Recent technological advances have produced countless apps and programs that can predict what you may or may not enjoy; we have apparently become too lazy to ‘browse’ whilst shopping so we have to be told what we “may also like…”
We also seem to have lost our ability to recall personal information like phone numbers and addresses, along with our ability to navigate ourselves from one location to the next.
Fortunately, now all of that is conveniently taken care of by our various handheld devices; rendering the continued atrophy of our hippocampus as harmless and innocuous a situation as global climate change.
Just in case it wasn’t already sarcastically clear, all of these so called ‘improvements’ and technological steps forward have never impressed nor interested me. In the long run things like this don’t actually change anything. They haven’t created anything new or expanded our thinking to a new level; they only serve to enable our innate tendencies of laziness and dependence.
True innovation in the technology field, however… now that is what I find entirely fascinating.
Inventions that are able to take a particular experience to the next level, while rare, are the most exciting we could ever hope for.
One of those ‘next level’ experiences is called Biofeedback Gaming.
This technology is able to detect your moment to moment physical responses, such as your heart rate, while you’re playing a game and then makes adjustments to the game accordingly.
When you start to become scared or anxious, the game will dynamically respond to your stress levels, which in turn directly affects game play.
With all of that in mind, I present to you an opportunity to not only be aware of this amazing new leap forward in gaming technology, but to also be an integral part in bringing it to life!
Nevermind, a critically-acclaimed proof-of-concept that uses biofeedback to create a uniquely haunting experience, launched a Kickstarter campaign to make the game a real nightmare for horror and adventure fans everywhere. Players ready to conquer their fears can support Nevermind here on Kickstarter.
The mystery-adventure title blends the horror genre and puzzles in a surreal, near-future setting. Players become Neuroprobers, specialized physicians who use cutting-edge technology to venture into the minds of victims devastated by psychological trauma.
Nevermind offers players an new horror gaming experience, challenging them to:
- Keep calm. The game will get harder as you get scared. It does so by reading your heart rate variability – the consistency of the duration between heartbeats.
- Solve puzzles. Players navigate the broken, chaotic minds of the deeply disturbed, coming face to face with horrors that would torment even the most calm and capable of players.
- Develop real-world skills. Learn methods by which they can manage stress and anxiety outside the game, all while uncovering the deep, dark secrets that ruptured a patients’ sanity.
Nevermind was originally conceived as a Master’s degree thesis by industry veteran Erin Reynolds, who created an innovative prototype that haunted her nights as unfinished business. After the original student team moved on, Reynolds dreamed of completing the game. Now she has voluntarily left her job in order to make Nevermindthe first game to fully leverage biofeedback science.
“I couldn’t just let Nevermind disappear into the subconscious of gamers,” said Reynolds, who is the creative director, project lead, artist and designer for Nevermind. “We want gamers to confront their fears in the dark and twisted world of Nevermind, knowing that only they can save themselves. We know with the support of new and existing fans for our Kickstarter, we’ll create a truly twisted yet meaningful game.”
“Nevermind has a lot of potential to actually help people through mindfulness techniques to manage their own stress and anxiety,” USC Creative Media & Behavioral Health Center Director Marientina Gotsis said. “I’ve been yearning for years for something like this to be put out in public. This is in tune with what we know in affective neuroscience, in terms of how the brain works, and is a very exciting experiment to combine both games and potential health benefits.”
All participants in the Kickstarter will receive a copy of the final game in addition to other rewards, including limited edition artwork, personalized art books, their name in the game’s credits, a unique bust in the Hall of Fears – where one’s own fears will be visually represented, and even a personalized mini-level designed and developed in custom Nevermind style. Nevermind has also set several stretch goals, including development for Oculus Rift and Xbox One, additional hardware support and an ever-growing list of levels and patients.
Those interested in supporting can learn more Here.
Original post: A Video Game that KNOWS When You’re Scared???
