Comparison of Two Inventory Design Concepts in a Collaborative Virtual Reality Serious Game

Inventory design in games is crucial when it comes to managing in-game items efficiently. In multi-user settings, an additional goal is to support awareness concerning a co-player's inventory and his/her available actions. Especially in virtual reality (VR), presence and immersion are vital aspects of the experience, suggesting real-world metaphors for interface design. The presented work examines two basic inventory paradigms: an abstract menu-based inventory and a metaphoric virtual belt. Both systems are implemented in a serious game prototype for paramedic training in VR, then evaluated in a between-group design study with paramedic trainees inexperienced in VR technology. While both solutions offer comparable usability and presence scores, the results suggest future optimization.