Augmented

Borrowing from film and filmmaking styles, techniques and devices that manipulate spectators ’ attention and experience, this paper proposes an approach to inform design of games and gameplay to manipulate player’s focus of attention and encourage contemplation – in design features, characters, story elements, etc. or even break the player’s engaged attention in the game/virtual world altogether – to provide meaning, experience and opportunities for learning. Focusing on film styles alternative to the continuity style of Hollywood filmmaking, we discuss examples of design for contemplative gameplay in game-based learning environments/serious games, machinima and augmented and mixed reality games in previous, current and future projects. We propose that one goal of game design is to establish a rhythm between contemplation and engagement, and the appropriate rhythm is determined largely by a game’s genre, platform and/or narrative.

La crisis sanitaria global que alteró todos los ámbitos de la vida social renovó el debate sobre cuáles son las competencias y saberes necesarios para desempeñarse de manera efectiva en los escenarios atravesados por la digitalización y las plataformas mediáticas. Desarrollar la capa-cidad para buscar, seleccionar y reinterpretar información eficientemente, dominar el lenguaje audiovisual y los recursos digitales y tomar riesgos para resignificar viejos y nuevos aprendizajes emergen como habilidades vitales para aprovechar la coyuntura pospandémica. En el siguiente artículo repasamos las concepciones y contrastes más significativos sobre alfabetización tradi-cional, mediática y transmedia para enfocarnos en la categoría de alfabetismos aumentados, un término que proponemos para comprender la naturaleza y textura de las habilidades y saberes necesarios para interactuar, construir conocimiento y expresarse en los nuevos escenarios digi-tales y combinados. No se trata de abordar una enumeración de destrezas y desempeños, sino más bien de aproximarse a diversas competencias (mediáticas, expresivas, cívicas, lúdicas, na-rrativas, etc.) desde perspectivas más amplias que consideren el dinamismo y la complejidad del nuevo contexto. Se propone un recorrido bibliográfico divergente para posteriormente acceder a nuevas conceptualizaciones que delinean el campo teórico-práctico de una investigación en desarrollo.

Handheld Augmented Reality (AR) relies on a spatial coupling of the on-screen content with the physical surrounding. To help the design of such systems and to classify existing AR systems, we present a framework made of three categories and two spatial relationships. Our framework highlights spatial relationships between the physical world, the representation of the physical world on screen and the augmentation on screen. Within this framework, we study the relaxing of the spatial coupling between the digital information and the physical surrounding in order to enhance interaction by breaking the constraints of physical world interaction.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the specific features of the articles on augmented reality (AR) published in the journals of education indexed in the SSCI database between 2012 and 2017. In this context, the articles were examined in terms of their years of publication, number of authors, countries, educational disciplines/fields, types of AR, variables and methodological features. A total of 83 articles in 22 journals were analysed by content analysis. The results showed that the number of studies related to AR increased in 2014 and 2017 and they were predominantly carried out in the field of science education. Marker-based technologies were more preferred in the studies. The most examined variables in the articles were achievement and attitude. AR studies were mostly carried out by scientists working at universities in Taiwan. The sample size of 0–50 was mostly selected from university level, while the sample size of 50–100 was selected from primary school.

We hope this email finds you well! Currently, we are in the process of editing a forthcoming publication entitled Mobile Technologies and Augmented Reality in Open Education, to be published by IGI Global, an international publisher of progressive academic research. We would like to take this opportunity to cordially invite you to submit your work for consideration in this publication. We are familiar with your research interests and expertise in open and distance education, augmented reality and/or mobile learning and we are certain that your contribution on this topic and/or other related research areas would make an excellent addition to this publication.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the specific features of the articles on augmented reality (AR) published in the journals of education indexed in the SSCI database between 2012 and 2017. In this context, the articles were examined in terms of their years of publication, number of authors, countries, educational disciplines/fields, types of AR, variables and methodological features. A total of 83 articles in 22 journals were analysed by content analysis. The results showed that the number of studies related to AR increased in 2014 and 2017 and they were predominantly carried out in the field of science education. Marker-based technologies were more preferred in the studies. The most examined variables in the articles were achievement and attitude. AR studies were mostly carried out by scientists working at universities in Taiwan. The sample size of 0–50 was mostly selected from university level, while the sample size of 50–100 was selected from primary school.   Keywords:...

We present the design of a system combining augmented reality (AR) and gamification to support elderly persons’ rehabilitation activities. The system is attached to the waist; it collects detailed movement data and at the same time augments the user’s path by projections. The projected AR-elements can provide location-based information or incite movement games. The collected data can be observed by therapists. Based on this data, the challenge level can be more frequently adapted, keeping up the patient’s motivation. The exercises can involve cognitive elements (for mild cognitive impairments), physiological elements (rehabilitation), or both. The overall vision is an individualized and gamified therapy. Thus, the system also offers application scenarios beyond rehabilitation in sports. In accordance with the methodology of design thinking, we present a first specification and a design vision based on inputs from business experts, gerontologists, physiologists, psychologists, game designers, cognitive scientists and computer scientists.

Parcours* - A Personal Survey through the Digital Wilderness

Gudrun Bielz

Within the context of my PhD research for 'Arctificial Territories' I will conduct a personal survey of the following areas, utilising blogging, writing, audio and video sketches; dialogue, monologue and epilogue – a hybridologue:

Hybridity in the digital jungle – artificial ideas and networking – postmodern and transhuman ideas – multiple realities, personalities and places. Hybrid arts.

New normalities and psychotherapy for computing powers. Obsessional thoughts and compulsive activities by human, post-human and artificial entities. Immediacy and simulation.

The race for life. A race for utopia and dystopia, hyperreal events and hybrid space – liquid and wearable space – extensions – extensions – embodied and disembodied fantasies – posthuman scenarios – digital fetishes - a fun fair through a parallel universe of 'authentic' virtual worlds.

THE HEART OF THE WORLD. Do you listen to its beat? This is hybrid life.

*Parcour: the activity or sport of running through an area, typically in an urban environment, using acrobatic techniques to negotiate obstacles (Oxford English Dictionary)

In this paper, we describe the development and operating principles of an immersive virtual reality (VR) visualisation environment that is designed around the use of consumer VR headsets in an existing wide area motion capture suite. We present two case studies in the application areas of visualisation of scientific and engineering data. Each of these case studies utilise a different render engine, namely a custom engine for one case and a commercial game engine for the other. The advantages and appropriateness of each approach are discussed along with suggestions for future work.