I'll Be Missing You : The Dynamic Influence of Spread in First-Person Shooters

Abstract: In First-Person shooter video games, spread is a mechanic that adds a random artificial inaccuracy to the player’s shots. Movement-amplified spread is a particular implementation of spread which amplifies the inaccuracy based on the speed the player is moving at. As a consequence, players that are moving are unable to fire accurate shots, whereas players standing still remain accurate. The purpose of this thesis is to study the effects of movement-amplified spread of different intensities on gameplay dynamics. To this end, we created a First-Person shooter target practice course for testers to complete 15 times. For every third completion we made movement-amplified spread more intense. The results showed that as movement-amplified spread increased, testers were more prone to halt before shooting, firing more shots and engaging with targets at a somewhat shorter distance.