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: "Promoting WPI's Interactive Media and Game Development (IMGD) program at a major
indus
try trade show has the potential to attract new prospective students and broaden industry
awareness of the IMGD program and students. This project designed a booth for PAX East, a
popular gaming exposition in New England. We conducted interviews of student
s, guidance
counselors, and booth experts, and selected appropriate projects to showcase and students to
showcase them. We then designed an advertisement, handouts, and an inviting layout for the
booth, arranging for the necessary equipment and furniture w
ithin the budget constraints. The
IMGD PAX East booth promises to increase the awareness of the IMGD program, exposing
more people to the game development students and program at WPI."
Virginia state attorney general enlists George Mason game design students to create games to combat aggressive online game and social media recruiting tactics employed by street gangs
Abstract:"A one-semester introductory undergraduate course in computer game development is described. The freshman-level course has been taught for four years. The course was designed and implemented in the context of a new curriculum in computer game development. Goals of the course were to retain undergraduate computer science (CS) majors, attract new students to CS, and expose students to the content creation pipeline used in more advanced courses. A significant aspect of the course is the end-of-semester project to create a machinima - a video created using computer game technology. Besides the initial goals for the course, other benefits were discovered including fostering a sense of community by helping students get to know their peers early in the program. Results, both quantitative and anecdotal, show the course has exceeded expectations in meeting the goals originally established. In addition, the course content has been adapted to the format of a three-day summer workshop to recruit high school students to the university. The course has been integral to the growth of the CS program, enabling the program to nearly triple in size over four years and achieve both statewide prominence and national recognition."
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."
The protein folding game Foldit shows that games are an effective way to recruit, engage and organize ordinary citizens to help solve difficult scientific problems. Modern science is filled with challenges of massive scale.