Affective Design Patterns in Computer Games. Scrollrunner Case Study

Abstract

A new dimension in human-computer interaction, that can be used to improve the user experience, is the emotional state of the user. This is the domain of the affective computing paradigm. In our work we focus on the applications of affective techniques in the area of the design of video games. We assume that a change in the affective condition of a player can be detected based of the monitoring of physiological signals following the James-Lange theory of emotions. We propose the use of game design patterns introduced by Bjork and Holopainen to build games. We identify a set of patterns that can be considered affective. Then we demonstrate how these patterns can be used in a design of a scroll-runner game. We address the problem of the calibration of measurements in order to reflect responses of individual users. We also provide results of practical experiments to verify our approach.