ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the potential benefits of indirect biofeedback used within interactive virtual environments and reflects on an earlier study that allowed for the dynamic modification of a virtual environment's graphic shaders, music and AI based on the biofeedback of the player. The aim was to determine which augmented effects aided or discouraged engagement in the game. Conversely, biofeedback can help calm down rather than stress participants and can attune them to different ways of interacting within a virtual environment. Other potential advantages of indirect biofeedback include increased personalization, thematicized object and interaction creation, atmospheric augmentation, customized filtering of information, and tracking of participants’ understanding and engagement. These features may help designers to create more intuitive virtual environments with more thematically appropriate interaction while reducing cognitive loading (the total amount of mental activity imposed on working memory at any one moment) on the participants.
