Focus on Cooperation: A Face-to-Face VR Serious Game for Relationship Enhancement
Authors: 
Yulong Bian, Chao Zhou, Yang Zhang, Juan Liu, Jenny Sheng, Yong-Jin LiuAuthors Info & Claims
Pages 913 - 928
Abstract
Exploring effective approaches to enhance face-to-face interactions and interpersonal relationships is an important topic in the applications of affective computing. According to the co-actualization model, we propose a face-to-face co-participation serious game for relationship enhancement, with a focus on battling COVID-19. Moreover, a prototype system is developed using an immersive virtual environment and a low-cost brain-computer interface. Through this system, a dynamic flow experience enhancement tool is utilized to involve partners in the cooperative task. To evaluate the system performance, two studies are conducted with schoolmates as participants. Study 1 compares the cooperative and competitive modes, and demonstrates that the former elicited higher level of decision-making challenge and affections, which are beneficial for forming relationships. Study 2 further examines the effect of the dynamic flow enhancement tool in the cooperative task and the results show its effectiveness in promoting flow experience, perceived closeness, and intimacy in relationships. Given this short-term participation, participants felt a greater sense of closeness and intimacy than they had before the test. In conclusion, our proposed system is effective in enhancing schoolmate relationships.
References
[1]
N. Kiuru, M.-T. Wang, K. Salmela-Aro, L. Kannas, T. Ahonen, and R. Hirvonen, “Associations between adolescents’ interpersonal relationships, school well-being, and academic achievement during educational transitions,” J. Youth Adolescence, vol. 49, no. 5, pp. 1057–1072, 2020.
[2]
J. Pearson and L. Wilkinson, “Family relationships and adolescent well-being: Are families equally protective for same-sex attracted youth?,” J. Youth Adolescence, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 376–393, 2013.
[3]
C. J. Tucker, S. M. McHale, and A. C. Crouter, “Conflict resolution: Links with adolescents’ family relationships and individual well-being,” J. Fam. Issues, vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 715–736, 2003.
[4]
M. Rezaiee Ahvanuiee et al., “The effect of relationship enhancement on solving dimensions of work-family conflict,” Prev. Care Nurs. Midwifery J., vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 8–17, 2017.
[5]
K. J. Fellows, H.-Y. Chiu, E. J. Hill, and A. J. Hawkins, “Work–family conflict and couple relationship quality: A. meta-analytic study,” J. Fam. Econ. Issues, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 509–518, 2016.
[6]
K. Knoster, H. A. Howard, A. K. Goodboy, and M. R. Dillow, “Spousal interference and relational turbulence during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Commun. Res. Rep., vol. 37, no. 5, pp. 254–262, 2020.
[7]
D. H. Solomon, L. K. Knobloch, J. A. Theiss, and R. M. McLaren, “Relational turbulence theory: Explaining variation in subjective experiences and communication within romantic relationships,” Hum. Commun. Res., vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 507–532, 2016.
[8]
S. L. Mikucki-Enyart and K. C. Maguire, “Introduction to the special issue on family communication in the COVID-19 pandemic,” J. Fam. Commun., vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 145–151, 2021.
[9]
J. Chen and X. Zhou, “Within-family patterns of intergenerational emotional closeness and psychological well-being of older parents in China,” Aging Ment. Health, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 711–719, 2021.
[10]
R. Motschnig-Pitrik and G. Barrett-Lennard, “Co-actualization: A new construct in understanding well-functioning relationships,” J. Humanistic Psychol., vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 374–398, 2010.
[11]
A. Voinescu, P. L. Morgan, C. Alford, and P. Caleb-Solly, “Investigating older adults’ preferences for functions within a human-machine interface designed for fully autonomous vehicles,” in Proc. Int. Conf. Hum. Aspects IT Aged Popul., Springer, 2018, pp. 445–462.
[12]
H. S. Cho and M. Hahn, “A system for enhancing relationship between intimate group members with story,” in Proc. Int. Symp. Ubiquitous Virtual Reality, 2009, pp. 55–58.
[13]
R. Dey and J. Konert, “Content generation for serious games,” in Entertainment Computing and Serious Games. Berlin, Germany: Springer, 2016, pp. 174–188.
[14]
D. Velev and P. Zlateva, “Virtual reality challenges in education and training,” Int. J. Learn. Teach., vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 33–37, 2017.
[15]
H. J. Smith and M. Neff, “Communication behavior in embodied virtual reality,” in Proc. CHI Conf. Hum. Factors Comput. Syst., 2018, pp. 1–12.
[16]
R. De Luca et al., “Innovative use of virtual reality in autism spectrum disorder: A case-study,” Appl. Neuropsychol.: Child, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 90–100, 2021.
[17]
L. L. Pecchioni and S. Osmanovic, “Play it again, grandma: Effect of intergenerational video gaming on family closeness,” in Proc. Int. Conf. Hum. Aspects IT Aged Popul., Springer, 2018, pp. 518–531.
[18]
X. Ye, H. Ning, P. Backlund, and J. Ding, “Flow experience detection and analysis for game users by wearable-devices-based physiological responses capture,” IEEE Internet Things J., vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 1373–1387, Feb. 2021.
[19]
M. Csikszentmihalyi, Beyond Boredom and Anxiety. San Francisco, CA, USA: Jossey-Bass, 2000.
[20]
K. Kiili, T. Lainema, S. de Freitas, and S. Arnab, “Flow framework for analyzing the quality of educational games,” Entertainment Comput., vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 367–377, 2014.
[21]
S. Lee, W. Kim, T. Park, and W. Peng, “The psychological effects of playing exergames: A systematic review,” Cyberpsychol., Behavior, Soc. Netw., vol. 20, no. 9, pp. 513–532, 2017.
[22]
M. Lux, “The circle of contact: A. neuroscience view on the formation of relationships,” in Interdisciplinary Handbook of the Person-Centered Approach. Berlin, Germany: Springer, 2013, pp. 79–93.
[23]
A. Bland, Self-Actualization and Co-Actualization. Millersville, PA, USA: Millersville University, 2023.
[24]
N. Krause, Social Support. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier, 2011, pp. 272–294.
[25]
B. E. Kok et al., “How positive emotions build physical health: Perceived positive social connections account for the upward spiral between positive emotions and vagal tone,” Psychol. Sci., vol. 24, no. 7, pp. 1123–1132, 2013.
[26]
A. Ikporukpo, “Enhancing friendship-making ability of peer rejected adolescents through social skills training,” IFE PsychologIA: Int. J., vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 157–167, 2015.
[27]
Y.-Y. Chao, Y. K. Scherer, and C. A. Montgomery, “Effects of using nintendo wii™ exergames in older adults: A review of the literature,” J. Aging Health, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 379–402, 2015.
[28]
O. K. Burmeister, M. Bernoth, E. Dietsch, and M. Cleary, “Enhancing connectedness through peer training for community-dwelling older people: A person centred approach,” Issues Ment. Health Nurs., vol. 37, no. 6, pp. 406–411, 2016.
[29]
S. Osmanovic and L. Pecchioni, “Family matters: The role of intergenerational gameplay in successful aging,” in Proc. Int. Conf. Hum. Aspects IT Aged Popul., Springer, 2016, pp. 352–363.
[30]
W. Rita, L. Peng, A. H. Chan, P.-L. Teh, and L. Y. Lam, “Attitudes and perceptions of older chinese people in Hong Kong towards silver gaming,” in Proc. Int. Conf. Hum. Aspects IT Aged Popul., Springer, 2018, pp. 571–586.
[31]
I. Heldal, L. Bråthe, A. Steed, and R. Schroeder, “Analyzing fragments of collaboration in distributed immersive virtual environments,” in Avatars Work Play, Berlin, Germany: Springer, 2006, pp. 97–130.
[32]
A. H. Hoppe, R. Reeb, F. van de Camp, and R. Stiefelhagen, “Interaction of distant and local users in a collaborative virtual environment,” in Proc. Int. Conf. Virtual, Augmented Mixed Reality, Springer, 2018, pp. 328–337.
[33]
C. Wienrich, K. Schindler, N. Döllinqer, S. Kock, and O. Traupe, “Social presence and cooperation in large-scale multi-user virtual reality-the relevance of social interdependence for location-based environments,” in Proc. IEEE Conf. Virtual Reality 3D User Interfaces, 2018, pp. 207–214.
[34]
L. E. Buck, J. J. Rieser, G. Narasimham, and B. Bodenheimer, “Interpersonal affordances and social dynamics in collaborative immersive virtual environments: Passing together through apertures,” IEEE Trans. Visual. Comput. Graph., vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 2123–2133, May 2019.
[35]
P. Sweetser and P. Wyeth, “Gameflow: A model for evaluating player enjoyment in games,” Comput. Entertainment, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 3–3, 2005.
[36]
M. Csikszentmihalyi and M. Csikzentmihaly, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York, NY, USA: Harper & Row, 1990.
[37]
Y. Bian et al., “A framework for physiological indicators of flow in vr games: Construction and preliminary evaluation,” Pers. Ubiquitous Comput., vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 821–832, 2016.
[38]
R. A. Doherty and P. Sorenson, “Keeping users in the flow: Mapping system responsiveness with user experience,” Procedia Manuf., vol. 3, pp. 4384–4391, 2015.
[39]
R. Berta, F. Bellotti, A. De Gloria, D. Pranantha, and C. Schatten, “Electroencephalogram and physiological signal analysis for assessing flow in games,” IEEE Trans. Comput. Intell. AI Games, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 164–175, Jun. 2013.
[40]
C.-C. Wang and M.-C. Hsu, “An exploratory study using inexpensive electroencephalography (EEG) to understand flow experience in computer-based instruction,” Inf. Manage., vol. 51, no. 7, pp. 912–923, 2014.
[41]
R. Rissler, M. Nadj, M. X. Li, M. T. Knierim, and A. Maedche, “Got flow? using machine learning on physiological data to classify flow,” in Proc. Extended Abstr. CHI Conf. Hum. Factors Comput. Syst., 2018, pp. 1–6.
[42]
M. Maier, D. Elsner, C. Marouane, M. Zehnle, and C. Fuchs, “Deepflow: Detecting optimal user experience from physiological data using deep neural networks,” in Proc. 18th Int. Conf. Auton. Agents MultiAgent Syst., 2019, pp. 2108–2110.
[43]
S.-F. Wu, Y.-L. Lu, and C.-J. Lien, “Detecting students’ flow states and their construct through electroencephalogram: Reflective flow experiences, balance of challenge and skill, and sense of control,” J. Educ. Comput. Res., vol. 58, no. 8, pp. 1515–1540, 2021.
[44]
I. R. Berson, M. J. Berson, A. M. Carnes, and C. R. Wiedeman, “Excursion into empathy: Exploring prejudice with virtual reality,” Soc. Educ., vol. 82, no. 2, pp. 96–100, 2018.
[45]
S. Bouchard and A. Rizzo, Virtual Reality for Psychological and Neurocognitive Interventions. Berlin, Germany: Springer, 2019.
[46]
K. Kilteni, R. Groten, and M. Slater, “The sense of embodiment in virtual reality,” Presence: Teleoperators Virtual Environ., vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 373–387, 2012.
[47]
M. Gonzalez-Franco and T. C. Peck, “Avatar embodiment. towards a standardized questionnaire,” Front. Robot. AI, vol. 5, 2018, Art. no.
[48]
Y. Pan and A. Steed, “The impact of self-avatars on trust and collaboration in shared virtual environments,” PLoS One, vol. 12, no. 12, 2017, Art. no.
[49]
M. K. Young, J. J. Rieser, and B. Bodenheimer, “Dyadic interactions with avatars in immersive virtual environments: High fiving,” in Proc. ACM SIGGRAPH Symp. Appl. Percep., 2015, pp. 119–126.
[50]
K. Isbister, How Games Move Us: Emotion by Design. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press, 2016.
[51]
H. J. Conradi, P. Dingemanse, A. Noordhof, C. Finkenauer, and J. H. Kamphuis, “Effectiveness of the ‘hold me tight’relationship enhancement program in a self-referred and a clinician-referred sample: An emotionally focused couples therapy-based approach,” Fam. Process, vol. 57, no. 3, pp. 613–628, 2018.
[52]
G. A. M. Vasiljevic and L. C. de Miranda, “Brain–computer interface games based on consumer-grade EEG devices: A systematic literature review,” Int. J. Hum.–Comput. Interact., vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 105–142, 2020.
[53]
J. Xu and B. Zhong, “Review on portable eeg technology in educational research,” Comput. Hum. Behav., vol. 81, pp. 340–349, 2018.
[54]
G. U. Navalyal and R. D. Gavas, “A dynamic attention assessment and enhancement tool using computer graphics,” Hum.-Centric Comput. Inf. Sci., vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 1–7, 2014.
[55]
K. Patel, H. Shah, M. Dcosta, and D. Shastri, “Evaluating neurosky's single-channel EEG sensor for drowsiness detection,” in Proc. Int. Conf. Hum.- Comput. Interact., Springer, 2017, pp. 243–250.
[56]
Y. Ran et al., “Animating portrait line drawings from a single face photo and a speech signal,” in Proc. ACM Special Int. Group Comput. Graph. Interactive Techn. Conf., 2022.
[57]
J. Li et al., “Study on horse-rider interaction based on body sensor network in competitive equitation,” IEEE Trans. Affective Comput., vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 553–567, First Quarter 2019.
[58]
NeuroSky's eSense™ meters and detection of mental state, NeuroSky Inc., White Paper, 2009.
[59]
G. Rebolledo-Mendez et al., “Assessing neurosky's usability to detect attention levels in an assessment exercise,” in Proc. Int. Conf. Hum.- Comput. Interact., Springer, 2009, pp. 149–158.
[60]
C.-M. Chen and C.-H. Wu, “Effects of different video lecture types on sustained attention, emotion, cognitive load, and learning performance,” Comput. Educ., vol. 80, pp. 108–121, 2015.
[61]
G. D. Ellis, J. E. Voelkl, and C. Morris, “Measurement and analysis issues with explanation of variance in daily experience using the flow model,” J. Leisure Res., vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 337–356, 1994.
[62]
L. E. Nacke and C. A. Lindley, “Affective ludology, flow and immersion in a first-person shooter: Measurement of player experience,” 2010,.
[63]
M. Csikszentmihalyi and R. Larson, Flow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology. Berlin, Germany: Springer, 2014, vol. 10.
[64]
J. Chen, “Flow in games (and everything else),” Commun. ACM, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 31–34, 2007.
[65]
S. E. Engeser, Advances in Flow Research. Berlin, Germany: Springer Science Business Media, 2012.
[66]
B. Cuthbert, J. Kristeller, R. Simons, R. Hodes, and P. J. Lang, “Strategies of arousal control: Biofeedback, meditation, and motivation,” J. Exp. Psychol.: Gen., vol. 110, no. 4, 1981, Art. no.
[67]
A. Denisova, P. Cairns, C. Guckelsberger, and D. Zendle, “Measuring perceived challenge in digital games: Development & validation of the challenge originating from recent gameplay interaction scale (CORGIS),” Int. J. Hum.- Comput. Stud., vol. 137, 2020, Art. no.
[68]
L. E. Flores Jr and H. Berenbaum, “Desire for emotional closeness moderates the effectiveness of the social regulation of emotion,” Pers. Individual Differences, vol. 53, no. 8, pp. 952–957, 2012.
[69]
P. Wang et al., “Haptic feedback helps me? a VR-SAR remote collaborative system with tangible interaction,” Int. J. Hum.–Comput. Interact., vol. 36, no. 13, pp. 1242–1257, 2020.
[70]
L. E. Flores Jr and H. Berenbaum, “Desired emotional closeness moderates the prospective relations between levels of perceived emotional closeness and psychological distress,” J. Soc. Clin. Psychol., vol. 33, no. 8, pp. 673–700, 2014.
[71]
D. Watson, L. A. Clark, and A. Tellegen, “Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The panas scales,” J. Pers. Soc. Psychol., vol. 54, no. 6, 1988, Art. no.
[72]
B. Prajapati, M. Dunne, and R. Armstrong, “Sample size estimation and statistical power analyses,” Optometry Today, vol. 16, no. 7, pp. 10–18, 2010.
[73]
J. P. Tangney and R. L. Dearing, Shame and Guilt. New York, NY, USA: Guilford Press, 2003.
[74]
K. P. Leith and R. F. Baumeister, “Empathy, shame, guilt, and narratives of interpersonal conflicts: Guilt-prone people are better at perspective taking,” J. Pers., vol. 66, no. 1, pp. 1–37, 1998.
[75]
I. J. Roseman, C. Wiest, and T. S. Swartz, “Phenomenology, behaviors, and goals differentiate discrete emotions,” J. Pers. Soc. Psychol., vol. 67, no. 2, p. 206, 1994.
[76]
B. H. Schneider, K. Dixon, and S. Udvari, “Closeness and competition in the inter-ethnic and co-ethnic friendships of early adolescents in toronto and montreal,” J. Early Adolescence, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 115–138, 2007.
[77]
Y. Bian, C. Zhou, Y. Chen, Y. Zhao, J. Liu, and C. Yang, “The role of the field dependence-independence construct on the flow-performance link in virtual reality,” in Proc. Symp. Interactive 3D Graph. Games, 2020, pp. 1–9.
[78]
Y. Bian et al., “Exploring the weak association between flow experience and performance in virtual environments,” in Proc. CHI Conf. Hum. Factors Comput. Syst., 2018, pp. 1–12.
[79]
D.-H. Shin, F. Biocca, and H. Choo, “Exploring the user experience of three-dimensional virtual learning environments,” Behav. Inf. Technol., vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 203–214, 2013.
[80]
J. Fujisawa, H. Touyama, and M. Hirose, “EEG-based navigation of immersing virtual environment using common spatial patterns,” in Proc. IEEE Virtual Reality Conf., 2008, pp. 251–252.
[81]
H. Si-Mohammed et al., “Detecting system errors in virtual reality using EEG through error-related potentials,” in Proc. IEEE Conf. Virtual Reality 3D User Interfaces, 2020, pp. 653–661.
[82]
S. Creighton and A. Szymkowiak, “The effects of cooperative and competitive games on classroom interaction frequencies,” Procedia-Soc. Behav. Sci., vol. 140, pp. 155–163, 2014.
[83]
B. Zan and C. Hildebrandt, “First graders’ interpersonal understanding during cooperative and competitive games,” Early Educ. Develop., vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 397–410, 2003.
[84]
K. Katahira, Y. Yamazaki, C. Yamaoka, H. Ozaki, S. Nakagawa, and N. Nagata, “EEG correlates of the flow state: A combination of increased frontal theta and moderate frontocentral alpha rhythm in the mental arithmetic task,” Front. Psychol., vol. 9, 2018, Art. no.
[85]
C. Aubé, E. Brunelle, and V. Rousseau, “Flow experience and team performance: The role of team goal commitment and information exchange,” Motivation Emotion, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 120–130, 2014.
[86]
L. K. Kaye, “Exploring flow experiences in cooperative digital gaming contexts,” Comput. Hum. Behav., vol. 55, pp. 286–291, 2016.
Index Terms
- Focus on Cooperation: A Face-to-Face VR Serious Game for Relationship Enhancement
Index terms have been assigned to the content through auto-classification.
Recommendations
Analysis of Relationship between Face-to-Face Collaborative Learning and CSCL Activities
ICCE '02: Proceedings of the International Conference on Computers in EducationIn this paper, we focus on the relationship between learners' activity/attitude in face-to-face communication (FTF) and that in Computer-mediated communication (CMC) using distributed Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (dCSCL). In general, even ...
Experience of emotion in face to face and computer-mediated social interactions
The present study compared the experience of emotion in social interactions that take place face to face (FtF), co-presently, and those that take place online, in computer-mediated communications (CMC). For a period of ten days participants reported how ...
Small-group face-to-face discussions in the classroom: a new direction of CSCL research
CSCL'07: Proceedings of the 8th iternational conference on Computer supported collaborative learningThis paper presents a relatively new direction of CSCL research: small-group learning in the classroom. This research direction has received relatively little attention within the CSCL community. In this paper we explore the possibilities of ...
Comments
Please enable JavaScript to view thecomments powered by Disqus.Information & Contributors
Information
Published In
1949-3045 © 2023 IEEE. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission. See https://www.ieee.org/publications/rights/index.html for more information.
Publisher
IEEE Computer Society Press
Washington, DC, United States
Publication History
Published: 17 August 2023
Qualifiers
- Research-article
Contributors
Other Metrics
Bibliometrics & Citations
Bibliometrics
Article Metrics
- 0Total Citations
- 0Total Downloads
- Downloads (Last 12 months)0
- Downloads (Last 6 weeks)0
Reflects downloads up to 21 Dec 2024