Recently, there has been a very heated debate regarding the regulation of gambling. On the one hand, there is enticing entertainment for which players can win high prizes. On the other hand, there are many players who can be harmed by online gambling – such as falling into addictions and the like.
One way to learn more about the above questions is to understand better how eye-tracking technology is used to characterize players’ visual attention on machine screens and consoles during gameplay in Vulkan Vegas.
The main advantage of this method is the fact that the observed subject (in our case, the player of online gambling games) is not aware of his eye movements. Therefore, this eye-tracking method offers results that are not susceptible to the bias of participants or observers, as can happen with self-report questionnaires or direct observation. Eye-tracking movement measurement has already been used in a number of applied research environments, such as marketing, usability research, tobacco health warnings, and more.
The human eye makes approximately three movements (saccades) per second. Saccades are punctuated by periods of fixation, which increase the processing priority of the visual stimulus by placing it in the part of the retina with the highest resolution, the fovea.
Binde highlights eye-tracking as a potentially useful method for investigating individuals’ attention to gambling advertisements and promotions. However, there have been no peer-reviewed studies of eye tracking with machine gambling or related harm minimization measures. EHZs provide a high level of dynamic and expressive configuration of visual (and auditory) stimuli that mediate a wide variety of games. Gambling Features and Cues offer an implicit, unbiased way to measure players’ attention to these cues as they navigate roulette or slot machines.
Examining eye movements has at least two advantages for studying gamblers. First, recent analyzes of large data sets have characterized a range of transactions between players and EEZs in terms of stakes, net spending, and session length, as well as related situational (e.g., time of day) and geographic factors. Additionally, there is some eye movement and machine behavior tracking data that could indicate problematic machine gambling patterns in loyalty card players. Higher stakes during slot games and wider involvement in gambling.
Second, eye tracking can offer some methods to understand how players integrate damage minimization measures implemented in the EHZ. For example, we may monitor pop-up messages and interrupt signals, pause games, and support individuals in controlling their games.
There is evidence that pop-up messages are very effective defensive measures to minimize in-game damage. However, self-referential content seems to work best when it refocuses players’ thoughts on their own behavior and when they have dynamic rather than static traits. While retrospective reports suggest that pop-up messages are better remembered when centrally located, the development was not informed by eye-tracking data. We can learn more about the eye movement of EGM players and their attention on the game display by sending additional messages and other interactive measures.
