Co-Embodied Cooperation in a “Dance Dash” VR Rhythm Game

Movement-based and rhythm games are a popular and effective way to promote physical activity and social engagement in play. Recently, “co-embodiment” has emerged as a powerful game mechanic: two players temporarily share a single body, with one controlling the upper body and the other the lower body, or by averaging their tracked movements to steer a shared avatar. This thesis would investigate how co-embodiment shapes cooperative gameplay experiences in a custom “Dance Dash” VR rhythm game, where players must move together to hit targets, chain combos, and complete choreographed sequences. Students could design cooperative movement mechanics, systematically vary the degree of movement synchronization required, and analyze their impact on enjoyment, social connectedness, and the physiological/experience outcomes of physical play.

Main objective:

To test how co-embodied movement mechanics influence perceived cooperation, social engagement, and physical exertion in a two-player “Dance Dash” VR rhythm game.

Development environment:

The project will be developed in Unreal and will run on a Meta Quest headset (https://www.meta.com/quest/) with body tracking.

Protocol:

• Two participants wear VR headsets and share a single co-embodied avatar, cooperating to complete rhythm-based “Dance Dash” sequences.
• The game is played under different co-embodiment conditions—e.g., split control of the shared body versus independent avatars—and varying synchronization requirements.
• Measures include game performance (hits, combos, accuracy), perceived enjoyment and social connectedness, and objective physical exertion.

Requirements:

• Object Oriented Programming skills (C/C++/C#)
• Knowledge of Game Engines (Unity, Unreal) and Virtual Reality (VR) is advantageous