New Biometric Headset Punishes Gamer Rage
The custom headset makes the game get harder the more stressed you become.
It's no coincidence that the first studio to popularize the first-person shooter was named after the [a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id,_ego_and_super-ego#Id]part of the psyche[/a] responsible for aggression and primal desires. In certain circles, the FPS is still referred to as an "Id Shooter". Especially in a multiplayer environment, these games have the magical ability to transform a normally docile player into an seething ball of hate and adrenaline. Even if you can resist its pull, you still have to deal with a lobby full of raging man-beasts. This got designer Samuel Matson thinking about ways to combat this Jekyll and Hyde phenomenon. Using a [a href=http://www.sammatson.net/Immersion]headset[/a] modified with biometric sensors, he created a game that only gets more difficult the more you rage at it.
Dubbed "Immersion", the device uses an Arduino microprocessor and pulse sensor inside a custom-designed headset. From there, it feeds your heart rate to a simple FPS game running in the Unity engine. The more stressed the player becomes, the more difficult the game gets. The idea is that players can use it as a way to control their stress, and thus their rage.
The Immersion is just a prototype, so don't expect anything mass market. However, it's a pretty intriguing idea. I remember how the (mostly forgotten) Sin Episode used an adaptive AI that would scale with the player. Now, imagine that same idea, only with a game that can smell your fear. Personally, I think this would make a great companion device to [a href=http://fph.altervista.org/prog/bastet.html]Bastard Tetris[/a].
Source: [a href=http://www.sammatson.net/Immersion]Sam Matson[/a]
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The custom headset makes the game get harder the more stressed you become.
It's no coincidence that the first studio to popularize the first-person shooter was named after the [a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id,_ego_and_super-ego#Id]part of the psyche[/a] responsible for aggression and primal desires. In certain circles, the FPS is still referred to as an "Id Shooter". Especially in a multiplayer environment, these games have the magical ability to transform a normally docile player into an seething ball of hate and adrenaline. Even if you can resist its pull, you still have to deal with a lobby full of raging man-beasts. This got designer Samuel Matson thinking about ways to combat this Jekyll and Hyde phenomenon. Using a [a href=http://www.sammatson.net/Immersion]headset[/a] modified with biometric sensors, he created a game that only gets more difficult the more you rage at it.
Dubbed "Immersion", the device uses an Arduino microprocessor and pulse sensor inside a custom-designed headset. From there, it feeds your heart rate to a simple FPS game running in the Unity engine. The more stressed the player becomes, the more difficult the game gets. The idea is that players can use it as a way to control their stress, and thus their rage.
The Immersion is just a prototype, so don't expect anything mass market. However, it's a pretty intriguing idea. I remember how the (mostly forgotten) Sin Episode used an adaptive AI that would scale with the player. Now, imagine that same idea, only with a game that can smell your fear. Personally, I think this would make a great companion device to [a href=http://fph.altervista.org/prog/bastet.html]Bastard Tetris[/a].
Source: [a href=http://www.sammatson.net/Immersion]Sam Matson[/a]
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