The popularity of computer games has exploded in recent years, yet methods of evaluating user emotional state during play experiences lag far behind. There are few methods of assessing emotional state, and even fewer methods of quantifying emotion during play. This paper presents a novel method for continuously modeling emotion using physiological data. A fuzzy logic model transformed four physiological signals into arousal and valence. A second fuzzy logic model transformed arousal and valence into five emotional states relevant to computer game play: boredom, challenge, excitement, frustration, and fun. Modeled emotions compared favorably with a manual approach, and the means were also evaluated with subjective self-reports, exhibiting the same trends as reported emotions for fun, boredom, and excitement. This approach provides a method for quantifying emotional states continuously during a play experience. Read more...

Human epileptic photosensitivity has been studied in several ways. (a) Visual stimulation that resembles the stimulation normally responsible for seizures, such as that from televisions or videogames, both of which typically use cathode ray tubes in which the display is created in a flickering pattern. Such stimulation is often rendered yet more epileptogenic by programmes with content that also involves flashing or patterned material. (b) Elementary visual stimuli that enable inferences to be drawn concerning the physiological trigger mechanisms. The topographic distribution of epileptiform EEG activity in response to such stimuli has complemented this approach, leading to the inference that the trigger is cortical and requires sychronised mass action of neurons. (c) Stimuli that avoid paroxysmal EEG activity and permit an investigation of the subepileptic response to visual stimuli, using the evoked potential. This has revealed abnormalities in the cortical mechanisms that control the response to strong visual stimulation. Read more...

Emotion is a key component for sound design in movies and videogames. We believe that it is also a key component in virtual environments and simulation. The following paper summarizes work at the MOVES Institute's Immersive Audio Laboratory which demonstrates the emotional impact of sound in interactive media and also shows that emotionality evoked in a simulation has a positive impact on learning for events that occur in the simulation. Our research methods employ objective measures such as physiological recordings and memory recall testing rather than the more commonly used subjective questionnaires and surveys. It is our belief that these objective measures are more easily replicated and generalized to a wide variety of simulations and situations. We discuss our research in terms of the parallel development in the MOVES Institute of the videogame "America's Army: Operations," which we use as an experimental test bed and tool. Applications of this research are discussed in terms of high-end simulation projects like the Virtual Technologies and Environments (VIRTE) program sponsored by the Office of Naval Research. Read more...