Prime Example Ingress Reframing the Pervasive Game Design Framework (PGDF)

The growing availability of mobile communication infrastructure over the last decade has contributed significantly to the maturity of Pervasive Gaming. The massive suc-cess of games such as Ingress and Pokémon Go made pervasive gaming a viable op-tion for transforming learning. By its adaptability to location and context, pervasive technology is a valuable support for the design of engaging learning experiences. De-spite profound examples of pervasive gaming as learning tool, there is still a lack of reliable methodologies to construct purposeful pervasive learning experiences. The Pervasive Game Design Framework (PGDF) is intended to fill this gap. In this article, we present the PGDF using the example of Ingress. Ingress is a prominent pervasive game, as it has received huge attention since its appearance in 2012. A large commu-nity of players and third-party-tool suppliers has created a rich set of experiences since then. In this research, we examine Ingress according to PGDF’s categories based on a survey among long-term Ingress players (N=133). Founded on this analysis we identify three main benefits for Ingress players. Furthermore, we discuss the conse-quences of these findings on the PGDF. Summarizing, this work strengthens the ap-plicability of the PGDF, in order to enable the construction of enriched pervasive learn-ing experiences

Mekanisme pengurusan hutang dalam pembahagian harta pusaka orang-orang Islam di Malaysia

Pengurusan hutang merupakan tanggungjawab setiap individu untuk melangsaikannya. Namun masyarakat Islam di Malaysia kini memandang ringan mengenai tanggungjawab pengurusan hutang dalam menguruskan harta pusaka sehingga mengakibatkan timbulnya isu harta beku yang semakin meningkat peratusannya setiap tahun. Pengabaian menguruskan penyelesaian hutang dalam harta pusaka boleh berlaku disebabkan beberapa faktor antaranya, kedudukan dan status hutang si mati yang tidak jelas dan faktor daripada sikap tidak prihatin di kalangan ahli waris atau pentadbir yang dilantik menguruskan harta si mati. Salah satu faktor fenomena ini berlaku disebabkan ketidakfahaman pentadbir atau ahli waris terhadap prosedur di agensi pengurusan harta pusaka termasuk hal mekanisme untuk menyelesaikan hutang peninggalan si mati. Justeru itu, kajian ini bertujuan mengenal pasti prosedur pengurusan hutang si mati dalam pembahagian harta pusaka. Oleh itu, pengumpulan data dengan penggunaan kaedah kualitatif melalui kaedah temu bual dan analisis dokumen daripada fail kes digunakan di dalam kajian ini. Hasil kajian mendapati agensi pengurusan harta mempunyai bidang kuasa tertentu dalam menguruskan hutang peninggalan si mati bergantung kepada jenis dan kedudukan status harta dan hutang. Selain itu, didapati pengurusan hutang peninggalan si mati didapati lebih kompeten dikendalikan oleh Unit Pembahagian Pusaka Kecil (UPPK) manakala Amanah Raya Berhad pula lebih memainkan peranan sebagai Pentadbir harta pusaka si mati manakala Mahkamah Syariah pula lebih kompeten dalam urusan pengesahan ahli waris melalui perintah serta penentuan kadar bahagian ahli waris masing-masing termasuk Baitulmal. Beberapa cadangan turut dikemukakan di dalam kajian ini bagi meningkatkan pengetahuan umat Islam terhadap permasalahan hutang dalam harta pusaka dan meningkatkan perkhidmatan agensi-agensi yang berkenaan di Malaysia

From audiences to publics : convergence culture and the Harry Potter phenomenon

In the mid-nineties, changing business and communication models influenced the way in which cultural industries operated. The spheres of public and private, production and distribution, ownership and access had to be reconsidered and were characterised by convergence culture, a commercial and creative environment based on active participation that offers support for creating and sharing interpretations and original works. Convergence culture has relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic participation and fosters a sense of community growing around people’s common interests and ideologies. It is also a product of the relationship between communication technologies, the cultural communities that grow around them, and the activities they support.peer-reviewe

Smart, social, flexible and fun: Escaping the flatlands of virtual learning environments

© 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. This paper describes the development of intelligent, social, flexible and game-based pedagogic approaches and their applications in Virtual Learning Environment based Education. Applications of computer science technologies and techniques can enable, facilitate and change educational approaches, allowing scalable approaches that can address both individual student needs whilst managing large – sometimes-massive - cohort sizes. The benefits of these information systems include supporting the wide range of contexts met in education, in terms of individual needs and specific subject and curriculum requirements. Technologies and approaches that are considered range from the representation of knowledge and the use of intelligent systems, the use of social computing, through to the enabling opportunities of ubicomp and the practical application of game mechanics (gamification). This paper concludes with practical illustrations in the context of undergraduate computer science didactics

Exploration Games:Can Game-Guided Systems Support Users in Automated Exhibition Sites?

This article delves into the potential of incorporating elements fromadventure games into museum exhibitions, with a particular focus on automatedexhibition sites. We advocate that principles derived from adventure games canadeptly bridge the two primary expectations of exhibitions: enlightenment andexperience. Exploration-based games, such as Explore the Redoubt (XTR)crafted for automated venues, enable users to fulfill both these objectives. XTR,conceived to address the prevailing research voids, integrates game mechanicsinto the automated exhibition environment, enhancing visitor motivation andengagement. It harnesses interactive digital mediums to present cultural heritagein a relaxed, informal manner.Existing research scarcely touches upon the design of experiential learninggames developed for automated sites, which encompass both indoor and outdoordisplays. Our methodology contemplates the transformation of visitor conduct atexhibitions, morphing them into avid knowledge seekers. We challenge theadequacy of current user experience models in portraying exhibitions striving toprovide both enlightenment and an immersive experience. Consequently, weintroduce a framework for museum interactions that deeply engages users, urgingthem to define their exploration trajectories, seamlessly fusing enlightenment,and engagement. Our study is set in a 17th-century redoubt where initialobservations indicated greater outdoor engagement compared to indoor spaces.This observation fueled our initiative to amplify indoor visitor participation.After testing XTR with 30 participants and employing a combination ofobservations and interviews, we derived key insights on designing digitalexploration games that seamlessly combine enlightenment and engagement. Weconclude with three design strategies to enhance visitor curiosity and exploration

Mitigating the challenges of mobile games-based learning through gamified lesson paths

The application of gamification in both educational and vocational training contexts is commonly associated with learner engagement, improved learning outcomes, and increased performance. While the benefits of gamification are evident in these contexts, the creation of gamified learning spaces, especially those that employ mobile technologies, remains challenging. This paper explores the key challenges discussed in the literature in relation to mobile games-based learning, and presents the Authoring Tool for Gamified Lesson Paths (AT-GLP) which incorporates a set of features teachers can utilise to create gamified lesson paths playable on both desktop and mobile devices. A lesson path can be constructed around a customisable storyline and it can integrate minigames engaging students with the learning content while enabling teachers to evaluate student learning. The authoring tool is the core component of the BEACONING platform which was initially developed to support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. The system has been implemented across ten countries and has been piloted with over 5000 students. In this paper the authors discuss how the system can be applied in other disciplines, such as language learning, and how it can help mitigate some of the challenges associated with mobile games-based learning. Lessons learnt and suggestions for improvement are also discussed