Escape room design framework

Escape room is a form of physical amusement, where a group of players are solving puzzles in a purpose-built environment. Escape rooms have been part of many cities’ entertainment space for more than a decade. Escape rooms have been also used as part of research but not much has been researched on their underlying design. In this thesis, a framework for designing escape rooms is formed. The framework takes inspiration and references from digital game research and literature and tries to create a basis for future escape room design. At the same time, the thesis tries to find what are the most important parts to take into consideration when designing an escape room. The viability of the framework and escape room design process was researched with professional interviews. Four professional escape room designers were interviewed in semi-structured interviews. The interviews focused on current design processes, the viability of the framework as part of said process and the future of escape rooms. Framework is also compared to an operating escape room design as a case study to find out does the design under scrutiny match the concepts established in the framework. Reasons behind the decisions where the design deviates from the framework are also discussed. Research indicates that the framework closely matches currently used design processes. The framework would be a useful tool for new designers to get a better understanding of the design and what to focus designer’s energy and time. The study also states that escape rooms have reached a stable holding in the entertainment space. In the future, more experiences will expand escape room to become a hypernym under multiple different types of entertainment optionsPakohuoneet ovat fyysisen viihteen muoto, jossa ryhmä pelaajia ratkoo päättelytehtäviä ja pulmia tarkoitusta varten rakennetussa tilassa. Pakohuoneet ovat olleet osa monen kaupungin viihdekenttää jo vuosikymmenen ajan. Pakohuoneita on myös käytetty osana erilaista tutkimusta, mutta niiden pelisuunnittelua ei ole paljoakaan tutkittu. Tässä tutkielmassa luodaan viitekehys pakohuoneiden suunnittelua varten. Se hakee inspiraatiota videopelisuunnittelun tutkimuksesta sekä kirjallisuudesta ja pyrkii luomaan pohjan pakohuoneiden suunnittelulle. Samalla tutkitaan, mitkä ovat pakohuoneiden tärkeimmät elementit ja mitä pakohuonesuunnittelussa on hyvä ottaa huomioon. Suunnitteluviitekehyksen kelpoisuutta sekä pakohuoneiden suunnitteluprosessia tutkittiin ammattilaishaastatteluilla. Neljää ammattilaspakohuonesuunnittelijaa haastateltiin puolistrukturoidulla haastattelulla. Haastattelu keskittyi nykyisiin suunnitteluprosesseihin, suunnitteluviitekehyksen kelpoisuuteen tuossa prosessissa sekä pakohuoneiden tulevaisuuteen. Suunnitteluviitekehystä analysoidaan myös suhteessa toiminnassa olevan pakohuoneen suunnitteluun. Tutkielmassa verrataan miten huoneen suunnittelu noudattaa viitekehyksessä esiteltyjä konsepteja. Samassa yhteydessä pohditaan syitä löydettyihin poikkeamiin huoneen suunnittelun ja viitekehyksen välillä. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että suunnitteluviitekehys vastaa läheisesti nykyisin käytössä olevia suunnitteluprosesseja. Se olisi hyödyllinen työkalu uusille suunnittelijoille prosessista paremman käsityksen saamiseksi. Viitekehyksen hyödyntäminen voisi säästää suunnittelijan aikaa ja resursseja. Tutkimussa todetaan myös, että pakohuoneet ovat saavuttaneet vakaan tason osana viihdeteollisuutta. Jatkossa pakohuoneiden oletetaan laajenevan kattamaan myös pakohuoneiden kaltaisia elämyksiä

From nostalgia for the recent past and beyond : The temporal frames of recalled consumption experiences

Studies of nostalgia are one of the research subfields of recalled consumption experiences. In addition to the nostalgic recall, the consumers' remembered experiences situate in other temporal frames, a theme rarely touched in the extant research. The aim of this research was to examine the differences between nostalgic and other recalled consumption experiences by identifying and analysing the characteristics of the temporal frames. The data set for this task comprised 480 descriptions of consumers' experiences involving an everyday consumer object. An interpretive approach was utilized to analyse the temporal frames. The results of the study indicate that the consumers described their memories in four temporal structures. These are the strong nostalgia from childhood, light nostalgia from youth, descriptions of recent past and memories linked to consumption practices and traditions that will be fostered in the future. The article proposes a conceptual framework describing the temporal frames of consumers' remembered consumption experiences that opens further avenues for research alongside of nostalgic recall.Peer reviewe

A consumption timecycle: contextually situated and temporally recurring experiences

Purpose Temporal consumption experiences have been conceptualised as universal, subjective or practice-based experiences. Little research, though, addresses such experiences in conjunction with the repeated and situational consumption events that bring them about. The purpose of this paper is to extend current knowledge by examining how the temporal and situational intertwine during consumption events. For this purpose, the concept of a consumption timecycle based on the research data is constructed. Design/methodology/approach The paper takes a longitudinal and researcher-led approach to study temporal consumption experiences. The data was collected through participant observations, video recordings and personal subjective introspections during three consecutive annual Nordic motorcycle consumer trade shows (2014-2016). The data was analysed using an interpretive approach. Findings The results demonstrate five temporalities that characterise a consumption timecycle as follows: emerging, core, intensifying, fading and idle-time temporalities. The features of these temporal experiences are presented in the conclusions section of the paper. Research limitations/implications Recalled temporal experiences are mediated experiences and they differ from lived experiences. The transferability or generalisability of the results might be limited, as the case is situated in the Nordic context. Originality/value The paper presents the novel concept of a consumption timecycle that extends current debates about consumer time. The consumption timecycle is contrasted with established temporal concepts in consumer and marketing research.Peer reviewe

Social Media Roadmaps. Exploring the futures triggered by social media.

Social media refers to a combination of three elements: content, user communities and Web 2.0 technologies. This foresight report presents six roadmaps of the anticipated developments of social media in three themes: society, companies, and local environment. One of the roadmaps, the meta-roadmap, is the synthesis of them all. The society sub-roadmap explores societal participation through communities. There are three sub-roadmaps relating to companies: interacting with companies through communities, social media in work environment, and social media enhanced shopping. The local environment sub-roadmap looks at social media in local environment. The roadmapping process was carried out through two workshops at VTT. The results of the report are crystallized into five main development lines triggered by social media. First development line is transparency referring to its increasing role in society, both with positive and negative consequences. The second development line is the rise of ubiquitous participatory communication model. This refers to an increase of two-directional and community-based interactivity in every field, where it has some added value. The third development is reflexive empowerment. This refers to the role of social media as an enabler of grass-root community collaboration. The fourth development line is the duality personalization/fragmentation vs. mass effects/integration. Personalization /fragmentation emphasises the tailoring of the web services and content. This development is counterweighted by mass effects/integration, like the formation of super-nodes in the web. The fifth development line is the new relations of physical and virtual worlds. This development line highlights the idea that practices induced by social media, e.g. communication, participation, co-creation, feedback and rating, will get more common in daily environment, and that virtual and physical worlds will be more and more interlinked.</p

Seismic velocity models based on wide-angle refraction and reflection profiles in Finland

Laajakulmaiseen taittumis- ja heijastusluotaukseen perustuvat seismiset tutkimukset (WARR) ovat olleet keskeisessä roolissa Fennoskandian kilven rakenteellisessa tutkimuksessa. 1980-luvulta lähtien niissä on kerätty tieteellisesti arvokasta dataa sekä tuotettu seismisiä kuoren nopeusmalleja, jotka eivät ole aiemmin olleet julkisesti saatavilla. Tämän raportin kuvailemassa työssä vanhat nopeusmallit ja laajakulmasektiot muokattiin helpommin käytettäviin formaatteihin ja tallennettiin turvallisesti tutkimusdatan säilytyspalvelu IDAan. IDAssa tutkimusdata on avoimesti saatavilla ja tietokokonaisuuksille on IDAssa pysyvät DOI-tunnisteet. Säilötyn datan käyttö on määritelty Creative Commons By Attribution version 4.0 -lisenssillä. Sama data tulee myös saataville Geologian tutkimuskeskuksen Hakku-palveluun. Saatavilla olevat kaksiulotteiset nopeusmallit on tallennettu muotoon, jossa seisminen nopeus on määritetty koordinaattien pisteissä eri syvyyksillä tekstitiedostoissa. Laajakulmasektiot on tallennettu standard IBM SEG-Y -muotoisina. Tässä raportissa kuvaillaan taittumis- ja heijastusluotaustutkimuksia, saatavilla olevaa dataa sekä sen käyttöä.Seismic wide-angle refraction and reflection (WARR) surveys have been crucial in the study of the structure of the Fennoscandian shield. The valuable data and crustal seismic velocity models of major WARR studies from the 1980s to the present day have not been previously available to the public. In the work described in this report, the velocity models and wide-angle data were re-formatted to more accessible data formats and safely stored in the IDA Research Data Storage service for open access and data identification through Digital Object Identifiers. Data use is allowed under the Creative Commons By Attribution version 4.0 license. The data is also made available through the Hakku service of the Geological Survey of Finland. The velocity models are stored in a universal velocity point format in text files and wide-angle sections are stored in standard IBM SEG-Y format. A general description of WARR studies, available data and data use is given in this report

Seismic velocity models based on wide-angle refraction and reflection profiles in Finland

Laajakulmaiseen taittumis- ja heijastusluotaukseen perustuvat seismiset tutkimukset (WARR) ovat olleet keskeisessä roolissa Fennoskandian kilven rakenteellisessa tutkimuksessa. 1980-luvulta lähtien niissä on kerätty tieteellisesti arvokasta dataa sekä tuotettu seismisiä kuoren nopeusmalleja, jotka eivät ole aiemmin olleet julkisesti saatavilla. Tämän raportin kuvailemassa työssä vanhat nopeusmallit ja laajakulmasektiot muokattiin helpommin käytettäviin formaatteihin ja tallennettiin turvallisesti tutkimusdatan säilytyspalvelu IDAan. IDAssa tutkimusdata on avoimesti saatavilla ja tietokokonaisuuksille on IDAssa pysyvät DOI-tunnisteet. Säilötyn datan käyttö on määritelty Creative Commons By Attribution version 4.0 -lisenssillä. Sama data tulee myös saataville Geologian tutkimuskeskuksen Hakku-palveluun. Saatavilla olevat kaksiulotteiset nopeusmallit on tallennettu muotoon, jossa seisminen nopeus on määritetty koordinaattien pisteissä eri syvyyksillä tekstitiedostoissa. Laajakulmasektiot on tallennettu standard IBM SEG-Y -muotoisina. Tässä raportissa kuvaillaan taittumis- ja heijastusluotaustutkimuksia, saatavilla olevaa dataa sekä sen käyttöä.Seismic wide-angle refraction and reflection (WARR) surveys have been crucial in the study of the structure of the Fennoscandian shield. The valuable data and crustal seismic velocity models of major WARR studies from the 1980s to the present day have not been previously available to the public. In the work described in this report, the velocity models and wide-angle data were re-formatted to more accessible data formats and safely stored in the IDA Research Data Storage service for open access and data identification through Digital Object Identifiers. Data use is allowed under the Creative Commons By Attribution version 4.0 license. The data is also made available through the Hakku service of the Geological Survey of Finland. The velocity models are stored in a universal velocity point format in text files and wide-angle sections are stored in standard IBM SEG-Y format. A general description of WARR studies, available data and data use is given in this report

Motion Tracking Exergames for Elderly Users

This paper reports the results from the field tests of two custom made exergames, based on a commercial off-the-shelf technology, aimed for the elderly people. First game resembles the guided mobility and stretching class, and the second one is more game-like with youthful theme and active movement. Both exergames were tested on two sites, urban and rural setting, totaling 19 elderlies. Usability findings are reported in a form of System Usability Scale (SUS) score analysis, and playability aspects as a Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) analysis. Results from the questionnaires are supplemented with observation and interview material. The second game, which had more familiar setting and appropriate pacing, received positive feedback and higher scores from the tests. Based on this material we discuss about the design of exergames aimed for the elderly persons who are not experienced computer game players, the importance of graphical clarity and the need for specialized game experience questionnaire for the elderlies.</p

Full-Scale Crustal Interpretation of Kokkola–Kymi (KOKKY) Seismic Profile, Fennoscandian Shield

The Kokkola–Kymi Deep Seismic Sounding profile crosses the Fennoscandian Shield in northwest-southeast (NW–SE) direction from Bothnian belt to Wiborg rapakivi batholith through Central Finland granitoid complex (CFGC). The 490-km refraction seismic line is perpendicular to the orogenic strike in Central Finland and entirely based on data from quarry blasts and road construction sites in years 2012 and 2013. The campaign resulted in 63 usable seismic record sections. The average perpendicular distance between these and the profile was 14 km. Tomographic velocity models were computed with JIVE3D program. The velocity fields of the tomographic models were used as starting points in the ray tracing modelling. Based on collected seismic sections a layer-cake model was prepared with the ray tracing package SEIS83. Along the profile, upper crust has an average thickness of 22 km average, and P-wave velocities (Vp) of 5.9–6.2 km/s near the surface, increasing downward to 6.25–6.40 km/s. The thickness of middle crust is 14 km below CFGC, 20 km in SE and 25 km in NW, but Vp ranges from 6.6 to 6.9 km/s in all parts. Lower crust has Vp values of 7.35–7.4 km/s and lithospheric mantle 8.2–8.25 km/s. Moho depth is 54 km in NW part, 63 km in the middle and 43 km in SW, yet a 55-km long section in the middle does not reveal an obvious Moho reflection. S-wave velocities vary from 3.4 km/s near the surface to 4.85 km/s in upper mantle, consistently with P-wave velocity variations. Results confirm the previously assumed high-velocity lower crust and depression of Moho in central Finland.Peer reviewe

Hyvän ja pahan taistelu – ravinnon rasvojen mediajulkisuus Helsingin Sanomissa 2010–2011

Tässä artikkelissa tarkastellaan diskurssianalyyttisestä näkökulmasta ravinnon rasvoihin liitettyjä ja kulttuurisesti määräytyviä merkityksiä. Tutkimusaineiston 121 artikkelia kerättiin Helsingin Sanomista vuosilta 2010–2011. Mediassa käyty rasvakeskustelu jäsentyy tehdyn tulkinnan perusteella kolmeen puhetapaan. Tutkimusten ja asiantuntijoiden vakiinnuttama käsitys terveellisestä syömisestä korostuu ravitsemustieteeseen pohjautuvassa puhetavassa, jossa ravinnon rasvat jaotellaan terveellinen-haitallinen -vastakkainasettelulla. Ravitsemustieteeseen ohjautuva näkökulma kyseenalaistetaan kriittisessä puhetavassa, jossa rasvat luokitellaan luonnollinen-keinotekoinen vastakkainasettelun avulla. Makuun ja nautintoon liittyvässä puhetavassa vastakkain asettuvat nautintoon ja haluun perustuva kulttuurisesti ”oikeanlainen” maku sekä moralisoivia sävyjä sisältävä kehon fysiologinen ravinnon tarve. Puhetavoista esitetty tulkinta tuo esiin ravinnon rasvojen monenlaiset merkitykset, jotka eivät palaudu niiden ravintoarvoon. Merkitykset tehdään näkyviksi mediassa tarkoituksenmukaisten vastakkainasetteluiden ja kulttuuristen rajanvetojen avulla

Differential effects of dietary protein sources on postprandial low-grade inflammation after a single high fat meal in obese non-diabetic subjects

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Obesity is a state of chronic low-grade inflammation. Chronic low-grade inflammation is associated with the pathophysiology of both type-2 diabetes and atherosclerosis. Prevention or reduction of chronic low-grade inflammation may be advantageous in relation to obesity related co-morbidity. In this study we investigated the acute effect of dietary protein sources on postprandial low-grade inflammatory markers after a high-fat meal in obese non-diabetic subjects.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a randomized, acute clinical intervention study in a crossover design. We supplemented a fat rich mixed meal with one of four dietary proteins - cod protein, whey isolate, gluten or casein. 11 obese non-diabetic subjects (age: 40-68, BMI: 30.3-42.0 kg/m2) participated and blood samples were drawn in the 4 h postprandial period. Adiponectin was estimated by ELISA methods and cytokines were analyzed by multiplex assay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>MCP-1 and CCL5/RANTES displayed significant postprandial dynamics. CCL5/RANTES initially increased after all meals, but overall CCL5/RANTES incremental area under the curve (iAUC) was significantly lower after the whey meal compared with the cod and casein meals (<it>P </it>= 0.0053). MCP-1 was initially suppressed after all protein meals. However, the iAUC was significantly higher after whey meal compared to the cod and gluten meals (<it>P </it>= 0.04).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have demonstrated acute differential effects on postprandial low grade inflammation of four dietary proteins in obese non-diabetic subjects. CCL5/RANTES initially increased after all meals but the smallest overall postprandial increase was observed after the whey meal. MCP-1 was initially suppressed after all 4 protein meals and the whey meal caused the smallest overall postprandial suppression.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov ID: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00863564">NCT00863564</a></p