{"id":82,"date":"2025-01-30T22:48:56","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T22:48:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/?page_id=82"},"modified":"2025-04-14T05:18:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T05:18:17","slug":"week-1-january-16th","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/week-1-january-16th\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 1 &#8211; January 19th"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Hi! We are team Xhaler, a team of 5 graduate students at the Entertainment Technology Center of Carnegie Mellon University. We hope to make a VR adventure game using breathing as the main mechanic. We\u2019re glad you\u2019re here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the first week, we kicked off Xhaler by onboarding the full team and meeting with our advisors to discuss our project\u2019s vision.&nbsp;During the pitch phase, our team\u2019s vision was to explore the most immersive way to use breathing as a game input and to create a fully embodied VR game demo with breathing as the core mechanic. However, since breathing as a mechanic has been scarcely explored or researched, we encountered several questions that needed to be addressed before implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Does breathing truly enhance immersion and embodiment as we envisioned?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Is VR the most suitable medium for this concept?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can a game with breathing as its core mechanic be engaging and fun?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To address these questions and better understand and achieve our design goals, we outlined our timeline and established a workflow for the first half of the semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Timeline<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/11-1024x413.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/11-1024x413.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/11-300x121.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/11-768x310.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/11-1536x619.png 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/11.png 1558w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-center is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-1 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"788\" height=\"628\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/workflow.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-155\" style=\"width:321px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/workflow.png 788w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/workflow-300x239.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/workflow-768x612.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 788px) 100vw, 788px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">                               <strong>Workflow before Halves<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Our Composition Box<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We have created a composition box to clarify our goals to align with both our technical and design objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Challenges of Implementing Breathing Mechanics:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We spoke with the developers of BreatheHero, one of the very few existing games that use breathing as a core mechanic. From our discussion, we gained several key insights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In combat games, frequent use of breathing mechanics can impose excessive cognitive load, leading players to rely on the easiest breathing patterns rather than engaging with the mechanic meaningfully.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Using a belt sensor alone may not be sufficient for accurately detecting inhalation, requiring additional sensors for better accuracy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When quick reactions are needed, there can be a disconnect between the breathing pattern players intend in their minds and their actual breathing, which may reduce immersion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To address these challenges, we aim to design gameplay that gives players enough time to think, allowing them to breathe intentionally rather than reactively, ultimately enhancing immersion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Brainstorming:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/patterns-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/patterns-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/patterns-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/patterns-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/patterns-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/patterns-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On Friday, we brainstormed and compiled a list of all possible breathing patterns, mapping them to interesting in-game actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Plans for next week:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Next week, our focus will be on filtering and selecting the most promising breathing patterns and actions to prototype. This will help us further explore and refine breathing as a game input.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, we will ensure our hardware is fully functional and develop two simple prototypes to test its stability and evaluate player comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"348\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/empty-1024x348.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-278\" style=\"width:229px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/empty-1024x348.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/empty-300x102.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/empty-768x261.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/empty-1536x523.png 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/empty.png 1890w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-section-1 has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained is-style-section-1--1\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignwide is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column has-border-color is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--accent-6);border-width:1px;border-radius:10px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-100 is-style-outline is-style-outline--2\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/week-2-january-26th\/\">Week 2 &#8211; January 26th<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column has-border-color is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--accent-6);border-width:1px;border-radius:10px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-2 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-100 is-style-outline is-style-outline--3\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/\">Home<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hi! We are team Xhaler, a team of 5 graduate students at the Entertainment Technology Center of Carnegie Mellon University. We hope to make a VR adventure game using breathing as the main mechanic. We\u2019re glad you\u2019re here. During the first week, we kicked off Xhaler by onboarding the full team and meeting with our [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-82","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/82","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/82\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":482,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/82\/revisions\/482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/xhaler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}