Group items tagged

"Alan Price had a successful career in the video game industry as chief technology officer for EA Games in Canada. But a desire to create games that would do more than simply entertain, combined with a transformation in his industry that has seen video games shift from consoles to smartphones and social networks, prompted Price join the burgeoning digital health sector where he's creating wellness apps for kids."

Abstract: "Serious games have proven to be a useful instrument to engage learners and increase motivation. Nevertheless, a broadly accepted, practical instructional design approach to serious games does not exist. In this paper, we introduce the use of an instructional design model that has not been applied to serious games yet, and has some advantages compared to other design approaches. We present the case of mechanics mechatronics education to illustrate the close match with timing and role of knowledge and information that the instructional design model prescribes and how this has been translated to a rigidly structured game design. The structured approach answers the learning needs of applicable knowledge within the target group. It combines advantages of simulations with strengths of entertainment games to foster learner's motivation in the best possible way. A prototype of the game will be evaluated along a well-respected evaluation method within an advanced test setting including test and control group."

"Examination of the history, development, and future of adaptive, dynamic, and interactive music in video games. Discussions include nonlinear music historical developments, compositional approaches for adaptive music, generative music, testing methods in the compositional and implementation stages, the evolving industry of adaptive music composition, future technological developments in music production and gaming, and adaptive music beyond games. Also included is an appendix of video game case studies, as well as an appendix of professional insight from game industry veterans."

"Objects in 3D games are typically shell models, a polygon mesh representing the shell or skin of the object. While emulation of the behaviour of shell models under combustion is sucient for many game applications and is fairly well studied, solid objects do in fact burn rather dierently than shell objects. We show how to manipulate shell models so that they appear to burn as solid models. Since our burning objects will be only a small part of a video game, computation speed is of the essence. We demonstrate that our method uses only a fraction of the computational power available by implementing the computation on a modest GPU using CUDA."

"Abstract: Digital games have the potential to create active and engaging environments for learning, supporting problem-solving, communication and group activities, as well as providing a forum for practice and learning through failure. The use of game techniques such as gradually increasing levels of difficulty and contextual feedback support learning, and they can motivate users, using challenges and rewards, competition and mystery. Above all, computer games provide safe spaces in which learners can play, explore, experiment, and have fun. However, finding appropriate games for specific educational contexts is often problematic. Commercial entertainment games are designed for enjoyment, and may not map closely to desired learning outcomes, and the majority of educators do not have the time or specialist expertise to create their own games. Computer games are expensive to purchase or produce, and learners, particularly busy adult learners, need to be convinced of their effectiveness. So while there are many theoretical benefits to the use of computer games for learning, it given the increasing economic constraints in education, their use may simply not be practical. This paper presents three alternative ways in which the theory and practice of computer games can be applied to education, without the expense. First, the option of developing simple and cost-effective games with low technical specifications, such as alternate reality games, or using virtual worlds or one of the growing number of accessible game-builder toolkits to create educational games, will be explored. Second, learning from games rather than with them is discussed, examining game techniques that naturally enhance learning, and embedding those elements in traditional teaching practices. Third, the paper presents the option of giving learners agency as game creators rather than simply players, so that it becomes the process, not the product, which facilitates learning. The advantages and drawbacks

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."

Presents results of a gamer questionnaire as well as analysis of effective games and their producers

Reviews positive learning outcomes associated with video games as well as good design principles for educational games

From the abstract: "We believe creativity has not been a prevalent element in the videogame medium. While many issues might be at fault, in this paper we propose that one of the underlying causes resides in the game design discipline itself, more specifically in the way scholars, journalists and audiences promulgate normative thinking. This notion is developed with arguments that explore how normative thinking has shaped three dimensions of the medium - form, value and expression. It takes into consideration major trends in journalism and production, as well as an analysis of books and scientific articles that concern the subject. We then propose alternatives on how to frame the currently available knowledge in the discipline in a way that can help foster creativity instead of constraining it."

study of games used to increase mobility for elderly as well as "seven guidelines for the design of full-body interaction in games. The guidelines are designed to foster safe physical activity among older adults, thereby increasing their quality of life."

Abstract: "This thesis aims to study the design possibilities for supporting explorative form-finding in 3D modeling applications. For today's many design professions, 3D forms are achieved partly in engagement with digital environments. Use of software has far exceeded final idea execution, extending to the early phases of design work in which the outcome is not predetermined. This insight led designers of interactive systems support sketching and ideating activities by reducing the risk of experimentation and cognitive effort demanded from user. Yet, there has been less emphasis on traditional design and craft practice that acknowledges engagement with materials and effort spent on work as an integral part of creative process. The notion of exploration in the scope of this thesis attempts to incorporate such aspects. Relevant literature about workshop practice in design and craft has been reviewed, as well as examples of CAD technologies that aid designers. In this light, HCI perspectives on the design of creativity support tools and games have been discussed. The thesis work aimed to concretize this background by building a design strategy and an interactive artifact. A 3D form-finding application concept using objects in modeling space to indirectly manipulate geometry, "kfields", has been developed and evaluated with users at various stages. The thesis concludes by reflecting on the findings of different design stages and proposing further directions for design. Keywords: 3D Modeling, CAD, digital material, form"

"Smartphone devices are becoming the de facto personal com- puting platform, rivaling the desktop, as the number of smartphone users is projected to reach 1.1 billion by 2013. Unlike the desktop, smartphones have a constrained energy budget, which is further challenged by increasingly sophisti- cated applications. Amongst the most popular applications on smartphone devices are games and virtual environments that rely on 3D graphics. Due to the computational inten- sity of geometry and rasterization, as well as the perpetually illuminated display, these applications are extremely power- hungry. To prolong the battery life of devices running these applications, we propose two new energy-aware adaptation schemes that can be employed in 3D graphics applications: lighting limitation and textural transformation. Our results show that we can conserve between 20% and 33% of energy with acceptable sacrices to a user's visual experience."

Designer for well-known games such as Fallout3 and The Elder Scrolls V is remembered

"The design and development of commercial AAA videogames is a difficult and complex endeavor. It involves large development teams that together aim to create high quality, entertaining games that sell well. Up to now, very few scholars have documented or problematized this practice."

"In this study, we investigate these issues in the context of a table tennis video game. The results show that the impact of holding a physical controller, or indeed of the fidelity of that controller, does not appear in simple measures of performance. Rather, the difference between controllers is a function of the responsiveness of the game being controlled, as well as other factors to do with expectations, real world game experience and social context."

"This paper describes design issues surrounding "Data Games," small-scale, short web-based games that generate data for analysis in mathematics or statistics classes. The games are embedded in a data analysis environment. We discuss design for the games themselves as well as some curriculum and assessment issues."

"Strokes are a leading cause of death and disability and have been described as a "worldwide epidemic" [5]. Strokes cause disability, partial paralysis and leave up to 85% of their victims with some form of motor impairment. Stroke rehabilitation starts as soon as possible and involves repetitive movement which people find repetitive and boring. A study [1] has found that as few as 31% of people complete their exercises as recommended. Adding to this the high cost of one on one therapy and transport to see specialists, stroke rehabilitation is a major problem. Games have been trialed for stroke rehabilitation to increase patient motivation and reduce costs. This literature review aims to find out to what extent games have therapeutic value and further, what characteristics make a good game for stroke rehabilitation. We find that in order for a game to be successful it must be based on solid therapeutic principles as well as game design principles including "challenge" and "meaningful feedback". Different hardware and software can be used as long as it follows game design principles to encourage patients to perform therapeutic exercises. Games must also take into account the low morale of recent stroke victims and avoid discouraging beginners."

From the abstract: "we present an experience framework in order to show the effect of gamification on consumers' experiences that is illustrated through four extended examples. We conclude this article with a few implications for future research into, as well as practical application for the successful gamification of consumer experiences. But first, we discuss what gamification is and what it is not."

"a Journal on Video Games, Value and Meaning"

The Guildhall hosts graduate studies in game developement and design as well as professional certificates and indie game developing events. Open House happening in October