Game Mechanics Supporting Pervasive Learning and Experience in Games, Serious Games, and Interactive & Social Media

This workshop investigates the mechanisms for behaviour change and influence, focusing on the definition of requirements for pervasive gameplay and interaction mechanics, procedures, actions, mechanisms, systems, story, etc.) with the purpose of informing, educating, reflecting and raising awareness. By connecting various experts such as designers, educators, developers, evaluators and researchers from both industry and academia, this workshop aims to enable participants share, discuss and learn about existing relevant mechanisms for pervasive learning in a Serious Game (SG) context. Research in SG, as a whole, faces two main challenges in understanding: the transition between the instructional design and actual game design implementation [1] and documenting an evidence-based mapping of game design patterns onto relevant pedagogical patterns [2]. From a practical perspective, this transition lacks methodology and requires a leap of faith from a prospective customer to the ability of a SG developer to deliver a game that will achieve the desired learning outcomes. This workshop aims to present and apply a preliminary exposition though a purpose-processing methodology to probe, from various SG design aspects, how SG design patterns map with pedagogical practicesNo Full Tex

Game Mechanics Supporting Pervasive Learning and Experience in Games, Serious Games, and Interactive & Social Media

This workshop investigates the mechanisms for behaviour change and influence, focusing on the definition of requirements for pervasive gameplay and interaction mechanics, procedures, actions, mechanisms, systems, story, etc., with the purpose of informing, educating, reflecting and raising awareness. By connecting various experts such as designers, educators, developers, evaluators and researchers from both industry and academia, this workshop aims to enable participants to share, discuss and learn about existing relevant mechanisms for pervasive learning in a Serious Game (SG) context. Research in SG, as a whole, faces two main challenges in understanding: the transition between the instructional design and actual game design implementation [1] and documenting an evidence-based mapping of game design patterns onto relevant pedagogical patterns [2]. From a practical perspective, this transition lacks methodology and requires a leap of faith from a prospective customer to the ability of a SG developer to deliver a game that will achieve the desired learning outcomes. This workshop aims to present and apply a preliminary exposition though a purpose-processing methodology to probe, from various SG design aspects, how SG design patterns map with pedagogical practice

Mediating skills on risk management for improving the resilience of Supply Networks by developing and using a serious game

Given their importance, the need for resilience and the management of risk within Supply Networks, means that engineering students need a solid under-standing of these issues. An innovative way of meeting this need is through the use of serious games. Serious games allow an active experience on how differ-ent factors influencethe flexibility, vulnerability and capabilities in Supply Networks and allow the students to apply knowledge and methods acquired from theory. This supports their ability to understand, analyse and evaluate how different factors contribute to the resilience. The experience gained within the game will contribute to the studentsâ abilities to construct new knowledge based on their active observation and reflection of the environment when they later work in a dynamic environment in industry. This game, Beware, was developed for use in a blended learning environment. It is a part of a course for engineering master students at the University of Bremen. It was found that the game was effective in mediating the topic of risk management to the students espscially in supporting their ability of applying methods, analyse the different interactions and the game play as well as to support the assessment of how their decision-making affected the simulated network

Advances in Technology Enhanced Learning

‘Advances in Technology Enhanced Learning’ presents a range of research projects which aim to explore how to make engagement in learning (and teaching) more passionate. This interactive and experimental resource discusses innovations which pave the way to open collaboration at scale. The book introduces methodological and technological breakthroughs via twelve chapters to learners, instructors, and decision-makers in schools, universities, and workplaces. The Open University's Knowledge Media Institute and the EU TELMap project have brought together the luminaries from the European research area to showcase their vision of the future of learning with technology via their recent research project work. The projects discussed range widely over the Technology Enhanced Learning area from: environments for responsive open learning, work-based reflection, work-based social creativity, serious games and many more

ZeroAbuse, a serious game to prevent child maltreatment

La maltraitance des enfants est un problème critique qui touche environ un milliard d'enfants dans le monde chaque année. Les blessures qui persistent toute leur vie, les handicaps ou même la mort sont des conséquences risquées découlant de la maltraitance des enfants. Plusieurs approches, y compris les Jeux Sérieux (SGs), ont été conçues pour éduquer les individus sur la maltraitance des enfants et comment la prévenir. Cependant, les SGs qui sont présentement en existence se concentrent uniquement sur l’intimidation ou les abus sexuels chez les enfants et non sur toutes les formes possibles de maltraitance des enfants. De plus, la plupart des ressources concernant la prévention de la maltraitance des enfants s'adressent aux adultes et non aux enfants. Ce travail se concentre sur la conception d'un SG appelé ZeroAbuse qui englobe les quatre types de maltraitance des enfants: Physique, Émotionnel, Abus Sexuel et Négligence. Il combine les principes d'apprentissage, les éléments pour immerger le joueur dans le jeu et les critères de qualité des programmes de prévention. ZeroAbuse s'adresse aux enfants âgés de 9 à 11 ans, qui sont exposés de manière homogène à tous les types de maltraitance. Il tient également compte des compétences cognitives et physiques propres aux enfants de cet âge. La conception du SG a pris en compte les perspectives d'experts en prévention de la maltraitance des enfants et a été testée sur la population cible afin d’améliorer l'expérience de jeu et valider l'approche d'apprentissage.Child abuse is a critical problem affecting approximately one billion children worldwide annually. Lifelong injuries, disabilities, or even fatalities are risky consequences derived from child abuse. Several approaches, including Serious Games (SGs), have been designed to educate individuals about child abuse and how to prevent it. However, existing SGs focus only on bullying or sexual abuse and not all possible forms of child abuse. In addition, most of the existing resources for child abuse prevention are aimed at adults and not at children. This work focuses on designing an SG called ZeroAbuse that encompasses the four types of child abuse: Physical, Emotional, Sexual abuse and Neglect. It combines the principles of learning, the elements to immerse the player into the game, and the quality criteria of prevention programs. ZeroAbuse is aimed at children aged 9 to 11 years, given that they show homogeneous participation in all types of abuse. It also considers the cognitive and physical competencies of children at this age. The SG design considers the perspectives of experts in child abuse prevention and was tested on the target population to enhance the game experience and validate the learning approach

In persuit of a 'serious games mechanics':A theoretical framework to analyse relationships between 'game' and 'pedagogical aspects' of serious games

Suttie, N., Louchart, S., Lim, T., Westera, W., Macvean, A., Djaouti, D., & Brown, D. (2012, 29-31 October). Introducing the "Serious Games Mechanics": A theoretical framework to analyse relationships between "game" and "pedagogical aspects" of Serious Games. Poster presentation at the VS-Games 2012 conference, Genoa, Italy.The careful balance of education and play is essential for the development of effective Serious Games. It is necessary to develop a clear understanding of game mechanics (i.e. the tools of game-play) and how these relate to relevant educational strategies. In this paper, we raise conceptual questions regarding the nature of Serious Games and the relationship between game mechanics, pedagogy and the conceptual level at which they connect. In developing theoretical framework linking game mechanics and learning, we aim to ease the work of the Serious Game designers attempting to produce both fun and pedagogically effective Serious Games

Wearable and IoT technologies application for physical rehabilitation

This research consists in the development an IoT Physical Rehabilitation solution based on wearable devices, combining a set of smart gloves and smart headband for use in natural interactions with a set of VR therapeutic serious games developed on the Unity 3D gaming platform. The system permits to perform training sessions for hands and fingers motor rehabilitation. Data acquisition is performed by Arduino Nano Microcontroller computation platform with ADC connected to the analog measurement channels materialized by piezo-resistive force sensors and connected to an IMU module via I2C. Data communication is performed using the Bluetooth wireless communication protocol. The smart headband, designed to be used as a first- person-controller in game scenes, will be responsible for collecting the patient's head rotation value, this parameter will be used as the player's avatar head rotation value, approaching the user and the virtual environment in a semi-immersive way. The acquired data are stored and processed on a remote server, which will help the physiotherapist to evaluate the patients' performance around the different physical activities during a rehabilitation session, using a Mobile Application developed for the configuration of games and visualization of results. The use of serious games allows a patient with motor impairments to perform exercises in a highly interactive and non-intrusive way, based on different scenarios of Virtual Reality, contributing to increase the motivation during the rehabilitation process. The system allows to perform an unlimited number of training sessions, making possible to visualize historical values and compare the results of the different performed sessions, for objective evolution of rehabilitation outcome. Some metrics associated with upper limb exercises were also considered to characterize the patient’s movement during the session.Este trabalho de pesquisa consiste no desenvolvimento de uma solução de Reabilitação Física IoT baseada em dispositivos de vestuário, combinando um conjunto de luvas inteligentes e uma fita-de-cabeça inteligente para utilização em interações naturais com um conjunto de jogos terapêuticos sérios de Realidade Virtual desenvolvidos na plataforma de jogos Unity 3D. O sistema permite realizar sessões de treino para reabilitação motora de mãos e dedos. A aquisição de dados é realizada pela plataforma de computação Arduino utilizando um Microcontrolador Nano com ADC (Conversor Analógico-Digital) conectado aos canais de medição analógicos materializados por sensores de força piezo-resistivos e a um módulo IMU por I2C. A comunicação de dados é realizada usando o protocolo de comunicação sem fio Bluetooth. A fita-de-cabeça inteligente, projetada para ser usada como controlador de primeira pessoa nos cenários de jogo, será responsável por coletar o valor de rotação da cabeça do paciente, esse parâmetro será usado como valor de rotação da cabeça do avatar do jogador, aproximando o utilizador e o ambiente virtual de forma semi-imersiva. Os dados adquiridos são armazenados e processados num servidor remoto, o que ajudará o fisioterapeuta a avaliar o desempenho dos pacientes em diferentes atividades físicas durante uma sessão de reabilitação, utilizando uma Aplicação Móvel desenvolvido para configuração de jogos e visualização de resultados. A utilização de jogos sérios permite que um paciente com deficiências motoras realize exercícios de forma altamente interativa e não intrusiva, com base em diferentes cenários de Realidade Virtual, contribuindo para aumentar a motivação durante o processo de reabilitação. O sistema permite realizar um número ilimitado de sessões de treinamento, possibilitando visualizar valores históricos e comparar os resultados das diferentes sessões realizadas, para a evolução objetiva do resultado da reabilitação. Algumas métricas associadas aos exercícios dos membros superiores também foram consideradas para caracterizar o movimento do paciente durante a sessão