Measuring Key Quality Indicators in Cloud Gaming: Framework and Assessment Over Wireless Networks

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Network Engineering
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Cloud gaming shifts rendering and logic to the cloud, enabling lower-spec client devices.
• This paradigm significantly increases demands on network communication infrastructure.
• Optimizing network configuration is crucial for delivering a high-quality cloud gaming experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define and implement a novel framework for evaluating cloud gaming performance.
• To analyze the impact of different transport networks and scenarios on gaming metrics.
• To establish future optimization strategies for cloud gaming Quality of Experience (QoE).

Main Methods:

• Development and implementation of a novel cloud gaming performance evaluation framework.
• Deployment in a real-world testbed utilizing various transport networks (Ethernet, WiFi, LTE).
• Automated acquisition and analysis of key gaming performance metrics across different scenarios.

Main Results:

• The study quantifies the impact of different network types (Ethernet, WiFi, LTE) on cloud gaming performance.
• Identified critical parameters influencing the overall gaming experience and Quality of Experience.
• Demonstrated the effectiveness of the evaluation framework in a practical testbed setting.

Conclusions:

• Network configuration is a key factor for optimizing cloud gaming Quality of Experience.
• The developed framework provides a basis for future research into cloud gaming network optimization.
• Findings are relevant for the evolution of cloud gaming on next-generation networks like 4G and 5G.