Augmented Reality Audio Games (ARAG) enrich the physical world with virtual sounds\nto express their content and mechanics. Existing ARAG implementations have focused on exploring\nthe surroundings and navigating to virtual sound sources as the main mode of interaction. This paper\nsuggests that gestural activity with a handheld device can realize complex modes of sonic interaction\nin the augmented environment, resulting in an enhanced immersive game experience. The ARAG\nâ??Audio Legendsâ? was designed and tested to evaluate the usability and immersion of a system\nfeaturing an exploration phase based on auditory navigation, as well as an action phase, in which\nplayers aim at virtual sonic targets and wave the device to hit them or hold the device to block them.\nThe results of the experiment provide evidence that players are easily accustomed to auditory\nnavigation and that gestural sonic interaction is perceived as difficult, yet this does not affect\nnegatively the systemâ??s usability and playersâ?? immersion. Findings also include indications that\nelements, such as sound design, the synchronization of sound and gesture, the fidelity of audio\naugmentation, and environmental conditions, also affect significantly the game experience, whereas\nbackground factors, such as age, sex, and game or music experience, do not have any critical impact.
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