Group items tagged

Software design and platform to help with game design for mobility-disabled users

"A detailed set of guidelines has been published online to help video-games developers cater for users with accessibility issues."

Abstract: "This paper describes the creation of a 2D game engine, the ULL Introductory Game Engine (UIGE), for use in an introductory video game programming course as part of an undergraduate computer science curriculum. Having the right tools available can make illustrating the concepts of game development and design substantially easier. In creating the engine, a number of factors such as ease of use and accessibility, were considered. Furthermore, course instructors must determine how much assistance (in the form of tools for the engine) is too much assistance, as students may miss core principles if development with the engine is made too abstract. Successful implementation of tools like UIGE allow students to produce games quickly and the concepts of game development to be taught more effectively."

A UTA economics professor explains how companies like Electronic Arts lobbied for and benefit from federal government assistance.

Abstract :"Immigrants entering the European Community face a range of challenges in adapting to and understanding the culture of their host nation. Failure to address these challenges can lead to isolation and difficulties integrating into the society of the host country, leading to fragmented communities and a range of social issues . As part of a comprehensive suit e of services for immigrants , the European - funded M obile Assistance for Social Inclusion and Empowerment of Immigrants with Persuasive Learning Technologies and Social Network Services (MASELTOV) project seeks to provide both practical tools and le arning services via mobile devices, providing a readily usable resource for immigrants . In this workshop paper, the game - based learning aspect of the MASELTOV project is introduced, with the rationale behind its design presented. In doing so, the b enefits and implications of mobile platforms and emergent dat a capture techniques for game - based learning are discussed, as are methods for putting engaging gameplay at the forefront of the experience whilst relying on rich data capture and analysis to pro vide an effective learning solution. Through comparison to several other projects, a number of recommendations are put forward for games deployed in contexts similar to that of MASELTOV: a focus on establishing a significant audience with which to conduct ethical research into efficacy, the need for robust pedagogical frameworks suited to the learning context, and the evolution of methods for data capture and analysis of player activity."

Abstract: "This paper explores the use of modern sensor technologies for physical interaction on educati onal games and interactive spaces. More specifically the thesis studies the potential effect of motion capture and wearable body sensors on educational interactive games, on two aspects: i) on the involvement of human body and motion in the process of lear ning, and recall of knowledge (embodied learning), ii) on assisting the development of basic social emotional competencies, through the enhanced social affordances of embodied games. The paper presents a prototype of an educational game developed using a m otion capture controller and two bio feedback sensors, proposing a generic architecture for multi sensor interactive spaces. Finally the paper provides a review of previously studied modalities for emotion recognition, and examines their application on gam e mechanics and AI game agents."

from the abstract: "The Meta!Blast project was developed to provide a medium that lends itself to the com- prehension of cell and metabolic biology by placing the student into a virtual plant cell and allowing them to experience plant biology rst-hand (Wurtele, 2011). By taking advantage of existing agile development methodologies, Meta!Blast has been designed to meet many of the challenges of developing video games in an academic environment. Using a special editor, educators and researchers can also modify in-game content in an eort to tailor the game to their specic curriculum needs. Due to the massive, explorative environment in which the game places players, Meta!Blast provides an ideal environment for a variety of other STEM-related mini-games. By leveraging existing methods of current software used to teach computer science, the initial development stage of a mini-game within Meta!Blast called TALUS (Technology Assisted Learning Using Sandbox) has been designed to let players experience dierent computer programming con- ix cepts. The rst iteration has shown that an environment can be created that allows players to interact with actual computer code in a fail-safe and non-violent manner; furthermore, it has the potential to augment a player's existing knowledge of computer programming."

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: "Identifying and measuring a musical talent is not a simple task that could be performed by computers. In addition to the technical challenges, it also involves social, emotional and cultural issues. This problem is aggravated when the task needs to be performed taking as input the huge amount of music content available on the Internet today. In this paper we report work in progress on a social interactive Game with a Purpose using fun as a key motivational factor to assist in recruitment and measurement of musical talent. "

Abstract: "Abstract Game developers spend a large portion of their time developing and tweaking the articial intelligence in video games. Problems related to productivity in the development of AI have been solved using various modeling techniques in the eld of AI, language design and easier to use editors. Using a domain specic language to assist in describing AI can increase productivity in this area. In addition to this, game developers can be relieved from irrelevant tasks such as worrying about performance, correctness of the implementation, memory management and optimiza- tion data structures and focus on the high level description of the game play. In this thesis, we focus on real-time video games and we investigate the development of a domain-specic language containing the necessary elements to describe and execute strategies to achieve goals in a real-time video game. We develop a domain-specic language to express strategies for computer controlled actors using techniques commonly found in em- bedded domain-specic languages, and in particular embedded domain- specic languages in Haskell. To demonstrate this language we have developed a prototype of a real-time strategy game that uses strategies implemented using the domain-specic language developed in this thesis"

abstract: "This paper discusses a scenario in which human computation is used to segment timestamped fashion images for mining trends based on visual features of garments (e.g., color and texture) and attributes of portrayed subjects (e.g., gender and age). State-of-the-art algorithms for body part detection and feature extraction can produce low quality results when parts of the body are occluded and when dealing with complex human poses. In such cases, these algorithms could benefit from the assistance of human agents. In order to jointly leverage the potential of crowds and image analysis algorithms, a game with a purpose (GWAP) is proposed, whereby players can help segment images for which specialized algorithms have failed, so as to improve the extraction of color and texture features of garments and their association with the features of the subject wearing them."

Abstract: "It has been well-noted that contemporary digital games tend to design for a relatively high skill threshold engineered to appease a well-entrenched and digitally literate audience (Hayes, 2005). Such design practices, however, serve to disenfranchise new and novice players wanting to learn to play. This novice-expert divide is a significant barrier to entry for individuals wanting to play digital games, and given that digital games are seeing increased use in pedagogical contexts (Akilli, 2007; Becker, 2007; Nieborg, 2011; Shelton, Satwicz, & Caswell, 2011; Ulicsak, 2010), such skill-based barriers further complicate the seamless incorporation of digital games into the classroom. In an effort to explore how we might bridge the gap between new and weathered players, I created three tutorials for World of Warcraft (2004) in an attempt to improve the existing tutorials for newer entrants to the game. These new tutorials offered different modalities of instruction, as well as instructional strategies in assisting newer players. Tutorials were designed using the Structured Sound Functions (SSF) model of instructional design, following the Attentional Control Theory of Multimedia Learning (ACTML). The tutorials were then analyzed for their effects on play outcomes, player engagement, and player motivations using the Dick and Carey (2011) three-stage model of formative evaluation. This work thus makes two important contributions. First, this research conducts a much-needed in-depth study of game tutorials, which is an area yet to be well-charted in the disciplines of either education or games studies. Secondly, by analyzing the results of the formative evaluation, I conclude that players react favorably to a faded or "just-in-time" instructional strategy-an approach to player scaffolding which showed significantly increased motivation for play, engagement, and play mastery among novice participants. Implications for game design and future research are disc

Abstract: "The advancement of game-based learning has encouraged many related studies, such that students could better learn curriculum by 3-dimension virtual reality. To enhance software engineering learning, this paper develops a 3D game-based learning system to assist teaching and assess the students' motivation, satisfaction and learning achievement. A quasi-experimental design is based on the ARCS Theory (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction) to investigate the effectiveness of game-based learning strategy in 3-dimension virtual reality scenario. The students are randomly assigned into two groups for quasi-experimental design. In game-based learning, the curriculum content is mapped into the game to provide a scenario learning environment. After implementation of quasi-experimental design, the pre-test and post-test results shown that 3D game-based learning system with software engineering curriculum could achieve a better learning achievement and motivation than using traditional instruction. The statistical test displayed that learning motivations of students have significant impact on learning achievement, and learning achievements of students with game-based learning are better than those who use traditional face-to-face teaching. After re-checked the questionnaire, this paper finds that game-based learning challenging and attractiveness can lead to learners' curiosity and immersion in learning activity. And the results show that 80% students are satisfaction, and 83% students are confidence for the course learning after use the game-based learning system. Lastly, the research results could provide to related educators as references"

Abstract: Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) may suffer numerous cognitive impairments, including significant problems with executive functioning, language, attention, and memory [40]. It is estimated that two to five percent of children born in the U.S. are affected by FASD [34]. It has been shown that training improvements can be made in working memory and attention in children with ADHD [25]. Computerized training with game elements enhances not only motivation but training efficacy of these interventions [38]. This thesis examines the creation of two suites of serious games, Cognitive Carnival and Caribbean Quest, intended to improve working memory aspects of attention with the assistance of a trained psychology interventionist in a therapeutic setting. A game-based approach is chosen to provide motivation to children for sustained cognitive challenges presented by cognitive exercises built into the gameplay. Cognitive Carnival was shown by interventionists to have positive effects in neuropsychological studies of populations of children with epilepsy and FASD [33, 30].

"Automated lm editing involves the generation of the position, orientation, motion and selection of virtual cameras in interactive 3D graphics applications. There is a pressing demand for techniques to assist and automate the control of virtual cameras in the computer games industry where the rapid development of personal computers and high performance consoles has led to substantial improvements in the visual delity of games. The goal of this survey is to characterize the spectrum of applications that require automated lm editing, present a summary of state-of-the-art models and techniques, and identify both promising avenues and hot topics for future research"

"This dissertation presents the use of procedural content generation to create expressive design tools: content generators that are accessible to designers, supporting the creation of new kinds of design tools and enabling the exploration of a new genre of game involving the deep integration of procedural content generation into game mechanics and aesthetics. The first of these tools is Tanagra, the first ever AI-assisted level design tool that supports a designer creating levels for 2D platforming games. Tanagra guarantees that levels created in the tool are playable, and provides the designer with the ability to modify generated levels and directly control level pacing. The second tool is Launchpad, which supports a designer controlling both component and pacing features of generated levels; its companion game Endless Web uses the generator to create an infinite world for players to explore and alter through their choices. Endless Web is one of a handful of games in a new genre enabled by content generation: PCG-based games. Finally, this dissertation presents a novel method for understanding, visualizing, and comparing a generator's expressive range, thus allowing designers to understand the implications of decisions they will make during the design process."

"Abstract. If iteration is the rule in modern software development practices, this is more the case in game development. While the secret recipe for fun in games remains hidden, game development will remain a highly iterative trial-and-error design process. In this paper we present a semi-automatic process that, through FCA, can assist in the software design of modern videogames. Through FCA we can identify candidate distributions of responsibilities among components, and let the users edit such distributions. We support iteration by facilitating the application of past edits when going through a new iteration of identifying candidate components to accommodate for new version of the game requirements."