Vocabulary Game Using Augmented Reality—Expressing Elements in Virtual World with Objects in Real World

Kong Yang,Haga Hirohide

doi:10.4236/jss.2015.32005

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to express elements in virtual world with logical constraints using objects in real world with physical constraints. As an example to achieve this purpose, this paper presents an English vocabulary game utilizing game engine Unity and programming language C# along with ARTool Kit, a software library for building Augmented Reality (AR) applications.This game, designed for the purpose of education by aiming at helping students memorize English vocabulary, can be classified as a serious game. Watching the question provided by the game program on the screen, which designates alphabets player can use to assemble into a word, the player arranges the cardboard boxes with alphabets on it in the real world. Through the camera, the AR program detects the arrangement and position of the markers which are the alphabets on the boxes. Then, the game program judges whether the arrangement is the correct English word. This game expresses the game objects in the game program using cardboard boxes in the real world.

Highlights

Until the digital games became the mainstream of gaming, games were designed and played in the physical world using real-world objects
There are abundant of vocabulary games, but most of them are limited on screen, that is, in the virtual world
This paper proposes a vocabulary game using Augmented Reality which allows players play with the objects in the real world

Summary

Introduction

Until the digital games became the mainstream of gaming, games were designed and played in the physical world using real-world objects. As the power of vocabularies is one of the foundations in the process of studying English or any foreign languages, we devised a way that students can memorize vocabularies by playing games. There are abundant of vocabulary games, but most of them are limited on screen, that is, in the virtual world. This paper proposes a vocabulary game using Augmented Reality which allows players play with the objects in the real world. This novel game systems bring both features of physical gaming and computer gaming. (2015) Vocabulary Game Using Augmented Reality—Expressing Elements in Virtual World with Objects in Real World.

Game Design

Augmented Reality

Prototype Development

Conclusion and Discussion