactions.

Introducing More Implicit Expression and

Serendipity Elements. We propose using pets and

game systems as primary catalysts for ice-breaking

HeyThere: Design and Evaluation of an Augmented Reality Multiplayer Social Game

583

Table 1: A summary of design implementations and new features.

Finding(s) Design Implementations New Features

F5 Increase replayability Add Collectible Card Game (CCG) elements,

and increase the categories of cards and pets.

F2, F4, F5 Reduce the difﬁculty of the game Reduce the number of numerical cards.

F3 Add more implicit expression and serendip-

ity elements

Enhancing social interaction through pet-

centered ice-breaking.

F1, F3 Encourage player self-disclosure before the

game starts

Users need to enter more information that in-

terests them, such as music or artwork.

Figure 5: The proposed process for an improved design. The yellow boxes indicate new features.

to reduce direct communication barriers and foster

more natural social interactions among players.

Promoting Player Self-Disclosure Before the Game

Starts. We recommend a feature that encourages

players to disclose personal information to foster

deeper connections and trust. This process can be

facilitated by a system that prompts players to share

their interests at the game’s outset.

6 FUTURE WORK

The current study represents an initial exploration of

AR-enabled interactions for fostering social engage-

ment through HeyThere, our multiplayer social game.

While the ﬁndings provide valuable insights, there are

areas that require further exploration.

The current study’s small participant pool was in-

tended for initial feasibility validation and proof-of-

concept exploration. To better generalize our ﬁndings

and improve the reliability of conclusions, subsequent

studies will include a larger and more diverse partic-

ipant group (Monteiro et al., 2024). This will also

allow for a more nuanced understanding of social be-

haviors in AR environments and will enhance the va-

lidity of our insights into how AR can facilitate social

engagement.

Future studies will incorporate comparative anal-

yses between experienced and novice users of AR

technology. In our exploratory study, the participants

had varying levels of familiarity with AR, which in-

ﬂuenced their learning curve and interaction prefer-

ences. However, a structured comparative analysis

was beyond the scope of the current work. By in-

cluding more participants with different levels of AR

familiarity and conducting comparative assessments,

we hope to derive tailored design recommendations

for both experienced users and novices. This will aid

improve accessibility and user experiences across a

wider audience.

Furthermore, we recognize the importance of

evaluating the social potential of AR beyond the tech-

nology itself. Although the current study touched on

the usability and social interaction affordances of AR

HMDs, future research will focus on directly com-

paring these experiences with more traditional forms

of interaction or with non-human characters players

(Monteiro et al., 2018). Such comparisons will help

evaluate whether AR uniquely enhances social en-

gagement or simply replicates existing social mech-

anisms in a digital form.

We believe that by addressing these aspects in

future research, we can further reﬁne and substan-

tiate our understanding of AR’s role in facilitating

meaningful, serendipitous social interactions and con-

HUCAPP 2025 - 9th International Conference on Human Computer Interaction Theory and Applications

584

tribute to the growing body of literature on AR-

enabled social engagement.

7 CONCLUSION

In this paper, we presented HeyThere, an augmented

reality (AR) head-mounted display (HMD) social

game designed to foster face-to-face interactions

among strangers. We developed the core gameplay

elements integral to our design and development pro-

cess on HoloLens 2 and conducted a user study to

evaluate its efﬁcacy. Our game allows players to cus-

tomize virtual pets, engage in combat games with

other players, and maintain ongoing communication

with friends through the medium of these pets. This

innovative interaction interface not only facilitates

socialization with strangers, but also uncovers the

serendipitous aspects during their interaction, which

can enhance players’ social engagement and interac-

tion with others whom they meet in public places.

HeyThere represents a pioneering approach to so-

cial games using AR HMDs, focusing on facilitat-

ing novel social experiences for their players. This

research provides valuable insights into the develop-

ment of AR social games, and the lessons learned can

contribute to the future development of such games.

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