MindMeld Cyclers: Exploring New Collaborative Motion Modes Using Virtual Co-embodiment in a Serious Game

As research in rehabilitation therapy delves deeper into the exploration of serious games in virtual environments, there is increasing attention on Virtual Reality (VR) serious games, particularly in multiplayer gaming (i.e., patient and therapist) under collaborative motion modes (CMMs). However, previous studies largely focus on traditional frameworks of collaborative mode, leaving a gap in exploring novel CMMs. Recently, a new concept called virtual co-embodiment (e.g., a shared virtual avatar controlled by multiple users) has emerged in research, showing potential to create new CMMs in the realm of Serious Games, contributing to the study of multiple users’ collaboration to assist rehabilitation training. Therefore, we developed a VR game called MindMeld Cyclers based on a virtual co-embodiment system to investigate the gaming experiences under different CMMs and assess their impact on user game engagement, embodiment, and perceived usability. This study elaborates on the design concept and technical implementation of the serious game, followed by an experiment for user study. The results ultimately demonstrate the potential of MindMeld Cyclers and its proposed new CCMs in the further development and application of serious games, highlighting their positive impact on CCM research in the context of VR serious games.