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I denna studie är syftet att belysa vilka effekter som underhållningsspel kan ha på motivation och koncentration samt även undersöka om spel kan användas för att förbättra den kognitiva prestationen. Konkret ställs frågan vilka förändringar som sker i reaktion, korttidsminne och perception efter att ha spelat Gradius 3 samt vilka orsaker som ligger bakom dessa förändringar. Resultatet pekar entydigt mot att spelandet har en positiv effekt och förbättrar den kognitiva förmågan. Särskilt när det går bra i spelet och man får ett flow kan prestationen maximeras, vilket överensstämmer med Csíkszentmihályis flowteori. Det flow som uppstår i spelet ger en euforisk känsla av tillfredsställelse som stimulerar motivation och koncentration, vilka båda är förutsättningar för bättre prestation. Resultatet ger även stöd för att floweffekten kan överföras till aktiviteter som sker i direkt anslutning till spelandet och kan därför finna seriösa användningsområden inom exempelvis skolan eller för barn med inlärnings- eller koncentrationssvårigheter.

Denna rapport redovisar resultatet av en analys som syftar till att identifiera pedagogiska metoder i utbildningsspel respektive underhållningsspel. Undervisningspotentialen i kommersiella underhållningsspel diskuteras ofta och anses kunna vara ett mycket bra sätt att motivera genom underhållning samtidigt som det är utbildande. Dock har inte många jämförelser genomförts mellan de pedagogiska fördelarna, nackdelarna och skillnaderna mellan underhållningsspelen och de kommersiella spel som specifikt har i syfte att utbilda. Analysens syfte är att undersöka pedagogiska metoder i två underhållningsspel och två utbildningsspel för att ta reda på om underhållningsspelen (oavsett om det gäller kunskap om spelet eller separata kunskaper) använder sig av ett större antal pedagogiska metoder än utbildningsspelen. Genom att analysera användandet av pedagogiska metoder i spel bör fördelar och nackdelar kunna hittas för att kunna förbättra utvecklingen av framtida utbildningsspel. Detta med utgångspunkt i att användningen av flera pedagogiska metoder under utlärning (s.k. multimodalitet) är fördelaktigt för att maximera lärandepotentialen. De pedagogiska metoderna har sin utgångspunkt i fyra inriktningar inom pedagogisk psykologi (behaviorism, kognitivism, konstruktivism och socio-kulturellt lärande). Dessa ställs i förhållande till ett antal spelegenskaper (utmaningar/regler, användargränssnitt, interaktionsmodell, bakgrundsberättelse och estetik/grafisk utformning) hos spelen för att identifiera pedagogiska metoder och placera in dem i aktuella spelegenskaper. Resultatet presenteras i form av ett antal matriser över förhållandet mellan pedagogiska metoder och spelegenskaper. Resultatet visar att ett marginellt större antal pedagogiska metoder kan identifieras i underhållningsspelen men att detta inte är något generellt resultat som kan sägas vara slutgiltigt då en mängd felkällor finns och antalet analyserade spel är för lågt.

The purpose of this study was to develop some kind of feedback in a driving simulator aimed at helping drivers in following the ideal trajectory and let human testers use it, in  order  to  analyze  which  feedback  is  best  perceived,  and  if it is  also  the  one which allows the drivers to follow the ideal trajectory. The project implemented two different representations  based  on  theories  from  traffic  research  which  was  compared  in  an experiment  with  29 subjects.  The  first  representation  is  a  drawn  trajectory  and  the second one uses drawn points near the tangent point. This  work  is  based  on  a  driving  simulator developed  for  a  previous study using  the Unity3D  engine.  Furthermore,  the  driving  simulator  is  developed  on  a  low-cost hardware infrastructure. The  test  subjects  generally gave  a good  feedback  on  the  simulator as  a  whole  and analysis of the data, even if biased by a mean high speed caused by a general low speed perception,  shows  a  clear  pattern  in  which  the  use  of  drawn  trajectory  leads to performances closer to the ideal trajectory. This representation has also been valuated as  better  in  the questionnaire,  and  hence  from  the  available  data  it  seems  possible  to say  that  this  kind  of  feedback  is  better  perceived  and  leads  to  better  performances compared to the other one.

No description available.

Land use change has an impact on regional sustainability which can be assessed using social, economic and environmental indicators. Stakeholder engagement tools provide a platform that can demonstrate the possible future impacts land use change may have to better inform stakeholder groups of the impact of policy changes or plausible climatic variations. To date some engagement tools are difficult to use or understand and lack user interaction whilst other tools demonstrate model environments with a tightly coupled user interface, resulting in poor performance. The research and development described herein relates to the development and testing of a visualisation engine for rendering the output of an Agent Based Model (ABM) as a 3D Virtual Environment via a loosely-coupled data driven communications protocol called Protocol Buffers. The tool, named Rural Sustainability Visualisation Tool (R.S.V.T) is primarily aimed to enhance nonexpert knowledge and understanding of the effects of land use change, driven by farmer decision making, on the sustainability of a region. Communication protocols are evaluated and Protocol Buffers, a binarybased communications protocol is selected, based on speed of object serialization and data transfer, to pass message from the ABM to the 3D Virtual Environment. Early comparative testing of R.S.V.T and its 2D counterpart RepastS shows R.S.V.T and its loosely-coupled approach offers an increase in performance when rendering land use scenes. The flexibility of Protocol Buffer’s and MongoDB are also shown to have positive performance implications for storing and running of loosely-coupled model simulations. A 3D graphics Application Programming Interface (API), commonly used in the development of computer games technology is selected to develop the Virtual Environment. Multiple visualisation methods, designed to enhance stakeholder engagement and understanding, are developed and tested to determine their suitability in both user preference and information retrieval. The application of a prototype is demonstrated using a case study based in the Lunan catchment in Scotland, which has water quality and biodiversity issues due to intense agriculture. The region is modelled using three scenario storylines that broadly describe plausible futures. Business as Might Be Usual (BAMBU), Growth Applied Strategy (GRAS) and the Sustainable European Development Goal (SEDG) are the applied scenarios. The performance of the tool is assessed and it is found that R.S.V.T can run faster than its 2D equivalent when loosely coupled with a 3D Virtual Environment. The 3D Virtual Environment and its associated visualisation methods are assessed using non-expert stakeholder groups and it is shown that 3D ABM output is generally preferred to 2D ABM output. Insights are also gained into the most appropriate visualisation techniques for agricultural landscapes. Finally, the benefit of taking a loosely-coupled approach to the visualisation of model data is demonstrated through the performance of Protocol Buffers during testing, showing it is capable of transferring large amounts of model data to a bespoke visual front-end.

The repetitive and sometimes mundane nature of conventional rehabilitation therapy provides an ideal opportunity for development of interactive and challenging therapeutic games that have the potential to engage and motivate the players. Different game design techniques can be used to design rehabilitation games that work alongside robotics to provide an augmentative therapy to stroke patients in order to increase their compliance and motivation towards therapy. The strategy we followed to develop such a system was to (i) identify the key design parameters that can influence compliance, prolonged activity, active participation and patient motivation, (ii) use these parameters to design rehabilitation games for robot-mediated stroke-rehabilitation, (iii) investigate the effects of these parameters on motivation and performance of patients undergoing home-based rehabilitation therapy. Three main studies were conducted with healthy subjects and stroke subjects. The first study identified the effects of the design parameters on healthy players' motivation. Using the results from this study, we incorporated the parameters into rehabilitation games, following player-centric iterative design process, which were formatively evaluated during the second study with healthy subjects, stroke patients, and health-care professionals. The final study investigated the research outcomes from use of these games in three patient's homes during a 6 weeks clinical evaluation. In summary, the research undertaken during this PhD successfully identified the design techniques influencing patient motivation and adherence as well as highlighted further important elements that contribute to maintaining therapeutic interaction between patients and the therapy medium, mainly the technological usability and reliability of the system.

Braille literacy is an important and vital part of visually impaired and blind peoples’ everyday lives. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate different feedback modalities used in a smartphone game and analyze their impact and effectiveness on alphabetic braille learning. In this study, three different modalities were used and tested. These were tactile feedback, auditory feedback, and a combination of both. A quantitative method and a post-test consisting of braille writing and reading exercises was used to measure the effectiveness of each feedback modality. 18 people, equally distributed between the three different feedback modalities participated in the study. Each played the game using blindfolds. The result show that there was no statistically significant difference between the feedback modalities as determined by a one-way ANOVA test. However, a practical difference when playing the game was found. The respondents who used the combined feedback method performed better in the game. On average, the respondent learned to identify seven out of twelve braille characters and was able to read one out of five words in braille print. The study concluded that the game could be played autonomously and that the feedback modalities could be used separately or in combination with each other without affecting the knowledge post-test.

Multi-agent multi-team systems are commonly seen in environments where hierarchical layers of goals are at play. For example, theater-wide combat scenarios where multiple levels of command and control are required for proper execution of goals from the general to the foot soldier. Similar structures can be seen in game environments, where agents work together as teams to compete with other teams. The different agents within the same team must, while maintaining their own ‘personality’, work together and coordinate with each other to achieve a common team goal. This research develops strategy-based multi-agent multi-team systems, where strategy is framed as an instrument at the team level to coordinate the multiple agents of a team in a cohesive way. A formal specification of strategy and strategy-based multi-agent multi-team systems is provided. A framework is developed called SiMAMT (strategy- based multi-agent multi-team systems). The different components of the framework, including strategy simulation, strategy inference, strategy evaluation, and strategy selection are described. A graph-matching approximation algorithm is also developed to support effective and efficient strategy inference. Examples and experimental results are given throughout to illustrate the proposed framework, including each of its composite elements, and its overall efficacy. This research make several contributions to the field of multi-agent multi-team systems: a specification for strategy and strategy-based systems, and a framework for implementing them in real-world, interactive-time scenarios; a robust simulation space for such complex and intricate interaction; an approximation algorithm that allows for strategy inference within these systems in interactive-time; experimental results that verify the various sub-elements along with a full-scale integration experiment showing the efficacy of the proposed framework.

This thesis explores the use of serious games from an instructor perspective. More specifically, it aims to study the roles of instructors and how they can be facilitated within an instructor-led game-based training environment. Research within the field of serious games has mostly focused on the learners' perspective, but little attention has been paid to what the instructors do and what challenges that entails. In this thesis, I argue that serious games, as artefacts used for learning and training, cannot fully replace the instructors' tasks, but must rather be designed to facilitate the various activities of the instructors. Thus, instructors form an important target audience in serious game development – not just as subject matter experts, but also as users and players of the game – with a different set of needs than the learners. Moreover, serious gaming (the actualisation of a serious game) involves more than in-game activities, it also involves actions and events that occur off-game. These activities must also be considered when designing and utilising games for learning and training. Using a qualitative approach, instructor-led serious gaming has been explored from a range of contexts, from rehabilitation to incident commander training and military training. Several different instructor roles have been identified and characterised, including in-game facilitator, puckster, debriefer, technical support and subject matter expert. Based on empirical and theoretical material, a framework for instructor-led serious gaming has been developed. It involves best practices in different phases of game-based training, such as scenario authoring, coaching-by-gaming, assessing in-game and off-game performance, giving feedback, and conducting a debriefing or after-action review. Furthermore, specific needs and challenges for instructors have been identified and reformulated into guidelines for instructor-led serious gaming. The guidelines highlight the importance of usability and visualisation, as well as the need for carefully designed support tools for instructors' situation awareness, assessment and debriefing. Lastly, a number of success factors pertaining to both the development and actualisation of serious games are presented. Since serious games aim to be both productive and engaging, it is advantageous to work with interdisciplinary teams when developing serious games. This includes subject matter experts well versed in serious gaming practices. Furthermore, a successful serious game should adhere to sound pedagogical theories, be easy to use and maintain, and include system support for instructors' tasks. Successful serious gaming practices also involve having an organisational culture that fosters knowledge sharing among practitioners. / Denna avhandling undersöker användningen av serious games från ett instruktörsperspektiv. Mer specifikt är syftet att studera instruktörernas roller och hur de kan underlättas inom en lärarledd spelbaserad träningsmiljö. Forskning inom området serious games har mestadels fokuserat på elevernas perspektiv, medan ringa uppmärksamhet har ägnats åt vad instruktörerna gör och vilka utmaningar det innebär. I avhandlingen argumenterar jag att serious games, i egenskap av artefakter som används för lärande och utbildning, inte helt kan ersätta instruktörernas uppgifter, utan måste i stället utformas för att underlätta instruktörernas olika sysslor. Således utgör instruktörer en viktig målgrupp i utveckling av serious games – inte bara som ämnesexperter, utan även som användare och spelare – med en annan uppsättning av behov än eleverna. Dessutom innebär serious gaming (dvs. användandet av ett serious game) förutom de aktiviter som utförs i spelet, även handlingar och händelser som förekommer utanför spelet. Dessa aktiviteter måste också beaktas när man utformar och använder spel för lärande och träning. Serious gaming har, utifrån en kvalitativ ansats, undersökts i en rad olika sammanhang, från rehabilitering till utbildning av räddningsledare och militär utbildning. Flera olika lärarroller har identifierats och karakteriserats, bland annat facilitator i spelet, puckster (skötare av AI-enheter), utvärderare, teknisk support och ämnesexpert. Ett ramverk för lärarledd serious gaming har utvecklats baserat på empiriskt och teoretiskt material. Det omfattar en beskrivning av bästa praxis i olika faser av spelbaserad träning, såsom scenarioskapande, coachning genom spelande, bedömning av prestation i och utanför spelet, återkoppling, samt sammanfattande utvärdering. Vidare har särskilda behov och utmaningar för instruktörer identifierats och omformulerats som riktlinjer för lärarledd serious gaming. Riktlinjerna belyser vikten av användbarhet och visualisering, liksom behovet av omsorgsfullt utformade stödverktyg för instruktörernas situationsmedvetenhet, utvärdering och avrapportering. Slutligen presenteras ett antal framgångsfaktorer avseende både utveckling och utförande av serious games. Eftersom serious games syftar till att vara både produktiva och engagerande, är det fördelaktigt att utveckling av dessa utförs av tvärdisciplinära team. Detta inkluderar ämnesexperter väl bevandrade i serious gaming. Vidare bör ett framgångsrikt serious game hålla sig till välgrundade pedagogiska teorier, vara lätt att använda och underhålla, samt innehålla systemstöd för instruktörernas uppgifter. Framgångsrik serious gaming-praxis innebär också att ha en organisationskultur som främjar kunskapsutbyte mellan instruktörer.