Online gaming has become an integral part of many people’s lives, offering entertainment, social connection, and even competitive outlets. Yet, for all the social interactions they allow, online games often lack the personal touch of face-to-face communication. This is where exciting new research comes in. During this research, they seek to bridge that gap by sharing biosignals, such as heart rate, between players gameplay. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Tsukuba and other institutions, explores how sharing these real-time biosignals can enhance the feeling of social presence in online gaming, making players feel more connected to each other.
At its core, this research explores whether the addition of personal, physiological data like heart rate can make online gaming feel more like playing together in person. Social presence is a term used to describe how much you feel like you’re “there” with someone, even when you aren’t physically together. It’s more than just being able to communicate; it’s about feeling someone else’s emotions, reactions, and energy, which are the things that are hard to pick up on in digital environments. With this in mind, the researchers set out to see if biosignals could make that virtual connection feel more real.
The concept is relatively simple but powerful. The study used heart rate monitors to capture players’ heartbeats and then shared that data between gaming partners in real-time. Each player could see their partner’s heart rate displayed on their screen, giving them a glimpse into the other person’s physiological state, whether they were calm, excited, or stressed. These heart rates were displayed as an overlay on the screen, either as a pulsating ring around the player’s avatar or alongside a live video feed of their partner’s face.
The results of the study were promising. The researchers found that players who shared their heart rate with each other felt a stronger sense of social presence compared to those who didn’t. Surprisingly, when the heart rate was combined with live video, the sense of connection was even more significant. According to the team, this suggests that biosignals can play an important role in making virtual interactions feel more real and personal.
Dr. Modar Hassan, one of the lead researchers, explains: “We hypothesized that sharing biosignals could enhance the perception of social presence. What we found was that this simple act of sharing real-time physiological information, like heart rate, could make players feel more emotionally connected, even when playing online games with strangers.” This finding has significant implications, especially as more and more of our social interactions happen in virtual spaces.
One of the key takeaways from the research is that the heart rate overlay didn’t just affect the players’ feelings of connection. Additionally, it also changed the way they interacted with each other during the game. Players became more aware of their partner’s emotional state and were often able to tell when their partner was getting excited or stressed. This added layer of information helped foster empathy and awareness, which are often missing in online interactions. As Dr. Hassan noted, “The heart rate overlay allowed players to perceive the emotional state of their partner in a way that is typically absent in online communication. It’s like sharing a little piece of your inner self with the other player.”
Interestingly, the research also found that the impact of sharing biosignals wasn’t just limited to heart rate. While this study focused on heart rate due to its simplicity and availability, the researchers suggest that other biosignals, such as muscle activity or even brainwaves, could potentially be used in similar ways. However, heart rate was chosen because it is closely tied to emotional states like excitement, nervousness, and calmness, all of which are common in competitive gaming. “Heart rate is something that everyone can relate to,” said Maxwell Kennard, a co-author of the study. “When you see your partner’s heart rate spike during a critical moment in the game, you instantly know what they’re feeling, and that makes the experience more immersive.”
Another interesting finding was how players reacted differently to the information depending on the intensity of the game. During high-stakes moments, such as a near-goal in a soccer match, players paid closer attention to the heart rate overlay and were more likely to adjust their own behavior based on their partner’s physiological state. This suggests that the shared biosignal had a direct influence on how players engaged with each other, particularly in high-pressure situations.
However, the research also highlighted some limitations. Not all players found the heart rate data easy to interpret, especially when it was displayed without video. While combining heart rate data with video feeds produced the strongest sense of social connection, heart rate alone was not always as effective. This could be because players might not have enough context to understand what the heart rate changes mean without visual cues from their partner. As the researchers point out, “The combination of video and biosignals was more effective in creating a sense of social presence because the facial expressions helped players understand the emotional context of the heart rate changes.”
Looking forward, the implications of this study are broad and exciting. While the focus was on online gaming, the technology could easily be applied to other forms of digital communication. Imagine video calls where you can sense the other person’s emotional state through their biosignals, or social media platforms where users can share not just what they’re doing but how they’re feeling physically. These developments could lead to a more emotionally rich and empathetic form of digital communication.
Moreover, this research opens the door to future studies that explore other forms of biosignal sharing or even combine them with different types of feedback, like haptic (touch-based) responses. As Dr. Hassan notes, “We’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible with biosignal sharing. The potential to create more meaningful and connected virtual experiences is immense.”
Citation: Hassan, M., Kennard, M., Yoshitake, S., Ishac, K., Takahashi, S., Kim, S., Matsui, T., Hirokawa, M., & Suzuki, K. (2024). Augmenting the sense of social presence in online video games through the sharing of biosignals. IEEE Access, 12, 98977-98989. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3429247
