scholarly journals Review of Flash Flood! – A SeriousGeoGame combining science festivals, video games, and virtual reality with research data for communicating flood risk and geomorphology

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Hobbs
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Chris Skinner

Abstract. The risk of flooding around the world is large and increasing, yet in many areas there is still a difficulty in engaging the public with their own flood risk. Geomorphology is a science that is linked to flooding and can exacerbate risks, but awareness of the science with the public is low and declining within academia. To increase awareness, it is important to engage the public directly with the science and those who are working to reduce flood risks – this starts by inspiring people to seek out further information through positive experiences of the science and researchers. Here, a new design model is presented to engage the public with specific research projects by using useful components offered by the popular mediums of games, virtual reality (VR), and science festivals to allow the public to get “hands on” with research data and models: SeriousGeoGames. A SeriousGeoGames activity, Flash Flood!, was developed around real geomorphology survey data to help engage the public with a flood-risk-related research project by placing them in a river valley as it undergoes a geomorphically active flooding from an intense rainfall event. Flash Flood! was exhibited at two science-focussed events, and formal evaluation was captured using a short questionnaire, finding that the majority of audience had a positive interaction (95.1 %) and wanted to know more about flooding (68.0 %) and geomorphology (60.1 %). It is hoped these interactions will increase the likelihood that future engagements with relevant agencies will be more fruitful, especially when it matters most.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Skinner

Abstract. The risk of flooding around the world is large and increasing yet in many areas there is still a difficulty in engaging the public with their own flood risk. Geomorphology is a science which is linked to flooding and can exacerbate risks but awareness of the science with the public is low, and declining within academia. To increase awareness it is important to engage the public directly with the science and those who are working to reduce flood risks – this starts by inspiring people to seek out further information through positive experiences of the science and researchers. Here, a new framework is presented to engage the public with specific research projects by using the best components offered by the popular mediums of games, virtual reality, and science festivals, to allow the public to get hands on with research data and models – SeriousGeoGames. A SeriousGeoGame, Flash Flood!, was developed around real geomorphology survey data to help engage the public with a flood risk related research project by placing them in a river valley as it undergoes a geomorphically-active flooding from intense rainfall event. Flash Flood! was exhibited at science festivals and similar events in the UK by scientists on the project, and supported with online content including videos. Through event feedback it was shown to create positive experiences for participants and inspired curiosity as seen through online analytics. This is hoped to inspire more fruitful engagements with relevant agencies in the future when it matters most.


Author(s):  
Jonathan Weinel

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.


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

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 197-212
Author(s):  
Hanna Kuliga

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.


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

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.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerstin Büche ◽  
André Assmann ◽  
Lennart Meine ◽  
Anne-Farina Lohrengel

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