Eyes of Fear: Leveraging Emotion Recognition for Virtual Reality Experience

Isabela Marinho, Renatto Padilha, Gislayne Vitorino, Marcelo Batista, Yasmim Oliveira, João Vitor Almeida, Willams L. Costa, Cristiano C. Araújo, Veronica Teichrieb

Abstract: Given the growing interest in immersive gaming experiences, particularly within the horror genre, there is a rising demand for sophisticated and engaging game mechanics. However, creating a truly immersive horror experience requires a balance between fear-inducing elements and player engagement. In this work, we present Eyes of Fear, a horror game that explores human emotions and eye movement as interactive mechanisms in virtual reality. We used a state-of-the-art emotion recognition algorithm and Tobii Eye Tracker for our game prototype and evaluated their effectiveness through player feedback. Our findings show that emotion-sensitive enemy behavior elevates unpredictability and intense emotions while amusing players.