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The biofeedback games made to improve our well-being

This article is part of a collaboration with iQ by Intel. When Space Invaders dropped into Japanese arcades, the alien shooting gallery was such a phenomenon that the 100 yen piece, the equivalent of an American quarter, became a rarity. The game’s action was straightforward and exacting, and the narrative spoke to everyone’s inner xenophobe. Ultimately, however, it was the stellar soundtrack — a simple pulsing heartbeat that accelerated with each passing minute —that made each playthrough a thrill. Videogames have always had the ability to affect a player’’s biorhythms but now games are being created to pull those physiological reactions into…

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This week’s Playlist pick is the abstract, spectral Sylvio

Sign up to receive each week’s Playlist e-mail here! Also check out our full, interactive Playlist section. SYLVIO (PC, MAC) BY APOSTROPHE  Were you someone who watched The Conjuring and wished you could be a badass ghost hunter like the Warrens? Well, they made a horror game for you (and your poor life goals), and it’s called Sylvio. In Sylvio, you play as Juliette Waters, an audio recorder who specializes in EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) and communicating with the other side. She faces her toughest challenge yet after getting trapped inside an old family park that closed down after tragedy struck…