4 research outputs found
Towards empathic neurofeedback for interactive storytelling
Interactive Narrative is a form of digital entertainment based on AI techniques which support narrative
generation and user interaction. Despite recent progress in the field, there is still a lack of unified models
integrating narrative generation, user response and interaction.
This paper addresses this issue by revisiting existing Interactive Narrative paradigms, granting explicit
status to users’ disposition towards story characters. We introduce a novel Brain-Computer Interface
(BCI) design, which attempts to capture empathy for the main character in a way that is compatible with
filmic theories of emotion.
Results from two experimental studies with a fully-implemented system demonstrate the effectiveness
of a neurofeedback-based approach, showing that subjects can successfully modulate their emotional
support for a character who is confronted with challenging situations. A preliminary fMRI analysis also
shows activation during user interaction, in regions of the brain associated with emotional control
Virtual Agents in Brain-Computer Interfaces
International audienceThe recent development of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) for Virtual Worlds has resulted in a growing interest in realistic visual feedback. In this paper, we investigate the potential role of Virtual Agents in neurofeedback (NF) systems, which constitute an important paradigm for BCI. We discuss the potential of virtual agents to contribute to the success of NF in the specific context of affective BCI. Throughout the paper, we illustrate our presentation with two fully implemented NF prototypes featuring virtual agents. The first is an interactive narrative in which the user empathises with the feature character; the second, an emotion regulation system in which virtual crowd behaviour becomes a metaphor for arousal, as the user attempts to down-regulate their affective state