Motor performance of tongue with a computer-integrated system under different levels of background physical exertion

The purpose of this study was to compare the motor performance of tongue, using Tongue Drive System, to hand operation for relatively complex tasks under different levels of background physical exertion. Thirteen young able-bodied adults performed tasks that tested the accuracy and variability in tracking a sinusoidal waveform, and the performance in playing two video games that require accurate and rapid movements with cognitive processing using tongue and hand under two levels of background physical exertion. Results show additional background physical activity did not influence rapid and accurate displacement motor performance, but compromised the slow waveform tracking and shooting performances in both hand and tongue. Slow waveform tracking performance by the tongue was compromised with an additional motor or cognitive task, but with an additional motor task only for the hand.     

Video game experience predicts virtual, but not real navigation performance

In recent years, studies have shown that video game experience is related to improvements across a variety of cognitive and visuospatial tasks. This study investigated the relationship between prior video game experience and spatial performance in virtual and real environments. Across two experiments, gaming experience was related to performance in desktop virtual environments; those with more video game experience were more accurate in pointing to nonvisible targets. In contrast, gaming experience was unrelated to three different real environment tasks, suggesting that video games may primarily influence perceptual and cognitive abilities in the visual domain over abilities that also involve kinesthetic or vestibular input. Contrary to expectations, gaming experience was also related to performance in immersive virtual environments, which may be related to the use of a joystick interface during immersive travel. Video game experience was also positively related to performance in a dynamic spatial task and to verbal SAT and math SAT scores. Sex differences in desktop virtual navigation and dynamic spatial ability were eliminated when game experience was included as a covariate.     

The effect of violent and non-violent computer games on cognitive performance

Two studies were conducted in order to determine the impact computer games had on the cognitive performance. Study 1 evaluated a measure of cognition, which incorporates aspects of short-term working memory, visual attention, mathematical decision making, and auditory perception. Study 2 measured the cognitive performance between those who did not play video games versus those who played either a violent or non-violent video game. Results from Study 1 indicate participants needed approximately four trials to reach asymptotic performance on the cognitive measure. Results of Study 2 showed that participants who did not play any video game did not have a change in their cognitive performance, while those who played either a violent or non-violent video game had an increase in their cognitive performance.     

Is the use of information and communication technology related to performance in working memory tasks? Evidence from seventh-grade students

The main purpose of this study was to assess whether seventh-grade students use of information and communication technology (ICT) was related to performance on working memory tasks. In addition, the study tested whether the relationship between ICT use and performance on working memory tasks interacted with seventh-grade students’ socioeconomic level and gender. 275 students recruited from 30 Chilean schools were grouped according to their self-reported use of PC, the Internet, Chat and Video games. To assess students’ working memory performance, they were tested with a digit span test and a visuo-spatial measure. Only one of our two dependent variables reflected a relationship between specific profiles of ICT use and working memory. Higher scores on the digits span test were related to those user profiles combining PC use and video game play, that is, those identified as Full users and as PC and Console Gamers. We did not find an interaction effect of gender and ICT use or an interaction effect of socioeconomic level and ICT use. There are three possible explanations for these results: first, a proclivity of students with higher working memory capacity to engage in technology use; second, an impact on working memory of potential differences in multitasking; and, third, an impact on working memory of video game play. However, these results must be interpreted cautiously since scores on the GEFT, our visuo-spatial working memory measure, were not related to any profile of technology use. As serious educational games become more regularly used at school, previous differences in video game experience become growingly important. Future research must study whether the intended benefits of serious educational games are being mediated by individual differences in previous exposure to video games and other information and computer technologies, with independence of the directionality of the relationship between video game play and working memory.     

Effects of speed,motion type,and stimulus size on dynamic visual search: A study of radar human–machine interface

Human visual perception behavior in dynamic environments could be affected by the motion properties of stimuli. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of motion type, size, and speed of stimulus on visual search performance and visual comfort in both single- and double-target tasks. Twenty participants attended an experiment in which they finished two tasks at three speeds (low, medium, and high), in two motion types (flicker, uniform), with varied levels of stimulus size (small, medium, and large) on a display. The search time, accuracy, critical flicker frequency, visual comfort, and cognitive load were recorded to provide a comprehensive understanding of participants' visual preferences during the experiment.The results indicated the increasing speed would weaken participants performance on visual search tasks; Medium-sized stimuli were recommended considering search efficiency and cost-effectiveness; More importantly, the present study also found that flicker motion led to better task performance in the low-speed task, due to increased alertness and lead physiological arousal effects, which may imply the past studies have overstated the negative effects of flickering in dynamic environments.     

Motion sickness, console video games, and head-mounted displays

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the nauseogenic properties of commercial console video games (i.e., games that are sold to the public) when presented through a head-mounted display. BACKGROUND: Anecdotal reports suggest that motion sickness may occur among players of contemporary commercial console video games. METHODS: Participants played standard console video games using an Xbox game system. We varied the participants' posture (standing vs. sitting) and the game (two Xbox games). Participants played for up to 50 min and were asked to discontinue if they experienced any symptoms of motion sickness. RESULTS: Sickness occurred in all conditions, but it was more common during standing. During seated play there were significant differences in head motion between sick and well participants before the onset of motion sickness. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that commercial console video game systems can induce motion sickness when presented via a head-mounted display and support the hypothesis that motion sickness is preceded by instability in the control of seated posture. APPLICATION: Potential applications of this research include changes in the design of console video games and recommendations for how such systems should be used.     

Exploration of Player Behaviours from Broadcast Badminton Videos

Understanding an opposing player's behaviours and weaknesses is often the key to winning a badminton game. This study presents a system to extract game data from broadcast badminton videos, and visualize the extracted data to help coaches and players develop effective tactics. Specifically, we apply state-of-the-art machine learning methods to partition a broadcast video into segments, in which each video segment shows a badminton rally. Next, we detect players' feet in each video frame and transform the player positions into the court coordinate system. Finally, we detect hit frames in each rally, in which the shuttle moves towards the opposite directions. By visualizing the extracted data, our system conveys when and where players hit the shuttle in historical games. Since players tend to smash or drop shuttles under a specific location, we provide users with interactive tools to filter data and focus on the distributions conditioned by player positions. This strategy also reduces visual clutter. Besides, our system plots the shuttle hitting distributions side-by-side, enabling visual comparison and analysis of player behaviours under different conditions. The results and the use cases demonstrate the feasibility of our system.     

An examination of psychoticism and motion capture controls as moderators of the effects of violent video games

The current study examined the potential moderating effects of motion capture technology and participants’ own level of psychoticism on their hostility and aggressive thoughts after playing violent video games. A total of 118 participants (68 females, 50 males) first completed a measure of psychoticism and then played either a violent video game or a non-violent video game using either a traditional controller or motion capture controls. Immediately after the video game play period, participants’ current level of hostility and aggressive cognitions were assessed using self-report questionnaires. Results indicated that the use of motion capture controls did not increase the negative effects of violent video games. However, participants with elevated levels of psychoticism were much more affected by violent video games than other participants. Such findings suggest that only some individuals are adversely affected by violent video games and that those who are affected have preexisting dispositions which make them susceptible to such violent media.     

On frame rate and player performance in first person shooter games

The rate at which frames are rendered in a computer game directly impacts player performance, influencing both the game playability and enjoyability. However, despite the importance of frame rate and the wide-spread popularity of computer games, to the best of our knowledge, there is little quantitative understanding of the effects of frame rate on player performance in computer games. This paper provides a unique classification of actions in First Person Shooter (FPS) games based on interaction requirements that allow qualitative assessment of the impact of frame rates on player performance. This qualitative assessment is supported by quantitative analysis from two large user studies that measure the effects of frame rate on the fundamental player actions in a FPS game. Nearly 100 users participated in the two user study experiments, providing performance and perception data over a range of frame rates commonly studied for video streaming and inclusive of frame rates found in many computer game platforms. In general, the analysis shows that actions that require precise, rapid response, such as shooting, are greatly impacted by degradations in frame rates, while actions with lower precision and response requirements, such as moving, are more tolerant of low frame rates. These insights into the effects of frame rates on player performance can guide players in their choice for game settings and new hardware purchases, and inform system designers in their development of new hardware.     

A quantitative method for evaluating the complexity of implementing and performing game features in physically-interactive gamified applications

Gamification aims to implement game features in non-game contexts, with the goal of increasing the motivation of individuals performing a specific task or set of tasks. The tasks themselves, can focus on cognitive behavior change (e.g., overcoming anxiety) or physical behavior change (e.g., overcoming a shoulder injury). Current gamification methods primarily serve as guidelines and principles for the design of gamified applications. Moreover, these methods often overlook the complexity of actually implementing the game features and do not consider the effects that game features have on individuals' ability to perform a target task. A knowledge gap exists in understanding the tradeoffs between the complexity of implementing a game feature and the impact it has on increasing individuals' motivation and performance on a particular task or set of tasks. This paper presents a method for evaluating the complexity of implementing game features and the physical effort required to perform the tasks of the application, with a specific focus on physically-interactive gamified applications. Designers will gain a fundamental understanding of how the implementation of specific game features, contributes toward the objective of the application. A case study is presented that focuses on physically-interactive gamified applications in a virtual environment. Empirical results measuring the effects of game features on participants' performance are presented, which provide evidence in support of the metrics proposed in this study. Knowledge gained from this work will inform designers on how to manage their resources more efficiently and predict possible design issues (e.g., not meeting the objective of the application) while creating gamification applications.     

Enhancing the control of force in putting by video game training.

Even if golf video games provide no proprioceptive afferences on actual putting movement, they may give sufficient substitutive visual cues to enhance force control in this skill. It was hypothesized that this usefulness requires, however, two conditions: the video game must provide reliable demonstrations of actual putts, and the user must want to use the game to make progress in actual putting. Accordingly, a video game was selected on the basis of its fidelity to the real-world game. It allowed two different methods of adjusting the virtual player's putting force in order to hole a putt: an analogue method that consisted of focusing on the virtual player's movement and a symbolic method that consisted of focusing on the movement of a gauge on a scale representing the virtual player's putting force. The participants had to use one of these methods with either the intention of making progress in actual putting or in a second condition to simply enjoy the game. Results showed a positive transfer of video playing to actual putting skill for the learning group and also, to a lesser degree, for the enjoyment group; but only when they used the symbolic method. Results are discussed in the context of how vision may convey force cues in sports video games.     

Visual search during dynamic displays: Effects of velocity and motion direction

The visual search performance during dynamic environment has been demonstrated that could be affected by the motion of target and distractors. In present study, two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of motion direction and velocity on visual search on screen. In Experiment 1, participants were required to complete the search task at three velocities(2, 8, and 16 deg/s) and four directions of motion(up, down, left, right). In Experiment 2, participants finished the more difficult visual search tasks within two directions (right, left) at higher velocities (16, 24, and 32 deg/s). The experiments revealed that the increase of velocity on the screen has a negative effect on the visual search performance, and when the velocity is higher than 8 deg/s, search times for horizontally moving images were shorter than those for vertically moving images. Furthermore, the difference in search performance could also be found in left-moving and right-moving images with the increase of velocity. Right-moving images were proved to correspond to higher visual search performance. In addition, eye movement data indicated that saccade amplitude and saccade velocity might be responsible for this difference. The results of this study can be applied to industrial inspection, safety inspection, driving, and other fields.     

Enhancing the control of force in putting by video game training

Even if golf video games provide no proprioceptive afferences on actual putting movement, they may give sufficient substitutive visual cues to enhance force control in this skill. It was hypothesized that this usefulness requires, however, two conditions: the video game must provide reliable demonstrations of actual putts, and the user must want to use the game to make progress in actual putting. Accordingly, a video game was selected on the basis of its fidelity to the real-world game. It allowed two different methods of adjusting the virtual player's putting force in order to hole a putt: an analogue method that consisted of focusing on the virtual player's movement and a symbolic method that consisted of focusing on the movement of a gauge on a scale representing the virtual player's putting force. The participants had to use one of these methods with either the intention of making progress in actual putting or in a second condition to simply enjoy the game. Results showed a positive transfer of video playing to actual putting skill for the learning group and also, to a lesser degree, for the enjoyment group; but only when they used the symbolic method. Results are discussed in the context of how vision may convey force cues in sports video games.     

Motion sickness and postural sway in console video games

OBJECTIVE: We tested the hypotheses that (a) participants might develop motion sickness while playing "off-the-shelf" console video games and (b) postural motion would differ between sick and well participants, prior to the onset of motion sickness. BACKGROUND: There have been many anecdotal reports of motion sickness among people who play console video games (e.g., Xbox, PlayStation). METHOD: Participants (40 undergraduate students) played a game continuously for up to 50 min while standing or sitting. We varied the distance to the display screen (and, consequently, the visual angle of the display). RESULTS: Across conditions, the incidence of motion sickness ranged from 42% to 56%; incidence did not differ across conditions. During game play, head and torso motion differed between sick and well participants prior to the onset of subjective symptoms of motion sickness. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that console video games carry a significant risk of motion sickness. APPLICATION: Potential applications of this research include changes in the design of console video games and recommendations for how such systems should be used.     

Gender and Computer Games: Exploring Females' Dislikes

On average, girls and women are less involved with video games than are boys and men, and when they do play, they often prefer different games. This article reports two studies that investigated the dislikes of German females with regard to video games. Study 1 applied conjoint analysis to female respondents' ( N = 317) ratings of fictional video games and demonstrated that lack of meaningful social interaction, followed by violent content and sexual gender role stereotyping of game characters, were the most important reasons why females disliked the games. Study 2, an online survey ( N = 795), revealed that female respondents were less attracted to competitive elements in video games, suggesting an explanation for gender-specific game preferences. These findings are discussed with respect to communication theory on interactive entertainment and their implications for applied video game design.     

深度对抗视觉生成综述

深度视觉生成是计算机视觉领域的热门方向,旨在使计算机能够根据输入数据自动生成预期的视觉内容。深度视觉生成使用人工智能技术赋能相关产业,推动产业自动化、智能化改革与转型。生成对抗网络（generative adversarial networks,GANs）是深度视觉生成的有效工具,近年来受到极大关注,成为快速发展的研究方向。GANs能够接收多种模态的输入数据,包括噪声、图像、文本和视频,以对抗博弈的模式进行图像生成和视频生成,已成功应用于多项视觉生成任务。利用GANs实现真实的、多样化和可控的视觉生成具有重要的研究意义。本文对近年来深度对抗视觉生成的相关工作进行综述。首先介绍深度视觉生成背景及典型生成模型,然后根据深度对抗视觉生成的主流任务概述相关算法,总结深度对抗视觉生成目前面临的痛点问题,在此基础上分析深度对抗视觉生成的未来发展趋势。     

民族元素在游戏美术视觉形式美中的运用探究

网络游戏是一种新兴的娱乐方式,人们在进行网络游戏时,会受到其文化思想内容的影响。作为新兴的文化娱乐活动,网络游戏具有传播文化的使命。在色彩缤纷的网络游戏里,传统视觉元素是重要的表现素材,探究民族元素在游戏美术视觉形式美中的运用,对于网络游戏的民族化发展有重要的现实意义。     

The effect of auditory distraction on the useful field of view in hearing impaired individuals and its implications for driving

This study assessed whether the increased demand of listening in hearing impaired individuals exacerbates the detrimental impact of auditory distraction on a visual task (useful field of view test), relative to normally hearing listeners. Auditory distraction negatively affects this visual task, which is linked with various driving performance outcomes. Hearing impaired and normally hearing participants performed useful field of view testing with and without a simultaneous listening task. They also undertook a cognitive test battery. For all participants, performing the visual and auditory tasks together reduced performance on each respective test. For a number of subtests, hearing impaired participants showed poorer visual task performance, though not to a statistically significant extent. Hearing impaired participants were significantly poorer at a reading span task than normally hearing participants and tended to score lower on the most visually complex subtest of the visual task in the absence of auditory task engagement. Useful field of view performance is negatively affected by auditory distraction, and hearing loss may present further problems, given the reductions in visual and cognitive task performance suggested in this study. Suggestions are made for future work to extend this study, given the practical importance of the findings.     

Self-reported discomfort when using commercially targeted virtual reality equipment in discomfort distraction

Commercially targeted virtual reality (VR) equipment is gaining popularity and might be a viable tool for pain distraction. This experimental research aimed to discover whether active distraction techniques (such as commercially targeted VR and video games) result in reduced subjective discomfort relative to passive distraction techniques. The study examined a healthy adult population who experienced an experimentally induced discomfort task. Participants were 27 adults, 14 females and 13 males. Participants completed four tasks, a baseline measure of physical discomfort, video clip distraction (passive distraction), video game distraction (active distraction) and exploring a VR world using an Oculus Rift head-mounted display (active distraction). In all four test conditions, participants were asked to sit on a chair holding their non-dominant leg at a height of approximately 30 cm from the floor, up to a maximum of 5 min. Counterbalancing of task order was conducted to reduce effects of participant fatigue. The participants indicated significantly reduced self-reported discomfort in the active distraction tasks when compared to the passive distraction tasks. While the findings demonstrate the effectiveness of a commercially targeted VR technology in increasing pain tolerance, the relative benefits of this technology over non-immersive video games are not apparent.