Virtual Reality Games for Motor Rehabilitation

This paper presents a fuzzy logic based method to track user satisfaction without the need for devices to monitor users physiological conditions. User satisfaction is the key to any product’s acceptance; computer applications and video games provide a unique opportunity to provide a tailored environment for each user to better suit their needs. We have implemented a non-adaptive fuzzy logic model of emotion, based on the emotional component of the Fuzzy Logic Adaptive Model of Emotion (FLAME) proposed by El-Nasr, to estimate player emotion in UnrealTournament 2004. In this paper we describe the implementation of this system and present the results of one of several play tests. Our research contradicts the current literature that suggests physiological measurements are needed. We show that it is possible to use a software only method to estimate user emotion

Situated Immersive Gaming Environments for Irish Language Learning

In this thesis, three cycles of design based research are outlined, implementing a situated immersive virtual reality game for Irish language learning. It was undertaken in order to investigate a potential technological solution to improve the limited number of daily Irish adult speakers in Ireland, 3%. It examines the intersection between game based learning, Irish language learning and virtual reality technology and the methodological approach undertaken follows a design based research paradigm. The research focus is on motivation and anxiety through interaction with a virtual reality game. It offers several contributions to current literature including: The utilisation of the Second Language (L2) self-system system of motivation within a design based research methodological approach. The study disseminates the results of three cycles of a design based research experiment. It found an increase in vocabulary retention, reduction in anxiety towards Irish and a significant increase in attitudes towards learning Irish. It also highlights learner’s experience of a immersive situated game to learn Irish. The first case study was conducted with 7 participants from TU Dublin’s game design programme. This was a pilot study which confirmed the questionnaires and game design direction of the thesis moving forward. The results led to a redesign of the game following quantitative and qualitative feedback from participants. The second case study was conducted with 13 participants from TU Dublin’s Irish language classes. There were no statistically significant results found, however, there was a large reduction in the mean for Irish language anxiety and Irish language self confidence in participants after engaging with the virtual reality game. The results led to a redesign of the game following the quantitative and qualitative feedback from participants. In the third case study there were 10 participants from Marino Institute of Education. Statistically significant results were found with a 21% increase in vocabulary retention alongside a decrease in Irish language anxiety and an increase in attitudes towards iilearning Irish. Focus groups of the participants are explored through thematic analysis in order to corroborate the quantitative data. Participants validated the quantitative analysis and illustrated how the design of the VR game aided their motivation and vocabulary retention. The thesis concludes by providing a summary of the research questions and the results obtained and gives game design recommendations for future immersive situated games for Irish language learning

Design methodology for 360-degree immersive video applications

360-degree immersive video applications for Head Mounted Display (HMD) devices offer great potential in providing engaging forms of experiential media solutions. Design challenges emerge though by this new kind of immersive media due to the 2D form of resources used for their construction, the lack of depth, the limited interaction, and the need to address the sense of presence. In addition, the use of Virtual Reality (VR) is related to cybersickness effects imposing further implications in moderate motion design tasks. This research project provides a systematic methodological approach in addressing those challenges and implications in 360-degree immersive video applications design. By studying and analysing methods and techniques efficiently used in the area of VR and Games design, a rigorous methodological design process is proposed. This process is introduced by the specification of the iVID (Immersive Video Interaction Design) framework. The efficiency of the iVID framework and the design methods and techniques it proposes is evaluated through two phases of user studies. Two different 360-degree immersive video prototypes have been created to serve the studies purposes. The analysis of the purposes of the studies ed to the definition of a set of design guidelines to be followed along with the iVID framework for designing 360-degree video-based experiences that are engaging and immersive

PlayMaps - Representation of 3D cartography data in Augmented Reality (AR) games

A presente dissertação tem como tema a representação de dados cartográficos 3D em ambientes de Realidade Aumentada (RA) aplicados a tecnologias móveis. No turismo, a escolha de um lugar para visitar pode ser um processo árduo e exaustivo que na maioria das vezes traz contratempos imprevistos. Dada a abundância de informações sobre um local, ou mesmo a falta dela em muitas circunstâncias, é simples para um possível turista ficar desorientado e fazer o julgamento incorreto de não visitá-lo. Em muitos casos, as pessoas até desconhecem o potencial das regiões. Muitos representantes têm lutado para encontrar maneiras de atrair mais turistas para suas cidades, muitas vezes se perguntando: "Como posso promover minha cidade para o mundo de uma maneira mais eficaz?". Obviamente, essa divulgação precisa ser feita de forma segura e acessível. Assim, esta dissertação pretende criar um jogo para adolescentes, entre os 10 e os 15 anos, baseado em Realidade Aumentada (RA), que seja capaz de digitalizar um mapa em papel e permitir ao utilizador interagir com o mesmo. A app terá de proporcionar a componente educativa do território e também um nível adequado de interação com o utilizador. Este aplicativo será fácil de usar e compatível com qualquer sistema operacional móvel. Como tal, foi pensado para que qualquer pessoa com um smartphone possa utilizar esta tecnologia. Além disso, este aplicativo será flexível, adaptável e genérico. Cartografias diferentes exigirão modelos geográficos diferentes ou mesmo metodologias de jogo diferentes. Portanto, este aplicativo terá a capacidade de importar diferentes informações geográficas e criar um jogo específico para essa cartografia. Dois estudos anteriores foram realizados nesta área, nomeadamente para potenciar a experiência de visitas à Galeria da Biodiversidade e ao Jardim Botânico como forma de jogo. O primeiro estudo utiliza o método "case study", utilizando uma abordagem quantitativa e qualitativa para entender como a experiência lúdica proporcionada pela tecnologia de realidade aumentada pode contribuir para a entrega de informações que esses espaços pretendem transmitir aos visitantes {soares2021flo}. O segundo estudo procurou explorar formas de conectar ambientes internos e externos por meio de Realidade Aumentada (RA) {teixeira2021serious}. Esses tipos de abordagens de como disseminar informações são fundamentais para que o usuário tenha uma compreensão adequada do que a região tem a oferecer. Esses recursos serão aplicados ao mapeamento de territórios conhecidos a fim de investigar formas de promover o turismo melhorando e inovando a forma como as pessoas aprendem e exploram novas cidades e outros espaços. Embora esta dissertação seja apenas um caso de estudo, com esta implementação, a solução proposta pode funcionar como base para o desenvolvimento de uma ferramenta universal para qualquer instituição e/ou cidade que se queira promover.The present dissertation has, as its theme, the representation of 3D cartography data in Augmented Reality (AR) environments applied to mobile technologies. In tourism, choosing a place to visit can be a hard and exhaustive process which most times brings unforeseen setbacks. Given the abundance of information about a location, or even the lack thereof in many circumstances, it's simple for a possible tourist to become disoriented and make the incorrect judgement of not visiting it. In many cases, people even are unaware of the regions' potential. Many city officials and space marketers have struggled to find ways to attract more tourists to their cities, often asking themselves, "How can I promote my city to the world in a more effective way?". Obviously, this advertisement needs to be done in a safe and affordable way. Therefore, this dissertation aims to create a game for teens, between 10 and 15 years old, based on Augmented Reality (AR), which is capable to digitise a paper map and allowing the user to interact with it. The app will have to provide the educational component of the territory and also an appropriate level of interaction with the user. This app will be easy to use, user-friendly and compatible with any mobile operating system. As such, it is designed that anyone with a smart phone can use this technology. Furthermore, this app will be flexible, adaptable and generic. Different cartographies will require different geographical models or even different game methodologies. Therefore, this application will have the ability to import different geographic information, and create a specific game to that cartography. Two previous studies were carried out in this area, namely to enhance the experience of visits to Galeria da Biodiversidade and Jardim Botânico as a form of a game. The first study employs the case study method, using a quantitative and qualitative approach to comprehend how the entertaining experience given by augmented reality technology may contribute in the delivery of the information these spaces intend to transmit to visitors {soares2021flo}. The second study sought to explore ways to connect indoor and outdoor environments through Augmented Reality (AR) {teixeira2021serious}. These types of approaches on how to disseminate information are fundamental for the user to have an appropriate grasp of what the region has to offer. These functionalities will be applied to cartography of know territories in order to investigate ways to promote tourism by improving and innovating the way people learn and explore new cities and other spaces. Although this dissertation is only a case study, with this implementation, the proposed solution can become a stepping stone to the development of a universal tool for any institution and/or city that intends to promote itself

The potential of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to engage people with physical activity

Introduction: Sufficient physical activity (PA) reduces the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and improves physical and psychosocial health. The levels of PA in the UK and elsewhere in the world remain low for all age groups. Novel strategies for engaging people in PA are required to tackle the epidemic of inactivity. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) is computer-generated, interactive 3D environments that offer users unique immersive experiences of PA. / Aims: The aim of this mixed-methods, staged research project (vEngage) was to test the potential of VR and AR to engage people in PA. This work was a Medical Research Council (MRC) funded partnership between academic researchers (UCL, Coventry, and Anglia Ruskin Universities) and an industry partner ‘Six to Start’. / Methods: I surveyed and interviewed the users of the world’s most popular running app Zombies, Run! (ZR) (Studies 1 and 2). I then conducted a scoping review in a form of a qualitative analysis of game reviews on popular VR exercise games (exergames) and described positive and negative features, current players of VR exergames report, as important motivators for exergame playing (Study 3). In parallel, the vEngage team set up a steering committee of adolescents (13-17 years) and their parents and interviewed both groups about PA, VR, AR, and exergaming (Studies 4a and 4b). We used the results from these studies to inform our VR exergame intervention (a game called Walls - Study 5) which we developed together with expert games designers Six to Start. / Results: VR is a promising strategy for engaging adolescents in PA but barriers to use remain, including awareness, availability, affordability, and accessibility. The results showed people have a positive attitude to exergaming, with a preference for narratives (engaging story, role-play). This was particularly supported by both ZR studies, where the narrative was the most motivating factor for engagement in PA for all age groups. VR and AR exergaming can distract people from the negative aspects of performing PA such as pain or repetition. / Conclusions: This research project was the first VR study that used principles of co-design in creating a digital VR exergame intervention for adolescents, by engaging adolescents themselves in the exergame design. AR and VR exergaming has great potential to engage a wide range of people in PA and can be particularly useful as means for PA engagement in a time of world pandemics such as the recent Covid-19 pandemic, where gym and fitness facilities are not accessible for unspecified periods of time

Incrementar la presencia en entornos virtuales en primera persona a través de interfaces auditivas: un acercamiento analítico al sonido y la música adaptativos

Tesis de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Informática, leída el 25-11-2019The popularisation of virtual reality devices has brought with it an increased need of telepresence and player immersion in video games. This goals are often pursued through more realistic computer graphics and sound; however, invasive graphical user interfaces are still present in industry standard products for VR, even though previous research has advised against them in order to reach better results in immersion. Non-visual, multimodal communication channels are explored throughout this thesis as a means of reducing the amount of graphical elements needed in head-up displays while increasing telepresence. Thus, the main goals of this research are to find the optimal channels that allow for semantic communication without recurring to visual interfaces, while reducing the general number of extra-diegetic elements in a video game, and to develop a total of six software applications in order to validate the obtained knowledge in real-life scenarios. The central piece of software produced as a result of this process is called LitSens, and consists of an adaptive music generator which takes human emotions as inputs...La popularización de los dispositivos de realidad virtual ha traído consigo una mayor necesidad de presencia e inmersión para los jugadores de videojuegos. Habitualmentese intenta cumplir con dicha necesidad a través de gráficos y sonido por ordenador más realistas; no obstante, las interfaces gráficas de usuario muy invasivas aún son un estándar en la industria del videojuego de RV, incluso si se tiene en cuenta que varias investigaciones previas a la redacción de este texto recomiendan no utilizarlas para conseguir un resultado más inmersivo. A lo largo de esta tesis, varios canales de comunicación multimodales y no visuales son explorados con el fin de reducir la cantidad de elementos gráficos extradiegéticos necesarios en las capas de las interfaces gráficas de usuario destinadas a la representación de datos, todo ello mientras se logra un aumento de la sensación de presencia. Por tanto, los principales objetivos de esta investigación son encontrar los canales óptimos para efectuar comunicación semántica sin recurrir a interfaces visuales —a la vez que se reduce el número de elementos extradiegéticos en un videojuego— y desarrollar un total de seis aplicaciones con el objetivo de validar todo el conocimiento obtenido mediante prototipos similares a videojuegos comerciales. De todos ellos, el más importante es LitSens: un generador de música adaptativa que toma como entradas emociones humanas...Fac. de InformáticaTRUEunpu

A sound idea: An investigation into accessible video game design for the deaf and hard of hearing

A widely accepted, and incorrect, assumption towards hearing accessibility in video games is that deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) users are those who encounter the least barriers and are generally well catered for. Rapid advancement in video game technology has seen video game sound evolve from simple blips generated by internal circuitry to fully realised digital audio used to convey critical information. To accommodate the DHH, this information needs to be conveyed in an alternative manner. However, evidence suggests existing accessible design solutions for the DHH lack specificity and are insufficient. Thus, the inability to hear, or hear well, has historically resulted in DHH users left with impeded experience and gameplay. This thesis describes an investigation to address the primary research question: How might accessible video game design practices be facilitated to better accommodate the deaf and hard of hearing? To examine this question, an action research method as part of a transformative mixed methods methodology was used. Data collection procedures included critical analysis of literature, observations, and a cross-sectional self-administered survey for triangulation. The critical analysis of literature exposed issues relating to accessible video game design, particularly in relation to the identification of solutions and technical implementation. Further, issues related to the classification of video game software were identified. This posed potential problems with identification of game design methods and led to the development of a new video game classification model. The new model informed an analysis on the methods used for the design of video games, and results were visually represented and mapped to the different approaches to accessible design. Subsequent analysis determined that a game assessment framework is a suitable approach to facilitating accessible design. Further investigation identified visual feedback as the most suitable form of complementary feedback to game audio. This led to the development of a new model to classify visual feedback elements used in video games, and identification of audio feedback categories based on diegetic film theory. Through triangulation of results, a new game feedback model (GFM) was developed. The GFM was used for observational experimentation to identify and classify individual visual feedback elements used in video games. Each element was analysed and mapped to categories of game sound. The resulting model, with populated data, was used to determine what visual feedback elements may be used to complement specific categories of critical game audio. A survey was subsequently used for triangulation, and resulted in amendments to the final model. Through iterative development, and interpretation of findings, the research culminated in the development of a game assessment framework. The three-step framework aids in the classification of game sounds; assesses the impact of those game sounds; and provides recommendations for complementary visual feedback elements for sounds identified as having an adverse impact on user experience and gameplay if they were to be removed. The framework is innovative and has the potential to provide practical guidance for developers of video games. In addition, this research provides the foundation for future research, with the potential to influence accessible game design for the DHH