End Of Game Research Articles

Spacecraft orbital pursuit–evasion games with [formula omitted] perturbations and direction-constrained thrust

In this paper, we study spacecraft orbital pursuit–evasion games under J2 perturbations. We consider that situation where the thrust of each player is constrained and the control direction cannot deviate from the velocity more than a given angle. After characterizing the optimal control of players under direction constraints, we transfer the pursuit–evasion game into a two point boundary value problem, which is solved by the shooting method. Different with the classical research, the initial guess for the unknown initial adjoint variables and the game ending time are not generated by heuristic approaches, but from the solution of the orbital one-side interception problem with a non-maneuverable evader. We solve the one-side interception problem also by shooting, starting iteratively from multiple initial guesses. In each initial guess, the initial adjoint vector is chosen randomly small while the interception termination time is selected from contiguous feasible time subintervals. The simulations show that the shooting method for the one-side interception problem can converge even if the feasible interval of the termination time is partitioned into a small number of subintervals, and the whole method for solving the pursuit–evasion game can quickly find the saddle-point solution. The effect of the control direction constraint on the game ending time is also discussed.

EEG-Based Person Identification during Escalating Cognitive Load.

With the development of human society, there is an increasing importance for reliable person identification and authentication to protect a person’s material and intellectual property. Person identification based on brain signals has captured substantial attention in recent years. These signals are characterized by original patterns for a specific person and are capable of providing security and privacy of an individual in biometric identification. This study presents a biometric identification method based on a novel paradigm with accrual cognitive brain load from relaxing with eyes closed to the end of a serious game, which includes three levels with increasing difficulty. The used database contains EEG data from 21 different subjects. Specific patterns of EEG signals are recognized in the time domain and classified using a 1D Convolutional Neural Network proposed in the MATLAB environment. The ability of person identification based on individual tasks corresponding to a given degree of load and their fusion are examined by 5-fold cross-validation. Final accuracies of more than 99% and 98% were achieved for individual tasks and task fusion, respectively. The reduction of EEG channels is also investigated. The results imply that this approach is suitable to real applications.

After “The Iron Throne”: what two YouTube fan-channels discussed following the end of Game of Thrones

This article presents an exploratory study on what themes were discussed in all Game-of-Thrones’ transmedia-world-related videos uploaded by two YouTube fan-channels (Talking Thrones and GrayArea), over a period of one year after the premiere of the final episode of this HBO series. Qualitative content analysis mapped 79 different themes within a sample of 57 videos. The most pervasive themes are related to the YouTubers’ expression of their personae as fans, but also as content creators. Specific traits (story, plots, characters, storytelling) of Game of Thrones,the books on which it is based, and their transmedia relation are also regular themes. A netnographic analysis of the most viewed video and of the YouTuber’s comments and upvotes in its comment section pointed toward similar outcomes: the YouTuber was beyond the status of a fan expressing his preferences, he was also a content creator referencing his own work and being praised by his audience.

To the Sky, and: Make It Take It, and: The Lyrics to "Winter Wonderland" Were Written in a Sanitarium in Scranton by a Dying Man

To the Sky, and: Make It Take It, and: The Lyrics to "Winter Wonderland" Were Written in a Sanitarium in Scranton by a Dying Man Eric McHenry (bio) To the Sky Smoke from the Westar stackis slow and white, or gray.This smoke was fast and black. I probably would've drivenby it anyway.I'm always driving by. The house I used to live inburned to the ground, we say,but it burned to the sky. [End Page 15] Make It Take It The Landlord's Game is a board game demonstrating the present land system and showing clearly the advantages of landlordism—to the landlord. —Advertisement, 1904 Dice gave us a fair shake,and loaded dice gave us a first-person shooter.In the driveway, ghosts are playing makeit take it. Through the bedroom wall my sonis screaming at his computer. Monopoly money is fake.In this it resembles money.Monopoly by any other nameis still The Landlord's Game,an object lesson in the troublewith objects: anything that can be wonis not an argument. When the railroads failto realize the revenueI've already spent on Ventnor Avenue,my strategy is to remain in jail.This is a hundred-year-old housing bubble. Your bed, your supper, isn't going to makeitself, my grandfather used to takethe pipe out of his mouth to tell me,but your money will.Lot by lot, I privatize the public square,bankrupting his great-granddaughter.Lizzie Magie wanted every shaketo be just a little less fairfor fairness's sake;Parker Brothers bought herout with a $500 bill. [End Page 16] America's favorite board game ends in rancor,rage-quitting, an abandoned vintageroadster and an abrogated treaty.The big developer becomes the banker.Advantage: advantage.This land is my land.No man is Manhattan Island,but tonight I'm Atlantic City. [End Page 17] The Lyrics to "Winter Wonderland" Were Written in a Sanitarium in Scranton by a Dying Man Love, between accents, isn't too strong a wordfor the song within this song.Thank you, unfamiliar snowbird,for bringing word that no word is too strong. Thank you, clothes,for nakedness. Winter for spring.All honor to the it in When it snowsfor covering everything and lending, as snow lends,new shapeliness to everything it covers.Thank you, friends,for beginning to look like lovers. [End Page 18] Eric McHenry eric mchenry lives in Lawrence, Kansas, and teaches English at Washburn University. He was the poet laureate of Kansas for 2015–2017. His poems have recently appeared in The Threepenny Review, The Yale Review, and The Times Literary Supplement. Copyright © 2022 Eric McHenry

Response to COVID-19 during the Tokyo Olympic Games: Did we properly assess the risk?

BackgroundThe number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases was expected to increase during the Tokyo Olympic Games because of the increased physical contact within and between the domestic population and international participants of the Games. The rapid rise of the Delta variant (B.1.617) in Japan meant that hosting the Olympic Games without any restrictions was likely to lead to an increase in cases. We aimed to quantitatively assess possible COVID-19 response strategies for the Olympic Games, comparing the prevalence of severe cases and the cumulative number of COVID-19 deaths via scenario analysis. MethodsWe used a discrete-time deterministic compartmental model structured by age group. Parameters were calibrated using the age-stratified COVID-19 incidence data in Osaka. Numerical simulations incorporated the planned Olympics Games and nationwide COVID-19 vaccination into the proposed model, alongside various subjects and types of countermeasures. ResultsOur model-informed approach suggested that having spectators at the Tokyo Olympic Games could lead to a surge in both cases and hospitalization. Projections for the scenario that explicitly incorporated the spread of the Delta variant (i.e., time-dependent increase in the relative transmissibility) showed that imposing stringent social distancing measures (Rt=0.7) for more than 8 weeks from the end of the Olympic Games might be required to suppress the prevalence of severe cases of COVID-19 to avoid overwhelming the intensive care unit capacity in Tokyo. ConclusionsOur modeling analyses guided an optimal choice of COVID-19 response during and after the Tokyo Olympic Games, allowing the epidemic to be brought under control despite such a large mass gathering.

2D Game “Omar’s Adventure” design using the Finite State Machine Method

A video game is a game that has rules in it that must be obeyed when the game takes place so that the video game ends either in a win or a loss, played with a device / console. Video games themselves consist of various kinds, one of which is 2D video games. A 2D game is a game that only has 2 spaces or 2 axes, namely the X and Y axes. This research was conducted with the aim of incorporating Islamic elements into a video game so that players can recognize and learn Islamic elements through more interesting media. The result of the research is a 2D game called "Omar's Adventure" which was designed using the Unity game engine, and applied the Finite State Machine (FSM) method in making the game. The FSM given in this game will make several NPCs move / react according to the player's movements to add interactivity in playing it. The resulting game contains the adventure of Omar, where he needs to pass the levels or obstacles that prevent him from his goal in the form of the path of goodness

Linear Bounds for Cycle-Free Saturation Games

Given a family of graphs $\mathcal{F}$, we define the $\mathcal{F}$-saturation game as follows. Two players alternate adding edges to an initially empty graph on $n$ vertices, with the only constraint being that neither player can add an edge that creates a subgraph in $\mathcal{F}$. The game ends when no more edges can be added to the graph. One of the players wishes to end the game as quickly as possible, while the other wishes to prolong the game. We let $\textrm{sat}_g(n,\mathcal{F})$ denote the number of edges that are in the final graph when both players play optimally.In general there are very few non-trivial bounds on the order of magnitude of $\textrm{sat}_g(n,\mathcal{F})$. In this work, we find collections of infinite families of cycles $\mathcal{C}$ such that $\textrm{sat}_g(n,\mathcal{C})$ has linear growth rate.

Effects of a sport competition on acute affective response in wheelchair basketball players.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sport game outcomes on acute affective responses in injured veterans. Twenty-three wheelchair basketball players (mean age, 38.39±11.78 years) participated in this study and were divided into two groups: game winner group (n=12) and game loser group (n=11). All participants completed the Physical Activity Affect Scale immediately before and after participation in the first game of a wheelchair basketball tournament. Non-parametric statistical tests were used to examine a significant difference in acute affective responses between the groups and over time within each group. The losers experienced significantly higher negative affect and lower positive affect at the end of the first game compared to the winners. Therefore, the results of the present study indicated that the experience of losing may diminish the positive effect that sport participation can have.

Smith and Smitherson’s Theatre of the Absurd

Smith and Smitherson’s Theatre of the Absurd

Journey to Unknown

Abdullah Karam, who escapes the Syrian Civil War in 2014, transforms the difficult migration and escape process he experienced into an autobiographical adventure game with Path Out (2017). The aim of the article is to examine the gamification of this escape process as a critical game design. Also, the article assesses Path Out (2017) as an interactive counter documentary as the inserted video clips by Karam foster a mode of listening to the experience from the first hand. The article analyzes the game with the close reading technique and the researcher uses her own observations and experiences as a player.
 With the concept of critical play, Mary Flanagan points out that a game can interact with important social issues, such as immigration and war. Accordingly, as a critical play, Path Out (2017) enables the players to have knowledge of socio-political realities and cultural dynamics and to become conscious by following the experiences of a civilian and young individual during the civil war. Thus, can games be an alternative method of documenting real-life events? Or can the plays reveal the subjective aspects of the documentary and criticize the genre?
 The article examines the short videos that Karam has embedded in the game, reminding of the live and interactive game commentary. Karam's in-game interventions allow the player to connect and criticize both reality and the virtual environment in the game. The video method used in the game documents Karam's memories and experiences as a counter mode of archiving. With these self-recorded video interventions, Karam comments on themes such as war, displacement, identity, death, family, and daily life, and gives information to the player. Karam wears the same sweatshirt as the character in the game world and calls out directly to the players, "You are playing me in this game". Thus, the physical separation between the players and the game character becomes evident with the appearance of Karam. The game Path Out (2017) becomes a useful tool for Karam to tell his story with his own voice. Making oneself visible and audible are key positions Karam takes regarding exposure to displacement. To put it in Flanagan's words, Path Out (2017) can also function as a tool to understand the players themselves.
 With the crossing of the border in the last part of the game, Karam tries not to get caught in the mines and not to be killed by the border troops. The game ends when Karam successfully crosses the border. However, each time the player dies, they get a new chance to cross the border because the real Karam is alive, and dead at the border of the game is experienced temporarily. For this reason, the player's desire to play again turns into an uneasy experiment. The dark atmosphere of the border evokes the unknown after crossing the border. Besides, with each experience of temporary death in the game, players are encouraged to rethink the issue of numerous and out-of-the-record migrant deaths passing the borders.

Developing Resilience to Disinformation: A Game-Based Method for Future Communicators

This paper analyzes the outcomes of a game-based educational process aiming to strengthen resilience to fake news. An innovative approach that considers linguistic choices as bases for manipulating information is used in an online classroom environment, students in communication being invited to understand, explain and reflect upon framing and information credibility, using as a topic of inquiry the refugee crisis of 2021 in Romania. Cognitive learning outcomes as well as learning dynamics were assessed using pre- and end-of game surveys. The results of the game are discussed in relation with the instructional goal to facilitate the understanding of communicative social actions, learning about disinformation that is deliberately misleading, as well as finding ways to break the disinformation code. The debriefing discussions after each stage of the game encouraged students to reflect upon their newly gained insights and increase their critical thinking capacity, in the effort to ensure a sustainable education in communication studies. The paper has the potential to enrich the educational strategies with innovative methods helping future professionals navigate the complex world of media messages.

On a vertex-capturing game

In this paper, we study the recently introduced scoring game played on graphs called the Edge-Balanced Index Game. This game is played on a graph by two players, Alice and Bob, who take turns colouring an uncoloured edge of the graph. Alice plays first and colours edges red, while Bob colours edges blue. The game ends once all the edges have been coloured. A player captures a vertex if more than half of its incident edges are coloured by that player, and the player that captures the most vertices wins.Using classical arguments from the field, we first prove general properties of this game. Namely, we prove that there is no graph in which Bob can win (if Alice plays optimally), while Alice can never capture more than 2 more vertices than Bob (if Bob plays optimally). Through dedicated arguments, we then investigate more specific properties of the game, and focus on its outcome when played in particular graph classes. Specifically, we determine the outcome of the game in paths, cycles, complete bipartite graphs, and Cartesian grids, and give partial results for trees and complete graphs.

The Kasaba Quartet: The Impact of Card Games on Knowledge and Self-Efficacy HIV/AIDS Prevention

BACKGROUND: The rate of HIV/AIDS infection is increasing every year. The highest rates of HIV infection are among adolescents aged 15–24 years. Therefore, appropriate action is needed to prevent HIV transmission through risky behavior in adolescents. AIM: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Kasaba Quartet card game on HIV/AIDS knowledge and self-efficacy in preventing HIV/AIDS-related risk behavior in adolescents. METHODS: The study used a quasi-experiment with an equivalent time-series design. The intervention in this study was a card game using the Kasaba Quartet. The card game was held 3 times with a 1-day break. Adolescents’ HIV/AIDS knowledge and self-efficacy were measured at the end of each card game. Sampling used purposive sampling with criteria including adolescents aged 12–16 years and domiciled in Bandung. A total of 30 people were involved in this study. RESULTS: After playing the Kasaba Quartet card game, the results showed that adolescents’ knowledge of HIV/AIDS in the excellent category increased significantly, with average scores from 66.04 ± 16.219 to 97.40 ± 2.776. Likewise, adolescents’ self-efficacy with the high sort was raised, from 77.83 ± 8.67 to 97.60 ± 3.45. The results of statistical tests using the Friedman test showed the significance level of 0.001 (Sig. <0.05). In other words, there was an effect of the Kasaba quartet card game on HIV knowledge and self-efficacy in preventing HIV risk behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, the Kasaba Quartet card game effectively increases knowledge of HIV/AIDS and self-efficacy in preventing risky behavior in adolescents. The study results can be used as an alternative strategy to increase knowledge and confidence in adolescents to avoid the spread of HIV/AIDS cases.

Solution Analysis of Prisoner's Dilemma Based on Referee Game Theory

In traditional game, all participants will take action, however, the article is discussing a new kind of game model: a brand-new “judge”, he will not participate the game, nor set up game rules. At the end of game, the judge will praise the winner. This kind of game is referee game. The article discusses the prisoner's dilemma based on judgement game and describes the general solution of prisoner’s dilemma under judgement game. The article thinks the prisoner’s dilemma is not a two-participant game, but a three-participant game, including the police, and is a type of judgement game. Meanwhile, prisoner’s dilemma is not a Nash Equilibrium of two participants, it is a brand-new type of equilibrium. The article analyzes the prisoner’s dilemma based on judgement game, and also discusses its application in management.

Playing for a Resilient Future: A Serious Game Designed to Explore and Understand the Complexity of the Interaction among Climate Change, Disaster Risk, and Urban Development.

Urban development and disaster risk are deeply linked, especially now when we are facing increasingly frequent climate change. Hence, knowledge of the potential trade-offs between urban development and disaster risk reduction (DRR) may have potential to build a resilient and sustainable future. The objectives of this study are (1) to present education for a sustainability (EfS) program and to evaluate its performance: a serious game of knowledge communication for the interactions among climate change, disaster risk, and urban development; (2) to explore factors that will influence the players’ decision making in the trade-offs between urban development and DRR under an urbanization background through counterfactual scenarios constructed by a series of serious games. The Yudai Trench, once a critical component of the urban green infrastructure of ancient Guangzhou, has disappeared under rapid urban expansion, leaving the city exposed to environmental hazards caused by climate change. Is the disappearance of the Yudai Trench an inevitable event in the progress of urbanization? To answer this question, the study constructed counterfactual scenarios by recuring the historical progress through the same serious game. Gameplay involved the players’ decision making with associated impacts on the urbanization progress and the DRR in diverse climate hazard scenarios. For this study, 107 undergraduates from related majors, who are also would-be policymakers, were selected as players. The methodology combined questionnaire survey and participant observation complemented by interviews. The t-test results indicated that undergraduates’ knowledge levels had significant positive changes after the end of the serious game. Importantly, the results showed that the knowledge could potentially contribute to the players’ decision-making process for DRR by assisting them in making pre-decision. Beside this knowledge, the results expanded the range of influencing factors and solutions reported by previous literature on DRR under an urbanization background against climate hazards by constructing counterfactual scenarios, e.g., higher economic levels and policy incentives. In this study, the serious game was evaluated as an innovative communication and the EfS method in counterfactual scenarios. These findings of the study provide a reference for future practice, policymaking, and decision making so as to help harness lessons learned from unrealized environmental hazards to support a more resilient future through informed policies and plans.

Optimal game theoretic solution of the pursuit‐evasion intercept problem using on‐policy reinforcement learning

AbstractThis article presents a rigorous formulation for the pursuit‐evasion (PE) game when velocity constraints are imposed on agents of the game or players. The game is formulated as an infinite‐horizon problem using a non‐quadratic functional, then sufficient conditions are derived to prove capture in a finite‐time. A novel tracking Hamilton–Jacobi–Isaacs (HJI) equation associated with the non‐quadratic value function is employed, which is solved for Nash equilibrium velocity policies for each agent with arbitrary nonlinear dynamics. In contrast to the existing remedies for proof of capture in PE game, the proposed method does not assume players are moving with their maximum velocities and considers the velocity constraints a priori. Attaining the optimal actions requires the solution of HJI equations online and in real‐time. We overcome this problem by presenting the on‐policy iteration of integral reinforcement learning (IRL) technique. The persistence of excitation for IRL to work is satisfied inherently until capture occurs, at which time the game ends. Furthermore, a nonlinear backstepping control method is proposed to track desired optimal velocity trajectories for players with generalized Newtonian dynamics. Simulation results are provided to show the validity of the proposed methods.

The independence coloring game on graphs

We propose a new coloring game on a graph, called the independence coloring game, which is played by two players with opposite goals. The result of the game is a proper coloring of vertices of a graph G, and Alice’s goal is that as few colors as possible are used during the game, while Bob wants to maximize the number of colors. The game consists of rounds, and in round i, where i = 1, 2,, … , the players are taking turns in selecting a previously unselected vertex of G and giving it color i (hence, in each round the selected vertices form an independent set). The game ends when all vertices of G are selected (and thus colored), and the total number of rounds during the game when both players are playing optimally with respect to their goals, is called the independence game chromatic number, χ ig (G), of G. In fact, four different versions of the independence game chromatic number are considered, which depend on who starts a game and who starts next rounds. We prove that the new invariants lie between the chromatic number of a graph and the maximum degree plus 1, and characterize the graphs in which each of the four versions of the game invariant equals 2. We compare the versions of the independence game chromatic number among themselves and with the classical game chromatic number. In addition, we prove that the independence game chromatic number of a tree can be arbitrarily large.

A Note on Restricted Online Ramsey Numbers of Matchings

Consider the following game between Builder and Painter. We take some families of graphs $\mathcal{G}_{1},\ldots,\mathcal{G}_t$ and an integer $n$ such that $n \geq R(\mathcal{G}_1,\ldots,\mathcal{G}_t)$. In each turn, Builder picks an edge of initially uncoloured $K_n$ and Painter colours that edge with some colour $i \in \left\{ 1,\ldots,t \right\}$ of her choice. The game ends when a graph $G_i$ in colour $i $ for some $G_i \in \mathcal{G}_i$ and some $i$ is created. The restricted online Ramsey number $\tilde{R}(\mathcal{G}_{1},\ldots,\mathcal{G}_t;n)$ is the minimum number of turns that Builder needs to guarantee the game to end.
 In a recent paper, Briggs and Cox studied the restricted online Ramsey numbers of matchings and determined a general upper bound for them. They proved that for $n=3r-1=R_2(r K_2)$ we have $\tilde{R}_{2}(r K_2;n) \leq n-1$ and asked whether this was tight. In this short note, we provide a general lower bound for these Ramsey numbers. As a corollary, we answer this question of Briggs and Cox, and confirm that for $n=3r-1$ we have $\tilde{R}_{2}(r K_2;n) = n-1$. We also show that for $n'=4r-2=R_3(r K_2)$ we have $\tilde{R}_{3}(r K_2;n') = 5r-4$.

Creation of an Online Game to Simulate Countercurrent Multiplication in the Mammalian Kidney

Prior to the COVID pandemic, we designed and implemented a hands-on activity to help students understand how countercurrent multiplication (CCM) in the mammalian kidney produces concentrated urine. To supplement the traditional text descriptions, figures, and lecture material we had students play the role of glomerular filtrate, gaining and losing osmolarity while moving through a simulated Loop of Henle. Students were given three poker chips, each representing an osmotic pressure of 100 milliosmolar (mOsm). Each student took a position at one of six steps on each side of a table. For each round, 1) students on the “ascending” side conducted “active transport” to produce a maximum gradient of 200 mOsm between the lumen of the ascending loop and the interstitial space (difference of 2 chips); 2) after students “pumped” their ions, students on the “descending” side “equilibrated” with the interstitial space by collecting chips from a cup until they had the same quantity as in the interstitial space; 3) students then physically “flowed” through the loop. This learning tool, which was highly effective in a face-to-face classroom, did not translate well to a remote environment. Despite spending an entire online class explaining the activity, students remained confused. Unlike in the classroom where everyone participates simultaneously and sees the process “in real-time,” only one person could participate at any given time virtually, making it hard to visualize flow. To address this shortcoming we collaborated with two undergraduate students to develop a “flipped” version of the CCM activity. In the online version the player 1) actively participates in CCM in “freeplay” mode or 2) watches the process in “simulation” mode. During freeplay, the player drags and drops icons representing solutes or water from the loop of Henle into the interstitial fluid to build the osmotic gradient; a color gradient associated with solute concentrations highlights how the gradient forms. Modeled after the in-person activity, the loop of Henle is divided into boxes, six on the ascending limb and six on the descending limb, where each box represents the positions of students in the original activity. To maximize engagement by minimizing repetitive dragging and dropping, the player is confined to one box at a time and is only responsible for adjusting the concentration of this “home” box. If the player adjusts the concentration correctly, the player's home box moves one unit over to the adjacent box and thus ‘flows’ through the loop. Along the way, concentration shifts within other boxes are automated by the game engine. The freeplay game ends when the player's home box reaches the top of the ascending limb and exits the loop. In the simulation mode, the icons of solute and water move by themselves, and the osmotic gradient is created automatically. The player can watch the CCM process unimpeded and may pause or speed up the process as desired. We will pilot this interactive, online game in our Spring 2021 course and assess student learning with reflections, homework problems, and exam questions. We predict implementation of this game will enhance student understanding of the CCM mechanism in the mammalian kidney. All protocols were approved by Rice University IRB (Protocol FY2017-294).

A Note on On-Line Ramsey Numbers of Stars and Paths

An on-line Ramsey game is a game between two players, Builder and Painter, on an initially empty graph with unbounded set of vertices. In each round, Builder selects two vertices and joins them with an edge while Painter colours the edge immediately with either red or blue. Builder’s aim is to force either a red copy of a fixed graph G or a blue copy of a fixed graph H. The game ends with Builder’s victory when Builder manages to force either a red G or a blue H. The minimum number of rounds for Builder to win the game, regardless of Painter’s strategy, is the on-line Ramsey number $${\tilde{r}}(G,H)$$ . This note focuses on the case when G and H are stars and paths. In particular, we will prove the upper bound of $${\tilde{r}}(S_3,P_{l+1})\le 5l/3+2$$ . We will also present an alternative proof for the upper bound of $${\tilde{r}}(S_2 = P_3, P_{l+1}) = \lceil 5l/4\rceil $$ .