The Evolution of Physics in Digital Games: A Temporal Analysis of Home Consoles, their Challenges and Potentials

In recent years, restrictions on activities to contain the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 encouraged the search for virtual means of entertainment, increasing developments in the sector. Based on the above, this article conducts a research on the way in which natural phenomena are simulated computationally, covering, in this process, concepts of Console Engineering, Digital Game Theory and Gamification, which were analyzed and correlated with what can be observed in the main content of each generation of home video game consoles, proposing to parameterize the notable evolutionary milestones in the frameworks and engines available in each generation. To reach the intended objective, the practice of bibliographic and video phonogram surveys was adopted along with empirical tests performed in the most relevant media of each of the periods explored. Thus, the research was able to demonstrate the levels of Physics simulation immanent in electronic games from different times, also listing some technologies that have potential to be implemented successively. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR]

Internet Usage by Young Kids in India

India is one of the countries with the highest number of kids under the age of 18 years. This paper adds value in understanding the usage in the current covid scenario. The research objectives for the current study are to examine how young kids in India use their time on internet for varied purposes, to study how young kids find the websites that are of interest to them and to examine how young kids obtain information about sensitive issues. A cross-sectional web survey was conducted to examine the various aspects of the use of the Internet and traditional media (television/radio/magazines/newspapers/billboards) among kids in India. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire. The sampling method used in the study was purposive sample (522 kids). Internet emerged as the first choice of media for kids for all the nine selected activities that include homework, shopping, restaurant/food-ordering, travel and tour, information search, health related information, weather forecast, entertainment, and news/current events. Girl respondents as compared to boys have consumed Internet at a higher rate for learning about the fashion (trends) and health related issues such as seeking preventative health care and specific information about medical issues.

Cultivation of Positive Psychological Quality of College Students' English Learning Under the Online and Offline Teaching Mode During the Epidemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, long-term isolation and loneliness will cause college students' psychological fluctuations. Especially in online teaching, the lack of communication for a long time has led to a greatly reduced learning enthusiasm of college students. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the cultivation methods of the positive psychological quality of college students under the epidemic situation through the research on the positive psychology of college students' English learning. Aiming at the psychological status of college students, this paper focuses on analyzing the relationship between social support, psychological capital, and psychological health to explore more targeted ways of cultivating positive psychology. Because of the online and offline teaching mode, this paper focuses on analyzing the support environment of the online teaching mode, and analyses the current forms of English teaching. Experiments show that the direct path from psychological capital to mental health is not significant. However, the mediating path of psychological capital to mental health through social support was significant (p < 0.001). It shows that social support plays a complete mediating role, and the effect size of the mediation model reaches 49.70%. It shows that the current college students' English learning positive psychological quality is not high. In response to this, it is necessary to strengthen the tendency and ability to use social support and use the family environment to communicate more to achieve the cultivation of positive psychological quality.

Epidemiological Monitoring of COVID-19 in a Brazilian City: The Interface between the Economic Policies, Commercial Behavior, and Pandemic Control

The new Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was responsible for one of the worst public health crises in Brazil, which led to the implementation of economic policies to keep social distance. Our aim is to perform an epidemiological analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, in 2021, highlighting the impact of government commercial policies on pandemic control. This is an epidemiological, observational, and analytical study with secondary data. We constructed a regression for count data using the Poisson model. Data adherence to the regression was verified by Cameron & Trivedi and the Likelihood Ratio tests. According to the Poisson model, there was a statistically significant association (p < 0.001) between the adoption of rigid commercial interventions and the drop in deaths. Moreover, we revealed a consistency between the economic policies and the number of screening tests applied, which may have contributed to the deaths behavior. This study shows the importance of institutionalizing economic policies and their positive impacts on pandemic control;however, it raises the discussion about the serious repercussions of these measures on population vulnerability.

The use of RPG Maker for Chemistry Teaching: a literature review

Due to the covid-19 pandemic, Basic Education in Brazil is strongly facing more problems that had previously plagued it, such as students' lack of interest in Chemistry classes. Faced with this, literature brings RPG Maker as a potential tool to solve this problem. After a bibliography review using Google Scholar, it was found that there was an increase in research in Chemistry Teaching with this tool in recent years, especially in Brazil and in Indonesia. The RPG Maker has been showing interesting results for the Teaching of Chemistry. However, it is evident in the literature that more research is needed, as well as better teacher training in undergraduate courses for the use of electronic games in teaching..

Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge and Attitudes toward Digital-Game-Based Language Learning

There is a good body of literature about digital-game-based language learning (DGBL), but research has mainly focused on students as game players rather than as future educators. This paper reports on a research conducted among 154 teacher candidates at a higher-education institution in Spain regarding the adoption of digital games in education. It analyzes the participants’ knowledge of and attitudes toward digital games in foreign language learning. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through a pre/post-test, digital game presentations, and student blog posts. The research comprised five stages associated with critical thinking skills (definition, selection, demonstration, discussion, and reflection), including a game learning module. In the first two stages, preservice teachers completed the module activities and selected different games aimed at teaching English to children in preschool and elementary education. In the last two, they illustrated, discussed, and evaluated the digital games in class following a rubric and reflected on their perception in blog posts. In this four-week research based on a mixed method and convenience sampling, quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through a pre- and post-test survey about student perceptions toward the use of video game in the classroom, class discussion, and blog posts. Statistical data analysis unveiled gender-based differences related to gameplay frequency and genre preferences. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used as a nonparametric statistical hypothesis test to compare the two sets of scores resulting from the same participants, and it showed a significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) after the treatment in two of the five dimensions in the survey about teacher candidates’ attitudes toward game usage in education, namely, usefulness (U) and preference for video games (PVG). Research findings revealed preservice teachers’ positive attitudes but lack of practical knowledge about the use of digital games in foreign-language learning.

Learning from eSports: A review, comparison, and research agenda

Competitive video gaming, presently defined and widely known as eSports, has been rising rapidly in popularity. Accordingly, research in eSports has gained interest for scholars to study the eSport industry in greater depth. However, much research has assumed eSports as the minority compared to traditional sport and rarely has explored the implications that can apply to the established traditional sport industry and marketing practices. In fact, eSport viewership is now similar to or higher than traditional sports, such as Major League Baseball (MLB). Thus, the eSport industry has now advanced to the point where their unique characteristics can significantly impact the overall sport industry. As eSports has grown rapidly enough to be considered as the mainstream industry, identifying the unique but positive aspects of eSports and considering applying eSports' strengths to traditional sports is necessary. This research is one of the first attempts to provide the unique characteristics of eSports by presenting an in-depth comparison with traditional sports and a comprehensive literature review. This study's contribution will be to broaden research opportunities in eSports and marketing literature. Ideas for future research and directions will also be discussed.

Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on increasing the risks of children's addiction to electronic games from a social work perspective.

Children are among the social groups most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic because they have found themselves forced to stay at home, far from their schoolmates, their friends, and far from all the activities they used to do before the pandemic. so, it was their only refuge for recreation during their stay in Home is staying in front of the screens of tablets, smartphones, and computers to play electronic games for long hours, and there is no doubt that the sudden shift in the lifestyle of children during the Covid-19 pandemic had serious consequences and risks threatening their stability at all levels. In light of that, the current study aimed to determine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on increasing the social, psychological, behavioral, and health risks of children's addiction to electronic games from a social work perspective. This study falls under the type of descriptive-analytical studies that are based on describing the reality of the problem under study. The study sample included 289 children in the age group 6-17 years in the first grade to the twelfth grade at school. The researcher designed a questionnaire that reflects the four risks facing children to assess these risks. The results showed is that the value of all impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the increasing risks of children's addiction to electronic games came to a total weight of (27907), weighted relative weight of (80.47%). This indication is High, indicating that the level of impact is High for the Covid-19 pandemic on the increase in all types of risks of children's addiction to electronic games. It ranked first " Behavioral Risks " at 91.15%, It is followed by the ranked second "Social risks " at 85.5%, Then came third place " Psychological Risks" at 80.91%, and in finally in fourth place " Health Risks" at 64.28%, which necessitates the need to take a set of serious measures by educating parents to monitor the content of electronic games that their children play, especially violent games, in addition to, reduce the number of hours the child spends practicing these games, and to encourage parents to form a bridge of communication and constructive dialogue between them and their children, and that parents put controls and restrictions on their children's practice of electronic games to confront abnormal behavioral, psychological and social patterns such as aggression, violence, deception, lying, imitation, vigilance, physical stress, poor eyesight, distance from practicing religious rituals, academic delay, introversion, depression, intolerance, selfishness, sadness, isolation from society, social withdrawal and lack of forming social relationships and lack of communication with others. The researcher took care that the results of the current study are very accurate and representative of the reality of the research problem, in light of the researcher's emphasis on the commitment to observe ethical rules to ensure the confidentiality of data. finally, the current study will greatly benefit researchers interested in the field of childhood and its problems and they will rely on its results and recommendations in how to protect children from the dangers of electronic game addiction in light of the Covid-19 crisis in particular.