socio-ec(h)o: Ambient Intelligence and Gameplay

The socio-ec(h)o project aims to research a generalized ambient intelligent software platform and design models for responsive environments based on the concept of ambient intelligent "ecologies" and group gameplay. The benefits of the research include a software-architecture, ambient intelligence inference engine, and interaction design models for gameplay and responsive environments. The paper will discuss the results of our prototypes for games in responsive environments. These prototypes will "test" our concept of an ambient intelligence "ecology". Current research in interaction and ambient intelligence is narrowly focused on increasing productivity and communication in the office and home, ignoring more complex social and cultural experiences such as games and play. The concept of "ecologies" is an alternative to thinking of technology as a tool or technology as being socially neutral which is a common understanding of the role of technology today on behalf of many technologists. The focus on the interaction of social groups is unavoidable in the context of social situations and interaction in public spaces since most public interaction is group oriented. In relation to games research the project explores the design and implementation of an ambient intelligent system for sensing and display, user modeling, and interaction models based on game structures. Ambient intelligence computing is the embedding of computer technologies and sensors in architectural environments that combined with artificial intelligence software respond to and "reason" about human actions and behaviour within the environment. In the case of socio-ec(h)o, the term "ecologies" is based on the concept of "information ecologies" by Nardi and O’Day (Information Ecologies: Using Technology with Heart. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1999). Nardi and O’Day describe an ecology to be a system of people, practices, values, and technologies in a local environment. They argue that the ecology metaphor shifts the focus to human activity rather than on technology. For example, a library is an ecology for accessing information. It is a space with books, magazines, tapes, films, computers, databases and librarians to help find information. The technology components of the ecology are balanced to shape the environment around human action in accessing information. The concept of "ambient intelligence ecologies" emerged from findings in the previous ec(h)o research project. We discovered that ec(h)o had successfully balanced incongruent elements to form a dynamic and coherent system. Components such as interaction, intelligence, audio display and technology shaped the ambient intelligent environment around the purpose of a museum visit. It could be said that behind the design and system of ec(h)o is an "ambient intelligence ecology" for a museum visit. We were neither conscious of this approach or had it as a project goal, rather it emerged over the course of the research and became evident in the findings. The aim of socio-ec(h)o is to research and test this concept of an "ambient intelligent ecology" as possible principles in designing such environments. This will result in the development of a platform that can support prototypes in interactive narratives and games. In order to test the concept of "ecologies", we need a wide range of activities that are not as specific an application as the museum project of ec(h)o and are outside of the typical productivity or goal-oriented scenarios of most ambient intelligent and wearable technologies research. The paper will discuss the key investigations in socio-ec(h)o: ecologies, game prototypes, gameplay concepts, and multi-users. Informed by the concepts of Nardi and O’Day, ecologies are applied to ambient intelligence environments, and extend the concept beyond information to include interactive narratives and games. The key components of the ambient intelligent ecologies include interaction, intelligence, response and technology. For example, we investigate the balances between such things as wearable technologies in relation to gesture, inference rules and proprioceptive responses. We expect the prototypes to demonstrate the integration of installations with embedded sensors and display technologies. Asoftware architecture will underpin the prototypes and will support the level of reasoning and processing as determined by the ecology-driven design. The environments themselves will be designed to support group movements and actions involving tangible interfaces and audio/visual displays. The play concepts are drawn from a wide range of sources with the goal of encoding a form of play that is between a directed game and open-ended play. We feel this will best allow us to shape and explore a play environment. We draw on James Carse’s concepts of finite and infinite games (Finite and Infinite Games - A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility. New York: Ballantine Books, 1987), Staffan Björk and Jussi Holopainen’s research in game design patterns, and Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman’s game theory (Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. Cambrdige: MIT Press, 2003). The key challenges in the area of multi-users is the design of interfaces and interaction models to support group interaction in the prototype environments, and to extend the research in user modeling to apply to groups rather than individuals, and to respond to the dynamic and changing formation of groups

Online Spiele: Eine konzeptuelle Abgrenzung verschiedener Spielformen

Online-Spiele stellen einen boomenden Markt und eine sich rasant weiter entwickelnde Form der Nutzung digitaler Medien dar. Eine genaue Analyse zeigt jedoch, dass sich hinter dem Begriff des "Online-Spiels“ eine Vielzahl an unterschiedlichen technologischen, wirtschaftlichen und spielkulturellen Angeboten versteckt. Eine Systematisierung dieser Formen von Online-Spielen steht im Zentrum dieser Arbeit. Dazu wird eine Kategorisierung von Online-Spielen anhand von acht zentralen Merkmale vorgenommen. Als primär technologische Dimension lassen sich Online-Spiele anhand der Architektur des Netzwerkes, der Verbindungsart, des Modus der Verbindung und der Spiel-Plattform unterscheiden. Bezogen auf die konkrete Nutzungssituation dienen die Anzahl und der Zugang der Nutzer, die Spielwelt (Grad der Persistenz) und der Spielmodus als Unterscheidungsmerkmal. Aus ökonomischer Perspektive lassen sich Online-Spiele anhand des gewählten Erlösmodells unterscheiden. Auf Basis dieser Merkmale können nicht nur bestehende Online-Spiele eingeordnet sondern auch Potentiale für weitere Entwicklung z.B. im Bereich mobiler Online-Spiele aufgezeigt werden. Eine Einordnung dreier Online-Spielformen (Massive Multiplayer Role Playing Games, vernetzte Multiplayer-Spiele und mobiles pervasive Gaming) in das erarbeitete Beschreibungsraster von Online-Spielen bildet den Abschluss der Arbeit

Designing Ubiquitous Computing Games - A Report from a Workshop Exploring Ubiquitous Computing Entertainment

We report from a Research Atelier that explored how ubiquitous computing could be applied to fun and entertainment. The Atelier lasted for five days, starting with two days of scenario development and brainstorming activities. This led to three fairly concrete – though very different – game ideas. The background and motivation for the Atelier is described, as well as the method used and the games developed

Situated play in a tangible interface and adaptive audio museum guide

Abstract This paper explores the design issues of situated play within a museum through the study of a museum guide prototype that integrates a tangible interface, audio display, and adaptive modeling. We discuss our use of design ethnography in order to situate our interaction and to investigate the liminal and engagement qualities of a museum visit. The paper provides an overview of our case study and analysis of our user evaluation. We discuss the implications including degrees of balance in the experience design of play in interaction; the challenge in developing a discovery-based information model, and the need for a better understanding of the contextual aspects of tangible user interfaces (TUIs). We conclude that learning effectiveness and functionality can be balanced productively with playful interaction through an adaptive audio and TUI if designers balance the engagement between play and the environment, and the space between imagination and interpretation that links the audio content to the artifacts

Design characteristics of fitness games in a Learning Disabilities context

Motivating people with learning disabilities (LD) to carry out physical exercise is a difficult task. Adapted fitness games can address this problem. Yet the design characteristics of the fitness games for this particular user group have not been studied before. Combining game design guidelines and inclusive design principles, this research explores the design characteristics in six categories: purposes, user requirements study, mechanics, technology, motivations and types. A mixed-method approach has been adopted. Firstly, a case study of the development of a fitness game for LD users was conducted through 10 interviews and 3 observations, gathering insights of game designers and end users about the general design characteristics of LD fitness games. Based on the qualitative findings and a literature review, a questionnaire was generated addressing the important design characteristics in six categories. The questionnaire surveyed 235 people from both game and healthcare industries to assess their agreement to the design characteristics. By identifying critical design characteristics in each aspect, this research contextualizes and clarifies general game design literature including game development process models, fitness game design guidelines and motivation theories. The findings of the research conceptually enrich the seven inclusive design principles and clarify each principle in a context of designing for LD users. The study provides an example on how to combine qualitative and quantitative methods for comprehensive data collection in research on fitness game design. With the recognition of a large population of relevant experts, the design characteristics proposed provide game designers with a structured approach to make fitness games for LD users

Fundamental understanding and future guidance for handheld computers in the rail industry

Advances in mobile computing technology and software applications have led to an expansion in potential uses for handheld computers for various tasks. One strong application area is in maintenance and inspection. Network Rail has been progressively developing and applying handheld computers to field-based maintenance and inspection operations, with the aims of improving work productivity and quality, and personal and system safety. However, it is clear that these aims so far have been achieved with varying degrees of success. Handheld computer devices have the potential to enhance the procedure of performing the tasks in many different ways. However, the current handheld computers introduced to maintenance and inspection tasks in Network Rail have principally been designed as data entry tools and in most cases the primary objective is to reduce the amount of paper work and the associated costs and errors. This highlights the need for fundamental research into the ways in which handheld computer technologies should be specified, designed and implemented for effective use in a complex distributed environment such as the rail industry. The main purpose of this research was to study the applications of handheld computers in the rail industry and to generate a set of design principles for development of future systems within Network Rail. The findings of this research have contributed to the identification of human factors principles that need to be considered for design and implementation of successful handheld computer applications. A framework was also developed to summarise and organise information and functional requirements of maintenance workers. Investigating maintenance workers’ requirements through interviews and observations emphasised the importance of rail specific spatial information and the benefits of providing this knowledge to maintenance workers through a mobile computing device which is portable and easy to use. However, displaying rail specific spatial information on the small screen of a handheld computer introduces various HCI issues and challenges. These were addressed in part through a programme of experiments, and therefore the final section of this research focused on examining fundamental aspects of presenting rail specific spatial information on handheld computer screens. The main findings from different stages of this research have been collated into a set of recommendations for design and development of usable and useful applications for handheld computer devices in the rail industry