Battle Against Your Fears: Virtual Reality Serious Games and Physiological Analysis for Phobia Treatment

Advancements in virtual reality (VR) technology have enabled its use to assist in multiple fields. This study introduces a comprehensive framework designed to support exposure therapy through a series of VR serious games and physiological monitoring. It relies on a generic architecture, allowing for the modification of VR stimuli according to different phobias (e.g., arachnophobia, acrophobia), while the remaining modules can be reused for data collection and analysis. Furthermore, the framework incorporates customizable biofeedback mechanisms that trigger specific events or adjust stimulus levels based on physiological responses. Prior to integration into the overall architecture, the proposed VR serious games underwent assessment in various events with a total of 56 participants. In addition, the framework's ability to capture diverse biosignals and synchronize them with other relevant metrics was evaluated through two user studies involving a total of 23 participants.