First chapter of Bohyun Kim's recently published Understanding Gamification (remaining chapters require purchase or subscription,) an issue of the journal Library Technology Reports. Topics include game mechanics, gamification in libraries and education, and elements of design.
Abstract: "Collision avoidance and multi-agent navigation is an important
component of modern video games. Recent developments
in commodity hardware, in particular the utilization of
multi-core and many-core architectures in personal computers
and consoles are allowing large numbers of virtual agents
to be incorporated into game levels in increasing numbers.
We present the hybrid reciprocal velocity obstacle and optimal
reciprocal collision avoidance methods for reciprocal
collision avoidance and navigation in video games and described
their implementations in C++ as HRVO Library and
RVO2 Library. The libraries can efficiently simulate groups
of twenty-five to one thousand virtual agents in dense conditions
and around moving and static obstacles."
The Learning Games Network, a non-profit spin-off of the MIT Education Arcade that bridges the gap between research and practice in game-based education, today announced a $1.99 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to expand Xenos, its flagship integrated social learning environment gaming platform, for Hispanic adults learning English (ESL) in libraries and workplaces. The goal of the Play Games-Learn English Project is to provide self-directed ESL instructional resources to adults in informal learning and vocational training settings. Pilot sites include the Boston and San Francisco Public Libraries and BJ's Wholesale Clubs."
the Library of Congress maintains a video game collection resulting from copyright registrations which accounts for about 10 percent of total video game releases
University of Minnesota librarians deliver an engaging slide presentation with creative ideas for initiating a video game culture in libraries, noting the many educational applications.
Abstract: "We introduce ALE, a new framework for writing games for the An-
droid platform. The primary motivation behind ALE is to empha-
size reading code before writing it. Beginners read game code to
learn how levels can be made, and advanced users read the code of
ALE itself to learn how to create useful and extensible libraries. To
date, roughly 200 students at our university have used ALE, rang-
ing from first-semester engineering undergraduates through Mas-
ters students. ALE has proven useful in teaching non-majors about
CS, in making introductory CS programming courses more excit-
ing, and in encouraging creativity, entrepreneurship, and good pro-
gram design in upper-level electives. Based on these experiences,
we encourage educators at all levels to consider using ALE to im-
prove students' ability to learn by reading code."
Abstract: "Abstract
Game developers spend a large portion of their time developing and
tweaking the articial 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 specic 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-specic language containing the necessary
elements to describe and execute strategies to achieve goals in a real-time
video game. We develop a domain-specic language to express strategies
for computer controlled actors using techniques commonly found in em-
bedded domain-specic languages, and in particular embedded domain-
specic 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-specic language developed in this thesis"
Abstract: "We propose a powerful new tool for conducting
research on computational intelligence and games. 'PyVGDL' is
a simple, high-level description language for 2D video games, and
the accompanying software library permits parsing and instantly
playing those games. The streamlined design of the language is
based on defining locations and dynamics for simple building
blocks, and the interaction effects when such objects collide, all
of which are provided in a rich ontology. It can be used to quickly
design games, without needing to deal with control structures, and
the concise language is also accessible to generative approaches.
We show how the dynamics of many classical games can be
generated from a few lines of PyVGDL."
from the abstract: "recent studies show that in spite of this potential games are often misused and are
hard to integrate in the instructional environment. Often it is
not clear what a game contributes to a students
learning or how it should be used because of a lack of learning objectives and outcomes. (Young et al, 2012,
Marino et al, 2011). In this thesis I propose a method that provides and clearly states these learn
ing objectives
allowing for a better assessment of the contribution it can offer to the existing instructional environment. To do
this I combine the widely used design model ADDIE with the instructional design method 10 steps to complex
learning by Merriën
boer (Merriënboer, 2007). This method is then applied in creating the educational game
Moth as a proof
-
of
-
concept."
"This experiment parses the game files (in their original format) and builds the maps and some of the game objects from the game through WebGL. Some very basic game mechanics and physics are implemented, but there isn't really anything else than pedestrian movement possible in this version."
"Abstract:
Previous research proposes that human beings are motivated to protect
endangered species by both instrumental values and intrinsic values of biodiversity.
However, it has been difficult to tease apart the two kinds of value at the behavioral
level. Using an innovative fishing game, we tested one kind of instrumental value
(financial value) and one kind of intrinsic value (existence value) of the endangered
Steller sea lion. In the fishing game, players make repeated decisions on how much
Pollock to harvest for profit in each period in a dynamic ecosystem. The population of
the endangered sea lion depends on the population of Pollock, which in turn depends
on the harvesting behavior of humans. The data show that in general, people
responded to the financial value, but not the existence value, of the sea lion by cutting
down commercial fish harvesting to keep more sea lions in the ecosystem. However,
not all people behaved the same regarding the existence value. Females displayed a
higher existence value than males, as did people who reported stronger proenvironmental
attitudes than those with less pro‐environmental attitudes. Our
findings have multiple implications on public opinion elicitation and public policy
design."
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].
Abstract: "This paper propose an educational computer game design model for Malaysian Science
and Technology classroom. The model consist of three aspects of game design which are divided into
two core component: Learn and Play. The two core components represent the elements of
learning and playing in the educational computer game. Balance integration of both
components is essential in developing a good educational computer game. The first aspect of
game design is the game elements. Game elements referred to elements that form the base of the
educational computer game which are the National Curriculum and also computer as the game design
platform. The second aspect of game design is the game environments which comprises of
teacher and students. Integration of both instructional (teacher's role) and playing (student's role)
elements in the game will form the base of the game environments. The third aspect is the factors that
need to be considered by the game designer and education expert in designing effective educational
computer game. The model aim to guide educational computer game designer and educational expert
in developing educational computer game for Malaysian classroom."
Abstract: "The main goal of this research is to understand how Utrecht's business environment must be developed in order to increase the region's international competiveness in the gaming industry. Utrecht's aim is to specialize in the gaming industry. In this research it is estimated that Utrecht is focused on small digital development game companies. The results indicate that Utrecht's competitive advantages are in its policy intervention, low labor wages and real estate costs, well developed demographical factors and infrastructure compared to the other investigated European cities. However, Utrecht scores below average on the categories of investments, quality of life and human resources. Once Utrecht has a stronger promotional effort in the gaming industry, it enlarges its attraction to draw game companies and to better its international position."