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Immersion prototype headset tracks gamer rage, ramps up difficulty
Seattle-based designer Sam Matson developed a headset that tracks "gamer rage" and adjusts a custom game's difficulty to compensate for it. Dubbed "Immersion," Matson's headset uses an optical sensor that reads "minute color changes in the user's ear tissue to approximate a pulse." Matson's prototype headset includes both audio input and output channels in addition to the heart rate monitor, relaying information via bluetooth to a hacked Xbox 360 controller. He developed a custom shooter game using Unity that ramps up the difficulty as the player's heart race increases, encouraging the player to stay cool and collected. The Immersion headset isn't a commercially available product, and it's uncertain if it ever will be, but Matson does offer a few glances at the prototype model on his website.
This headset uses sensors and psychology to control gamer rage
Designer Sam Matson has a solution to gamer rage that doesn't involve throwing things at your screen. Introducing Immersion, a headset that monitors your heart rate and increases a game's difficulty the more frustrated you become. It may sound like a heart attack waiting to happen, but the point is to help you control anger rather than let it escalate. Matson designed a shooter-style game on the Unity platform, adding in the ability to interpret a player's pulse rate. Data from the headset's optical pulse sensor is sent to the game via Bluetooth, resulting in even more hopeless combat when you're getting aggravated. The inspiration behind the headset? Matson's brother, whose Call of Duty skills were sinking as he became increasingly frustrated. Immersion isn't commercially available yet -- and we're not sure how many gamers would appreciate this counterintuitive approach to minimizing anger -- but we can definitely see the headset integrating with other sensor-laden gaming tech like the Oculus Rift to track mood changes in addition to your body's movements. Check out the prototype via the source link below.
