Optimal configuration of active and backup servers for augmented reality cooperative games

Interactive applications as online games and mobile devices have become more and more popular in recent years. From their combination, new and interesting cooperative services could be generated. For instance, gamers endowed with Augmented Reality (AR) visors connected as wireless nodes in an ad-hoc network, can interact with each other while immersed in the game. To enable this vision, we discuss here a hybrid architecture enabling game play in ad-hoc mode instead of the traditional client-server setting. In our architecture, one of the player nodes also acts as the server of the game, whereas other backup server nodes are ready to become active servers in case of disconnection of the network i.e. due to low energy level of the currently active server. This allows to have a longer gaming session before incurring in disconnections or energy exhaustion. In this context, the server election strategy with the aim of maximizing network lifetime is not so straightforward. To this end, we have hence analyzed this issue through a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model and both numerical and simulation-based analysis shows that the backup servers solution fulfills its design objective

DOOM: SCARYDARKFAST

A close examination about what is considered the most important first-person video game ever made and its influence on how we play games toda

Social Norms in Virtual Worlds of Computer Games

Immersing in the virtual world of the Internet, information and communication technologies are changing the human being. In spite of the apparent similarity of on-line and off-line, social laws of their existence are different. According to the analysis of games, based on the violation of the accepted laws of the world off-line, their censoring, as well as the cheating, features of formation and violations of social norms in virtual worlds were formulated. Although the creators of the games have priority in the standardization of the virtual world, society as well as players can have impact on it to reduce the realism. The violation of the prescribed rules by a player is regarded as cheating. And it is subjected to sanctions, but the attitude toward it is ambiguous, sometimes positive. Some rules are formed as a result of the interaction between players

Media Specialists and Gaming

The purpose of this portfolio is to provide three games that a media specialist can use to help bring play to education and to enhance a student’s education. The media center should be an ever adapting environment and a place to provide students and teachers with new materials and ideas that fit their needs. Media specialists are in an excellent position to introduce digital games and collaborate with other educators and while doing this add more play to a testing and standard focused curriculum. The research in this portfolio will look to see how play and games are affecting education and what types of games are being used in the Media Center and in classrooms. This information will be used to inform the creation of three games a media specialist can use to enhance a child’s experience and education in the school. The first game, developed by the author, will provide students with fun and educational materials that can be used in and outside the classroom and help teachers differentiate instruction for their students. The second game, also developed by the author, will motivate and encourage students to read for enjoyment. The third project provides materials to integrate an existing game that teachers can use in any subject’s curriculum as a form of formative assessment and to help students work on the 4Cs

Social gaming: A systematic review

Digital games often constitute a shared activity where people can spend time together, communicate and socialize. Several commercial titles place social interaction at the center of their design. Prior works have investigated the social outcomes of gaming, and factors that impact the experience. Yet, we lack a comprehensive understanding of how social gaming has been approached and explored before. In this work, we present a systematic review covering 263 publications, gathered in February 2021, that study gaming experiences involving more than one person, with a focus on the social element that emerges among partakers (players and/or spectators). We contribute with a systematized understanding of (1) how the topic is being defined and approached, (2) what facets (mainly in terms of outcomes and determinants of the experience) are being acknowledged and (3) the methodologies leveraged to examine these. Our analysis, based on mixed deductive and inductive coding, reveals relevant gaps and tendencies, including (1) the emphasis in novel technologies and unconventional games, (2) the apparent negligence of player diversity, and (3) lower ecological validity associated with totally mediated evaluations and a lack of established constructs to assess social outcomes

Use of Cloud Gaming in Education

The use of digital games in education has been the subject of research for many years and their usefulness has been confirmed by many studies and research projects. Standardized tests, such as PISA test, show that respondents achieved better reading, math and physics results if they used the computer more for gaming-related activities. It has been proven that the application of video games in education increases student motivation, improves several types of key skills—social and intellectual skills, reflexes and concentration. Nevertheless, there are several challenges associated with the application of video games in schools and they can be categorized as technical (network and end device limitations), competency (teachers’ knowledge in the area), qualitative (lack of educational games of high quality), and financial (high cost of purchasing games and equipment). The novel architecture for delivery of gaming content commonly referred to as “cloud gaming” has the potential to solve most of the present challenges of using games in education. A well-designed cloud gaming platform would enable seamless and simple usage for both students and teachers. While solving most of the present problems, cloud gaming introduces a set of new research challenges which will be discussed in this section

Master of Arts

thesisThe purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the usefulness of online videogames for promoting second language (L2) acquisition. To achieve this goal, I analyzed the specific types of interaction that take place between English language learners while playing the online videogame entitled Guild Wars 2. Previous research has shown that there can be positive results on L2 acquisition from interaction that occurs while playing video games known as massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). MMORPGs immerse players in virtual worlds that are populated by hundreds of other people, and all are participating in the game in real time. Learners who opt to play the game in a foreign or second language (L2) are exposed to target language input in a context-rich environment in which they can interact freely with native-speakers and other language learners. Although research into the benefits of MMORPGs for L2 learners is still relatively new, the findings so far have been overwhelmingly positive. This study aims to move beyond the question of whether MMORPGs are beneficial and instead asks why and how they may be beneficial. The data from this study are gathered from the recorded screens of 3 volunteer ESL students as they interact in Guild Wars 2 for a period of about 10 hours over a 5-week period. In-game interaction is analyzed and placed into categories that are meant to capture the number and types of opportunities for negotiation of meaning and types of learning strategies used. This study suggests that MMORPGs are beneficial to L2 acquisition because they provide opportunities for L2 learners to produce large amounts of output, and the output produced by one player is a meaningful source of input for other players. Input and output allowed for connected interaction, in which focus on language form can lead to modified-output. Further, players have the opportunity to negotiate input as a means to complete game tasks. Finally, game tasks are similar to tasks believed to be beneficial in an L2 classroom