Group items tagged

"This study evaluates player's performance respective to three visual search conditions in a railed shooter game. Each condition alters the presentation of elements according to the similarity theory of visual search, which distinguishes how easy or difficult goal-relevant targets (T) are from non-target distractions (NT). Significant performance differences are found for accuracy, XY screen position of mouse clicks, and level time. The benefit of this approach identifies performance tradeoffs in visual design with implications on game balancing."

From the introduction:"Space functions in video games in a multitude of manners, many of which have been examined at length, but for the purposes of this analysis, I focus on several contemporary games that feature dystopian environments and also implement the oft-cited concept of intertextuality in their treatment of visual design. More specifically, I examine the visual design of video games that feature a dystopian setting, and use intertextuality to depict distinct, cohesive game worlds. Through the practice of drawing inspiration across mediums and recontextualizing existing aesthetics in hostile, alien, and oppressive environments, designers employ intertextuality within the spatial context of the 3D game environment and juxtapose the perceived nostalgia of historical visual references with the intrinsic oppression of a dystopian game world. This analysis rejects the notion that the postmodern practice of intertextuality is an intrinsically negative one that dilutes our past - rather, in the games that are mentioned - intertextuality does the opposite. It puts the player in contact with the aesthetic trappings of the past, and in turn, creates an ongoing visual lexicon within a specific, nuanced cultural chronology of the dystopian aesthetic."

Abstract: "The video games industry develops ever more advanced technologies to improve rendering, image quality, ergonomics and user experience of their creations providing very simple to use tools to design new games. In the molecular sciences, only a small number of experts with specialized know-how are able to design interactive visualization applications, typically static computer programs that cannot easily be modified. Are there lessons to be learned from video games? Could their technology help us explore new molecular graphics ideas and render graphics developments accessible to non-specialists? This approach points to an extension of open computer programs, not only providing access to the source code, but also delivering an easily modifiable and extensible scientific research tool. In this work, we will explore these questions using the Unity3D game engine to develop and prototype a biological network and molecular visualization application for subsequent use in research or education. We have compared several routines to represent spheres and links between them, using either built-in Unity3D features or our own implementation. These developments resulted in a stand-alone viewer capable of displaying molecular structures, surfaces, animated electrostatic field lines and biological networks with powerful, artistic and illustrative rendering methods. We consider this work as a proof of principle demonstrating that the functionalities of classical viewers and more advanced novel features could be implemented in substantially less time and with less development effort. Our prototype is easily modifiable and extensible and may serve others as starting point and platform for their developments. A webserver example, standalone versions for MacOS X, Linux and Windows, source code, screen shots, videos and documentation are available at the address: http://unitymol.sourceforge.net/."

Abstract: "Among numerous classical statistics paradoxes, N - uel (for N ℕ \ {1}, because N - uel where N = 1 is clearly not that interesting!) problem shows that the fittest of all competitors does not necessarily win this competition. Truel, Quadruel, and Nuel is simply an extension of a duel tournament, which involves more than two people ( Pirates of Caribbe an three - way sword fight serves as an appropriate visual representation). In addition, each N - uel player actually may possess different winning maximization strategy , since the Nuel tournament is known to illustrate that a fitter/better competitor in a mul ti - entry survival type competition does not necessarily possess significantly higher chance of survival than others. It is my desire to see this process: I want to visualize the N - uel process as a third - person observer, and if a person was playing this as a video game (which I plan on developing via Java Programming), I also want to visualize the winning strategies each video game participant follows."

abstract: "Creating graphical user interfaces (GUI) for stereoscopic 3D (S3D) games is a difficult choice between visual comfort and effect. We present a S3D Game GUI Design Space and a list of S3D-specific attributes that emphasizes integrating visually comfortable interfaces into the game world, story and S3D view. To showcase our approach, we created two GUI concepts and evaluated them with 32 users. Our results show quality improvements for a combination of bottom position and visual attachment for a menu. In a referencing interface, placing the reference near to the target depth significantly improved perceived quality, game integration, and increased presence. These results confirm the need to create S3D GUIs with perceptual constraints in mind, demonstrating the potential to extend the user experience. Additionally, our design space offers a formal and flexible way to create new effects in S3D GUIs."

Abstract: "This paper explores the possibilities of game-based learning within the context of a graphic design education. A global network now exists that puts all professionals in competition with one-another, and in order to stay competitive as educators, we must be able to produce professionals that can solve problems creatively. However, traditional teaching methods may in some contexts be unable to provide the kind of education students need, and initial research suggests that game-based learning may be a viable solution. This study establishes a framework of good game-based learning principles and a design for a video game to be used in a teaching environment. Primarily target audiences are teenage students, roughly ages 10 - 14, and college level undergraduate students, ages 18 - 25, of all genders. This video game is intended to teach players situated meanings for key visual communication concepts of grid and modularity, in a way that allows them to create high level relationships between these and their creative work."

"The continuous quest for ever increasing fidelity in 3D virtual worlds is running parallel to the emergence and adoption of low-cost technologies to implement such environments. In education and training, complex simulations can now be implemented on standard desktop technologies. However, such tools lack the means to represent multisensory data beyond audio-visual feedback. This paper reports on a study that involved the design, development and implementation of a 3D learning environment for underground mine evacuation. The requirements of the environment are discussed in terms of the sensory information that needs to be conveyed and techniques are described to achieve this using multiple modes of representation, appropriate levels of abstraction and synesthesia to make up for the lack of tactile and olfactory sensory cues. The study found that audio-visual cues that used such techniques were effective in communicating complex sensory information for novice miners."

"This paper is a part of the game studies field from a design perspective. It investigates the computer game design process, focusing primarily on prototyping, as it is being performed in game development today. ... Potential users of prototypes and prototyping methods range from the designer and the design team, to beta testers and publishers. The focus in this paper is on internal use of prototypes, where the design team is the target audience. The prototype functions as a tool for getting the team on the same track and to introduce new members to the work. Prototypes and visualizations also tend to replace the game design document more and more. The work presented here is based on analysis of interviews with game designers. By applying perspectives from rhetoric, the aim is to investigate how the communication around the prototyping process within a design team can be improved."

From the abstract: "In this paper we tackle automating level design. We describe a general graph-based representation for game levels and present a preliminary system that leverages this representation. Our system automatically explores existing levels of a 2D platform game using the rapidlyexploring random tree (RRT) algorithm and constructs a compact graph representation from this exploration. Our system can also modify a graph representation onthe- fly to reflect user-directed changes to the existing level structure. This work constitutes an initial step toward the larger goal of automating level design in a general way."

Abstract: "Cinematography is a key aspect in the development of mod- ern computer games. The quality of the visuals depends, not only on the accuracy of the rendering, but on the way that the scene is presented to the player. Which element should be included in the frame, from which point of view and in which positions are all aspects that have been widely stud- ied in classical cinematography. However, it is still unclear how the principles developed for the lm medium are ap- plicable to an interactive medium such as computer games. This article presents a study, which explores the interplay between cinematography and player experience. The results of the experiment demonstrate the existence of an impact of the cinematographic behaviour of camera on both player's aect and her in-game behaviour. Furthermore, this impact is dependent on the game mechanics highlighting once more the dierence between classic cinematography and game cin- ematography"

Abstract: "This paper explores the consequences of using the game engine Unity to construct 3-D models of Pompeian houses, linked to art and spatial databases, as an ongoing research colloquium for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in the humanities. Rather than serving as a neutral piece of visualization software, the game engine functions as critical tool because, more than any other visualization platform, it permits real time, embodied movement through the houses. One outcome of such embodied movement has been the recognition that the traditional vocabulary for describing space in Pompeii is inadequate, and a much more careful methodology is required, using network topology and visibility graph analysis to establish spatial profiles for the rooms. As they construct the models in Unity, students also encounter the contradiction between the texture pipeline used to produce immersion in games and the emphasis on accuracy and scientific objectivity found in cultural heritage discourse, a discourse which paradoxically also stresses immersion. Finally, the game engine encourages students to consider the rhetoric of embodied play in the Pompeian decorative ensembles themselves."

Abstract :"We present an attempt at exploring the search space of weapons in team-based multiplayer First-Person Shooters (FPS). At the foundation of the experiment is Team Block- head Wars (TBHW), a game that we developed for the pur- poses of this project. TBHW allows human players to enjoy classic multiplayer FPS gameplay and uses a genetic algo- rithm to continuously generate new weapons. A weapon's genome consists of ten real-valued parameters, which to- gether form a vast search space that includes common FPS weapon tropes. The evaluation function scores weapons on the basis of their use by players. The game also generates 3D meshes to visually represent the generated weapons for easy player recognition. While TBHW is work in progress, preliminary results are encouraging."

Abstract: "We describe an approach to using standard data mining algorithms to help analyse recurring themes in game design across several games, and to help suggest novel game design ideas. This is illustrated with the analysis of 119 different resource systems across 20 games. Clustering is used to validate the assignment of resources into archetypes; frequent pattern mining is used to find commonly co-occurring resource attributes; and decision tree induction is used to visualize the relations between resource archetypes. We discuss the relation between qualitative and quantitative analysis of game design and suggest that qualitative analysis is necessary but that quantitative methods can be of invaluable help."

"Abstract. While building a game engine in Microsoft XNA 4 that pow- ered a RTS (real-time strategy) tower defense type game, we were faced with the issue of increasing the amount of visual feedback received by the player and adding value to the gameplay by creating a more immersive atmosphere. This is a common goal shared by all games, and with the recent advancements in graphics hardware (namely OpenGL, DirectX and the advent of programmable shaders) it has become a necessity. In this pa- per we will build upon the shadowing techniques known as VSM (variance shadow map) and LVSM (layered variance shadow map) and discuss some of the issues and optimizations we employed in order to add real-time soft shadowing capabilities to our game engine."

"Prototypes have proven to be a good practice in different areas. In the gaming industry, they help identify usability and gameplay issues, among others. The earlier these issues are identified, the less effort is required fixing them. But game assets like graphics are often expensive and are available later on, or even after game functionality has been implemented. Game prototypes are in this case created using lower fidelity visuals. While this technique makes it possible to perform usability tests, it may bias the feedback provided by usability testers. In this paper we investigate how the fidelity of the prototypes used for usability testing influence the feedback provided by testers."

A seminal article on how video games are already incorporated into many aspects of everyday technology use.

Abstract: "This study develops a way to use the technology of video games to help teach people the violin. The unique characteristics of this research are to create a visual representation for music for violinists, to utilize pedagogy for violin education within a video game, and to use the Fast Fourier Transform to process input from an actual acoustic instrument and use the data to track user progress. Music games like JamGuru [9], Rocksmith [19], LittleBigStar [13], and Rock Band [18] have made strides in these areas of research; however, most of these technologies have not been applied to the violin. Expected results are that students' progress rate will increase as a result of playing the game. The input processing used in this research could be applied to areas where sound recognition is important. Furthermore, the concept of an adaptable game can be applied to other academic subjects."

"A Slower Speed of Light is a first-person game prototype in which players navigate a 3D space while picking up orbs that reduce the speed of light in increments. Custom-built, open-source relativistic graphics code allows the speed of light in the game to approach the player's own maximum walking speed. Visual effects of special relativity gradually become apparent to the player, increasing the challenge of gameplay. These effects, rendered in realtime to vertex accuracy, include the Doppler effect (red- and blue-shifting of visible light, and the shifting of infrared and ultraviolet light into the visible spectrum); the searchlight effect (increased brightness in the direction of travel); time dilation (differences in the perceived passage of time from the player and the outside world); Lorentz transformation (warping of space at near-light speeds); and the runtime effect (the ability to see objects as they were in the past, due to the travel time of light). Players can choose to share their mastery and experience of the game through Twitter. A Slower Speed of Light combines accessible gameplay and a fantasy setting with theoretical and computational physics research to deliver an engaging and pedagogically rich experience."

Abstract: "This thesis explores role-playing games, an existing genre within the current game industry. Role-playing games have many different parts which together create the whole game experience for the user. However, this research has focused on what arguably can be said to be the core gameplay feature of role-playing games: The battle system. This was mainly conducted by analyzing existing games using different methods, primarily by identifying gameplay design patterns in the games, and comparing them using a cluster method. The use of patterns allowed basic elements for observing and analyzing the relation between different role-playing games while the clusters provide overviews of the subcategories of the role-playing genre. This thesis presents view of the role-playing genre from the perspective of combat systems through two main results. The first result is the trees created by the clusters which explain subgenres through the presence of specific gameplay design patterns. The second result is four categories of patterns: those which illustrate patterns found in nearly all role-playing games; those that define the tree result; those that can have strong impact on gameplay but without affecting subgenre membership; and those that link combat system to other parts of the gameplay. Through this, the research has established a view on the design space of role-playing games and created visualizations of how different role-playing games relate to each other. From this relation a designer can further understand how to design for different gameplay experiences for the user."

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."