Quantifying Wrist-Aiming Habits with A Dual-Sensor Mouse: Implications for Player Performance and Workload

Computer mice are widely used today as the primary input device in competitive video games. If a player exhibits more wrist rotation than other players when moving the mouse laterally, the player is said to have stronger wrist-aiming habits. Despite strong public interest, there has been no affordable technique to quantify the extent of a player’s wrist-aiming habits and no scientific investigation into how the habits affect player performance and workload. We present a reliable and affordable technique to quantify the extent of a player’s wrist-aiming habits using a mouse equipped with two optical sensors (i.e., a dual-sensor mouse). In two user studies, we demonstrate the reliability of the technique and examine the relationship between wrist-aiming habits and player performance or workload. In summary, player expertise and mouse sensitivity significantly impacted wrist-aiming habits; the extent of wrist-aiming showed a positive correlation with upper limb workload.