Enhancing an immersive horror game by measuring presence: a sentiment analysis
Resumo
This study investigates the integration of horror game design elements within immersive virtual reality environments to enhance presence effects through Design Science Research methodology. The developed artifact, “Ecos do Pelourinho,” is a culturally authentic VR horror experience combining atmospheric environmental design, spatial audio implementation, and strategic horror mechanics using Unity 6 and Blender. The system applies environmental storytelling with integrated world canvas UI systems for narrative delivery. Evaluation employed semi-structured interviews grounded in presence theory constructs, analyzing responses from four participants through systematic thematic analysis. Results demonstrate that cultural authenticity amplifies presence, as participants exhibited immediate environmental recognition and sustained emotional engagement. Findings establish horror-enhanced presence effects as empirically valid, contributing to spatial presence theory and offering replicable methodologies for immersive VR research and applications in training, therapeutic intervention, and entertainment contexts.
Palavras-chave:
virtual reality, presence theory, horror game design, Design Science Research, qualitative evaluation
Referências
Slater, M. and Sanchez-Vives, M. V. Enhancing our lives with immersive virtual reality. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 3:74, 2016.
Jerald, J. The VR Book Human-Centered Design for Virtual Reality. ACM Books, New York, NY, USA, 2015.
Clasen, M. Why Horror Seduces. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, USA, 2017.
LeDoux, J. Anxious Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety. Viking Press, New York, NY, USA, 2015.
Lin, J.-H. Fear in virtual reality Fear elements, coping reactions, immediate and next-day fright responses toward a survival horror zombie virtual reality game. Computers in Human Behavior, 76:135–144, 2017.
Riva, G. Banos, R. M. Botella, C. Mantovani, F. and Gaggioli, A. Transforming experience The potential of augmented reality and virtual reality for enhancing personal and clinical change. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10:782, 2019.
Schell, J. The Art of Game Design A Book of Lenses, 2nd ed. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, 2008.
Perron, B. The World of Scary Video Games A Study in Videoludic Horror. Bloomsbury Academic, New York, NY, USA, 2018.
Hevner, A. R. March, S. T. Park, J. and Ram, S. Design science in information systems research. MIS Quarterly, 28(1):75–105, 2004.
Gregor, S. and Hevner, A. R. Positioning and presenting design science research for maximum impact. MIS Quarterly, 37(2):337–355, 2013.
Peffers, K. Tuunanen, T. Rothenberger, M. A. and Chatterjee, S. A design science research methodology for information systems research. Journal of Management Information Systems, 24(3):45–77, 2007.
Lombard, M. and Ditton, T. At the heart of it all The concept of presence. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 3(2), 1997.
Witmer, B. G. and Singer, M. J. Measuring presence in virtual environments A presence questionnaire. Presence Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 7(3):225–240, 1998.
Skarbez, R. Brooks, F. P. and Whitton, M. C. A survey of presence and related concepts. ACM Computing Surveys, 50(6):1–39, 2017.
Creswell, J. W. Research Design Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 5th ed. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 2017.
Morse, N. Determining sample size. Qualitative Health Research, 10(1):3–5, 2000.
Slater, M. and Wilbur, S. A framework for immersive virtual environments (FIVE) Speculations on the role of presence in virtual environments. Presence Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 6(6):603–616, 1997.
McMahan, R. P. Gorton, D. Gresock, J. McConnell, W. and Bowman, D. A. Separating the effects of level of immersion and 3D interaction techniques. IEEE Virtual Reality Conference, 108–111, 2006.
Lemmens, J. S. Simon, M. and Sumter, S. R. Fear and loathing in VR The emotional and physiological effects of immersive games. Computers in Human Behavior, 120:106747, 2021.
Lin, J.-H. T. Wu, D.-Y. and Tao, C.-C. So scary, yet so fun The role of self-efficacy in enjoyment of a virtual reality horror game. Computers in Human Behavior, 78:199–207, 2018.
Madsen, L. Player agency and emotional engagement in horror games. International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, 8(1):22–36, 2016.
Bowman, D. A. and McMahan, R. P. Virtual reality How much immersion is enough? Computer, 40(7):36–43, 2007.
Marinho, I. Padilha, R. Vitorino, G. Batista, M. Oliveira, Y. Almeida, J. V. Costa, W. Araujo, C. and Teichrieb, V. Eyes of fear Leveraging emotion recognition for virtual reality experience. Symposium on Virtual and Augmented Reality (SVR), 90–96, 2024.
Reynolds, E. Nevermind Creating an entertaining biofeedback-enhanced game experience to train users in stress management. ACM SIGGRAPH 2013 Posters, 1–1, 2013.
Kirkland, M. Uncanny spatiality and temporal collapse in videogame horror. Philosophy of Computer Games Conference, 1–12, 2009.
Mehta, R. Zhu, R. and Cheema, A. Is noise always bad Exploring the effects of ambient noise on creative cognition. Journal of Consumer Research, 39(4):784–799, 2012.
Grimshaw, M. Game Sound Technology and Player Interaction Concepts and Developments. IGI Global, Hershey, PA, USA, 2008.
Begault, D. T. Wenzel, E. M. and Anderson, M. R. Direct comparison of the impact of head tracking, reverberation, and individualized head-related transfer functions on the spatial perception of a virtual speech source. Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 49(10):904–916, 2001.
Davis, M. Neural systems involved in fear and anxiety measured with fear-potentiated startle. American Psychologist, 61(8):741–756, 2006.
LaViola, J. A. Kruijff, E. McMahan, R. P. Bowman, D. and Poupyrev, I. P. 3D User Interfaces Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. Addison-Wesley, Boston, MA, USA, 2017.
Rouse, J. Game Design Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. Wordware Publishing, Plano, TX, USA, 2009.
Murray, J. Hamlet on the Holodeck The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, 2017.
Guest, B. Bunce, A. and Johnson, L. How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1):59–82, 2006.
Stanney, K. M. Kennedy, R. S. and Drexler, J. M. Cybersickness is not simulator sickness. Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 41(2):1138–1142, 1997.
IEEE Standards Association. IEEE standard for virtual reality and augmented reality Definitions and terminology. IEEE Std 2888-2020, 2020.
Meehan, M. Razzaque, S. Whitton, M. C. and Brooks, F. P. Effect of latency on presence in stressful virtual environments. IEEE Virtual Reality, 111–118, 2003.
Zahoric, P. and Jenison, R. L. Presence as being-in-the-world. Presence Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 7(1):78–89, 1998.
Russell, J. A. and Lanius, A. Adaptation level and the affective appraisal of environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 4(2):119–135, 1984.
Riva, G. Mantovani, F. Capideville, C. S. Preziosa, A. Morganti, F. Villani, D. Gaggioli, A. Botella, C. and Alcaniz, M. Affective interactions using virtual reality The link between presence and emotions. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(1):45–56, 2007.
Schubert, T. Friedmann, F. and Regenbrecht, H. The experience of presence Factor analytic insights. Presence Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 10(3):266–281, 2001.
Patton, M. Q. Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods Integrating Theory and Practice, 4th ed. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 2015.
Braun, V. and Clarke, V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2):77–101, 2006.
Strauss, A. and Corbin, J. Basics of Qualitative Research Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory, 2nd ed. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 1998.
Lincoln, Y. S. and Guba, E. G. Naturalistic Inquiry. Sage Publications, Beverly Hills, CA, USA, 1985.
Kennedy, R. S. Lane, N. E. Berbaum, K. S. and Lilienthal, M. G. Simulator sickness questionnaire An enhanced method for quantifying simulator sickness. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 3(3):203–220, 1993.
Stanney, K. M. and Hash, P. Locus of user-initiated control in virtual environments Influences on cybersickness. Presence Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 7(5):447–459, 1998.
Tulving, E. and Thomson, D. M. Encoding specificity and retrieval processes in episodic memory. Psychological Review, 80(5):352–373, 1973.
Steuer, J. Defining virtual reality Dimensions determining telepresence. Journal of Communication, 42(4):73–93, 1992.
Merchant, Z. Goetz, E. T. Cifuentes, L. Keeney-Kennicutt, W. and Davis, T. J. Effectiveness of virtual reality-based instruction on students learning outcomes in K-12 and higher education A meta-analysis. Computers & Education, 70:29–40, 2014.
O'Brien, A. A conceptual framework for analyzing user experience. European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics, 1–8, 2004.
Grillon, C. and Baas, J. M. A review of the modulation of the startle reflex by affective states and its application in psychiatry. Clinical Neurophysiology, 114(9):1557–1579, 2003.
Bradley, M. M. and Lang, P. J. The international affective picture system (IAPS) in the study of emotion and attention. In Coan, J. A. and Allen, J. J. B. (eds.) Handbook of Emotion Elicitation and Assessment, 29–46, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, USA, 2007.
Sapolsky, R. M. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping, 3rd ed. Henry Holt and Company, New York, NY, USA, 2004.
Jerald, J. The VR Book Human-Centered Design for Virtual Reality. ACM Books, New York, NY, USA, 2015.
Clasen, M. Why Horror Seduces. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, USA, 2017.
LeDoux, J. Anxious Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety. Viking Press, New York, NY, USA, 2015.
Lin, J.-H. Fear in virtual reality Fear elements, coping reactions, immediate and next-day fright responses toward a survival horror zombie virtual reality game. Computers in Human Behavior, 76:135–144, 2017.
Riva, G. Banos, R. M. Botella, C. Mantovani, F. and Gaggioli, A. Transforming experience The potential of augmented reality and virtual reality for enhancing personal and clinical change. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10:782, 2019.
Schell, J. The Art of Game Design A Book of Lenses, 2nd ed. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, 2008.
Perron, B. The World of Scary Video Games A Study in Videoludic Horror. Bloomsbury Academic, New York, NY, USA, 2018.
Hevner, A. R. March, S. T. Park, J. and Ram, S. Design science in information systems research. MIS Quarterly, 28(1):75–105, 2004.
Gregor, S. and Hevner, A. R. Positioning and presenting design science research for maximum impact. MIS Quarterly, 37(2):337–355, 2013.
Peffers, K. Tuunanen, T. Rothenberger, M. A. and Chatterjee, S. A design science research methodology for information systems research. Journal of Management Information Systems, 24(3):45–77, 2007.
Lombard, M. and Ditton, T. At the heart of it all The concept of presence. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 3(2), 1997.
Witmer, B. G. and Singer, M. J. Measuring presence in virtual environments A presence questionnaire. Presence Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 7(3):225–240, 1998.
Skarbez, R. Brooks, F. P. and Whitton, M. C. A survey of presence and related concepts. ACM Computing Surveys, 50(6):1–39, 2017.
Creswell, J. W. Research Design Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 5th ed. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 2017.
Morse, N. Determining sample size. Qualitative Health Research, 10(1):3–5, 2000.
Slater, M. and Wilbur, S. A framework for immersive virtual environments (FIVE) Speculations on the role of presence in virtual environments. Presence Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 6(6):603–616, 1997.
McMahan, R. P. Gorton, D. Gresock, J. McConnell, W. and Bowman, D. A. Separating the effects of level of immersion and 3D interaction techniques. IEEE Virtual Reality Conference, 108–111, 2006.
Lemmens, J. S. Simon, M. and Sumter, S. R. Fear and loathing in VR The emotional and physiological effects of immersive games. Computers in Human Behavior, 120:106747, 2021.
Lin, J.-H. T. Wu, D.-Y. and Tao, C.-C. So scary, yet so fun The role of self-efficacy in enjoyment of a virtual reality horror game. Computers in Human Behavior, 78:199–207, 2018.
Madsen, L. Player agency and emotional engagement in horror games. International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, 8(1):22–36, 2016.
Bowman, D. A. and McMahan, R. P. Virtual reality How much immersion is enough? Computer, 40(7):36–43, 2007.
Marinho, I. Padilha, R. Vitorino, G. Batista, M. Oliveira, Y. Almeida, J. V. Costa, W. Araujo, C. and Teichrieb, V. Eyes of fear Leveraging emotion recognition for virtual reality experience. Symposium on Virtual and Augmented Reality (SVR), 90–96, 2024.
Reynolds, E. Nevermind Creating an entertaining biofeedback-enhanced game experience to train users in stress management. ACM SIGGRAPH 2013 Posters, 1–1, 2013.
Kirkland, M. Uncanny spatiality and temporal collapse in videogame horror. Philosophy of Computer Games Conference, 1–12, 2009.
Mehta, R. Zhu, R. and Cheema, A. Is noise always bad Exploring the effects of ambient noise on creative cognition. Journal of Consumer Research, 39(4):784–799, 2012.
Grimshaw, M. Game Sound Technology and Player Interaction Concepts and Developments. IGI Global, Hershey, PA, USA, 2008.
Begault, D. T. Wenzel, E. M. and Anderson, M. R. Direct comparison of the impact of head tracking, reverberation, and individualized head-related transfer functions on the spatial perception of a virtual speech source. Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 49(10):904–916, 2001.
Davis, M. Neural systems involved in fear and anxiety measured with fear-potentiated startle. American Psychologist, 61(8):741–756, 2006.
LaViola, J. A. Kruijff, E. McMahan, R. P. Bowman, D. and Poupyrev, I. P. 3D User Interfaces Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. Addison-Wesley, Boston, MA, USA, 2017.
Rouse, J. Game Design Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. Wordware Publishing, Plano, TX, USA, 2009.
Murray, J. Hamlet on the Holodeck The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, 2017.
Guest, B. Bunce, A. and Johnson, L. How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1):59–82, 2006.
Stanney, K. M. Kennedy, R. S. and Drexler, J. M. Cybersickness is not simulator sickness. Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 41(2):1138–1142, 1997.
IEEE Standards Association. IEEE standard for virtual reality and augmented reality Definitions and terminology. IEEE Std 2888-2020, 2020.
Meehan, M. Razzaque, S. Whitton, M. C. and Brooks, F. P. Effect of latency on presence in stressful virtual environments. IEEE Virtual Reality, 111–118, 2003.
Zahoric, P. and Jenison, R. L. Presence as being-in-the-world. Presence Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 7(1):78–89, 1998.
Russell, J. A. and Lanius, A. Adaptation level and the affective appraisal of environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 4(2):119–135, 1984.
Riva, G. Mantovani, F. Capideville, C. S. Preziosa, A. Morganti, F. Villani, D. Gaggioli, A. Botella, C. and Alcaniz, M. Affective interactions using virtual reality The link between presence and emotions. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(1):45–56, 2007.
Schubert, T. Friedmann, F. and Regenbrecht, H. The experience of presence Factor analytic insights. Presence Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 10(3):266–281, 2001.
Patton, M. Q. Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods Integrating Theory and Practice, 4th ed. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 2015.
Braun, V. and Clarke, V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2):77–101, 2006.
Strauss, A. and Corbin, J. Basics of Qualitative Research Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory, 2nd ed. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 1998.
Lincoln, Y. S. and Guba, E. G. Naturalistic Inquiry. Sage Publications, Beverly Hills, CA, USA, 1985.
Kennedy, R. S. Lane, N. E. Berbaum, K. S. and Lilienthal, M. G. Simulator sickness questionnaire An enhanced method for quantifying simulator sickness. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 3(3):203–220, 1993.
Stanney, K. M. and Hash, P. Locus of user-initiated control in virtual environments Influences on cybersickness. Presence Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 7(5):447–459, 1998.
Tulving, E. and Thomson, D. M. Encoding specificity and retrieval processes in episodic memory. Psychological Review, 80(5):352–373, 1973.
Steuer, J. Defining virtual reality Dimensions determining telepresence. Journal of Communication, 42(4):73–93, 1992.
Merchant, Z. Goetz, E. T. Cifuentes, L. Keeney-Kennicutt, W. and Davis, T. J. Effectiveness of virtual reality-based instruction on students learning outcomes in K-12 and higher education A meta-analysis. Computers & Education, 70:29–40, 2014.
O'Brien, A. A conceptual framework for analyzing user experience. European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics, 1–8, 2004.
Grillon, C. and Baas, J. M. A review of the modulation of the startle reflex by affective states and its application in psychiatry. Clinical Neurophysiology, 114(9):1557–1579, 2003.
Bradley, M. M. and Lang, P. J. The international affective picture system (IAPS) in the study of emotion and attention. In Coan, J. A. and Allen, J. J. B. (eds.) Handbook of Emotion Elicitation and Assessment, 29–46, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, USA, 2007.
Sapolsky, R. M. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping, 3rd ed. Henry Holt and Company, New York, NY, USA, 2004.
Publicado
30/09/2025
Como Citar
DOS SANTOS, Matheus Augusto Souza; LEITE, Regina Maria Cunha; FERREIRA, Yasmim Thasla; WINKLER, Ingrid; CORDEIRO, André Martins; MACHADO, Luiz Claudio.
Enhancing an immersive horror game by measuring presence: a sentiment analysis. In: SIMPÓSIO DE REALIDADE VIRTUAL E AUMENTADA (SVR), 27. , 2025, Salvador/BA.
Anais [...].
Porto Alegre: Sociedade Brasileira de Computação,
2025
.
p. 396-405.
