Abstract:

The Electrical Buzz Wire (EBW) device, traditionally a simple game, has potential applications in education and skill development. This study investigates the integration of advanced hardware and sensing mechanisms to enhance the realism and immersion of the EBW experience, transforming it into a more engaging and educational tool.

The EBW game involves guiding a handheld metal wand or loop along a wire, bent into intricate shapes or obstacle courses, without making contact. If the wand touches the wire, a circuit is activated, producing a buzzing sound or light to indicate an error. However, conventional feedback mechanisms, such as buzzing sounds or lights, have been found insufficient for fully engaging players.

In our initial prototype, we incorporated a highly responsive circuit and sensors capable of detecting various aspects of player interaction. Key features included capturing touch quality, providing status updates, generating buzz sounds, and displaying data on an LCD screen. Despite these advancements, our experiments revealed that the repetitive nature of the buzz wire task did not fully immerse players.

To enhance the player’s engagement and provide a more realistic experience, we introduced two major innovative improvements:
1) Provide realistic rewards and punishments – positive achievements are rewarded with tangible incentives, such as candies, while mistakes trigger annoying sounds and cause objects to fall and break, providing immediate negative feedback. This approach aims to create a more dynamic and stimulating environment; and
2) Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) monitoring – to measure the players' physiological responses, GSR sensors were incorporated. This allows us to assess their engagement levels and analyze the impact of various conditions on their experience. By monitoring GSR signals, we gain insights into the emotional and cognitive states of the players, enabling further refinements to the system.

The enhancements aim to transform the EBW device into a more immersive educational tool, providing a richer user experience. This study highlights the potential for combining traditional game elements with advanced technology to create engaging educational devices. The integration of realistic rewards and punishments, along with physiological monitoring, offers new avenues for increasing player immersion and engagement in educational settings. These findings could have significant implications for the design of interactive learning tools and serious games, fostering more effective and enjoyable learning experiences.

Keywords:

Electrical Buzz Wire (EBW), serious games, immersion, player engagement, Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), reward and punishment system, hand-eye coordination, motor skills assessment.