SeekingHeart: A Biofeedback-Based VR Game for Mindfulness Practice

Mindfulness-based intervention is widely applied for positive change in the general population. It guides people to focus on the unfolding of experience nonjudgmentally through practice to bring cognitive and emotional benefits. However, conventional intervention is hardly accessible for people with limited time and energy. Virtual Reality technology offers a solution for providing automatic and flexible mindfulness intervention. Considering its interactive and immersive nature, VR is an ideal medium for game design, promisingly enhancing people's interest and motivation in practice. However, current studies in VR-based mindfulness intervention still lack explorations in the aspect of gamification. To address the gap, we designed a VR mindfulness serious game with multiple levels and biofeedback-based interaction strategies to help people cultivate mindfulness through gameplay. A randomized controlled experiment was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and quality of the game. Results showed that the game significantly increased players' mindfulness levels with equivalent effectiveness as traditional approaches. The game also reduced negative emotions and self-reported anxiety and depression levels. Experimental data and user feedback were analyzed for the game's future development.