In efforts to attract a wider audience, videogames are beginning to incorporate adaptive gameplay mechanics. Unlike the more traditional videogame, adaptive games can cater the gaming experience to the individual user and not just a particular group of users as with the former. Affective videogames, games that respond to the user's emotional state, may hold the key to creating such gameplay mechanics. In this paper we discus how the emotion frustration may be used in the design of adaptive videogames and the ongoing research into its detection and measurement.

Biocybernetic adaptation is a form of physiological computing whereby real-time data streaming from the brain and body is used by a negative control loop to adapt the user interface. This article describes the development of an adaptive game system that is designed to maximize player engagement by utilizing changes in real-time electroencephalography (EEG) to adjust the level of game demand. The research consists of four main stages: (1) the development of a conceptual framework upon which to model the interaction between person and system; (2) the validation of the psychophysiological inference underpinning the loop; (3) the construction of a working prototype; and (4) an evaluation of the adaptive game. Two studies are reported. The first demonstrates the sensitivity of EEG power in the (frontal) theta and (parietal) alpha bands to changing levels of game demand. These variables were then reformulated within the working biocybernetic control loop designed to maximize player engagement. The second study evaluated the performance of an adaptive game of Tetris with respect to system behavior and user experience. Important issues for the design and evaluation of closed-loop interfaces are discussed.

The concept of task engagement is associated with effortful striving to reach a desired goal. This dimension is fundamental for software designed to elicit high quality performance. This paper will review the concept of task engagement, both in the psychological literature and with respect to affective computing approaches, such as biofeedback and the definition of 'flow' states. This paper will briefly describe a series of laboratory experiments designed to explore measures of task engagement based on EEG and cardiovascular measures. These experiments employed a number of manipulations to influence task engagement, e.g. performance feedback, task difficulty and financial incentives. Results demonstrated the sensitivity of EEG measures to cognitive sources of engagement (e.g. mental workload) whilst cardiovascular variables tended to respond to the motivation to achieve. We use these findings to explore how real-time monitoring of engagement may generate adaptive dynamics for software design using a computer game as an exemplar system.

The biocybernetic loop describes the data processing protocol at the heart of all physiological computing systems. The loop also encompasses the goals of the system design with respect to the anticipated impact of the adaptation on user behaviour. There are numerous challenges facing the designer of a biocybernetic loop in terms of measurement, data processing and adaptive design. These challenges are multidisciplinary in nature spanning psychology and computer science. This paper is concerned with the design process of the biocybernetic loop. A number of criteria for an effective loop are described followed by a six-stage design cycle. The challenges faced by the designer at each stage of the design process are exemplified with reference to a case study where EEG data were used to adapt a computer game.

Providing engaging interpretation resources for museum and gallery visitors may have a great impact on the overall museum visiting experience all by assisting museums in maintaining long-term relationships with their public. This paper focuses on the ways through which AR can be employed in museum and gallery settings as an interpretation medium. It also introduces a new generation of multimedia guides for the museum visit inspired by the concept of Adaptive Augmented Reality (A2R). Adaptive Augmented Reality (A2R) provides visual and acoustic augmentations that come to supplement the artefact or site viewed by a museum or gallery visitor and monitors the cognitive and affective impact of all interactions of the museum visitor both with the physical and the digital environment. The ultimate goal is to make every museum visit unique, by tailoring an Augmented Reality visit with contents that are susceptible to increase the affective impact of the augmented museum visiting experience and hence encourage intrinsic and self-motivated learning.