Current Issue : January - March Volume : 2016 Issue Number : 1 Articles : 5 Articles
This paper presents a car racing simulator game called Racer, in which the human player races a car against three game-controlled\ncars in a three-dimensional environment. The objective of the game is not to defeat the human player, but to provide the player\nwith a challenging and enjoyable experience. To ensure that this objective can be accomplished, the game incorporates artificial\nintelligence (AI) techniques, which enable the cars to be controlled in a manner that mimics natural driving. The paper provides\na brief history of AI techniques in games, presents the use of AI techniques in contemporary video games, and discusses the AI\ntechniques that were implemented in the development of Racer. A comparison of the AI techniques implemented in the Unity\nplatform with traditional AI search techniques is also included in the discussion...
In this paper we investigate the use of games technologies for the research and\nthe development of 3D representations of real environments captured from GIS\ninformation and open source map data. Challenges involved in this area concern the large\ndata-sets to be dealt with. Some existing map data include errors and are not complete,\nwhich makes the generation of realistic and accurate 3D environments problematic. The\ndomain of application of our work is crisis management which requires very accurate GIS\nor map information. We believe the use of creating a 3D virtual environment using real\nmap data whilst correcting and completing the missing data, improves the quality and\nperformance of crisis management decision support system to provide a more natural and\nintuitive interface for crisis managers. Consequently, we present a case study into issues\nrelated to combining multiple large datasets to create an accurate representation of a novel,\nmulti-layered, hybrid real-world maps. The hybrid map generation combines LiDAR,\nOrdnance Survey, and OpenStreetMap data to generate 3D cities spanning 1 km2.\nEvaluation of initial visualised scenes is presented. Initial tests consist of a 1 km2 landscape\nmap containing up to 16 million vertices� and run at an optimal 51.66 frames per-second...
Problematic or addictive digital gaming (including all types of electronic devices)\ncan and has had extremely adverse impacts on the lives of many individuals across the world.\nThe understanding of this phenomenon, and the effectiveness of treatment design and\nmonitoring, can be improved considerably by continuing refinement of assessment tools.\nThe present article briefly overviews tools designed to measure problematic or addictive use\nof digital gaming, the vast majority of which are founded on the Diagnostic and Statistical\nManual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria for other addictive disorders, such as\npathological gambling. Although adapting DSM content and strategies for measuring\nproblematic digital gaming has proven valuable, there are some potential issues with this\napproach. We discuss the strengths and limitations of current methods for measuring\nproblematic or addictive gaming and provide various recommendations that might help in\nenhancing or supplementing existing tools, or in developing new and even more effective tools....
Background: Taiwan experiences typhoons annually and the heavy rain accompanies a typhoon often causes\nflooding and damage. Local decision-makers invest heavily in flood-prevention measures thus need to allocate\nresources wisely to minimize the destruction. As floods periodically cause tremendous damage to lives and\nproperty, passing on the learning of previous generations becomes important. Disaster education is therefore\ncritical in the region. However, the current disaster education curriculum follows a traditional education methodology\nfocusing on theoretical and conceptual knowledge and teaching. An alternative methodology is needed to motivate\nstudents and to deliver practical experience in disaster education.\nMethod: This study adopted a persuasive technology game-initiated-learning (GIL) and developed a Flood Protection\ngame to understanding the following: (1) studentsââ?¬â?¢ motivation for learning, (2) their ability to play the game, and (3)\ntheir focus on disaster topics. To evaluate their levels of motivation, studentsââ?¬â?¢ reactions were analyzed and categorized\ninto four specific expressions: discussion, question, laughter, and screaming. Studentsââ?¬â?¢ game playing ability was\nanalyzed and categorized into four stages: explore, aware, fluent, and known. Finally, the content of studentsââ?¬â?¢\ndiscussions and questions were analyzed to assess their interest in disaster education.\nResults: Studentsââ?¬â?¢ levels of motivation were found to be high (an average of 2.3 instances of discussion, 0.7 instances of\nquestion, 1.3 instances of laughter, and 0.8 instances of screaming were observed per minute during the game); their\nability to play the game was sufficient (79% of students completed the game having reached the ââ?¬Å?knownââ?¬Â stage); and\nthe content of their discussions and questions was closely related to disaster knowledge (73% of the 256 discussions\nand questions related closely to flood and disaster knowledge).\nConclusions: From this research, we find that GIL is a persuasive design in flood protection training. Students with low\nmotivation in conventional learning environments were triggered after playing the game. It enhanced studentsââ?¬â?¢\nmotivation to learn more about flooding. In short, the game does benefit flood disaster education, indicating that a\nwell-designed game may promote studentsââ?¬â?¢ motivation in disaster education and cause behavior change....
Background: Video and computer games for education have been of interest to researchers for several decades. Over the last\nhalf decade, researchers in the health sector have also begun exploring the value of this medium. However, there are still many\ngaps in the literature regarding the effective use of video and computer games in medical education, particularly in relation to\nhow learners interact with the platform, and how the games can be used to enhance collaboration.\nObjective: The objective of the study is to evaluate a team-based digital game as an educational tool for engaging learners and\nsupporting knowledge consolidation in postgraduate medical education.\nMethods: A mixed methodology will be used in order to establish efficacy and level of motivation provided by a team-based\ndigital game. Second-year medical students will be recruited as participants to complete 3 matches of the game at spaced intervals,\nin 2 evenly distributed teams. Prior to playing the game, participants will complete an Internet survey to establish baseline data.\nAfter playing the game, participants will voluntarily complete a semistructured interview to establish motivation and player\nengagement. Additionally, metrics collected from the game platform will be analyzed to determine efficacy.\nResults: The research is in the preliminary stages, but thus far a total of 54 participants have been recruited into the study.\nAdditionally, a content development group has been convened to develop appropriate content for the platform.\nConclusions: Video and computer games have been demonstrated to have value for educational purposes. Significantly less\nresearch has addressed how the medium can be effectively utilized in the health sector. Preliminary data from this study would\nsuggest there is an interest in games for learning in the medical student body. As such, it is beneficial to undertake further research\ninto how these games teach and engage learners in order to evaluate their role in tertiary and postgraduate medical education in\nthe future....
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