=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-3712/paper2
|storemode=property
|title=Technological Challenges of Ambient Serious Games in Higher Education
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3712/paper2.pdf
|volume=Vol-3712
|authors=Lea C. Brandl,Börge Kordts,Andreas Schrader
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/mum/BrandlKS23
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==Technological Challenges of Ambient Serious Games in Higher Education==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3712/paper2.pdf
Technological Challenges of Ambient Serious Games
in Higher Education⋆
Lea C. Brandl*,† , Börge Kordts† and Andreas Schrader
Institute of Telematics, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, Lübeck, Germany
Abstract
Naturally, university courses should be designed to attract students, engaging them to achieve learning
goals. Toward this end, the use of Serious Games has been proposed in the literature. To address positive
effects, such as content memorability and attendance rates, we propose Ambient Serious Games as games
embedded in a computer-enriched environment, which is only partially perceived mentally by players.
In this paper, we describe five technological key challenges that must be overcome to seamlessly and
beneficially integrate an Ambient Serious Game into teaching. These challenges, derived from a scenario,
focus on the technological provision and conduct of such games based on a software platform. They
include (1) the integration of physical smart learning objects in heterogeneous environments under
dynamic constraints, (2) the representation of abstract subject matter using smart learning objects, (3)
the guided or automatic connection of all involved components, (4) the explanation of the components,
their interaction, as well as the serious game itself, and (5) feedback on the game state.
Keywords
Ambient Serious Game, Challenges, Higher Education, Pervasive Computing, Self-Reflection, Human
Computer Interaction Guidance, Smart Objects
1. Introduction
The attendance rate in university courses is directly related to learning success and the associated
examination performance [1]. Consequently, courses should be made attractive for students.
The use of activating teaching methods represents a possible approach in this regard [2]. Roepke
et al. [3] investigated the use of such methods in different subject areas and found that activating
methods are used less frequently than conventional approaches. However, according to Dale’s
cone of experience [4], activating methods should have a beneficial effect on knowledge transfer.
As possible countermeasures, Roepke et al. suggest incorporating puzzles, quizzes, or the
games Taboo, as well as Activity, into the teaching routine. Such games are categorized as
Serious Games, i.e., games that do not focus on entertainment, fun, or amusement as their
primary or sole purpose [5]. Learning games can have a motivating effect on students and can
cause them to engage with content longer than in other teaching formats [6, 7, 8]. Backlund
Workshop "Making A Real Connection, Pro-Social Collaborative Play in Extended Realities – Trends, Challenges and
Potentials" at 22nd International Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Multimedia (Making A Real Connection, MUM
’23), December 03–06, 2023, Vienna, Austria
*
Corresponding author.
†
Both authors contributed equally to this research..
$ lea.brandl@uni-luebeck.de (L. C. Brandl); b.kordts@uni-luebeck.de (B. Kordts);
andreas.schrader@uni-luebeck.de (A. Schrader)
0000-0001-6655-6763 (L. C. Brandl); 0000-0002-4235-8399 (B. Kordts); 0000-0001-7926-0611 (A. Schrader)
© 2022 Copyright for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
CEUR
ceur-ws.org
Workshop ISSN 1613-0073
Proceedings
and Hendrix [9] report mostly positive effects on learning impact, problem-solving skills, and
motivation to learn. However, they also point out that in some cases the results seem to
be influenced by whether the evaluation was conducted by the game’s developers or others
(observer bias).
Generally, the cognitive learning process should be taken into account, whereby especially
the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning can play a role. It explains a higher cognitive
availability when using multimedia to present learning content, particularly combining visual
and auditory presentation [10]. Hence, using multimedia to show the same teaching content
can allow for more efficient information processing and seems to increase memorability.
Consequently, the paradigm shift observable in other domains towards embedding technology
in the ambience (known as Pervasive Computing, cf. [11]) could also be used to design courses
that take into account the aspects mentioned above. In doing so, interactive learning spaces
could integrate activating teaching methods, multimodal learning and tangible learning objects
designed to illustrate subject matter. The vision of an adaptive learning space available as a
learning management system has already been proposed by various authors [12, 13, 14, 15]. It
includes the design of pervasive environments in the university environment for the presentation
and teaching of learning content.
The paradigm of Pervasive Computing has also been applied to games resulting in Pervasive
Games, i.e., games that are not clearly limited in time, space, or social conditions [16]. More
specialized, Ambient Games represent a subset, where the atmosphere in which players engage
in various activities is essential, including non-game activities. They allow players to use
information provided by the environment without forcing interaction [17]. They incorporate
the concept of Pervasive Computing and exploit the augmentation of reality through the use of
embodied virtuality.
To address the above-mentioned aspects, we propose the conjunction of Ambient and Serious
Games. Hence, we define the term Ambient Serious Game as follows: an Ambient Serious Game
is a game that has a serious goal. It is embedded in an environment enriched with computers,
which is only partially mentally perceived by the players. Nevertheless, the focus is on the game
as such, which includes a set of rules as well as a defined goal. This definition partly contradicts
the definition of Ambient Games mentioned above, but ambient in this case describes the use of
smart environment whose technical components are not mentally perceivable by the users. In
the university context, Ambient Serious Games can be understood as learning games that are
integrated into lectures in order to achieve positive effects.
In this paper, we broach the issue of the following research question: what are the technologi-
cal key challenges that need to be overcome to seamlessly and beneficially integrate an Ambient
Serious Game into teaching? Towards this end, we present a scenario of the integration of an
Ambient Serious Game into teaching routine that illustrates possible benefits and serves as a
basis for deriving technical issues.
2. User Scenario
The following scenario illustrates how a simple Ambient Serious Game could be integrated into
lectures. For easier understanding, the scenario is also graphically underlined by Fig. 1.
Figure 1: Illustration of the scenario. Frames 1 and 2 illustrate the set-up process. Frames 3 to 6
illustrate the students playing the game. The processes shown are repeated with other assignments.
Catrina Smith is a research assistant at the Institute of Computer Science. Among other
lectures, she also gives a lecture on the topic of sorting algorithms. In order to make the course
more attractive for the students, she plans to integrate an Ambient Serious Game in her lecture.
Since she needs additional equipment for the game, she borrows a specially equipped game
case from IT support and brings it with her into the lecture hall (see Fig. 1, Frame 1).
Once in the lecture hall, she opens the case. It contains some smart cubes and a tablet. She
also finds instructions in the lid. Following the instructions, she uses her computer to open the
exercise in the learning management system of the university. By clicking on the icon labelled
Ambient Sorting Game, she can now start the exercise as a pervasive multiplayer game. In the
next step, the system shows that it has discovered the cubes, the tablet, the room’s smart lights
as well as the smart board (which is also connected to the audio system) of the lecture hall (see
Frame 2). The system now displays further instructions, telling Catrina to place the cubes that
were in the case on the table. Both the cubes and the smart lights flash briefly, from which
Catrina concludes that everything is connected and set up. First students have already taken
their seats in the auditorium and shortly afterward, Catrina begins her lecture.
In the first half hour, she explains various sorting algorithms. After that, Catrina starts the
game and introduces it to the students. She also explains the learning objectives. Instructions
for the players are displayed on the smart board. Background music can be heard over the
speakers, its calm nature suggesting that there is still plenty of time to process. The students
work with the smart cubes that now display sorting algorithms in action (see Frame 3), which
the students have to identify (see Frame 4). Following this task, the students are urged to assign
them to color-coded playing areas, which depict properties of some of the sorting algorithms.
The game tells the students that these color fields are projected into the auditorium by the
lighting. The students look around and notice three areas in the room illuminated in different
colors: red, blue, and yellow (see Frame 5). The tablet states that red is assigned to the property
"in-place", blue to "optimal runtime" and yellow "stability". Also, the smart cubes begin to glow
in the different colors. The students assume that they can now move the cubes to the colored
area. To place the cubes, the students need to walk back and forth between the areas. Once
they solved "optimal space complexity" by correctly putting all cubes in the yellow area, the
yellow light turns off (see Frame 6). In the meantime, the background music has become more
tense, indicating that there is not much time left. Finally, the students are just about to place
the last cube. A rewarding jingle can be heard upon placing the last cube, and the current score
as well as the remaining time can be seen on the smart board.
The students can now see that they have achieved 23,847 points. The leaderboard displayed on
the smart board states that they have scored second-best all-time. Following the game, Catrina
discusses the decisions of the students and the results to clarify misunderstandings. Afterward,
the students are more attentive and can concentrate well on the new material following up.
3. What is challenging?
Some obstacles to the widespread use of games in the classroom have already been reported.
For example, Backlund and Hendrix [9] report barriers, including acceptance issues and tech-
nological restrictions, which are also reflected in our scenario. However, their review focuses
on educational games and does not explicitly address Ambient Serious Games. Thus, further
technological challenges need to be addressed.
First of all, to allow students to interact with the environment in the course of a game,
classrooms need to be transformed into interactive learning spaces. So far, rooms used for
education are typically not equipped with various smart objects that are ready to be used.
Instead, most of the required equipment needs to be brought into the room. The scenario also
illustrates that even when fully equipped classrooms are present, additional (tangible) learning
objects can be required. So, even in the lecture hall with smart lights and a smart board, Catrina
needs to bring a game case with additional equipment to her lecture. Furthermore, devices as
well as persons involved may enter or leave the space dynamically. Hence, a platform for an
Ambient Serious Game needs to cope with heterogeneously equipped learning spaces, further
components brought by the lecturers, as well as dynamically changing situations.
Secondly, tangible as well as abstract lecture content needs to be covered by the game. While
some subject matter can be directly presented using physical representatives or tangible objects,
a large proportion covers abstract topics or information that is not directly associated with a
physical form or representative objects. In the presented scenario, the smart cubes are used
to visualize sorting algorithms which are abstract by nature. Thus, at least some of the used
smart learning objects need to be able to display abstract subject matter. Ideally, both tangible
representative smart objects and generic smart objects with display capabilities are combined.
Next, the provision of an Ambient Serious Game should require as little effort as possible
to gain acceptance. Ideally, setting up the equipment in the interactive learning space and
launching the game are part of a facile setup routine. Catrina just needs to bring the game
case, distribute the smart cubes as well as the tablet, and start the application via the learning
management system. The system in the scenario discovers and connects the components by
itself. Thus, a platform for an Ambient Serious Game should automatically discover smart
objects as well as further involved devices and be able to connect all involved components,
including the game itself. Ideally, the platform is able to make a proposal for possible and sensible
connections between the involved components as well as the game. Though, decision-making
authority should remain with the lecturers. They should be able to control or manipulate the
connection process and overrule proposals, or part of a proposal, made by the platform.
Also, students as well as lecturers should know how to play the game. Baalsrud et al. [18]
observed that it is important that lecturers are well-informed about the game itself and the
interaction technologies. However, the resulting interplay of devices and the game in the
interactive learning space can be highly dynamic. Also, one game can be played using various
different (and interchangeable) ensembles of smart learning objects and vice versa. It should be
noted that the actual game (experience) arises out of said interplay of all involved components.
However, the automatic connection of involved components and the dynamic situation may
obfuscate the handling of the game. In our scenario, Catrina as well as the students are instructed
by the system at any time. In addition to the instructions displayed on the smart board, the smart
objects also provide information on correct use. Thus, the platform should instruct the students
or the lecturers, at best both, on how it is controlled using adequate modalities. Ideally, each
component has a knowledge of its internal state, the connection to other devices as well as the
consequences of possible actions and further, is able to explain itself based on this knowledge
(self-reflection, cf. [19]).
Finally, involved players as well as lecturers should be informed about the state of the game.
Hence, the game should provide continuous and multimodal feedback to both parties (cf. [20]).
The scenario shows multiple situations in which feedback is provided. While the smart board
displays the game statistics all the time, smart lights indicate areas for placing the smart cubes
and flashing lights on the smart cubes depict an established connection. Thus, the platform needs
to be able to locate devices and their relative positions to provide useful feedback regarding
progress and correct or incorrect decisions by students. Ideally, feedback is provided at the right
time at the right position (i.e., close to interaction). Furthermore, feedback mechanisms may be
required to be explained using the aforementioned instructions for players to fully understand
game operations.
4. Discussion
While introducing Ambient Serious Games into university teaching routines can potentially
address aspects such as the memorability of subject matter or attendance rates, a software
platform for the provision and conduct of such games would need to overcome several challenges.
We have identified five key challenges regarding the interplay of smart objects in heterogeneous
environments, the physical representation of abstract content, the connection of involved
components, explanations for all components, and feedback on the game state.
The described challenges essentially refer to technical aspects in the provision and conduct
of Ambient Serious Games in teaching routine. They do not yet address the concrete design of
such games and, in particular, the integration of teaching content. The introduction to the game
and debriefing afterward go beyond self-explainability but can extend and support it. In our
scenario, the lecturer handles both the introduction and debriefing. Visionarily, the software
platform could take on these roles.
Additionally, the implementation of Ambient Serious Games requires basic technical equip-
ment in the lecture hall, depending on the respective game, the number of students, and possibly
other circumstances. It can be expected that learning spaces will become increasingly enriched
with technology, and the involved technology will become more advanced. This would allow
games to become more immersive, and game elements to be more sophisticated. For instance, a
smart floor could be used to illuminate clearly delimited areas for assignment tasks similar to
the one presented in our scenario.
More complex games and scenarios are also conceivable. For example, the described game
could be designed collaboratively for groups. The colored spaces in the room could be unlocked
by a second group answering questions. The students could also assign properties of the
algorithms to these areas. This would require strategic coordination and mutual support
between the groups in order to advance faster.
While we expect that addressing the identified challenges ensures a certain acceptance
among lecturers, it should be noted that a minimum degree of openness to new methods and
technologies is required. Particularly, the interweaving of subject matter, game design, and
arrangement of the smart learning spaces plays an important role, which should be planned
carefully. Furthermore, individual learning styles, as well as player types, should be considered.
To substantiate the identified challenges with respect to stakeholders’ perspectives, we plan
to conduct studies regarding the integration into teaching routines and the design of concrete
games. We further plan to examine acceptance, particularly potential barriers and enablers, as
well as evidence regarding outcomes in terms of learning success. In particular, distinct games
need to be evaluated to prove their effectiveness. In doing so, we plan to address further, more
broadly framed research questions regarding the usefulness of the design concept of Ambient
Serious Games and smart learning spaces.
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