Concepts, technology, and assessment of the social music game 'Sync-in-Team'

Abstract

Music offers an excellent domain in which advanced forms of non-verbal communication can be explored. The first part of this paper introduces the research concepts behind the idea of a social interactive music game, which is based on the notions of 'embodiment' and 'mediation technology'. The second part reviews the development of the 'Sync-in-Team' game, and its assessment in four different settings, including noisy ecological settings. The third part reviews the technological backbone of the game, and the fourth part discusses further developments. A user-oriented approach, based on concepts from embodied music cognition, may offer a valid contribution to the development of novel music-driven games that foster the sense for social interaction, body movement, collaboration, and competition. © 2009 IEEE.