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"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: "In on-line role-playing games (RPG), each race holds some attributes and skills. Each skill contains several abilities such as physical damage, hit rate, etc. Parts of the attributes and all the abilities are a function of the character's level, which are called Ability-Increasing Functions (AIFs). A well-balanced on-line RPG is characterized by having a set of well-balanced AIFs. In this paper, we propose an evolutionary design method, including integration with an improved Probabilistic Incremental Program Evolution (PIPE) and a Cooperative Coevolutionary Algorithm (CCEA), for on-line RPGs to maintain the game balance. Moreover, we construct a simplest turn-based game model and perform a series of experiments based on it. The results indicate that the proposed method is able to obtain a set of well-balanced AIFs effi-ciently. They also show that in this case the CCEA outperforms the simple genetic algorithm, and that the capability of PIPE has been significantly improved through the improvement work."

"Game-based simulation systems are increasingly being used to train users in several applications across government, in- dustry, and academia. Designing game-based training sys- tems that can measurably improve learning while providing an engaging training experience is a challenging problem. In this paper, we describe a novel framework that tightly inte- grates game-based training systems with instructional com- ponents using data analysis to address this problem. Intelli- gent training systems based on this framework dynamically adapt both the training and the instructional components to measurably improve learning in play sessions. We propose a three phase approach to automatically identify points in a play session to predict high-value future scenarios, validate predictions, and prescribe actions. A case study using the KDD Cup 2010 educational data set is described illustrating the e®ectiveness of the proposed approach."

Virtual reality applied to learning experiences

From the abstract: "This paper will examine the relationship of pattern recognition and Gestalt principles to procedural form in gameplay. It will identify key features of pattern based play mechanics and outline important synergies between programming paradigms and procedural form. In the course of the paper I will examine the formal and aesthetic qualities of procedural structures and discuss how they generate the experience of psychological flow. I will also identify the role of these mechanisms and their effects in current game design."

Application of communications literature to designing game experience and incorpating into classroom learning

Combined video game and computer science course with emphasis on iPhone/iTouch

"We argue that the development of innovative artificial intelligence (AI) systems plays a crucial role in the exploration of currently unreachable spaces. To aid in exploration, we suggest a practice called AI-based game design, an iterative design process that deeply integrates the affordances of an AI system within the context of game design."

"(Science and Technology Enrichment for Appalachian Middle-schoolers", student game developers' experiences

From a book on haptic interfaces ,"Currently, a diverse spectrum of games available in the market take advantage of the force feedback stimuli effects offered by mainstream haptic interfaces. Here we intend to give a broad view of past and present developments aimed at enabling game environment with haptic augmented interfaces, while discussing the strengths and weaknesses of such developments."

Abstract: "This article discusses the application of an Alexandrian pattern language to the design of interactive systems. It grew out of an University course titled A Pattern Approach to Action Game Design, which was offered as an elective in the Creative Technologies program at Auckland University of Technology, NZ, in 2011. We sketch out the idea of design patterns and describe our experiences with the process of using them for designing oldschool action games, that is, finding patterns, making a language, using it for creating several game designs and realizing one of these designs collaboratively. We discuss the concept of the course and present our pattern language and the game we made. While the language is arguably more like a patchy pattern collection, the various game designs quite loose and the realized game unfinished, the process was challenging and intense, and offered students a new perspective on design. In the spirit of design patterns, we only did what the task at hand required, not artificial exercises. We attempted to connect theory and practice in a natural, direct way as we presented, discussed and used everything we did in order to continue our journey. Our course was not aimed at fixed or frozen products, but on a process that is constantly in flux through collaboration by people who interact and share a common pattern language, use, test, revise and refine it while moving on."

from the abstract: "In this dissertation, a study of the serious games' validity for assessing the in-vehicle information systems ergonomics is presented. Results show that by using low-cost serious game it is possible to successfully predict the interactions' impact on driving performance. Moreover, the developed serious game obtained very promising driving performance approximations to a high fidelity driving simulator. This simulator was used, along with the serious game, to study the impact of two elementary tasks in the current in-vehicle information systems: read text and navigate menus manually. Both tasks affected significantly the vehicle's lateral control, and less significantly the longitudinal control. A final experiment was conducted to confirm the existence of the serious game influence over the behaviour of subjects. It was possible to observe that the game applied a positive impact to drivers' behaviour by improving their lateral and longitudinal control over the vehicle."

Abstract: "There are a number of existing game frameworks that make use of simplified programming languages with the goal of lowering the barrier of entry into content creation for noncoders. However, existing tools do not support the creation of social, multiplayer games that creators can easily deploy among their family and friends. To address this, we conducted formative interviews to determine the design goals for a tool that would allow non-coders to create such games. We then created Donburi, a web application that enables anyone to design and publish a mobile, social board game."

Abstract : "This paper explores how supernormal stimuli may have contributed to the remarkable popularity of several types of video games: first-person shooters (FPSs), massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), and Minecraft. Human culture, technology, and environments have advanced so rapidly in the last 10,000 years that the brains of Homo sapiens have not been able to keep up. Humans survive in the modern world, but still retain a mind stuck in the Pleistocene. Supercharged representations of ancient stimuli, which appealed to prehistoric human ancestors in the environment of evolutionary adaptedness (EEA), appear in many video games and may be hyper-stimulating humans' adaptive instincts. These supernormal stimuli appear to correlate with the remarkably engaging, pleasurable, and satisfying experiences human players derive from playing these games. This paper goes on to propose that greater recognition of the potential of supernormal stimuli, and experimentation with the creation of virtual worlds stand to improve not only digital games, but the way in which humans live, work, and play in the real world."

"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."

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) disrupts the central and executive mechanisms of arm(s) and postural (trunk and legs) coordination. To address these issues, we developed a 3D immersive videogame-- Octopus. The game was developed using the basic principles of videogame design and previous experience of using videogames for rehabilitation of patients with acquired brain injuries.

Survey conducted in Summer 2011 of Japanese game developers with at least three years industry experience

"Abstract. Sophisticated Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) instruments as training simulations and Serious Games (SG) do not provide knowledge content in an explicit form, but propose interactive solutions for learners to build their own skills and competences in close to real situations. The present research makes an overview of the processes of knowledge transfer and content development in SG. In the first place, there will be analyzed and proposed methods how to elicit and embed expert knowledge into design of SG and training simulations. Therefore in the first place we will discuss the problem of expert knowledge elicitation for building SG. In the second place we will review how learning content can be integrated in SG design, and will identify various SG elements and components that can transfer knowledge to the players. Finally, some practical implications will be discussed, derived from the experience in TARGET FP7 EU funded project."