SIMULATION & GAMING最新文献

{"title":"How Hard Is It Really? Assessing Game-Task Difficulty Through Real-Time Measures of Performance and Cognitive Load","authors":"Andrew J. A. Seyderhelm, K. Blackmore","doi":"10.1177/10468781231169910","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10468781231169910","url":null,"abstract":"Background Serious and entertainment game designers strive to create engaging, immersive, and often, challenging games. This task involves modifying game mechanics or environments to create experiences with differing levels of challenge to meet player skill. The balance between different game mechanics or environments, and the differing levels of challenge they pose, is typically understood through iterative testing. Balance and challenge becomes increasingly important in serious games and simulation training as these games commonly need to be engaging and impart learning content. Overburdening players’ cognitive capacity with either too much gameplay challenge or learning content may reduce the educational effectiveness of the game. Aim. In this research, we develop a game-based driving simulation with different gameplay tasks to explore the impact of different types of challenges and game aesthetics on real-time cognitive load and task performance, which may inform serious game design. We also test the validity of a game-embedded real-time cognitive load measuring method. Method A total of 31 participants undertook the driving simulation experiment under three different aesthetic conditions using a within-subject experimental design. Cognitive load was measured using three different methods, and performance was measured via in-game metrics. Additionally, demographic and engagement surveys were also completed. Results Player performance and cognitive load respond differently to different types of challenge, and an appropriate level of game challenge can lower cognitive load. The embedded cognitive load measure was validated as an effective method for evaluating real-time cognitive load during gameplay. Conclusion The results demonstrate the validity of a dual measure approach for future adaptive serious games and simulation training environments combining performance and cognitive load. An easy to implement, and robust, in-game measure for cognitive load has been validated in real-world conditions. From these results, a system for dynamic difficulty adjustment is proposed tailored towards serious games and simulation.","PeriodicalId":47521,"journal":{"name":"SIMULATION & GAMING","volume":"54 1","pages":"294 - 321"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42504696","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Players Perception of the Chemistry in the Video Game No Man’s Sky","authors":"Diogo Santos, Nelson Zagalo, Carla Morais","doi":"10.1177/10468781231169301","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10468781231169301","url":null,"abstract":"Background No Man’s Sky (NMS) is a sci-fi videogame about survival and exploration where players fly spaceships, search for elements, and use them to build, trade, and survive. Despite evolving around scientific concepts, NMS isn’t a serious game, and not all the scientific content in the game is presented with evidence. Theory and Method Looking at the interceptions between videogames and science, and moving to how science communication, both in theory and practice, can be explored within the videogame’s paradigm, a survey was developed to better understand how NMS players perceive the scientific content in the game. Aims Are players aware of the scientific content and how it is presented in NMS? Can they decipher it, question it and understand it under real-world rules? With the data collected from 124 respondents from 23 countries, we aim to better understand how an entertainment videogame can potentially help scientists, educators, and science communicators reach a growing, evolving, vibrant, diverse, and demanding audience. Results Players seem aware of the scientific content in NMS, with a positive attitude through it. But players showed problems identifying what is right and wrong, while also pointing to the idea that every videogame that deals with science should strive to treat it with evidence. 57% of the respondents answered that NMS motivated them to know more about chemistry, with more than 35% revealing that they learned something new and understood the role of some scientific fundaments in certain real-world situations like new energy sources, biomes, or the role of carbon and oxygen. Discussion and Conclusion With the growth of the videogames’ audience, educators, science communicators, scientists, and policymakers can find in the medium – in any shape or form – a fun and interactive ally to engage with younger audiences and promote dialogues that can be transformative around scientific topics.","PeriodicalId":47521,"journal":{"name":"SIMULATION & GAMING","volume":"70 45","pages":"375 - 394"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41285384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Digital Games as Media for Teaching and Learning: A Template for Critical Evaluation","authors":"H. Pötzsch, Therese Holt Hansen, E. Hammar","doi":"10.1177/10468781231166213","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10468781231166213","url":null,"abstract":"Background Videogames can be useful tools for teaching and learning. To plan educational uses, potential benefits and possible problematic aspects of specific titles need to be critically assessed by teachers and school leaders prior to implementation. Theory and Method Based on game ontological models, we identify salient areas of inquiry in games research and use these to structure a template for evaluation. This way we operationalize foundational games research and put key insights to practical use in the planning and preparation of videogame-based teaching sessions. Aims We develop a template for the evaluation of videogames as tools for and objects of teaching and learning to facilitate critical uses of these technologies in schools and other educational settings. Results We present a template for critical evaluation to facilitate the use of videogames for educational endeavors. The template distinguishes between videogames as tools for and objects of teaching and learning and is structured along the game ontological dimensions of 1) sign system, 2) rules and mechanics, 3) materiality and 4) players, and includes aspects of both representation and simulation. This way, we disentangle a complex phenomenon and make its components amendable for critical analysis and constructive intervention. Discussion and Conclusion We offer illustrating examples for how the template can be used to assess the usability of specific titles in education and discuss advantages and disadvantages. Finally, we suggest steps for implementation and further improvement.","PeriodicalId":47521,"journal":{"name":"SIMULATION & GAMING","volume":"54 1","pages":"348 - 374"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47245413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An Examination of Memory Performance in a Fearful Virtual Reality Gaming Context","authors":"L. Lo, C. L. Ip","doi":"10.1177/10468781231166249","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10468781231166249","url":null,"abstract":"Background The emotion of fear bears a survival significance enabling animals to be highly vigilant in contexts of uncertainty. Expectedly, not all information available in the environment can be processed. Given that a major goal is to get rid of the source of fear in a fearful situation, the current study therefore hypothesized that information relating to the fear source would be better attended to and recalled than contextual information, which was validated by comparing participants’ recall of different types of information presented in a fearful VR gaming context. Methodology Fifty-four participants were divided into two groups and finished a specific segment of a VR game with different fear levels. Results No significant difference in recall performance on the questions about the appearance of the fear source and the questions about the interaction with the source was observed between the fear and less-fear groups. Yet, contextual information was better recalled than information related to the fear source in both groups. Regardless of whether the contextual information was provided beforehand or not, participants still tended to focus primarily on the environment in the gameplay. Also, the immersiveness of the gameplay was positively related to participants’ fear level. Discussion The tendency of attending to contextual information was speculated to be unconditional, in line with the risk calculation observed in prey when situated in less familiar contexts. It was suggested to further validate the present primarily findings by adopting VR headset with eye-tracking function in future studies. Lastly, an understanding of fear’s effect on memorization might also provide some information for developing future survival horror games.","PeriodicalId":47521,"journal":{"name":"SIMULATION & GAMING","volume":"54 1","pages":"276 - 293"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42699479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of a Postpartum Hemorrhage Escape Room: A Multisite Study","authors":"Tamara Holland, J. Kuhnly, Michele M. Mckelvey, Jean Prast, Laurie Walter","doi":"10.1177/10468781231166016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10468781231166016","url":null,"abstract":"Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate a teaching strategy that engaged baccalaureate maternity nursing students at two universities in a postpartum hemorrhage escape room. The study examined students’ attainment of knowledge, as well as teamwork, collaboration, communication, and safety. Method A mixed method study was conducted with 85 junior-level and senior-level maternity students at two universities in the Northeastern region of the United States. Participants completed a survey and attended one of 20 focus groups after completion of a healthcare simulation escape room on postpartum hemorrhage. Results Participants (95.2%) reported that the escape room helped with knowledge and skill acquisition. All of the participants reported that it was an effective team building strategy and 97.6% said it fostered communication, learning, and the ability to provide safe patient care. Participants unanimously reported that the escape room was enjoyable, an effective strategy for team building, and they would recommend it to others. Qualitative findings showed six major themes: It was Fun!, No I in Team, Escaping to Learn: Building Knowledge and Confidence, Pressure Cooker, Big Picture, and Lessons Learned. Conclusion Healthcare simulation escape rooms are an effective teaching strategy and can be used by nursing faculty to foster knowledge, teamwork, collaboration, communication and safety. Participant feedback showed high satisfaction and they felt the escape room provided a valuable learning experience.","PeriodicalId":47521,"journal":{"name":"SIMULATION & GAMING","volume":"54 1","pages":"252 - 275"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44352372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"On the Shoulder of the Giants for Creating a Better Future","authors":"M. Schijven, T. Kikkawa","doi":"10.1177/10468781231166046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10468781231166046","url":null,"abstract":"Dear readers of Simulation and Gaming, Considering the rich heritage of the S&G journal, our current research is much influenced by the work and legacy of our ancestors, whether consciously -or not. Reading the biographies section of our great scholars, one may trace back history and learn how the field of serious play in literature became an established area of research. When reading again, one may notice some of our ancestors referring to the board game “Diplomacy “as the first game to enter the field of serious play. This game is about negotiation and betrayal among players as representatives of countries, with in the end, only one player (country) could win. Considering the fact that it was a popular game at the time, just after WW2, this might imply that players then had a rather pessimistic worldview, i.e., one should better learn tactical negotiation and how to deal with betrayal -in order to futureproof their chances. The idea of changing the world and to make a better future using simulation/gaming was, at that time, not in their gaming portfolio. In comparison with more classic research topics found in literature, research on (digital) games and simulations is relatively new. Jane McGonigal’s legendary book “Reality is broken” (2011) is now already a classic, only a decade after its date of the publication. As we pointed out in our editorial of the December issue in 2022, Jane showed us a promising future when we are able to learn and benefit from using games. Indeed, from her perspective, games can change the world for the better. So, be its purpose or development for better or worse, the idea and motivation behind researching","PeriodicalId":47521,"journal":{"name":"SIMULATION & GAMING","volume":"54 1","pages":"239 - 240"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47734182","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Cognitive Skills in Interpretation of Spatial Situations in the League of Legends game","authors":"Tymoteusz Horbiński, Krzysztof Zagata","doi":"10.1177/10468781231165616","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10468781231165616","url":null,"abstract":"Background League of Legends is one of the most popular video games in the world. With the help of the new initiatives of the developers and publishers (Riot Games), professional international and local tournaments were established. Riot Games also took care of establishing regional leagues, such as LCK (League of Legends Champions Korea) or LEC (League of Legends European Championship). The best teams from each region have an annual chance to compete in October / November to become the esports world champions in LoL. Watching the tournaments such as world champions, as well as amateur streams on popular platforms (Twitch, YouTube) is now trending more and more. The fact that the game (especially spatial situations) can be observed by both experts (players of this game) and non-experts (players of other games or non-players at all) creates a field for scientific research. Intervention The authors of this article wanted to establish whether or not the League of Legends game offers gamers with different levels of knowledge of the entire game and different range of cognitive skills the same interpretation of spatial situations. Methods The research was carried out in the form of a questionnaire (offline), in which respondents were supposed to watch five short videos presenting different situations during the game. Eighty-two respondents, divided into three groups, participated in the research. The Pearson chi-square test was used for the analysis of the differences between groups. Results and Discussion As a consequence of the results of this study it may be concluded that gamers on different advancement level do not present the same level of interpretation of spatial situations in the game. The authors, using the scheme of knowledge of the point, lane, and area in the construction of video questionnaire did not focus on the game as a whole, but wanted to highlight crucial elements of the entire game.","PeriodicalId":47521,"journal":{"name":"SIMULATION & GAMING","volume":"54 1","pages":"322 - 347"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41809716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Richard D. Duke: Systems Thinker, Game Science Founder & Beloved Mentor","authors":"H. Lukosch","doi":"10.1177/10468781231161955","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10468781231161955","url":null,"abstract":"Background This remembrance of Richard “Dick” Duke, one of the founding members of the International Simulation and Gaming Association (ISAGA), and dedicated promoter of game science, contains Duke’s contribution to the field of simulation and gaming, as a retrospective into the past, and as inspiration for the present and the future of this discipline. Duke has been a highly respected colleague, and a beloved friend for many in the scientific community. He will be remembered for his academic contributions, but more so for his commitment to support young talent, and for his aim to address societal problems in all of his doing. Purpose The goal of this article is to reflect on the work of Richard D. Duke and the influence he had and still has on the simulation and gaming research and practice community. The overview of his work illustrates his specific approach towards simulation and gaming, while the personal words of colleagues he worked with over the years combine professional and personal perspectives on the work and life of Richard D. Duke. Research Design The article presents a brief literature review along with a collection of contributions from researchers and practitioners in the field of simulation and gaming. Data Collection This obituary dos not represent a scientific article as such. However, a careful review of the articles and books of Richard D. Duke has been carried out for this article, and colleagues have contributed with their thoughts and memories. Results The overview of Richard D. Duke’s work shows how he approached simulation and gaming as a powerful form of human communication, especially suited to analyse and design complex problems. All simulation game design is driven by the purpose to represent and explore alternative solutions and future states of a given situation. Duke’s careful and detailed conceptualisation of simulation gaming as interactive language represents a wealth of information for current and future researchers and practitioners in the field of simulation and gaming. Conclusion After more than 50 years of his first publication in the field of simulation and gaming, Duke’s contributions are still highly relevant to the science and practice in this area. His ideas inspire a large number of researchers and practitioners, and his foundational work had and has a large impact on how the science of simulation and gaming has developed and still advances.","PeriodicalId":47521,"journal":{"name":"SIMULATION & GAMING","volume":"54 1","pages":"221 - 234"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46226286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Player Experience and Enjoyment: A Preliminary Examination of Differences in Video Game Genre","authors":"Sean Eshuis, K. Pozzebon, Andrew Allen, L. Kannis-Dymand","doi":"10.1177/10468781231158818","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10468781231158818","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Player experience is the interaction between individual qualities and game attributes. It is becoming a popular topic to understand why individuals are interested in different video games. The current literature offers a range of different scales that measure similar player experience factors but often lack published validity analysis. The Player Experience Index is an empirically validated measure based on the means-end theory. The current study used this measure to analyse player experience factors and enjoyment among single-player shooter, single-player role-playing, massively multiplayer online shooter, and massively multiplayer online role-playing video games. Methods Analyses were based on a sample of 145 participants who completed an online survey. Results Results indicated that player experience factors were related to enjoyment, with differing results based on video game genre. It was also found that greater levels of enjoyment were reported by participants who preferred single-player mode of play compared to massively multiplayer online play mode, and participants who preferred single-player role-playing games indicated greater levels of enjoyment than the other three groups. Discussion While there was an uneven and small sample size for each video game category, the findings of this exploratory study highlight that further research is warranted. Future research should consider analysing the player experience for currently available and marketed video games to better understand how player experience influences enjoyment in the rapidly evolving gaming industry and its role in gaming design.","PeriodicalId":47521,"journal":{"name":"SIMULATION & GAMING","volume":"54 1","pages":"209 - 220"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44595223","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Application of Mobile-Based Games in The Rehabilitation of Stroke Survivors","authors":"Narges Norouzkhani, Mahsa Hamednia, S. Aalaei","doi":"10.1177/10468781231158048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10468781231158048","url":null,"abstract":"Background Stroke, as a cerebral vascular accident, leads to brain injury which is characterized by interrupted blood flow. Indeed, impairments in the face, arms, and speech are usual symptoms of a stroke. A variety of disorders emerges after stroke, specific rehabilitation programs are used to restore the lost functions and improve the health status of the patient, mainly if they are applied early. In this study, we tried to present a comprehensive appraisal of recent findings and innovations in mobile games intended for the rehabilitation of stroke survivors. Methods Using keywords of interest including rehabilitation, stroke, mobile/computer, and application/game, a thorough search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and Embase. Retrieved papers were scrutinized based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results Unfortunately, due to the limitations in the resources and facilities, early rehabilitation is not feasible in most cases. However, mobile technology is a promising avenue to address this hurdle, substantiating in the early rehabilitation practices in stroke patients. Mobile games hopefully brings a bunch of valuable outcomes and benefits, such as innovation, low-cost, and exciting approaches, both in clinical and home settings. Indeed, mobile devices save time, which could be spent to improve fine motor functions, leading to the acceleration of treatment for patients who are at home after discharge from hospitals. Conclusion Acceptable motor improvement, visual perception, cognition, quality of life, satisfaction, and preferences of the patients are essential factors that should be considered in the design of these applications. It was shown that conventional strategies combined with such modern computer-based technologies might have synergistic effects on restoring the lost skills in stroke patients.","PeriodicalId":47521,"journal":{"name":"SIMULATION & GAMING","volume":"54 1","pages":"184 - 208"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45769637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}