Emohance: Real-time Emotional Amplification in Gaming via Physiological Vibratory Feedback

Vibratory feedback, when applied during emotion-ally charged scenes in movies and music, has been shown to intensify viewer experiences. Previous methodologies primarily relied on pre-determined timings based on audiovisual content, rendering them less effective for interactive media. This study introduces a new approach that triggers vibratory feedback in real-time, guided by the viewer's physiological responses, aiming to amplify emotional experiences. We executed a user study involving ten participants who engaged in a treasure-hunting game. Vibratory feedback was administered to their upper bodies in instances deemed emotionally arousing, as indicated by their skin conductance responses (SCR) during gameplay. Compar-ative analysis of sessions with and without vibratory feedback revealed that vibrations significantly enhanced subjective feelings of anger and excitement. Moreover, vibrations led to a notable increase in the number of peaks and standard deviation of SCR signals, substantiating the efficacy of vibratory feedback in enriching emotional experiences. The findings affirm the potential of leveraging users' physiological signals to enhance emotional responses in interactive content. This advancement holds promise for a wide range of applications, particularly in personalizing emotional experiences in dynamic scenarios shaped by user interactions.