Engagement and EMG in Serious Gaming: Experimenting with Sound and Dynamics in the Levee Patroller Training Game

We measured the effects of sound and visual dynamic elements on user experience of a serious game, with special interest in engagement and arousal. Engagement was measured through questionnaires and arousal through the SAM and electromyography (EMG). We adopted the EMG of the corrugator (frown muscle) and the zygomatic muscle (smile muscle) as indicators for arousal and valence. We hypothesized that sound and dynamic elements would increase engagement, while user characteristics would determine the amount of arousal. We find that the addition of dynamic elements to the game increases the user experience. Sound increases the ease of navigation, but does not determine user experience, probably due to the dominance of other game elements and user characteristics. The subjective evaluation is inconsistent with the physiological data on arousal. Hence, further research is required to elucidate the relation between arousal and engagement.

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