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."
Abstract: "Reality-based interfaces bring new design opportunities to social games. These novel game interfaces, exemplified by Wii, Kinect, and Smart phones, leverage players' existing physics, bodily, environmental, and social skills. Moreover, they enable a shared hybrid physical-digital space in which the players' co-presence can be enhanced by their physical and digital co-location. However, many digital social games occupy players' attention with the digital display and content, reducing their attention spent on one another and limiting the synchronization of actions and emotions among players. How do we design technologies that do not interfere with social play but enhance and innovate it? In this thesis work, I focus on one particular kind of reality-based interfaces, Handheld Augmented Reality (HAR), to extend players' interaction from the small mobile devices to the shared hybrid space around a computationally trackable surface. This thesis explores how to encourage social play with HAR interfaces, which brings in challenges of designing with the affordances and constraints of the HAR interface, understanding the complicated phenomenon of social play, and integrating these understandings in multiplayer HAR game design. Adopting Research-through Design as the overarching research method, I collaborate with multiple teams, design and study three multiplayer HAR game prototypes. I present four main contributions. First, this work yields design artifacts and examples of social games with HAR interfaces. I communicate to the game design and Augmented Reality communities through these prototypes, including BragFish, ARt of Defense, and NerdHerder. Second, I provide empirical findings on social play in a shared hybrid space. Through lab-based user studies, observation, video analysis, interviews, and surveys, I collect and analyze interpersonal play behaviors and emotions in the shared hybrid space enabled by the HAR interface. Third, I adopt and adapt sociologic
Abstract: "As computational capability continues to increase, the tools
available to designers of digital games have become more robust, allowing
high fidelity graphics and sound to become common, and resulting
in a market saturated with kinetic-based games. However, consumers
and educators are eschewing such games for more complex and
immersive stories, the creation of which has proven a difficult mountain
for designers to climb. A central reason is that story-immersive
games rely on dialogue between the player character (PC) and nonplayer
characters (NPCs), the writing and coding of which is time consuming
and inefficient. This paper documents the author's experiences
with complex, branching dialogue systems, and examines the possibility
of system automation through natural language processing (NLP)."