ZEN STATION

ZEN STATION

The ZEN STATION by Jannis Kilian Kreft is a bio-feedback controlled game for two players. Heartrate and blood-oxygen-level of the gamers are the only interface parameters to control the game. The goal of the game is to beat the antagonist by being more relaxed. (Whoever manages to stay calmer over a period of time wins the game.) The opponents sit on both sides of a 2,20m x 1,20m x 0,45m long box. The game space is projected from above with a video projector. The heartrate and the blood oxygen level of both players are measured in realtime using sensor technology. The ZEN STATION inverts common gaming behaviours. It encourages the players to be as stressfree and relaxed as possible.

GAMEPLAY

At the beginning of a game each player attaches a sensor to the earlobe or to a finger. When the actual heartrate appears in front of each player, both players have to touch a round metal field build in the box to start the game. When the game starts, a blue line appears on the rink: The blue line moves towards the player with the higher pulse. If it touches a players finger the game is over. By placing a finger on the metal plate, a player starts generating energy balls in defined intervals. The lower a players blood oxigen level, the faster the player starts a new round of generation. The appearance of the generated energy balls is also depending on the players heartrate. If a player is calm the balls are bigger and shoot out further and have more energy, if a player has a high pulse the balls do not travel far, are small and not powerful. If the blue line hits a previously generated ball, the form explodes and releases its energy. The burst sets back the blue line thus the player wins time. If an energy ball is big, it sets back the blue line further then if the energy ball is small. If there are many energy balls in one row the power adds up and the rebound that pushes back the blue line gets enormously big.

TACTICTS

At times it might make sense to raise one`s own pulse in order to draw the blue line into one`s own generated balls. If the antagonist has no balls to shield him the rebound of the explosion will drive the blue line directly into the opponents finger and the game is won instantly.