- Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that influences motivation and movement. The rate at which an activity or substance triggers an increase in dopamine levels directly corresponds to the addictive potential of that activity or substance. Once an addiction is in place, the brain’s ability to be motivated to do things other than the addictive stimulus becomes diminished.

- Video-games that provide the player with high levels of novel stimuli have been observed to increase the rate of dopamine release in the brain to levels surpassing those induced by nicotine.

- EYI’s design practices aim to steer clear of constant novel stimuli in order to keep stimulation at manageable levels. This approach helps prevent dopamine levels from soaring to heights that could foster strong habitual behavior.

- Mindfulness practices during highly dopaminergic activities have shown to train the brain to shift from a state that is continuously seeking more, to a state that can be satiated in the current moment. This provides an opportunity for players to use EYI as a training ground where there is enough stimulation to keep focus, but not so much that it makes mindfulness overly difficult. This, in turn, can help reshape how the brain processes media consumption, helping to combat compulsive video game habits.

- Selective attention is a cognitive skill that allows individuals to concentrate on specific stimuli while filtering out distractions.

- This skill is trained by having several projectiles on the screen at once. A projectile only becomes relevant when it enters a specific range, making the player direct their focus to a certain area while filtering out the other projectiles that are not yet relevant.

- Selective attention is guided by the visual and auditory cues that concurrently require the brain to make use of pattern recognition processes to interpret these cues. This is leveraged by having distinguishable, visible patterns in the projectile’s path and speed, as well as auditory patterns in the music’s rhythms that connect with the timing in which the projectile should be addressed.

- Selective attention is often influenced by the level of challenge presented. This is leveraged by having a range of levels that can easily be tuned to a specific player’s ability.

- The brain’s development of selective attention is reinforced by sensory feedback. This principle is leveraged by generating a wave of flower petals that disperse on a correctly-timed spark.

- Certain musical elements, such as tempo and key, have been shown to significantly impact physiological metrics such as heartrate and blood pressure, which correspond very strongly with emotional states.

- Lower heartrate and blood pressure levels are associated with calmness, but also lethargy, while higher levels are associated with positive engagement, but also stress. This is leveraged by having several tracks with different keys and tempos that can promote whatever result the player requires at that time, whether it be relaxation or more intense engagement.

- Music has been shown to exercise cognitive functions, including memory, attention, and problem-solving: engaging with music requires the brain to process auditory information in complex ways.

- Listening to music for 10 - 30 minutes in between bouts of studying or other focused work has been shown to enhance cognition, motivation, and the ability to learn.
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- Group musical activities have been historically observed to foster a sense of community and connection within humans. Multiplayer modes where players are enjoying music along with collaboration or competition will help foster a stronger sense of community within EYI's player base.

- Optical Flow refers to patterns in eye movements. Certain optical flows have been shown to quiet neural circuits responsible for stress.

- The projectile paths are engineered to create certain optical flows by having the player’s eyes follow them. For example, on a wide screen, alternating between a straight linear path and a back and forth path between the left and right corners creates an extreme lateral optical flow that has been shown to alleviate stress.

- Panoramic Vision, also known as wide-angle vision, refers to the ability to perceive a broad visual field, capturing a wide range of information without focusing on a specific point.

- Intentionally practicing panoramic vision has been shown to enhance the brain's ability to focus in a near permanent way.
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- Panoramic vision is leveraged by having multiple projectiles coming at different speeds that surround the screen all at once. Panoramic vision is required to keep track of everything at once so that one does not pass your range while you are focusing on another.

- Group play and multiplayer games have been studied to stimulate positive emotional outlets, the development of social skills, and increased empathy, which has led to their implementation in several forms of therapy.

- Multiplayer modes will allow players to competitively or collaboratively engage with the community.

- Embodiment refers to the principle that cognitive processes are closely connected to and influenced by the body and its interactions with the environment.

- The physical actions required for gameplay, namely tapping or swiping in sync with the rhythm, make use of kinesthetic engagement which can enhance the player's sense of embodiment, strengthening the connection between physical and mental perceptions.

- Embodied cognition theories propose that cognitive processes are intertwined with sensorimotor experiences, which is leveraged by requiring players to synchronize their movements with the rhythm, creating a sensorimotor connection.

- Embodied cognition also involves a sense of spatial presence. This is leveraged by making it so that a projectile can only be addressed when it occupies a certain space on the field.
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- Embodiment allows for expressive movement to convey emotions and intentions. Having a tap convey the intention of addressing a thought in your consciousness can translate to practices in mindfulness.

- The flow state is a mental state in which a person experiences elevated levels of immersion, energy, focus, and enjoyment while pursuing an activity.
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- The flow state is triggered when someone is challenged to a degree that comes incredibly close to or slightly surpasses their degree of skill in a certain activity.
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- Triggering the flow state repeatedly has shown to increase an individual's ability to focus and perform at a high level in general - not just in the specific task that triggered the state.
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- Gameplay can be very easily tuned to challenge a player to their specific ability level.
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- Factors like music and scoring can add a sense of added importance to the action, which is crucial in triggering flow.

- Breath-work and breathing exercises have been extensively observed to provide a myriad of mental and physical health benefits.

- Dynamic timing systems allow for players to input their own inhale and exhale lengths so that the sequence timings will adjust to match the player.

- Sequences can then be made to guide the player through personalized breathing protocols.

- Multisensory Integration involves the brain's ability to combine information from different sensory modalities, such as sight, sound, and touch to create a unified perception of the environment. This enables rapid and accurate behavior.

- Multisensory Integration benefits from cross-modal associations, where stimuli from one modality influence the perception of stimuli in another modality. This is heavily leveraged by the linked connection between the tactile touch of the key, the sound of the musical cue, and the visual of the spark/projectile/petals.