Biofeedback game - would you play?

Hi,

As some folks know, I'm working on developing a multiplayer online version of a game called "Journey to Wild Divine ." The game uses a biofeedback device as an input device, and the "puzzles" in the game (which otherwise feels rather like Myst) are solved by learning a variety of breathing and meditative techniques, etc. I'd like to develop the online game in Second Life, because as an environment it has the "look and feel" we're looking for, and I think the biofeedback data can be pulled in using the XML-RPC interface.

The Wild Divine Project, makers of the original game, are supportive and have given permission to the project. I've already polled original Wild Divine players to find out how many of them are interested in an online game (inconclusive, but the initial results suggest fairly strong interest). My question here is, how many existing Second Life players would be interested in being able to play with biofeedback control in-world? A couple of examples:

Suppose you could blow bubbles in-world by actually blowing in RL? (This can be detected through heartrate.)

Suppose you could cause objects to float by calming your heartrate and stress level?

Suppose you could adjust your avatar so that when you are angry or excited, flames flare out around your head?

Suppose there was an area of SL where you could go and do a number of activities of this sort, some collaboratively with other people, with a plot, puzzles, characters, etc?

Would you be interested in helping to build such a world? If a scripting kit were available, would you be interested in making objects which use these inputs?

Thanks for your time,

Neko

nah, i wouldn't be interested in biofeedback games. especially not if you need to buy a bioF rig.

wouldn't it be easier to blow into something? like a MIDI breath controller? or even better, hit a key.

or a script.

i can do that now. sounds like you mean as an automatic thing when i ger mad for real irl. i dunno if i would like that kind of involuntary response. you might get more takers with the men tho. they have fun involuntary responses. "oh....i didn't mean to rez that there sorry......"

Yes I would as this interests me.

My concern is the cost of the specialised hardware to enable this. I don't have a bio feedback device and presume that they are custom kit. How much do they cost and how accessible/available are they?

Yes, all of these effects can be accomplished in other ways, the idea is to have an additional means of input. (The midi controller would probably also need a bunch of script work.) I'd be surprised if all current SL players were interested; I'd also be surprised if none were. I'm just trying to get a sense of the level of interest.

For those who indicate in the poll that they'd like to help work on the project, please IM me inworld and/or join the Sun Realm Online group. I've got a little patch of land in Arena we can use for experiments, unless someone else has a better location.

If there are enough people who'd just like to play it when it's done, we can set up another group for future players so people can get status notices, etc.

Thanks,

Neko

Roberta,

The whole "Journey to Wild Divine" game was about $150, including the device. I would try to get us a special deal just to buy the device, for those who hadn't purchased the game. I'd probably aim for about 1/4 the game cost, but I can't predict yet what the outcome would be.

That's part of why I am trying to find out how many people already have the game, and how many would buy the device. And a measure of overall interest -- if there are a bunch of people interested here, I think I'll be able to get a pretty good deal on the hardware.

Neko

It would interest me. Several years ago, back in the windows 3.1/Dos days, there was another product kinda-sorta similar to this, but much more crude. I messed with it a while, but never got anywhere with it. The topic, however, has always interested me (As does the concept of biofeedback control in general). I'd be willing to help any way I could if the project ever got off the ground.

Mmmm, this bio-thingy... does it also work with Second Life's most popular kinda gameplay?

Imagine the Sex... Yummy

Never thought of that before.
Not a bad idea. Good luck with it

*imagines press one button and Alby scream of pain*

*imagines press other button and Alby purres like little cat*

*imagines press yet another button and Alby.... OMG!*

very interested but don't know enough about it to choose any of the options

My general rule about jokes that I don't get is that they probably involve sex, and based on the next couple of posts, I'm assuming that's where you're going with this...

Never thought of it (since I'm apparently an android or an alien or something), but since the upward "anxiety" measurement is also often called "arousal" and is measured with skin conductivity, i.e. sweat, yes, I think one could do something with this. You could tie in the heartrate, too, if you like. You want fireworks at the critical moment, you can have 'em.

Obviously, I'm not the right person to figure out how to use this input in this way, and I don't find it personally interesting, but if someone wants to help develop the input package and then uses it to develop a sex club in which everyone will know if you're faking, hey, go for it.

That won't be part of the project I'm working on (Sun Realm Online), however, which I expect will be on a PG sim.

Neko

Oh, and Philip apparently owns a copy of Wild Divine: click here and scroll about halfway down the page.

Neko

I would be interested.

I don't know

I think it's a neat idea, but I am not sure what to vote because I don't know what could be done with it really.

I guess I mean, what kind of game would I be playing by lowering my heartrate? Is it competitive? Like, whoever lowers their heartrate low enough and dies wins? I guess I don't understand.

Follow the link in the sig line at the bottom of this post for more info about the Sun Realm Online project, or click here for more information about the Journey to Wild Divine and biofeedback.

Or post a question, I'd be happy to try to answer it.

Neko

I am a supporter of bio-feedback based products as I believe they are beneficial to the therapeutic community...so yes I would love to see it but how much will it cost?

If you want to read what the publishers (and the press) say about the original game, click here.

I have a long draft of a proposal I'm working on which describes the Sun Realm Online project in detail. In general, no, it's not competitive. The original game is single-player, the multiplayer game would be cooperative. The goal is to learn the biofeedback techniques for stress reduction, improved heart health, etc. I don't want to make wild claims about the benefits of biofeedback, but I can say that I personally have found the original game to be extremely helpful in managing my stress (I work full time, I am in a doctoral program, I have a family, I am co-managing a community Chinese language school on the weekend, and I'm being sued -- I can use all the help managing stress that I can get.) I also can tell you that I have a benign heart arrhythmia (borderline mitral valve prolapse) which seems to be bothering me less since I started using the techniques I learned in the game.

Beyond that, I think the original game is fun, but short. As I wrote earlier, it reminds me of Myst, but instead of intellectual puzzles, there are these biofeedback challenges. (There are a few simple puzzles, as well.) There's a simple plot, somewhat New Age-y, some characters you meet, etc. But it's a single-player game as it stands, and going through the whole thing once only takes 10-12 hours. So expanding it into an online multiplayer cooperative game seems like a reasonable next step. Players would be able to learn things they could practice on their own, anywhere, using items which could be copied or bought, and players could also spend time in the Sun Realm area, meeting other people with similar interests, exchanging ideas, practicing together, cooperatively completing tasks, etc.

Did that help answer any questions? I could go on at length, but I don't want to bore people. (Really.)

Neko

I would be interested, also.

*smile* hmmm... tantric yoga in SL....

Er... I think we may have more than one project cooking here. I confess I'm too much of a prude to get involved with that... though it doesn't bother me at all if someone else wants to set it up. Plenty of room in SL for several kinds of projects using this technology.

Neko
(Just not hedonistic enough to ever be feted or inner... *sigh*)

Jeeeeeskaaaaaa! Anshe is pushing Alby's buttons again!

Ohhhh Anshe, just the way I like it.. HEhehehehehe

WOW! What an amazing project. Good Luck!

And yes, i'd definitely play

This sounds really cool.

OooOOoooO cool.

I am interested too.


fen-