Everyday life is surrounded by sound: the laughter of friends, the hum of traffic, or the sudden slam of a door. While many auditory events gradually fade into the background, certain sounds carry profound personal significance, shaping emotions and behaviors. For most people, sounds enrich their experiences, yet for others, the same sounds can become a source of discomfort or even distress.
Sounds can evoke various emotional reactions based on their perceived meaning rather than their acoustical properties. A soundscape refers to the acoustic environment as perceived by humans in context, evoking different responses based on its perceived meaning. Hyperacusis, is a condition where individuals experience heightened sensitivity to sounds, leading to distress, fear, and avoidance behaviors. Their responses to sounds involve both subconscious physiological reactions and conscious behavioral adaptations.
Emotional appraisal theory emphasizes that the emotional responses of individuals are not determined solely by the stimulus themselves, but by how they cognitively interpret or "construct" the situation in relation to their goals, beliefs and intentions(Lazarus, 1991).
Persuasive gamification design has emerged as a potential therapeutic approach, using game world engagement to facilitate behavior transformation in real world. By gamifying the unconscious dynamic soundscape appraisal process, games could potentially create a controlled, interactive environment that helps dose sound-sensitive individuals adjust to distressing sounds.
However, this theoretical perspective has yet to be incorporated into existing interventions. Furthermore, there is a lack of design guidance on how to structure such interventions based on relevant theories. This project therefore aims to address this challenge by focusing on understanding and meeting the needs of sound-sensitive individuals, including those with hyperacusis, from a design perspective. By progressively constructing a gamified world that reflects their experiences, the project will encourage self-awareness and facilitate the gradual acceptance of external soundscapes.