Video games can now read players' emotions.

Boston-based tech startup Affectiva, which grew out of MIT's Media Lab, has now ventured into the gaming market to introduce "emotion-aware" games, GameSpot reported. The software can scan players' faces and identify their emotions.

"Games are designed to take us on an emotional journey, but do not sense and adapt to a player's emotions," according to the company's website. "Our emotion-sensing and analytics technology is transforming the gaming industry, giving developers the tools to create more immersive games and providing gamers the unique ability to drive gameplay with their emotions."

With the firm's software and a webcam, Affectiva's program can "measure and analyze a player's facial expressions of emotion in real time, enabling emotion-aware games and robust game analytics, in an accessible and scalable manner," the company's website added.

First Game to Use Affectiva's Tech

"Nevermind," a psychological thriller game from Flying Mollusk, is the first to use Affectiva's technology. The Boston Globe wrote that the game now allows players to "use standard-issue heart rate monitors to track their pulse during play, and increase the level of difficulty as their rate increases."

An updated version of "Nevermind" was introduced last Tuesday, the Boston Globe added. Using a standard webcam, the tech can determine when a player is becoming more afraid and nervous. When this happens, the game rolls out a more difficult and scarier challenge that forces players to remain calm as they progress.

Flying Mollusk CEO and Creative Director Erin Reynolds said that the new version of "Nevermind" is "a stress management tool disguised as a game," the news outlet noted. Reynolds said they are hoping that becoming skilled at the game while handling your emotions can teach people to apply it to the real world.

According to the Boston Globe, advertising and market research companies are already licensing Affectiva's software to examine shoppers' reactions to advertisements. Lawyers, car manufacturers and robotics firms making social robots are also testing Affectiva's tech.

"Emotion-aware artificial intelligence transforms human-machine interaction, bringing to life authentic and engaging digital experiences," said Dr. Rana el Kaliouby, co-founder of Affectiva, as reported by PRNewswire. "Our emotion-sensing technology is a breakthrough in the gaming industry, giving developers the tools to create more immersive games and providing gamers the unique ability to drive gameplay with their emotions."

Affectiva rolled out a version of the software on game engine Unity to give developers wider access to the tech, the Boston Globe noted. The company also filed a patent to put emotion-reading algorithms as inputs in video games that alter its environment and characters based on the player's emotional reactions.