Screenshot_102.3696.jpg
screen1.png
wipDEEP__0000_Layer 15.jpg
DEEP_PDP art SCREENSHOT copy 4.png
Screenshot_105.7444.jpg
Screenshot_102.3696.jpg

About DEEP


SCROLL DOWN

About DEEP


DEEP is a meditative Virtual Reality game
controlled by breathing


Entertainment & Wellbeing

Deep allows players to navigate through a serene and poetic underwater world. Movement is controlled by slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing which soothes and relieves anxiety in the player. Our adapted wellbeing experience is designed to be available to all.

 


Healthcare

Since 2016 researchers at the Games for Emotional and Mental Health Lab, Radboud University conducted several studies demonstrating the efficacy of DEEP as an anxiety regulation tool. Research is now being expanded to explore how DEEP can support people with trauma, PTSD, functional disorders, long COVID, and youth in forensic care.


Watch Teaser


Watch Unity for Humanity Talk

Watch the TED x talk


screen1.png

Deep Quest


Deep Quest


The World of DEEP

Breath as interaction

Your breath is used to move you through the world of DEEP. As you breathe in you rise upwards and upon your exhale you float back down to the ocean floor, whilst your direction is travel follows your gaze.

When you breathe the world follows and flows with you. The creatures, plants and patterns mirror your rhythm, reinforcing the link to your own body and mental state.

BREATHING BELTThe hand-made Deep breath belt allows you to explore in the most seamless way possible for players that want an even more immersive experience.

BREATHING BELT

The hand-made Deep breath belt allows you to explore in the most seamless way possible for players that want an even more immersive experience.

HAND CONTROLLERPlace the controller on your belly, and let it measure your breath.

HAND CONTROLLER

Place the controller on your belly, and let it measure your breath.

VERTICAL HANDSMove through the experience by syncing your breath with your hands, moving up and down

VERTICAL HANDS

Move through the experience by syncing your breath with your hands, moving up and down

HORIZONTAL HANDSMove through the experience by syncing your breath with your hands, moving side to side

HORIZONTAL HANDS

Move through the experience by syncing your breath with your hands, moving side to side

wipDEEP__0000_Layer 15.jpg

The Science


“I WANT TO LIVE HERE”

— TETSUYA MIZUGUCHI, REZ & TETRIS EFFECT

The Science


“I WANT TO LIVE HERE”

— TETSUYA MIZUGUCHI, REZ & TETRIS EFFECT


The SCIENCE

Since 2016 Deep has undergone rigorous research led by Prof. Isabela Granic, co-director of the Games for Emotional and Mental Health Lab, and Dr. Joanneke Weerdmeester. The research team have explored the efficacy of Deep as a tool for anxiety regulation in youth. This research has resulted in various published papers.

In November 2021 Dr. Joanneke Weerdmeester succesfully defended her PhD dissertation which included her research with Deep. You can download the full doctoral dissertation here


The Papers

Extensive research has been done to test if (and how) DEEP is effective in helping people to regulate their anxiety.

A randomized controlled trial and several multiple experimental studies have been conducted with anxious and non-anxious research samples of children and young adults.

Results demonstrate DEEP’s ability to alleviate youth’s anxiety in the short term and diminish their symptoms over a longer time period with more extensive practice. Furthermore, there is some indication that playing DEEP positively impacts player self-efficacy.

Research in a special education setting showed that the anxiety-relieving effects of a short (7-10 minute) playsession with DEEP could last up to 2 hours. Interestingly, some adolescents also showed less disruptive behavior which suggests that DEEP may influence other aspects besides anxiety.

With its accessible controls, DEEP enables wide audiences with varying cognitive and physical abilities to engage with the experience and to learn vital breathing techniques that can relieve their stress and anxiety.

Publications

Van Rooij, M., Lobel, A., Harris, O., Smit, N., & Granic, I. (2016, May). DEEP: A biofeedback virtual reality game for children at-risk for anxiety. In Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1989-1997). ACM. doi: 10.1145/2851581.2892452

Weerdmeester, J., van Rooij, M.M.J.W., Harris, O., Smit, N., Engels, R. C.M.E., & Granic, I. (2017, October). Exploring the role of self-efficacy in biofeedback video games. In Extended Abstracts Publication of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (pp. 453-461). ACM. doi: 10.1145/3130859.3131299

Bossenbroek, R., Wols A., Weerdmeester, J.,  Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., van Rooij, M.M.J.W. & Granic, I. (2020). Efficacy of a virtual Reality biofeedback game (DEEP) to reduce anxiety and disruptive classroom behaviour: A single-case study. JMIR mental health, 7(3), e16066. doi: 10.2196/16066

Weerdmeester. J., van Rooij, M.M..J.W., & Granic, I. (2022). Visualization, Self-efficacy, and Locus of Control in a Virtual Reality Biofeedback Video Game for Anxiety Regulation. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 25 (6).doi: 10.1089/cyber.2022.0030.

Weerdmeester, J., van Rooij, M. M.J.W., Engels, R. C.M.E., & Granic, I. (2020). An integrative model for the effectiveness of biofeedback interventions for anxiety regulation. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(7), e14958. doi: 10.2196/14958

Weerdmeester, J., Rooij, M. M. J. W. van, Maciejewski, D. F., Engels, R. C. M. E., & Granic, I. (2021). A Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing the Efficacy of a Virtual Reality Biofeedback Video Game: Anxiety Outcomes and Appraisal Processes. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000028

J.W. Weerdmeester (2021). Take a DEEP Breath: Exploring the Potential of Game-based Biofeedback Interventions for Anxiety Regulations. [Doctoral Thesis]. Radboud University. https://hdl.handle.net/2066/239933


DEEP_PDP art SCREENSHOT copy 4.png

RECOGNITION


“For the player it’s simple, yet it’s hard to explain how much better it made me feel … just five minutes strapped to Deep’s breathing device felt remarkable.”

— Joe Donnelly, VICE

RECOGNITION


“For the player it’s simple, yet it’s hard to explain how much better it made me feel … just five minutes strapped to Deep’s breathing device felt remarkable.”

— Joe Donnelly, VICE


RECOGNITION

DEEP has been supported by


SELECTED ARTICLES

Click on a logo to go to the article


DEEP HAS BEEN SHOWN AT


Screenshot_105.7444.jpg

MEDIA


“Deep gives users an accessible, immersive avenue toward claiming agency over their own bodies.”

— Michael Andor Brodeur, Boston Globe

MEDIA


“Deep gives users an accessible, immersive avenue toward claiming agency over their own bodies.”

— Michael Andor Brodeur, Boston Globe

MEDIA

screenshots from festival & museum installations and previous prototypes