  Virtual reality setups are particularly suited to create a tight bond between
players and their avatars up to a degree where we start perceiving the virtual
representation as our own body. We hypothesize that such an illusion of virtual
body ownership (IVBO) has a particularly high, yet overlooked potential for
nonhumanoid avatars. To validate our claim, we use the example of three very
different creatures---a scorpion, a rhino, and a bird---to explore possible
avatar controls and game mechanics based on specific animal abilities. A
quantitative evaluation underpins the high game enjoyment arising from
embodying such nonhuman morphologies, including additional body parts and
obtaining respective superhuman skills, which allows us to derive a set of
novel design implications. Furthermore, the experiment reveals a correlation
between IVBO and game enjoyment, which is a further indication that nonhumanoid
creatures offer a meaningful design space for VR games worth further
investigation.

Human-Computer Interaction