4.1 The concept of interactivity and interactive communication

CHAPTER 4 – INTERACTIVITY IN VR, VIDEO GAME AND ARCHITECTURE

4.1 The concept of interactivity and interactive communication

The definition of interaction depends on the study domains. The word is employed variously in the two

primary fields of social science and computer science. The essence is, nevertheless, the same. The term

interactivity according to Oxford Dictionary means:

“to allow information to be passed continuously and in both directions between a computer or

other device and the person who uses it”.

Interactivity is a two-way flow and an exchange of information between a device and its user or

between two users. Both parts have the ability to act and react. ‘Exchange’, ‘interplay’, ‘mutual influence" are all synonyms for interactivity. Collins’s dictionary outlines three types of interaction.

1) When individuals engage with one another while working or spending time together, they

communicate.

2) when individuals interact with machines, by exchanging information of giving and receiving

instructions,

3) when one thing interacts with another, they affect each other's behavior or state.8

With the development of computer science and digital communication technologies in the late 1980s,

communication and information transfer became much more interactive. During this time, several

articles on communication described interactivity as mediated communication based on engagement

and involvement, which was still a standard concept tied to social science at the time. Interactivity is a

part of the communication process for them. Human-computer interaction (HCI) is a technical feature

defined by computer science, which is mainly focused on improving the dialog between man and

machine (McMillan, 2002). While conventional media facilitate "interaction" primarily in a social sense

emerging computer-based communication facilitates interactivity in terms of machine communication.

In this view, "interaction" refers to face-to-face communication and an exchange of meaning, whereas

"interactivity" refers to mediated communication via technical devices (mouse, joystick, keyboard, etc.)

and consists of actual "actions" toward the system. While the term "interactivity" is not commonly used

in social science, both terms appear to be synonymous in informatics and media studies.

8 https://www.collinsdictionary.com/

When personal computers became popular in the 1980s, the terms interaction and interactivity became

popularized. As a result, interactivity and interaction became integral to digital communication.

According to many scholars (McMillan,2002, Rafaeli and Ariel, 2007), three forms of interaction may be

distinguished:

- User-to-user interaction occurs when two or more individuals communicate using a

technological system (ex. email, chat, video conference, online games with multiple users etc.).

Interactivity refers to how people interact with one another.

- User-system interaction occurs when a person interacts with a media system that responds to

the user's input (for example, playing single-player games or painting on a computer). In this

instance, exchange is not good communication since the user is dealing with a technical system

rather than a human. As a result, the engagement is computer-assisted.

- When people interact with documents and customize their contents, it's called user-

content/document-based.

Figure 88Figure 1 Three types of Interactivities 1. User- user ;2. User- computer, 3. User –content based (by author, based on (McMillan,2002, Rafaeli and Ariel, 2007))

Although interactivity is defined as two-way communication between user and source (other use, data or

computer), in fact it is much broader, and it can be extended to a multidirectional communication

between a large number of users and sources (ex. Multiplayer games). In fact, user and system can be

multiple, and interactivity can occur in various dimensions.

Based on the theoretical background so far, the degree of interactivity depends on three elements:

Systems features, User perception and experience (McMillan & Hwang, 2002), Communication

processes (Rafaeli, Ariel, 2007).

1. System features include a variety of modification options, hyperlinks, audio-visual content,

feedback and contact options, and avatars that talk to users. Interactivity, in this sense, is a

technological aspect of mediates environments that allow for reciprocal communication or

information exchange, as well as interaction between communication technology and users or

between users via technology.

2. User perception and experience. Users realize the level of interactivity when they take actions

toward the system (e.g., typing text, selecting links, manipulating space). As a result, interactivity

is measured based on the degree to which users may alter the virtual environment in real time.

This element is crucial to this study since it is directly tied to the ludological characteristics of

video games.

3. Communication processes. Communication processes become interactive when users recognize

the system's interactive potential and make proper use of it. Rather than being thought of as a

media property, interactivity is viewed as a quality of the communication process and the way

information is communicated.

Quiring and Schweiger (2008) discussing on interactivity, explored in depth the function of systems, user

perception, and communication processes in facilitating interactivity by evaluating the complex co-action

between the system and the user:

1. Systems features depend on the level of control and transfer in the actions of the system.

The control dimension is linked to the selection and modification options, to the speed of the

system, synchronicity, and to time flexibility to integrate system response to the user. With the

advancement of real-time processing, a more interactive system was created. Furthermore, the

amount of interaction is determined by the transfer dimension of the user's and system's

activities in relation to sensory complexity (aural, tactilely, olfactory, gustatory, visual).

2. User perception.Users' assessments of interactive processes are partly subjective, but they are

also influenced by the same criteria mentioned above, namely the level of control and transfer

in the user's actions, which means that the more interactive the system is seen to be, the more

control the user obtains. Perception-related criteria are based on an examination of how these

aspects impact how customers perceive or experience the degree of interaction, because of

prior experiences and expectations.

3. Communication processes. Communication processes focus on the process of massage

transition or in the way users transmit information and are centered on responsiveness and

interchange. (McMillan 2002; Rafaeli, 1988). To facilitate information exchange and to make

the system more interactive, processes should be optimized in relation to usability and easy

handling. (For instance, the encoding and decoding messages between the user and the system

could be more intuitive.)

Indeed, Rafaeli & Ariel (2007) sum up some of the parameters that influence interactivity such as real

time processing, speed, control, multiple choices, hyper textuality, participation, variety directionality,

connectedness, experience, and responsiveness.

Figure 89Factors affecting interactivity (by the author based on various authors consideration (McMillan,2002, Rafaeli and Ariel,

2007),

Rafaeli (1988) proposed an interactivity model in which are identified three forms of responses:

1. non-interactive responses: one-directional messages between a sender and a receiver.

2. reactive responses: two-directional messages between the sender and receiver who react to

previous messages. In this case, communication is focused on specifically requested information.

3. interactive responses: continuous two-way messages between a sender and receiver. Messages

respond to a wide range of exchanging information and stimulate further the flow of

communication. In this case, there is a highly responsive exchange.

New VR technologies permitted a different revolutionary interactive communication and consuming

experience in the previous few decades, to the point that interactive media services are attempting to

mimic face-to-face engagement creating a sense of presence and immersion. The experience of presence

refers to the perception of virtual items as real ones. This sensation is founded on the illusion of being in

a real environment. Immersion, on the other hand, is the condition of being completely immersed in the

virtual world and completely disconnected from the real world. Both are highly dependent on the

level of interactivity.

With today's rapid technological evolution, it's hard to fully describe the potential of these three

indicators on the degree of interaction (for example, all technological systems can now react in real

time). As a result, interactivity relies on new technological features, users, and creative communication

procedures.