Audio only computer games – Papa Sangre

This article attempts to analyse the audio-only game Papa Sangre. It discusses the background to the analysis and the history of of audio-only games, before concentrating upon Papa Sangre itself. It locates the game within the survival horror genre and explores how the gameplay operates from both a technical and player's point of view. It then locates the analysis within a field of film and game sound analysis, considering how audio-only games differ from videogames. It outlines several theoretical approaches to the typology of videogame sound, before proposing a hybrid approach that is more appropriate to audio-only games. It applies this to the sound world of Papa Sangre and analyses some captured gameplay. The essay concludes by suggesting a relationship between Papa Sangre and musical performance and composition

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

The audio game laboratory: Building maps from games

Audio games demonstrate an emergence of interactive parameter mapping sonifications that potentially optimally display geographical information and a large number of simultaneous data variables. Our preliminary investigation of audio games is in response to a call for more research on parameter mapping sonifications, such as the best way of presenting auditory legends for representations, effectiveness of spatial audio, map comprehension techniques, and finding optimal sonic variable mappings. We also present a proposed set of auditory map interfaces observed in audio games. Commercially available interactive interfaces and audio games – that have been shaped and informally “tested” by the selection pressures of a demanding consumer market – can serve as examples of potentially effective conventions informing future work in the auditory display research community

Communicating the Past in the Digital Age: Proceedings of the International Conference on Digital Methods in Teaching and Learning in Archaeology (12-13 October 2018)

Recent developments in the field of archaeology are not only progressing archaeological fieldwork but also changing the way we practise and present archaeology today. As these digital technologies are being used more and more every day on excavations or in museums, this also means that we must change the way we approach teaching and communicating archaeology as a discipline. This volume presents the outcome of a two-day international symposium on digital methods in teaching and learning in archaeology held at the University of Cologne in October 2018. Specialists from around the world share their views on the newest developments in the field of archaeology and the way we teach these with the help of archaeogaming, augmented and virtual reality, 3D reconstruction and many more

Using Games to Practice Screen Reader Gestures

Tese de mestrado, Engenharia Informática (Engenharia de Software) Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2021Nowadays, a smartphone is fundamental for multiple aspects of our lives. These have evolved from a basic tool to communicate to a multi-purpose tool that allows to communicate with colleagues and friends and to get any information or entertainment. Android and iOS, the most popular mobile operating systems, have developed built-in screen readers that make smartphones generally accessible to blind people using gestures and help them use more of their smartphones. However, users experience difficulties due to unfamiliarity with the gestures and due to lack of interaction with their touchscreens. One possible way to improve the accessibility of these technologies could be through games that can teach how to perform a gesture correctly and explain how it can be used, as lately there has been a growing interest on using video games as an innovative educational tool. We developed Games for Gestures, a set of accessible games to discover and learn the gestures Google Talkback offers and our goal is to explore whether it is possible for mobile accessible games to be used as a gesture discovery and practice method. Corda focuses on teaching how to navigate with Explore by Touch. Foguete focuses on directional swipes left and right and on teaching Swipe To Explore. Guarda Redes is focused on the more advanced gestures. To evaluate our games, we performed a study in which participants played our games for a period of 5 days. After that, we conducted audio-recorded remote interviews with questions about the games and their overall perception of gestures. Our results suggest that accessible games could be important in the process of learning gestures, as they offer a playful method of learning, particularly for less experienced users. This, in turn, would increase their autonomy and inclusion, as this process would become easier and more fun for them

Review of quantitative empirical evaluations of technology for people with visual impairments

Addressing the needs of visually impaired people is of continued interest in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) research. Yet, one of the major challenges facing researchers in this field continues to be how to design adequate quantitative empirical evaluation for these users in HCI. In this paper, we analyse a corpus of 178 papers on technologies designed for people with visual impairments, published since 1988, and including at least one quantitative empirical evaluation (243 evaluations in total). To inform future research in this area, we provide an overview, historic trends and a unified terminology to design and report quantitative empirical evaluations. We identify open issues and propose a set of guidelines to address them. Our analysis aims to facilitate and stimulate future research on this topic

A flexible object orientated design approach for the realisation of assistive technology

This thesis contributes to a growing body of research conducted by the Interactive Systems Research Group (ISRG) at Nottingham Trent University within the fields of accessibility and accessible technologies. Core to this research is the exploration of how interactive technologies can be developed and applied as platforms for education, rehabilitation and social inclusion. To this end the group has been actively evolving the User Sensitive and Inclusive Design (USID) methodology for the design, development and evaluation of accessible software and related technologies. This thesis contributes to the further development of the USID method with a focus on its application for the design of assistive technology

Software Usability

This volume delivers a collection of high-quality contributions to help broaden developers’ and non-developers’ minds alike when it comes to considering software usability. It presents novel research and experiences and disseminates new ideas accessible to people who might not be software makers but who are undoubtedly software users