About UPLIFT

It has been found that individuals engaging in challenging activity such as athletics, coding, or playing video games sometimes enter a state of cognition known as 'flow' or 'the zone'. This is, I believe, a fundamental human capability, yet it has not been formally studied to any significant degree. I intend, in this project, to create a game which will not only enable personal exploration of the flow state, but also act as a research instrument for institutionalized research.

Currently the game is a top-down, 2D "shooting" game. I feel that this best supports an abstract visual design and simple yet challenging gameplay, which I believe to be most appropriate to the overall atmosphere I wish to promote. Three primary features will support the goal of enhancing the player's ability to attain flow.
First, the visual design will support varying levels of abstractness. It is likely but not proven that games which require lower levels of visual discrimination are more conducive to 'zone' experiences; this hypothesis could be tested by furnishing the capability to display more detailed imagery.
Second, biometric and possibly brainwave input will be implemented. This can be used either for simple recording purposes or as an actual gameplay element.
Third, the artifact itself will support some degree of customization, as it is quite likely that each individual has different 'ideal conditions' which would best support a flow experience.

Please send any feedback or inquiries to gtg692n@mail.gatech.edu