Abstract: "A key problem for crowd
-
sourced systems is motivating
contributions from participants and ensuring the quality of
these contributions. Games have been suggested as a
motivational approach but
there are concerns about data
quality
, particularly when the data are to be used for
scientific research
.
To address these concerns, w
e compare
the
quality
of data obtained
from two citizen science games,
one a "gamified" version
of a species classificatio
n task and
one a fantasy game that used the classification task only as
a way to advance in the game play. Surprisingly,
though we
did observe cheating in the fantasy game,
data quality from
the two games
was not significantly different
. As well, the
quali
ty of data from short
-
time contributors was at a usable
level. These findings suggest that games can be a useful
way to motivate contributions to citizen science projects. "
Abstract: "This paper presents data analysis from a course on
Software Engineeri
ng in an effort to identify metric
s and
techniques that would allow instructor to act proactively and
identify patterns of low engagement and inefficient peer
collaboration
.
Over
the last
two terms,
106 students in their
second year of studies formed 20 groups and worked
collaboratively to
develop video games.
Throughout the lab,
students
have to use a variety of tools for managing and
developing their projects, such as software version control
,
static
analysis tools
, wikis, mailing lists, etc
. The students are also
supported by weekly meet
ings with teaching
assistants
and
instructors regarding group progress, code quality, and
management issues.
Through these meeting
s
and their
interactions with
the software tools, students leave a detailed
trace of data related to their individual engageme
nt and their
collaboration behavior in their groups
. The paper provides
discussion on the
different source of data that can be monitored
,
and present preliminary results
on
how the
s
e
data can be used to
analyze students' activity."
Abstract: "Cloud gaming now makes any computer game
playable on a thin client without the previous worries and
frustrations about the hardware requirements. It frees players
from the need to frequently upgrade their computers as they
can now play games that are hosted on remote servers with a
broadband Internet connection and a thin client. However, cloud
games are intrinsically more susceptible to latency than online
games because game graphics are rendered on cloud servers and
thin clients do not possess game state information that is required
by delay compensation techniques.
In this paper, we investigate how the response latency in cloud
gaming would affect users' experience and how the impact of
latency on players' experience varies among different games. We
show that not all games are equally friendly to cloud gaming. That
is, the same degree of latency may have very different impacts on
a game's quality of experience depending on the game's real-time
strictness. We thus develop a model that can predict a game's
real-time strictness based on the rate of players' inputs and the
game screen dynamics. The model can be used to simultaneously
enhance players' gaming and optimize the operation
cost of data centers."
Abstract: "Citizen science is a form of social computation where members of
the public are recruited to contribute to scientific investigations.
Citizen-science projects often use web-based systems to support
collaborative scientific activities, making them a form of
computer-supported cooperative work. However, finding ways to
attract participants and confirm the veracity of the data they
produce are key issues in making such systems successful. We
describe a series of web-based tools and games currently under
development to support taxonomic classification of organisms in
photographs collected by citizen-science projects. In the design
science tradition, the systems are purpose-built to test hypotheses
about participant motivation and techniques for ensuring data
quality. Findings from preliminary evaluation and the design
process itself are discussed."
Abstract: "Through the use of an online discussion, this study collected the detailed perspectives of 29
'hardcore' and 'casual' gamers, regarding the topic of FPS video games. It investigates what the
gamers want in a FPS by means of an online discussion which builds on the benefits of both
ethnography and focus group methodologies. Since the study's main goal was exploratory, a
qualitative approach was considered the most appropriate; in addition to this, the method used
to collect the data was done within a grounded theory framework.
This study finds that, though graphics have historically been a major factor in driving the success
of a FPS video game, this is no longer the case. Gamers expect there to be a balance between the
different components, with a more holistic gaming experience desired, and that too much focus
on one component at the expense of another will result in an unsatisfactory video game
experience. This can be seen in comments given by the participants indicating too much emphasis
of the graphics quality in a FPS and not enough on story or the multiplayer aspects results in a
video game which is neither fun nor praiseworthy. The latter is perceived significant as with such
an oversaturation in the video game market, developers rely heavily on positive word of mouth to
advertise their games.
This study's main goal was to develop a better understanding of the expectations of gamers
regarding FPS; in doing so, it has laid out the basis for producing a 'magic formula' for a great FPS
video game. It has also highlighted several other areas which need further investigation in order
to better understand the behavioural motives and actions of gamers from both 'hardcore' and
'casual' communities."
"Digital technology empowers one to access vast amounts of on-line data. From a learning perspective, however,
it is difficult to access meaningful on-site information within a given context. The Hypercontextualized Game
(HCG) design model interweaves on-site resources, translated as content, and the digital game. As a local game
design process, HCG builds on the resources available on-site (context) and transfers them beyond their origin
(hyper). A successful example is the HCG stories in LieksaMyst, an application developed for the Pielinen
Museum, in which the player is guided through a series of activities by a virtual host from the historic past. It
took three years of extensive work and research for the LieksaMyst HCG stories to mature from brainstorming
concepts to a fully-fledged museum service. Curators, educational technology experts and a total of 476 visitors
(from 6 to 77 years old) contributed to the design process. The analysis of the context and feedback from the
visitors enabled us to choose media, content and activities suitable to the Pielinen Museum. Our findings
indicate that quality time, sincere reflection and communication between local experts and potential players, are
indispensable when designing a HCG based game. The analysis benefits researchers and practitioners who are
interested in the ways in which a game can bridge the gap between people and relevant on-site information"