Powerful, Versatile Research Tool

Zukor’s Grind is an exceptionally flexible feedback game research tool. Its dozens of easy-to-use options, divided into 10 separate categories, offer unparalleled control of the feedback experience. Zukor’s Grind makes feedback game protocols possible and simple.

In addition to the abundant built-in features listed below, Zukor Interactive can modify existing features for researchers or add new ones to fit your exact research needs. Just ask.

Game Display Options

Researchers can separately turn off different types of in-game, on-screen displays, such as the speed meter, time, scores, etc.

• What display elements are most beneficial for feedback training?
• Does seeing the elapsed time increase or decrease the stress response?
• Does it encourage or distract the patient to see the score accumulate?

Threshold Meter Options

Researchers can separately turn on or off the reward or inhibit meters. Plus, there are five different styles of inhibit meters available, ranging from the approach used in most current games to new meter styles which use more intuitive concepts with innovative graphics.

• Are threshold meters essential for providing feedback?
• Which is more important, the reward meter or the inhibit meters?
• What style of inhibit meter is most useful to patients?

Levels

Researchers can chose from three unique levels with increasing length and complexity. Zukor’s Grind levels are not just different colored tunnels, background photos or clip art, but rather truly unique, fully-developed and imaginative paths populated by an array of diverse, interesting objects.

• How much stimulation is helpful?
• Should stimulation level change over the course of treatment?
• Does the “right” stimulation vary based on treatment purpose or protocol?

Level Objects Options

Enhancing the “Levels” feature, the researcher can further modify the visual stimulation of the game by turning off individual objects, turning off groups of objects or turning off all objects within the game. This is a simple way to “dial up” or “dial down” the visual stimulation of the game.

• How much stimulation is the right amount?
• Does the amount of stimulation depend on what is being treated?
• Are certain types of objects more stimulating than others?

Reward Waves Sound Options

Researchers can select from a broad array of high-quality sounds from both musical instruments and synthetic sources, with both a low and high pitch version of each sound. Researchers can also set the reward sound’s delay interval in milliseconds.

Importantly, the reward sound volume can be adjusted independently from the feedback game’s environmental sounds. Together these options offer total control of the reward sound experience.

• Are synthetic or natural sounds more rewarding?
• Are low pitched sounds more effective than high pitched sounds?
• Does the delay interval of the reward sound effect the treatment?
• Does the reward sound volume matter, either independently or relative to the game’s sounds?

Reward Waves Sound Options

Researchers can select from a broad array of high-quality sounds from both musical instruments and synthetic sources, with both a low and high pitch version of each sound. Researchers can also set the reward sound’s delay interval in milliseconds.

Importantly, the reward sound volume can be adjusted independently from the feedback game’s environmental sounds. Together these options offer total control of the reward sound experience.

• Are synthetic or natural sounds more rewarding?
• Are low pitched sounds more effective than high pitched sounds?
• Does the delay interval of the reward sound effect the treatment?
• Does the reward sound volume matter, either independently or relative to the game’s sounds?

Period/Session Options

Researchers can easily setup the number of periods per session, the length of each period, and the delay length of the optional Auto-Restart Next Period.

• What is the optimum period length?
• What is the optimum number of periods per session?
• Is a break time between periods clinically superior to no break time?
• What is the optimum break time length between periods?

Game Sound Options

Researchers can turn off different types of in-game environmental sounds, such as skateboarding sounds, character sounds, etc. while not effecting the Reward Waves Sound.

• Do environmental sounds increase concentration or cause a distraction?
• Does this vary by age or gender?
• Does this depend on treatment purpose or protocol?

Time of Day Options

Researchers can have the game environment appear as day or night (with moonlight). Another “Time of Day” alternative is the Moving Sun mode where the “Sun” moves 360 degrees around the “Concrete Paradise” game environment. These “Time of Day” options do more than add variety, they offer the researcher a powerful tool to control the “mood” of the game for many purposes.

• Does the type of light effect the treatment or the response to the feedback?
• Should the light type match the patient’s treatment purpose or protocol?
• Should the light type change over the course of treatment?

Speed Change Rate Variable

This advanced setting allows researchers to adjust how dramatically the character responds to changes in the EEG or biometric data. This can be very useful for certain treatment protocols.

Using this option, researchers can easily change the variable in the gameplay dynamics algorithm which controls the “rate of speed change” of the character. It does not change how “fast” the character responds, but it does change how “much” the character responds over time. Also, it does not change the delay of the speed change, because the character always responds instantly to changes in EEG or biometrics. However, the feedback perception will be that the higher the Speed Change Rate, the “faster” the character is responding.

• How does this variable effect patient feedback and treatment progress?

Patient Profiles

Researchers can create feedback game profiles for each test subject which will store all feedback game options, settings and scores for that patient in a HIPPA-compliant format. This means the Researcher does not have to reset the game options each time they see a specific test subject.

Scores

Points are awarded for meeting the reward state, plus bonus points are added for doing skateboarding tricks. The Scores screen displays detials of each point type plus a total score for each period and each session.

The Scores screen data can be saved as a “screen grab” graphic file (which can be printed) and as a Excel spreadsheet.

Characters

There are human and non-human characters available for gameplay. There is a teenage boy named Biff, and a teenage girl named Buffy.
The non-human characters are labeled as Bonus Characters but can
be selected at any time. They are a great way to “reward” a patient for reaching certain treatment goals. The Bonus Characters can be hidden
on the Characters page so they are not available as a playable character until the clinician is ready to reveal them to the patient.

Camera Angle Options

The patien’s point of view can be changed between Normal (3rd person behind the character) and Reverse (facing the character in front of them) or Overhead (third person above the character) in order to add variety to the feedback experience.

Graphics Configuration

The game’s graphics quality can be adjusted lower or higher to meet the capabilities of their specific computer system.