Two University of Alberta researchers have found that children's games like hide-and-seek could pave way for more realistic video games, and high-tech search-enhancing tools for the police.
Experimental psychologist Marcia Spetch and computer scientist Vadim Bulitko used their research to understand the reasoning and decision-making process involved in hiding and searching for objects.
Research To Find If Video Games Boost Memory In The Elderly
Whether video games can boost memory and thinking skills in the elderly is being investigated as part of a new study, funded by the National Science Foundation in the US.
Advertisement
They believe that it will lead to more realistic game environments, and even advanced search-enhancing tools for law enforcement.
The study focuses on a multi-phase study that involved adult participants searching for and hiding objects in a room in a virtual-reality setting resembling the real room's dimensions.
![Experts Warn Looming]( "Experts Warn Looming")
People who play video games may get addicted for life to their consoles, just like gamblers get hooked to cards, warn health experts.
The researchers found that people who were searching for objects tended to look in places closer to their starting location, whereas people tended to move farthest away from the starting point when hiding objects.
The hiders would disperse objects over a wider area to make them harder to find.
On role-reversal, this group provided the researchers with some interesting observations.
"People that had already hidden objects tended to move further away from the starting place consistent with where people normally hide objects. It was as though the hiding primed them into what kinds of locations things might be hidden in," said Spetch.
Understanding peoples' hiding behaviours and considering their motivations and other factors (time, stress, value of an object) would help researchers in mapping out and predicting ideal hiding spots in any given space.
Gamers would benefit directly from this knowledge, as it will allow programmers to hide objects in more interesting locations within a game, based on peoples' real-life search strategies.
The information will give programmers more information they can use to make computer-generated characters, or game-bots, more human-like by giving them human characteristics and limitations.
Bulitko said that this makes the game more fun for the players.
He is hoping for a law enforcement application using computer-enhanced eyewear similar to technology currently available in military circles.
By analysing a room, the search-enhancing goggles could help limit the number of possible spots where an object may be hidden.
"A computer can recognize spots in a room, and maybe it can make some suggestions like 'OK, check under that plank on the floor,'" he said.
The study has been published in Learning and Motivation.
Source: ANI
TAN
Experts Warn Looming 'Video Game Addiction' - Like Compulsive Gambling
People who play video games may get addicted for life to their consoles, just like gamblers get hooked to cards, warn health experts.
Advertisement
The researchers found that people who were searching for objects tended to look in places closer to their starting location, whereas people tended to move farthest away from the starting point when hiding objects.
The hiders would disperse objects over a wider area to make them harder to find.
On role-reversal, this group provided the researchers with some interesting observations.
"People that had already hidden objects tended to move further away from the starting place consistent with where people normally hide objects. It was as though the hiding primed them into what kinds of locations things might be hidden in," said Spetch.
Understanding peoples' hiding behaviours and considering their motivations and other factors (time, stress, value of an object) would help researchers in mapping out and predicting ideal hiding spots in any given space.
Gamers would benefit directly from this knowledge, as it will allow programmers to hide objects in more interesting locations within a game, based on peoples' real-life search strategies.
The information will give programmers more information they can use to make computer-generated characters, or game-bots, more human-like by giving them human characteristics and limitations.
Bulitko said that this makes the game more fun for the players.
He is hoping for a law enforcement application using computer-enhanced eyewear similar to technology currently available in military circles.
By analysing a room, the search-enhancing goggles could help limit the number of possible spots where an object may be hidden.
"A computer can recognize spots in a room, and maybe it can make some suggestions like 'OK, check under that plank on the floor,'" he said.
The study has been published in Learning and Motivation.
Source: ANI
TAN
Playing Active Video Games Equivalent to Moderate Exercise in Kids
A study at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Centre says that playing active video games, like the Nintendo Wii, is equally beneficial for children as moderate exercise.
Advertisement
Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Latest Lifestyle and Wellness News
Significance of sunscreen as an essential element of skincare has experienced a significant upswing in popularity due to the deleterious effects of UV rays.
Impact of workplace burnout on employee performance, wellbeing, and organizational productivity is extensive, yet the role of personal relationships has been overlooked.
Ayurveda offers a time-tested treatment for aging skin using natural herbs and antiquated traditions that value sustainability and might do wonders for skin health.
Researchers identified two key physiological systems involved in hypertension, cognitive, and emotional impairments following high salt intake.
Decoding the secrets of wrinkles by knowing the causes, prevention, and expert advice.