In our new approach, we started to develop simple prototypes to show our ideas. For instance, we want to decrease stress levels of the psychotic, and help them communicate with people as well. We made a stress ball, that relieves the user´s stress by pressing it, but also lets the user communicate with other people, through vibrations and light signals. We built the prototype using LittleBits, LEDs, a bending sensor and a vibration mechanism.
We also want to explore simple concentration games; they keep the mind occupied and motivate the user to engage in the game. We started by exploring the Simon Says memory game. In this game, the user has to repeat a color sequence that is generated by the game itself. The sequence will get longer and longer, and the longer the user can replicate the sequence, the higher his score will be. We made a version in Scratch and used MakeyMakey to build the interface. Currently, we are working on a multiplayer version of this game.
More information here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Says
http://scratch.mit.edu/
http://www.makeymakey.com/
Another prototype we are working on is a game, in which the difficulty is controlled by the breathing of the user. The game starts normally, but gradually gets harder/more chaotic. In order to control the chaos in the game, the user needs to breathe calmly. The game motivates the player to control his breath and stress level. In the prototype, we shall induce the difficulty of the game by gradually lowering the contrast of the video screen.
See you!
Games4Therapy