Nov 012023
 

Vai decorrer no próximo dia 18 de novembro um dia para falar acerca do uso de jogos de tabuleiro modernos.
O evento vai decorrer no anfiteatro da Lufapo HUB em Coimbra e do do programa consta:
Speed Talks – 10h – 13h
Networking – 14h30 – 16h30
Atividades envolvendo o jogo – 17h – 20h

Também estão abertas as inscrições para apresentar trabalhos..

+infos(inscrições): LINK

Oct 282023
 

Gostava de ter acesso ao artigo “Lights! Dance! Freeze!: An interactive installation for exploring dance-musicals using embodied search” de Theodoros Papatheodorou e Jessica Wolpert, em que:

“Traditionally, movie watchers absorb content passively. This paper describes an immersive film installation where participants use their whole body to browse and interact with a large database of musical films in a novel manner. Combining an RGB camera, machine learning-based body tracking techniques, and a unique system for indexing poses and films, the proposed installation tracks a participant’s movements and mirrors them in real-time by finding matching poses among hundreds of thousands from well-known musicals. When the participant holds a pose, the system begins playback of the corresponding film snippet that starts with the same pose, immersing them into the music and choreography from different eras. This approach explores themes of tangible interfaces and the new possibilities that emerge from employing embodied interaction to traverse the dance pose space, which is traditionally difficult to index and interact with in real time. The proposed pose indexing system and whole-body interaction open new pathways for cultural participation, as they lend themselves to different datasets and require no technical skills from participants.”

+infos(oficial): LINK

Oct 282023
 

Gostava de ter acesso a um capitulo do livro “The Media and Communications in Australia”, nomeadamente a “The videogame industry” de Brendan Keogh e Rowan Tulloch

Em que:
“This chapter provides a history and analysis of videogame production in Australia. We trace the Australian videogames industry from its emergence out of the hobbyist scenes of the 1980s, through the work-for-hire years of the 1990s and 2000s, to a precarious and aspirational position in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. We show how the Australian games industry has been shaped and reshaped by the flows of global capital, from the overseas corporate investment during the work-for-hire era, to the logics of platform capitalism that govern contemporary independent game development. Across this history, we look at how the changing videogaming landscape and the rise of smartphones, independent game development and digital-distribution services reconfigured the practices and possibilities of game development in Australia. The Australian videogames industry is both complex and ever-changing. In mapping its history, we look to contrast with, and complicate, dominant existing narratives that focus primarily on large-scale blockbuster projects. Australian game development is driven and defined by the labour of small independent teams with low budgets seeking global success. It is these developers, their games and the challenges they face that tell us about Australia’s place in the global videogames industry.”

+infos(oficial): LINK

Oct 112023
 

Gostava de ter acesso aos seguintes artigos:
The Impact of Tutorial Design on the Novice Gaming Experience de Sara Czerwonka e Victoria McArthur
“We present results of a survey conducted to identify differences in gaming behaviours between novice and intermediate/expert video game players. A survey study was conducted with the goal of identifying differences in gaming behaviours between novice and intermediate/expert video game players, particularly in the context of tutorials. We surveyed 29 participants, six of them self-identifying as novice gamers, on their experiences with tutorial sequences in games that they have played in the past. We conducted a thematic analysis in order to identify prominent themes in the participant responses. Participants indicated strong desire for optional hands-on tutorials which require player input to support contextual learning of mechanics and deepen their understanding of the game’s interface. Major participant-identified barriers to entry for novices included controller familiarity, game complexity, assumed knowledge of gaming conventions, and social stigma surrounding being a novice gamer. This research provides a starting point for further research into the specific requirements of novice players in video game tutorials and onboarding materials. We present the findings of a survey study on the self-reported gaming behaviours of players with various skill and experience levels, and provide recommendations on how video game tutorials can be designed to minimize barriers for new players and ensure that the gaming community is as inclusive to new players as possible.”
+infos(oficial): LINK

Research on the Application of Coding Art in Creative Products de Ziyang Li e HaoYue Sun
“The field of coding art has been experiencing a fast growth in recent years and has become a noticeable worldwide phenomenon that is directly connected with the popularization of mobile Internet. This modern form of art has been affecting designers’ creative methods as well as the preferences of users that are now increasing the demand for personalized products. This study analyzes the expression techniques of coding art and users’ perceptions of this creative form according to four key study cases. A discussion on the development prospects of coding art as a new art form is proposed, also considering the means to combine the standardization of tools, the popularization of applications and the personalization of art into the creative products that result from this programming style.”
+infos(oficial): LINK

Master Multiple Real-Time Strategy Games with a Unified Learning Model Using Multi-agent Reinforcement Learning de Bo Ling, Xiang Liu, Jin Jiang, Weiwei Wu, Wanyuan Wang, Yan Lyu e Xueyong Xu
“General artificial intelligence requires an intelligent agent to understand or learn any intellectual tasks like a human being. Diverse and complex real-time strategy (RTS) game for artificial intelligence research is a promising stepping stone to achieve the goal. In the last decade, the strongest agents have either simplified the key elements of the game, or used expert rules with human knowledge, or focused on a specific environment. In this paper, we propose a unified learning model that can master various environments in RTS game without human knowledge. We use a multi-agent reinforcement learning algorithm that uses data from agents in a diverse league played on multiple maps to train the deep neural network model. We evaluate our model in microRTS, a simple real-time strategy game. The results show that the agent is competitive against the strong benchmarks in different environments.”
+infos(oficial): LINK

Use of Educational Applications, Including Video Games, by Public Entities during the Pandemic de Konrad Radomiński
+infos(oficial): LINK

Asymmetric Gameplay: Types and Perspectives de Abel Neto, Pedro Cardoso e Miguel Carvalhais
“Asymmetric gameplay allows players to engage with a game in different ways, resulting in unique experiences for each player. From slight variations to completely distinct experiences, asymmetric mechanics create fertile ground for interesting gameplay to occur. Asymmetric gameplay is prevalent in modern games, and yet there has been little discussion about it, the mechanics that generate it, and its repercussions. In this paper, we analyse six types of asymmetry described in the literature: Ability, Challenge, Goal, Responsibility, Information, and Interface. We examine how different games employ gameplay mechanics in order to create unique experiences by framing our discussion on a definition of asymmetry in games. Furthermore, we define six other types of asymmetry: Operation, Location, Time Frame, Interdependence, Outcomes, and Feedback; and how they exist or may exist in games. We conclude by hinting that asymmetry is not solely generated by a game’s mechanics but also by differences in the players themselves, be they human or non-human.”
+infos(oficial): LINK

Oct 112023
 

Gostava de ter acesso ao livro: “Using Video Games to Level Up Collaboration for Students – A Fun, Practical Way to Support Social-emotional Skills Development, de Matthew Harrison”

de acordo com o autor:
“Using Video Games to Level Up Collaboration for Students provides a research-informed, systematic approach for using cooperative multiplayer video games as tools for teaching collaborative social skills and building social connections. Video games have become an ingrained part of our culture, and many teachers, school leaders and allied health professionals are exploring ways to harness digital games–based learning in their schools and settings. At the same time, collaborative skills and social inclusion have never been more important for our children and young adults.

Taking a practical approach to supporting a range of learners, this book provides a three-stage system that guides professionals with all levels of gaming experience through skill instruction, supported play and guided reflection. A range of scaffolds and resources support the implementation of this program in primary and secondary classrooms and private clinics. Complementing this intervention design are a set of principles of game design that assist in the selection of games for use with this program, which assists with the selection of existing games or the design of future games for use with this program.

Whether you are a novice or an experienced gamer, Level Up Collaboration provides educators with an innovative approach to ensuring that children and young adults can develop the collaborative social skills essential for thriving in their communities. By using an area of interest and strength for many individuals experiencing challenges with developing friendships and collaborative social skills, this intervention program will help your school or setting to level up social outcomes for all participants.”

+infos(oficial): LINK

Sep 192023
 

RIDE2024: Research in Distance Education 2024

“Online, blended, and digital education are firmly established in mainstream practice in higher education. We expect that learning can take place everywhere, and that we can learn anything; but, faced with so many possibilities, what have we learned in recent years about effective ways to engage learners in successful learning in these different modes of education?”

Conference Tracks
We invite abstract submissions to our two tracks: Research and Practice.
Track 1: Research focus Conference Day 1
14 March 2024 Learning: anything, everywhere but how? Research focus

We invite abstract submission for 14 March 2024 showcasing original conceptual, methodological, empirical, or theoretical research with implications for practice in online, distance, blended, hybrid or hyflex provision.
Track 2: Practice focus Conference Day 2
15 March 2024 Learning; anything, everywhere but how? Practice focus

We invite abstract submission for 15 March 2024 showcasing research informed and scholarly practices in online, distance, blended, hybrid or hyflex provision.

+infos(oficial): https://easychair.org/cfp/RIDE2024

Sep 082023
 

Gostava de ler este artigo “Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in second language and education research: Guidelines using an applied example” d eDiego Fellipe Tondorf, e Marcelo da Silva Hounsell

“Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is an alternative method to the historically more commonly used covariance-based SEM (CB-SEM) when analyzing the data using structural equation modeling (SEM). The article starts by introducing PLS-SEM to second language and education research, followed by a discussion of situations in which PLS-SEM should be the method of choice for structural equation modeling. It is argued that PLS-SEM is appropriate when complex models are analyzed, when prediction is the focus of the research – particularly out-of-sample prediction to support external validity, when data do not meet normal distribution assumptions, when formative constructs are included, and when higher-order constructs facilitate better understanding of theoretical models. The most up-to-date guidelines for applying PLS-SEM are provided, and step-by-step guidance is offered on how to apply the method using an R statistical package (i.e., SEMinR) that is available. An example is provided that shows how the results of PLS-SEM are interpreted and reported. We also make the data publicly available for readers to start learning PLS-SEM by replicating our findings. The paper concludes with important considerations for the utilization of SEM, especially PLS-SEM, in future L2 research.”

+infos(oficial): LINK

Aug 282023
 

Gostava de ter acesso a estes livro:
Unboxed: Board Game Experience and Design por Gordon Calleja

de acordo com o autor:

An in-depth exploration of the experience of playing board games and how game designers shape that experience.

In Unboxed, Gordon Calleja explores the experience of playing board games and how game designers shape that experience. Calleja examines key aspects of board game experience—the nature of play, attention, rules, sociality, imagination, narrative, materiality, and immersion—to offer a theory of board game experience and a model for understanding game involvement that is relevant to the analysis, criticism, and design of board games. Drawing on interviews with thirty-two leading board game designers and critics, Calleja—himself a board game designer—provides the set of conceptual tools that board game design has thus far lacked.

After considering different conceptions of play, Calleja discusses the nature and role of attention and goes on to outline the key forms of involvement that make up the board game playing experience. In subsequent chapters, Calleja explores each of these forms of involvement, considering both the experience itself and the design considerations that bring it into being. Calleja brings this analysis together in a chapter that maps how these forms of involvement come together in the moment of gameplay, and how their combination shapes the flow of player affect. By tracing the processes through which players experience these moments of rule-mediated, imagination-fueled sociality, Calleja helps us understand the richness of the gameplay experience packed into the humble board game box.

+infos(oficial): LINK