The MEG21 Unified Model for Modern Electronic Games of the 21st Century based on Electroencephalography-controlled Brain-Computer Interface

The rapid advancement of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology has facilitated its employment in non-clinical contexts, including games. Electroencephalography (EEG)-controlled games merge the benefits of both fields, as they can be employed in both serious and entertainment contexts due to their ludic and engaging nature, in addition to being accessible to people with physical disabilities. Despite these benefits and the overlapping of different fields, there is still a lack of representational schemes for these games, as current theoretical models can only represent BCI systems and games separately. This work introduces a unified model for games that use EEG-based BCI controls, assisting researchers in effectively developing and analyzing such games by providing a framework for instantiating their abstract, structural and functional components. Its utility and representativeness were evaluated using a selection of EEG-controlled games from existing literature, which demonstrated the model’s effectiveness in classifying and detailing these games. Recurring attributes and descriptive values were also identified and organized based on the sample studies, showing how the components of the model could represent the functioning and structure of EEG-based games.