Space Connection - A Multiplayer Collaborative Biofeedback Game

to Promote Empathy in Teenagers: A Feasibility Study

J. E. Muñoz

1,2

, A. Gonçalves

1,2

, T. Vieira

, D. Cró

, Y. Chisik

and S. Bermúdez i Badia

1,2

Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute, Universidade da Madeira, Funchal, Portugal

Universidade da Madeira, Funchal, Portugal

Keywords: Biofeedback, Serious Game, Multiplayer, Collaborative, BCI, Respiration, Empathy.

Abstract: Biofeedback videogames are physiologically driven games that offer opportunities to individually improve

emotional self-regulation and produce mental and physical health benefits. To investigate the feasibility of a

novel collaborative multiplayer methodology, we created Space Connection, a videogame to promote

empathy in teenagers. Space Connection depicts a futuristic adventure aboard a spaceship in which players

have to jointly use their powers to solve a set of physics-based puzzles. The game relies on the use of

physiological self-regulation to activate the playing partner powers. Using a low-cost brain computer interface

and a respiration rate sensor we provided players with two game powers, namely telekinesis and time-

manipulation which are mapped to changes in attention and relaxation. In this paper we describe the game

mechanics in three different scenarios: i) the cryogenic room, ii) the space ship corridor and iii) the cargo

hold. Finally, we performed a feasibility study with 10 users (aged 22.2 ± 5.6) to evaluate the game

experience. Results revealed high scores in enjoyment and empathy but low scores on interface control. Our

preliminary data supports the use of novel biofeedback strategies combined with videogames to promote

positive emotions and incentive collaboration and teamwork.

1 INTRODUCTION

Recent surveys show that more than 90% of

Americans between the ages of two to seventeen play

video games (NPD Group, 2011) and that a total of

22.41 billion US dollars were spent in 2014 on

content, hardware and accessories in the US alone

(Entertainment Software Association, 2015). The

growing importance of videogames in teenager

culture has raised multiple concerns, of which the

effect of violent contents in games such as Grand

Theft Auto or Call of Duty on player behavior gained

most of the attention in the popular press and was the

focus of a large number of studies exploring both the

negative impact of videogames on teenagers:

violence, addiction and depression (Nakaya, 2014),

(Anderson et al., 2007) and the health benefits of

playing videogames (Granic et al., 2014), (Mishra et

al., 2016, p.)

Studies have shown the potential of novel

videogame-based therapies to improve psychological

and physical factors in teenagers and the impact of

videogames in multiple health-related domains such

as the development of cognitive skills (Anguera and

Gazzaley, 2015), fitness and exercise promotion (Guy

et al., 2011), adherence to treatment (Kato et al.,

2008), pain management (Jameson et al., 2011) and

self-regulation. Furthermore studies conducted by

Johnson et al. (2013) and Jones et al (2014), have

shown the positive impact of videogames on mental

wellbeing with potential for benefit in domains such

as positive emotion, emotional stability, self-esteem,

optimism, vitality, resilience, engagement, and

competence.

Biofeedback is a novel interaction mechanism

that offers a way to control, quantify and boost the

health benefits produced during gaming experiences.

Biofeedback takes advantage of physiological signals

to train voluntary self-regulation thus promoting

physical and mental wellbeing. Using biofeedback,

videogame interaction is physiologically driven and

can be used to help overcome the monotony of classic

biofeedback training (Pope et al., 2014). Examples of

recent and commercial biofeedback training systems

blended in videogames are: The Journey of Wild

Divine (Wild Divine, Las Vegas, USA), NeverMind

(Flying Mollusk, California, USA) and Focus Pocus

(NeuroCog, Wollongong, Australia). A study

Muñoz, J., Gonçalves, A., Vieira, T., Cró, D., Chisik, Y. and Badia, S.

Space Connection - A Multiplayer Collaborative Biofeedback Game to Promote Empathy in Teenagers: A Feasibility Study.

DOI: 10.5220/0005948400880097

In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Physiological Computing Systems (PhyCS 2016), pages 88-97

ISBN: 978-989-758-197-7

conducted using Focus Pocus revealed efectiveness

in improving behavior and reducing symptoms of

ADHD in chinese children (Jiang and Johnstone,

2015).

A physiological modulation training program

teaches players to integrate physiological self-

regulation in order to get mastery in the game. More

recent biofeedback investigations have envisioned a

multiplayer games that harness physiological

modulation technologies for creating new

opportunities to collaborate, cooperation and

competion in videogames through biofeedback (Pope

et al., 2014). Since 56 % of gamers play a multiplayer

game at least once a week (ESA, Entertainment

Software Association, 2015), there is an opportunity

for the development of positive, socially engaging

biofeedback multiplayer videogames.

2 RELATED WORK

Traditionally, biofeedback videogames have been

limited to a single-user interaction where game

parameters are modulated only by the self-regulation

of their own physiological signals. The addition of the

social aspect has been proposed in biofeedback

videogames in two different game design paradigms:

collaborative and competitive.

2.1 Collaborative Biofeedback

Many researchers emphasize that collaborative

multiplayer dynamics can increase the engagement

level of players optimizing any learning effect (Zea et

al., 2009). D’Ornellas and colleagues proposed a

multiplayer perspective into a videogame-based

rehabilitation treatment (d’Ornellas et al., n.d.). They

used a biomechanical biofeedback approach, where a

Kinect sensor is used to analyze the optimal position

of the upper limbs in a videogame for hemiparesis

rehabilitation. In the collaborative multiplayer mode,

players are challenged to collect as much virtual fruits

as possible to achieve a target defined by the

therapist. Biomechanical measurements are

independently showed in real-time while users are

collaborating together to achieve a common goal.

Similar projects have been developed to encourage a

synchronized work in rehabilitation tasks using

multiplayer game dynamics (Tang et al., 2015),

(Rubio Ballester et al., 2012).

A system to create two different game roles in a

multiplayer biofeedback experience is proposed by

Pope and colleagues (Pope and Palsson, 2011). The

first role is called the physical operator and will be

responsible to provide a physical activity control via

conventional game controllers. The second role is

called the physiological operator and its function is to

modulate the game through physiological activity

measured by body sensors. The collaborative effort

arises when the system modulates the game

controllers of the physical operator using the

physiological signals of physiological operator. In

this way, the game performance could be either

limited or boosted via the self-regulation skills of the

other player.

The concept of collaborative multiplayer has been

used in several serious games to promote

collaborative learning showing user’s improvements

in leadership, decision making, trust-building,

communication and conflict-management skills

(Wendel et al., 2010).

2.2 Competitive Biofeedback

In a competitive game environment, any knowledge

about the human opponent can give an important

advantage to win the game. Using brain computer

interfaces (BCIs), a game called Brainball was

developed to have two players competing. The goal

was to achieve a relaxation state in order to win the

game. The competition is made more interesting by

adding a visualization of the players’ performances

that control a ball moving on a table placed between

the players. Brain activity of players is measured and

compared to determine the direction of the ball

(moving into the direction of the player who is less

relaxed) (Hjelm and Browall, 2000). The addition of

visualization has a clear impact in the player’s game

performance providing both, positive and negative

effects (Nijholt, 2015).

A different strategy relying on the physiological

signals to provide information that is used to balance

the videogame via helping the player with lower

game performance was addressed by Stach and

colleagues (Stach et al., 2009). They used a heart-rate

modulated videogame to change the speed of a virtual

car in order to close the fitness gap between players.

Results demonstrated that the heart-rate scaling

strategy reduced the performance gap between

players with different fitness levels and the adaptive

mechanism did not affect players’ engagement.

3 SPACE CONNECTION:

PHYSIOLOGICAL APPROACH

To promote positive psychological emotions and

Space Connection - A Multiplayer Collaborative Biofeedback Game to Promote Empathy in Teenagers: A Feasibility Study

behaviors in teenagers, Space Connection uses a

multiplayer collaborative biofeedback approach to

encourage teamwork and communication through

empathy. We defined empathy in accordance to

(Happ and Melzer, 2014) as “an emotional response

that stems from another’s emotional state or condition

and is congruent with the other’s emotional state or

condition”. In Space Connection, players have to

collaborate in order to achieve common goals by

assuming the responsibility to activate their partner’s

powers. Thus, we hypothesize that empathy comes

through the need of understanding other’s abilities.

To facilitate the collaboration, we created a system

with two physiological operators using brain signals

and respiration rates. As described in (Pope and

Palsson, 2011), this approach can make virtual tasks

more engaging and hence more effective in training

physiological self-regulation (attention and relaxation

in this case). Studies have shown the importance of

attention in creating empathy connections in virtual

environments (Happ and Melzer, 2014).

Neuroscientific investigations concluded that

attention impacts empathic processing leading to

positive changes in everyday interactions (Morelli

and Lieberman, 2013). Moreover, studies have shown

the effects of relaxing videogames in mood and social

behaviors, indicating that playing relaxing

videogames not only decrease aggression but also

increase prosocial behavior (Whitaker and Bushman,

2012). Thus, relaxing videogames can help to

promote positive mood states facilitating the

collaboration between players in a multiplayer

videogame.

The idea to activate the powers of each user using

the partner’s self-regulation skills aims to reinforce

player’s empathy and collaboration. Space

Connection requires players to jointly solve puzzles

through the collaborative use of physiologically-

driven skills. Collaborative behaviors are rewarded

by completing challenges in each game stage.

Through these challenges, players learn how to deal

with problematic situations by using his/her skills to

support the other player’s problems. Thus, the

collaboration context of Space Connection exposes

players to the synergetic effects of collaboration

namely that what is jointly achieved is greater than

the sum of each player contribution (Wendel et al.,

2010).

In contrast to other cooperative approaches in

where the problem is divided into sub-problems and

each co-operator can solve one at a time, the

collaborative approach require a coordinated effort to

solve the problem together (Wendel et al., 2010).

4 METHODOLOGY

4.1 Videogame

4.1.1 Design and Implementation

Space Connection, is an online multiplayer

collaborative biofeedback videogame in which

players control their partner’s power, and are

challenged to solve game puzzles together. During

gameplay, each player has to self-regulate his/her

own physiological signals in order to enable their

partner access to his/her special power, individual

powers of telekinesis and time control. A head-up

display element (power-bar) is used to show the

power-level for each player (see figure 1). Thus,

players can see both their own power-level and their

partner’s power level during the game. The powers

can only be activated by reaching a 50 % threshold.

Once this is achieved, the power bar turns green and

players are allowed to use their powers.

Figure 1: Power bar used to display power’s levels.

Space Connection was developed as a mod

(modification) for the videogame Garry’s Mod

(Facepunch Studios, Walsall, UK), which is a first-

person sandbox game with an unlimited set of wacky

tools (Champion, 2013). The 3D game level design of

a fictional spaceship was created with the map editor

Valve Hammer Editor (Valve, Bellevue, USA). Then,

with Unity 3D game engine (Unity Technologies), a

software was developed to communicate the

physiological signals to our modified Garry’s Mod

dedicated server. The RehabNet Control Panel

(Reh@Panel) software (Vourvopoulos et al., 2013)

was used to interface the physiological sensors with

Unity.

In Space Connection, players learn by

experiencing how to relax and improve self-control

and also, how to stay focused in stressful situations.

The videogame incentivizes teamwork by proposing

different physics-based puzzles which, to be solved,

require both players to jointly use their unique

powers. Three different physics-based puzzles were

created: i) the cryogenic room, ii) the spaceship

PhyCS 2016 - 3rd International Conference on Physiological Computing Systems

Figure 2: A screenshot of the Cryogenic Room. Players are separated by fallen debris in a futuristic spaceship.

corridor and iii) the cargo hold. After completing all

puzzles, players gain access to the engine room and

are able to finish the game.

• The Cryogenic Room: the game starts in a

cryogenic room (figure 2) with the players

separated by fallen debris and a blocked exit

door. Here, players are encouraged to explore

their powers and analyze the responsiveness of

the physiological self-regulation in activating

their partner’s power. The objective is to remove

the debris from the way and get out of the room.

First, the telekinetic player has to use the gravity

gun to clear a path to the big metallic door. To do

that, the time-manipulator player has to reduce

his respiration rate in order to give his partner

access to telekinesis. After getting respiration

rates below the 50%, the telekinesis power is

activated and the telekinetic player can use it to

move objects out of the way. After, both players

can open the door, which leads them to a

corridor.

• The Spaceship Corridor: The second physics-

based puzzle proposed is the spaceship’s corridor

(figure 3A). In order to access the ship's control

room and unlock the elevator, players have to

avoid getting hurt by an electrical malfunction on

the ship. There are damaged high-voltage

electrical power cables on the floor and players

must avoid contact with the deadly short-circuit.

In order to solve the puzzle, players are required

to use an object to create a bridge over the deadly

shot-circuit. First, the time-manipulator player

has to slow down the respiration rate to activate

the telekinesis power. Then, the telekinetic

player uses his ability to move objects beyond

his/her reach and put platform over the wires.

This gives the time-manipulator player a way to

go over the wires as long as he/she maintains a

relaxed state. As the telekinetic player cannot use

the powers to raise him/her-self of the floor, the

time-manipulator player has to use time-freezing

capsules to freeze the improvised bridge so it is

sustained over the electric accident, providing a

safe path to cross. Therefore, the telekinetic

player has to increase his/her attention levels for

his/her partner’s powers be accessible. In

summary, both players have to use their powers

to: i) raise an object in a controlled way and

position it over the short-circuit and ii) freeze the

object in time to facilitate the path. Finally, both

users will have passed safely to the control room

where the elevator door can be unlocked.

• The Cargo Hold: after unlocking the elevator

from the control room, both players can now

descend into the cargo hold, which can be seen

as a sandbox level, with lots of dynamic objects

to interact with (figure 3B). Because players are

not constrained by time restrictions to achieve

the final goal, the sandbox also serves as an open

area in which the physiological modulation of

each power can be freely explored. However, in

order to complete the mission, players have to

solve the last physics puzzle. It is required that

the players gain access to a raised platform,

where they will unlock the admission to the

engine room back in the top level. The two

players must do the unlocking at the same time.

To achieve that, the telekinetic player has to

place his/her partner in the first level of the raised

platform. Then, the time controller player has to

freeze some objects creating a path to facilitate

the access to his/her colleague. Once both players

are in the same platform level, they have to create

a path of objects that will allow reaching the

button to unlock the engines room. This is

achieved by a synchronous and sustained

regulation of their psychophysiological states:

player is moving and rotating the objects to be

Space Connection - A Multiplayer Collaborative Biofeedback Game to Promote Empathy in Teenagers: A Feasibility Study

Figure 3: A. Screenshot of the spaceship’s corridor. The telekinetic player is using his power to help the time-manipulator to

overpass the short circuit. B. Screenshot of the cargo hold. The telekinetic player is using the power to move a container. The

time-manipulator player is freezing the containers to create an accessible path.

used, the time controller player has to use the

time-freezing capsules to lock these objects in a

attention and relaxation. While the telekinetic

way that the path will be effectively placed and

accessible. Then, both users unlock the engine

room and return to the elevator. The mission ends

when both users arrive to the engine room

showing a mission complete message.

4.1.2 Setup

The setup for Space Connection includes two PCs,

two physiological sensors and a local server. Two

different hardware systems were used for the two

different game characters and player roles, defined by

their unique powers (telekinetic and the time-

manipulator). For the telekinetic player we used the

MindWave (Neurosky), a low-cost BCI system to

measure attention levels. The sensor has a dry

electrode located in the central part of the frontal lobe

and communicates with a computer via Bluetooth

protocol. For the time-manipulator we used a

piezoelectric respiration sensor connected to the

Biosignal Plux toolkit (Plux Wireless Biosignals), a

wearable body sensing platform. Figure 4 shows the

setup for the Space Connection videogame.

Figure 4: Space Connection setup.

An elastic strap is used to measure the

displacement variations induced by inhaling or

exhaling. The respiration sensor was used to map low

frequency respiration values with time-freezing

power. A local server runs the Space Connection

standalone server, which is used to connect both

players, Garry’s Mod’s clients, with each other, and

enforce our modified game mechanics.

4.2 Physiological Signals

4.2.1 Respiration Rate (Time Control)

The respiration rate was used to compute the level of

user’s relaxation and thus to provide access to the

time-freezing power. Relaxation and peaceful rest has

been reported to lead slower and shallower respiration

rates (Calvo et al., 2015). The sensor provides a

respiration percentage by converting the values

sampled for the sensor by the ADC (analog-to-digital

converter) as follows:







=







−





 ∗ 100% (1)

Where PZT (%) is the displacement value in

percentage, ADC is the value sampled for the channel

and n the number of bits of the channel (16 bit-

resolution in our case). Therefore, sensor values for

inhalation are higher than for exhalation. The default

sampling frequency of the respiration sensor is 1000

Hz. Considering the respiration signal as a quasi-

static biosignal which exhibits relatively slow

changes over the time (Kaniusas, 2012), the

respiration signal was subsampled to 100 Hz to ease

its processing. Then, the signal was detrended to

focus the analysis on the fluctuations. A passband

filter was implemented in Unity 3D using a high-pass

and a low-pass filter with cut-off frequencies of 0.02

Hz and 100 Hz respectively. Finally, considering

normative respiration frequency values for teenagers

(West, 2012) which are between 12-30 Hz, the 30 Hz

value was used as threshold to separate between

relaxation and excitement (relaxation ≤ 30 Hz and

excitement > 30 Hz). We then mapped those

PhyCS 2016 - 3rd International Conference on Physiological Computing Systems

respiration frequencies to values in a 0-100

percentage scale. This scaling allowed us to create a

subject-independent quantification of the respiration

level. When exceeding the relaxation threshold, the

time-manipulator player had access to his/her power,

which provides the following ability:

1. Shoot time-freezing capsules that create a

spherical field in which time is stopped for

objects, structures and players.

4.2.2 Attention Levels with BCI

(Telekinesis)

The attention level was measured by monitoring

neurophysiological signals from the MindWave

sensor. The MindWave sensor was preferred over

other BCI sensors because it provides a “Sense

Attention Meter” called eSense

, an algorithm

which uses raw EEG data to indicate the intensity of

a user’s level of mental focus or attention, occurring

in intense concentration moments. Distractions, lack

of focus, wandering thoughts, and high anxiety levels

may lower the attention levels.

MindWave enabled us to control the telekinesis

power by mapping the attention levels on scale of 0

to 100. When attention levels are over the 50%

threshold, the telekinetic player has the power of

mind-control, implemented using Garry’s Mod own

gravity gun, which provides the following abilities:

1. Move objects at a distance (one at the time)

2. Pull objects closer or push them away

3. Rotate objects

4.3 Playtesting Evaluation

A playtesting session was carried out in order to

evaluate the functionality of the physiological sensors

in Space Connection as a feasibility study. Users were

voluntarily recruited and the game dynamics were

briefly introduced. The game was setup in an open

space in a way that more people could attend the

playtesting session. A custom questionnaire was

designed to collect information related with the game

experience and the usefulness perception. After

around 30 minutes of interaction, the questionnaire’s

responses were gathered and individual-short

interviews were performed. Eight items were

evaluated in a custom 5-points-scale questionnaire (1-

minimum, 5-maximum). The questions are listed in

the table 1.

Table 1: Custom questionnaire developed for the

playtesting session.

Question Statement

Q1 Was the game fun?

Q2 How easy were the challenges in each

level?

Q3 I feel that I know the other player better

now than before playing the game.

Q4 How easy was for you to communicate

your intentions with the other player?

Q5 I would play this game at home with my

friends (even if my powers were not

controlled by respiration/attention levels).

I feel that my respiration/attention control

will be useful in my daily life.

Q7 This game helped me improve my

respiration/attention control.

Q8 How easy was to control your

attention/respiration levels?

5 RESULTS

A play testing session was carried out to evaluate the

feasibility of the approach and player’s reactions to

Space Connection. A total of 10 subjects (8 males,

ages 22.2 ± 5.6) played the videogame. Considering

the number of users, only descriptive statistics were

performed. Questions were grouped in the following

dimensions (figure 5): Q1- enjoyment, Q2- perceived

difficulty, Q3- empathy perception, Q4- ease of

collaboration, Q5- replayability, Q6- ecological

usefulness perception, Q7- usefulness perception and

Q8- ease of control. Results revealed high levels of

enjoyment (4.5) and ecological usefulness perception

(4.3), which is related to what extent users think the

self-regulation skills are useful in a real-time

scenario. The in-time usefulness perception

(usefulness perception) revealed low scores (2.9) as

well as perceived difficulty (2.7).

Additionally, participants were individually asked

to list preferences and dislikes. All participants stated

that they enjoyed the experience and the game design

concept. As a reason for these preferences they

mentioned greater challenge, exciting technology and

originality. 3 users highlighted the physics of the

game showing that the game engine was suitable to

provide a realistic experience. Related with that, one

user mentioned: “I liked the responsiveness and

interactivity with objects in the game”, referring to

the use of the powers to move objects. 5 users found

Space Connection - A Multiplayer Collaborative Biofeedback Game to Promote Empathy in Teenagers: A Feasibility Study

Figure 5: Results from the custom questionnaire applied in the playtesting session.

that multiplayer features such as communication, in-

time discussions and teamwork were positive for

gameplay. This behavior was intended because the

aim of our collaborative multiplayer biofeedback

approach was to provide a vehicle to incentive pro-

social behaviors. 3 players stated that they felt good

by disturbing their partners and 2 players reported

being mad during the interaction due to bugs caused

by server/connection fails (a good internet connection

is needed to facilitate a fluid interaction). Further, 3

players pointed out as dislikes the lack of clear and

well-defined goals in the game, as well as 3 players

reported negative feelings (frustration and

impotence) during the interaction. As a reason for

these feelings they stated that the physiologically-

driven inputs were difficult to control.

To conclude, collaboration, game originality and

responsiveness were some of the more preferred

game elements. On the other hand, the lack of clear

goals and the perceived difficulty to control the

interfaces were the less preferred game factors.

6 DISCUSSION

In this paper we described the design, development

and feasibility testing of Space Connection, a

collaborative biofeedback multiplayer videogame

aiming to encourage teenagers to create and reinforce

a sense of bonding and empathy. The videogame links

two different physiological signals to the characters’

powers: telekinesis (BCI) and time manipulation

(respiration rate). Each power is activated by the

partner’s physiological self-regulation. This control

paradigm differentiates Space Connection from past

multiplayer biofeedback videogames (Kurt Smith,

Crowin Bell, 2008). In order to facilitate access to the

game, Space Connection was developed over Garry’s

Mod, a popular sandbox physics game-modification.

Three different game puzzles were proposed to

encourage players to collaborate aiming to complete

the game mission. Each puzzle proposes different

physiological challenges for players, such as:

controlled modulation of attention or relaxation,

ability to synchronize physiological self-regulation

with partners to jointly carry out a task, and sustaining

attention/relaxation states to pass the puzzles.

We believe that physiological self-regulation

skills may be more easily learned in a collaborative

environment in where the teamwork will avoid highly

frustrated points. For instance, the level design of

Space Connection provides a set of tests specifically

designed to create empathy and comradeship by

enabling players to influence remotely and

dynamically the partner’s powers. Moreover, Space

Connection has a sandbox scenario (the cargo hold)

which allows players to freely explore the

physiological powers and train their self-regulation

by raising, exploiting and moving objects.

We observed that the cargo-hold was the scenario

in where users spent more time. Specifically, we

noticed that users preferred be training in the control

of their powers with the game elements instead of

accomplish quickly the puzzle goal. This preference

has to be considered in the design of novel

biofeedback training programs based on videogames

in where the use of goal-oriented dynamics create

limitations in terms of engagement and long-term

motivation (Khazan, 2013). Further research needs to

be carried out in order to untangle the role sandbox

levels in physiological self-regulation learning.

3,0

2,9

4,3

3,9

3,1

3,6

2,7

4,5

0,0 1,0 2,0 3,0 4,0 5,0 6,0

Ease of control

Usefulness perception

Ecological usefulness perception

Replayability without tech

Ease of collaboration

Empathy perception

Perceived Difficulty

Enjoyment

Custom Questionnaire

PhyCS 2016 - 3rd International Conference on Physiological Computing Systems

Additionally, to evaluate the game experience, a

custom questionnaire was designed and used in a

playtesting session involving 10 players. Importantly,

scores related with players’ empathy were relatively

high (above 3.5) indicating that Space Connection has

the potential to facilitate affective interactions

between users. This feature was evaluated by asking

to what extent players felt they better knew each other

after the game. In addition, replayability reported an

average score of 3.9 showing that Space Connection

was perceived as appropriate to be played repeatedly.

The enjoyment level revealed the highest scoring

reinforcing the idea that a multiplayer biofeedback

methodology can produce highly motivating and

engaging experiences. The use of physiological

metrics recorded during the interactions might reveal

important features about specific psychological states

such as stress, workload and engagement levels

(Nacke, 2015).Finally, the system was not perceived

as easy-to-use (perceived difficulty and ease of

control). However, it is worth noting that mastery in

conventional biofeedback systems requires at least 30

sessions (Fisher et al., 2013).

To conclude, we demonstrated that with the

current advance in physiological sensing technology,

the development of multiplayer biofeedback systems

can be inexpensively done as suggested by (Placido

da Silva et al., 2014). In addition, we believe that the

idea to create novel biofeedback games in existent

game mods or adapt physiological controls to existent

and widespread games could boost the popularity of

this technology. Space Connection is available at

http://www.cee.uma.pt/edu/gamedesign/parallactive/

7 LIMITATIONS

Space connection was carried out as a proof of

concept in a Game Design course and the

development time was around one month. The

playtesting session aimed to assess the feasibility of

the proposed approach as opposed to validating the

impact of the videogame in teenagers’ empathy and

collaboration. Thus, further work is needed in this

domain. Thus, the main goal was the evaluation in

real-users of the complete system, exploring possible

technical aspects as well as users’ responses.

Although, the playtesting session with Space

Connection showed promising results in terms of

performance and control, more sessions are needed.

The small sample size of the playtesting session limit

the strength of the findings to raise firm conclusions.

Finally, the lack of availability of multiplayer

collaborative biofeedback videogames did not allow

us to carry out a comparative analysis.

8 CONCLUSIONS

This paper described an effort to develop a

collaborative multiplayer biofeedback videogame

with the aim to promote empathy in teenagers. The

work was motivated by the need of investigating how

physiologically driven games can be used to

incentivize positive feelings in a collaborative game

design approach. The strategy of activate partner’s

powers via physiological self-regulation in a

collaborative environment exposed promising results

in terms of game mechanics and gameplay.

Our

preliminary data supports the use of novel

biofeedback strategies combined with videogames to

promote positive emo

tions and incentive collaboration

and teamwork.

9 FUTURE WORK

A more complete evaluation of Space Connection

will be necessary to proof its use as a tool to promote

empathy and collaboration in teenagers. We propose

the use of specialized questionnaires to measure

empathy (such as the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire

(Spreng et al., 2009)) and methodologies to quantify

collaboration in games (Hwang and Karnofsky,

2005). Furthermore, the videogame should allow to

store the physiological data in order to carry out a

post-session analysis and identify which game level

was producing better results in terms of physiological

self-regulation. Additionally, a longitudinal study is

necessary to produce measurable effects of the

biofeedback techniques used in Space Connection.

10 CONTRIBUTIONS

J.E. Muñoz analyzed the playtesting data and wrote

the paper, A. Gonçalves co-designed the game,

designed the level and co-wrote the paper, T. Vieira

produced and co-developed the game with D. Cró. Y.

Chisik and S. Bermudez co-supervised the game

design and development process and co-wrote the

paper.

Space Connection - A Multiplayer Collaborative Biofeedback Game to Promote Empathy in Teenagers: A Feasibility Study

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This game was developed as a group project in the

Game Design course at the University of Madeira,

Portugal. The authors would like to thank João

Andrade for his contributions to developing the

graphics and the GUI elements of Space Connection.

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Space Connection - A Multiplayer Collaborative Biofeedback Game to Promote Empathy in Teenagers: A Feasibility Study