Seamless evaluation integration into IDS educational games

Serious games have recently enjoyed unprecedented interest among researchers. Despite the fact that the main focus of this domain remains on player entertainment and engagement, serious games have established themselves as an alternative educational paradigm. However, little interest has been given to investigating methods for the assessment of their effectiveness. Game evaluation focus remains on investigating usability and technical aspects. Those attempting to evaluate the educational impact typically rely on traditional questionnaires that typically negatively affecting user immersion and the overall game enjoyment. Among game genres, Interactive Digital Storytelling (IDS) is a fast growing genre that merges computer games, multimedia and cinematic storytelling with entertaining education. Like any other teaching intervention, educational IDS’s have to be evaluated against a defined set of Learning Objectives (LOs). In this paper we present a User-Centred Seamless Evaluation Framework for IDS games and describe the algorithm for the integration of knowledge assessment to measure knowledge improvement against given LOs without affecting player enjoyment. We implement this algorithm in an educational game and show that the framework has been perceived by the majority of the players as a positive enhancement to the game, 94% of the participants reported preferring this form of assessment as opposed to the more “traditional” methods. Statistically significant knowledge improvements were obtained after the game play

Lecture Notes on Interactive Storytelling

These lecture notes collect the material used in the advanced course 'Interactive Storytelling' organized biannually at the Department of Future Technologies, University of Turku, Finland. Its aim is to present the key concepts behind interactive digital storytelling (IDS) as well as to review proposed and existing IDS systems. The course focuses on the four partakers of IDS: the platform, the designer, the interactor, and the storyworld. When constructing a platform, the problem is to select an appropriate approach from tightly controlled to emergent storytelling. On this platform, the designer is then responsible for creating the content (e.g., characters, props, scenes and events) for the storyworld, which is then experienced and influenced by the interactor. The structure and relationships between these partakers is explained from a theoretical perspective as well as using existing IDS systems as examples.</p

Languages of games and play: A systematic mapping study

Digital games are a powerful means for creating enticing, beautiful, educational, and often highly addictive interactive experiences that impact the lives of billions of players worldwide. We explore what informs the design and construction of good games to learn how to speed-up game development. In particular, we study to what extent languages, notations, patterns, and tools, can offer experts theoretical foundations, systematic techniques, and practical solutions they need to raise their productivity and improve the quality of games and play. Despite the growing number of publications on this topic there is currently no overview describing the state-of-the-art that relates research areas, goals, and applications. As a result, efforts and successes are often one-off, lessons learned go overlooked, language reuse remains minimal, and opportunities for collaboration and synergy are lost. We present a systematic map that identifies relevant publications and gives an overview of research areas and publication venues. In addition, we categorize research perspectives along common objectives, techniques, and approaches, illustrated by summaries of selected languages. Finally, we distill challenges and opportunities for future research and development

Leveraging eXtented Reality & Human-Computer Interaction for User Experi- ence in 360◦ Video

EXtended Reality systems have resurged as a medium for work and entertainment. While 360o video has been characterized as less immersive than computer-generated VR, its realism, ease of use and affordability mean it is in widespread commercial use. Based on the prevalence and potential of the 360o video format, this research is focused on improving and augmenting the user experience of watching 360o video. By leveraging knowledge from Extented Reality (XR) systems and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), this research addresses two issues affecting user experience in 360o video: Attention Guidance and Visually Induced Motion Sickness (VIMS). This research work relies on the construction of multiple artifacts to answer the de- fined research questions: (1) IVRUX, a tool for analysis of immersive VR narrative expe- riences; (2) Cue Control, a tool for creation of spatial audio soundtracks for 360o video, as well as enabling the collection and analysis of captured metrics emerging from the user experience; and (3) VIMS mitigation pipeline, a linear sequence of modules (including optical flow and visual SLAM among others) that control parameters for visual modi- fications such as a restricted Field of View (FoV). These artifacts are accompanied by evaluation studies targeting the defined research questions. Through Cue Control, this research shows that non-diegetic music can be spatialized to act as orientation for users. A partial spatialization of music was deemed ineffective when used for orientation. Addi- tionally, our results also demonstrate that diegetic sounds are used for notification rather than orientation. Through VIMS mitigation pipeline, this research shows that dynamic restricted FoV is statistically significant in mitigating VIMS, while mantaining desired levels of Presence. Both Cue Control and the VIMS mitigation pipeline emerged from a Research through Design (RtD) approach, where the IVRUX artifact is the product of de- sign knowledge and gave direction to research. The research presented in this thesis is of interest to practitioners and researchers working on 360o video and helps delineate future directions in making 360o video a rich design space for interaction and narrative.Sistemas de Realidade EXtendida ressurgiram como um meio de comunicação para o tra- balho e entretenimento. Enquanto que o vídeo 360o tem sido caracterizado como sendo menos imersivo que a Realidade Virtual gerada por computador, o seu realismo, facili- dade de uso e acessibilidade significa que tem uso comercial generalizado. Baseado na prevalência e potencial do formato de vídeo 360o, esta pesquisa está focada em melhorar e aumentar a experiência de utilizador ao ver vídeos 360o. Impulsionado por conhecimento de sistemas de Realidade eXtendida (XR) e Interacção Humano-Computador (HCI), esta pesquisa aborda dois problemas que afetam a experiência de utilizador em vídeo 360o: Orientação de Atenção e Enjoo de Movimento Induzido Visualmente (VIMS). Este trabalho de pesquisa é apoiado na construção de múltiplos artefactos para res- ponder as perguntas de pesquisa definidas: (1) IVRUX, uma ferramenta para análise de experiências narrativas imersivas em VR; (2) Cue Control, uma ferramenta para a criação de bandas sonoras de áudio espacial, enquanto permite a recolha e análise de métricas capturadas emergentes da experiencia de utilizador; e (3) canal para a mitigação de VIMS, uma sequência linear de módulos (incluindo fluxo ótico e SLAM visual entre outros) que controla parâmetros para modificações visuais como o campo de visão restringido. Estes artefactos estão acompanhados por estudos de avaliação direcionados para às perguntas de pesquisa definidas. Através do Cue Control, esta pesquisa mostra que música não- diegética pode ser espacializada para servir como orientação para os utilizadores. Uma espacialização parcial da música foi considerada ineficaz quando usada para a orientação. Adicionalmente, os nossos resultados demonstram que sons diegéticos são usados para notificação em vez de orientação. Através do canal para a mitigação de VIMS, esta pesquisa mostra que o campo de visão restrito e dinâmico é estatisticamente significante ao mitigar VIMS, enquanto mantem níveis desejados de Presença. Ambos Cue Control e o canal para a mitigação de VIMS emergiram de uma abordagem de Pesquisa através do Design (RtD), onde o artefacto IVRUX é o produto de conhecimento de design e deu direcção à pesquisa. A pesquisa apresentada nesta tese é de interesse para profissionais e investigadores tra- balhando em vídeo 360o e ajuda a delinear futuras direções em tornar o vídeo 360o um espaço de design rico para a interação e narrativa

Understanding Computer Role-Playing Games: A Genre Analysis Based on Gameplay Features in Combat Systems

A game genre as diverse as that of computer role-playing games is difficult to overview. This poses challenges or both developers and researchers to position their work clearly within the genre. We present an overview of the genre based on clustering games with similar gameplay features. This allows a tracing of relations between subgenres through their gameplay, and connecting this to concrete game examples. The analysis was done through using gameplay design patterns to identify gameplay features and focused upon the combat systems in the games. The resulting cluster structure makes use of 321 patterns to create 37 different subgenre classifications based solely on gameplay features. In addition to the clusters, we identify four categories of patterns that help designers and researchers understand the combat systems in computer role-playing games

Mobile heritage practices. Implications for scholarly research, user experience design, and evaluation methods using mobile apps.

Mobile heritage apps have become one of the most popular means for audience engagement and curation of museum collections and heritage contexts. This raises practical and ethical questions for both researchers and practitioners, such as: what kind of audience engagement can be built using mobile apps? what are the current approaches? how can audience engagement with these experience be evaluated? how can those experiences be made more resilient, and in turn sustainable? In this thesis I explore experience design scholarships together with personal professional insights to analyse digital heritage practices with a view to accelerating thinking about and critique of mobile apps in particular. As a result, the chapters that follow here look at the evolution of digital heritage practices, examining the cultural, societal, and technological contexts in which mobile heritage apps are developed by the creative media industry, the academic institutions, and how these forces are shaping the user experience design methods. Drawing from studies in digital (critical) heritage, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and design thinking, this thesis provides a critical analysis of the development and use of mobile practices for the heritage. Furthermore, through an empirical and embedded approach to research, the thesis also presents auto-ethnographic case studies in order to show evidence that mobile experiences conceptualised by more organic design approaches, can result in more resilient and sustainable heritage practices. By doing so, this thesis encourages a renewed understanding of the pivotal role of these practices in the broader sociocultural, political and environmental changes.AHRC REAC

Digital life stories: Semi-automatic (auto)biographies within lifelog collections

Our life stories enable us to reflect upon and share our personal histories. Through emerging digital technologies the possibility of collecting life experiences digitally is increasingly feasible; consequently so is the potential to create a digital counterpart to our personal narratives. In this work, lifelogging tools are used to collect digital artifacts continuously and passively throughout our day. These include images, documents, emails and webpages accessed; texts messages and mobile activity. This range of data when brought together is known as a lifelog. Given the complexity, volume and multimodal nature of such collections, it is clear that there are significant challenges to be addressed in order to achieve coherent and meaningful digital narratives of our events from our life histories. This work investigates the construction of personal digital narratives from lifelog collections. It examines the underlying questions, issues and challenges relating to construction of personal digital narratives from lifelogs. Fundamentally, it addresses how to organize and transform data sampled from an individual’s day-to-day activities into a coherent narrative account. This enquiry is enabled by three 20-month long-term lifelogs collected by participants and produces a narrative system which enables the semi-automatic construction of digital stories from lifelog content. Inspired by probative studies conducted into current practices of curation, from which a set of fundamental requirements are established, this solution employs a 2-dimensional spatial framework for storytelling. It delivers integrated support for the structuring of lifelog content and its distillation into storyform through information retrieval approaches. We describe and contribute flexible algorithmic approaches to achieve both. Finally, this research inquiry yields qualitative and quantitative insights into such digital narratives and their generation, composition and construction. The opportunities for such personal narrative accounts to enable recollection, reminiscence and reflection with the collection owners are established and its benefit in sharing past personal experience experiences is outlined. Finally, in a novel investigation with motivated third parties we demonstrate the opportunities such narrative accounts may have beyond the scope of the collection owner in: personal, societal and cultural explorations, artistic endeavours and as a generational heirloom