Development of Emotional Game Mechanics through the use of Biometric Sensors

Abstract

Every year gamers demand more from new games and thus arises the need to better immerse the player in the games. There are already ways to do this, namely through the use of virtual reality or motion controllers, that immerse the player in a visual or physical (by the use of movement) experience respectively, however this doesn't cover the emotional aspects of the player, which can be measured in terms of valence and arousal and together cover a wide range of emotions (eg. happiness, stress, afraid, etc.). It is believed that these emotions can be detected in the player and used to adapt the game he is playing thus improving his overall game experience. In fact, analysis and use of emotional content in multimedia experiences is becoming more and more popular and multiple videogame companies are investigating it's versatility (eg. Sony, Valve, etc.). Nonetheless the use of these tools is neither optimal nor practical.This dissertation's main goal is to develop a system capable of monitoring player emotions and explore different game mechanics that use biometric signal ultimately improving the gaming experience. Specifically there is the aim to develop a low-cost method of processing biometric signals usable in real-time and to study the effects of said mechanics in the affective experience. Furthermore we want to study in the context of affective game what are the best approaches in terms of gameplay adaptation.