Summary
It’s time for a street race! Hop into your favourite car, rev the engine and leave your opponents behind.
In this game the player is a street racer who keeps the neurofeedback positive to win against computer-controlled opponents. Falling behind? Use the NO² for a short speed boost.
Controls
The game can be played with the keyboard or an Xbox controller (see Use an Xbox controller).
| Action | PC | Xbox |
|---|---|---|
| Show the controls in the game | Tab | Menu button (three vertical dashes) |
| Change lanes | A and D | Left joystick or D-pad |
| Use the NO² speed boost | X | X |
| Forfeit and return to the menu | Esc | B |
Gameplay
First, the trainer selects the game duration. Next, the familiar shop opens, where the player selects and buys cars and the environments to race in.
There are many cars with different stats. Their price depends on their rarity, shown as stars above the shop item. Higher-tier cars reach higher speeds, but they give no bonus that directly compensates negative feedback.
The second shop page offers universes to unlock. By default every player has the City and Farm environments, which alternate about once a minute through randomly appearing portals. A bought universe stays available permanently, and the race always starts in the universe selected in the shop. The same universe never appears twice in a row (for example, no portal to the City appears while you are already in the City). More universes will be added in future updates.
If this is your first neurofeedback game or you need a refresher, see Neuro Player System for the Neuro Shop and cross-game progression.
After pressing Play on the second shop page, the start sequence begins. After a short countdown, player input and neurofeedback are enabled: the player can accelerate and steer, and the opponents start driving.
The race leads from a starting area through the bought environments. After the selected game duration, a final portal appears that leads to the finish line. Once it is crossed, the race ends and the player sees the score.
The selected duration only sets the delay after which the finish line appears, not the exact length of the race.
Once the player and the trainer (where applicable) have looked at the results, Continue returns to the very beginning, so the game can be restarted quickly with different settings.
Design philosophy and neurofeedback aspects
NeuroRacer differs from many other neurofeedback games: it combines the neurofeedback with a secondary, active motor task, steering a lane-guided car.
Success still depends mainly on positive neurofeedback, but a proper win (first place) is hard without actively changing lanes and using the NO² boost. Opponents change lanes too and block the cars behind them unless those switch to a free lane.
This connects the motor and the mental task in a natural way and makes the game engaging.
Who this game is suited for
- Players aged 8 or above
- Players who like cars or racing games
- Players who want active and challenging neurofeedback games
- Players who want to train while exposed to various distractions
Who this game is not suited for
- Players who are highly sensitive to bright or flashing lights
- Players with very low frustration tolerance or high impulsivity, since negative feedback quickly lets opponents overtake
- Players with motor restrictions (such as disabilities), who may have trouble changing lanes
- Players who are strongly affected by distracting game elements, as the environment changes constantly
The high motor interactivity of this game may cause muscle artifacts in the EEG recording, although this is generally no problem for the neurofeedback itself.
Feedback
| Feedback type | Feedback event |
|---|---|
| Positive feedback | The player’s car speeds up |
| Negative feedback | The player’s car slows down |
| Maximum positive feedback (full progress bar) | Unlimited NO² for a short time, which guarantees that the player can overtake opponents |
The game uses the familiar bars of the Brain HUD.
Brain bar
As usual, the brain bar shows the current feedback value. A full brain bar makes power-ups recharge faster.
Progress bar
The progress bar, based on the brain bar’s fill state, is the main indicator of the player’s performance and directly controls the car’s speed. When it reaches its upper limit, the player gains bonus points and unlimited NO² for a short time.
Milestone bar
The milestone bar shows how far the player has travelled. It is presented as a distance but is actually tied to the time frame of the race. The race does not stop immediately when the time is up; instead the finish line appears nearby.