For all those people who feel inexplicably awkward towards making eye contact with strangers or coworkers who share the same confining space like in cramped elevator, you can now rejoice because there is a game requiring the specific set of skills that requires you to avert your gaze, making social avoiding a challenge. Rachel Knoll, student at the Royal College of Art in London, has designed a game called ‘Avoidance Training,’ which simulates the action of averting your gaze using eye tracking and head movement-detecting technology.
The game is extremely simple; your block-like character is assigned and while strangers enter the elevator, eye and head movement technology converts your real-time actions into actions on the computer screen. The objective of the game is that you have to avoid any eye contact with the strangers in the elevator for the rest of the ride. The game cleverly transforms the awkwardness of social avoidance into a skill.
Eye Contact Aversion Games
Rachel Knoll’s Elevator Game Makes Social Avoidance a Skill Set
Trend Themes
1. Social Avoidance Games - Creating games that encourage social avoidance can provide an outlet for those who struggle with making eye contact.
2. Eye-tracking Technology - Developing eye-tracking technology can enhance the gaming experience and make it more immersive.
3. Skill-based Gaming - Designing games that require specific skill sets, such as averting gaze, can appeal to a niche audience.
Industry Implications
1. Gaming - The gaming industry can explore the development of social avoidance games and eye-tracking technology.
2. Virtual Reality - Virtual reality companies can utilize eye-tracking technology to enhance immersion and create skill-based gaming experiences.
3. Wellness and Mental Health - The wellness and mental health industry can incorporate social avoidance games as a tool for individuals to practice coping with social anxiety and discomfort.