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Despite recent advancements in our understanding of the human perception of the emotional behaviour of embodied artificial entities in virtual reality environments, little remains known about various specifics relating to the effect of gender mapping on the perception of emotion from body movement. In this paper, a pilot experiment is presented investigating the effects of gender congruency on the perception of emotion from upper body movements. Male and female actors were enrolled to conduct a number of gestures within six general categories of emotion. These motions were mapped onto virtual characters with male and female embodiments. According to the gender congruency condition, the motions of male actors were mapped onto male characters (congruent) or onto female characters (incongruent) and vice-versa. A significant effect of gender mapping was found in the ratings of perception of three emotions (anger, fear and happiness), suggesting that gender may be an important aspect to be considered in the perception, and hence generation, of some emotional behaviours., QC 20150611

This paper examines the development of a crowd simulation in a virtual city, and a perceptual experiment to identify features of behaviour which can be linked to perceived realism. This research is expected to feedback into the development processes of simulating inhabited locations, by identifying the key features which need to be implemented to achieve more perceptually realistic crowd behaviour. The perceptual experimentation methodologies presented can be adapted and potentially utilised to test other types of crowd simulation, for application within computer games or more specific simulations such as for urban planning or health and safety purposes., QC 20140114

Simulating vast crowds of autonomous agents within a procedurally generated virtual environment is a challenging endeavour from a technical perspective, however it becomes even more difficult when the subjective nature of perception is also taken into account. Agent behaviour is the product of artificial intelligence systems working in tandem, however the sophistication of these systems is not a guarantee of achieving believable behaviour. Within locations based upon reality such as an urban environment, the perceived realism of agent behaviour becomes even harder to achieve. This paper presents the development of a crowd simulation that is based upon a real-life urban environment, which is then subjected to perceptual experimentation to identify features of behaviour which can be linked to perceived realism. This research is predicted to feedback into the development processes of inhabited cities, especially those attempting to simulate perceptually realistic agents as it will highlight features of behaviour that are important to implement. The perceptual experimentation methodologies presented can also be adapted and potentially utilised to test other types of crowd simulation, whether it be for the purposes of computer games or even urban planning and health and safety., QC 20131030

Since the emergence of e-Learning-Learning systems, researchers have explored methods to increase their efficacy, and support a wider range of pedagogical approaches. Similarly, the concept of using Game Based Learning, taken commonly to refer to the use of digital games for education, has also been the subject of a substantial volume of research into their pedagogical design and impact. The popularisation of Game Based Learning has occurred in parallel with the establishment of E-Learning systems; however, questions remain on both technical and pedagogical levels as to how games can effectively be integrated into e-Learning systems. Games can differ substantially from other educational media when used as learning resources, as they may combine high-fidelity audio and video content and employ experiential, social, or exploratory pedagogies. Observing that games are not commonly designed to be included in E-Learning-Learning systems, and that most E-Learning-Learning standards at present do not specifically include affordances for Game Based Learning, this paper explores recent advances in standardisation of Game Based Learning descriptions, and their integration with ELearning- Learning standards.

In recent years, virtual reality and augmented reality have emerged as areas of extreme interest as unique methods for visualising and interacting with digital museum artefacts in a different context, for example, as a virtual museum or exhibition, particularly over the Internet. Modern cultural heritage exhibitions have evolved from static to dynamic exhibitions and challenging explorations. This paper presents two different applications developed for the Herbert Museum and Art Gallery that make the user’s experience more immersive, engaging, and interactive. The first application utilizes mobile phone devices in order to enrich the visitors experience in the museum, and the second application is a serious game for cultural heritage and in particular for museum environments focusing on the younger visitors.

This chapter explores the context for the new paradigm of learning emerging in education, in relation to key critical concepts that centre around gamification, immersion, interface and social interactivity. The chapter provides an extensive literature review as part of the context for the paradigm shift, including considering serious games and gamification, and social learning as key constructs for considering the changes to educational practices and infrastructure faced by educationalists and instructors over the coming years. The chapter also provides an historical background section and highlights some of the conceptual work that has been done already to frame the changes, firstly in relation to the notion of ‘gamification’ through the lens of an historical overview of serious games and secondly in a section exploring the need for an overall model for serious game design based upon four models and frameworks developed in past research work including the four dimensional framework, exploratory learning model, multimodal interface architecture model and the game-based learning framework. The chapter aims to set out the key conceptual territory for serious game design and bring together the main theoretical areas under consideration for future development of effective serious game content.

This chapter explores the context for the new paradigm of learning emerging in education, in relation to key critical concepts that centre around gamification, immersion, interface and social interactivity. The chapter provides an extensive literature review as part of the context for the paradigm shift, including considering serious games and gamification, and social learning as key constructs for considering the changes to educational practices and infrastructure faced by educationalists and instructors over the coming years. The chapter also provides an historical background section and highlights some of the conceptual work that has been done already to frame the changes, firstly in relation to the notion of ‘gamification’ through the lens of an historical overview of serious games and secondly in a section exploring the need for an overall model for serious game design based upon four models and frameworks developed in past research work including the four dimensional framework, exploratory learning model, multimodal interface architecture model and the game-based learning framework. The chapter aims to set out the key conceptual territory for serious game design and bring together the main theoretical areas under consideration for future development of effective serious game content.

Traditional approaches to learning have often focused upon knowledge transfer strategies that have centred on textually-based engagements with learners, and dialogic methods of interaction with tutors. The use of virtual worlds, with text-based, voice-based and a feeling of 'presence' naturally is allowing for more complex social interactions and designed learning experiences and role plays, as well as encouraging learner empowerment through increased interactivity. To unpick these complex social interactions and more interactive designed experiences, this paper considers the use of virtual worlds in relation to structured learning activities for college and lifelong learners. This consideration necessarily has implications upon learning theories adopted and practices taken up, with real implications for tutors and learners alike. Alongside this is the notion of learning as an ongoing set of processes mediated via social interactions and experiential learning circumstances within designed virtual and hybrid spaces. This implies the need for new methodologies for evaluating the efficacy, benefits and challenges of learning in these new ways. Towards this aim, this paper proposes an evaluation methodology for supporting the development of specified learning activities in virtual worlds, based upon inductive methods and augmented by the four-dimensional framework reported in a previous study. The study undertaken aimed to test the efficacy of the proposed evaluation methodology and framework, and to evaluate the broader uses of a virtual world for supporting lifelong learners specifically in their educational choices and career decisions. The paper presents the findings of the study and considers that virtual worlds are reorganising significantly how we relate to the design and delivery of learning. This is opening up a transition in learning predicated upon the notion of learning design through the lens of 'immersive learning experiences' rather than sets of knowledge

Although the widespread use of gaming for leisure purposes has been well documented, the use of games to support cultural heritage purposes, such as historical teaching and learning, or for enhancing museum visits, has been less well considered. The state-of-the-art in serious game technology is identical to that of the state-of-the-art in entertainment games technology. As a result, the field of serious heritage games concerns itself with recent advances in computer games, real-time computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence. On the other hand, the main strengths of serious gaming applications may be generalised as being in the areas of communication, visual expression of information, collaboration mechanisms, interactivity and entertainment. In this report, we will focus on the state-of-the-art with respect to the theories, methods and technologies used in serious heritage games. We provide an overview of existing literature of relevance to the domain, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the described methods and point out unsolved problems and challenges. In addition, several case studies illustrating the application of methods and technologies used in cultural heritage are presented.

The study introduced in this paper examines some of the issues involved in the design and implementation of serious games that make use of tangible AR environments. Our motivation is to understand how augmented reality serious games (ARSG) can be applied to some very difficult problems in the real gaming world. Emphasis is given on the interface and the interactions between the players and the serious games themselves. In particular, two case studies are presented, ARPuzzle and ARBreakout. Results from both case studies indicate that AR gaming has the potential of revolutionizing the way that current games are played and used as well as that it can help educate players while playing.

This paper presents tangible augmented reality gaming environment that can be used to enhance entertainment using a multimodal tracking interface. Players can interact using different combinations between a pinch glove, a Wiimote, a six-degrees-of-freedom tracker, through tangible ways as well as through I/O controls. Two tabletop augmented reality games have been designed and implemented including a racing game and a pile game. The goal of the augmented reality racing game is to start the car and move around the track without colliding with either the wall or the objects that exist in the gaming arena. Initial evaluation results showed that multimodal-based interaction games can be beneficial in gaming. Based on these results, an augmented reality pile game was implemented with goal of completing a circuit of pipes (from a starting point to an end point on a grid). Initial evaluation showed that tangible interaction is preferred to keyboard interaction and that tangible games are much more enjoyable.

This paper presents the results of a usability evaluation of the NeuroSky's MindSet (MS). Until recently most Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) have been designed for clinical and research purposes partly due to their size and complexity. However, a new generation of consumer-oriented BCI has appeared for the video game industry. The MS, a headset with a single electrode, is based on electro-encephalogram readings (EEG) capturing faint electrical signals generated by neural activity. The electrical signal across the electrode is measured to determine levels of attention (based on Alpha waveforms) and then translated into binary data. This paper presents the results of an evaluation to assess the usability of the MS by defining a model of attention to fuse attention signals with user-generated data in a Second Life assessment exercise. The results of this evaluation suggest that the MS provides accurate readings regarding attention, since there is a positive correlation between measured and self-reported attention levels. The results also suggest there are some usability and technical problems with its operation. Future research is presented consisting of the definition a standardized reading methodology and an algorithm to level out the natural fluctuation of users' attention levels if they are to be used as inputs.

The study introduced in this paper examines some of the issues involved in the design and implementation of serious games that make use of tangible AR environments. Our motivation is to understand how augmented reality serious games (ARSG) can be applied to some very difficult problems in the real gaming world. Emphasis is given on the interface and the interactions between the players and the serious games themselves. In particular, two case studies are presented, ARPuzzle and ARBreakout. Results from both case studies indicate that AR gaming has the potential of revolutionizing the way that current games are played and used as well as that it can help educate players while playing.

The development of a computer-based simulation for emergency response exercise training to facilitate trainees' learning activities and learning outcomes is proposed. Some limitations in using these simulations in emergency services include a focus on small-scaled individual task training and highly controlled environments designed to measure trainees' performance. These problems decrease the realism of the simulation which should represent more diverse, open-ended, counter-intuitive and unpredictable environmental conditions. These problems could reduce learning outcomes brought about by allowing open-ended discussions and team working. Virtual worlds provide a new methodological framework for conducting emergency response exercises. This paper describes a research agenda for the development of a virtual training exercise for emergency response. It has three objectives: firstly, it highlights the issues of validity of exercises for emergency events; secondly, it reviews possible virtual worlds which could be deployed as test bed environments and presents methodologies for their evaluation. Lastly, it suggests a future development of a virtual environment that may be used to support the emergency planning community by considering an existing similar project.

High dynamic range (HDR) technology enables the capture, storage, transmission and display of real-world lighting at a high precision as opposed to traditional low dynamic range (LDR) imaging. One of HDR’s main features is its ability to reproduce very bright and very dark areas simultaneously. Dynamic range describes the span between these extrema in the brightness scale. HDR research investigates the generation, capturing, processing, transmission, storage and reproduction of HDR content. Cultural heritage represents our legacy that must be passed on to future generations. As it is increasingly threatened with deterioration, destruction and disappearance, its documentation, conservation and presentation is of high importance. Given the real-world dynamic range and the limitations of conventional capture and display technology, HDR imaging represents an invaluable tool for accurate documentation, virtual reconstruction and visualisation of cultural heritage. HDR is used by academics, museums, and media to visualise the appearance of sites in various periods in time. Physically-based 3D virtual reconstructions are used for studying existing or ruined cultural heritage environments. This in turn enables archaeologists to interpret the past and deduce new historical knowledge. In this chapter we present the HDR pipeline, along with its use for cultural heritage preservation, recreation and presentation.

The five articles in this special section focus on collaboration and learning in shared virtual environments (VE). VEs are an excellent tool for the provision of training and education. The articles examine techniques and technologies for education and training in virtual environments, spanning both solo and collaborative approaches. These articles include original submissions as well as extended and revised versions of selected best papers presented at the VS-Games 2019 conference.

Since the swift and dramatic emergence of serious games as a field of study in its own right, numerous challenges have been revealed. Serious games share most of their infrastructure with entertainment games and other interactive virtual and augmented reality (AR) environments and progressive development of games technologies and interactive techniques also improve serious games; however, the transfer of existing and new technologies and solutions to the younger application domain of serious games is not always straightforward, requiring creative solutions. For this Special Issue, we have accepted five articles that demonstrate the breadth of techniques for graphics and virtual environments for serious games. These articles are a mix of original submissions and of extended and revised versions of selected best papers presented at the VS-Games 2019 conference.

ACM SIGGRAPH and Eurographics are restarting CGEMS, the Computer Graphics Educational Materials Source, an on-line repository of curricular material for computer graphics education. In this context, the question that we ask ourselves is: ''How can CGEMS best meet the needs of educators''? The aim of this forum is to provide the audience with an idea of the purpose of CGEMS - a source of educational materials for educators by educators - and to give them an opportunity to contribute their views and ideas towards shaping the new CGEMS. Towards this purpose, we have identified a number of issues to resolve, which the panel will put forward to the participants of the forum for discussion.

This paper presents a serious game that covers the teaching of some basic concepts of computer networks, which has been specifically designed for educating university level students. User requirements are collected through an expert user evaluation with academics as well as with a quantitative evaluation with university students. Based on these results, an online serious game was designed and implemented. The effectiveness of the serious game when applied for teaching purposes is quantified through an end-user evaluation with 30 users. Initial evaluation results show that online serious games can be an effective and useful pedagogic tool in teaching computer networks in a higher education environment.