Micaela Fonseca

Video games are increasingly present and are currently a dominant vehicle not only for entertainment, but also for information. This position has generated a rapid growth and consequent increase in competitiveness in the game development industry, which has required the exploration of new techniques to engage users. Considering the crucial role of emotions in this domain, an increasingly appreciated approach is the integration of psychophysiology in this context. This project is thus included in the field of psychophysiological analysis, framed within the branch of video games, and consists of the study of different actions and how they can influence emotional intensity. To understand the emotional reactions of players, two versions of a horror game in virtual reality were created, which differ in the way users interact with doors along a virtual scenario. The objective of this work is to understand if more intricate interactions can increase the intensity of human bodily reactions. Thus, to observe this potential phenomenon physiological data was acquired: electrodermal activity, electrocardiogram and respiration; in addition to self-reported questionnaires. Results showed that the version that had a more positive global evaluation by the participants was also the one that presented a higher variation in some physiological indicators, such as heart rate and respiratory signal amplitude. Despite this, no significant differences were observed between both versions, indicating that further study is necessary for any in-depth conclusions.

This paper proposes an empirical framework that aims to classify difficulty according to the player’s physiological response. As part of the experimental protocol, a simple puzzle-based Virtual Reality (VR) videogame with three levels of difficulty was developed, each targeting a distinct region of the valence-arousal space. A study involving 32 participants was conducted, during which physiological responses (EDA, ECG, Respiration), were measured alongside emotional ratings, which were self-assessed using the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) during gameplay. Statistical analysis of the self-reports verified the effectiveness of the three levels in eliciting different emotions. Furthermore, classification using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) was performed to predict difficulty considering the physiological responses associated with each level. Results report an overall F1-score of 74.05% in detecting the three levels of difficulty, which validates the adopted methodology and encourages further research with a larger dataset.

We present a targeted curricular improvement on an interdisciplinary Videogames Bachelor of Arts, to be implemented in the 2022/23 academic year. The aim is to solve student adaptation issues with the program’s interdisciplinarity that were heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Information about the paper titled "AN ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE FUTURE FOR TABLETOP GAMES AND LEARNING: PARADIGMS AND APPROACHES" at IATED Digital Library

Information about the paper titled "COVID 19 AND EMERGENCY REMOTE TEACHING: A COMPARATIVE EXPLORATORY STUDY IN PORTUGUESE AND BRAZILIAN HIGHER EDUCATION" at IATED Digital Library

Information about the paper titled "EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE DIGITAL AGE: A STUDY IN PORTUGAL" at IATED Digital Library