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Mixed Reality Games—Playful Experiences in Immersive and Interactive Media
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Mixed Reality Games—Playful Experiences in Immersive and Interactive Media

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Computing and Artificial Intelligence".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2023) | Viewed by 52108

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Eike Langbehn

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Media Informatics, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg), 22081 Hamburg, Germany
Interests: mixed reality; human–computer interaction; game design; interactive systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Virtual, augmented and mixed reality (XR) technologies have received enormous attention in recent years. Nowadays, XR devices are used primarily in digital games and entertainment.

Games place particularly high demands on usability and accessibility. In most cases, games are consumed for entertainment and fun. This requires joyful user interfaces to keep up player motivation. Even more challenges for user interface design are added for XR games: Sense of presence, cyber sickness or spatial cognition. However, especially the spatiality of XR enables completely new kinds of interactions and game mechanics that can open up possibilities and innovations.

Additionally, beyond pure entertainment purposes, game mechanics can be exploited for serious applications such as health or training. The combination of XR and games has the potential to enhance involvement, understanding, performance or efficiency in these domains.

This Special Issue­ will publish high-quality research papers in the field of XR and games, spatial human–computer interaction, playful media, and 3D interface technologies. Of interest are papers that explore methods, techniques, technologies, reviews, (case) studies, applications, or novel ideas.

Prof. Dr. Eike Langbehn
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Game design and interaction design
  • Human–computer interaction
  • Virtual, augmented, and mixed reality
  • Game mechanics and Gamification
  • Playful media
  • 3D user interfaces
  • Spatial interaction
  • 3D input and output
  • Navigation and locomotion
  • Immersion and presence
  • VR sickness
  • Perception, cognition, action
  • Audio and haptic interfaces
  • 3D rendering technologies
  • Virtual humans
  • Serious games
  • Health games and Exergames
  • News games
  • Training and simulation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 395 KiB  
Article
SoundFields: A Virtual Reality Home-Based Intervention for Auditory Hypersensitivity Experienced by Autistic Children
by Sarah Parkinson, Sophie Schumann, Amelia Taylor, Clare Fenton, Gavin Kearney, Megan Garside and Daniel Johnston
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(11), 6783; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13116783 - 2 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2714
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that autistic people often display atypical responses when processing sensory information, with particular prevalence within the auditory domain. Often provoked by common everyday sounds, auditory hypersensitivity can result in self-regulatory fear responses. This can be potentially harmful to autistic [...] Read more.
Previous studies have shown that autistic people often display atypical responses when processing sensory information, with particular prevalence within the auditory domain. Often provoked by common everyday sounds, auditory hypersensitivity can result in self-regulatory fear responses. This can be potentially harmful to autistic individuals and the people around them and is associated with greater occurrence of anxiety, depression, and poorer overall quality of life in the autistic population. Rather than a physiological causation, the literature suggests that hypersensitivity to sound is likely to be caused by how auditory stimuli are processed in the brain. This paper reports a home-based digital intervention aimed to address auditory hypersensitivity in autistic children. Developed as an interactive virtual reality game, the system integrates exposure-based therapy techniques into game mechanics and delivers target auditory stimuli to the player rendered via binaural-based spatial audio. The performance of the platform was evaluated in a 10-week feasibility study, during which children (n = 7) engaged weekly with the game during a 30 min session. Following this period, a comparison of pre- and post-study measurements showed a decrease in sensitivity for five participants, with qualitative feedback highlighting an increase in tolerance towards real-world stimuli and challenging environments. These results provide initial support for SoundFields as a home-based intervention targeting auditory hypersensitivity experienced by autistic children. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mixed Reality Games—Playful Experiences in Immersive and Interactive Media)
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18 pages, 1980 KiB  
Article
Usability and Acceptance of Exergames Using Different Types of Training among Older Hypertensive Patients in a Simulated Mixed Reality
by Oskar Stamm, Susan Vorwerg, Michele Haink, Kristian Hildebrand and Ilona Buchem
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(22), 11424; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122211424 - 10 Nov 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3011
Abstract
Virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) exergames are promising tools for increasing training motivation. However, the use of exergames with mixed reality (MR) headsets remains under-researched. Older adults with hypertension could also benefit from the increased training adherence associated with MR. Endurance and strength [...] Read more.
Virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) exergames are promising tools for increasing training motivation. However, the use of exergames with mixed reality (MR) headsets remains under-researched. Older adults with hypertension could also benefit from the increased training adherence associated with MR. Endurance and strength endurance exercises are recommended for this group to lower blood pressure. The aim of the preliminary study (n = 22) was to compare the usability and acceptance of two exergames, which represent two different training types—strength endurance training (SET) and endurance training (ET). The developed exergame prototypes were applied in “simulated MR” using a VR head-mounted display. We examined the following outcomes: usability (TUI), intention to use (TUI), subjective task load (NASA-TLX), frustration (NASA-TLX), and presence (PQ). The results showed that frustration was significantly greater in the ET than in the SET (p = 0.038). Presence was significantly higher in the SET (p = 0.002). No significant differences in usability and acceptance were found in the exergames. The results indicate that usability and acceptance are not related to the type of training when utilizing MR exergames. Whether the results are transferable with a real MR headset must be determined in further research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mixed Reality Games—Playful Experiences in Immersive and Interactive Media)
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18 pages, 3158 KiB  
Article
Creating Audio Object-Focused Acoustic Environments for Room-Scale Virtual Reality
by Constantin Popp and Damian T. Murphy
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(14), 7306; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12147306 - 20 Jul 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5232
Abstract
Room-scale virtual reality (VR) affordance in movement and interactivity causes new challenges in creating virtual acoustic environments for VR experiences. Such environments are typically constructed from virtual interactive objects that are accompanied by an Ambisonic bed and an off-screen (“invisible”) music soundtrack, with [...] Read more.
Room-scale virtual reality (VR) affordance in movement and interactivity causes new challenges in creating virtual acoustic environments for VR experiences. Such environments are typically constructed from virtual interactive objects that are accompanied by an Ambisonic bed and an off-screen (“invisible”) music soundtrack, with the Ambisonic bed, music, and virtual acoustics describing the aural features of an area. This methodology can become problematic in room-scale VR as the player cannot approach or interact with such background sounds, contradicting the player’s motion aurally and limiting interactivity. Written from a sound designer’s perspective, the paper addresses these issues by proposing a musically inclusive novel methodology that reimagines an acoustic environment predominately using objects that are governed by multimodal rule-based systems and spatialized in six degrees of freedom using 3D binaural audio exclusively while minimizing the use of Ambisonic beds and non-diegetic music. This methodology is implemented using off-the-shelf, creator-oriented tools and methods and is evaluated through the development of a standalone, narrative, prototype room-scale VR experience. The experience’s target platform is a mobile, untethered VR system based on head-mounted displays, inside-out tracking, head-mounted loudspeakers or headphones, and hand-held controllers. The authors apply their methodology to the generation of ambiences based on sound-based music, sound effects, and virtual acoustics. The proposed methodology benefits the interactivity and spatial behavior of virtual acoustic environments but may be constrained by platform and project limitations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mixed Reality Games—Playful Experiences in Immersive and Interactive Media)
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Review

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43 pages, 2905 KiB  
Review
Augmented Reality and Gamification in Education: A Systematic Literature Review of Research, Applications, and Empirical Studies
by Georgios Lampropoulos, Euclid Keramopoulos, Konstantinos Diamantaras and Georgios Evangelidis
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(13), 6809; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136809 - 5 Jul 2022
Cited by 164 | Viewed by 39242
Abstract
This study scrutinizes the existing literature regarding the use of augmented reality and gamification in education to establish its theoretical basis. A systematic literature review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was conducted. To provide complete and [...] Read more.
This study scrutinizes the existing literature regarding the use of augmented reality and gamification in education to establish its theoretical basis. A systematic literature review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was conducted. To provide complete and valid information, all types of related studies for all educational stages and subjects throughout the years were investigated. In total, 670 articles from 5 databases (Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, IEEE, and ERIC) were examined. Based on the results, using augmented reality and gamification in education can yield several benefits for students, assist educators, improve the educational process, and facilitate the transition toward technology-enhanced learning when used in a student-centered manner, following proper educational approaches and strategies and taking students’ knowledge, interests, unique characteristics, and personality traits into consideration. Students demonstrated positive behavioral, attitudinal, and psychological changes and increased engagement, motivation, active participation, knowledge acquisition, focus, curiosity, interest, enjoyment, academic performance, and learning outcomes. Teachers also assessed them positively. Virtual rewards were crucial for improving learning motivation. The need to develop appropriate validation tools, design techniques, and theories was apparent. Finally, their potential to create collaborative and personalized learning experiences and to promote and enhance students’ cognitive and social–emotional development was evident. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mixed Reality Games—Playful Experiences in Immersive and Interactive Media)
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