Search

Recently, Alice Medalia et Al. published a new therapeutic approach to mental impairments problems by using video-games in treatment sessions (Medalia et Al. 2009), the Neuropsychological Educational Approach to Cognitive Remediation (NEAR). According to the World Health Organization one in every four people in the world is affected by mental or neurological disorder some time in their life (WHO 2013), in what appears to be an humanitarian emergency, considering the disproportion between this figure and the actual number of patients under treatment worldwide (WHO 2013). The NEAR method is used worldwide in learning centers where patients can play commercially available games specifically selected according to their mental training needs and assisted by clinicians. The NEAR method is the basis for the research work presented, which is focused on the creation of a novel genre of games, the 'NEAR game', materialized in the form of Albalyna (Torrao 2012), an augmented reality game that serves the purpose of training the patient's mental abilities. Game demands can be calibrated according to the condition or training needs, allowing the clinician to monitor the skill evolution the player makes inside the game. To make this possible, Albalyna is a goal driven game where levels of Attention, Memory, Problem Solving, Abstract Reasoning, Visual-Spatial Analysis and Processing Speed initially defined by or for the player conduct the overall playability. The main contribution of this research is the design of a game that fits the NEAR practice and opens the possibility of distributing professionally assisted therapeutic gameplay to mentally impaired patients that are at home. In this paper the set of technologies used in order to achieve the solution is also described. The game was constructed by means of the creation of a 3D engine displaying a world with polar and Cartesian coordinates where the game creatures can move and act. An Artificial Intelligence engine underlies the game logic, applying a goal driven technique that conducts the gameplay. The Kinect™ depth sensor, RGB camera and microphone array are used so that the game can involve the player, in an augmented reality environment. The player can see herself using a helmet that illuminates the world and the creatures where and with the player can interact by means of gestures and voice commands. The first tests and evaluation results are widely positive, and more tests are needed to determine Albalyna's efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer games are often seen as at best a mindless distraction and at worst a way in which children and young adults are lured into bad behaviours. A recent government advertising campaign caused great consternation among game manufacturers as they saw it as portraying computer games as a major cause in childhood obesity. At the same time many children who are exhibiting behavioural disorders (violent behaviours, attention deficit etc.) end up excluded from school and have to be helped to deal with these symptoms of their underlying problems. This treatment often involves a teacher in one to one and small group activities seeking to engage the children in discussion about their behaviour; the idea being to get the children to understand the relationship between their own and others behaviour, thoughts and feelings. Such children often find the activities difficult to engage with. However, computer games have already been shown to be useful tools in engaging such students in discussion. One aspect of this is that the children can gain a form of empowerment in their relationship with the teacher through the game. Another is the intrinsically motivating and engaging and nature of games and the range of activities that can be introduced. A number of games are being developed to aid this study. This paper focuses on one game that is now in its test phase. The game is a 3D, super hero themed role-playing adventure based on exploration, collection and interaction with in-game characters. It has been designed for children aged 8 to 12 in the early stages of treatment for behavioural, emotional and social problems and has been built around concepts derived from the cognitive behavioural model. The game aims to allow educators/workers to introduce and discuss important topics with the child in a non-confrontational way; To aid in development of the child/worker relationship by providing a fun activity where the child is afforded control; To provide education aimed at developing coping strategies through learning about the relationship between thoughts, feelings and emotions, and by exploring techniques for recognising and questioning faulty thinking patterns. These concepts are explored though symbolic modelling of problem behaviours and associated cognition by in-game characters. The player has an active role in attempting to understand and find solutions to the problems faced by these characters allowing the child to become a part of the solution rather than the cause of the problem. The first stage of the testing was to present the prototype game to a group of professionals in the field. Their response was largely positive and many of their responses have been incorporated in changes in the design. Currently the game is being tested by a group of children and their responses are being used in the remodelling of the game. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]