DOCSLIB.ORG

A Player Engagement Model for an Augmented Reality Game: a Case of Pokémon Go

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Player Engagement Model for an Augmented Reality Game: a Case of Pokémon Go A player engagement model for an augmented reality game: a case of Pokémon Go Author Pyae, Aung, Potter, Leigh Ellen Published 2016 Conference Title PROCEEDINGS OF THE 28TH AUSTRALIAN COMPUTER-HUMAN INTERACTION CONFERENCE (OZCHI 2016) Version Accepted Manuscript (AM) DOI https://doi.org/10.1145/3010915.3010960 Copyright Statement © ACM, 2016. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of ACM for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Proceedings of the 28th Australian Conference on Computer-Human Interaction, ISBN: 978-1-4503-4618-4, DOI: 10.1145/3010915.3010960. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/124170 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au © ACM, 2016. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of ACM for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Proceedings of the 28th Australian Conference on Computer- Human Interaction, ISBN: 978-1-4503-4618-4, DOI: 10.1145/3010915.3010960. A Player Engagement Model for an Augmented Reality Game: A Case of Pokémon Go Aung Pyae Leigh Ellen Potter Griffith University Griffith University 170 Kessels Rd, Nathan, QLD, Australia 170 Kessels Rd, Nathan, QLD, Australia [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT game industry (Molla and Lepetit, 2010). There are a In this paper, we discuss players’ engagement in playing number of well-received commercial AR games such as Augmented Reality (AR) games. We present four Niantic’s Ingress, Zombies, Run!, Microsoft HoloLens concepts in playing AR games including: ‘Player’, ‘Play’, games, and Nintendo’s 3DS games. ‘Presence’, and ‘Place’. We discuss each concept based on the individual user scenario using a case study of Recently, Niantic released an AR-based mobile game Pokémon Go. Based on these concepts, we propose an called ‘Pokémon Go’, which has gone viral, attracting engagement model for players in playing an AR game, more than 20 million users worldwide (Yu, 2016). To followed by research questions formulated by this study. date, Pokémon Go is the biggest mobile game in the We also highlight safety issues for AR game players such United States, being played by 21 million active users as Pokémon Go in the real-world. Then, we formulate a daily (Kain, 2016). AR games have been around for more research question about players’ safety in playing this than a decade, and Pokémon Go has become a global game. In our future work, we will conduct a user study to phenomenon (Hoang and Baker, 2016). The phenomenal investigate the usability, user experience, and safety for success of Pokémon Go has shown the potential of AR players to play AR games in both real and virtual worlds. technology for the game industry today (Yamazaki and Wagstaff, 2016). Author Keywords Augmented Reality, Game engagement, HCI. Since Pokémon Go game was released worldwide, it has received mixed reactions from players. Some players ACM Classification Keywords claim that the effects of Pokémon Go on players are H5.m. Information interfaces and presentation (e.g., positive. For instance, players can have health benefits HCI): Miscellaneous. from the gameplay in terms of physical and cognitive INTRODUCTION well-being (Texas A&M University, 2016). It can also Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that combines improve the social communication among players. The real and virtual reality, enriching user’s interaction Pokémon Go game has brought opportunities for people experiences with a real-world environment through to engage with another while human interaction is graphical object overlays. AR uses real-world becoming scarce (The Project for Public Spaces, 2016). environments and enhances them by blending with virtual It has the potential to help people with social anxiety and objects (Wetzel et al., 2008). As a result, users experience depression (Fernando, 2016). the illusion of a combination of real and virtual However, some people claim that players are likely to get environments. AR has unique and promising potential to injuries, and encounter accidents while they are playing bridge the gap between real-world activities and virtual the Pokémon Go game (Tsukayama, 2016). There have experiences, allowing users to engage their imagination, been some unforeseen physical accidents while playing it. and enhance their creativity (Zünd et al., 2015). For instance, unless players are aware of their physical In recent years, AR has been used in many applications environment, they can get injured while they are playing including entertainment, education, and the military. AR the game (Tuttle, 2016). The game has the potential to has become an emerging technology in the game industry, lead players into restricted and harmful areas such as and game companies take advantage of its technical military campuses, construction sites, and private houses. advancements in their game products (Kipper and A player’s engagement between the real-world and virtual Rampolla, 2012). AR has an important potential for the environments should be balanced in playing the Pokémon Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are Go game so that a player can avoid physical accidents not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that and injuries in the real-world. The literature shows that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights there is a limited research in the area of players’ for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be engagement in AR gameplay in which players need to be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior engaged in both the real-world and virtual environments. specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from Furthermore, there are a limited number of studies [email protected]. regarding players’ safety in playing an AR game in which OzCHI '16, November 29-December 02, 2016, Launceston, TAS, they need to physical move around in the real-world Australia © 2016 ACM. ISBN 978-1-4503-4618-4/16/11…$15.00 while playing it. Therefore, in this study, we are DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3010915.3010960 interested in exploring aspects of AR gameplay using the Pokémon Go game as an example, highlighting players’ engagement between the real-world and virtual environments as well as players’ safety in the real-world environments. To understand players’ engagement in an AR gameplay, we created four user scenarios: ‘Player’, ‘Play’, ‘Presence’, and ‘Place’ using a case study of Pokémon Go game. Each scenario highlights how a player plays and engages in both the real-world and virtual environments while he or she is playing the Pokémon Go game. Based on these user scenarios, we propose an Figure 1. The Pokémon Go game. engagement model for players in playing an AR game. Then, we formulate research questions about players’ RELATED STUDIES engagement and safety in playing the Pokémon Go game. In this section, we review related studies about AR-based The main objectives of this study are: games. The AR technology was employed on mobile devices to enhance real-world creative activities, support • To understand players’ engagement in both the real education, and open new interaction possibilities for users and virtual environments of the Pokémon Go game, (Zünd et al., 2015). The researchers designed and • To highlight the importance of players’ safety in developed an AR-based game called ‘City-Wide gaming’, playing this game, and which encourages players to play and explore the city by • To formulate research questions about players’ solving puzzles related to historical sites and famous engagement and safety to play this game. locations (Zünd et al., 2015). This game enabled developers to be more creative in developing AR games. BACKGROUND Furthermore, it provides students with a playful AR game Pokémon Go is a location-based AR mobile game that tool to explore the city in the real-world. encourages players to play and travel simultaneously between real-world and virtual environments (Pokémon An AR outdoor game called ‘TimeWrap’ was designed Go, 2016). It uses real-world locations for players to and developed by a research group in Germany, and it navigate and explore in order to play the game. In this was played in the city of Cologne, Germany (Wetzel et game, players go outdoors to search the virtual characters al., 2008). In this game, a player is equipped with an AR called ‘Pokémon’. Game levels increase as a player system including a head-mounted display (HMD), a succeeds in capturing more characters. The players need laptop, a GPS sensor, and a PDA with an interactive map to go around as many places as possible to capture more to provide the player with information about current virtual monsters and earn more game points. locations and game status. This game also encourages players to play and explore in real-world. Unlike conventional mobile games, player’s physical movement is largely involved in Pokémon Go’s In commercial games, the Pokémon Go precursor gameplay. Players need to use real-world locations ‘Ingress’ is a popular mobile-based AR game, with 7 displayed by the game to search information about the million players worldwide in 2015 (Sam, 2015). It is a locations of Pokémon. For instance, there is a higher location-based AR game in which players are encouraged chance for players to find Pokémon at locations such as to go outdoors and explore the real-world to play the parks, historical monuments, and other landmarks. In game. This game is also considered as a location-based addition, players need to look for PokéStops and Gyms in exergame in which players’ physical movement is largely the real-world to collect more game points.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Pokemon Go – Fact Sheet
    GCSE Media Studies – Set Product Fact Sheet Pokémon Go GCSE Media Studies – Set Product Fact Sheet Pokémon Go Component 1: Exploring Media and convergence: Industries and Audiences • For an industry to survive over forty years, it has to constantly evolve and serve the needs Focus Areas: of its audiences. The video games industry Media Industries has done just that. By 2010, virtual reality and Audiences augmented reality were emerging as major Media Contexts drivers for game hardware and gameplay development. There was also a huge rise in PRODUCT CONTEXT casual gaming through mobile devices. • Produced by Niantic and in collaboration with • In 2016, the mobile gaming market was Nintendo, Pokémon Go is an augmented reality estimated to have taken $38 billion in revenue. video game for iOS and Android devices. This is where Pokémon Go stepped in. • Using the same technology as Google Maps, Pokémon Go relies on players’ GPS to allow Consider the Pokémon franchise: them to locate, capture, battle and train virtual • Pokémon is a media franchise that started in creatures called Pokémon in the real world. 1995 and the trademark is owned by Nintendo. • Pokémon Go had an extended launch, • The franchise began as a pair of video games being released in Australia, New Zealand for the Gameboy yet now spans video games, and the United States first on July 6th trading card games, animated TV shows 2016, and then in other countries (e.g. and movies, comics, books and toys. South Korea in January 2017). • It is the second best-selling video game • The game is free to download and play but franchise behind Mario and is one of the there is the possibility to spend real money highest grossing media franchises of all time.
    [Show full text]
  • Player Traits and Gratifications of Casual and Hardcore Players of Pokémon GO, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, and Ingress
    Player Traits and Gratifications of Casual and Hardcore Players of Pokémon GO, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, and Ingress JOHN DUNHAM, Niantic x RIT Geo Games and Media Research Lab, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA KONSTANTINOS PAPANGELIS, Niantic x RIT Geo Games and Media Research Lab, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA NICOLAS LALONE, University of Nebraska Omaha, USA YIHONG WANG, University of Liverpool, UK Location-based games (LBG) impose virtual spaces on top of physical locations. Studies have explored LBG from various perspectives. However, a comprehensive study of who these players are, their traits, their gratifications, and the links between them is conspicuously absent from the literature. In this paper, weaim to address this lacuna through a series of surveys with 2390 active LBG players utilizing Tondello’s Player Traits Model and Scale of Game playing Preferences, and Hamari’s scale of LBG gratifications. Our findings (1) illustrate an association between player satisfaction and social aspects of the studied games, (2) explicate how the core-loops of the studied games impact the expressed gratifications and the affine traits of players, and (3) indicate a strong distinction between hardcore and casual players based on both traits and gratifications. Overall our findings shed light into the players of LBG, their traits, and gratifications they derive fromplaying LBGs. CCS Concepts: • Human-centered computing ! Human computer interaction (HCI); Collaborative and social computing. Additional Key Words and Phrases: Location-based Games, Player Traits, Gratifications, Pokémon GO, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, Ingress ACM Reference Format: John Dunham, Konstantinos Papangelis, Nicolas LaLone, and Yihong Wang. 2018. Player Traits and Gratifica- tions of Casual and Hardcore Players of Pokémon GO, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, and Ingress.
    [Show full text]
  • Disruptive Behaviors Within Ingress. (Under the Direction of Dr
    ABSTRACT HUNZAKER, MICHELLE ASHLEY. Intent or Misinterpretation? Disruptive Behaviors within Ingress. (Under the direction of Dr. Nick Taylor). Disruptive behaviors, such as trolling, have eluded definition across multiple platforms. Adding another case study and new platform to the list of past scholar definitions, this study does not define what disruptive behavior looks like in location-based mobile games (LBMG), but looks at how a community within the LBMG, Ingress, views and manages disruptive behaviors. Through the combined use of multi-cited ethnography and connective ethnography, three themes came from 11 participant interviews (8 male and 3 female) with examples from interviews and observations of public, in-game communications panes and private community messaging channels and forums and suggestions of how to manage these behaviors are noted. Additionally, suggestions are offered about how to perform future ethnographic work within hybrid spaces such as LBMGs and augment reality games (ARG). © Copyright 2016 Michelle Ashley Hunzaker All Rights Reserved Intent or Misinterpretation? Disruptive Behaviors within Ingress by Michelle Ashley Hunzaker A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science Communications Raleigh, North Carolina 2016 APPROVED BY: ________________________________ ________________________________ Dr. Adriana de Souza e Silva Dr. Steve Wiley ________________________________ Dr. Nicholas Taylor BIOGRAPHY Michelle Hunzaker is a second year graduate student at North Carolina State University completing the thesis track of the Masters of Science in Communications program. She attended undergraduate at Fairleigh Dickinson University for a Bachelors of Arts in Broadcast Communications accompanied by a minor in Information Technology as well as competed as a student-athlete on the school’s NCAA Division I Bowling Team all years of attendance.
    [Show full text]
  • Steve Peters Resume
    STEVE PETERS Immersive Experience Designer | Creative Director | Consultant # (818) 422-4898 _ [email protected] > stevepeters.org + Culver City, CA SUMMARY LIFE PHILOSOPHY Emmy-winning Immersive Experience Designer, Creative "If you're really smart, you'll hide a Director, Audio Producer/Director, Storyteller and Game/Puzzle puzzle in your resume!" Designer, with extensive experience in leading creative teams, Alan Turing game design, AR/VR, location-based games, theme park installations, escape rooms, podcast production, Alternate RECENT CLIENTS Reality Games, buzz and viral marketing techniques, production, and physical installations/events. Amazon Studios With a phenomenology-based, user-first philosophy in creative Walt Disney Imagineering R&D direction and experience design, my goal is for the user experience to transcend all aspects of a project’s design and Paramount Pictures execution. Because if it's not fun, then what's the point? Niantic JOB HISTORY Google Co-Founder/Chief Creative Ocer Legendary Entertainment No Mimes Media ~ 2009 - Present + Los Angeles, CA Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Asia Immersive Media Company - Creatively oversee and design all of the immersive experiences for No The GO Game Mimes Media clients. Lone Shark Games Lead Experience Designer Niantic Labs at Google ~ 2015 - 2015 + Venice, CA LANGUAGES The Makers of Pokemon Go, Niantic leads the industry in location-based gaming. - Led a team of immersive and game designers in creating content, video, English Native mobile app integration, narrative design elements, puzzles and live player events for the ARG Endgame: Ancient Truth. Japanese Intermediate - Worked alongside the Ingress team, helping to develop content and live- event gameplay. IN MY WHEELHOUSE VP of Experience Design Fourth Wall Studios ~ 2011 - 2014 + Culver City, CA TV Theme Songs Interactive Video platform and content production - Taking a short leave from No Mimes Media, was Executive in charge of Fourth Wall Studios’ Experience Design team.
    [Show full text]
  • Law, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality
    UNIVERSITY of PENNSYLVANIA LAW REVIEW Founded 1852 Formerly AMERICAN LAW REGISTER © 2018 University of Pennsylvania Law Review VOL. 166 APRIL 2018 NO. 5 ARTICLE LAW, VIRTUAL REALITY, AND AUGMENTED REALITY MARK A. LEMLEY† & EUGENE VOLOKH†† Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are going to be big—not just for gaming but for work, for social life, and for evaluating and buying real-world products. Like many big technological advances, they will in some ways challenge legal doctrine. In this Article, we will speculate about some of these upcoming challenges, asking: † William H. Neukom Professor, Stanford Law School; partner, Durie Tangri LLP. Article © 2018 Mark A. Lemley & Eugene Volokh. †† Gary T. Schwartz Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law; academic affiliate, Mayer Brown LLP. Thanks to Sam Bray, Ryan Calo, Anupam Chander, Julie Cohen, Kristen Eichensehr, Nita Farahany, James Grimmelmann, Rose Hagan, Claire Hill, Chad Huston, Sarah Jeong, Bill McGeveran, Emily Murphy, Lisa Ouellette, Richard Re, Zahr Said, Rebecca Tushnet, Vladimir Volokh, and the participants at the UC Davis conference on Future-Proofing Law, the Stanford Law School conference on regulating disruption, the Internet Law Works in Progress Conference, and workshops at Stanford Law School, Duke Law School, the University of Minnesota Law School, and the University of Washington for comments on prior drafts; and to Tyler O’Brien and James Yoon for research assistance. (1051) 1052 University of Pennsylvania Law Review [Vol. 166: 1051 (1) How might the law treat “street crimes” in VR and AR—behavior such as disturbing the peace, indecent exposure, deliberately harmful visuals (such as strobe lighting used to provoke seizures in people with epilepsy), and “virtual groping”? Two key aspects of this, we will argue, are the Bangladesh problem (which will make criminal law very hard to practically enforce) and technologically enabled self-help (which will offer an attractive alternative protection to users, but also a further excuse for real-world police departments not to get involved).
    [Show full text]
  • Ethical Issues
    ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF EMERGING MIXED REALITY TECHNOLOGIES Marcus Carter and Ben Egliston Socio-Tech Futures Lab Published June 2020 by the Socio-Tech Futures Lab and Department of Media and Communication, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the University of Sydney NSW 2006 Australia. © Marcus Carter and Ben Egliston The authors expressly allow reproduction and dissemination of this document for non- commercial purposes pursuant to the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 AU). For further details see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc-nd/3.0/au/ The Ethics of Emerging Mixed Realities project is partly funded by the Socio-Tech Futures Lab, a flagship research theme of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. For more information on the Socio-Tech Futures Lab see: https://www.sydney. edu.au/arts/our-research/futurefix/socio-tech- futures-lab.html This report is available via the Sydney eScholarship https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/22485 Repository, and can be downloaded from https://doi.org/10.25910/5ee2f9608ec4d (DOI: 10.25910/5ee2f9608ec4d) CONTENTS ABSTRACT 2 NOTES ON AUTHORS 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4 INTRODUCTION 5 Definitions 5 ETHICAL FRAMEWORKS FOR VR AND AR 7 EXPECTATIONS OF PRIVACY IN PUBLIC SPACE 8 ACCESSIBILITY, INCLUSIVITY AND EXCLUSION 12 SURVEILLANCE AND PLATFORM POWER 17 THE MILITARY-ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX 21 EMPATHY 25 WORK 27 APPENDIX 30 Methodology 30 REFERENCES 31 1 ABSTRACT Virtual and Augmented Reality technologies are increasingly finding foothold in culture and society. As these technologies stake out an increasingly large space in areas like entertainment, work, health and communication, it is important that we are equipped to think lucidly about both their benefits and their drawbacks.
    [Show full text]
  • Using Augmented Reality and Alternate Reality Games in the Context of Universal Design for Learning
    education sciences Article “Helping Nemo!”—Using Augmented Reality and Alternate Reality Games in the Context of Universal Design for Learning Nayia Stylianidou 1,*, Angelos Sofianidis 2,*, Elpiniki Manoli 3 and Maria Meletiou-Mavrotheris 1 1 Department of Education Sciences, European University Cyprus, 2404 Nicosia, Cyprus; [email protected] 2 Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece 3 Cyprus Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth, 1434 Nicosia, Cyprus; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] (N.S.); asofi[email protected] (A.S.) Received: 29 February 2020; Accepted: 30 March 2020; Published: 2 April 2020 Abstract: This article reports on the main experiences gained from a teaching intervention which utilised the alternate reality game ‘Helping Nemo’ in an augmented reality environment for formative assessment. The purpose of the study was to explore the ways in which the affordances arising from the combination of alternate reality games and augmented reality, situated in the context of Universal Design for Learning, might facilitate students’ learning amongst the aspects of engagement, participation, and response to students’ variability. The study took place in a public primary school located in a rural area of Cyprus. A second-grade class consisting of 24 students aged 7–8 years old was selected to comprise the sample. A qualitative research approach was adopted. The data collection methods included classroom observations and focus groups with the students. Findings gained from the teaching intervention suggest that the creation of a multimodal environment that draws on the principles of Universal Design for Learning and combines the affordances of alternate reality games and augmented reality for formative assessment contributes towards higher levels of engagement and participation in learning of all students, including bilingual students, students with learning disabilities, and students who are currently disengaged.
    [Show full text]
  • Holiday and Winter Farmers' Markets
    Holiday and Winter Farmers’ Markets As of November 13, 2019 Avon Library Durham Avon Free Public Library, 281 Country Club Rd. Durham Activity Center, 350 Main Street 2nd Floor Monday, 11/18/2019 (One Day Only!) Second Saturday of the month, November - February 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Benefit Programs Accepted: SNAP/EBT Benefit Programs Accepted: None accepted Social Medias: Facebook, Instagram Social Medias: Facebook Bozrah Ellington 45 Bozrah St Indian Valley Family YMCA, 11 Pinney St Saturday, 11/16/2019 (One Day Only!) Every Other Saturday: Nov 23, Dec 7 & 21, Jan 4, 18; Feb 1, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM 15, & 29, March 14 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Benefit Programs Accepted: SNAP/EBT Benefit Programs Accepted: SNAP/EBT, Benefit doubling Social Medias: Facebook, Instagram Socials: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Youtube Bristol Guilford - Dudley Farm Centre Square, Downtown Bristol, North Main Street The Dudley Farm Museum, 2351 Durham Rd Saturday, 11/23/2019 (One Day Only!) Saturday, 12/7 and 12/14: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Sunday, 12/8: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM Benefit Programs Accepted: SNAP/EBT Benefit Programs Accepted: None accepted Social Medias: Facebook Social Medias: Facebook Chester Hartford – Knox Farm Chester Center, Main Street Knox, Inc., 75 Laurel St Sundays, 12/1/2019 - 12/22/2019 Saturday, 11/23/2019 (One day only!) 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Benefit Programs Accepted: None accepted Benefit Programs Accepted: SNAP/EBT Social Medias: Facebook Social Medias: Facebook Coventry Harford Mobile Market Coventry High School, 78 Ripley Road Many sites and times.
    [Show full text]
  • Augmented Reality Video Games: New Possibilities and Implications for Children and Adolescents
    Multimodal Technologies and Interaction Review Augmented Reality Video Games: New Possibilities and Implications for Children and Adolescents Prithwijit Das, Meng’ou Zhu, Laura McLaughlin, Zaid Bilgrami and Ruth L. Milanaik * Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York, Northwell Health System, Lake Success, NY 10042, USA; [email protected] (P.D.); [email protected] (M.Z.); [email protected] (L.M.); [email protected] (Z.B.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-516-802-6100 Academic Editors: Carolina Cruz-Neira, Marcos Fernández Marín and Cristina Portalés Ricart Received: 17 February 2017; Accepted: 19 April 2017; Published: 22 April 2017 Abstract: In recent years, the video game market has embraced augmented reality video games, a class of video games that is set to grow as gaming technologies develop. Given the widespread use of video games among children and adolescents, the health implications of augmented reality technology must be closely examined. Augmented reality technology shows a potential for the promotion of healthy behaviors and social interaction among children. However, the full immersion and physical movement required in augmented reality video games may also put users at risk for physical and mental harm. Our review article and commentary emphasizes both the benefits and dangers of augmented reality video games for children and adolescents. Keywords: augmented reality; video games; children; adolescents; health; education 1. Introduction The twenty-first century has experienced a digital revolution marked by rapid growth of information and communication technologies. Today’s children are growing up in an increasingly interdependent and globalized society, with unprecedented access to information, people, and ideas.
    [Show full text]
  • F001b23a38ae17cf54e23ccc4ff4
    I Alternate Reality Games For Behavioral and Social Science Research Copyright © by Ruthanna Gordon, Ph.D. and ETC Press 2015 ISBN (Print): 978-1-312-78105-4 ISSN (Online): 978-1-312-91112-3 TEXT: The text of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NonDerivative 2.5 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/) IMAGES: All images appearing in this work are property of the respective copyright owners, and are not released into the Creative Commons. The respective owners reserve all rights. II Alternate Reality Games For Behavioral and Social Science Research Ruthanna Gordon, Ph.D. Production of this book was funded by the IARPA Office of Smart Collection TRUST Program, but it is not officially endorsed by ODNI, IARPA, or U.S. Government. All opinions and discussions in this review are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of the ODNI, IARPA, or U.S. Government. III IV Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 1 Introduction 3 2 Current Practices and Limitations 7 3 Alternate Reality Games 15 4 What Can We Learn From Related Activities? 23 5 What Can We Learn From Analogous Activities? 31 6 How are ARGs Used in Research? 35 7 What Can We Learn From Other Applications of ARGs? 43 8 What Do Research ARGs Need For Success? 51 9 Making a Difference: How ARG-Based Methodologies Can Improve BSSR Research 87 10 Conclusions 97 Bibliography 99 Appendix 1: Games Discussed 110 Appendix 2: Recommended Readings 114 Appendix 3: What a Research ARG Might Look Like 116 Acknowledgements 119 About the Author 121 V VI Executive Summary Researchers in the behavioral, social, and neurophysiological sciences have recently begun to explore the limitations of many traditional lab and field-based studies.
    [Show full text]
  • EPIC Letter to FTC Request for Investigation of Pokemon GO July
    July 22, 2016 Chairwoman Edith Ramirez The Federal Trade Commission 600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20580 Dear Chairwoman Ramirez and FTC Commissioners: We are writing to you regarding the data collection practices of Niantic, Inc. (“Niantic”), a former Google company and the developer of the Pokemon GO app. As you are likely aware, Niantic granted itself full access to users’ Google accounts when it first released the Pokemon GO app. This was almost certainly in violation of the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) earlier consumer privacy decisions and posed an enormous security risk to millions of Internet users who downloaded the app.1 The company concedes that it made a serious mistake, but questions remain about the scope of Niantic’s ongoing data collection practices, a similar episode involving Google Street View and the Niantic CEO, as well as Niantic’s ongoing relationship with Google. These questions raise important privacy issues that we urge the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) to pursue. The Developers of Pokemon GO Have Repeatedly Disregarded Consumer Privacy and Security When Nianitic released Pokemon GO, the company granted itself “full access” to the accounts of users who signed up for the game with a Google account.2 Full account access allowed the company to view users’ contacts; view and send e-mail; view and delete Google Drive documents; access search and map navigation history; and view private photos stored in Google Photos.3 At no time did Niantic request user permission for full access to Google accounts; users simply logged in to the app via their Google account without receiving any 1 Adam Reeve, Pokemon Go is a Huge Security Risk, TUMBLR (July 8, 2016), http://adamreeve.tumblr.com/post/147120922009/pokemon-go-is-a-huge-security-risk.
    [Show full text]
  • TESTIMONY of John Hanke Founder & Chief Executive Officer Niantic
    TESTIMONY of John Hanke Founder & Chief Executive Officer Niantic, Inc. before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation United States Senate “Exploring Augmented Reality” 16 November 2016 Introduction Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Nelson, and members of the Committee, my name is John Hanke, and I am the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Niantic, Inc., a mobile gaming company headquartered in San Francisco, California. On behalf of the 75 dedicated and innovative professionals at Niantic, it is an honor to be here before you today to talk about augmented reality, or “AR,” and specifically, the current state of AR technology, where it’s going, and what lessons we have learned that would be of interest to you as policymakers. We understand today’s hearing may in part be due to the extraordinary global response to Niantic’s latest mobile app, Pokémon GO. We are particularly proud that this game has helped to turn the world’s attention to the current reality and enormous potential of AR for entertainment, education, and community-building. With that said, I know I speak for all of my colleagues at Niantic when I say that what we experienced following the game’s launch in July far exceeded our own imaginations. As we rolled out the game, the immediate reception was almost surreal. My wife emailed to tell me that Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert are talking about Pokémon GO. Professional athletes and celebrities began tweeting pictures from the app of themselves with Pokémon. Thousands signed up for a Pokémon walk on the National Mall here in Washington, and a similar walk in San Francisco.
    [Show full text]