ASSESSMENT OF COMPUTER GAMES

• US 20100056276A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Neuro-Insight Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Neuroinsight Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silberstein, Richard Bernard
• Application Number:
  US12/520,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20100056276A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/16 Devices for psychotechnics using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00; Testing reaction times ; Devices for evaluating the psychological state
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/245 specially adapted for magnetoencephalographic [MEG] signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/377 using evoked responses
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6009 for importing or creating game content, e.g. authoring tools during game development, adapting content to different platforms, use of a scripting language to create content

Abstract

A method of improving a computer game, the method including the steps of: (a) causing a player to play the computer game in which various game situations are presented to the player during the course of the game; (b) recording game situation parameters corresponding to the various game situations of step (a); (c) determining brain activity of the player during each of the game situations which are presented to the player; (d) evaluating effectiveness of the game situation parameters by reference to brain activities determined in step (c) for each of the game situation parameters recorded in step (b); and (e) improving the game by eliminating or modifying those game situations which have low levels of brain activity as determined in step (d).

Claims

1. A method of improving a computer game, the method including the steps of:

(a) causing a player to play the computer game in which various game situations are presented to the player during the course of the game;

(b) recording game situation parameters corresponding to the various game situations of step (a);

(c) determining brain activity of the player during each of the game situations which are presented to the player;

(d) evaluating effectiveness of the game situation parameters by reference to brain activities determined in step (c) for each of the game situation parameters recorded in step (b); and

(e) improving the game by eliminating or modifying those game situations which have low levels of brain activity as determined in step (d).

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the brain activities determined in step (c) are averaged for each game situation parameter.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein step (a) is performed by a plurality of players and step (c) includes the steps of averaging the brain activities of the players.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein step (c) is carried out by determining gamma or high frequency EEG or MEG activity.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein step (c) is carried out by detecting EEG or MEG activity in the frequency range 8 to 13 Hz.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein step (c) is carried out by assessment of the phase of steady state visually evoked potentials (SSVEP) in EEG signals obtained from the players or by assessment of steady state visually evoked responses (SSVER) in MEG signals obtained from the players.

7. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein step (c) includes the steps of placing electrodes at scalp sites to obtain output EEG signals which enable assessment of:

engagement with the game situations;

attraction associated with the game situations;

emotional intensity associated with the game situations; and

/or

long term memory encoding associated with the game situations.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 including the step of applying a sinusoidally varying visual flicker stimulus to each player during step (c) to thereby enable calculation of Fourier coefficients from said output signals to thereby enable calculation of said SSVEP amplitudes and/or phase differences.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said SSVEP amplitude and phase are calculated by the equations:

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 including the steps of:

obtaining EEG signals from a plurality of scalp sites of each player; and

utilising inverse mapping techniques such as BESA, EMSA or LORETA to produce modified EEG signals which represent activity in deeper regions of the brain of each subject such as the orbito-frontal cortex or the ventro-medial cortex.

11. A method as claimed in claim 9 or 10 including the step of averaging the Fourier coefficients A_n and B_n for a selected group of players and then calculating the SSVEP amplitudes and SSVEP phase differences for said group of players.

12. A method as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 11 wherein the flicker signal is applied only to the peripheral vision of each player.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 including the steps of directing the flicker signal towards the eyes of each player via first and second screens and wherein each screen includes an opaque area, and wherein the method further includes the step of positioning the screens to the relative position of each player such that said opaque areas prevent said flicker signal impinging on the fovea of each eye of each player.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the opacity of each screen decreases as a function of distance from its opaque area so that the intensity of the flicker signal impinging on each retina of each player decreases in value from the central vision to the peripheral vision.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 including the step of applying a masking pattern to each screen to define the opacity thereof, the method including the step of applying the pattern in accordance with a masking pattern function which provides zero or low gradients for changes in opacity adjacent to its opaque area and peripheral areas thereof which define parts of the flicker signal impinging on the peripheral vision of each player.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein the opaque area of each screen is circular and wherein the masking pattern function is selected to be a Gaussian function, so that the opacity P of the screen is defined by the equation:

P=e<sup>−

(r−

R)2/G2</sup>

where;

r is the radial distance from the centre of the opaque area; and

G is a parameter that determines the rate of fall-off of opacity with radial distance, and wherein when r<

R, P=1.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein G has a value in the range R/4 and 2R.

18. A method as claimed in claim 9 including the step of applying an electrode to the scalp of each player at a site which is approximately equidistant from sites O₂, P₄ and T₆, calculating SSVEP amplitudes and phase differences from EEG signals from said electrode whereby the output signals indicate each player'"'"'s emotional intensity associated with the game situations or game situation parameters.

19. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the step of utilising inverse mapping determines brain activity in the right cerebral cortex in the vicinity of the right parieto-temporal junction whereby the output signals indicate each player'"'"'s emotional intensity associated with the game situations or game situation parameters.

20. A method as claimed in claim 9 including the steps of applying an electrode to the scalp of each player at the F₃, F₄, F_p1 and F_p2 sites, calculating SSVEP amplitudes and phase differences from EEG signals from said electrodes, calculating values for attraction-repulsion using the equation:

attraction=(a₁*SSVEP phase advance at electrode F₃+a₂*SSVEP phase advance at electrode F_p1−

a₃*SSVEP phase advance at electrode F₄−

a₄*SSVEP phase advance at electrode F_p2)

where a₁=a₂=a₃=a₄=1.0

whereby said values indicate each player'"'"'s attraction or repulsion towards the game situations or game situation parameters.

21. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the step of utilising inverse mapping determines brain activity in:

the right orbito-frontal cortex in the vicinity of Brodman area 11;

the right dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex in the vicinity of Brodman area 9;

the left orbito frontal cortex in the vicinity of Brodman area 11; and

the left dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex in the vicinity of Brodman area 9; and

calculating a value for attraction-repulsion using the equation;

attraction=(c₁*right orbito-frontal cortex (in vicinity of Brodman area

     11)+c₂*right dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (in vicinity of Brodman area

     9)+c₃*left orbito frontal cortex (in vicinity of Brodman area

     11)+c₄*left dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (vicinity of Brodman area

     9))

where c₁=1, c₂=1, c₃=1, c₄=1,

whereby said values indicate each player'"'"'s attraction or repulsion towards the game situations or game situation parameters.

22. A method as claimed in claim 9 including the steps of applying electrodes to the scalp of each player at F₃, F₄, P_p1 and F_p2 sites, calculating SSVEP amplitudes and phase differences from said electrodes, calculating values for engagement in features of the advertisement by a weighted mean SSVEP phase advance at said sites using the equation:

engagement=(b₁*SSVEP phase advance at electrode F₃+b₂*SSVEP phase advance at electrode P_p1+b₃*SSVEP phase advance at electrode F₄+b₄*SSVEP phase advance at Electrode F_p2)

where b₁=0.1, b₂=0.4, b₃=0.1, b₄=0.4,

whereby said values indicate each player'"'"'s engagement in the game situations or game situation parameters.

23. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the step of utilising inverse mapping determines brain activity in:

the right orbito frontal cortex in the vicinity of Brodman area 11;

the right dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex in the vicinity of Brodman area 9;

the left frontal cortex in the vicinity of Brodman area 11; and

the left dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex in the vicinity of Brodman area 9, calculating SSVEP amplitudes and phase differences from said modified EEG signals from said electrodes; and

calculating a value for engagement using the equation;

engagement=(d₁*right orbito frontal cortex (in vicinity of Brodman area

     11)+d₂*right dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (in vicinity of Brodman area

     9)+d₃*left orbito frontal cortex (in vicinity of Brodman area

     11)+d₄*left dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (in vicinity of Brodman area

     9))

where d₁=0.1, d₂=0.4, d₃=0.1, d₄=0.4,

whereby said values indicate each player'"'"'s engagement in the game situations or game situation parameters.

24. A system for assessing entertainment value of a computer game including:

(a) a computer upon which the computer game to be assessed can be played, the computer being arranged to record game situation parameters corresponding to various game situations which occur during playing of the computer game;

(b) means for determining brain activity of the player during each of the game situations which occur during playing of the computer game; and

(c) means for evaluating the effectiveness of the game situation parameters by reference to brain activities determined by said means for determining brain activity for each of the recorded game situation parameters.