University of Twente Student Theses
Implementing Music Therapy in a Multiplayer Virtual Reality Environment
Friesacher, Kevin (2025) Implementing Music Therapy in a Multiplayer Virtual Reality Environment.
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| Abstract: | In this thesis the possibility of implementing music therapy in a virtual reality (VR) environment was explored. In recent years research in music therapy and research in VR applications have been a point of interest. There has also been interest in therapy in VR, although music therapy specifically in VR has not had much research to date. A literature review, focusing on the application of music therapy to anxiety and depression, dementia and autism, showed that music therapy can have positive effects. At the same time, it highlighted that there are still many unknowns and areas requiring further research. To get a better understanding of the practical aspects of music therapy, interviews with music therapists were held. The insights and experiences shared by these experts showed that sessions are highly dependent on the individual client and must be tailored to the needs of the individual client. In combination with the wide range of activities, from playing instruments, singing and analysing music, these interviews showed that music therapy comes in many different shapes and forms. With the insights from the interviews and the literature review, a prototype for music therapy in a VR setting was developed and user tested, both with a music therapist and proxy users. The results from the user testing confirmed that the prototype is functioning well for a single user, in line with the design requirements and allows the deployment of techniques used in music therapy in a VR setting. The user testing also provided valuable insights for improvements and further research and development. The multiplayer option requires additional work, which could be the subject of future research. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Clients: | Lectorship in Arts Therapies and Psychomotor Therapy in Healthcare Hogeschool Arnhem Nijmegen, Netherlands |
| Faculty: | EEMCS: Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science |
| Subject: | 70 social sciences in general |
| Programme: | Creative Technology BSc (50447) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/105405 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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