A RESEARCH PROPOSAL: The effects of a biofeedback-based dynamic game difficulty balancing mechanism that works in parallel with the fight/flight response on flow-state and desire to play again in video games.
Published on May 1, 2025
1. TITLE
The effects of a biofeedback-based dynamic game difficulty balancing mechanism that works in parallel with the fight/flight response on flow-state and desire to play again in video games.
2. INTRODUCTION
As Homo sapiens, although less frequently than in the past, we still occasionally experience moments when our fight or flight response is triggered in daily life. During these moments, due to stimulation of our sympathetic nervous system, many "human" skills are strengthened. For example, adrenal glands secrete adrenaline to prepare the body to respond to danger: coronary vessels expand, blood flow increases, oxygen and energy availability in cardiac myocytes increase, oxygen in skeletal muscle cells increases, circulation facilitates blood passage to skeletal muscles and the brain, oxygen delivery to metabolically active cells increases, and our senses become sharper—hearing and sight improve, large muscle masses enable faster running through release of metabolic energy, etc. (D. A. Padgett, et al. 2003) However, unlike our ancestors, life-threatening moments are no longer the only triggers; video games can simulate these moments and cause us to experience similar mental processes from our seats. (Gentile et al., 2017) But do we gain an advantage when our sympathetic nerves are stimulated while playing games, as in real life? What are the consequences if we do?