Lennart E. Nacke has a PhD in game development and is a assistant professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.
Michael Kalyn is a graduate student of computer science at the University of Saskatchewan.
Calvin Lough is a student of computer science at the University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Regan L. Mandryk is an assistant professor at the Univeristy of Saskatchewan.
This paper was presented at CHI 2011.
Summary
Hypothesis
The researchers' hypothesis in this paper was that a computer game could be controlled via both direct and indirect physiological inputs.
Methods
In order to test their hypothesis, they created a simple side-scrolling platforming game. In order to test the physiological aspects of the systems, they used 6 different sensors.
Gaze interaction: They tracked the pupil of the user's eyes
Electromyography: Detects the electrical activation of the subject's muscles.
Electrodermal activity: Detects galvanic skin response. Measures excitment.
Electrocardiography: senses the heart activity.
Respiration sensor: measured the breathing rate of the subject
Temperature sensor: directly controlled temperature sensor
To test the physiological inputs, they came up with two different sets of inputs as well as a control test.
In the control test, the game was simply played with an Xbox 360 controller.
In the study, they had 10 participants play all three tests: the two different sets of inputs and the controlled test.
Results
In the results, the researchers discovered that both input sets with the physiological inputs rated higher in fun than the control test. Participants also said that the physiological tests were more novel.
They also expressed favorite sensors. Participants expressed the fact that they preferred the physiological input sensors that they could directly control. The EKG sensor and GSR were the least favorite sensors since they were indirect.
Discussion
The usage of physiological input was proved to make games more fun than normal. In my opinion, this is pretty appealing. One of the main issues with controlling computer games is the input problem. By giving a wider ranger of inputs (besides just joysticks and buttons), it makes the game more interesting to play.
One thing that I found was interesting is the fact that the "novelty" of the system was so highly rated. I'd like to see if the novelty lasted over time. For example, the Nintendo Wii, when it first came out, was highly popular due to it's novelty. However, it's recently lost a lot of players over time.
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