Stereoscopic Views Improve Spatial Presence but not Spatial Learning in VR Games

A key affordance of virtual reality is the capability of immersive VR to prompt spatial presence resulting from the stereoscopic lenses in the head mounted display (HMD). We investigated the effect of a stereoscopic view of a game, Cellverse, on users' perceived spatial presence, knowledge of cells, and learning in three levels of spatial knowledge: route, landmark, and survey knowledge. Fifty-one participants played the game using the same game controllers but with different views; 28 had a stereoscopic view (HMD), and 23 had a non-stereoscopic view (computer monitor). Participants explored a diseased cell for clues to diagnose the disease type and recommend a therapy. We gathered surveys, drawings, and spatial tasks conducted in the game environment to gauge learning. Participants' spatial knowledge of the cell environment and knowledge of cell concepts improved after gameplay in both conditions. Spatial presence scores in the stereoscopic condition were higher than the non-stereoscopic condition with a large effect size, however there was no significant difference in levels of spatial knowledge between the two groups. Most all drawings showed a change in cell knowledge, yet some participants only changed in spatial knowledge of the cell, and some changed in both cell knowledge and spatial knowledge. Evidence suggests that a stereoscopic view has a significant effect on users' experience of spatial presence, but that increased presence does not directly translate into spatial learning.

How Game Designers Can Account for Those With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) When Designing Game Experiences

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disability among gamers where individuals belonging to this group of conditions have difficulty understanding non-verbal cues. Though game accessibility is a focal point in the games industry, there has been a keen focus placed on developing accessibility. Consequently, this study examines the perspective of video games from individuals who have autism to gain further insight into the needs of these individuals. The preliminary study is to discover if autistic users' difficulty reading non-verbal cues extends to their perception of a game environment and if these individuals can experience sensory distress while playing video games. A prototype was created to further understand the non-verbal cues to help shape the foundation of accessibility framework. The preliminary results concluded that autistic users frequently misread or fail to pick up on the non-verbal cues used by developers to drive game flow and narrative (e.g., sign-posting), in addition to experiencing sensory distress while playing video games.

Gamification and Game-Based Learning

Teachers can use game mechanics in a non-game environment (gamification), or they can consider playing a game as an option to learn content. In the first case, adding elements inspired by games to the classroom environment allows teachers to create a motivating atmosphere for the learning of social sciences, geography, and history. The second case is directly related to games that “teach” content through making decisions and observation of consequences. With a focus on elements, benefits, strategies, and some of the most important resources to introduce gamification and game-based learning in social science education, the authors highlight student motivation and learning of content and skills. Although gamification is not a new concept, it can be considered that the technological development and the recognition of its didactic possibilities have extended the educational experiences in a new way, contributing significantly to education.

Providing Validity Evidence for Ignite by Hatch

The authors of this study seek to provide practitioners with evidence to support the instructional value of Ignite by Hatch, a digital learning game designed for preschool children. Analyses were conducted using the entire population of three- and four-year-old children who used Ignite during the 2020-2021 academic year (n = 29,417) and included the use of descriptive statistics to explore patterns of growth and the Rasch measurement model to explore item difficulty. This chapter also features a preliminary crosswalk establishing the alignment between the domains, subdomains, and games presented within the Ignite game environment and the learning goals provided by the North Carolina Foundations for Early Learning and Development framework. Results suggest strong preliminary evidence in support of the instructional value of Ignite by Hatch. Further research is recommended to understand how knowledge and skill acquisition within the game environment translate to developmental growth outside of the gaming environment.

Gamification and its Applications

In the recent past, gamification is a new buzzing word and is used frequently by researchers in particular in the area of management. Gamification is applying gaming and using gaming components and procedures in a non-gaming environment. The three main components of gamification are game elements – a design prototype which can be integrated into the game; game design – A complete procedure building engaging games, based on business objectives, technical feasibility and management expectations; the last one is the non-game environment – The non-gaming environment is the components involved in real-world business and social impact objectives and goals. If gamification is applied correctly in a business or social environment, the results will be amazing and can inspire the business community decisions. Gamification can be the future of the business and can make the business environment the gaming components fun and those fun and appealing components can be applied in real-life business activities. To make gamification effective the game dynamics, game design, behavioural change, and motivation are the aspects that need to be combined applied in non-gaming environment. This brief note presents the main ideologies that can the gamification design in the business environment more successful. The author also narrates whene the gamification procedures can be useful in the business world.

Portrayals of gender and identity in the soundtrack of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt Red, 2019) is an award-winning role-playing video game (RPG); the third instalment of The Witcher game series inspired by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novels. Centring upon the protagonist Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher 3 has been praised for developing a complex, authentic, and immersive game environment that combines magic and fantasy elements within a broadly medieval setting. A central aspect of the game’s success is its soundtrack – the fusion of music, sound, and voice – which further contributes to building the game’s overall narrative and the complex construction of its central characters. This paper explores how The Witcher 3’s soundtrack constructs identity, focusing in particular on its use of neo-medievalist signifiers and its contrasting representations of masculinity and femininity. Neo-medievalist sounds are a central concept in building the game’s identity; these sounds draw on folkloristic elements surrounding the choice of instrumentation and the recurrence of folk music throughout the game’s narrative, thus increasing the player’s immersion within The Witcher 3’s world. Regarding gender, female vocalisations are used within the soundtrack to add depth and emotion to male characters – particularly Geralt of Rivia, who due to his mutations lacks in conventional emotional capabilities. Despite the inclusion and emphasis of female voices on the soundtrack, the placement of women in influential roles is limited through other musical scoring techniques, which effectively reduces the agency of these characters, thus suggesting an imbalanced treatment towards gender. Through exploring these aspects, I argue that the soundtrack is a crucial part of how gender and identity are constructed throughout The Witcher 3, further exploring how these elements affect the player’s overall in-game immersion.

Design methodology of analytical games for knowledge acquisition

Analytical games explore a problem or a domain with a research purpose. Considerable research is ongoing to investigate improvements to analytical game design, execution and exploitation. Moreover, the fast-paced technological developments in many fields, such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality, make it even more compellingto account for the advantages and limitations of these new capabilities. In game design, the use of digital means is often regarded as a mere technical factor that relates to the platform selection, facilitator support and data recording processes. In this work a shift in perspective is proposed, to move from technology-oriented design selection criteria towards a broader assessment of the design choices. In fact, the introductionof technology (i.e., automation and autonomy) will not lead to a substitution of tasks, but will intrinsically change the game environment. This work introduces a framework to provide a structured guidance on the aspects to be factored in the different design phases of an analytical game, including the potential impact of the adoption of automation and autonomy. The proposed approach is based on previous research in the fieldof simulation-based serious gaming, model-driven engineering and human factors engineering. The framework is applied to Knowledge Acquisition Analytical Games as a case study.