Research for school

[Biggan]

Ok.
So I have a project that I work on for school, and I would like for fellow gamers to put in their honest opinion.

If there were a pc-mouse and webcam pack that through reading of biosignatures (heart rate, finger temperature and sweat) and facial expression were used to influence the way that the game you were playing responds. Would you want one?

For example: You play an fps game on the hardest difficulty. Something happens and you get stressed, and your character responds by tripping, or the weapon jams.
Or: You play a horror game, and just when you least expects it the monster jump at you.
Or: You play a game, its kinda boring and it responds by playing realy epic music.

Would this be something worth having?
What price would be a reasonable amount to pay for such a pack, provided that there were games compatible with it?

Edit: Since some people seems to have a difficult time with painting up a hypothetical scenario I'll add this. With this device there will be no biometric data collected, sold or transfered. So if your answere is "I dont Want my data sold" please dont bother.

[AmsterdamHeavy]

No interest in the newest version of Smell-o-vision.


Sorry.

[Cheezus Crisp]

Sounds like the perfect way for companies to sell even more of my data. I'll pass.

[Start_Running]

Nope.
Gamers generally don't like that sort of stuff. Its why devs tend to be hush on whether or not they use things like dynamic diffuiculty or cheap tricks.

Take for example the classic Doom. DOome does a naughty thing wherein when you're below 20% health you actually gain damage resistance/armour so hits take off less health.

The simple truth is many games like to feel they beat the game, not that the game took pity on them and gave them a boost.

CHanging the events, the music and such based on mood basically makes it harder to calibrate a n experience curve, so it makes games generic. COnsider games that use auto-generated maps for areas versus hand-crafted maps. Which ones tend to create more memorable and enjoyable experiences?

[FPS]

This could work on a new console if all the sensors were built in the default controller. Otherwise, you'll never convince the devs to fully utilize it. In order to fully integrate the new hardware into the gameplay, the devs must be sure enough people have it. Or they would make it a feature that can be turned on and off and thus make no real difference. The games centered around the new hardware would be rare, low-budget and feel like a technological demo.

That could be fun if implemented well, after all, Nintendo did a lot of great stuff with unique hardware features of DS and Wii, but on PC I think the idea is dead from the start.

[Biggan]

Originally posted by Cheezus Crisp:

Sounds like the perfect way for companies to sell even more of my data. I'll pass.

Well that is dependent on if that data would be cloud based or only local based. Since the thought is basicly for singleplayer modes/story mode it would not be reachable data.

Originally posted by Start_Running:

Nope.
Gamers generally don't like that sort of stuff. Its why devs tend to be hush on whether or not they use things like dynamic diffuiculty or cheap tricks.

Take for example the classic Doom. DOome does a naughty thing wherein when you're below 20% health you actually gain damage resistance/armour so hits take off less health.

The simple truth is many games like to feel they beat the game, not that the game took pity on them and gave them a boost.

CHanging the events, the music and such based on mood basically makes it harder to calibrate a n experience curve, so it makes games generic. COnsider games that use auto-generated maps for areas versus hand-crafted maps. Which ones tend to create more memorable and enjoyable experiences?

I can understand why people would not want to have the game assist you in the process of playing it. My thought is that it would mainly be used by people that are mashocists and play games such as "climb" and "jump king", or by people that likes realy though games like darksouls and similar games.

[Start_Running]

Originally posted by FPS:

This could work on a new console if all the sensors were built in the default controller. Otherwise, you'll never convince the devs to fully utilize it.

Even less likely. Since most developers aim for multi-platform. This would essentially make porting that much more of an issue ince you would have to either hort-circuit or patch out the feedback loop. Which will in either case result in vastly different gaming experiences, and thusly the label of shoddy port.

In order to fully integrate the new hardware into the gameplay, the devs must be sure enough people have it. Or they would make it a feature that can be turned on and off and thus make no real difference. The games centered around the new hardware would be rare, low-budget and feel like a technological demo.

And if it can be turned off, well consider...how does that affect theplayer.. That'd be like naming your easy mode 'Can I Play Daddy?'

That could be fun if implemented well, after all, Nintendo did a lot of great stuff with unique hardware features of DS and Wii, but on PC I think the idea is dead from the start.

Difference in audience. And the point still comes up that much as with auto generated content...the contebnt feels more generic as opposed to reading your emotional state.

Originally posted by Biggan:

I can understand why people would not want to have the game assist you in the process of playing it. My thought is that it would mainly be used by people that are mashocists and play games such as "climb" and "jump king", or by people that likes realy though games like darksouls and similar games.

yeah and those games would be the least to benefit from that sort of tweaking. It would actually be detrimental to the gaming experience. A properly crafted experience doesn't benefit from such things and it won't make a lazily hacked together experience any better.

The only way it would work is if this was being done in secret and it could work, but then any praise your game managed to get would be reversed the moment the truth got out and it would get out.

Once your playerbase knows your game employs Coyote-Time, the engagement users feel and the rush of accomplishment will take a nose dive. It cuts the other way when the game ramps up the difficulty and then the game just seems like its cheating.

[aiusepsi]

There we actually some experiments done at Valve about this sort of thing a while back:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdT7Qx2oRAg
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/apps/valve/2011/ValveBiofeedback-Ambinder.pdf

[FPS]

Originally posted by Start_Running:

COnsider games that use auto-generated maps for areas versus hand-crafted maps. Which ones tend to create more memorable and enjoyable experiences?

Actually the most memorable moments often come from auto-generated events. Listen to the stories of Dwarf Fortress players, or games like X-Com or Civilization, or many of the rogue-likes and rogue-lite.

Originally posted by Start_Running:

Originally posted by FPS:

This could work on a new console if all the sensors were built in the default controller. Otherwise, you'll never convince the devs to fully utilize it.

Even less likely. Since most developers aim for multi-platform. This would essentially make porting that much more of an issue ince you would have to either hort-circuit or patch out the feedback loop. Which will in either case result in vastly different gaming experiences, and thusly the label of shoddy port.

Every console manufacturer wants exclusive titles. That's why people decide to buy a console - to play it's exclusives. The devs aim for multiplatform, but the console manufacturer usually finds a way to compensate for exclusiveness

[Biggan]

There already exist a game that is affected by your mental state. Its called nevermind and its goal is to help people that have stressproblems to find ways to calm themselfes.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Originally posted by Biggan:

Ok.
So I have a project that I work on for school, and I would like for fellow gamers to put in their honest opinion.

If there were a pc-mouse and webcam pack that through reading of biosignatures (heart rate, finger temperature and sweat) and facial expression were used to influence the way that the game you were playing responds. Would you want one?

For example: You play an fps game on the hardest difficulty. Something happens and you get stressed, and your character responds by tripping, or the weapon jams.
Or: You play a horror game, and just when you least expects it the monster jump at you.
Or: You play a game, its kinda boring and it responds by playing realy epic music.

Would this be something worth having?
What price would be a reasonable amount to pay for such a pack, provided that there were games compatible with it?

> Would you want one?

Not yet. I'd be more curious at how it screws up detecting how I'm feeling though.

> Would this be something worth having?

As a novelty toy, perhaps.
As an actual gaming accessory, I'm not sure.

> What price would be reasonable?

Honestly, given the games I play, I'm probably not inclined to buy it at any price.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

One potential problem I can think of already is, this system would be rather crap at telling more complex emotions/intentions.

Imagine a game.
Now imagine I'm playing the game the first time, and I'm curious and excited about it. Mostly curious.
Now imagine I'm in mid-game and more bored and playing the game just to get stuff over with and to move on.
Now imagine it's been several years since the last time I played and I'm trying to pick the game back up.
Now imagine it's been a decade or two and I'm picking up the game again out of nostalgia.
Now imagine it's been three or four decades and my skin is old and wrinkly and I look different and I'm picking up the game again out of nostalgia.

Let us ask the following questions:

1. What kind of biometric data will I generate at these different times?
2. How exactly will the game read my biometric data? Will it try to figure out my mood? Will it simply ask me my mood?
3. How exactly will the game change in response to biometric data? Will it just change the music? Will it toss me an in-game event to get me engrossed?
4. Let's say the game can detect "nostalgia". What will it do?
5. What if I feel "I liked that Christmas 2020 event but it hasn't been re-run in forever, aww shucks"?
6. If my hands are sweaty and cold naturally, then will I find the device annoying? Will I simply play with tissues on my fingers?
and so on.

[Spud the Spud]

It's pretty well known that a lot of big online games hire psychologists to help them figure out how to make them more addictive. WoW is an example of this, you can look it up if you're interested.

How much worse would that be if they had access to the data you're talking about collecting? But you want ME to pay for it? Sounds to me like THEY should be paying ME to play their game with that sort of set up, so they can collect the data that you want me to pay them to get.

Nope. Not interested, outside of something where I'm getting a very nice hourly wage to be their guinea pig. Say 30 bucks per hour? I'll do it for that. You might be able to find people to do gigs, a week or a month at a time, to keep rotating new people in.

[Biggan]

Originally posted by Spud the Spud:

It's pretty well known that a lot of big online games hire psychologists to help them figure out how to make them more addictive. WoW is an example of this, you can look it up if you're interested.

How much worse would that be if they had access to the data you're talking about collecting? But you want ME to pay for it? Sounds to me like THEY should be paying ME to play their game with that sort of set up, so they can collect the data that you want me to pay them to get.

Nope. Not interested, outside of something where I'm getting a very nice hourly wage to be their guinea pig. Say 30 bucks per hour? I'll do it for that. You might be able to find people to do gigs, a week or a month at a time, to keep rotating new people in.

Well the biometric data can see mood mostly. Like happy, sad, excited etc... An this would not neccesary be a standard mode. Its simply for more interactive/immersive gaming.

The data collection will only be local, since the system would be callibrated to read specific patterns as specific emotions through trial and tests by volunters.
Since the interactive game part would mainly be for story games, campaign and single player games. It would not constantly upload any stored data, since the system will not be able to store any data. This will of course have to be agreed upon by the developers of those games.

In the end this is a hypothetical product for a hypothetical situation, since no such games exist (except Nevermind)

[talemore]

We wouldn't need to pay for something that benefit the game company because it's already included in the price.

[BossGalaga]

Originally posted by AmsterdamHeavy:

No interest in the newest version of Smell-o-vision.


Sorry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zp3b6YCXqI