Aug 052022
 

SonifyIt: Towards Transformative Sound for All Robots
Brian J. Zhang; Noel Sigafoos; Rabecka Moffit; Ibrahim Syed; Lili S. Adams; Jason Fick; Naomi T. Fitter

do resumo consta:
Transformative robot sound yields perceptual, functional, and social benefits in human-robot interactions, but broader research and implementation related to this topic is impeded by the lack of a common sound generation system for robots. Such a system could enable a wide array of situated robot sound studies, smoother collaborations with sound designers than current state of the art methods, and broader adoption of transformative robot sound. Based on other successful open-source projects in the robotics community, we integrated Robot Operating System, a popular robotics middleware, and Pure Data, a visual programming language for multimedia, to enable live sound synthesis and sample playback for robots. This sound generation system synthesized sound in an in-the-wild pilot study with positive qualitative results. Furthermore, an online within-subjects survey study with N=96 showed that the proposed sound system made the robot seem warmer, happier, and more energetic. This work benefits robotics researchers by providing the current sound system as a validated artifact and demonstrating its potential impact on broader robotics applications. We plan to develop this software into an open-source package: SonifyIt.

Jul 262022
 

Gostava de ter acesso a estes artigos:
Nintendo® WII? For the Elderly, Yes! : Contributions to a Better Inclusion and Quality of Life for the Elderly
“Video games are aimed at a younger audience, however, with this study we intend to demonstrate that they can also be leveraged with the elderly. The main objective was to investigate whether the Nintendo® Wii has characteristics that allow promoting and improving the inclusion and quality of life of the elderly. In methodological terms, an exploratory study was chosen, because the confinement constraints associated with the pandemic did not allow the participation of a larger group, in which the participant observation method was applied. Data collection was carried out at the Activities Center of a municipality in the district of Castelo Branco, with the participation of three users. After the activities carried out, it appears that video games contribute to the inclusion and quality of life of the elderly, due to the fact that a collaborative environment is felt among the participants, the relaxed and mutual environment and the smiles and laughter that were heard. The fact that they mastered a technological resource was also emphasized because it gave them a feeling of inclusion in a technological world to which, in most cases, they feel on the sidelines. In short, the use of the Nintendo® Wii made it possible to verify that it can promote and contribute to a healthier and more inclusive life for the elderly.”
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Algorithmic Interactions in Open Source Work
“This study focuses on algorithmic interactions in open source work. Algorithms are essential in open source because they remedy concerns incompletely addressed by parallel development or modularity. Following algorithmic interactions in open source allows us to map the performance of algorithms to understand the nature of work conducted by multiple algorithms functioning together. We zoom to the level of algorithmic interactions to show how residual interdependencies of modularity are worked around by algorithms. Moreover, the dependence on parallel development does not suffice to resolve all concerns related to the distributed work of open source. We examine the Linux Kernel case that reveals how algorithmic interactions facilitate open source work through the three processes of managing, organizing, and supervising development work. Our qualitative study theorizes how algorithmic interactions intensify through these processes that work together to facilitate development. We make a theoretical contribution to open source scholarship by explaining how algorithmic interactions navigate across module rigidity and enhance parallel development. Our work also reveals how, in open source, developers work to automate most tasks and augmentation is a bidirectional relationship of algorithms augmenting the work of developers and of developers augmenting the work of algorithms..”
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Developing Games with Data-Oriented Design
“Data-Oriented Design (DOD) is a software design process used in the commercial game industry for medium to large scale (AAA) games that revolves around data as the central design focus. Since DOD grew organically from industry practices, it has been viewed primarily as a set of tools and design patterns without a cohesive core. After studying data-oriented design, it has become clear that there is one core motivating concept behind DOD and that is that software exists to input, transform, and output data. In order to demonstrate the core concept and tools of DOD, examples are shown. The history and focus of DOD are discussed as well as how DOD is used in current commercial software..”
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Dec 182021
 

Gostava de ter acesso a este artigo: “Using Simple Design features to Recapture the Essence of Real-Time Strategy Games” de Hsuan MIN Wang; Chia-Yuan Hou; Chuen-Tsai Sun

Abstract:
eal-time strategy (RTS) games simulate battlefield leadership and tactical and strategic operations. Most overemphasize the number of actions per minute (APM), which encourages players to click rapidly and constantly rather than apply deliberate and finely tuned strategies or tactics. New RTS games with unconventional game mechanics that reduce APM demand and promote strategic planning are being released. We created three versions of a single RTS game, recruited players, recorded their game control data, and asked them to complete a simple after-game questionnaire. Data were used to analyze tactical and strategic applications. Player actions were observed and player opinions analyzed in an attempt to identify an optimal game structure as measured by strategic and tactical play.

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May 182020
 

Gostava de ter acesso/access to your article:


Lankoski, P. & Björk, S. (eds.) (2015). Game Research Methods: An Overview. ETC Press.
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Lankoski, P. & Holopainen, J. (eds.) (2017). Game Design Research: An introduction to theory & practice. ETC Press.
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Learning, Education & Games, Volume 3: 100 Games to Use in the Classroom & Beyond, editado por Karen Schrier
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Mar 142020
 

Gostava de ter acesso/access to your article:
S. Wu, “The Development and Challenges of Computational Thinking Board Games,” 2018 1st International Cognitive Cities Conference (IC3), Okinawa, 2018, pp. 129-131.
Savvani S., Liapis A. (2019) A Participatory Approach to Redesigning Games for Educational Purposes. In: Liapis A., Yannakakis G., Gentile M., Ninaus M. (eds) Games and Learning Alliance. GALA 2019. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 11899. Springer, Cham
Use of a board game format to promote interprofessional learning. Heather Schmucka, Mary KayArvinb
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Wang, H., Chen, W., & Sun, C. (2020). Play Teaches Learning?: A Pilot Study on How Gaming Experience Influences New Game Learning. In P. Isaias, & K. Blashki (Eds.), Interactivity and the Future of the Human-Computer Interface (pp. 147-168). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-2637-8.ch008

Feb 242020
 

Gostava de ter acesso/access to your article,
Kosa M., Spronck P. (2019) Towards a Tabletop Gaming Motivations Inventory (TGMI). In: Zagalo N., Veloso A., Costa L., Mealha Ó. (eds) Videogame Sciences and Arts. VJ 2019. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1164. Springer, Cham
Sousa M., Bernardo E. (2019) Back in the Game. In: Zagalo N., Veloso A., Costa L., Mealha Ó. (eds) Videogame Sciences and Arts. VJ 2019. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1164. Springer, Cham
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Jun 252019
 

procuro aceder ao paper/i would like to have access to this article:

Super Mario Seriality: Nintendo’s Narratives and Audience Targeting within the Video Game Console Industry

“At the conclusion of Super Mario Bros. (1986), the archetypal side-scrolling platform game, the player-character Mario confronts his arch-nemesis Bowser for the first time. The demonic monster Bowser — King of the Koopa — awaits Mario upon a drawbridge spanning a lava sea. The player’s game-long narrative goal is Mario’s freeing of Princess Peach by defeating Bowser, her captor;1 the player must guide Mario beneath the Koopa King, who hops up and down hurling axes, having him then leap upon a larger glowing axe hovering at the opposite end of the drawbridge. Successful completion of this task results in the disintegration of the drawbridge and Bowser’s descent into the lava below upon which Mario enters an adjacent room where Peach awaits. Screen text conveys her highness’ gratitude — ‘Thank you Mario!’, confirming that the hero’s ‘quest is over’.”

Jun 022019
 

procuro aceder ao paper/i would like to have access to this article:
Developing the STEM Experience for In-Service Primary Teachers through Micro-controlling Hardware and Coding

“This paper presents the design and implementation of a technological literacy course in professional development training for a diverse group of in-service primary teachers in Hong Kong. A set of micro-controlling hardware was chosen such that not only the controlling and coding barriers are acceptable to the teachers but that their pupils can also adopt the easy-to-use hardware and software to create STEM projects in primary schools. The hands-on training seeks to broaden their technological experiences in various interfacing and sensing activities. The coding challenge is reduced by introducing visual programming, thereby allowing the learners to focus on real- world problems in the STEM disciplines. Details of the course are provided and the assessment projects by Engineering Design Process are illustrated in this paper. The quantitative evaluation of teachers in their micro-controlling experience is provided.”

Teachers’ Expectations and Experience in Physical Computing

In recent years, physical computing has grown in popularity for school education. Children and teenagers learn basic concepts of embedded systems in a creative and motivating manner. We investigate teachers’ expectations towards and first experiences with physical computing to gain a better understanding of their needs in professional development. We developed, conducted and evaluated a qualitative interview study, identified typical benefits (e.g. motivation, direct feedback and tangibility), topics (e.g. algorithms and data structures) and challenges (e.g. acquisition of suitable hardware and necessary preparations) that teachers associate with physical computing and derive recommendations for professional development and supporting measures.

Robotics in Education (livro/book)

This proceedings volume showcases the latest achievements in research and development in Educational Robotics presented at the 7th International Conference on Robotics in Education (RiE) held in Vienna, Austria, during April 14-15, 2016. The book offers a range of methodologies for teaching robotics and presents various educational robotics curricula. It includes dedicated chapters for the design and analysis of learning environments as well as evaluation means for measuring the impact of robotics on the students’ learning success. Moreover, the book presents interesting programming approaches as well as new applications, the latest tools, systems and components for using robotics. The presented applications cover the whole educative range, from elementary school to high school, college, university and beyond, for continuing education and possibly outreach and workforce development. The book provides a framework involving two complementary kinds of contributions: on the one hand on technical aspects and on the other hand on matters of didactic.