Investigating Augmented Reality Educational Games for Head-Mounted Devices.

In this paper we present My-CHIC AR Farm, an educational Augmented Reality (AR) game for the Microsoft HoloLens. The game has been designed and implemented with the aim of investigating the potential outcomes and benefits of educational AR games for Head Mounted Displays (HMDs). This type of devices allows the user to interact with the virtual objects with her own hands. Also, they support a wide range of view of the augmented world and, in general, a more immersive experience that the one obtained when using AR based on mobile devices. Although in theory they provide an ideal mean to deliver AR educational games, the evidence on the benefits obtained from these experiences when compared with standard mobile-based AR technology has not been sufficiently investigated. In this work we present two versions of the game designed for the two versions of the HoloLens 1 and 2, respectively. Each version of the game has been designed with the aim to exploit the interaction capabilities afforded by each HMD. We also present the results of an informal evaluation of the game version for the HoloLens 1, which allowed to disclose some limitations and problems that users experienced when using the technology.