P.E.T.R.A: Persuasive Environment for Tracking and Regulating Arousal and Valence in Virtual Reality

The rising prevalence of gambling, particularly in digital formats, demands innovative approaches to understanding and mitigating Gambling Disorder (GD). Virtual Reality (VR), with its immersive and interactive potential, offers a unique platform to explore the complex interplay of psychological and environmental factors contributing to impulsive gambling behaviors. This research introduces P.E.T.R.A. (Persuasive Environment for Tracking and Regulating Arousal), a novel VR-based environment designed as an amusement park simulation. P.E.T.R.A combines elements inspired by electronic gambling machines (EGMs) with gamification mechanics to study and modulate emotional arousal and valence. Using the Circumplex Model of Emotion, P.E.T.R.A. tracks and analyzes affective states in real-time, providing insights into impulsive decision-making. Preliminary results validate P.E.T.R.A.’s capability to evoke realistic emotional responses and inform future interventions, particularly for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This work aims at demonstrating the potential of VR technologies for GD research, prevention, and therapeutic applications.