Racing in the Dark: Exploring Accessible Virtual Reality by Developing a Racing Game for People who are Blind

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 1114-1118
Author(s):  
Aaron Gluck ◽  
Kwajo Boateng ◽  
Julian Brinkley
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Auditory Information ◽  
Social Activities ◽  
Limited Access ◽  
Critical Information ◽  
Car Racing ◽  
Gaming Technology ◽  
Accessibility Issues ◽  
Insight Into

Video games are popular leisure and social activities; however, they often present accessibility issues for the community of gamers who are blind. While gaming technology has evolved, people who are blind still have limited access to commercially available accessible video games. Current accessible games tend to focus on auditory information to play, and none are available in virtual reality (VR). Accessible, fast-paced games have the development challenge of providing players useful information in time to make split-second decisions. We developed Racing in the Dark, a fast-paced, accessible VR racing game for the Oculus Quest, exploring commercial VR interfaces to provide this critical information. By leveraging the Quest’s built-in haptic, tracking, auditory, and voice systems, we provide players with a non-visual car racing experience. This work aims to offer insight into the process of developing accessible VR games for gamers who are blind through the implementation of Racing in the Dark.

Virtual Unreality

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Weinel
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Interactive Video ◽  
Altered States Of Consciousness ◽  
Altered States ◽  
States Of Consciousness ◽  
Visual Systems

This chapter explores altered states of consciousness in interactive video games and virtual reality applications. First, a brief overview of advances in the sound and graphics of video games is provided, which has led to ever-more immersive capabilities within the medium. Following this, a variety of games that represent states of intoxication, drug use, and hallucinations are discussed, in order to reveal how these states are portrayed with the aid of sound and music, and for what purpose. An alternative trajectory in games is also explored, as various synaesthetic titles are reviewed, which provide high-adrenaline experiences for ravers, and simulate dreams, meditation, or psychedelic states. Through the analysis of these, and building upon the previous chapters of Inner Sound, this chapter presents a conceptual model for ‘Altered States of Consciousness Simulations’: interactive audio-visual systems that represent altered states with regards to the sensory components of the experience.

A multiplayer online car racing virtual-reality game based on internet of brains

2018 ◽  
Vol 89 ◽  
pp. 30-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shih-Ching Yeh ◽  
Chung-Lin Hou ◽  
Wei-Hao Peng ◽  
Zhen-Zhan Wei ◽  
Shiuan Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Car Racing

Video games, frustration, violence, and virtual reality: Two studies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Ferguson ◽  
Anastasiia Gryshyna ◽  
Jung Soo Kim ◽  
Emma Knowles ◽  
Zainab Nadeem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Video Games

scholarly journals Tożsamość i jej kreowanie w grach wideo. Przykład postaci LGBT

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 197-212
Author(s):  
Hanna Kuliga
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Sexual Identity ◽  
Sexual Minorities ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Game Industry ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Given ◽  
Negative Phenomena

The presented article covers the subject of creating one’s identity in a virtual reality of video games, in the perspective of LGBT characters and their influence on the exploration of the sexual identity of a gamer. It describes the means by which the user has the ability to experiment with and express their identity, putting an emphasis on the role of immersion and cultural reflection in this process. The fol-lowing presented issues concern the representation of sexual minorities and negative phenomena that are present in the virtual space (such as queerbaiting), which have an impact on both the user, as well as the game industry. It emphasizes the role of the appearance of LGBT characters in this medium, which potentially can positively influence the player and producer communities. In this article I also describe three examples of non-heteronormative characters and their importance to users and developers of the given games.

scholarly journals Video Games Ativos, equilíbrio e gasto energético em idosos: uma revisão sistemática

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael José Perrier-Melo ◽  
Thiago De Aguiar Silva Coelho ◽  
Jorge Luiz Brito-Gomes ◽  
Saulo Fernandes Melo de Oliveira ◽  
Manoel Da Cunha Costa
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Active Video Games ◽  
Active Video ◽  
Web Of Knowledge

Introdução: Verifica-se que Video Games Ativos (VGA) aumentam os níveis de aptidão física em populações diversas, contudo, esses efeitos são controversos em pessoas idosas. Objetivos: Revisar os efeitos dos VGAs no equilíbrio e analisar o gasto energético em idosos. Métodos: Realizou-se busca nas bibliotecas: MedLine, PubMed, Science Direct e Web of Knowledge, utilizando os termos: exergames, older adults, active video games, virtual reality e elderly. Resultados: Nos oito trabalhos analisados, os VGAs apresentaram intensidades de leve à vigorosa, possibilitando gastos energéticos de acordo com as indicações do ACSM. Verificou-se que, na maioria das pesquisas, utiliza-se a frequência cardíaca para estimar o gasto calórico. Os efeitos positivos no equilíbrio foram identificados nos indivíduos com redução dessa capacidade diagnosticada antes das intervenções, bem como naqueles nos quais foram usadas a escala de verificação do equilíbrio de maneira prática. Conclusão: VGAs são capazes de aumentar o gasto energético e melhorar o equilíbrio em idosos.

scholarly journals The Influence of Binaural Room Impulse Responses on Externalization in Virtual Reality Scenarios

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 10198
Author(s):  
Song Li ◽  
Roman Schlieper ◽  
Aly Tobbala ◽  
Jürgen Peissig
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Auditory Information ◽  
Impulse Responses ◽  
The Real ◽  
Visual Impression ◽  
Sound Image ◽  
Divergence Effect

A headphone-based virtual sound image can not be perceived as perfectly externalized if the acoustic of the synthesized room does not match that of the real listening environment. This effect has been well explored and is known as the room divergence effect (RDE). The RDE is important for perceived externalization of virtual sounds if listeners are aware of the room-related auditory information provided by the listening environment. In the case of virtual reality (VR) applications, users get a visual impression of the virtual room, but may not be aware of the auditory information of this room. It is unknown whether the acoustic congruence between the synthesized (binaurally rendered) room and the visual-only virtual listening environment is important for externalization. VR-based psychoacoustic experiments were performed and the results reveal that perceived externalization of virtual sounds depends on listeners’ expectations of the acoustic of the visual-only virtual room. The virtual sound images can be perceived as externalized, although there is an acoustic divergence between the binaurally synthesized room and the visual-only virtual listening environment. However, the “correct” room information in binaural sounds may lead to degraded externalization if the acoustic properties of the room do not match listeners’ expectations.

Reducing Outgroup Bias through Intergroup Contact with Non-Playable Video Game Characters in VR

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priska Breves
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Black People ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Racially Diverse ◽  
Virtual Reality Technology ◽  
Explicit Bias ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
The Impact

Video games are one of the most popular media forms in today's society, but are often criticized for various reasons. For instance, mainstream video games do not incorporate enough racially diverse game characters or are often connected to adolescents’ levels of aggression and have thus been the focus of many debates. While the negative consequences of video games have been analyzed by many academic studies, research on the prosocial effects of video games is scarce. To address this research gap and support the ongoing call for more diverse video game characters, this study used a 3 × 1 between-subjects design ( N = 86) to test the impact of racially diverse non-playable characters (NPCs). The parasocial contact hypothesis was used as the theoretical foundation, incorporating virtual reality technology as an intensifier of effects. The results showed that helping a Black NPC did not reduce implicit bias, but reduced explicit bias towards Black people. This improvement was stronger when the video game was played using virtual reality technology than when using a traditional two-dimensional gaming device.

Gamification to Promote the Engagement in Healtcare and Wellness of Patients Under Therapeutic Care

2019 ◽  
pp. 244-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surendra Prasad Mishra ◽  
Dinkar Kulshreshtha ◽  
Anoop Kumar Srivastava ◽  
Ajeet Kumar Gandhi ◽  
Madhup Rastogi
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Smart Phones ◽  
First Century ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Therapeutic Modalities ◽  
Gaming Technology ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Physiological Symptoms ◽  
Definition Of

The evolution of gaming in healthcare promotion evolved concurrently with the ascendance of computing technology, smart phones, facilitated by video-based 3D technology and virtual reality in the mid-eighties and nineties. Health and wellness in the twenty-first century is interlinked with the wealth of the nation and individuals and its traditional definition of physical, psychological, spiritual, social, and financial optima has seen new paradigms. The gaming technology has found groundbreaking applications in many diagnostic and therapeutic modalities to modulate the behavioral changes, simulation of virtual reality, and passage to recovery through neurologically engaging the cognitive functions with the stimuli produced. Physiological symptoms and life-threatening disorders which may caused be faced by viral inflictions (HIV, Hepatitis C, etc.) and type 2 diabetes could today be significantly managed by gaming technologies for psychosomatic management.

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