Game Programming Research Articles

Adherence and perceptions of a home sports video gaming program in persons with spinal cord injuries: A pilot study

Objective Sports video-gaming can facilitate increased activity levels in persons with limited exercise options. Understanding how persons with spinal cord injuries (SCI) participate in home-based video-gaming and its potential impact on maintaining or enhancing physical function remains largely unexplored. The purpose of this study was to evaluate adherence, perceptions, and potential physical effects of a home sports video-game program for persons with chronic SCI. Participants Fourteen individuals with chronic SCI (9 tetraplegia, 5 paraplegia). Design This was a prospective study. Wii video-gaming systems that included four sports games were provided to participants for home use. Participants were instructed to play for 8 weeks 3–4 days/week. The video consoles recorded the time and number of sessions played. Outcome measures At baseline and at the conclusion of the program, measurements were made of upper extremity strength, perceived exertion, active heart rate, pain, balance, and a functional upper extremity (UE) test. The total time and number of sessions were compared to the prescribed game play as a measure of adherence. Scores from a self-reported survey were used to gauge participants’ satisfaction and perceptions of their gaming experience. Results Overall mean gaming adherence was 85% during the first 4 weeks and 69% for the second 4 weeks. There were no significant changes in upper extremity strength, active heart rate, balance, pain, or functional UE test for either group. All of the participants rated video gaming as enjoyable and 85.7% perceived that it could be used as a form of exercise. Conclusion The Wii sports home video-gaming intervention elicited overall high adherence rates and was well received by study participants indicating that it may have value as an adjunctive tool for increasing physical activity for individuals with SCI.

Application of linear programming in two-player zero-sum games

Linear programming is a useful optimization tool that has been utilized since the 1940s. It has been studied for a long time, and it can be applied to many different areas and fields. One of these applications is the two-player zero-sum game. In this game, each player has a set of possible strategies that is finite. While one player tries to maximize the net payoff, the other player tries to minimize this payoff. Since the problem involves optimizations, linear programming can be involved. This paper analyzes a famous and classic example of the game the Colonel Blotto Game. This game is a military planning problem. Indeed, Linear programming was first developed to solve complex military and planning problems during wartime. This paper utilizes a payoff matrix and some mathematical models to build the mathematical problem of the Colonel Blotto Game. Then the results can be obtained by converting the mathematical problem into a Python Linprog problem. The paper finds the best strategy for Colonel Blotto to maximize the net payoff and how eliminating certain possible strategies will or will not affect the results. Moreover, the paper provides an understanding of the combination of the two-player zero-sum game and linear programming.

The general characteristics and development of handball in Ukraine

The game of handball is considered to be a sport with conflict. Teams strive to gain an advantage over their opponents by disguising their game tactics and at the same time trying to reveal the opponent's plans. That is why it is necessary to consider the sports struggle of teams from the standpoint of the opposing parties. The game is determined by the presence of technique, tactics and strategy, without which sports competition between teams is impossible.
 The purpose of the study: to provide a general description and consider the historical aspect of the emergence and development of handball in Ukraine.
 The results of the study. The general characteristics of handball are presented. The peculiarities of the emergence and development of the game in Ukraine are analysed.
 Conclusions. Handball is a sport played by two teams of seven players. The aim of the game is to throw the ball into the opponent's goal and to oppose the opponent's ability to get hold of the ball and throw it into your team's goal. The team that has scored the most goals at the end of the game wins.
 Taking into account the influence of various factors on the development of handball in Ukraine, three historical periods can be distinguished: 1909-1972, 1972-1991 and since 1991 to the present.
 The first period is characterised by the emergence of handball and its development on the territory of modern Ukraine.
 In the second period, handball was formed as a game with a strong material, technical and financial base, and the system of organising children's and youth sports was improved, which led to its inclusion in the Olympic Games programme (1972).
 The third period is characterised by the intensification of the processes of commercialisation and professionalisation of handball at the national and international levels, and the processes of integration and globalisation in sport are intensifying.

Using an Interactive Digital Games Program to Enhance English Vocabulary Retention and Grammar Achievement of Preparatory School Pupils

Using an Interactive Digital Games Program to Enhance English Vocabulary Retention and Grammar Achievement of Preparatory School Pupils

Creative Console: A Player-Driven Game Based on a Modular Fast-Evolving-and-Verifying Framework

We present Creative Console, a player-driven game in which a player, without prior knowledge of game programming, can design and realize a game within 15 minutes. Players design a game by selecting, adding, or changing a game component and then playtesting the game immediately. We refer to this central process as the Fast-Evolving-And-Verifying (FEAV) module. Players play successive FEAV modules, each taking around 3 minutes, and progressively complete a game design. We conducted an exploratory study of Creative Console. Within 48 hours, all 21 participants developed 527 game levels, covering 10 genres of games. The study demonstrates that Creative Console is enjoyable to play and effectively empowers creative and diversified game design. We furthermore conducted a grounded theory analysis of their design process. Our analysis concludes that modular FEAV, serendipity, and social communication are the three pillars of Creative Console, which casts light on future player-driven creative design systems.

Educational Computer Games in the Mastering of Theoretical Disciplines by Students of the Medical University

A training game program has been developed and used in the educational process. The program makes it possible to visualize the educational material, immerse the student in the space of his future professional activity. When developing educational games, the teacher must structure the material, visualize it, form evaluation criteria. Software development allows you to develop creative thinking. The use of educational game programs in the educational process is aimed at increasing the level of assimilation of educational material, increasing student motivation and improving the quality of education in general.

The effects of dynamic and static feedback under tasks with different difficulty levels in digital game-based learning

To provide more useful feedback strategies in DGBL, this study investigated the effects of dynamic feedback (feedback contents adjusted to game task difficulty) and static feedback (the same feedback contents for all tasks) on students' learning by using an educational programming game with easy to difficult game tasks. In addition, a lag sequence analysis was used to analyze the behavior patterns of learners. A sample of 105 university students were randomly assigned to four feedback treatment conditions. The results showed that dynamic feedback, with feedback contents appropriately adjusted to the task difficulty levels (i.e., simple hints after easy game tasks and detailed explanations after difficult game tasks), were more effective in enhancing students' learning achievement and gaming engagement. Furthermore, we also found that providing detailed explanations after both easy and difficult game tasks led to a decrease in learners' engagement. The implications of findings and future research directions are discussed.

Effects of Structured Games Led by Classroom Teachers on Preschool Student Fundamental Motor Skills

Early childhood is a golden period for growth and development, including Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS). However, motor learning through games is often neglected. This study was aimed to reveal the impact of playing games led directly by the class teacher on student FMS mastery. Ex post facto research was conducted on children aged 5-7 years who had received a structured game program intervention led directly by their class teacher. A total of 30 children participated in this study, consisting of 12 boys and 18 girls. This program had been incorporated into the early childhood education curriculum at the school where the research took place. FMS was measured using TGMD-2. An independent t-test was used to reveal differences of the results of FMS of the children. The results of the study showed that there were differences in the acquisition of FMS between boys and girls, where the boys gained a higher locomotor skills compared to the girls. In contrast, the mastery of manipulative skills was higher in the girl group. This study concludes that it is important to integrate structured game programs in the early childhood education environment.

Creative Use of OpenAI in Education: Case Studies from Game Development

Educators and students have shown significant interest in the potential for generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to support student learning outcomes, for example, by offering personalized experiences, 24 h conversational assistance, text editing and help with problem-solving. We review contemporary perspectives on the value of AI as a tool in an educational context and describe our recent research with undergraduate students, discussing why and how we integrated OpenAI tools ChatGPT and Dall-E into the curriculum during the 2022–2023 academic year. A small cohort of games programming students in the School of Computing and Digital Media at London Metropolitan University was given a research and development assignment that explicitly required them to engage with OpenAI. They were tasked with evaluating OpenAI tools in the context of game development, demonstrating a working solution and reporting on their findings. We present five case studies that showcase some of the outputs from the students and we discuss their work. This mode of assessment was both productive and popular, mapping to students’ interests and helping to refine their skills in programming, problem-solving, critical reflection and exploratory design.

Nash – Disequilibrium, Random Decisions and Imbalance of Society: Is it Relevant to Ukraine?

Ukrainian society is undergoing rapid transformational changes. The authors attempted to identify the main behavioral strategies before the war as well as possible changes in the following years. Attempting to recognize the most prevalent behavior in society, the interaction and attitude of students during the exam were taken into consideration. The student group includes representatives of various regions in proportionate numbers. The research is based on the simulation of the interaction of different groups in society by means of game theory and programming. The study proposes using Schumpeter market disturbances and ‘Nash disequilibrium’ to invigorate the current ineffective system. It has been shown that pre-war Ukrainian society exhibited a very high level of collusion. The interim conclusions were tested using Axelrod’s tournament algorithms and strategies. A simulation of the cooperative equilibrium in Ukrainian society during the pre-war period was demonstrated. The study also contains important predictions about the changes in the institutional environment in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine.

Birthplace as a factor of influence for the sporting success of Brazilian Olympic gymnasts

The main objective of this study was to identify the population and socioeconomic profile of the place of birth of Brazilian Olympic gymnasts in the three gymnastics disciplines that are part of the Olympic Games program (Men's and Women's Artistic Gymnastics, individual and team Rhythmic Gymnastics, and Men's and Women's Trampoline Gymnastics) and their relationship with international sporting success. This study was characterized as descriptive, with a quantitative approach using the following analysis factors: State of the country, Region of the country, Number of inhabitants, Demographic Density, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, and Municipal Human Development Index (MDI). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study is original in that it gathers diverse information about athletes who represented Brazil in different editions of the Olympic Games in a specific group of sports and contributes to understanding factors that influence international sports success for gymnastics modalities in the Brazilian context. The data indicate that Brazilian Olympic gymnasts from cities in the South and Southeast regions of the country, with more than 100,001 inhabitants, with a demographic density greater than 1869.37 inhabitants/km2, and with a high or very high HDI are more likely to achieve international sporting success. We believe that this study can contribute to future studies to analyze the influence of environmental factors on sporting success, especially in the Brazilian context.

An investigation of performance and power efficiency for parallax background scrolling hardware written in high-level synthesis

We are developing a game programming software library so that high-level synthesis, HLS, can automatically generate high-performance and low-power hardware modules. A mobile terminal with a user-available reconfigurable device like Field programmable gate array, FPGA, we have proposed will efficiently perform game application built in HLS-oriented game library instead of power-hungry software execution. The dynamic hardware reconfiguration on a single FPGA can execute many kinds of game applications. Our previous research has developed software description methods for two-background scrolling in HLS-oriented game programming library by using two methods. They are (1) Full-parallel equips plural physical ports loading background images individually making HLS hardware execute the entire process parallelly increasing the amount of hardware: (2) Semi-parallel shares the single port loading background images serially, suppressing the hardware growth while achieving moderate performance by overlapping operation phases. We investigate two methods about execution time and power efficiency on the parallax scrolling with 2 to 4 backgrounds. The execution times of full-parallel hardware at 100MHz clock frequency are constantly about 9.65 [ms] while those of semi-parallel are 28, 38 and 47 [ms]. The PC at 3.2 GHz shows 78, 98 and 105 [ms] respectively as well. The power efficiencies about the full-parallel estimated considering hardware enlargement are 167, 208 and 112 times compared to the software execution in the PC, while those of semi-parallel are 94, 88 and 75 times. This fact indicates that the full-parallel is better strategy for parallax background scrolling in this case although more hardware resource are invested.

Inverse optimization of integer programming games for parameter estimation arising from competitive retail location selection

When determining store locations, competing retailers must take customers’ store choice into consideration. Customers predominantly select which store to visit based on price, accessibility, and convenience. Incumbent retailers can estimate the weight of these factors (customer attraction parameters) using granular historical data. Their location decision under full information and simultaneous competition translates into an integer programming game. Unlike incumbents, new entrants lack this detailed information; however, they can observe the resulting location structure of incumbents. Assuming the observed location structure is (near-)optimal for all incumbent retailers, a new entrant can use these observations to estimate customer attraction parameters. To facilitate this estimation, we propose an “inverse optimization approach” for integer programming games (IPGs), enabling a new entrant to identify parameters that lead to the observed equilibrium solutions. We solve this “inverse IPG” via decomposition by solving a master problem and a subproblem. The master problem identifies parameter combinations for which the observations represent (approximate) Nash equilibria compared with optimal solutions enumerated in the subproblem. This row-generation approach extends prior methods for inverse integer optimization to competitive settings with (approximate) equilibria.We compare the decision-making of new entrants selecting locations based on scenarios, or information about the underlying distribution of customer attraction parameters (expected values), with new entrants using inversely estimated parameters for their location decisions. New entrants who rely on inversely optimized parameters can improve their profits. On average over a large set of synthetic numerical experiments, we observe improvements of 4–11%. This benefit can be realized with as little as one or two observations, yet additional observations help to increase prediction reliability significantly.

Design and Implementation of EinStein Würfelt Nicht Program Monte_Alpha

The game of EinStein würfelt nicht involves an element of uncertainty due to die rolling, which poses a big challenge in the development of computer game programs. However, the intriguing nature of probabilistic elements has made this game popular in computer game competitions. This study aimed to develop a high-strength EinStein würfelt nicht program that utilizes an efficient bitboard representation for the game board as well as pre-established probability distribution tables and extensively uses bitwise operations to improve the efficiency of game tree expansion. Additionally, this study attempted to replace random simulation with an evaluation function to enhance the accuracy of the Upper Confidence bounds applied to Trees algorithm. Through this design, we improved the strength of our program, and we hope that this program will be able to achieve additional excellent results in future computer game tournaments.

A Meta-analysis on the Effects of Board Game Programs

A Meta-analysis on the Effects of Board Game Programs

IMPLEMENTATION AND COMPARISON IN USING STATE PATTERN ON MAIN CHARACTER MOVEMENT (CASE STUDY : POCONG JUMP VIDEO GAME VERSION 1.0)

Game development success is often hard to achieve due to various problems such as performance issues, malfunctioning features, and poorly organized program structure. The problems that arise can be prevented by using the design pattern as a game programming architecture from the beginning of development. By implementing a design pattern, the process of developing video games can be made easier and simplified. The development team can focus its efforts on producing better quality video games. In this study, design patterns that would be used are state pattern and finite state machine. The state pattern is implemented by encapsulating the character's behavior in a class called state. Finite state machine will then facilitate the transition of states caused by user/player input or variable value changes. State pattern and finite state machine is tested with test case and game performance is tested with software metric. The result obtained from this study are state pattern and finite state machine have a valid component structure and could improve performance efficiency in video games.

Technology Use Among Ghanaian Junior High School Mathematics Teachers in the Ahafo – Ano South District

The study sought to investigate technology use among Ghanaian Junior High School mathematics teachers in the Ahafo-Ano South District of Ghana. Descriptive survey (cross-sectional survey) design with mixed quantitative and qualitative data was gathered for the study. The population of the study comprised of all JHS mathematics teachers in Ahafo-Ano South District, Ashanti region. A stratified sampling technique was used to select 60 JHS mathematics teachers from rural, peri-urban and urban schools in the district. The findings revealed that mathematics teachers technology use in teaching Mathematics at the Junior High School level in the district was low (2.048 ± .85388). These technologies were grouped into manipulatives, digital/computer-based and audio-visual technologies. The results established that most of the teachers used manipulates in teaching Mathematics (3.120 ± 1.063). On the contrary, the results also showed that digital/computer-based technologies such as virtual protractors, calculators, geometry pad, stepping stones 2.0 comprehensive mathematics and computer game programs such as Globaloria etc., were never used by mathematics teachers in the district (1.621 ± .840). Similarly, evidence from the study adds that audio-visual technologies including television, pie chart assignment to students based on TV program and other audio-visual devices were never in use by mathematics teachers in the district (1.416 ± .712).

Using learning games for fourth-grade students to teach Vietnamese lessons and teachers' perspectives on learning games

Students can learn in a meaningful way through the use of educational games. When students apply their skills and information in order to progress through a game, a huge degree of engagement is generated among them in the classroom as a result both their capabilities and their learning increase. 153 children from primary schools in Vietnam participated in this research. The children were split into two groups: an experimental and a control group. Both groups participated in two sessions of word and sentence practice as well as spelling instruction. According to the findings of the study, the educational outcomes of the students are greatly improved when games are used in their classrooms. In addition, research has shown that some teachers are against the use of games in the classroom since it makes it more difficult to prepare educational materials. Some educators believe that playing educational games is a more effective method of instruction as it allows for greater flexibility during the learning process. This makes a contribution to the theoretical framework that is necessary to guide educators and instructors in the process of improving learning game programs for children in primary schools and other learners.

PENGENALAN BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS DALAM PENGEMBANGAN USAHA BARBERSHOP DAVIDOF DI BEJI TIMUR DEPOK

ABSTRACT The advancement of information and communication technology has become an important factor that is useful in various aspects. Everything that is done online also encourages progress in the field of information and communication technology. One form of product from information and communication technology is games. With the rapid development and popularity of games, it supports many game majors in college. At the high school level, especially upper secondary, game learning can be carried out through extracurricular activities. With extracurricular activities, high school students can develop their potential earlier and make the learning they get as a provision for entering the world of college later. This extracurricular activity also becomes one of the ways for students to support the improvement of non-academic achievements. Similar community service programs have been carried out previously for extracurricular teaching and have received a positive response. Sinar Dharma High School, which previously won a competition held through community service programs, now opens an extracurricular for game programming with Unity. The community service program is divided into several stages, namely needs research, material creation, teaching implementation, and final assessment. Along with the rise of entrepreneurial activity among young people, one of the businesses that attracts the attention of many beginners is a barbershop. Many beginners want to try starting this business, including "Davidof Barbershop" in East Beji, Depok. The business will be opened in September 2022 with the consideration that campuses around Depok have started hybrid or limited face-to-face meetings in the middle of that month. In practice there are many obstacles to retaining customers so that within two months of starting a business it has not shown satisfactory performance. To help partners carry out mentoring and socialization activities in the introduction of the business model canvas (BMC) as a framework (blueprint) to define business pilot models and learn to map the customer journey. The preparation of BMC aims to explain, assess, visualize, and change the business model so that business performance is maximized. Based on these considerations, an introduction to BMC was carried out as information for entrepreneurs who are starting a business. This matrix consists of the right side describing external aspects including customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relationships and revenue streams. While the left side or the internal aspect includes key activities, key resources, key partnerships, and cost structure. The ability to understand the 9 blocks will support the smooth running of a business. Through this assistance and socialization, business actors can understand BMC as an initial stage in running a business, even though it is not easy to go through the pioneering period of the business. ABSTRAK Seiring maraknya aktivitas entrepreneurial di kalangan anak muda, salah satu usaha yang banyak dilirik pemula adalah barbershop. Banyak pemula ingin mencoba merintis usaha ini diantaranya “Davidof Barbershop” di Beji Timur, Depok. Usaha dibuka pada September 2022 dengan pertimbangan kampus di sekitar Depok sudah mulai hybrid atau tatap muka terbatas di pertengahan bulan tersebut. Dalam prakteknya banyak kendala mempertahankan pelanggan sehingga dalam dua bulan memulai usaha belum menunjukan kinerja yang memuaskan. Untuk membantu mitra dilakukan kegitan pendampingan dan sosialisasi dalam pengenalan business model canvas (BMC) sebagai kerangka kerja (blueprint) mendefinisikan model rintisan bisnis serta belajar memetakan customer journey. Penyusunan BMC bertujuan menjelaskan, menilai, memvisualisasikan serta mengubah model bisnis agar kinerja usaha menjadi maksimal. Atas pertimbangan tersebut, dilakukan kegiatan pengenalan BMC sebagai informasi bagi wirausaha yang sedang memulai usaha. Matrik ini terdiri bagian kanan menggambarkan aspek eksternal meliputi customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relationship dan revenue streаm. Sedangkan bagian kiri atau aspek internal meliputi key аctivities, key resources, key pаrtnership dan cost structure. Kemampuan memahami ke-9 blok tersebut akan mendukung kelancaran dalam perintisan usaha. Melalui pendampingan dan sosialisasi ini pelaku usaha dapat memahami BMC sebagai tahapan awal dalam menjalankan usaha, meskipun dalam realisasinya tidak mudah menjalani masa rintisan bisnis tersebut.

EKSTRA KURIKULER AUGMENTED REALITY UNTUK SMA SINAR DHARMA HIGH SCHOOL

ABSTRACT
 The advancement of information and communication technology has become an important factor that is useful in various aspects. Everything that is done online also encourages progress in the field of information and communication technology. One form of product from information and communication technology is games. With the rapid development and popularity of games, it supports many game majors in college. At the high school level, especially upper secondary, game learning can be carried out through extracurricular activities. With extracurricular activities, high school students can develop their potential earlier and make the learning they get as a provision for entering the world of college later. This extracurricular activity also becomes one of the ways for students to support the improvement of non-academic achievements. Similar community service programs have been carried out previously for extracurricular teaching and have received a positive response. Sinar Dharma High School, which previously won a competition held through community service programs, now opens an extracurricular for game programming with Unity. The community service program is divided into several stages, namely needs research, material creation, teaching implementation, and final assessment.