A multi-player educational game for story writing

In this short paper, a multi-player interactive game called STORYWORLD BUILDER is described. The game enables children to collaboratively build a virtual “story world” and then role-play characters in that world. The educational purpose of the system is to motivate children to write better stories, by providing them with a collaborative, interactive, computer game-like environment in which stories can be enacted. We are interested in whether such a system can improve children’s story writing skills

Medical Education Board Game: Interactive Learning

Background: Researchers have been interested in promoting improved retention of medical knowledge through custom designed board games for a number of years (Bochennek, et al 2007, Karbownik et al, 2016, and Shaw et al 2013). Studies demonstrate at least a subjective medical student desire to continue to develop study methods like board games for routine use in medical education

Service oriented interactive media (SOIM) engines enabled by optimized resource sharing

In the same way as cloud computing, Software as a Service (SaaS) and Content Centric Networking (CCN) triggered a new class of software architectures fundamentally different from traditional desktop software, service oriented networking (SON) suggests a new class of media engine technologies, which we call Service Oriented Interactive Media (SOIM) engines. This includes a new approach for game engines and more generally interactive media engines for entertainment, training, educational and dashboard applications. Porting traditional game engines and interactive media engines to the cloud without fundamentally changing the architecture, as done frequently, can enable already various advantages of cloud computing for such kinds of applications, for example simple and transparent upgrading of content and unified user experience on all end-user devices. This paper discusses a new architecture for game engines and interactive media engines fundamentally designed for cloud and SON. Main advantages of SOIM engines are significantly higher resource efficiency, leading to a fraction of cloud hosting costs. SOIM engines achieve these benefits by multilayered data sharing, efficiently handling many input and output channels for video, audio, and 3D world synchronization, and smart user session and session slot management. Architecture and results of a prototype implementation of a SOIM engine are discussed

Public Speaking Catch Phrase: Reinforcing good public speaking skills through an interactive in-class gaming experience

Public Speaking Catch Phrase is an interactive in-classroom game derived out of the word guessing party game, Catch Phrase. Public Speaking Catch Phrase intends to make students aware of their communication habits and to develop and reinforce good public speaking skills. Speakers, or “clue-givers,” from two teams will alternate turns and deliver clues to get their team to say the words displayed on the electronic game device. However, students must follow “rules” promoting good public speaking practices in order to receive points. This includes maximizing metaphors and punctuation with gestures, and minimizing non-words (e.g., “um,” “uh,” “er”) and fluency disruptions (e.g., stammering, slurred articulation). This activity challenges students to focus, think quickly, and build a speaker-audience relationship in an interactive, fun, and energetic way

3D Interactive virtual environments for E-learning, teaching and technical support: Multiplayer teaching and learning games for the School of Art, Design & Architecture.

This paper outlines the key stages of a University funded teaching and learning project, the main objective of the project is to build an online 3D virtual Ramsden workshop (RW) game learning environment. Using 3D modeling software and interactive 3D game programming technologies the project team have accurately modeled and simulated the Ramsden workshop (RW) building; The 3D virtual RW workshop has been accurately built to scale and is fitted with virtual furniture, virtual computers, virtual engineering machinery. These components have been developed as an initial range of interactive game based learning tools. In this project the team has also begun to simulate Health and Safety procedures, created software CAD/CAM tutorials and are developing and testing innovative learning support tools for all levels of learners. The 3D Virtual Ramsden workshop (RW) game is part of ongoing research work that applies the use of 3D virtual software for developing appropriate interactive 3D spaces, avatars, objects and simulations for learning, teaching, training, exhibitions, experimental art and practice in virtual environments. Additionally within this project the research team also modelled a virtual Creative Arts Building and a University of Huddersfield virtual campus