I frequently use video games to relax. Somehow grabbing a NPC by the arm, ripping said arm off of NPC, and then beating the living tar out of said NPC with its own arm is very relaxing, not to mention cathartic.
Simmer Down Sprinter by Steve Lambert is a different kind of video game: no catharsis, but plenty of relaxation for the winner. Here's how Mr. Lambert describes the game:
Simmer Down Sprinter is a two player, sit-down, arcade style video game I designed and programmed in which players compete to move runners around a track. The game is controlled by playerÂ’s bio-feedback. The more relaxed the player becomes, the faster the runner moves around the track. Essentially it is a game of competitive relaxation.
No arm-ripping-off/sniper-shooting/chainsaw-wielding catharsis, but I'd still like to try it. There's even build notes so you can make your own biofeedback-controlled game. I like Cory Doctorow's implementation concept:
It would be perversely great to do one that's wired to so you win the more stressed-out you become, and attach it to an espresso machine, and a monitor that shows nothing but comments from Slashdot that have been ranked -1 or lower.
I also think it would be great to use the biofeedback to determine how agro the player is, and use that to determine how much damage is dealt to the NPC, ranging from flipping the bird, through ripping off its arm, beating the NPC to death with said arm, jamming the arm up...never mind.
Via Boing Boing.
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