Mobile phone games: understanding the user experience

Mobile gaming is viewed by the mobile communication industry as one of the ‘killer applications’ for future mobile services. Fuelled by the success of games such as Nokia’s Snake and the continuing popularity of online and console gaming, the drive is to develop ever more sophisticated and engaging gaming experiences for mobile users. However the current mobile gaming experience in terms of graphics, interaction mode and content more closely resembles that presented by personal computer games of 20 years ago than anything evoked by today’s console based offerings. Despite such limitations the appeal of mobile games continues to grow. Market research conducted by Nokia estimates that 85% of people with the game ‘Space Impact’ on their phones have tried it out and 45% play it everyday (Robens, 2001). Mobile gaming research has predominantly focused on the “mobility of gaming” (Kuivakari 2001). Such research seeks to exploit the entertainment potential of ubiquitous technologies and augmented reality, making both the proximity of others and the mobile environment itself part of the gaming experience. (See for example Bjork et al (2001), Brunnberg (2002). The research reported here aims to provide insight into what motivates people to play existing mobile phone games, despite their limitations, and seeks to identify elements of the current mobile gaming experience that should be preserved within future games. The continuing convergence of computer, consumer and communications technologies within mobile devices is raising many unknowns about how users will perceive these devices and therefore how best to design appropriate form structures and user interfaces (Sacher and Loudon 2002). This research examines the existing convergence of game playing and telephony within the mobile phone and provides early indications of how people may approach future converged devices

Mobile phone games: understanding the user experience

Mobile gaming is viewed by the mobile communication industry as one of the ‘killer applications’ for future mobile services. Fuelled by the success of games such as Nokia’s Snake and the continuing popularity of online and console gaming, the drive is to develop ever more sophisticated and engaging gaming experiences for mobile users. However the current mobile gaming experience in terms of graphics, interaction mode and content more closely resembles that presented by personal computer games of 20 years ago than anything evoked by today’s console based offerings. Despite such limitations the appeal of mobile games continues to grow. Market research conducted by Nokia estimates that 85% of people with the game ‘Space Impact’ on their phones have tried it out and 45% play it everyday (Robens, 2001). Mobile gaming research has predominantly focused on the “mobility of gaming” (Kuivakari 2001). Such research seeks to exploit the entertainment potential of ubiquitous technologies and augmented reality, making both the proximity of others and the mobile environment itself part of the gaming experience. (See for example Bjork et al (2001), Brunnberg (2002). The research reported here aims to provide insight into what motivates people to play existing mobile phone games, despite their limitations, and seeks to identify elements of the current mobile gaming experience that should be preserved within future games. The continuing convergence of computer, consumer and communications technologies within mobile devices is raising many unknowns about how users will perceive these devices and therefore how best to design appropriate form structures and user interfaces (Sacher and Loudon 2002). This research examines the existing convergence of game playing and telephony within the mobile phone and provides early indications of how people may approach future converged devices

Investigating the extent to which children use mobile phone application stores

This paper reports the results of a short survey aimed at examining the extent to which children use mobile phone application stores. Aspects investigated included whether children used application stores on their own or parents’ devices, how children use application stores and whether they think app stores could be improved. The key contribution of this paper is the provision of evidence that children are prolific users of smart phone application stores, children are using both their parents phones and their own phones to access app stores and over half the children who download games do so at a rate of 1-2 per week. The paper also looks at how children choose the games they do on the app store and their view on how easy it is to find their chosen game. Over half the children who download games do so either having played the game before or on the recommendation of a friend. The findings raise issues about the design of app store interfaces / information architectures and whether or not children should be considered in the design of future app store interfaces

Mobile Phone Game Localisation

Often, mobile phone games are developed over a short time span. Because of the additional work and complexity that localisation requires, such games are frequently produced without localisation in mind. In recent years automation and standardisation of localisation has been developed and promoted by the Localisation Industry Standard Association (LISA) and Oasis. Mobile phone game localisation involves various types of language transfer on a small scale, which challenges the localisation process carried out on a game. Our work investigated the workflow for the localisation of a mobile phone game into Spanish and German using a LISA Standard TMX (Term Base Memory Exchange) and the Oasis standard XLIFF (XML Localisation Interchange File Format). Using Unicode the game was also localised into one Altaic language (Korean) and one Semitic language (Arabic). The localisation results have been compared and contrasted using software and statistical analysis carried out on a range of methods

Where Is the Smartphone Leading the Health of Children?

Smartphones allow users to carry a mobile phone, games console, music player, camera, calendar, and Internet browser all in one small handheld device, with their limitations governed only by the types of applications downloaded onto them. They have become an indispensable part of the daily life. While smartphones have made life more convenient with their advantages, they have also brought many side effects especially on the health. This chapter crosses literature data on the side effects of smartphone in terms of health, especially in children. Nonetheless, it may affect people’s psychology, behavior, and health especially those of children. A mobile phone battery when heated explodes as a bomb. Awareness should be raised on the dangers of smartphones for children as telephone has become a real life partner in everything. Telephony companies as well as parents should join their effort, and measures should be taken to protect children and teenagers to ensure their welfare as they use smartphones. It is not enough to say that the humanity is in permanent danger. It is necessary to prioritize the protection of health while we rejoice in these technological advances

More notspots than hotspots: strategies for undertaking networked learning in the real world

Much of the mobile learning literature implies that connectivity between devices can be taken for granted. This is not clearly not true with patchy network coverage and variable signal strength even in well developed urban areas. In this paper, we describe strategies devised for overcoming the challenges of variable connectivity quality to ensure mobile learning in authentic field locations and also bridging contexts (home, school, work). We consider three approaches: the use of Wi-Fi, 3G phone networks, and working locally with post-activity synchronisation. We conclude with recommendations for practitioners and researchers

Mobslinger: The Fastest Mobile in the West.

Whilst there is a number of location sensing games emerging for mobile phones, from both commercial and academic sectors, there are few examples of social proximity based games that are effectively position independent. Bluetooth would seem an obvious choice for proximity based games, although the majority of games produced to-date simply uses it to provide a quasi peer to peer connection between users of multiplayer games. This is no-doubt due to the fact that proximity can often be implied from other location sensing technologies and that Bluetooth is often perceived as difficult to employ. In this paper we will show that Bluetooth can provide exciting game scenarios that can enable spontaneous stimulated social interaction using only proximity information. We illustrate this through the design rationale and subsequent implementation of ‘mobslinger’ which is a wild west, quick draw, ‘shoot-em-up’ game using mobile phones

An analysis of students discipline problems at English education study program of UNPARI

This study aims to explain i) the students’ discipline problems in the classroom at English education study program ii) the factors of students’ discipline problems in the classroom at English education study program iii) the best solution for students’ discipline problems in the classroom at English education study program. This study was conducted at PGRI Silampari University. The subjects of the research were 30 students from the first semester and third semester as a sample, and the approach of the research was qualitative descriptive. The researchers used interviews to collect the data and analysed using an observation checklist. The interview script became the primary source for interpreting and analyzing data. After analyzing the data, the results show that the most common discipline problems in the classroom in the English education study program were students who were talking with friends, no attention to the lesson, and lateness. The strategies that can be applied to cope with the student discipline challenges were preventive, supportive, and corrective disciplines. The lecturers and students should cooperate to improve the quality in maintaining the classroom discipline by creating a conducive classroom. The lecturers need to apply the right and appropriate method so that the material is more interesting. punishment can also be applied in the classroom in order to minimize disciplinary problem behavior in the learning process. The students must have a high awareness of discipline. Students are required to be able to think critically in distinguishing behavior that is appropriate and inappropriate to do, especially in the classroom when learning is in progress