The eyes are a rich channel for non-verbal communication in our daily interactions. We propose social gaze interaction as a game mechanic to enhance user interactions with virtual characters. We develop a game from the ground-up in which characters are designed to be reactive to the player's gaze in social ways, such as getting annoyed when the player seems distracted or changing their dialogue depending on the player's apparent focus of attention. Results from a qualitative user study provide insights about how social gaze interaction is intuitive for users, elicits deep feelings of immersion, and highlight the players' self-consciousness of their own eye movements through their strong reactions to the characters.

The Royal Corgi adds social gaze to the gameplay. In this game of networking, players will need to find ways to convince characters that they are the ideal candidate to become the next Royal Corgi Instructor - but choosing dialogs wisely is not sufficient. Players have to pay attention to the way they look at characters, and find what makes them click. Do they want respect and the player's full attention? Are they sensitive to what the player seems to be interested in? This game draws players in the game with the characters and demonstrates the potential of gaze to create extremely immersive experiences.