Sense3

Sense3, at its core, is a game in which the player has to collectively use the three senses of sight, touch and hearing to primarily dodge obstacles and collect audio samples, which are vertically remixed to form music. We chose EDM themed music, coupled with a futuristic outer space theme for the art style of the game, creating an immersive environment. The game is a pseudo-endless runner, where the player has to collect all the components to assemble their music. After each play through, the game allows the player to listen to the newly assembled music before reloading. We wanted to encourage replay value as each play through yields new and different music. The concept was decided upon after a series of prototyping sessions and iterations on a select few of them

Sound for Fantasy and Freedom

Sound is an integral part of our everyday lives. Sound tells us about physical events in the environ- ment, and we use our voices to share ideas and emotions through sound. When navigating the world on a day-to-day basis, most of us use a balanced mix of stimuli from our eyes, ears and other senses to get along. We do this totally naturally and without effort. In the design of computer game experiences, traditionally, most attention has been given to vision rather than the balanced mix of stimuli from our eyes, ears and other senses most of us use to navigate the world on a day to day basis. The risk is that this emphasis neglects types of interaction with the game needed to create an immersive experience. This chapter summarizes the relationship between sound properties, GameFlow and immersive experience and discusses two projects in which Interactive Institute, Sonic Studio has balanced perceptual stimuli and game mechanics to inspire and create new game concepts that liberate users and their imagination

Trust-Based Social Behaviour in Role-Playing Games

Although previous artificial intelligence research has done much to advance video games, not as much has been done to integrate that research into commercially viable titles. In this study, the game Barrel Smasher was developed, demonstrating a socially aware model of Non-Player Characters based on internal trust scores of other characters. The game allows the player to interact with these characters through dialogue, and it provides elements of Role-Playing Games like quests, items, and combat. The result is a game that combines social interactions and other forms of gameplay into a single, connected system. In doing so, the game creates interactive quest progression with more variation than is found in traditional quest systems

Video Game Art Reader

This special edition of the VGA Reader, guest-edited by Christopher W. Totten and Enrica Lovaglio Costello, focuses on the connections between video games and architectural design. Each of the essays in this volume engages in critical investigations that reveal how game spaces evoke meaning, enhance game narratives, and explore unconventional themes

The Effect of the Cycles Phonological Remediation Approach: A Case Study

The speech-language pathologist has many options regarding the course of action they deem the most efficient in remediating a phonological disorder. The purpose of this case study was to research the efficacy of using the Cycles Phonological Remediation Approach (Cycles Approach) as written by Hodson and Paden (Hodson & Paden, 1983; Hodson & Paden, 1991; Hodson, 2006; Hodson, 2007) on a six-year-old child with a moderate-to-severe phonological disorder with low intelligibility. This study included three phases: initial assessment, intervention, and the final assessment. One cycle of intervention over the course of approximately two semesters was administered to target three of the most prominent phonological processes as determined by the Cycles Approach protocol. The targets selected to remediate cluster reduction, syllable deletion, and gliding were /s/ blends, multisyllabic words, and initial /l/ and /l/ blends. Following completion of the targeted intervention cycle, a follow-up assessment was completed. Results demonstrated progress with severity ratings changing from moderate severity to mild severity as indicated on initial assessment results. While the client’s phonological skills improved to a point of single-word accuracy in practice, generalization was not maintained or facilitated for conversational level with the Cycles Approach

Norway’s Companies Act: A 10-Year Look at Gender Equality

This analysis assesses the amendment to Norway’s Companies Act, in light of the 10-year anniversary of the mandate of female representation on corporate boards. First, I discuss the implementation of the quota, Section 6-11a. Second, I compare three statistical studies that analyze the effects of the quota on corporate profitability, overall firm performance, and the changing dynamics of the managerial positions. Finally, I evaluate the various avenues to fully achieving diversity, such as the successes and failures of a quota-type system and possible initiatives that governments and companies can enact to achieve gender-balance in the workplace. While some hypothesize that the quota negatively affects overall firm capability and value, the statistical data on the effects of the legislation is not dispositive. Ultimately, it is in the best interest of corporations to learn from Norway’s example in implementing mandatory female representation, and to explore other avenues to achieving diversity

Exploring Grades 3-5 Mathematics Activities Found Online

We investigate resources on TeachersPayTeachers and discuss how what is available affects our teaching practices

Relationship Between Psychological Stress & Oxidative Stress in victims of Motor Vehicle Accidents

Current biobehavioral models of cancer focus primarily on stress-induced failures of immune surveillance as a principle mechanism of cancer progression. However, efforts to identify specific immune mechanisms altered by stress and underlying or affecting cancer course have met with limited success. Although there is clear evidence that stress alters fundamental immune processes, it is not clear whether stress-related changes in immune system activity are of sufficient type or magnitude for cancer to develop or progress (Cohen & Rabin, 1998). Therefore, new innovative approaches are needed to determine if stress is mechanistically linked to cancer. Measuring associations between stress and intermediate endpoints mechanistically linked to carcinogenesis may further understanding of the cancer process and provide insight for intervention. These endpoints include stress-induced alterations in DNA damage and repair (Forlenza & Baum, 2001). The present research measured the urinary concentration of the mutagenic oxidative lesion 8-hydroxy-2ʹ-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in adult victims of motor vehicle accidents (MVA) and controls. Overnight urine samples (approximately 15 hours) were collected within 1 month of the MVA and again 3 months after the accident. The primary hypothesis is that victims of MVAs will have higher concentration of urinary 8-OHdG compared to controls. Further, reported stress experience will be significantly related to urinary concentration of oxidative DNA damage products. Results showed that people in the MVA group had significantly more distressing somatic symptoms, poorer concentration, significantly more fear and significantly more intrusive thoughts than people in the control group at month 1. Further, these intrusions were related to an objective rating of their injury severity at month 1. Additionally, people in the MVA group had significantly more intrusive thoughts than people in the control group at month 3. There were no group differences in the urinary concentration of 8-OHdG 1 month or 3 months following the MVA and self-reported measures of distress were unrelated to urinary levels of 8-OHdG. Reasons for the lack of association are discussed

An investigation into teaching games for understanding

The purpose of this study was to test the validity of the games for understanding (GFU) model by comparing it to a technique approach to instruction and to a control group. The technique method focused primarily on skill instruction where the skill taught initially was incorporated into a game at the end of each lesson. The GFU approach emphasized the development of tactical awareness and decision-making in small game situations. Two physical education specialists taught field hockey using these approaches. Both teachers used each approach with different groups. The control group did not receive hockey instruction. Data were collected from 71 middle school children. Pretests and posttests were administered for hockey knowledge, skill and game performance. The treatments lasted for 15 (45 minute) lessons. The teachers recorded their thoughts about the lessons in journals after each class. Student perceptions were also recorded during interviews in the penultimate week of the study