Gaming Devices Research Articles

How instability in virtual economies of mobile digital games drives and ruins profit

The digital gaming business has changed in the last years. Digital games are no longer just products. They developed into services. People play games not only on a stationary device, but on mobile devices, too. The change of gaming devices also had an impact on game design. Competition between mobile digital games mostly takes place at a download price of zero. Today the Freemium monetization method is the dominant monetization method. Players of digital games often have to go through a core loop by repeating the same tasks inside the game. The stability of the virtual economy inside the game affects the game’s core loop. This paper discusses the role of instability in virtual economies in the context of core loops. A small instability inside a virtual economy can increase revenue of a digital game. Players tend to stay in a game because of sunk cost fallacy. If instability inside a virtual economy happens for a too long time players will quit playing and revenue will decrease.

PENGEMBANGAN ALAT PERMAINAN EDUKATIF FAKTA DASAR PENJUMLAHAN BILANGAN (1-10) PADA ANAK KELOMPOK B

This study aims to development of basic facts educative game of number (1-10) in group B in children that are valid and practical by used combination of Ronwtree development models and Tessmer evaluations. The Rowntree development model consistsed of three stages, namely the analysis, development, and evaluation stages. The evaluation used is Tessmer formative evaluation, consis stages of self evaluation, expert review, one-to-one evaluation, small group evaluation. The expert review results obtained an average percentage of the assessment results from educational tools on the basic facts of adding numbers (1-10) by media and material experts. The obtained percentage 93% with very valid categories which included content validity and constructs. The mean, the basic fact game tool corresponds to the material about the basic facts of addition, for example for the basic facts of numbers 10 is 1 + 9, 2 + 8, 3 + 7 and so on in other words the basic fact of addition 10 is the sum of 10 results. The results of the one-to-one and small group evaluation stages were obtained percentage of 94,5% with a very practical category, that is mean the basic fact game tools were in accordance with the requirements: easy to use, interested, and meaningful for children. However, the basic fact game tool still experiences a deficiency of 7% because the colors used in the game device must contrast with the color numbers so that the numbers are more clearly visible,while practically still found deficiency of 5,5% because the game equipment material used is 5 ml plywood which is felt very hard for the child For this reason, it is recommended that the next researcher use the plywood 3 ml and increase the size of the number card from 5 cm x 3.5 cm before.

Measuring Female Gaming: Gamer Profile, Predictors, Prevalence, and Characteristics From Psychological and Gender Perspectives.

Research investigating female gaming is relatively scarce, and past research has demonstrated that men are more likely to be problematic gamers. Few studies have focused on female gamers in community samples, and those that have been published have mainly collected qualitative data in Europe. There is case study evidence suggesting clinicians are increasingly treating problem female gamers. The aim of this study is threefold: (i) to establish an international female gamer profile, (ii) to determine predictors associated with perceived internet gaming disorder (IGD), and (iii) to identify those who are potentially at risk of developing gaming addiction and its characteristics by applying a quantitative approach. A cross-sectional online survey was applied through international gaming forums recruiting 625 female gamers, assessing sociodemographics, gaming devices used and play genres, and a set of questionnaires on gaming [e.g., problem online gaming (e.g., the nine-item short-form scale to assess IGD: IGDS9-SF), female stereotypes (e.g., sex role stereotyping scale), and psychological symptoms (e.g., Symptom CheckList-27-plus)]. Female gamers from all continents reported the use of all videogames, especially popular online games using computers and consoles. The proportion of gamers with potential IGD was one per cent. Regression analyses identified several risk factors for increased scores on the IGDS9-SF, namely having achievement and social motivations, embodied presence and identification with the avatar, hostility and social phobia together with negative body image, playing Multiplayer Online Battle Arena games, Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, and First-Person-Shooter games. Findings contribute to filling the gap in knowledge on female gaming, to aid in the applicability of problematic gaming measurements in female gamers, especially those who are at risk of problematic gaming. The purpose of this study is to enhance the validity of the current measures to diagnose problem gaming appropriately in both genders.

A Time-Varying Measure of Dyadic Synchrony for Three-Dimensional Motion

We propose a novel approach to the analysis of synchronized three-dimensional motion in dyads. Motion recorded at high time resolution, as with a gaming device, is preprocessed in each of the three spatial dimensions by spline smoothing. Synchrony is then defined, at each time point, as the cosine between the two individuals’ estimated velocity vectors. The approach is extended to allow a time lag, allowing for the analysis of leader-follower dynamics. Mean square cosine over the time range is proposed as a scalar summary of dyadic synchrony, and this measure is found to be positively associated with cognitive empathy.

ARFurniture: Augmented Reality Interior Decoration Style Colorization

Augmented Reality (AR) can seamlessly create an illusion of virtual elements blended into the real world scene, which is one of the most fascinating human-machine interaction technologies. AR has been utilized in a variety of real-life applications including immersive collaborative gaming, fashion appreciation, interior design, and assistive devices for individuals with vision impairments. This paper contributes a real-time AR application, ARFurniture, which will allow the users to envision furniture-ofinterests in different colors and different styles, all from their smart devices. The core software architecture consists of deep-learning based semantic segmentation and fast-speed color transformation. Our software architecture allows the user prompt the system to colorize the style of the furniture-of-interest within the scene on their mobile devices, and has been successfully deployed on mobile devices. In addition, using eye gaze as a pointing indicator, a head-mounted user-centric augmented reality based indoor decoration style colorization concept is discussed. Related algorithms, system design, and simulation results for ARFurniture are presented. Furthermore, a no-reference image quality measure, Naturalness Image Quality Evaluator (NIQE), was utilized to evaluate the immersiveness and naturalness of ARFuniture. The results demonstrate that ARFurniture has game-changing value to enhance user experience in indoor decoration.

Evaluation and Strategic Planning of Playground for Kids to Reduce the Accident Risk (Case Study it Immanuel Kindergarten Batu City)

Essentially, kids world are identic with playing activities, mainly in early age kids. Through games, children are experiencing the learning process. This study aims to evaluate and provide recommendations to reduce the risk of accidents at Kindergarten. The result shows that there were several accidents experienced by children when playing in a playground such as bumping into a friend, crashing into a game device, stumbling, and falling from the playground. The playground in Immanuel Kindergarten generally has a relatively narrow and hollow place but has a clear guardrail so that children remain within reach. Some students play not according to how to play the tool, which increases the risk of falling. In general, there are differences between playgrounds at Immanuel Kindergarten and playground standards (p value 0.03<0.05), which is caused by several factors that influence human, method, equipment and environment. The improvements suggestions are referred to the strategy that is most likely to be implemented, namely the SO strategy to provide prior knowledge to children before playing and manage to play facilities.

Body Involvement in Video Gaming as a Support for Physical and Cognitive Learning

Despite a steady increase in the social visibility of video games in all spheres of daily life, persistent preconceived ideas about video games reveal a tendency to focus on either their positive or negative values, especially concerning the place of the player’s body. First, this article questions the different degrees of bodily involvement in the practice of video games according to the different types of games and the mechanisms that allow the player to learn the games’ gesture patterns. Then, the objective is to study the effects of video gaming on the physical, psychological, and social dimensions of the player and to identify potential correlations between bodily involvement and health benefit. Indeed, bodily involvement translates into physical engagement, and sometimes motor expertise as required by the game, but also into the mobilization of the player’s cognitive and interactive resources with the video game devices.

359. The PERSON project: A neuro-rehabilitative device provided as SaaS tool

Purpose The cognitive and computational neuroscience developed new neuro-rehabilitative tools able to treat subjects suffering from the early symptoms, in order to give priority to a home environment. In this way the curative treatment does not burden on the hospital and the patient’s psychological disorientation. Recent studies have shown the efficacy of using video games to improve cognitive processes caused by aging physiological effect and neurodegenerative disease avoiding drug treatment. Methods The PERSON project proposed rehabilitative tools such as serious game connected to EEG interface (electroencephalography paradigm through Brain Computer Interface) and haptic devices. This project regards a strategic synergy between research and public health, to implement a technology based on Virtual Reality and software solutions for personalized medicine basing on the cloud infrastructure of the ReCaS data center ( https://www.recas-bari.it/index.php/en/ ). Results Within the PERSON project we have developed a completely open source and innovative system to interface the game device with computational resources. We exploited the container technology to implement a genetic algorithm to study neural responses through EEG activity. Conclusions We provided a Software as a Service (SaaS) tool for therapeutic purposes in patients with mild cognitive impairment. This represents a method to improve the quality of life of patients by using complex and not invasive technology, freely and safely.

The PERSON project: a serious brain-computer interface game for treatment in cognitive impairment

The cognitive and computational neurosciences have developed neurorehabilitative tools able to treat suffering subjects from early symptoms, in order to give priority to a home environment. In this way, the curative treatment would not burden the hospital with excessive costs and the patient with psychological disorientation. Recent studies have shown the efficacy of video games on improving cognitive processes impaired by ageing’s physiological effect, neurodegenerative or other diseases, with potential beneficial effects. The PERvasive game for perSOnalized treatment of cognitive and functional deficits associated with chronic and Neurodegenerative diseases (PERSON) project proposed new tools for cognitive rehabilitation, aiming to improve the quality of life for patients with cognitive impairments, especially at early stages, by the use of sophisticated, non-invasive technology. This article is an overview of game solutions for training cognitive abilities and it presents the tools developed within the PERSON project. These tools are serious games based on virtual reality, connected to a brain-computer interface based on electroencephalography (EEG) and to haptic devices. The project was born thanks to a strategic synergy between research and public health, to implement a technology for personalized medicine that relies on the cloud infrastructure of the REte di CAlcolo per SuperB ed altre applicazioni (ReCaS)-Bari data centre. PERSON developed a completely open source and innovative framework to interface the game device with the computational resources in the cloud. We exploited the container technology and the Software as a Service (SaaS) paradigm to implement a genetic algorithm that analyses the neural responses in EEG recordings. The paper focuses on technical aspects of the designed tools. A test was conducted on a few volunteers for the purpose of tuning the overall system. The paper does not contain results of a clinical trial as this is planned in a second testing phase, when the user’s perception of the system will also be tested.

Reducing Outgroup Bias through Intergroup Contact with Non-Playable Video Game Characters in VR

Abstract Video games are one of the most popular media forms in today's society, but are often criticized for various reasons. For instance, mainstream video games do not incorporate enough racially diverse game characters or are often connected to adolescents’ levels of aggression and have thus been the focus of many debates. While the negative consequences of video games have been analyzed by many academic studies, research on the prosocial effects of video games is scarce. To address this research gap and support the ongoing call for more diverse video game characters, this study used a 3 × 1 between-subjects design (N = 86) to test the impact of racially diverse non-playable characters (NPCs). The parasocial contact hypothesis was used as the theoretical foundation, incorporating virtual reality technology as an intensifier of effects. The results showed that helping a Black NPC did not reduce implicit bias, but reduced explicit bias towards Black people. This improvement was stronger when the video game was played using virtual reality technology than when using a traditional two-dimensional gaming device.

Effect of Electronic Games on Children Behaviors who Attending Teaching Hospitals in Baghdad City

Objective(s): current study aims to find the effect of electronic games on children's behavior, and find therelationship between child demographic data and the effect of electronic games on the child's behavior.Methodology: A descriptive-analytic study was conducted for assessing the Effect of electronic games onchildren's behaviors that attending to teaching hospitals in Baghdad city during the period of (October/ 20th/2017 to March/1st /2018). A (50) purposive (non- probabilistic) sample from: Child Protection teachingHospital, Child Central Hospital in AL-Iskan. The sample is selected according to the criteria: Children whovisited the consulting unit of children in the hospitals in the first visit, children in the age between 7 and 12years, boys and girls and their parents must be founded with them to help in the fill of the questionnaire. Thedata are collected for the present study through the use of the questionnaires and semi-structured interviewtechnique. The data have been analyzed by using the descriptive statistics (Frequencies, Percentages, Meansand Standard Deviations (SD) and the inferential statistics (Chi-square to find out the relationships between thesocio-demographic and the effect of electronic games on the child's behavior).Results: study results show that 70% of study sample was boys and 45% of them was between 9-10 years and100% from the study sample have electronic game devices and 72% of them was playing every day, 24% playfor one hour or three hours. And that 52% of study sample have problems with the study, and their significantstatistical association in (p-value=0.026) between gender and behavioral problems of children.Recommendations: study recommended for the importance of awareness of parents and educators to the rightway for using electronic games and supervise and guide theme to reduce the its negative effect on children

Electrooculogram (EOG) Signal Classification Using Moving Average Technique and its Application to Drive Direct Current Motors

Background: Electrooculogram (EOG) signal is one of the bioelectric signals acquired from the human body to study the movements of eyes and also to design and develop assistive devices. These devices can be mobility devices, video gaming devices or any other assistive device. Methods: Assistive devices are especially designed for quadriplegic or spinal cord injured patients. Motors are one of the key components in the design of mobility devices. These motors are to be driven with the help of EOG commands. This paper explains the process of eliminating involuntary eye movements while driving the motors under the control of EOG signals. The system design is carried out in two ways. Initially the system is designed in such a way that the motors are driven even for involuntary eye movements which is a major drawback of the system. Conclusion: This drawback has been overcome successfully by introducing the moving average technique during classification of the EOG signals. The systems overall classification accuracy is also computed by constructing confusion matrix and has produced high sensitivity, specificity with overall average accuracy of 90.91%. Keywords: EOG, assistive, involuntary, microcontroller, motors, Ag-AgCl electrodes, control signals.

Training healthy persons and individuals with Parkinson's disease to use Xbox Kinect games: a preliminary study

Background/Aims: Individuals with Parkinson's disease, besides the motor and cognitive symptoms may even present deficits in the motor learning. A recent therapeutic approach involves virtual reality that offers elements that can minimize the difficulties in the learning process. Recently, the therapeutic potential of Nintendo Wii® gaming device for rehabilitation of patients with Parkinson's disease has been showing positive results, but studies related to the use of the Kinect for XboxTM are still scarce. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of motor and cognitive demands of six Kinect for Xbox 360TM games on the learning of patients with Parkinson's disease, comparing it with healthy individuals. Methods: A total of 19 adults, 8 with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and 11 healthy adults participated in a program which included 10 training sessions and had their scores registered three times. Findings: The results showed that in four of those games, patients with Parkinson's disease showed an ability to improve and keep their performance, but not in the other two games, similar to healthy adults. Conclusions: It was concluded that motor and cognitive abilities affected by Parkinson's disease may be improved with the use of virtual training proposed in this study. Some of the games and gaming devices features can influence the learning process, even in healthy adults.

Sit still and pay attention: Using the Wii Balance-Board to detect lapses in concentration in children during psychophysical testing

During psychophysical testing, a loss of concentration can cause observers to answer incorrectly, even when the stimulus is clearly perceptible. Such lapses limit the accuracy and speed of many psychophysical measurements. This study evaluates an automated technique for detecting lapses based on body movement (postural instability). Thirty-five children (8–11 years of age) and 34 adults performed a typical psychophysical task (orientation discrimination) while seated on a Wii Fit Balance Board: a gaming device that measures center of pressure (CoP). Incorrect responses on suprathreshold catch trials provided the “reference standard” measure of when lapses in concentration occurred. Children exhibited significantly greater variability in CoP on lapse trials, indicating that postural instability provides a feasible, real-time index of concentration. Limitations and potential applications of this method are discussed.

Analisis Kesiapan dan Strategi Monitoring Evaluasi Program Pengembangan Perkuliahan Gelombang dan Optik Berbasis Game

This study is a survey focused on describing how the level of readiness of pre-service physics teachers and descriptions the elements of strategy to monitor and evaluate the program of wave and optic course based on game. The survey involved 41 students (9 M, 32 F) who joined waves and optics courses in physics education program at one of university in Ternate, Indonesia. Data were collected through questionnaire and analyzed by using descriptive technique. The results show that pre-service physics teachers in the population can be categorized into good in readiness in the implementation the program of wave and optic based on game. The readiness was supported by several indicators which are readiness related to game experience, game play frequency, game play device, game ownership support, device ownership and internet access capability, students' perception about the use of games in physics learning, the ability to design game, the need analysis for training to design educational games. The model used for program monitoring and evaluation was CIPP model (Context, Input, Process and Product).

Surechigai sociality: location-aware technology on the Yamanote line

Every day on Tokyo's Yamanote line, over a million people come face to face. For some, this can be a source of anxiety and discomfort, because they are expected to obey the social etiquette of maintaining one's distance from strangers, despite the train cars being filled beyond capacity. To make the train ride bearable, passengers have adopted a wide range of practices aimed at creating and maintaining personal space, and these practices increasingly involve the use of technology. This article focuses on surechigai tsūshin, a location-aware technology installed in Nintendo's portable gaming devices, which allows users to engage in quasi-anonymous encounters with digital strangers while ‘passing by’ on the street or on the train. Such technologies and encounters show how train cars serve as spaces where estrangement is negotiated and mediated in Japan today. Surechigai tsūshin offers a means to control how one comes to know others, acting as a digitized form of civil inattention. The sociality of surechigai is maintained as smooth ‘passing by’ among strangers who are virtually and actually co-present, familiar and distant faces on the train. The volume of human traffic on the Yamanote line compounds the social effects of surechigai tsūshin, showing how a variety of technologies articulate with one another to create distinct forms of sociality. In this sense, the significance of the Yamanote line rests not only in its characteristic ‘intimate alienation’ (Fujii 1999), but also in the sociocultural negotiation of technologies that mediate experience on the urban railway.

L’utilisation des thérapies assistées par ordinateur et des jeux vidéo à visée thérapeutique dans les soins de réhabilitation psychosociale chez les sujets souffrant de schizophrénie, revue de la littérature

ObjectivesVideo games and virtual reality have recently become used by clinicians for training or information media or as therapeutic tools. The purpose is to review the use of these technologies for therapy destined for schizophrenia patients. MethodsWe conducted a review in October 2016 using Pubmed, Scopus and PsychInfo using the following Medical Subject Headings (MESH): “video games”, “virtual reality” and “therapy, computer-assisted/methods”, each associated with “schizophrenia”. Papers were included in the review if: (a) they were published in an English, Spanish or French-language peer-reviewed journal, (b) the study enrolled patients with schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorder, (c) the patients used a therapeutic video game or therapeutic virtual reality device. ResultsEighteen publications were included. The devices studied are mainly therapeutic software developed specifically for therapeutic care. They can be classified according to their therapeutic objectives. These targets corresponded to objectives of psychosocial rehabilitation: improvement of residual symptomatology, cognitive remediation, remediation of cognition and social skills, improvement of everyday life activities, support for occupational integration. Very different devices were proposed. Some researchers analysed programs developed specifically for patients with schizophrenia, while others were interested in the impact of commercial games. Most of the studies were recent, preliminary and European. The impact of these devices was globally positive, particularly concerning cognitive functions. ConclusionsComputer-assisted therapy, video games and virtual reality cannot replace usual care but could be used as adjunctive therapy. However, recommending their use seems premature because of the recent and preliminary character of most studies. Moreover, a link is still lacking between this field of research in psychiatry and other fields of research, particularly game studies. Finally, it might be interesting to analyse more precisely the neuropsychological impact of existing commercial games which could potentially be useful for psychosocial rehabilitation.

Money laundering through gambling devices

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to examine how money laundering occurs through electronic gaming devices, the regulatory requirements for operators of electronic gaming machines, the issues of on-line versus land-based gambling and a discussion about ethics and social responsibility.Design/methodology/approachThis is primarily a conceptual paper which includes an identification of several theories relevant to money laundering. Primary data were obtained from one respondent through a face-to-face meeting and another through a telephone conversation.FindingsA strong, globally co-ordinated effort is required to fight against the increasingly “dark side” of money laundering. The tenets of corporate social responsibility (CSR), including a strong focus on ethics, is vitally important in the gambling industry in helping to wipe out money laundering, which is used to make “dirty” money “clean” and in some instances, used to fund terrorism.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies could be conducted incorporating a sample of primary data within, and between, jurisdictions. Further work is recommended for developing a form of global collective targeted practical deterrents, supported by technology including artificial intelligence as identified to some degree in this paper. Whilst this paper has included a discussion on CSR, moral management and ethics as a means of arbitrating money laundering, future research could put this idea to the test.Practical implicationsEfforts (including technological) to combat money laundering at the venue level continue to be developed. Further, regulations could include mandatory training in CSR and ethics for all employees in organisations identified by regulators as being particularly susceptible to money laundering.Social implicationsTerrorist actions have gained increasing attention as various countries have had to endure seemingly escalating atrocities in their jurisdictions. Government has an important role to take the necessary steps to strike out terrorism to protect its citizens.Originality/valueNo peer-reviewed academic articles could be identified using a Google Scholar search on money laundering and/or marketing and or CSR. A limited number of articles were identified using the search terms “money laundering and gambling”.

The development and evaluation of a novel repurposing of a peripheral gaming device for the acquisition of forces applied to a hydraulic treatment plinth

This technical note details the stages taken to create an instrumented hydraulic treatment plinth for the measurement of applied forces in the vertical axis. The modification used a widely available low-cost peripheral gaming device and required only basic construction and computer skills. The instrumented treatment plinth was validated against a laboratory grade force platform across a range of applied masses from 0.5–15 kg, mock Gr I-IV vertebral mobilisations and a dynamic response test. Intraclass correlation coefficients demonstrated poor reliability (0.46) for low masses of 0.5 kg improving to excellent for larger masses up to15 kg respectively; excellent to good reliability (0.97–0.86) for the mock mobilisations and moderate reliability (0.51) for the dynamic response test. The study demonstrates how a cheap peripheral gaming device can be repurposed so that forces applied to a hydraulic treatment plinth can be collected reliably when applied in a clinically reasoned manner.

Handcrafted gameworlds: Space-time biases in mobile Minecraft play

In 2011, Mojang released Minecraft Pocket Edition ( PE), a mobile version of their popular Minecraft franchise for Android and iOS devices that allows the infinitely blocky sandbox worlds to be manipulated directly through touchscreen interfaces. While the virtual worlds created by Minecraft players have drawn attention of various researchers, the configurations of play made possible by different gaming devices—particularly touchscreen devices—have been largely under-examined. Using Barad’s notion of apparatuses to conceptualize gaming interfaces as sites of intra-activity, our study reports on a microethology of young Minecraft PE players engaged in collaborative play sessions. Over seven play sessions, which included two sessions observing Minecraft play on personal computer (PC)- and console-based versions, we examined how players’ bodies and gaming apparatuses collaboratively materialize gaming events that highlight the space-time biases of these different modes of Minecraft play that what we call momentary and monumentary.