Corona Larona: A 2.5D Mobile Game Advocating COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Mitigation Strategies

Governments and health agencies around the world have been at the forefront of managing the COVID-19 pandemic. To control the spread of the outbreak, mandatory safety protocols have been put into effect. Despite the continuous development and strict enforcement of these preventive guidelines, non-compliance with these mandatory safety protocols has been reported. Getting the message to the public is one of the key challenges in convincing people to follow mitigation policies. In this study, we employed the media of video games to advocate for COVID-19 safety protocols. We developed a video game called "Corona Larona"that features microgames with action gameplay playable on a mobile platform. Our video game concentrated on several preventive measures such as physical distancing, hand washing, wearing face masks as well as basic knowledge about the virus using in-game multiple choice questions. To our knowledge, this is the first video game dedicated to the COVID-19 outbreak and the mandatory safety protocols. In a time when many people play video games to survive their current situation, the Corona Larona game is a strategic example of using and maximizing this form of media for a more noble purpose. © 2022 IEEE.

Keep DRAGging ON: Is solving more problems in DragonBox 12+ associated with higher mathematical performance during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Prior research has shown that game-based learning tools, such as DragonBox 12+, support algebraic understanding and that students' in-game progress positively predicts their later performance. Using data from 253 seventh-graders (12–13 years old) who played DragonBox as a part of technology intervention, we examined (a) the relations between students' progress within DragonBox and their algebraic knowledge and general mathematics achievement, (b) the moderating effects of students' prior performance on these relations and (c) the potential factors associated with students' in-game progress. Among students with higher prior algebraic knowledge, higher in-game progress was related to higher algebraic knowledge after the intervention. Higher in-game progress was also associated with higher end-of-year mathematics achievement, and this association was stronger among students with lower prior mathematics achievement. Students' demographic characteristics, prior knowledge and prior achievement did not significantly predict in-game progress beyond the number of intervention sessions students completed. These findings advance research on how, for whom and in what contexts game-based interventions, such as DragonBox, support mathematical learning and have implications for practice using game-based technologies to supplement instruction. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic DragonBox 12+ may support students' understanding of algebra but the findings are mixed. Students who solve more problems within math games tend to show higher performance after gameplay. Students' engagement with mathematics is often related to their prior math performance. What this paper adds For students with higher prior algebraic knowledge, solving more problems in DragonBox 12+ is related to higher algebraic performance after gameplay. Students who make more in-game progress also have higher mathematics achievement, especially for students with lower prior achievement. Students who spend more time playing DragonBox 12+ make more in-game progress;their demographic, prior knowledge and prior achievement are not related to in-game progress. Implications for practice and/or policy DragonBox 12+ can be beneficial as a supplement to algebra instruction for students with some understanding of algebra. DragonBox 12+ can engage students with mathematics across achievement levels. Dedicating time and encouraging students to play DragonBox 12+ may help them make more in-game progress, and in turn, support math learning. © 2023 The Authors. British Journal of Educational Technology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Educational Research Association.

Initial Design Thinking for a Robotic Poker Dealer

Social interaction through games is an integral part of the human experience, but in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, gameplay is more likely to be restricted. To support easier gameplay facilitation in a variety of settings, we propose a novel robot that deals cards for poker and encourages social interaction among players. We are working toward the design of such a robot using design thinking. Throughout the single cycle of our design thinking process so far, we worked with a poker-playing group of undergraduate STEM students and one expert in card-dealing and comedy. We found that the users enjoyed the design overall, but had reservations mostly related to competence of and trust in the system. This work contributes to the design of future robots for social play. © 2022 Copyright for this paper by its authors.

PASSIVE COLLABORATION AND CONNECTIONS IN A ‘STRAND GAME': CHANGING THE WAY WE PLAY

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in new modes of online player interactions that rely on passive and asynchronous collaborations rather than immediate action-based competitive gameplay. Especially after the COVID-19 period of lockdown, quarantine, and resulting isolation, it becomes momentous to examine the new modes of interaction and association that video games offer to connect people in untraditional ways. Accordingly, we perform a close reading on the 2019 game Death Stranding which is based on the themes and gameplay mechanics of connection, collaboration, and new paradigms around social bonding. We identify five domains wherein the themes of the game manifest: narrative infrastructure;mechanics that discourage violence;building connections with other players;bonding with virtual characters;and construction of the self as a social agent. These findings are discussed with the possibility of defining a new genre, named by the game's creator as a "strand game” (Kojima 2019a, 2019b). © 2022 EUROSIS-ETI.

Fruit Golf: An Asymmetrical Shared Space VR/Mobile Experience

While the global COVID-19 pandemic did not catalyze widespread adoption of virtual reality (VR) technologies across all industries as some had anticipated, studies like Hall et al. from 2022 have demonstrated that public valuation of VR remains strongly in gaming, entertainment, and socializing [Hall et al., 2022]. As we look towards a future in which indoor gatherings with friends and family are safe and encouraged once again, there is an opportunity to position VR gaming as a go-to add-on to social gatherings by emphasizing ease of access for players of all levels of experience, and designing gameplay that encourages engagement rather than isolation in shared space. Fruit Golf aims to use an asymmetric multiplayer format to offer an experience that spans collaborative and competitive experiences, and allows players to seamlessly interact with VR, mobile, and physical spaces in ways that most will have never seen before. © 2022 Owner/Author.

Supporting Watershed Literacy with a Desktop Virtual Reality Exploration Game

A prototype desktop Virtual Reality (dVR) exploration game was developed as a curriculum enhancement activity for promoting watershed literacy with middle school students. It focuses on the spatial components, geography, and history of their local watershed. The dVR exploration game was implemented in the summer of 2021 in eastern USA during the COVID-19 pandemic with 35 learners aged 10-14 during summer school. Immediately before and after gameplay completion, the participants answered a 9-item watershed literacy measure assessing essential elements of watershed understandings. The preliminary findings revealed players' improved ability to identify their own local watershed and how it connected to the ocean by rivers, creeks, and human-made structures. The watershed literacy measure was found to be a valid and reliable instrument. © 2022 Immersive Learning Research Network.

Using a Brief Mental Imagery Competing Task to Reduce the Number of Intrusive Memories: Exploratory Case Series With Trauma-Exposed Women.

BACKGROUND: Novel interventions should be developed for people who have undergone psychological trauma. In a previous case study, we found that the number of intrusive memories of trauma could be reduced with a novel intervention. The intervention included a brief memory reminder, a visuospatial task and mental rotation, and targeted trauma memory hotspots one at a time in separate sessions. OBJECTIVE: This case series (N=3) extended the first case study with 3 new cases to determine whether a similar pattern of beneficial results is observed. We explored whether the brief intervention would result in reduced numbers of intrusive memories and whether it would impact symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression and anxiety, and general functioning. Acceptability of the intervention was also explored. METHODS: A total of 3 women completed the study: 2 with posttraumatic stress disorder and other comorbidities and 1 with subthreshold posttraumatic stress disorder. The primary outcome was the change in the number of intrusive memories from the baseline phase to the intervention phase and at the 1-month follow-up, with an assessment of the intrusion frequency at 3 months. Participants monitored the number of intrusive memories in a daily diary for 1 week at baseline, for maximum of 6 weeks during the intervention phase and for 1 week at the 1-month and 3-month follow-ups. The intervention was delivered in person or digitally, with guidance from a clinical psychologist. A repeated AB design was used (A was a preintervention baseline phase and B intervention phase). Intrusions were targeted individually, creating repetitions of an AB design. RESULTS: The total number of intrusive memories was reduced from the baseline to the intervention phase for all participants. The total number for participant 3 (P3) reduced from 38.8 per week during the baseline phase to 18.0 per week in the intervention phase. It was 13 at the 3-month follow-up. The total number for P4 reduced from 10.8 per week at baseline to 4.7 per week in the intervention phase. It was 0 at the 3-month follow-up. The total number for P5 was reduced from 33.7 at baseline to 20.7 per week in the intervention phase. It was 8 at the 3-month follow-up. All participants reported reduction in posttraumatic stress symptoms in the postintervention phase. Depression and anxiety symptoms reduced in 2 of the 3 participants in the postintervention phase. Acceptability was favorable. CONCLUSIONS: We observed good compliance with the intervention and intrusive memory diary in all 3 cases. The number of intrusive memories was reduced for all participants during the intervention phase and at the 1-month follow-up, with some improvement in other symptoms and functioning. Further research should explore the remote delivery of the intervention and whether nonspecialists can deliver the intervention effectively.

EEG based stress analysis using rhythm specific spectral feature for video game play.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: For the emerging significance of mental stress, various research directives have been established over time to understand better the causes of stress and how to deal with it. In recent years, the rise of video gameplay has been unprecedented, further triggered by the lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several researchers and organizations have contributed to the practical analysis of the impacts of such extended periods of gameplay, which lacks coordinated studies to underline the outcomes and reflect those in future game designing and public awareness about video gameplay. Investigations have mainly focused on the "gameplay stress" based on physical syndromes. Some studies have analyzed the effects of video gameplay with Electroencephalogram (EEG), Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), etc., without concentrating on the relaxation procedure after video gameplay. METHODS: This paper presents an end-to-end stress analysis for video gaming stimuli using EEG. The power spectral density (PSD) of the Alpha and Beta bands is computed to calculate the Beta-to-Alpha ratio (BAR). The Alpha and Beta band power is computed, and the Beta-to-Alpha band power ratio (BAR) has been determined. In this article, BAR is used to denote mental stress. Subjects are chosen based on various factors such as gender, gameplay experience, age, and Body mass index (BMI). EEG is recorded using Scan SynAmps2 Express equipment. There are three types of video gameplay: strategic, puzzle, and combinational. Relaxation is accomplished in this study by using music of various pitches. Two types of regression analysis are done to mathematically model stress and relaxation curve. Brain topography is rendered to indicate the stressed and relaxed region of the brain. RESULTS: In the relaxed state, the subjects have BAR 0.701, which is considered the baseline value. Non-gamer subjects have an average BAR of 2.403 for 1 h of strategic video gameplay, whereas gamers have 2.218 BAR concurrently. After 12 minutes of listening to low-pitch music, gamers achieved 0.709 BAR, which is nearly the baseline value. In comparison to Quartic regression, the 4PL symmetrical sigmoid function performs regression analysis with fewer parameters and computational power. CONCLUSION: Non-gamers experience more stress than gamers, whereas strategic games stress the human brain more. During gameplay, the beta band in the frontal region is mostly activated. For relaxation, low pitch music is the most useful medium. Residual stress is evident in the frontal lobe when the subjects have listened to high pitch music. Quartic regression and 4PL symmetrical sigmoid function have been employed to find the model parameters of the relaxation curve. Among them, quartic regression performs better in terms of Akaike information criterion (AIC) and R2 measure.

The role of family intimacy in playing collaborative e-sports with a Switch device to predict the experience of flow and anxiety during COVID-19 lockdown.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most people have more time to stay at home and play games together. In particular, so as to maintain social distancing, most people play with their family members. To understand how people's family intimacy affects their game experience and perceived value of playing, the present study applied a boating game, River Survival, played collaboratively via Swtich. People with experience of playing the game with family members were targeted in this study. They were notified via Facebook and Line special interest groups and responded to the questionnaire through a website. Data of 301 respondents were validated, and were subjected to structural equation modeling. The results of this study indicated that family intimacy positively predicted flow experience, but there was no significant relation to gameplay anxiety. Flow experience positively predicted perceived value, but gameplay anxiety did not significantly predict perceived value. The implication of this study is that without intimacy among team members, players cannot experience flow state or perceived game values.

The Gang's All Here: How People Used Games to cope with COVID19 Quarantine

In 2020, the rapid spread of COVID-19 forced many people to self-isolate, resulting in struggles with mental health [60], and an increase in gaming [3]. In this paper, we seek to examine how individuals used digital games during the quarantine. We conducted a two-tier qualitative study where we used a thematic analysis of tweets to derive questions for an online survey that we distributed. Results of thematic analysis of survey responses identified 15 themes. Some themes confirm previous works' findings, particularly how games are used to increase social connection or distract oneself from unpleasant situations. We also found new themes unique to the quarantine, such as interactions with non-player characters used as a surrogate for real-world interaction and using in-game routines as a substitute to real-world routines lost due to the pandemic. This work discusses the use of games during the pandemic and can be seeds for future studies.

Playing alone, feeling connected: Do single-player video games with social surrogates replenish belonging after social rejection?

People have a fundamental need to belong-to be accepted, loved, and cared for. The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened people's sense of belonging;people had to isolate themselves from others due to the stay-at-home orders. At the same time in early 2020, people started to spend more time playing video games;sales and consumption of video games skyrocketed, breaking previous records worldwide. Existing theoretical perspectives suggest one possible reason for this popularity: video games, including single-player video games, may help people feel socially connected. For example, according to the bi-dimensional rejection taxonomy, solo gameplay is a disengaged prosocial response, an attempt to replenish belonging in a hands-off, indirect manner. Also, according to the social surrogacy hypothesis, solo gameplay can provide social surrogates, symbolic bonds that can replenish belonging. Players can form parasocial relationships (one-way psychological bonds) with a non-player character in the game;players can also immerse themselves in the social worlds and feel like a member of a collective presented in the video game. Although existing theories and qualitative evidence suggest that solo gameplay can benefit belonging, quantitative evidence is lacking to support this prediction. In this dissertation, I examined if solo gameplay could replenish belonging after social rejection. In Study 1, I validated the Heart Manikin-a single-item measure of state belonging, which I used in the subsequent studies. In Study 2, rejected participants recalled their time playing a video game with vs. without social surrogates. In Study 3, rejected participants played a custom video game that manipulates parasocial relationships and social worlds. Across studies, I found that rejected participants reported similar levels of belonging after being exposed to social surrogates in video games. The results move forward the discourse on the bi-dimensional rejection taxonomy, the social surrogacy hypothesis, and the video games literature. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Investigating the effects of social gameplay elements in gamifying online classes

With the sudden outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 virus, countless academic institutions around the world were driven to shift entirely from teaching in physical classrooms to online teaching overnight. One of the biggest challenges faced by educators is how to sustain student engagement in online delivery. Gamification, the approach of engaging users by employing game design elements and mechanics is one such solution. Nevertheless, in most cases the practice of gamification is more on being results oriented and less experience-centric, while the success of video games is usually more focused on its overall player experience. For the purpose of this paper, the term 'vertical gamification' is used to describe the lower-tier levels of gamification which utilizes game elements such as leader-boards, points and badges as its purpose is to attain higher points for rewards. The utilization of social gameplay elements such as the challenge, opposition, and competition aspects of game design within gamification is termed as 'horizontal gamification'. The horizontal reference refers to a more social-centric aspect of game experience. This paper aims to examine learners and their perceived experience in the gamification of online classes and to gauge the level of engagement and challenges faced by these learners. The research also aims to investigate if a vertical gamification procedure provides a similar level of engagement as the horizontal gamification procedure. Through a series of surveys involving 108 participants within a normal online class environment, online classes utilizing vertical gamification and online classes utilizing horizontal gamification;the research was able to determine at which point the learner's level of engagement increases. The research will apply the GAMEFULQUEST instrument to assess the perceived gamefulness between the various online classes to ascertain the success of using a more distinctive experienced-based gamification approach to enhance engagement for online teaching and learning. © The Authors, 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Addictive Internet Gaming Usage among Korean Adolescents before and after the Outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison of the Latent Profiles in 2018 and 2020.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the heightened risk of school closures and mental disorders has made adolescents particularly vulnerable to developing internet gaming disorder (IGD). There have been reports of increased time spent playing games on the internet among adolescents during the pandemic, and the risk of developing IGD may be higher for adolescents in South Korea as the majority of them play games on the internet. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined the impact of the pandemic on adolescents' internet gaming behavior in South Korea. This study aimed to explore the different profiles of addictive internet gaming behavior among adolescents before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and examine how the pandemic influenced addictive internet gaming usage and time spent playing games on the internet. Nationally representative survey data from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family with 3040 and 2906 responses from 2018 and 2020, respectively, were analyzed. Using seven factors of a maladaptive gaming usage scale (tolerance, withdrawal, excessive usage, control impairment, compulsive usage, neglecting daily activity, and gaming despite negative consequence), a four-profile model was selected in both 2018 and 2020 for latent profile analysis: 'casual' gamer, 'moderate' gamer, 'potential-risk' gamer and 'addictive' gamer. The results from the two-way ANCOVA showed significant interaction between the cohorts (2018 cohort vs. 2020 cohort) and the four profiles on addictive internet gaming usage (F = 119.747, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.05), including time spent playing internet games on a PC (F = 22.893, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.013), and time spent playing games on a mobile phone (F = 3.245, p < 0.05, η2 = 0.02). The results indicated that the increase of addictive internet gaming usage and gameplay time differed by profile. The results imply that the increase in gameplay time was higher for profiles with higher scores in addictive internet gaming usage for internet games played on a PC while the relationship was not obvious for games played on a mobile phone. Despite the statistical significance, there was only 1.2% to 4.9% of mean difference in addictive internet gaming usage between the 2018 and 2020 cohorts, which implies little clinical significance. While adolescents of the four profiles showed no significant signs of increased addictive internet gaming usage, the addictive gamer profile demonstrated a significant increase in game time after COVID-19.