Outcomes for design and learning when teenagers with autism codesign a serious game: A pilot study

Digital educational games research tends to lack ecological validity by not adequately taking into account the views and perspectives of children and young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This paper is a pilot study that explores and analyses an academic‐based educational game that was co‐designed with and for young people with ASD. The serious game aims to help the players learn Geography‐specific knowledge and integrates several strategic features so that users can collaborate together against the computer or compete against each other. The educational game was evaluated over 5 sessions by 3 peer teams from 2 different special educational institutions, involving a total of 6 students with ASD. The participants were positive about their enjoyment, motivation, and social engagement. The results showed that the players' level of competitiveness not only influenced the experience within the game but also the interaction within the peer teams. The game mechanisms did help the participants with ASD increase their knowledge in Geography content. The main conclusion is that there are considerable benefits of including children with ASD in the design process and future research should explore more fully on how their involvement can enhance curriculum‐based learning as well as social engagement within the classroom.     

Audio-augmented paper for therapy and educational intervention for children with autistic spectrum disorder

Autism affects children׳s learning and social development. Commonly used rehabilitative treatments are aimed at stimulating the social skills of children with autism. In this article, we present a prototype and a pilot study on an audio-augmented paper to support the therapy of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The prototype supports audio recording with standard sheets of paper by using tangible tools that can be shared between the therapist and the child. The prototype is a tool for the therapist to engage the child in a storytelling activity. We use a progressive design method based on a dynamic process that merges concept generation, technology benchmarking and activity design into continuously enriching actions. The paper highlights the qualities and benefits of using tangible audio-augmented artefacts for therapy and educational intervention for children with ASD. The work describes three main qualities of our prototype: from building cooperation to attention control, flow control, and using the children׳s own voices to foster attention.     

An inclusive design approach for developing video games for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The efficacy of therapeutic treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder is mainly associated with the treatment's intensity in terms of weekly hours. This has led mental health professionals to explore the use of video games to complement traditional treatments. However, major weaknesses have been found due to poor game design, which has failed to fulfill therapeutic objectives or to properly engage children. These weaknesses are typically characterized by the poor integration of knowledge from mental health experts, children's interests and designers' expertise. Starting from this necessity, we propose an inclusive design approach to develop therapeutic games. The method presents strategies to integrate the expertise of clinicians, contributions of children and experience of designers through a set of elicitation and merging techniques. The goal of this method is to design games that are effective in terms of therapeutic objectives and that are enjoyable for children. To describe this method, we present its application in the design and development of a Kinect-based game for high-functioning children with ASD called “Pico's Adventures”. This game aims at promoting social initiation in young children with autism. Findings from a first exploratory study with 10 children with ASD showed the effectiveness of the game in eliciting social initiation behaviors. This provides a first validation of the method. An essential aspect of the game's success was the use of elements and mechanics that were appealing for the children. As a result, we have identified effective design concepts and paths for further research on games for children with ASD.     

Serious games for higher education: a framework for reducing design complexity

Abstract Serious games open up many new opportunities for complex skills learning in higher education. The inherent complexity of such games, though, requires large efforts for their development. This paper presents a framework for serious game design, which aims to reduce the design complexity at conceptual, technical and practical levels. The approach focuses on a relevant subset of serious games labelled as scenario‐based games. At the conceptual level, it identifies the basic elements that make up the static game configuration; it also describes the game dynamics, i.e. the state changes of the various game components in the course of time. At the technical level, it presents a basic system architecture, which comprises various building tools. Various building tools will be explained and illustrated with technical implementations that are part of the Emergo toolkit for scenario‐based game development. At the practical level, a set of design principles are presented for controlling and reducing game design complexity. The principles cover the topics of game structure, feedback and game representation, respectively. Practical application of the framework and the associated toolkit is briefly reported and evaluated.     

Playful public participation in urban planning: A case study for online serious games

The aim of this paper is to study the implementation of online games to encourage public participation in urban planning. Its theoretical foundations are based on previous work in public participatory geographical information systems (PP GISs), play and games, with a special focus on serious games. Serious games aim to support learning processes in a new, more playful way. We developed the concept of playful public participation in urban planning, including playful elements such as storytelling, walking and moving, sketching, drawing, and games. A group of students designed an online serious public participatory game entitled NextCampus. The case study used in NextCampus was taken from the real-world question of a possible move of a university campus to a new location in the city of Hamburg, Germany. The development of the serious public participatory game NextCampus resulted in a physical prototype, user interface design, and a computational model of the game. The NextCampus game was tested with the help of two groups of urban planning students and presented to three external experts who provided valuable recommendations for further development. The critical comments questioned the level of complexity involved in such games. The positive comments included recognition of the potential for joy and the playfulness a game like NextCampus could evoke.     

Online Affect Detection and Robot Behavior Adaptation for Intervention of Children With Autism

Investigation into robot-assisted intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has gained momentum in recent years. Therapists involved in interventions must overcome the communication impairments generally exhibited by children with ASD by adeptly inferring the affective cues of the children to adjust the intervention accordingly. Similarly, a robot must also be able to understand the affective needs of these children—an ability that the current robot-assisted ASD intervention systems lack—to achieve effective interaction that addresses the role of affective states in human–robot interaction and intervention practice. In this paper, we present a physiology-based affect-inference mechanism for robot-assisted intervention where the robot can detect the affective states of a child with ASD as discerned by a therapist and adapt its behaviors accordingly. This paper is the first step toward developing “understanding” robots for use in future ASD intervention. Experimental results with six children with ASD from a proof-of-concept experiment (i.e., a robot-based basketball game) are presented. The robot learned the individual liking level of each child with regard to the game configuration and selected appropriate behaviors to present the task at his/her preferred liking level. Results show that the robot automatically predicted individual liking level in real time with 81.1% accuracy. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that the affective states of children with ASD have been detected via a physiology-based affect recognition technique in real time. This is also the first time that the impact of affect-sensitive closed-loop interaction between a robot and a child with ASD has been demonstrated experimentally.      

Instructional mechanisms in immersive virtual reality serious games: Earthquake emergency training for children

Children are vulnerable in earthquakes, but they are also essential to foster earthquake-resilient communities. It is critical to enhance the preparedness of children against earthquakes through effective education and training. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) and serious games (SGs) are innovative digital technologies that enable realistic and engaging training environments. However, little research has been made on the applications of IVR SGs for earthquake training targeting children. In order to fill this gap, this paper presents an IVR SG training system based on a problem-based gaming framework. Three instructional mechanisms within the training system, namely prior instruction, immediate feedback, and post-game assessment, were investigated to promote learning through effective reflection. A controlled experiment involving 125 secondary school students aged from 11 to 15 years old was undertaken, using leaflets as a traditional training approach for the control group and the IVR SG training system as the main intervention. Results revealed that the IVR SG training system with post-game assessment was the most effective way to train children, with greater knowledge acquisition and self-efficacy improvement observed. Possible improvements, such as increasing the time for reflection and differentiating the stimulation between positive and negative feedback, are suggested for further research.     

严肃游戏中虚拟角色行为建模综述

严肃游戏是计算机游戏一个新的发展方向,可以提供形象互动的模拟教学环境,已经广泛应用于科学教育、康复医疗、应急管理、军事训练等领域。虚拟角色是严肃游戏中模拟具有生命特征的图形实体,行为可信的虚拟角色能够提升用户使用严肃游戏的体验感。严肃游戏中的图形渲染技术已经逐步成熟,而虚拟角色行为建模的研究尚在初级阶段。可信的虚拟角色必须能够具有感知、情绪和行为能力。本文分别从游戏剧情与行为、行为建模方法、行为学习和行为建模评价等4个方面来分析虚拟角色行为建模研究。分析了有限状态机和行为树的特点,讨论了虚拟角色的行为学习方法。指出了强化学习的关键要素,探讨了深度强化学习的应用途径。综合已有研究,归纳了虚拟角色行为框架,该框架主要包括感觉输入、知觉分析、行为决策和动作4大模块。从情感计算的融入、游戏剧情和场景设计、智能手机平台和多通道交互4个角度讨论需要进一步研究的问题。虚拟角色的行为建模需要综合地考虑游戏剧情、机器学习和人机交互技术,构建具有自主感知、情绪、行为、学习能力、多通道交互的虚拟角色能够极大地提升严肃游戏的感染力,更好地体现寓教于乐。     

一种移动平台儿童教育游戏的最终用户编程语言

针对现有移动教育游戏无法满足快速增长的移动教育需求这个问题,利用领域工程的方法和最终用户编程(EUP)的技术,研究和设计了一种最终用户编程语言Kids。首先通过对移动平台儿童教育领域进行分析识别出儿童教育游戏的游戏元素,在此基础上对该领域进行特征的提取,得到该领域的特征模型。Kids语言以特征模型为基础进行设计,能够允许老师和家长为学龄前的儿童编写移动教育游戏。同时,开发了一个Kids的编程工具,包括可视化编辑器和代码生成引擎。该工具能够支持用户更加有效地使用Kids进行可视化编程,并自动生成Android代码。实验结果表明,Kids相比其他通用语言更加简洁,大部分最终用户能够很好地利用Kids开发工具开发出简单的儿童教育游戏。     

基于自然元素的居住区儿童户外游戏空间多样性设计探讨

儿童喜爱在户外进行游戏,游戏是其成长过程的重要组成。通过对居住区现有游戏空间的调研,对多样化设计途径进行探讨。提出在景观设计中要根据不同年龄儿童的能力、兴趣提供多种游贱方式和对自然的探索途径,通过自然环境来激发儿童的感知和学习能力。同时要注重提升居住区空间中游戏场的质量,丰富游戏空间的环境。使其更符合儿童游玩。     

A framework for the design and integration of collaborative classroom games

The progress registered in the use of video games as educational tools has not yet been successfully transferred to the classroom. In an attempt to close this gap, a framework was developed that assists in the design and classroom integration of educational games. The framework addresses both the educational dimension and the ludic dimension. The educational dimension employs Bloom’s revised taxonomy to define learning objectives and applies the classroom multiplayer presential game (CMPG) pedagogical model while the ludic dimension determines the gaming elements subject to constraints imposed by the educational dimension. With a view to validating the framework, a game for teaching electrostatics was designed and experimentally implemented in a classroom context. An evaluation based on pre/post testing found that the game increased the average number of correct answers by students participating in the experiment from 6.11 to 10.00, a result found to be statistically significant. Thus validated, the framework offers a promising basis for further exploration through the development of other games and fine-tuning of its components.     

基于PCCS色彩体系的ASD儿童干预APP配色研究

为提升自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)儿童干预APP的康复效果,为设计师提供合理有效的参考,提出一种基于PCCS色彩体系的ASD儿童干预APP界面配色评价方法。首先通过文献分析和焦点小组法,构建基于PCCS色彩体系的ASD儿童干预APP界面配色评价体系;其次运用AHP法获取各项评价指标的权重;再次筛选得到8个基于PCCS色彩体系的界面配色设计方案,邀请专家对其打分,得到初始评判矩阵;然后通过TOPSIS法获得各方案的排序结果;最后对结果进行解析。研究表明,ASD儿童对绿色、蓝色等冷色调及明度、纯度较高的色彩具有较高的认可度;在PCCS色调图中,ASD儿童更喜爱轻柔色调、浅色调、邻近色与互补色的搭配;在界面配色设计中应更趋于明快、清晰、和谐、稳重的色彩搭配。将该评价方法应用于干预APP界面配色实验方案评价中,可以提高设计评价过程中的客观性、科学性,为设计师进行决策提供参考,更好地促进ASD儿童干预APP的发展。     

Assessing the educational values of digital games

Abstract   In recent years, digital games have assumed an important place in the lives of children and adolescents. Effective content design is crucial to the success of digital game-based learning. Therefore, the tool for assessing the effectiveness of game design is accordingly very important for parents and teachers, so that they may encourage or discourage students to play. The purpose of this study is to develop an assessment tool to examine the educational values of digital games. In the first phase of this research, the research team developed the indices for assessing the educational values of digital games. An expert panel consisting of game scholars and professional game designers was established to construct the indices for evaluating digital games in three focus group discussions. Seventy-four game evaluation indices were sorted into seven categories: mentality change, emotional fulfilment, knowledge enhancement, thinking skill development, interpersonal skill development, spatial ability development and bodily coordination. In the second phase of the research, the game designers were asked to assess certain games by using the 74 indices. Meanwhile, the game scholars were also asked to evaluate the same pool of games by the same indices. The assessments by both the scholars and designers were then compared and the similarities were found. This research provided a preliminary framework for future game designers, parents and teachers in assessing educational values of digital games.     

Studying the effects of computer serious games on people with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorder: A systematic literature review

This study examines the available literature on the effects of serious games on people with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorder. The studies were categorized based on the limitations in skills that these people address. Fifty‐four studies were selected, from different data sources. These studies address limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour. The results showed that the majority of studies on the effects of serious games for people with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorder had a positive impact. Also, most studies for people with autism aim to improve social and communicational skills, whereas conceptual and cognitive skills were mainly observed in studies for people with intellectual disabilities. Although this study covers serious games in all platforms or delivery systems, the overwhelming majority of the presented studies include computer serious games. Computer‐assisted learning through serious games is considered quite promising for people with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorder.     

SKETCH'NDO: A framework for the creation of task-based serious games

We present SKETCH'NDO, a framework for the interactive design and creation of single-user task-based serious games in 3D virtual environments. The games are dimensionally congruent: inherently 2D tasks such as reading and writing are done in 2D, while manipulation tasks are 3D. The architecture of the system allows educators to design the tasks with a graphical editor that creates the game automatically. This editor does not require gaming expertise. It only needs educators to specify the correct ways of doing the task, without having to consider all possible erroneous learner's decisions. SKETCH'NDO provides a complete mechanism of monitoring and evaluation of the learner's performance that allows a precise assessment of the learning process. It offers a gradation of levels of assistance that can be fixed by educators or automatically adjusted to the trainee's skills. This way, the same task can be trained from a strictly conductist strategy to a fully constructivist one.     

Expressing and interpreting emotional movements in social games with robots

This paper provides a framework for recording, analyzing and modeling of 3 dimensional emotional movements for embodied game applications. To foster embodied interaction, we need interfaces that can develop a complex, meaningful understanding of intention—both kinesthetic and emotional—as it emerges through natural human movement. The movements are emulated on robots or other devices with sensory-motor features as a part of games that aim improving the social interaction skills of children. The design of an example game platform that is used for training of children with autism is described since the type of the emotional behaviors depends on the embodiment of the robot and the context of the game. The results show that quantitative movement parameters can be matched to emotional state of the embodied agent (human or robot) using the Laban movement analysis. Emotional movements that were emulated on robots using this principle were tested with children in the age group 7–9. The tests show reliable recognition on most of the behaviors.     

EXPERIMENTS WITH ONLINE REINFORCEMENT LEARNING IN REAL-TIME STRATEGY GAMES

Real-time strategy (RTS) games provide a challenging platform to implement online reinforcement learning (RL) techniques in a real application. Computer, as one game player, monitors opponents’ (human or other computers) strategies and then updates its own policy using RL methods. In this article, we first examine the suitability of applying the online RL in various computer games. Reinforcement learning application depends on both RL complexity and the game features. We then propose a multi-layer framework for implementing online RL in an RTS game. The framework significantly reduces RL computational complexity by decomposing the state space in a hierarchical manner. We implement an RTS game—Tank General—and perform a thorough test on the proposed framework. We consider three typical profiles of RTS game players and compare two basic RL techniques applied in the game. The results show the effectiveness of our proposed framework and shed light on relevant issues in using online RL in RTS games.     

Serious games and learning effectiveness: The case of It’s a Deal!

Although the value of serious games in education is undeniable and the potential benefits of using video games as ideal companions to classroom instruction is unquestionable, there is still little consensus on the game features supporting learning effectiveness, the process by which games engage learners, and the types of learning outcomes that can be achieved through game play. Our aim in this discussion is precisely to advance in this direction by providing evidence of some of the factors influencing the learning effectiveness of a serious game called It’s a Deal! This serious game was created for the purpose of teaching intercultural business communication between Spaniards and Britons in business settings in which English is used as the lingua franca. This paper hypothesizes that the immersive, all-embracing and interactive learning environment provided by the video game to its users may contribute to develop and enhance their intercultural communicative competence. The study attempts to answer three main research questions: (a) after playing It’s a Deal!, did the students sampled improve their intercultural awareness, intercultural knowledge and intercultural communicative competence in business English? (b) If they improved their intercultural learning, what are the factors influencing such improvement? And (c) if they did not improve their intercultural learning, what are the factors influencing such failure? The game participants who volunteered to take part in the study were all students of English Studies at the University of Alicante in the academic year 2010-2011. One hundred and six students completed both the pre-test and the post-test questionnaires, and played It’s a Deal! A sample of fifty students was selected randomly for the empirical study. The results obtained in the tests performed were compared and contrasted intra-group, both qualitatively and quantitatively, for the purpose of finding any statistically significant difference that may confirm whether or not there was an improvement in the students’ intercultural communicative competence in business English as a result of the implementation of the It’s a Deal! serious game. Findings of this study demonstrate that the video game is an effective learning tool for the teaching of intercultural communication between Spaniards and Britons in business settings in which English is used as the lingua franca. In particular, whereas the game had a small learning effect on intercultural awareness and a medium learning effect on intercultural knowledge, it had a large learning effect on intercultural communicative competence. The study also documents correlating factors that make serious games effective, since it shows that the learning effectiveness of It’s a Deal! stems from the correct balance of the different dimensions involved in the creation of serious games, specifically instructional content, game dimensions, game cycle, debriefing, perceived educational value, transfer of learnt skills and intrinsic motivation.     

The influence of the level of free-choice learning activities on the use of an educational computer game

Employing a mixed-method explorative approach, this study examined the in situ use of and opinions about an educational computer game for learning English introduced in three schools offering different levels of freedom to choose school activities. The results indicated that the general behaviour of the children with the game was very different for each of the schools while there were no significant differences in subjective opinions or previous computer game experience as measured with a questionnaire. The gaming records and interviews informed that children do enjoy playing the game in comparison with other formal learning activities, but appreciate it less as a leisure-time activity. Furthermore it appears that children used to teacher-initiated activities tend to depend on their teacher’s directions for how and when to play. The study highlights the level of choice as one of the important aspects to consider when introducing a game in the classroom. The study also points out some suggestions for the design of educational games, such as providing communication possibilities between players and integrating fast-paced motor-skill based games with learning content in a meaningful way.