Sebastian Long and Emma Foley

Undergraduates Emma Foley and Sebastian Long have co-authored a research paper that has been accepted for publication by the Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA).

"It is unusual for undergraduates to have research published in an academic journal," points out their tutor on the BSc in Human-Computer Interaction Design, Dr Graham McAllister.

He has also been involved in writing the paper, along with PhD student Pejman Mirza-Babaei.

Dr McAllister, Pejman and Sebastian all attended the four-day DiGRA conference earlier this month in the Netherlands, where Sebastian presented the group's research findings to conference delegates.

Their work concerns the use of biometric testing such as heart rate, sweat levels and skin temperature in the development of games for platforms such as Xbox 360, Playstation, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.

Games can already be improved by observing, recording and analyzing the interaction between the game and the player - but now biometrics can be used as an additional tool.

Sebastian says: "Our results show that biometrics-based techniques can help studios to find out more about how a game makes users feel and how they experience it.

"In certain areas, biometric data and analysis can reveal up to 63% more issues than observation alone."

Sebastian conducted further research this summer into the uses of biometrics in video games user research, supported by a Junior Research Associate (JRA) bursary from Sussex.

"Undergraduate research prepares students like Emma and Sebastian for postgraduate study and employment," says Dr McAllister.

"Long-term projects like this one, which often require teamwork, stimulate problem-solving skills.

"And their undergraduate research has also given Emma and Sebastian the opportunity to work closely with and build relationships with faculty."