Development of a horror game with Emotibit sensor integration for EDA measurements

This thesis endeavors to conduct a comprehensive and detailed examination, along with documentation, of the development of a virtual reality (VR) application. Additionally, it aims to explore the process involved in integrating an offline feedback loop designed for the analysis of physiological data. The primary goal of this research endeavor is to undertake the preprocessing of raw physiological data, focusing particularly on the Electrodermal Activity (EDA), which is the variation of the electrical conductance of the skin in response to sweat secretion. The EDA signal can be reflective of the intensity of our emotional state, otherwise known as emotional arousal. Our level of emotional arousal changes in response to the environment and setting we’re in – if something is scary, threatening, joyful, or otherwise emotionally relevant, then the subsequent change in emotional response that we experience also increases eccrine sweat gland activity. EDA is gathered (with a werable physiological sensor called Emotibit) from participants actively engaged in the VR experience. Notably, the VR application in question is designed to induce stress in its users. This deliberate induction of stress serves as a catalyst for the observation and analysis of variations in EDA levels, thereby illuminating potential correlations between emotional arousal and physiological responses within the VR environment. The inception of this scholarly pursuit can be traced back to the formative stages of a VR application developed during the course of an internship. This internship was undertaken at MICT imec-mict-UGent, a Research Group for Media, Innovation, and Communication Sciences at Ghent University.