Plug-in to fear: game biosensors and negative physiological responses to music

Mitchell, Helen

Abstract

The games industry is beginning to embark on an ambitious journey into the world of biometric gaming in search of more exciting and immersive gaming experiences. Whether or not biometric game technologies hold the key to unlock the “ultimate gaming experience” hinges not only on technological advancements alone but also on the game industry’s understanding of physiological responses to stimuli of different kinds, and its ability to interpret physiological data in terms of indicative meaning. With reference to horror genre games and music in particular, this article reviews some of the scientific literature relating to specific physiological responses induced by “fearful” or “unpleasant” musical stimuli, and considers some of the challenges facing the games industry in its quest for the ultimate “plugged-in” experience.

Citation

Mitchell, H. (2015). Plug-in to fear: game biosensors and negative physiological responses to music. Music and the moving image, 8(1), 37-57. https://doi.org/10.5406/musimoviimag.8.1.0037

• Publication Date: 2015
• Deposit Date: Nov 12, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 23, 2017
• Journal: Music and the moving image
• Print ISSN: 2167-8464
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 37-57
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5406/musimoviimag.8.1.0037
• Keywords: Biometrics
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/381295
• Publisher URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/musimoviimag.8.1.0037?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
• Additional Information: This is the author's accepted manuscript of an article published in Music and the moving image, 2015, v.8 issue 1.
• Contract Date: Nov 23, 2017