Game Interaction Research Articles

Optimizing LLM Strategies for Playing Mendikot using Prompt Engineering

This study investigates the integration of a large language model (LLM) enhanced by prompt engineering and game theory to effectively engage in the strategic card game Mendikot. By refining complex prompts and leveraging a tailored visual understanding of game dynamics, we significantly bolster the decision-making prowess of the LLM. Our methodology involved the systematic simplification of game prompts to facilitate deeper learning and faster response times, coupled with the implementation of a visual recognition system to interpret and react to game states dynamically. The results illustrate that the adapted LLM outperforms traditional AI approaches in strategic decision-making tasks, underscoring a substantial improvement in both the accuracy and efficiency of game-play. This research not only demonstrates a viable model for enhancing AI interaction in recreational gaming but also opens avenues for deploying advanced AI strategies in complex strategic environments, offering insights into the broader application of AI in leisure and competitive arenas. The findings suggest that AI can transcend conventional gaming roles, potentially transforming strategic gameplay in digital and physical platforms.

The Trail Making Test in Virtual Reality (TMT-VR): The Effects of Interaction Modes and Gaming Skills on Cognitive Performance of Young Adults

Virtual Reality (VR) is increasingly used in neuropsychological assessments due to its ability to simulate real-world environments. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the Trail Making Test in VR (TMT-VR) and investigate the effects of different interaction modes and gaming skills on cognitive performance. A total of 71 young female and male adults (aged 18–35) with high and low gaming skills participated in this study. Participants completed the TMT-VR using three interaction modes as follows: eye-tracking, head movement, and controller. Performance metrics included task completion time and accuracy. User experience, usability, and acceptability of TMT-VR were also examined. Results showed that both eye tracking and head movement modes significantly outperformed the controller in terms of task completion time and accuracy. No significant differences were found between eye tracking and head movement modes. Gaming skills did not significantly influence task performance using any interaction mode. The TMT-VR demonstrates high usability, acceptability, and user experience among participants. The findings suggest that VR-based assessments can effectively measure cognitive performance without being influenced by prior gaming skills, indicating potential applicability for diverse populations.

Problems and Solution Strategies of Teacher-Child Interaction in Kindergarten Role Games

In kindergarten education, interaction and communication between teachers and young children constitute the core means and realization of educational activities. It is found that the interaction initiation in role play presents significant asymmetry, and young children are often in a passive position; at the same time, there is a relative lack of emotional communication in the game, and young children are difficult to fully experience the fun and emotional resonance of the game. In addition, teachers showed more negative emotions during the game. What's more, teachers' timing and choice of methods in guiding children's play are inappropriate. To address the above problems, this paper proposes corresponding improvement strategies. First, teachers should ensure children's autonomy in play; second, teachers should pay more attention to children's emotional performance and psychological needs in play; at the same time, teachers should endeavor to create a harmonious and enjoyable atmosphere for teacher-child interactions; and lastly teachers should provide targeted guidance at the right time.

Research on the Design of Child-Friendly Landscape Space in Chengdu Crown Community Based on SDG

Objective: This study aims to explore and implement a child-centred landscape space design strategy to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially in the old residential environment of the Crown Community in Chengdu, China. Theoretical Framework: The study constructs a theoretical framework for child-friendly communities based on the United Nations' children's rights and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and Goal 13 (Climate Action). Method: Through literature review and field research, combined with questionnaires, this study collected 120 child samples, analyzed their behavioural needs, and proposed corresponding landscape space design strategies. Research Implications: The study found that the needs of children in the Crown Community mainly focus on natural experience, research experience, game interaction, and hiding exploration. The design strategy transforms the existing space into an art garden, a book garden, and a children's playground to meet these needs and promote the realization of SDGs. Research Significance: The study emphasizes that improving children's living environment through landscape design is significant to achieving the goals of sustainable cities and communities in SDGs. Originality/Value: This study provides an innovative approach to integrating SDGs into renovating old communities and offers a new perspective for designing child-friendly landscape spaces, which will help promote the renewal of old urban communities and the construction of child-friendly cities.

Strategic behaviors of renewable energy generation companies participating in the electricity and carbon coupled markets based on non-cooperative game theory

Renewable energy (RE) can participate in electricity and carbon market trading in China, which can help stimulate the investment of RE. Thus, we propose a bi-level model for non-cooperative game interactions among power generation companies (GenCos), considering the electricity and carbon coupled markets. The upper-level model considers strategic behaviors driven by maximizing profits for GenCos. The lower-level model includes a two-stage electricity market: the day-ahead market and the real-time market; it implements joint clearing of energy and reserves, and continuous trading with competitive auctions in the carbon market based on the clearing results of the electricity market. Simulations are performed based on the actual data of the power system in a certain region of Guangdong Province in China. The results show that electricity and carbon coupled markets can effectively reduce market costs and carbon emissions, improve the society welfare and RE benefits. The uncertain increase in RE output and higher installed capacity reduce the total revenue of the RE in the coupled markets. The initial carbon quota decomposition optimization decision of the coal-fired GenCos and gradual reduction in the initial carbon quota will increase the revenue of the RE GenCos.

From Imagination to Innovation: Using Participatory Design Fiction to Envision the Future of Accessible Gaming Wearables for Players with Upper Limb Motor Disabilities

The interest in enhancing video game interactions through wearable technology has grown, yet accessible gaming with wearables remains underexplored. This study employs participatory design fiction, enabling disabled gamers to envision a future with tailored gaming wearables while critiquing technology. We conducted a two-phase study. Phase one involved in-depth interviews with upper limb motor disability participants; we developed a fictitious gaming wearable by analyzing the data using reflexive thematic analysis. A smaller group iterated on the wearable in phase two to ideate on ideal futures with accessible gaming wearables. Using data and dialogic/performance analysis, we crafted a design fiction diegetic prototype as a tech review video. This research highlights disabled gamers' unique needs and experiences around gaming wearables. It offers an innovative diegetic prototype for accessible gaming tech. Our methodological contribution merges narrative inquiry and dialogic/performance analysis in participatory design fiction research, providing a valuable approach for future studies.

A game-based power system planning approach considering real options and coordination of all types of participants

With the ongoing advancement of global power marketization, the increasing diversity of stakeholders in the power market and their interactions have a significant impact on power system planning and operation. Traditional methods employ game theory to describe the interactions among market participants. However, these approaches fail to include all relevant participant types and overlook the long-term uncertainty value of planning schemes. Therefore, this paper proposes a game theory-based power system planning approach considering real options (RO) and coordination of all types of participants. First, the dynamic gaming interaction among supply-transmission-demand is studied, and the independent system operator is integrated into the game planning framework based on the overall perspective of power market operation. Moreover, the new power supply, grid planning, and operation of distributed generation (DG) are taken as decision variables based on the RO theory, and a game decision model of all participants in the power system planning considering the investment uncertainty is constructed. Finally, the iterative search algorithm is employed to solve the model, and the framework is validated based on the IEEE 30-bus system. The results indicate that through collaborative planning involving various market participants, Generation Companies and Transmission Companies expand their investments to maximize profits, while large power consumers reduce their investment in DG and instead increase their direct power purchases to lower costs. Moreover, these participants are inclined to pursue projects with higher asset value volatility, which further enhances their profit. By integrating RO theory with game theory, the proposed approach establishes a comprehensive planning framework that effectively addresses investment uncertainty. This integration enables market participants to make more optimal decisions, ultimately leading to an enhancement in the long-term economic performance of the power system.

Taxonomic insights into ethereum smart contracts by linking application categories to security vulnerabilities.

The expansion of smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain has created a diverse ecosystem of decentralized applications. This growth, however, poses challenges in classifying and securing these contracts. Existing research often separately addresses either classification or vulnerability detection, without a comprehensive analysis of how contract types are related to security risks. Our study addresses this gap by developing a taxonomy of smart contracts and examining the potential vulnerabilities associated with each category. We use the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model to analyze a dataset of over 100,040 Ethereum smart contracts, which is notably larger than those used in previous studies. Our analysis categorizes these contracts into eleven groups, with five primary categories: Notary, Token, Game, Financial, and Blockchain interaction. This categorization sheds light on the various functions and applications of smart contracts in today's blockchain environment. In response to the growing need for better security in smart contract development, we also investigate the link between these categories and common vulnerabilities. Our results identify specific vulnerabilities associated with different contract types, providing valuable insights for developers and auditors. This relationship between contract categories and vulnerabilities is a new contribution to the field, as it has not been thoroughly explored in previous research. Our findings offer a detailed taxonomy of smart contracts and practical recommendations for enhancing security. By understanding how contract categories correlate with vulnerabilities, developers can implement more effective security measures, and auditors can better prioritize their reviews. This study advances both academic knowledge of smart contracts and practical strategies for securing decentralized applications on the Ethereum platform.

Serious Games for Vocational Training

The research project ‘SG4BB’ (Serious Games for Vocational Education and Training; abbr.: VET) has developed an integrated platform for the description, search, retrieval, integration, and utilization of educational games. This paper summarizes project outcomes, including platform concepts, software components, and – as focus – practical insights derived from a case study involving the educational game ‘Corrugated’ as simulation and training environment for service technicians. SG4BB has followed a user-centered design in an interdisciplinary project team: Two learning providers specified their requirements for VET in their specific application domains. Based on those requirements, game developers, learning solution providers and researchers for VET have conceptualized and prototypically implemented both an integrated learning platform (SG4BB platform) and two case studies of Serious Games for VET: ‘Corrugated’ for service technicians and an IT security game. The platform follows a process pipeline: For search and retrieval of educational games for VET, an application profile for VET based on the standardized ‘Serious Games Metadata Format’ (DIN/SPEC 91380) has been elaborated. This format builds the semantic basis for the metadata-based catalog system ‘Serious Games Information Center’ (SG-IC) with filter functionality for VET. Learning providers and developers can use the SG-IC portal to describe and promote their educational games, enabling users to identify suitable games for their learning needs and integrate them via learning infrastructure. Educational games can interact with the backend (Learning Management System and Learning Record Store) through a middleware based on the xAPI standard, allowing for personalized gameplay and data collection for game-based learning analytics. The final evaluation of the SG4BB project focused on the utilization of the educational game ‘Corrugated’, targeting problem-solving skills for service technicians in the corrugated cardboard industry. Data from 26 participants playing the game for 60 minutes, along with problem-solving tests and user experience feedback, were analyzed to validate game-based assessment and to assess learning impact. Initial results reveal insights into specific game missions, playtimes, and success rates, indicating that participant behavior during gameplay influenced perceived learning progress, leading to varied learning paths. This paper provides valuable insights and technical information for VET practitioners on using educational games for training. Game interactions and learning outcomes can be monitored via a dashboard within the learning infrastructure, offering visualizations for user behavior (during play) and (learning) progress. Keywords: serious games, vocational education and training, metadata, middleware, case study and evaluation.

Primary Education’s Stakeholders Behavioural Intention to use Prospective Game-based Learning for Waste Awareness

Despite some efforts to design games to raise primary school students’ awareness of the waste problems, there is a lack of research studying the directly involved stakeholder’s behavioural intention to use the games. Prior studies have explored the users’ games acceptance of the games that have already been developed. However, we believe that understanding the user’s acceptance from the beginning of the game design process is also crucial. This research investigates the factors that influence the behavioural intention to use prospective game-based learning (GBL) for waste awareness among primary school parents, teachers, and students. An online survey based on the UTAUT 2 was distributed to each stakeholder, supplemented by a video demonstrating an Augmented Reality-based mobile game interaction scenario. The sample of participants included 135 parents, 47 teachers, and 129 primary school students from Malang, Indonesia. The internal consistency of game acceptance from the surveys was evaluated through Kruskall Wallis. Results show that Effort Expectancy is the factor with the highest acceptance value while Facilitating Condition has the lowest value. The three stakeholders argued that the prospective GBL seems easy to play and learn, but in contradiction, the adults are concerned that they cannot assist in teaching how to use the game and cannot provide the necessary technology. The cultural background seems to influence user game acceptance. Indonesians are known to be quite open to new technologies like GBL, although the facilitation condition might be low. Furthermore, there are some significant differences between the student-parent and student-teacher groups, but not in the parent-teacher group. Findings indicated that Indonesian teachers are more ready to adopt GBL than students and their parents. By understanding the perceptions and attitudes of these groups, educators and researchers can develop strategies to address any concerns or doubts they may have and promote the benefits of GBL.

“The Game Changers”: How Equity-Driven Pedagogical Scaffolding Reduces Participation Disparities in Physical Education

Achieving gender equity and social inclusiveness remains a key priority in education. In the context of Physical Education (PE), fostering inclusive practices is critical to ensuring all students, regardless of gender, ability, or social status, can participate meaningfully. By examining the impact of three pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) equity-driven pedagogical practices on gender equity and student engagement in game-based activities, this study investigates how targeted pedagogical interventions can reduce gender disparities in engagement and promote inclusivity in student game interactions within PE classes. Specifically, we aimed to determine whether students of different sexes exhibit similar engagement rates, identify any existing disparities, examine changes in these disparities during the intervention, assess the equity and inclusiveness of student game interactions, and explore the link between these interactions and engagement rates. A total of three PSTs were engaged in a yearlong study, divided into two units: basketball (3v3) and volleyball (4v4). A pedagogical scaffolding intervention aimed at fostering equity and inclusion was implemented through their yearlong engagement in school-placement teaching practices. Data concerning students’ participation in game-based activities were collected in the first and last unit of the schoolyear (Basketball—first semester; and Volleyball—second semester). Engagement rates, measured as participation time (PT) and Rate of Play (RoP), were recorded through video analysis. A Social Network Analysis (SNA) was used to evaluate the equity and inclusiveness of student interactions. Initial disparities in engagement rates favoured boys in both sports. However, post-test results indicated a significant increase in engagement for both sexes, with disparities decreasing over the intervention period. Basketball showed a significant reduction in gender differences in RoP (p < 0.05), while volleyball results indicated no significant gender disparities post-intervention. The SNA revealed more equitable and inclusive game interactions over time, particularly in volleyball. The results suggest the pedagogical intervention’s effectiveness in increasing students’ engagement and reducing game-based gender disparities. These findings underscore the importance of deliberate scaffolding strategies to enhance equity and inclusion, highlighting the potential of the reported strategies for fostering a more inclusive and engaging environment for all students.

Evolution of cooperation on dynamical asymmetrical networks with costs

Social networks denote the structure of interactions among individuals. Adjusting social relationships is a typical reaction among humans attempting to interact with altruistic partners. Theoretical investigations proved that dynamical network structures promote the evolution of cooperation. However, individuals react differently to diverse social partners and interactions. Furthermore, a large variety of potential costs of partner switching occur in real-world interactions. Establishing and maintaining different interactions cost differently. Based on these motivations, this investigation studies the interplay between the dynamics on networks and the dynamics of networks, which entangles the evolution of strategies and topology of adaptive multilayer networks whose structure is divided into a gaming layer for reaping payoff and a learning layer for spreading strategy. Individuals react differently to overlapped and un-overlapped partners whose gaming interactions and learning interactions are identical or not. And the effects of overlap levels and rewiring costs on the evolution of cooperation are explored. Simulation results demonstrate that increasing the ratio of rewiring as well as the overlap levels can enhance the evolution of cooperation significantly. However, both too frequent rewiring and too high overlap levels can result in the increment of isolated nodes, and thus provide a sanctuary for defectors to survive and make cooperators hardly to occupy the whole population. Moreover, it is found that rewiring costs have dramatically different impacts on the evolution of cooperation for different overlap levels. For a low overlap level, increasing costs suppress the evolution of cooperation. Yet a high overlap level makes increasing costs favor the cooperator to spread. Our results reveal the condition for the domination of cooperation with asymmetrical interactions, which may provide a potential way to understand the evolutionary cooperation in human society.

Student voice and choice in the virtual classroom: engagement strategies

The coronavirus pandemic has compelled a transition to distance and online education, requiring instructors and students to adjust swiftly. During this transition period, it became crucial to prioritize comprehending students’ perspectives and decision-making within virtual educational environments. The present study investigates the strategies a GPCOM (Purposive Communication) instructor employs at a premier university to enhance student autonomy and decision-making through student voice and choice in the online learning environment. Data were collected via a survey comprising Likert scale items and open-ended questions from the 335 participants who participated in the study. The study results indicate that educators significantly facilitate student engagement in expressing their thoughts and ideas, promoting self-discovery, critical thinking, and collaborative problem-solving. Student preferences noted that active learning, utilization of technology, and engagement in class discussions were prominent options. Several strategies were employed to promote student engagement, such as fostering cooperation, implementing interactive gamification techniques, establishing real-life linkages, facilitating class debates, and encouraging self-directed learning. This study emphasizes the crucial role of instructor assistance in virtual learning while recognizing and integrating student preferences. Doing so aims to create a well-rounded and captivating virtual learning experience.

Gameful learning investigating the impact of game elements, interactivity, and learning style on student success

This study explores the effects of the aspects of game components, interactivity and learning-styles towards the main goal of providing an understanding of the factors that contribute towards the improvement of learning. Structured questionnaires were used to gather quantitative data from participants ranging from college going students to post graduate level students. The outcome of the quantitative organized queries also painted the picture consistent with all the quantitative hypotheses where regression models had been applied. The next level of credibility came from the quantitative results that ranged from mildly to strongly positive and supported by an expert indicating that the latter had improved due to the effects of gamification. Gathering the qualitative data was carried out by semi-structured interviews with six experienced educators. These educators provided deep descriptions and complex opinion on the personal experiences in the learning context that involve gamification. Unlike the quantitative analysis that focused on the overall results of gamification, the thematic analysis unfolded into the qualitative aspects regarding motivation, engagement, and the learner’s journey. Combining these quantitative and more especially qualitative data sets offers an alternating view of the gamification environment in education. The findings of the study do not only contribute to the theoretical body of knowledge in gamification but also offer real-life recommendations for the educators and institutions who are eager to bring changes to the traditional learning processes. Therefore, the study shows that there are no hard-liner advantages of gamification and that it can have positive impacts in various perspectives. It shows how game elements can improve the learning application and motivation and their capacity in dealing with different learning types and achieving better academic results. Additionally, the qualitative element strengthens the role of teachers, when describing the conditions and possibilities of using the gamification concept for actual educational teaching context.

Exploring modalities and functions of social interaction initiated by toddlers in the U.S. during touchscreen play

ABSTRACT As technology becomes ubiquitous in the homes of many families, children learn to incorporate touchscreen devices into their everyday activities. The present study explored young children’s role in shaping their gaming experience to maintain social interactivity. Twenty-nine children at 2.5 years old in the U.S. played a non-educational game on a touchscreen in the presence of a researcher. We examined the temporal distribution and functions of toddlers’ active initiation of verbal and nonverbal social interactions. The results indicated modality differences. The toddlers tended to initiate verbal interactions in the middle segment of gaming and nonverbal interactions at the beginning. Moreover, toddlers who initiated a greater proportion of verbal (as opposed to nonverbal) interactions tended to amass more social interactions overall. Finally, the child-initiated interactions served functions of sharing success, seeking assistance, requesting a change, and inviting others to participate. Together, these findings provide insight into the social aspects of touchscreen gaming as toddlers navigate this new form of play.

Parasocial Interactions in Otome Games: Emotional Engagement and Parasocial Intimacy Among Chinese Female Players

This study conducts qualitative research on female players of otome games, exploring the mechanisms of romantic relationship formation within these games and their impact on perceptions of real-life intimate relationships. The findings reveal that the parasocial romantic relationships formed in otome games are not entirely detached from reality; instead, they are embedded in daily life through game interaction mechanisms and the players’ internalized imagination, thereby influencing the reconstruction of real-life intimate relationships. Female players show a high degree of acceptance and immersion in these romantic relationships, focusing on the emotional support provided by male characters. These relationships play a positive role in fulfilling emotional needs, regulating negative emotions, constructing self-identity, and redefining perceptions of intimacy. The intangibility of physical contact remains the only significant shortcoming, as perceived by a minority of players, pointing to a primary direction for the future development of otome games.

The association between social rewards and anxiety: Links from neurophysiological analysis in virtual reality and social interaction game

Individuals’ affective experience can be intricate, influenced by various factors including monetary rewards and social factors during social interaction. However, within this array of factors, divergent evidence has been considered as potential contributors to social anxiety. To gain a better understanding of the specific factors associated with anxiety during social interaction, we combined a social interaction task with neurophysiological recordings obtained through an anxiety-elicitation task conducted in a Virtual Reality (VR) environment. Employing inter-subject representational similarity analysis (ISRSA), we explored the potential linkage between individuals’ anxiety neural patterns and their affective experiences during social interaction. Our findings suggest that, after controlling for other factors, the influence of the partner's emotional cues on individuals’ affective experiences is specifically linked to their neural pattern of anxiety. This indicates that the emergence of anxiety during social interaction may be particularly associated with the emotional cues provided by the social partner, rather than individuals’ own reward or prediction errors during social interaction. These results provide further support for the cognitive theory of social anxiety and extend the application of VR in future cognitive and affective studies.

Railway Safety Education via Interactive Gamification Learning

Railway Safety Education via Interactive Gamification Learning

게임 <30일>의 돌봄재현과 콘텐츠 액티비즘의 실현

This study aims to examine the social value of content activism by analyzing social practice cases through social impact games. While traditional activism is a way for politicians, artists, etc. to convey social messages and call for participation through specialized knowledge, information, and technology, content activism is a way for ordinary individuals who live with one-person media to plan, produce, and distribute content about the problems they find in their lives and bring about change through solidarity with the audiences who sympathize with them. Social impact games are a genre of content that creates social messages through gaming experiences and interactions. Players of social impact games become the subjects who enjoy and extend the social value of the content through meaningful experiences and solidarity. This study analyzes the meaning-making process of players from the perspective of content activism by analyzing the game <30 Days>, in which members living in an orphanage practice care and prevent the suicide of a young man.

Research on the regenerative design and practice of the residential architecture atlases in Jiangnan during the Ming and Qing dynasties: a case study of the Mingyue Bay village in Suzhou

ABSTRACT The residential architecture atlases, chronicling the design motifs and craftsmanship of residences in Jiangnan during the Ming and Qing dynasties, serves as a cornerstone in deciphering the cultural metamorphosis and unearthing the subtle architectural essence specific to the region. With the advent of modern digital paradigms, this atlas has undergone a regeneration, evolving into a digital, real-time, and interactive embodiment of architectural lore. This study delves into the contents and characteristics of traditional and informational architectural atlases in Jiangnan during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It includes detailed surveys and mappings of the Mingyue Bay village in Suzhou, focusing on its geographic location, historical culture, and residential architectures. Utilizing AutoCAD and Photoshop, the study delineates the architectural plan atlas, elevation atlas, wooden frame atlas, and decoration atlas. It suggests regenerative design strategies for these traditional atlases. Furthermore, through MasterGo and SketchUp, this study elaborated on the regenerative design strategies of residential architecture information atlases in the Mingyue Bay village, including spatial-temporal information atlas, cultural tourism service atlas, scene experience atlas, model simulation atlas, and game interaction atlas. These atlases are integrated into a service platform of rural intelligent tourism, aimed at fostering the global inheritance of residential architecture culture and the revitalization of rural intelligent tourism.