This programme ran from 2008-2010 at the Pervasive Media Studio. For more projects like these please visit the Studio website.

Projects 2010

Company Profile

Remode is an independent software development studio specialising in real-time graphics and creative design, developing high-quality 3D videogames, simulations and visualisation experiences. It is an authorised developer for all game consoles and is based at Tamar Science Park in Plymouth.

Journal Authors

Ella Romanos

Martin Danby

Biofeedback in Gaming

by Remode

How can emergent biofeedback sensor technologies like heart rate monitors, be integrated into videogames and how can this enhance a gaming experience?

The videogames industry has broadened its consumer base in recent years. The success of products like Nintendo Wii have challenged what games are and what they might be, in a way that we have not seen since the Playstation revolution of the 90’s.

So whilst gesture recognition is the latest trend, what might the next one be? Key industry figures believe that biofeedback will represent the next leap.

However, how technologies are used is more important than the technologies themselves. Therefore Remode believe the next big questions are not “can biofeedback be integrated into gaming?” but “why” and “how” might this be done?

For their Media Sandbox commission, Remode created Sky Cycle, a proof-of-concept demo that allowed players to gain power-ups and other bonuses, as their heart rate increased through exercise or excitement, ultimately enhancing their experience of play.

Watch the project video

Journal Entries

Journal Entries

Journal Entry 6

Mon 10 Jan, 2011

In my last post I blogged mainly about a few of the technical hurdles we had overcome. To serve as a quick update and recap:

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Journal Entry 5

Wed 24 Nov, 2010

I am pleased to say that we have integrated the heart rate monitor with the C++ game engine. We ordered the HxM chest strap based heart monitor that connects to the computer via bluetooth. I must admit, while the hardware itself seems excellent, the fact it connects to your chest and not, say, your arm like in EA active 2, is a little annoying.

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Journal Entry 4

Fri 29 Oct, 2010

Whats new? Well I’ve recently spent some time looking into some of the technology we may need to leverage for our demo. This includes a variety of different heart rate technologies and also some gesture recognition stuff too.

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Journal Entry 3

Fri 29 Oct, 2010

Recently I have been spending time thinking about how we are going to design a study that gathers the research we need in order to effectively design a small game demo, or a collection of different mini-games. The aim of the study is to understand how people’s heart rates respond when performing specific active game activities (wii boxing, running, etc) for specific periods of time. This information could then be useful in designing an appropriate difficulty curve of an active game where heart rate is monitored.

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Journal Entry 2

Wed 13 Oct, 2010

Recently I have been investigating how to design a study that researches some of the questions posed in the aforementioned journal entry. I have been doing so with the help of a friend who is a professional academic researcher. Our concept question is currently: “What are the most effective exercise routines and conditions for a designer to incorporate heart rate biometrics into an active videogame?” Within this we have devised three sub-questions that will drive the research study.

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