Abstract: "ideo games and other applications using off
-
the
-
shelf tracking
devices often take a simple approach to gesture and pose
recognition:
a recognized gesture is always mapped to the same
action
. This approach
basically turns a gesture into a binary button
pre
ss and
misses much of the nuance implicit in natural gestures.
In this paper we explore
,
in a game design setting
,
the use of
continuous 3D gesture sequences where
in
attributes of individual
gestures, such as speed, direction,
etc., combine to influence th
e
r
esult of the sequence as a whole
.
We present Pixelbending, a
game demo
built using the Microsoft Kinect and Unreal
Developers Kit (UDK)
in which the player performs Tai Chi
inspired movements to control water. Designed with the goal
of
creating a fun an
d engaging 3D game experience built
on a
nuanced gesture set, the demo was well received by many players
of different ages and sizes. Through the development process we
encountered challenges to working with off
-
the
-
shelf devices."