Science (Universidade Europeia)
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Adaptive virtual reality horror games based on Machine learning and player modeling
No full textFear is a basic human emotion that can be triggered by different situations, which vary from person to person. However, game developers usually design horror games based on a general knowledge about what most players fear, which does not guarantee a satisfying horror experience for every-one. When a horror game aims at intensifying the fear evoked in individual players, having useful information about the fears of the current player is vital to promote more frightening experiences. This work presents a new method to create adaptive virtual reality horror games, which combines player modeling techniques and an adaptive agent-based system that can identify what individual players fear and adapt the content of the game to intensify the fear evoked in players. The main contributions of this work are: (1) a new method to identify individual player's fears using only gameplay data and machine learning techniques; and (2) a new agent-based adaptive game system that can track the horror intensity experienced by players and moderate the use of the horror elements feared by individual players in the game. The results show that the proposed method is capable of correctly identifying players’ fears (average accuracy of 79.4% for new players). In addition, results of a user study and statistical significance tests (ANOVA and post-hoc analyses) suggest that our method can intensify the fear evoked in players and positively improve immersion and flow
Internatzionalny dom: The autobiographical discourse of Portuguese children exiled in the Soviet Union
No full text“Seeing a country with your own eyes”: The impact of immersion experiences in language travel
No full textThis study approaches immersion experiences in the context of language tourism. Immersion is here understood as tourists’ extensive engagement and interaction with the members of the host culture. Previous studies have pointed out that language tourism implies a deeper contact with locals; however, other studies have observed that many language programmes abroad are not always as immersive as expected. These contradictory findings suggest that there may be a tremendous variation in contact with locals in the context of language tourism. Hence, the present mixed methods study uses interviews with 22 language travellers, and 1,011 survey answers to address the question of how language tourists who had an intense contact with local residents differ – in terms of profile and travel experiences – from those language travellers who did not have such an intense contact. There are significant differences between these groups. Those who had a more intense contact with locals are more likely to be intrinsically motivated by an interest for the local culture, to travel alone, to report higher levels of fluency, more frequent accommodation at homestays, and greater engagement in a wider range of activities at the destination
Enhanced sweet taste perception in obesity: Joint analysis of gustatory data from multiple studies
No full textIntroduction: While sweet taste perception is a potential determinant of feeding behavior in obesity, the supporting evidence is inconsistent and is typically associated with methodological limitations. Notably, possible associations between sweet taste perception and measures of food reward remain undetermined. Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis comparing 246 individuals with severe obesity and 174 healthy volunteers using a validated method for taste perception assessment. We included gustatory variables, namely intensity and pleasantness ratings of sour, salt, sweet, and bitter tastants, and taste thresholds assessed by electrogustometry. Reward-related feeding behavior, including hedonic hunger, food addiction, feeding behavior traits, and acceptance of foods and alcohol, was evaluated using self-rated scales for comparison with gustatory measures. Result: In logistic regressions adjusted for age, gender, educational level, and research center, we found that a greater likelihood of belonging to the obesity group was associated with higher sweet intensity ratings (OR = 1.4, P = 0.01), hedonic hunger, food addiction symptoms, restrained and emotional eating (1.7 < OR ≤ 4.6, all P ≤ 0.001), and lower alcohol acceptance (OR = 0.6, P = 0.0002). Using principal component analysis, we found that while hedonic hunger, food addiction, and emotional eating were strongly interrelated, they were not associated with sweet intensity perception that, in turn, had a closer relationship with alcohol acceptance and restrained eating. Conclusion: We found that individuals with obesity report higher sweet taste intensity ratings than healthy controls. Furthermore, while psychological measures of reward-related feeding behavior assess a common construct, sweet intensity perception may represent a different obesity-related dimension
Social engagement and cultural adaptation of young refugees through gaming and playful design
No full textThe document addresses one of the main themes of the present day, i.e., the problem of forced migration—commonly referred to as seeking refuge. The target user of this study is exiled children who, in most cases, arrive at their destination alone and with few or no primary survival conditions. UNHCR (2015) points out that more than 65 million people worldwide have had to leave their home countries for war, climate change and/or political or religious persecution. Within this number, 1 in 200 children worldwide are refugees, representing 52% of the total refugee population (UNICEF 2016). In this scenario, in addition to being victims of school dropouts due to migration, many children end up developing trauma, anxiety, and suicide attacks, resulting in less favourable conditions, sometimes living in shelters. The methodologies developed by Ellen MacArthur Foundation and IDEO—respectively, Design Thinking and Human-Centred Design—aimed to understand how design can positively influence the cultural adaptation of these children. For the best development of this research, the subject was studied through official data from the leading organizations operating within this panorama and the analysis of some projects that promote social inclusion. Finally, in response to the proposed issue, we defend the relevance of a playful, educational, sustainable and focused on circular economy design. Through it, the user could learn by playing the language and the customs of the new country. Besides, it could prevent the exposure of the users to dangerous situations—which they are vulnerable
Plot composition by mapping situation calculus schemas into Petri Net representation
No full textIn this paper we propose a new plot composition method based on situation calculus and Petri net models, which are applied, in a complementary fashion, to a narrative open to user co-authorship. The method starts with the specification of situation calculus schemas, which allow a planning algorithm to check if the specification covers the desired cases. A Petri net is then automatically derived from the schemas in a second phase, guiding interactive plot generation and dramatization. The applicability of the proposed method is validated through the implementation of an interactive storytelling system capable of representing the generated Petri net models using 2D graphics and animations
Tourism services innovation ecosystem: A multicriteria model approach based on portuguese higher education
No full textIn recent years, researchers and practitioners shed light on the “platform ecosystem.” The platform ecosystem could create an ecosystem that generates unlimited tourism innovation with an open platform, outside complementors, and various consumers [Inoue and Tsujimoto (Technological Forecasting and Social Change 136:235–253, 2018)]. The main objective of this research is to categorize or sort the actors that influence the drivers to access digital technologies tourism services innovation ecosystem. We evaluate the influence of alternatives over factors or drivers, with emphasis on situations where there is more than one driver and even more than one evaluator. The perceptions were mapped by the board of the Portuguese faculty. This challenge arises in subjective situations where perceptions should be mapped as it occurs in multicriteria decision aid/making situations. Roy (Revue Française d’informatique et de Recherche Opérationnelle 2:57–75, 1968) proposed the ELECTRE (ELimination et Choix Traudusiant La REalité) as a non-compensatory algorithm to face choice dilemmas. The assertive “alternative a is not worse than another one b.” We expect that results may encourage practitioners and researchers to influence decisions to access the innovation ecosystem
Consumer perception of fast-moving consumer goods about the Continente Food Lab brand
No full textThe food retail market is very competitive. All players race against time to gain a competitive advantage over others. It is in this competitive environment that Continente launches a brand of innovative food products, Continente Food Lab. This new brand enters the market as a wager of Continente and SONAE MC in food innovation, however, it encountered some challenges in that same market, the main one of these challenges being its identity and the way in which it is perceived by consumers. If Continente Food Lab sees itself as a brand of innovative food retail products, consumers tend to perceive Continente Food Lab as a brand of healthy and organic products, which can bring some problems, with unfulfilled expectations on the part of consumers who wrongly expected to be buying healthy or organic products and a consequent loss of trust on the part of the consumer toward the brand. The purpose of this case study is to understand how the Continente Food Lab brand can overcome this problem of brand myopia it burdens. More specifically, this case study aims to define the attributes of the brand triangle that lead fast-moving consumer goods clients to perceive Continente Food Lab as an innovative food retail brand