Increasing Player Coupling in an Asymmetric Racing Game

Abstract

Asymmetric games create unique and engaging player experiences that can draw together players from multiple demographics. But maintaining a strong level of interaction between different player roles poses a challenge, which is exacerbated in competitive games. This paper seeks to find solutions to this problem in the context of RaceTrap, a competitive asymmetric racing game. RaceTrap combines card-playing and racing elements, where one player uses cards to create obstacles and the other tries to avoid these obstacles while driving in Virtual Reality. We address the central challenge of coupling, or maintaining a high level of awareness and interaction between the roles. The paper reviews existing approaches to coupling in asymmetric cooperative games, and highlights the needs for an improved coupling in competitive asymmetric games. We present features implemented in RaceTrap to improve coupling. These solutions highlight the importance of coupling in the emerging field of asymmetric games.