On October 11, 2026, the UbiComp/ISWC 2026 workshop "Wearable Design in Games and Entertainment" (WDGE) was held at the Shanghai International Convention Center. Bringing together researchers from human-computer interaction, wearable technology, games and entertainment, extended reality, health, and rehabilitation, the workshop explored how wearable technologies can advance embodied interaction, immersive experiences, accessibility, and well-being.
Figure 1. Group photo of workshop participants
The workshop was jointly organized by Dr. Ziqian Bai of the Southern University of Science and Technology, Dr. Tengjia Zuo of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Dr. Erik Van der Spek of Eindhoven University of Technology, and Dr. Jingya Li of Beijing Jiaotong University. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue across wearable computing, human-computer interaction, game studies, and health technology, the event also laid a foundation for continued collaboration on wearable entertainment experiences, social impact, and real-world applications.
Focusing on emerging research and innovative practice in wearable games and entertainment, the workshop covered EMG and physiological-signal interaction, gesture and body sensing, e-textiles and soft wearables, haptic and multisensory experiences, mixed- and virtual-reality games, and wearable applications for rehabilitation, people with special needs, and older adults. It emphasized the integration of technological exploration and design research across the full innovation process, from concepts and prototypes to user studies and system evaluation.
In the keynote sessions, Prof. Dongyi Chen presented "Wearable Affective Sensing-Driven VR Games: From Emotion Recognition to Adaptive Games," examining how wearable affective sensing can move virtual-reality games from emotion recognition toward adaptive experiences. Prof. Haining Liang delivered "Beyond Immersion: Integrating Social, Spatial, and Cultural Dimensions in Wearable XR Gaming," outlining approaches to incorporating social, spatial, and cultural dimensions into wearable XR games. Together, the two talks offered complementary perspectives on sensing technology and experience design and provided thought-provoking frameworks for wearable-game research.
Figure 2. Prof. Dongyi Chen delivering the keynote talk
Figure 3. Prof. Haining Liang delivering the keynote talk
The paper session featured lightning talks on 11 accepted papers. The work spanned wearable game interaction for people with limited hand mobility, face-adjacent wearable controllers, RPG quest systems for health interventions, game-like VR navigation, joint attention and social-emotional interaction for autistic children, VR-based biofeedback for relaxation, edge-AI wearable vision, breath-driven presence in XR, ambient-light sensing with smartwatches, home-based stroke rehabilitation, and personalized emotion sensing for adaptive games. Collectively, the papers demonstrated the diverse potential of wearable technologies across entertainment, health, and inclusive design.
Beyond the academic presentations, the program included a Wearable Game Experience Zone and a creative ideation and group-presentation session. Through hands-on prototype demonstrations, discussion, and collaborative ideation, participants connected technical concepts with real-world contexts and exchanged design approaches for game mechanics, embodied participation, social interaction, and rehabilitation training. The compact and varied program created a forum in which participants from different disciplinary backgrounds could move from research sharing and experiential feedback to collaborative concept development.
Figure 4. Wearable Game Experience Zone
Looking ahead, the WDGE workshop will continue to explore new forms, methods, and contexts for wearable design in games and entertainment. It aims to connect technological innovation with human-centered experience design and to encourage researchers, industry professionals, and creative practitioners to jointly develop wearable experiences that are more interactive, accessible, and socially meaningful.
