Archiv für den Monat: September 2017

Finding of the week #237

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Another Look at VR

During my ongoing literature review I often discover interesting facts about things I’ve never thought about. Sometimes I can connect these facts with my own observations: The result is mostly a completely new idea why things are as they are. Maybe these ideas are new to you, too. Therefore I’ll share my new science based knowledge with you!

This week: This time, I think about my most recent experiences with VR technology and the technology’s current state of development.

Since I experienced VR for the very first time using the Samsung Gear VR, I tried out various VR devices and applications. So far, I enjoyed the HTC Vive the most as this VR system allows a user to move around within the boundaries of a tracking area thus providing the illusion of actually exploring the virtual worlds. However, if travelling over a greater distance is required, a different method of locomotion has to be implemented. My personal favorite method is the ability to teleport as this greatly facilitates one’s range without significantly increasing the chances of experiencing simulator sickness.

Unfortunately, although I spent quite some time in VR over the last few months, I have not had the chance to try out many VR computer games. Instead, I mostly used VR for scientific research projects and educational purposes. Nevertheless, even those serious VR applications allowed me to develop an in-depth understanding of the current possibilities as well as limitations.

Personally, despite some limitations concerning the sharpness of the images, the size as well as weight, I am already quite impressed by the quality of the HTC Vive Head Mounted Display (HDM). However, improving the sharpness and quality of the displays and reducing the dimensions of the HMD is only a very small step closer to a photorealistic VR simulation as the main bottleneck is created by the computer rendering the simulations as this has a very high performance demand in contrast to traditional flat screen applications. Luckily, as computer technology rapidly increases in performance, those issues are probably solved, soon.

Using the HTC Vive

My main issue is, however, that all VR devices are not providing me with the degree of freedom I normally have when I play regular computer games. This is due to the fact that the VR systems mainly use controllers that are relatively bulky and only feature a limited amount of buttons. As a result, although the controllers provide a trigger button that can be pulled with the index finger and used to interact with the virtual environment, I feel constrained as I am constantly required to carry around the controllers.

Also, it just does not feel right to interact with an environment by pressing specific buttons on a bulky controller. Of course, when playing a normal computer game, I usually use the keyboard which is even less natural but it supports all of my fingers and, more importantly, I can easily take my hands off the keyboard without loosing control as I can easily put them back into the correct position which is not that easy when the controller is put to the side.

Naturally, there are also some exceptions such as racing games that are played using a racing wheel mirroring a real world steering wheel, but as soon as the input game mechanics go beyond a simple feature activation, I start to feel limited or handicapped again. This especially becomes problematic when it comes to typing in the VR environment as this then has to be done by sequentially selecting the individual characters which is quite demanding in comparison to simply typing on a keyboard.

Moreover, aside from the HTC Vive, no other VR device tracks a user’s position inside of a room. That way, only the HTC Vive partly supports a natural interaction with the environment by walking around. Other devices only allow for a movement inside of the virtual worlds by keeping one of the controller buttons pressed which works well for „flat“ computer games but completely breaks the illusion in a visually immersive VR environment.

In the end, due to the visual immersion and higher presence, i.e., the feeling of being inside of the virtual world, I really enjoy exploring VR environments. Also, due to these positive effects, using VR for the purpose of knowledge training can result in an improved training outcome or at least higher learning quality. However, despite this great potential, a lot of work still is left to be done as the illusion is negatively affected by the limitations of the current technology. Nevertheless, I am still hopeful that the current boom of VR technology will result in a new era of interactive systems.

Finding of the week #236

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Game Training Certificates?

During my ongoing literature review I often discover interesting facts about things I’ve never thought about. Sometimes I can connect these facts with my own observations: The result is mostly a completely new idea why things are as they are. Maybe these ideas are new to you, too. Therefore I’ll share my new science based knowledge with you!

This week: This time, I think about how verified virtual exams that reward players of serious games with generally accepted certificates can improve the gamification of learning.

Computer game players automatically and often subconsciously learn as well as train the knowledge encoded in a game while progressing through the gameplay. Depending on the genre as well as used game mechanics, this knowledge can be procedural or declarative. For instance, Assetto Corsa, a realistic racing simulation, allows for a training of driving skills whereas Age of Empires, a real-time strategy game, not only trains a players decision-making ability, but also informs users about historic facts concerning ancient conflicts and units used.

This educational potential has led to the development of serious games which are specifically designed to directly educate players as well as assist them to practice a particular knowledge. Serious games utilize the engaging effects of regular computer games thus motivating players to apply and hence train the encoded learning content on a more frequent basis. Moreover, using serious games also results in a higher learning quality as learners derive fun from the training process.

Unfortunately, despite the good training effects of computer games, it is still problematic to use computer game experience as a measurement for a person’s actual knowledge level. The reason for this is the lack of an accepted certificate confirming a player’s knowledge level that can be obtained by progressing through a game. Without such a general certificate, only players who also have an in-depth understanding of a particular game’s game mechanics can potentially assess a different player’s knowledge level based on their experience.

Naturally, specialized serious games are already implemented in educational contexts and also used to rate a learner’s performance. However, this mostly requires instructors who have an in-depth understanding of the game’s knowledge and hence are qualified to assess a learner’s training outcome. Therefore, the overall gamification of learning can be improved by implementing virtual exams in serious games which are verified by experts. However, in order to prevent learners from cheating and ensuring that the correct person is completing the exam, some authentification methods are required, too.

That way, serious games would not only educate players in a particular knowledge, but also provide an accepted way to assess the training outcome. Moreover, by using the virtual environment of a serious game, learners potentially are more relaxed and experience a reduced form of exam’s anxiety.

Finding of the week #235

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Cassini: A Grand Finale

During my ongoing literature review I often discover interesting facts about things I’ve never thought about. Sometimes I can connect these facts with my own observations: The result is mostly a completely new idea why things are as they are. Maybe these ideas are new to you, too. Therefore I’ll share my new science based knowledge with you!

This week: This time, I think about the end of the Cassini mission which analyzed Saturn for 13 years.

Almost 20 years ago, on 15.10.1997, the Cassini orbiter was launched from Cape Canaveral to begin its 7 year-long journey to Saturn where it arrived on 01.07.2004. However, the Cassini orbiter was not alone on this long journey as it carried along the Huygens probe which was released on 24.12.2004 and subsequently began its three-week flight to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, where it landed on 14.01.2005.

In Saturn’s Shadow – NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute, Feb 3, 2016.

Since the successful orbit insertion, Cassini completed 294 orbits around Saturn, took 453,084 images and collected 635 GB of data. Depending on the position of Saturn relative to the Earth, a one-way transmission travelling at the speed of light from Cassini took 67 to 85 minutes to reach Earth. Cassini also performed 162 moon flybys of which 127 where aimed at Titan and 23 at Enceladus.

So Far from Home – NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute, Sep 11, 2017.

Unfortunately, after 13 years of orbiting Saturn, the Cassini orbiter was running low on fuel thus reaching the end of its lifetime. However, in order to keep Saturn’s moons pristine, Cassini was not just switched off which potentially could have resulted in the orbiter crashing into one of the moons. Instead, Cassini’s orbit was adjusted so that it intersected with Saturn’s atmosphere thus resulting in the spacecraft’s breakeup on 15.09.2017 marking the official end of the mission.

Before this dramatic end of the mission, Cassini performed a spectacular grand finale by flying several times through the gap between Saturn and the planet’s rings thus collecting unprecedented data providing great insights into the rings‘ structure.

Colorful Structure at Fine Scales – NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute, Sep 7, 2017.

At the loss of signal, after the spacecraft has plunged into Saturn’s upper atmosphere, the Cassini orbiter was travelling at a speed of 111,636 kph relative to Saturn. However, although the orbiter’s mission now is over, the scientific analyses of the collected data has just begun. This especially is the case as the probe was transmitting data until the very last moment thus potentially allowing us to learn more about Saturn’s atmosphere.

Thank you, Cassini!

Finding of the week #234

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Virtual Selfies

During my ongoing literature review I often discover interesting facts about things I’ve never thought about. Sometimes I can connect these facts with my own observations: The result is mostly a completely new idea why things are as they are. Maybe these ideas are new to you, too. Therefore I’ll share my new science based knowledge with you!

This week: This time, I think about the implementation of a selfie feature in World of Warcraft allowing players to take selfies of their avatars.

With the emergence and increased popularity of social media services, taking a selfie and sharing it with friends or even the entire world has become a popular activity in our society. In general, a selfie is a self-portrait photograph that is used to document a person’s activities or current appearance.

Taking a selfie in World of Warcraft

Interestingly, the activity of taking selfies also got implemented in World of Warcraft with the release of patch 6.1.0 (2015-02-24). The selfie feature allows players to document special moments of their avatars and to subsequently share the seflies with their friends or the entire community. For this purpose, the player’s camera angle gets changed to a frontal, face-focussed perspective normally used when taking a selfie. In addition, the avatar also stretches out one arm and holds an virtual camera in its hands thus mirroring the real world behavior. Finally, a selfie interface gets activated that allows a player to change between three different filters, to take a selfie or to cancel the activity and return to the normal third person perspective.

Although this feature merely is a gimmick, it potentially enhances the immersive effects of MMORPGs as players can develop a personal attachment to their avatars and even start to use them as a virtual representation of themselves inside of the virtual worlds. Thus, it is the player who directly experiences all the adventures and fights in the world of Azeroth. As a result, providing players with a function allowing them to take a selfie of them, i.e., their avatars, increases their attachment and even creates a connection to their real lifes as the resulting selfie-screenshot can be used and shared the same way as a normal selfie. In the end, by implementing real world activities in a virtual world, a convergence between the virtual and the real world is achieved which potentially accomplishes a higher believability, identification and presence.

Finding of the week #233

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Visuospatial Knowledge Demonstration

During my ongoing literature review I often discover interesting facts about things I’ve never thought about. Sometimes I can connect these facts with my own observations: The result is mostly a completely new idea why things are as they are. Maybe these ideas are new to you, too. Therefore I’ll share my new science based knowledge with you!

This week: This time, I think about how computer games, by accurately and visuospatially demonstrating knowledge, can help players to develop an in-depth understanding of the encoded knowledge.

Computer games not only encode real world knowledge, such as equations used in engineering, to accurately simulate specific activities, but also use very realistic graphics engines to visually display the simulations. Depending on the perspective from which the game can be played, players can develop an in-depth visuospatial understanding of the demonstrated knowledge.

For instance, a racing game is mostly played from a cockpit or dashboard view thus giving players the impression of actually sitting inside of the virtual race cars. However, like in the real world, this perspective does not provide any information about the way how the suspension works or an accurate mapping of the wheels‘ positions. Hence, unless they already are expert players, users can only guess why their race car lost grip and subsequently spun out. Fortunately, many racing games provide a replay function that allows for an in-depth analysis of an race event by controlling the time as well as perspective. As a result, by analyzing an incident from various perspectives players can develop a visuospatial understanding of the underlying principles that ultimately helps them to improve their performance.

By changing the perspective, players are able to analyze specific effects in detail and, more importantly, to develop an understanding of the dependencies of individual effects. Furthermore, by visually demonstrating a specific knowledge, players can compile a mental model of the underlying principles as well as their effects which helps them to mentally simulate the outcomes of a specific action. That way, by achieving an overall demonstration, the visuospatial demonstration ultimately allows player to develop an in-depth unterstanding of the encoded knowledge and, as a result of this, a potentially improved performance when applying the presented knowledge in the real world.