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2018 | Buch

Geogames and Geoplay

Game-based Approaches to the Analysis of Geo-Information

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Über dieses Buch

This book brings together contributions from researchers, GIS professionals and game designers to provide a first overview of this highly interdisciplinary field. Its scope ranges from fundamentals about games and play, geographic information technologies, game design and culture, to current examples and forward looking analysis.
Of interest to anyone interested in creating and using Geogames, this volume serves as a channel for sharing early experiences, discussing technological challenges and solutions, and outlines a future research agenda.
Games and play are part of human life, and in many game activities, place, space and geography plays a central role in determining the rules and interactions that are characteristic of each game. Recent developments and widespread access to mobile information, communication, and geospatial technologies have spurred a flurry of developments, including many variations of gaming activities that are situated in, or otherwise connected to the real world.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter
Chapter 1. Introducing Geogames and Geoplay: Characterizing an Emerging Research Field
Abstract
Games and play are part of human life, and place, space, and geography take central roles in determining the rules and interactions of games. Consider how integral maps are to the board game RISK, how video game players navigate through a realistic ‘world’ in pursuit of a goal, the millions of Pokemon Go players navigating the real world to find new Pokemon. Even the very abstract maps of Monopoly and Chess are inherently geographical, utilizing basic spatial rules for game play.
Ola Ahlqvist, Christoph Schlieder
Chapter 2. Defining a Geogame Genre Using Core Concepts of Games, Play, and Geographic Information and Thinking
Abstract
In 2008, the National Science Foundation (NSF) released the report “Fostering Learning in the Networked World: The Cyberlearning Opportunity and Challenge”. NSF argued in this report that the heavy investment and focus on Cyberinfrastructures must be complemented by a parallel investment in Cyberlearning, “…learning that is mediated by networked computing and communications technologies.” (Borgman et al. 2008). The rationale was that information and communication technologies had reached a critical tipping point where high-end computing, cyberinfrastructures and mobile technologies were readily available for billions of users, but it was still unclear what affordances they could bring to learning in structured classroom settings and more informal learning environments.
Ola Ahlqvist, Swaroop Joshi, Rohan Benkar, Kiril Vatev, Rajiv Ramnath, Andrew Heckler, Neelam Soundarajan
Chapter 3. OriGami: A Mobile Geogame for Spatial Literacy
Abstract
Spatial literacy, the skill of learning about and improving interaction with one’s surroundings, is an inherently transdisciplinary competency transcending from STEM to social sciences and arts. Spatial literacy is central in primary and secondary school curricula in many countries, and not only possesses the potentials of individual success but also fosters the importance of spatial information use in society. There is wide agreement on the transdisciplinary power of spatial thinking: Goodchild (2006) pointed out its importance for curricula in all subjects: from STEM, to social sciences and arts. Many tasks in the most recent PISA study (OECD 2014) on general problem-solving refer to spatial problems. The National Research Council (NRC) report “Learning to think spatially” suggests solutions for geographic information systems (GIS) as a support system to think spatially (Committee on Support for Thinking Spatially 2006). Approaches using minimal GIS for all grade levels at school, when particular spatial concepts were used incidentally, follow this direction in several studies (Bartoschek et al. 2010; Battersby et al. 2006; Marsh et al. 2007). Curricula all over the world reflect spatial competency training, although there are large differences in the way countries implemented this; the spatial tasks, level of abstraction, and learning stage of lessons in spatial literacy differ substantially.
Thomas Bartoschek, Angela Schwering, Rui Li, Stefan Münzer, Vânia Carlos
Chapter 4. Spatial Game for Negotiations and Consensus Building in Urban Planning: YouPlaceIt!
Abstract
Striving to reach consensus about the use of resources is crucial in spatial planning. Civic engagement and participatory planning support activities of negotiation and consensus building. Negotiation, as considered in this work, is a process of communication in which parties exchange their messages, opinions, or statements in order to influence the other party (Fisher 1991). In simple terms, negotiation is a discussion between two or more disputants who are trying to work out a solution to their problem. Many situations in urban and regional planning require negotiations and consensus building. Some examples may include questions like where to locate a new road; how to design the newly created park; and what is the best location for a new shopping mall. A negotiation can be interpersonal where several individuals negotiate, or inter-group in which groups negotiate among themselves. It can include different stakeholders: the residents of the planned area, various government departments, real-estate developers, industry, and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s). Reaching a consensus among different stakeholders is a challenging task which often needed to involve compromises among all involved parties. These negotiations take place because the stakeholders and individuals wish to create something new or resolve a problem or dispute. The problem usually arises when there are conflicting interests involved on how to use natural resources, land, buildings and/or how to revitalize and further develop cities and landscapes. One of the big challenges faced by planners that facilitate participatory planning and civic engagement represents the process of consensus building in which the parties can present their conflicting points of view with the goal of arriving at an agreement.
Alenka Poplin, Kavita Vemuri
Chapter 5. Addressing Uneven Participation Patterns in VGI Through Gamification Mechanisms
Abstract
This chapter studies the spatial behavior of contributors to OpenStreetMap and links it to gamification mechanisms which provide a solution to issues that arise with patterns of participation. More specifically, three issues are identified: (1) high productive contributors show little commitment to return and update geographic features they created, (2) the gap between the accumulated percentage of created features and the accumulated percentage of updated features is widening, (3) there is a significant contrast between areas of high and low mapping activity. Spatial allocation games are described as a subclass of location-based games suitable for addressing the participation issues. Based on an analysis of the geogames Geograph, Foursquare, Ingress, and Neocartographer we identify common design patterns for the allocation and deallocation of places. In addition, we show how to map the participation issues map onto the game design patterns. Results from an agent-based spatial simulation provide insights into the interaction of the spatial design patterns.
Vyron Antoniou, Christoph Schlieder
Chapter 6. Teaching Geogame Design: Game Relocation as a Spatial Analysis Task
Abstract
While teachers have used geogames in a variety of learning contexts in secondary education, they generally avoid letting the students themselves design a geogame because of the alleged complexity of the task. In this chapter, we identify an important part of the geogame design process, namely game relocation, and provide the methodological and technical means for addressing it in the classroom. In game relocation, the designer adapts a successful location-based game to a new geographic environment. We show how to decompose the game relocation process into a sequence of spatial analysis tasks accessible to students. Furthermore, we present a method, place storming, which permits students to search the geographic environment for potential places of game actions. The chapter concludes with the description of a software tool that supports students to solve the spatial analysis tasks involved in game relocation.
Christoph Schlieder, Dominik Kremer, Thomas Heinz
Chapter 7. (Re-)Localization of Location-Based Games
Abstract
While location-based games (LBGs) have been around for some time, only few of them have succeeded in attracting a larger number of players. One reason is the difficulty of suitable embedding of game concepts in an environment. In order to reach players from different places, LBG concepts need to be relocalized in a way which preserves the particular attractiveness of a game. What are criteria for high-quality (re-)localization? While the problem has been recognized in the literature, a systematic derivation of computational criteria is missing. In this chapter, we propose three novel criteria of game localization: playability, breakability, and authenticity. They are b sed on consistency and similarity measures in a 3-tier model of game localization, understood as a mapping of game actions and narratives into environmental affordances. We illustrate the use of the criteria in terms of a simple conquer game with two different narratives and two different environmental embeddings, as well as with an existing multi-player geogame.
Simon Scheider, Peter Kiefer
Chapter 8. The Design and Play of Geogames as Place-Based Education
Abstract
A key affordance of games and technologies that emphasize geolocativity is their ability to bring people to new places, and mobilize aspects of those places to facilitate playful and interactive experiences. At a basic level, we can think of a mobile application’s ability to locate where you are (via GPS, QR codes, Bluetooth beacons, image recognition, etc.) and use that information to direct you towards specific objects or locations within a place or encourage particular types of interactions. Not only where you are, but what you do in specific locations (e.g. take and share photos) can become part of a mediated experience that encourages you to act and interact differently in the world. Games that take into account a person’s physical location can be single or multiplayer: relying on players’ co-presence in a given place either synchronously or asynchronously, or designed to elicit interactions among users in different places, where each player contributes based on the unique features of their location. In essence, mobile technologies can provide new ways of knowing where you are: from highlighting your position in time and space to helping you identify and interpret your surroundings, to cultivating new sociocultural and identity based modes of awareness. Geogames can amplify these possibilities by providing the conditions (e.g., the context and inspiration) needed to encourage players to take action within a particular place. As a result, game authors can facilitate new ways of seeing the world, open new modes of access to the worlds that players already encounter, and create new worlds and narratives layered on top of existing reality.
Jim Mathews, Christopher Holden
Chapter 9. A Cost-effective Workflow for Depicting Landscapes in Immersive Virtual Environments
Abstract
Geogames draw inspiration from two technologies: geographic information science (GIS) and video games. These technologies share a common history that stretches back to the invention of ancient “map games” such as chess and Go. Both fields have advanced rapidly in the past two decades, spurred by the rapid expansion of computer graphical and processing capabilities (Ahlqvist 2011). GIS analysts and video game designers might be surprised by the similarity of their data management techniques: both rely on hierarchical data management structures, employ techniques for minimizing processor loads when representing complex scenes, and use layers to organize their data sources (Shepherd and Bleasdale-Shepherd 2009). Overlapping engagements with simulation, multi-party collaboration, and the web indicate that GIS and video game technologies may be headed down converging paths (Ahlqvist 2011).
Nathaniel J. Henry
Chapter 10. Structural Gamification of a University GIS Course
Abstract
College level Geographic Information Systems (GIS) courses are, like most university courses, linear, rigid, punitive, and self-contained. Most have laboratories involving the use of high-end, complex GIS software with a steep learning curve. This chapter demonstrates one way to convert one such laboratory course into a quest-based learning (QBL) environment. The chapter illustrates how I am currently using 3DGamelab’s Quest-Based Learning Management System (LMS) to convert this traditional, college course into one that provides choice, rewards for learning from mistakes, and opportunities for credential building. I describe how to incorporate labs normally requiring face-to-face interaction, how to provide choice and still cover the material, how to leverage outside learning material, and how to encourage life-long learning. Many of the rewards, especially the badges, are linked explicitly to the US Department of Labor’s geospatial technology industry’s competency model, thus encouraging learners to see this as an opportunity to plan for future employment. Finally, this chapter discusses some of the difficulties of course mapping a complex, full-semester course. In particular it illustrates issues of adapting to learner needs, and the time and effort required to construct and deliver an interactive-intensive learning environment. I make recommendations for solutions and adaptations for such difficulties.
Michael N. DeMers
Chapter 11. Geocaching on the Moon
Abstract
The Moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth—the closest celestial object to our home planet. Appearing in folktales of almost all cultures, the Moon has fascinated people for thousands of years. Even though humanity has accomplished great achievement of lunar exploration, only 12 people have thus far landed on the Moon; It remains inaccessible for the rest of us. To rectify this, The Moon Exploration is a geocaching, multiplayer, mixed reality game that brings the Moon down to the Earth so that people can have access to it. Using the most up to date scientific data, players can explore in the game as if they were the astronauts exploring on the Moon. The location-based mapping scheme maps a lunar location to places on the Earth, so people can explore the Moon in the virtual world while moving around on the Earth. The game-playing facilitates communication and social interactions among players, which could facilitate the formation of a large lunar geocaching community on the Earth.
Cheng Zhang
Backmatter
Metadaten
Titel
Geogames and Geoplay
herausgegeben von
Prof. Dr. Ola Ahlqvist
Prof. Dr. Christoph Schlieder
Copyright-Jahr
2018
Electronic ISBN
978-3-319-22774-0
Print ISBN
978-3-319-22773-3
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22774-0