Sample records for game regulatory small

  1. Small game

    Treesearch

    John C. Kilgo

    2005-01-01

    Although small game currently is not harvested on the Savannah river Site(SRS) soutside of the Crackerneck Wildlife Management area and logical Reserve (CWMA), several species of small game occur on SRS. these include snipe (Gallinago gallinago), American woodcock (Scolopax minor), morning dove (Zenaida macroura...

  2. Federal control of Indian Lands v. State control of Gaming - Cabazon Bingo and the Indian Gaming regulatory act.

    PubMed

    Strate, L D; Mayo, A M

    1990-03-01

    In September, 1988, the 100th Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, concluding five years of debate over the Indian Gaming issue - brought to a head by a Supreme Court decision in February, 1987, that barred states from regulating Indian Gaming. That case (State of California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians) forced the legislature to take a serious look at issues of gaming on Indian lands. The result was the creation of a three-tiered system whereby tribes will control ceremonial games, the federal government will control bingo, and the states and tribes will negotiate agreements to cover casino games, parimutuel racing, and jai alai, if such games are legal in that particular state. In light of the case of the Cabazon Indians and the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, this paper will address the following competing issues: tribal sovereignty, state interests, federal interests, and states like Nevada, which have a regulated gaming industry.

  3. Small-Sided Games: Developmentally Appropriate Applications in Traditional Activities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Petersen, Susan; Cruz, Luz

    This paper presents a systematic progression of small-sided games within two traditional sports units (soccer and volleyball). Developmentally appropriate guidelines encourage teachers at all levels to incorporate small-sided games (2v2, 3v3, and 4v4). Advantages of small-sided games include: allowing students numerous practice opportunities;…

  4. Teaching Spatial Awareness In Small-Sided Games

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phillips, David; Hannon, James C.; Molina, Sergio

    2015-01-01

    This article supports the use of strategy and tactics at games stage three (how to teach basic offensive and defensive strategy using small-sided games) as a best practices in physical education. Potential learning through game stages three and four (full-sided games) is only possible when teachers have advanced content knowledge to teach the…

  5. 25 CFR 547.17 - How does a tribal gaming regulatory authority apply for a variance from these standards?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... CLASS II GAMES § 547.17 How does a tribal gaming regulatory authority apply for a variance from these... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false How does a tribal gaming regulatory authority apply for a variance from these standards? 547.17 Section 547.17 Indians NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT...

  6. Minding Your Own Small Business. Simulation Game 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Athena Corp., Bethesda, MD.

    Designed as an integral part of a one-semester course in small business ownership and management for high school students, this first of two simulation games is intended to be introduced after the students have received a general introduction to the principles of small business ownership and management. The game is divided into two…

  7. "I can be happy even when I lose the game": the influence of chronic regulatory focus and primed self-construal on exergamers' mood.

    PubMed

    Jin, Seung-A Annie

    2010-08-01

    This research explored the effects of priming interdependent self-construals (collective self ) versus independent self-construals (private self ) on exergame players' mood in response to negative performance feedback. An experiment was conducted to test the interaction effects of self-construal priming as a situational factor and game players' chronic regulatory focus as an individual difference factor. To this end, the author leveraged a video-game console (Wii) and an exergame (Dance Dance Revolution) in a controlled, randomized 2 x 2 (experimental priming: interdependent self-construal vs. independent self-construal x game players' chronic promotion regulatory focus: low vs. high) between-subjects factorial design experiment (N = 58). The results of a two-way analysis of variance demonstrated the proposed interaction effect between primed self-construal and game players' chronic regulatory focus on the game players' mood in response to negative performance. The theoretical mechanism underlying the two-way interaction is explicated by regulatory focus and the primed self-construals is explicated by regulatory focus theory and two-basket theory. Practical implications for game developers and theoretical contributions to video-game research are discussed.

  8. Optimising technical skills and physical loading in small-sided basketball games.

    PubMed

    Klusemann, Markus J; Pyne, David B; Foster, Carl; Drinkwater, Eric J

    2012-01-01

    Differences in physiological, physical, and technical demands of small-sided basketball games related to the number of players, court size, and work-to-rest ratios are not well characterised. A controlled trial was conducted to compare the influence of number of players (2v2/4v4), court size (half/full court) and work-to-rest ratios (4x2.5 min/2x5 min) on the demands of small-sided games. Sixteen elite male and female junior players (aged 15-19 years) completed eight variations of a small-sided game in randomised order over a six-week period. Heart rate responses and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured to assess the physiological load. Movement patterns and technical elements were assessed by video analysis. There were ∼60% more technical elements in 2v2 and ∼20% more in half court games. Heart rate (86 ± 4% & 83 ± 5% of maximum; mean ± SD) and RPE (8 ± 2 & 6 ± 2; scale 1-10) were moderately higher in 2v2 than 4v4 small-sided games, respectively. The 2v2 format elicited substantially more sprints (36 ±12%; mean ±90% confidence limits) and high intensity shuffling (75 ±17%) than 4v4. Full court games required substantially more jogging (9 ±6%) compared to half court games. Fewer players in small-sided basketball games substantially increases the technical, physiological and physical demands.

  9. Minding Your Own Small Business. Simulation Game 2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Athena Corp., Bethesda, MD.

    Designed as an integral part of a one-semester course in small business ownership and management for high school students, this second of two simulation games is intended to be introduced at the end of Unit 2, "The Market is People," and completed in Unit 3, "Dollars and Decisions." The game is divided into two…

  10. Goal Format in Small-Sided Soccer Games: Technical Actions and Offensive Scenarios of Prepubescent Players

    PubMed Central

    Pulling, Craig; Twitchen, Alex; Pettefer, Carl

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the number of goal-posts and the positioning of goal-posts used within small-sided games on the frequency of technical actions and offensive scenarios performed by prepubescent players within soccer. The participants were eight male prepubescent soccer players (12.1 ± 0.5 years). The participants were video recorded for 20 min playing four different formats of 4v4 small-sided games: (1) standard two goal game; (2) four goal game, one goal in each corner; (3) two goal game with goal-posts positioned 9.14 m/10 yd infield, scoring only through the back of the goal; (4) four goal-game, one goal positioned 9.14 m/10 yd infield in each corner, scoring through either the front or back of each goal. Chi-squared tests of independence were utilized to statistically explore the impact of the different small-sided game formats. There were significant associations (p < 0.05) observed between the different small-sided game formats and the frequency of turns, dribbles, shots, goals and overlaps performed. For example, players performed more turns in small-sided game format two and more shots during small-sided game format four. It is suggested coaches should consider using a variation of the number and positioning of goal-posts in small-sided games as an effective training tool in the development of prepubescent soccer players. This will enable coaches to vary the focus of sessions, and develop specific technical and tactical actions within a situation similar to that of real match-play. PMID:29910301

  11. Planning Training Workload in Football Using Small-Sided Games' Density.

    PubMed

    Sangnier, Sebastien; Cotte, Thierry; Brachet, Olivier; Coquart, Jeremy; Tourny, Claire

    2018-05-08

    Sangnier, S, Cotte, T, Brachet, O, Coquart, J, and Tourny, C. Planning training workload in football using small-sided games density. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-To develop the physical qualities, the small-sided games' (SSGs) density may be essential in soccer. Small-sided games are games in which the pitch size, players' number, and rules are different to those for traditional soccer matches. The purpose was to assess the relation between training workload and SSGs' density. The 33 densities data (41 practice games and 3 full games) were analyzed through global positioning system (GPS) data collected from 25 professional soccer players (80.7 ± 7.0 kg; 1.83 ± 0.05 m; 26.4 ± 4.9 years). From total distance, distance metabolic power, sprint distance, and acceleration distance, the data GPS were divided into 4 categories: endurance, power, speed, and strength. Statistical analysis compared the relation between GPS values and SSGs' densities, and 3 methods were applied to assess models (R-squared, root-mean-square error, and Akaike information criterion). The results suggest that all the GPS data match the player's essential athletic skills. They were all correlated with the game's density. Acceleration distance, deceleration distance, metabolic power, and total distance followed a logarithmic regression model, whereas distance and number of sprints follow a linear regression model. The research reveals options to monitor the training workload. Coaches could anticipate the load resulting from the SSGs and adjust the field size to the players' number. Taking into account the field size during SSGs enables coaches to target the most favorable density for developing expected physical qualities. Calibrating intensity during SSGs would allow coaches to assess each athletic skill in the same conditions of intensity as in the competition.

  12. Small Business Administration Semiannual Regulatory Agenda

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-20

    ... represent that it will make good faith efforts to award subcontracts to small businesses at the same...). It also conforms SBA rules for the section 7(a) Business Loan Program and the Certified Development... Business Administration Semiannual Regulatory Agenda] Part XVII Small Business Administration Semiannual...

  13. Effects of knowing the task duration on players' pacing patterns during soccer small-sided games.

    PubMed

    Ferraz, Ricardo; Gonçalves, Bruno; Van Den Tillaar, Roland; Jiménez Sáiz, Sergio; Sampaio, Jaime; Marques, Mário C

    2018-01-01

    The aim of this study was to identify the influence of prior knowledge of exercise duration on players' pacing patterns during soccer small-sided games. Twenty semi-professional male soccer players participated in this study. In the first game scenario, players were not informed how long they would be required to play the small-sided game and the activity was terminated after 20 min (Unknown Condition). In the second game scenario, players were told that they would play the small-sided game for 10 min, but immediately after completing the 10-min game, they were asked to complete another 10 min (Partially Condition). In the third game scenario, players were instructed that they would play the small-sided game for 20 min and then they completed the 20-min game (Known Condition). The results presented a tendency of higher values in all performance variables in the [0'-10'] min compared with the [10'-20'] min. As the players' previous knowledge about the tasks duration increased, the performance between two moments tended to be similar. Considering the entire 20-min game duration, the Partially Condition of the exercise was the most demanding condition. In conclusion, the knowledge of shorter durations of the exercise seems to lead to an increase of exercise duration demand, and longer exercise durations possibly tend to decrease differences between full knowledge and not knowing the exercise duration.

  14. Small-sided games in football as a method to improve high school students’ instep passing skills

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ridwan, M.; Darmawan, G.; Fuadi, Z.

    2018-01-01

    This study analyzed the influence of small sided games application toward increasing the learning result of instep passing in football. The research used one group pretest-posttest design. The data were obtained once a week for 135 minutes of small sided games and this activity had been held for four weeks with a final test in the final meeting. According to descriptive data result, there were increases of the mean. The data showed the increase of the application of small sided games resulted in not only the mean of the descriptive data but also the result of T-test. The significant of T-test is 0,000. It means less than 0,05 then the hypothesis Ha received and Ho rejected automatically. The presentation showed that 48,15% data is increasing by small-sided games application. The small-sided games were proven to be the right tool to increase instep passing football technique. We suggested to the apply that kind of games of football learning on physical education subject, especially for pre-university students.

  15. Effect of National Football League games on small animal emergency room caseload.

    PubMed

    Rozanski, Elizabeth A; Rondeau, Mark P; Shaw, Scott P; Rush, John E

    2009-07-01

    To evaluate whether games of popular professional football teams have an effect on small animal emergency room caseload and percentage of dogs and cats that subsequently are hospitalized, are euthanatized, or die following admission to veterinary emergency rooms located within a dedicated fan base. Prospective study. 818 dogs and cats admitted to the emergency room. During the 2007 New England Patriots (NEP) football season, small animal emergency room caseload was recorded for Sunday (4-hour blocks, 8:00 AM until 12:00 midnight) and Monday night (7:00 PM to 11:00 PM). Number of dogs and cats that subsequently were hospitalized, died, or were euthanatized was recorded. Mean game importance rating (GIR) was determined for NEP games (scale, 1 [mild] to 3 [great]). Percentage of dogs and cats admitted from 12:00 noon to 4:00 PM on Sundays during NEP games (mean GIR, 1.7) versus non-NEP games was not different. Mean +/- SD percentage of dogs and cats admitted from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Sundays during NEP games (mean GIR, 2.4) versus non-NEP games was significantly different (18 +/- 5% and 25 +/- 7% of daily caseload, respectively). Percentage of dogs and cats admitted from 8:00 PM to 12:00 midnight on Sundays during NEP games (mean GIR, 2.1) versus non-NEP games was not different. Game type (NEP vs non-NEP) during emergency room admission did not influence whether dogs and cats subsequently were hospitalized, died, or were euthanatized. Professional sporting events may influence veterinary emergency room caseloads.

  16. High-Intensity Small-Sided Games versus Repeated Sprint Training in Junior Soccer Players.

    PubMed

    Eniseler, Niyazi; Şahan, Çağatay; Özcan, Ilker; Dinler, Kıvanç

    2017-12-01

    The aim of this study was to compare the effects of high-intensity small-sided games training (SSGT) versus repeated-sprint training (RST) on repeated-sprint ability (RSA), soccer specific endurance performance and short passing ability among junior soccer players. The junior soccer players were recruited from of a professional team (age 16.9 ± 1.1 years). The tests included the repeated-shuttle-sprint ability test (RSSAT), Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) and Loughborough Soccer Passing Test (LSPT). Nineteen participants were randomly assigned to either the small-sided games training (SSGTG) (n = 10) or repeated-sprint training group (RSTG) (n = 9). Small-sided games or repeated-sprint training were added to the regular training sessions for two days of the regular practice week. The Wilcoxon signed-rank and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to examine differences in groups and training effects. A time x training group effect was found in the improvement of short-passing ability for the smallsided games training group which showed significantly better scores than the repeated-sprint training group (p ≤ 0.05). Both groups showed similar improvements in RSAdecrement (p < 0.05). Only the repeated-sprint training group improved in the Yo-Yo IR1 (p < 0.05). This study clearly shows that high-intensity small-sided games training can be used as an effective training mode to enhance both repeated sprint ability and short-passing ability.

  17. High-Intensity Small-Sided Games versus Repeated Sprint Training in Junior Soccer Players

    PubMed Central

    Şahan, Çağatay; Özcan, Ilker; Dinler, Kıvanç

    2017-01-01

    Abstract The aim of this study was to compare the effects of high-intensity small-sided games training (SSGT) versus repeated-sprint training (RST) on repeated-sprint ability (RSA), soccer specific endurance performance and short passing ability among junior soccer players. The junior soccer players were recruited from of a professional team (age 16.9 ± 1.1 years). The tests included the repeated-shuttle-sprint ability test (RSSAT), Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) and Loughborough Soccer Passing Test (LSPT). Nineteen participants were randomly assigned to either the small-sided games training (SSGTG) (n = 10) or repeated-sprint training group (RSTG) (n = 9). Small-sided games or repeated-sprint training were added to the regular training sessions for two days of the regular practice week. The Wilcoxon signed-rank and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to examine differences in groups and training effects. A time x training group effect was found in the improvement of short-passing ability for the smallsided games training group which showed significantly better scores than the repeated-sprint training group (p ≤ 0.05). Both groups showed similar improvements in RSAdecrement (p < 0.05). Only the repeated-sprint training group improved in the Yo-Yo IR1 (p < 0.05). This study clearly shows that high-intensity small-sided games training can be used as an effective training mode to enhance both repeated sprint ability and short-passing ability. PMID:29339990

  18. 14 CFR 399.73 - Definition of small business for Regulatory Flexibility Act.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Definition of small business for Regulatory... Rulemaking Proceedings § 399.73 Definition of small business for Regulatory Flexibility Act. For the purposes... Flexibility Act), a direct air carrier or foreign air carrier is a small business if it provides air...

  19. Timescales for exploratory tactical behaviour in football small-sided games.

    PubMed

    Ric, Angel; Hristovski, Robert; Gonçalves, Bruno; Torres, Lorena; Sampaio, Jaime; Torrents, Carlota

    2016-09-01

    The aim of this study was to identify the dynamics of tactical behaviour emerging on different timescales in football small-sided games and to quantify short- and long-term exploratory behaviour according to the number of opponents. Two teams of four professional male footballers played small-sided games against two different teams with a variable number of opponents (3, 5 and 7). Data were collected using a combination of systematic observation and a non-differential global positioning system (15 Hz). The temporal diversity and structural flexibility of the players were determined by calculating the dynamic overlap order parameter q, entropy and trapping strength. Analysis of the exploratory dynamics revealed two different timescales, forming a different metastable landscape of action for each constraint. Fast dynamics lasted on average a few seconds and consisted of changes in tactical patterns. The long timescale corresponded to the shared tasks of offence and defence lasting tens of seconds. The players' tactical diversity decreased with an increasing number of opponents, especially in defence. Manipulating numerical imbalance is likely to promote changes in the diversity, unpredictability and flexibility of tactical solutions. The fact that the temporally nested structure of constraints shaped the emergence of tactical behaviour provides a new rationale for practice task design. The manipulation of numerical imbalance on the timescale of a few tens of seconds, on which the exploratory behaviour of players saturates, may help coaches to optimise the exploratory efficiency of the small-sided games.

  20. Spatial prisoner's dilemma game with volunteering in Newman-Watts small-world networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Zhi-Xi; Xu, Xin-Jian; Chen, Yong; Wang, Ying-Hai

    2005-03-01

    A modified spatial prisoner’s dilemma game with voluntary participation in Newman-Watts small-world networks is studied. Some reasonable ingredients are introduced to the game evolutionary dynamics: each agent in the network is a pure strategist and can only take one of three strategies (cooperator, defector, and loner); its strategical transformation is associated with both the number of strategical states and the magnitude of average profits, which are adopted and acquired by its coplayers in the previous round of play; a stochastic strategy mutation is applied when it gets into the trouble of local commons that the agent and its neighbors are in the same state and get the same average payoffs. In the case of very low temptation to defect, it is found that agents are willing to participate in the game in typical small-world region and intensive collective oscillations arise in more random region.

  1. Effects of small-sided games on physical conditioning and performance in young soccer players.

    PubMed

    Katis, Athanasios; Kellis, Eleftherios

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine, first, the movement actions performed during two different small-sided games and, second, their effects on a series of field endurance and technical tests. Thirty-four young soccer players (age: 13 ± 0.9 yrs; body mass: 62.3 ± 15.1 kg; height: 1.65 ± 0.06 m) participated in the study. Small-sided games included three-a-side (3 versus 3 players) and six-a-side (6 versus 6 players) games consisting of 10 bouts of 4 min duration with 3 min active recovery between bouts. Soccer player performance was evaluated using five field tests: a) 30m sprint, b) throw-in for distance, c) Illinois Agility Test, d) dribbling the ball and e) horizontal jump before, in the middle and after the implementation of both game situations. Heart rate was monitored during the entire testing session. Each game was also filmed to measure soccer movements within the game. The ANOVA analysis indicated that the three-a- side games displayed significantly higher heart rate values compared with the six-a-side games (p < 0.05). The number of short passes, kicks, tackles, dribbles and scoring goals were significantly higher during the three-a-side compared with the six-a-side game condition (p < 0. 05) while players performed more long passes and headed the ball more often during the six-a-side (p < 0.05). After the three-a-side games, there was a significant decline in sprint and agility performance (p < 0.05), while after both game conditions significant alterations in the throw-in and the horizontal jump performance were observed (p < 0.05). The results of the present study indicated that three-a-side games provide higher stimulus for physical conditioning and technical improvement than six-a-side games and their use for training young soccer players is recommended. Key pointsThree-a-side games display higher HR compared with six-a-side games.In the three-a-side games players performed more short passes, kicks, dribbles, tackles and scored more goals

  2. The Pollution Game: A Classroom Game Demonstrating the Relative Effectiveness of Emissions Taxes and Tradable Permits

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Corrigan, Jay R.

    2011-01-01

    This classroom game illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of various regulatory frameworks aimed at internalizing negative externalities from pollution. Specifically, the game divides students into three groups--a government regulatory agency and two polluting firms--and allows them to work through a system of uniform command-and-control…

  3. 76 FR 9630 - Federal Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Hearing; National Ombudsman and Region VI Regional Small...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-18

    ... Administration (SBA). ACTION: Notice of open hearing of the Regional (Region VI) Small Business Regulatory... location, date and time of the Regional Small Business Regulatory Fairness hearing. This hearing is open to... Chasse Room, New Orleans, LA 70140. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Small Business Regulatory...

  4. Motifs, modules and games in bacteria.

    PubMed

    Wolf, Denise M; Arkin, Adam P

    2003-04-01

    Global explorations of regulatory network dynamics, organization and evolution have become tractable thanks to high-throughput sequencing and molecular measurement of bacterial physiology. From these, a nascent conceptual framework is developing, that views the principles of regulation in term of motifs, modules and games. Motifs are small, repeated, and conserved biological units ranging from molecular domains to small reaction networks. They are arranged into functional modules, genetically dissectible cellular functions such as the cell cycle, or different stress responses. The dynamical functioning of modules defines the organism's strategy to survive in a game, pitting cell against cell, and cell against environment. Placing pathway structure and dynamics into an evolutionary context begins to allow discrimination between those physical and molecular features that particularize a species to its surroundings, and those that provide core physiological function. This approach promises to generate a higher level understanding of cellular design, pathway evolution and cellular bioengineering.

  5. Influence of game format and number of players on heart rate responses and physical demands in small-sided soccer games.

    PubMed

    Castellano, Julen; Casamichana, David; Dellal, Alexandre

    2013-05-01

    The aim of the study was to examine the extent to which changing the game format (possession play vs. regulation goals and goalkeepers vs. small goals only) and the number of players (3 vs. 3, 5 vs. 5 and 7 vs. 7) influenced the physiological and physical demands of small-sided games (SSGs) in soccer in semiprofessional players. Fourteen semiprofessional male soccer players were monitored with global positioning system and heart rate devices. Heart rate, player load, distance covered, running speed, and the number of accelerations were recorded for 9 different SSGs. The results show that changes both in game format and the number of players affect the players' physiological and physical demands. Possession play places greater physiological and physical demands on players, although reducing the number of players only increases the physiological load. In the 7 vs. 7 games, changing the game format did not alter the heart rate responses. Finally, in the possession play format, changing the number of players did not produce significant differences in heart rate responses, although physical demands did decrease in line with a reduction in the number of players. These results should help coaches to understand how modifying different aspects of SSGs has a differential effect on the players' physiological and physical demands. Moreover, coaches in semiprofessional and amateur teams have now consistent information to design and optimize their training time in mixing the technical, tactical, and physical aspects.

  6. Naming games in two-dimensional and small-world-connected random geometric networks.

    PubMed

    Lu, Qiming; Korniss, G; Szymanski, B K

    2008-01-01

    We investigate a prototypical agent-based model, the naming game, on two-dimensional random geometric networks. The naming game [Baronchelli, J. Stat. Mech.: Theory Exp. (2006) P06014] is a minimal model, employing local communications that captures the emergence of shared communication schemes (languages) in a population of autonomous semiotic agents. Implementing the naming games with local broadcasts on random geometric graphs, serves as a model for agreement dynamics in large-scale, autonomously operating wireless sensor networks. Further, it captures essential features of the scaling properties of the agreement process for spatially embedded autonomous agents. Among the relevant observables capturing the temporal properties of the agreement process, we investigate the cluster-size distribution and the distribution of the agreement times, both exhibiting dynamic scaling. We also present results for the case when a small density of long-range communication links are added on top of the random geometric graph, resulting in a "small-world"-like network and yielding a significantly reduced time to reach global agreement. We construct a finite-size scaling analysis for the agreement times in this case.

  7. 75 FR 38833 - Indian Gaming

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-07-06

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Gaming AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs... Date: July 6, 2010. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paula Hart, Director, Office of Indian Gaming...) 219-4066. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 11 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988...

  8. 77 FR 59641 - Indian Gaming

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Gaming AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs... Indian Gaming, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary--Policy and Economic Development, Washington, DC 20240, (202) 219-4066. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 11 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act...

  9. Motifs, modules and games in bacteria

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wolf, Denise M.; Arkin, Adam P.

    2003-04-01

    Global explorations of regulatory network dynamics, organization and evolution have become tractable thanks to high-throughput sequencing and molecular measurement of bacterial physiology. From these, a nascent conceptual framework is developing, that views the principles of regulation in term of motifs, modules and games. Motifs are small, repeated, and conserved biological units ranging from molecular domains to small reaction networks. They are arranged into functional modules, genetically dissectible cellular functions such as the cell cycle, or different stress responses. The dynamical functioning of modules defines the organism's strategy to survive in a game, pitting cell against cell, and cell against environment.more » Placing pathway structure and dynamics into an evolutionary context begins to allow discrimination between those physical and molecular features that particularize a species to its surroundings, and those that provide core physiological function. This approach promises to generate a higher level understanding of cellular design, pathway evolution and cellular bioengineering.« less

  10. 75 FR 38834 - Indian Gaming

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-07-06

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Gaming AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs...: July 6, 2010. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paula L. Hart, Director, Office of Indian Gaming, Office...-4066. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under Section 11 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 (IGRA...

  11. 75 FR 61511 - Indian Gaming

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Gaming AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs.... FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paula L. Hart, Director, Office of Indian Gaming, Office of the.... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 11 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 (IGRA), Public Law 100...

  12. 77 FR 45371 - Indian Gaming

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-31

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Gaming AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs... Date: July 31, 2012. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paula L. Hart, Director, Office of Indian Gaming...) 219-4066. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 11 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988...

  13. 75 FR 68618 - Indian Gaming

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Gaming AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs..., 2010. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paula L. Hart, Director, Office of Indian Gaming, Office of the...-4066. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 11 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 (IGRA...

  14. Mental Fatigue: Impairment of Technical Performance in Small-Sided Soccer Games.

    PubMed

    Badin, Oliver O; Smith, Mitchell R; Conte, Daniele; Coutts, Aaron J

    2016-11-01

    To assess the effects of mental fatigue on physical and technical performance in small-sided soccer games. Twenty soccer players (age 17.8 ± 1.0 y, height 179 ± 5 cm, body mass 72.4 ± 6.8 kg, playing experience 8.3 ± 1.4 y) from an Australian National Premier League soccer club volunteered to participate in this randomized crossover investigation. Participants played 15-min 5-vs-5 small-sided games (SSGs) without goalkeepers on 2 occasions separated by 1 wk. Before the SSG, 1 team watched a 30-min emotionally neutral documentary (control), while the other performed 30 min of a computer-based Stroop task (mental fatigue). Subjective ratings of mental and physical fatigue were recorded before and after treatment and after the SSG. Motivation was assessed before treatment and SSG; mental effort was assessed after treatment and SSG. Player activity profiles and heart rate (HR) were measured throughout the SSG, whereas ratings of perceived exertion (RPEs) were recorded before the SSG and immediately after each half. Video recordings of the SSG allowed for notational analysis of technical variables. Subjective ratings of mental fatigue and effort were higher after the Stroop task, whereas motivation for the upcoming SSG was similar between conditions. HR during the SSG was possibly higher in the control condition, whereas RPE was likely higher in the mental-fatigue condition. Mental fatigue had an unclear effect on most physical-performance variables but impaired most technical-performance variables. Mental fatigue impairs technical but not physical performance in small-sided soccer games.

  15. 77 FR 76513 - Indian Gaming

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Gaming AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs..., 2012. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paula L. Hart, Director, Office of Indian Gaming, Office of the.... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 11 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 (IGRA) Public Law 100...

  16. Elite Youth Soccer Players' Physiological Responses, Time-Motion Characteristics, and Game Performance in 4 vs. 4 Small-Sided Games: The Influence of Coach Feedback.

    PubMed

    Brandes, Mirko; Elvers, Sebastian

    2017-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of mild vs. strongly pushed coach feedback on the physiological response, ratio of perceived exertion (RPE), and time-motion characteristics in soccer training with small-sided games (SSGs). Sixteen elite youth soccer players (aged 17.2 ± 0.7 years, V[Combining Dot Above]O2max 62.1 ± 3.8 ml·kg·min) played two 4 vs. 4 small-sided games each. In random order, the coach provided a mild, unobtrusive, or a strongly pushed feedback throughout the game. Physiological measurements included heart rate expressed in mean values and intensity zones, blood lactate concentration, and RPE. The distance traveled, number of sprints, and work:rest ratio were captured by global positioning systems at 5 Hz. Game performance, such as volume of play and efficacy index, was estimated using the Team Sports Assessment Procedure. No differences were found for the physiological response and time-motion characteristics, but effect sizes demonstrated an increase in RPE (+0.4, p = 0.27) and a decrease in game performance (e.g., volume of play, -2.5, p = 0.08) under pushed feedback. Although a pushed feedback raises RPE, it negatively affected the players' game performance, without necessarily provoking higher physiological responses. These results should help coaches to understand that modifying the type of feedback provided during SSG does not impact the physiological response if SSG are already played with high intensity but that the feedback affects RPE and game performance. To keep a better game performance, soccer coaches are encouraged to provide smooth feedback during SSG.

  17. 77 FR 76514 - Indian Gaming

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Gaming AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs...: Paula L. Hart, Director, Office of Indian Gaming, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary--Policy and... the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 (IGRA) Public Law 100-497, 25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq., the...

  18. 78 FR 17428 - Indian Gaming

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Gaming AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs... CONTACT: Paula L. Hart, Director, Office of Indian Gaming, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary... section 11 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 (IGRA), Public Law 100-497, 25 U.S.C. 2710 et seq...

  19. Effect of Game Design, Goal Type, and Player Numbers on the Physiological and Physical Demands of Hurling-Specific Small-Sided Games.

    PubMed

    Malone, Shane; Collins, Kieran D

    2017-06-01

    The current study examined the effect that game design modification, goal type, and player numbers on the running performance and physiological demands of small-sided hurling games (SSG). Forty-eight hurling players (age, 25.5 ± 3.2 years; height, 178.9 ± 3.2 cm; body mass, 78.5 ± 4.5 kg) performed 4 types of SSG (possession [P], normal play [NP], regular goals [RG] and small goals [SG]) in 4-a-side, 5-a-side, and 6-a-side formats. Heart rate (Polar Electro Oy) and global positioning system technology (VX Sport, 4-Hz, Lower Hutt) were used to analyze the physical and physiological differences between SSG. Total distance (m), high-speed running distance (m) (≥17 km·h), very-high speed running distance (≥22 km·h) (m), peak and mean velocity (km·h) were analyzed as an indicator of the physical demands of play. The 4-a-side SSG independent of game design and goal type resulted in a significantly higher relative exercise intensity compared with 5-a-side (mean change: 6 ± 2%; p = 0.001; d = 1.9 ± 0.2; large) and 6-a-side SSG independent of game design or goal type (mean change: 12 ± 2%; p = 0.001; d = 2.9 ± 0.8; very large). The 4-a-side SG (619 ± 106-m [419-735-m]) resulted in the highest distance when compared with all PP (mean change: 141 ± 9 m; p = 0.05; d = 1.9 ± 0.3; moderate) and RG (mean change: 119 ± 39 m; p = 0.004; d = 2.1 ± 0.8; large). Similar trends were observed for 5-a-side and 6-a-side games with SG resulting in increased total running performance. In conclusion, the current observations reveal that 4-a-side NP, SG, and RG have the highest physiological demands with 4-a-side SG having increased running performance in contrast to other game design and goal-type games. Furthermore, independent of game design and goal type, 4-a-side SSG show increased relative intensity compared with 5-a-side and 6-a-side SSG.

  20. Variation of activity demands in small-sided soccer games.

    PubMed

    Dellal, A; Drust, B; Lago-Penas, C

    2012-05-01

    The aim of the present study was to examine the physical and technical activity during different periods within small-sided soccer games (SSGs). 20 elite players completed 3 different SSGs (2-a-side, 3-a-side and 4-a-side games) in which the number of ball touches per individual possession was fixed at a maximum of 2. The duration and the pitch size of each SSG were strictly controlled (2 min, 3 min, 4 min, respectively; 1:75 m2) with each period repeated 4 times (P1, P2, P3, P4). The physical and technical activities, heart rate responses, blood lactate concentration and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were analysed. The results showed a decrease of high and very high-intensity activities (from - 26.2% to - 37.7%, P<0.001), an increase of blood lactate concentration (from + 28.0% to + 76.9%), RPE (from + 29.0% to + 32.8%), and heart rate responses (~ 6.6%), and a significant alteration of technical activities from P1 to P4 in each SSG. The greatest differences from P1 and P4 were observed for the 2-a-side game when compared to the 3-a-side and 4-a-side games (P<0.05) for each variable analysed . In conclusion, the variation of the player's activity throughout the periods indicates that the duration and number of exercise periods used within SSGs is an important variable in determining the training stimulus in soccer-specific training. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  1. Soccer small-sided games in young players: rule modification to induce higher physiological responses

    PubMed Central

    Chtourou, H; Dellal, A; Chaouachi, A; Chamari, K

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to identify the physiological responses of 3 forms of players’ numbers during two different games rules of small-sided games (SSG: stop-ball vs. small-goals rules). Eighteen youth amateur soccer players (age 13.5±0.7 years; height 168.9±6.1cm; body mass 63.1±7.7 kg) participated in this study and performed 3 SSGs with varying players’ number (2vs.2; 3vs.3 and 4vs.4): stop-ball SSG (SB-SSG) vs. small-goals SSG (SG-SSG) in a randomized and counter-balanced order on a constant pitch dimension (20×25m). The players performed 4×4 min SSG with 2-min of passive recovery in-between. Heart rate (HR), (expressed in bpm and % HRmax), lactate ([La-]), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were collected during each session. SB-SSG induced the higher HR values in comparison with the SG-SSG for the 3 game formats (2vs.2; 3vs.3 and 4vs.4). Also, compared with SG-SSG, SB-SSG induced the higher HR values during 2vs.2 compared with 4vs.4 games rules (178 vs. 174 and 175 vs. 171 bpm, respectively). However, the SB-SSG was more intense compared with SG-SSG in the 2 vs. 2 game rule compared with the two others (3 vs.3 and 4 vs. 4) for [La-] and RPE (7.58 vs. 7; 7.25 vs. 6.75 and 6.5 vs. 6.16 mmol ∙ L-1, and 7.75 vs. 7.33; 7.41 vs. 7.08 and 7.16 vs. 6.83, respectively). Therefore, the use of 2 vs. 2 and 3 vs. 3 SSG with SB-SSG seems to represent an alternative to coaches to increase cardiovascular and metabolic demands in youth soccer players. PMID:28566810

  2. A game-theoretic approach to optimize ad hoc networks inspired by small-world network topology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tan, Mian; Yang, Tinghong; Chen, Xing; Yang, Gang; Zhu, Guoqing; Holme, Petter; Zhao, Jing

    2018-03-01

    Nodes in ad hoc networks are connected in a self-organized manner. Limited communication radius makes information transmit in multi-hop mode, and each forwarding needs to consume the energy of nodes. Insufficient communication radius or exhaustion of energy may cause the absence of some relay nodes and links, further breaking network connectivity. On the other hand, nodes in the network may refuse to cooperate due to objective faulty or personal selfish, hindering regular communication in the network. This paper proposes a model called Repeated Game in Small World Networks (RGSWN). In this model, we first construct ad hoc networks with small-world feature by forming "communication shortcuts" between multiple-radio nodes. Small characteristic path length reduces average forwarding times in networks; meanwhile high clustering coefficient enhances network robustness. Such networks still maintain relative low global power consumption, which is beneficial to extend the network survival time. Then we use MTTFT strategy (Mend-Tolerance Tit-for-Tat) for repeated game as a rule for the interactions between neighbors in the small-world networks. Compared with other five strategies of repeated game, this strategy not only punishes the nodes' selfishness more reasonably, but also has the best tolerance to the network failure. This work is insightful for designing an efficient and robust ad hoc network.

  3. Influence of field size on the physiological and skill demands of small-sided games in junior and senior rugby league players.

    PubMed

    Gabbett, Tim J; Abernethy, Bruce; Jenkins, David G

    2012-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of changes in field size on the physiological and skill demands of small-sided games in elite junior and senior rugby league players. Sixteen elite senior rugby league players ([mean ± SE] age, 23.6 ± 0.5 years) and 16 elite junior rugby league players ([mean ± SE] age, 17.3 ± 0.3 years) participated in this study. On day 1, 2 teams played an 8-minute small-sided game on a small field (10-m width × 40-m length), whereas the remaining 2 teams played the small-sided game on a larger sized field (40-m width × 70-m length). On day 2, the groups were crossed over. Movement was recorded by a global positioning system unit sampling at 5 Hz. Games were filmed to count the number of possessions and the number and quality of disposals. The games played on a larger field resulted in a greater (p < 0.05) total distance covered, and distances covered in moderate, high, and very-high velocity movement intensities. Senior players covered more distance at moderate, high, and very-high intensities, and less distance at low and very-low intensities during small-sided games than junior players. Although increasing field size had no significant influence (p > 0.05) over the duration of recovery periods for junior players, larger field size significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the amount of short-, moderate-, and long-duration recovery periods in senior players. No significant between-group differences (p > 0.05) were detected for games played on a small or large field for the number or quality of skill involvements. These results suggest that increases in field size serve to increase the physiological demands of small-sided games but have minimal influence over the volume or quality of skill executions in elite rugby league players.

  4. Does Man Marking Influence Running Outputs and Intensity During Small-Sided Soccer Games?

    PubMed

    Aasgaard, Mats; Kilding, Andrew E

    2018-06-20

    Aasgaard, M and Kilding, AE. Does man marking influence running outputs and intensity during small-sided soccer games? J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-Small-sided games (SSGs) are considered an effective training tool for physical development in soccer. Small-sided games can be modified in several ways to manipulate the physical demands to best match the game demands, player characteristics, and session objectives. The aim of this study was to compare the physiological, perceptual, and Global Positioning System (GPS)-derived time-motion characteristics of man marking (MM) vs. non-man marking (NMM) in 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4 SSGs. In an acute crossover design, 8 amateur soccer players (mean age ± SD: 23.6 ± 3.3 years) played 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4 SSGs consisting of 4 × 4-minute bouts, with 2-minute passive recovery. During all SSGs, players wore a heart rate (HR) monitor and GPS unit and reported their rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Average percent HR (%HRave) induced small to moderate effects with MM compared with NMM (%Δ = 1-2.7%; effect size [ES] = 0.22-0.65). Comparisons between MM formats indicated a decrease in %HRave with increased player numbers (%Δ = 1.6-3.5%; ES = 0.39-0.86). Perceptual load increased with MM compared with NMM (%Δ = 6.7-17.6%; ES = 0.66-2.09), whereas increases in player numbers (MM only) reduced RPE output (%Δ = 9.4-24.3%; ES = 1.14-3.61). Time-motion characteristics revealed substantially greater total distance covered in MM irrespective of player number (%Δ = 6.8-14.7%; ES = 1.34-2.82). There were very likely increases in distances covered at striding (13.1-17.8 km·h) (%Δ: 23.4-33.2; ES = 2.42-4.35) and high-intensity running (HIR) (17.9-21 km·h) (%Δ: 47.3-104; ES = 0.91-1.68) for MM compared with NMM irrespective of player number. In conclusion, MM substantially elevated perceptual load and distances from striding to HIR regardless of player number, whereas differences between NMM and MM for internal load remain unclear

  5. Small-sided games in team sports training: a brief review.

    PubMed

    Halouani, Jamel; Chtourou, Hamdi; Gabbett, Tim; Chaouachi, Anis; Chamari, Karim

    2014-12-01

    Small-sided games (SSGs) incorporating skills, sport-specific movements, at intensities sufficient to promote aerobic adaptations, are being increasingly implemented in professional team sport environments. Small-sided games are often employed by coaches based on the premise that the greatest training benefits occur when training simulates the specific movement patterns and physiological demands of the sport. At present, there is relatively little information regarding how SSG can best be used to improve physical capacities and technical and tactical skills in team sports. It is possible that with some modifications (e.g., number of players, pitch size, coach encouragement, and wrestling), such games may be physiologically beneficial for athletes with relatively high initial aerobic fitness levels. For instance, it has been shown that 3-a-side soccer SSG resulted in higher intensity (i.e., greater overall distance, less jogging and walking, higher heart rate, and more tackling, dribbling, goal attempts, and passes) than 5-a-side SSG. Likewise, when player numbers were kept constant, a larger playing area increased the intensity of the SSG with a smaller playing area having the opposite effect. It has also been demonstrated that energy expenditure was similar between badminton and volleyball courts, but lower than that obtained in a basketball court. Moreover, it has been demonstrated in rugby that wrestling can increase the physical demands of SSG. Consistent coach encouragement can also increase training intensity, although most rule changes have trivial or no effect on exercise intensity. Further research is required to examine the optimal periodization strategies of SSG training for the long-term development of physiological capacity, technical skill, and tactical proficiency, while also minimizing the associated risk of injuries.

  6. 78 FR 51263 - Annual Meeting of the Regional Small Business Regulatory Fairness Boards Office of the National...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-20

    ... U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Annual Meeting of the Regional Small Business Regulatory Fairness Boards Office of the National Ombudsman AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). ACTION: Notice of open meeting of the Regional Small Business Regulatory Fairness Boards. SUMMARY: The SBA...

  7. A "not-for-profit" regulatory model for legal recreational cannabis: Insights from the regulation of gaming machine gambling in New Zealand.

    PubMed

    Wilkins, Chris

    2018-03-01

    A dozen or more regulatory frameworks have been proposed for legal cannabis but many of the "not-for-profit" options have yet to be developed in any detail, reducing the likelihood they will be seriously considered by policy makers. New Zealand's innovative "not-for-profit" regulatory regime for gaming machine gambling (i.e. "slot machines") has reversed the previous increase in gambling expenditure, empowered local councils to cap the number of gambling venues, and is unique in requiring the societies operating gaming machines to distribution 40% of the gross expenditure from machines (i.e. $NZ 262 million in 2015) to community purposes (e.g. sports). However, the regime has been criticised for not addressing the concentration of gaming outlets in poorer communities, and not requiring grants to be allocated in the disadvantaged communities where outlets are located. There have also been cases of gaming societies providing community grants in exchange for direct or indirect benefits. In this paper we adapt this regulatory approach to a legal cannabis market. Under the proposed regime, licensed "not-for-profit" cannabis societies will be required to distribute 20% of cannabis sales to drug treatment and 20% to community purposes, including drug prevention. Grants must be allocated in the regions where cannabis sales are made and grant committees must be independent from cannabis societies. A 20% levy will be used to cover the wider health costs of cannabis use. A further 10% levy will be used to fund the regulator and evaluate the new regime. Local councils will have the power to decide how many, and where, cannabis retail outlets are located. Other important elements include a minimum price for cannabis, effective taxation of cannabis products, regulating CBD in cannabis products, higher taxation of traditional smoking products, advertising restricted to place-of-sale, no internet sales, and restrictions on industry involvement in regulation making and research

  8. Objective and subjective methods for quantifying training load in wheelchair basketball small-sided games.

    PubMed

    Iturricastillo, Aitor; Granados, Cristina; Los Arcos, Asier; Yanci, Javier

    2017-04-01

    The aim of the present study was to analyse the training load in wheelchair basketball small-sided games and determine the relationship between heart rate (HR)-based training load and perceived exertion (RPE)-based training load methods among small-sided games bouts. HR-based measurements of training load included Edwards' training load and Stagno's training impulses (TRIMP MOD ) while RPE-based training load measurements included cardiopulmonary (session RPEres) and muscular (session RPEmus) values. Data were collected from 12 wheelchair basketball players during five consecutive weeks. The total load for the small-sided games sessions was 67.5 ± 6.7 and 55.3 ± 12.5 AU in HR-based training load (Edwards' training load and TRIMP MOD ), while the RPE-based training loads were 99.3 ± 26.9 (session RPEres) and 100.8 ± 31.2 AU (session RPEmus). Bout-to-bout analysis identified greater session RPEmus in the third [P < 0.05; effect size (ES) = 0.66, moderate] and fourth bouts (P < 0.05; ES = 0.64, moderate) than in the first bout, but other measures did not differ. Mean correlations indicated a trivial and small relationship among HR-based and RPE-based training loads. It is suggested that HR-based and RPE-based training loads provide different information, but these two methods could be complementary because one method could help us to understand the limitations of the other.

  9. Small Combat Arms Unit Leader Training Techniques: Rules of Play for Two Player/Multiplayer Infantry Mapboard Games.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1979-01-01

    exercises for leadership training. Initial efforts led to the development of a mapboard game. The ’board game’ initially developed was a two-sided, free ... play map exercise for teaching infantry tactics to small unit leaders at the platoon level organizations. It was found, however, that for the benefits

  10. 76 FR 52968 - Indian Gaming

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-24

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Gaming AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs...: Effective Date: August 24, 2011. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paula L. Hart, Director, Office of Indian..., (202) 219-4066. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 11 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988...

  11. 75 FR 61511 - Indian Gaming

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Gaming AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs...: Effective Date: October 5, 2010. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paula L. Hart, Director, Office of Indian..., (202) 219-4066. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 11 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988...

  12. 76 FR 33341 - Indian Gaming

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Gaming AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs...: Effective Date: June 8, 2011. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paula L. Hart, Director, Office of Indian..., (202) 219-4066. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 11 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988...

  13. 75 FR 55823 - Indian Gaming

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-14

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Gaming AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs... Date: September 14, 2010. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paula L. Hart, Director, Office of Indian..., (202) 219-4066. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 11 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988...

  14. The evaluation of small-sided games as a talent identification tool in highly trained prepubertal soccer players.

    PubMed

    Fenner, Jonathan S J; Iga, John; Unnithan, Viswanath

    2016-10-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate physiological and technical attributes of prepubertal soccer players during multiple small-sided games (SSGs), and determine if SSGs can act as a talent identification tool. Sixteen highly trained U10 soccer players participated and separated into two groups of eight. Each group played six small-sided (4 vs. 4) matches of 5-min duration. Each player was awarded total points for the match result and goals scored. A game technical scoring chart was used to rate each player's performance during each game. Time-motion characteristics were measured using micromechanical devices. Total points had a very large significant relationship with game technical scoring chart (r = 0.758, P < 0.001). High-speed running distance had a significantly large correlation with game technical scoring chart (r = 0.547, P < 0.05). Total distance covered had a significant and moderate correlation with game technical scoring chart (r = 0.545, P < 0.05) and total points (r = 0.438, P < 0.05). The results demonstrated a large agreement between the highest-rated players and success in multiple SSGs, possibly due to higher-rated players covering larger distances in total and at high speed. Consequently, multiple SSG could be used to identify the more talented prepubertal soccer players.

  15. Small-sided games for young athletes: is game specificity influential?

    PubMed

    Harrison, Craig B; Kilding, Andrew E; Gill, Nicholas D; Kinugasa, Taisuke

    2014-01-01

    This study aimed to quantify and compare the physiological, physical and technical demands of a sport-specific and non-sport-specific small-sided game (SSG) in young athletes. Ten male soccer players (mean ± SD: age, 13.0 ± 0.3 years, [Formula: see text]O2peak, 54.4 ± 4.9 ml · kg(-1) · min(-1)) completed 3 vs. 3 and 6 vs. 6 soccer and "bucketball" SSGs twice. Games lasted for 16 min and were performed in a randomised order, at least 48 h apart. Movement patterns and heart rate were measured using 4 Hz global positioning systems. Technical skill executions were assessed by video analysis and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) using the Borg scale (RPEs, 6-20). Total distance (4.9 ± 4.1% and 8.3 ± 6.6%), distance at 7-12.9 km · h(-1) (14.5 ± 12.5% and 14.9 ± 16.1%), total possessions (14.7 ± 18.0% and 12.9 ± 18.9%) and percentage of successful passes (24.1 ± 11.7% and 30.1 ± 17.6%) were higher for bucketball compared to soccer (3 vs. 3 and 6 vs. 6, respectively). Total distance at 13-17.9 km · h(-1) was higher for 6 vs. 6 than 3 vs. 3 bucketball (32.3 ± 21.2%). There was likely substantial difference for %HRpeak (89.5 ± 3.1 vs. 87.4 ± 2.8 b · min(-1)) and time above 90% HRpeak (570 ± 288 s vs. 361 ± 288 s) between bucketball and soccer (3 vs. 3 and 6 vs. 6, respectively). Young players travelled further at higher overall speeds, experienced higher physiological workloads and performed more successful technical executions during the non-sport-specific SSG.

  16. The Yersinia pestis gcvB gene encodes two small regulatory RNA molecules

    PubMed Central

    McArthur, Sarah D; Pulvermacher, Sarah C; Stauffer, George V

    2006-01-01

    Background In recent years it has become clear that small non-coding RNAs function as regulatory elements in bacterial virulence and bacterial stress responses. We tested for the presence of the small non-coding GcvB RNAs in Y. pestis as possible regulators of gene expression in this organism. Results In this study, we report that the Yersinia pestis KIM6 gcvB gene encodes two small RNAs. Transcription of gcvB is activated by the GcvA protein and repressed by the GcvR protein. The gcvB-encoded RNAs are required for repression of the Y. pestis dppA gene, encoding the periplasmic-binding protein component of the dipeptide transport system, showing that the GcvB RNAs have regulatory activity. A deletion of the gcvB gene from the Y. pestis KIM6 chromosome results in a decrease in the generation time of the organism as well as a change in colony morphology. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that the Y. pestis gcvB gene encodes two small non-coding regulatory RNAs that repress dppA expression. A gcvB deletion is pleiotropic, suggesting that the sRNAs are likely involved in controlling genes in addition to dppA. PMID:16768793

  17. Population and harvest trends of big game and small game species: a technical document supporting the USDA Forest Service Interim Update of the 2000 RPA Assessment

    Treesearch

    Curtis H. Flather; Michael S. Knowles; Stephen J. Brady

    2009-01-01

    This technical document supports the Forest Service's requirement to assess the status of renewable natural resources as mandated by the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (RPA). It updates past reports on national and regional trends in population and harvest estimates for species classified as big game and small game. The trends...

  18. Neuromuscular and inflammatory responses to handball small-sided games: the effects of physical contact.

    PubMed

    Dello Iacono, A; Eliakim, A; Padulo, J; Laver, L; Ben-Zaken, S; Meckel, Y

    2017-10-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of physical contact on neuromuscular impairments and inflammatory response during handball small-sided games. Using a counterbalanced design, 12 elite male junior handball players were divided into two groups: contact (C-SSG) and no-contact (NC-SSG), performing both contact and no-contact small-sided games, in reverse order on two training sessions separated by 5 days. The methodology and rules were identical for the two SSG regimens, with the only difference being the inclusion or prohibition of upper body use for physical contacts. Upper and lower body neuromuscular performances and blood concentrations of inflammatory cytokine IL-6 were assessed before and immediately after the games. During small-sided games, video analysis was used to establish the physical contact counts. Significant differences were found in most upper and lower limbs muscles kinetic variables and in the physical contact events (all P < 0.001) following the two training regimens. There was an increase in IL-6 after C-SSG and no changes following NC-SSG (P < 0.05 and P = 0.12, respectively). Moreover, a strong correlation was found between the number of physical contacts and IL-6 responses (r = 0.971, P < 0.001) in C-SSG. This study indicates that an inflammatory response and large upper and lower body neuromuscular impairments result from physical contact in elite handball players. These outcomes outline the specific physiological profile of C-SSG that, in turn, might be used by practitioners and coaches as a practical approach to strategically select exercises in athlete's overall training program. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. 25 CFR 547.4 - How does a tribal government, tribal gaming regulatory authority, or tribal gaming operation...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... EQUIPMENT USED WITH THE PLAY OF CLASS II GAMES § 547.4 How does a tribal government, tribal gaming... affects the play of the Class II game be submitted, together with the signature verification required by... to correct a problem affecting the fairness, security, or integrity of a game or accounting system or...

  20. 25 CFR 547.4 - How does a tribal government, tribal gaming regulatory authority, or tribal gaming operation...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... EQUIPMENT USED WITH THE PLAY OF CLASS II GAMES § 547.4 How does a tribal government, tribal gaming... affects the play of the Class II game be submitted, together with the signature verification required by... to correct a problem affecting the fairness, security, or integrity of a game or accounting system or...

  1. 25 CFR 547.4 - How does a tribal government, tribal gaming regulatory authority, or tribal gaming operation...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... EQUIPMENT USED WITH THE PLAY OF CLASS II GAMES § 547.4 How does a tribal government, tribal gaming... affects the play of the Class II game be submitted, together with the signature verification required by... to correct a problem affecting the fairness, security, or integrity of a game or accounting system or...

  2. A study of the dynamics of multi-player games on small networks using territorial interactions.

    PubMed

    Broom, Mark; Lafaye, Charlotte; Pattni, Karan; Rychtář, Jan

    2015-12-01

    Recently, the study of structured populations using models of evolutionary processes on graphs has begun to incorporate a more general type of interaction between individuals, allowing multi-player games to be played among the population. In this paper, we develop a birth-death dynamics for use in such models and consider the evolution of populations for special cases of very small graphs where we can easily identify all of the population states and carry out exact analyses. To do so, we study two multi-player games, a Hawk-Dove game and a public goods game. Our focus is on finding the fixation probability of an individual from one type, cooperator or defector in the case of the public goods game, within a population of the other type. We compare this value for both games on several graphs under different parameter values and assumptions, and identify some interesting general features of our model. In particular there is a very close relationship between the fixation probability and the mean temperature, with high temperatures helping fitter individuals and punishing unfit ones and so enhancing selection, whereas low temperatures give a levelling effect which suppresses selection.

  3. 40 CFR 142.304 - For which of the regulatory requirements is a small system variance available?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false For which of the regulatory requirements is a small system variance available? 142.304 Section 142.304 Protection of Environment... REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTATION Variances for Small System General Provisions § 142.304 For which of the regulatory...

  4. The older, the wider: On-field tactical behavior of elite-standard youth soccer players in small-sided games.

    PubMed

    Olthof, Sigrid B H; Frencken, Wouter G P; Lemmink, Koen A P M

    2015-06-01

    Young soccer players need excellent tactical skills to reach the top. Tactical behavior emerges through interactions between opposing teams. However, few studies have focused on on-field tactical behavior of teams with talented soccer players. Therefore, this study aimed to determine teams' tactical behavior during small-sided games in two age categories, Under-17 and Under-19. Positional data of thirty-nine elite-standard soccer players were collected during twenty-four small-sided games to calculate longitudinal and lateral inter-team distances, stretch indices and length per width ratios. Corresponding interaction patterns and game-to-game variability were also determined. Under-19 showed a significantly larger lateral stretch index and a significantly lower length per width ratio compared with Under-17. Furthermore, teams of both age groups showed similar large proportions of in-phase behavior. Variability of tactical performance measures within and between games was similar for Under-17 and Under-19. Variability within games seems to be functional for attacking teams for creating goal-scoring opportunities. In conclusion, the main difference was that Under-19 adopted a wider pitch dispersion than Under-17, represented by a larger lateral stretch index and smaller length per width ratio. Coach instructions and training exercises should be directed at exploiting pitch width to increase the pursuit of goal-scoring. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Game-Based Approaches, Pedagogical Principles and Tactical Constraints: Examining Games Modification

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Serra-Olivares, Jaime; García-López, Luis M.; Calderón, Antonio

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of modification strategies based on the pedagogical principles of the Teaching Games for Understanding approach on tactical constraints of four 3v3 soccer small-sided games. The Game performance of 21 U-10 players was analyzed in a game similar to the adult game; one based on keeping-the-ball;…

  6. Space Creation Dynamics in Basketball Small-Sided Games.

    PubMed

    Bredt, Sarah G T; Morales, Juan C P; Andrade, André G P; Torres, Juliana O; Peixoto, Gustavo H; Greco, Pablo J; Praça, Gibson M; Chagas, Mauro H

    2018-02-01

    Space creation dynamics (SCDs) describe actions players perform to create a scoring opportunity. This study compared SCDs and types of offense during three different three versus three (3vs.3) basketball small-sided games (SSGs) played in half court: 3vs.3 with man-to-man defense in half playing area (3vs.3 HALF ), 3vs.3 with man-to-man defense in full playing area (3vs.3 FULL ), and 3vs.3 with reduced shot clock (3vs.3 RT ). We also investigated the efficacy of SCDs in all SSGs and the reliability of SCDs in 3vs.3 HALF . While the efficacy of SCDs did not differ among these SSGs, 3vs.3 RT presented significantly more "space creation with ball dribbled" and "shot clock violations," and less "on ball screens." 3vs.3 FULL presented no differences in the SCDs and types of offense compared with 3vs.3 HALF . Reliability within 3vs.3 HALF was higher for "space creation with ball dribbled," "space creation without the ball," "set offenses," "fast breaks," and "loss of ball during passing or dribbling." We concluded that 3vs.3 basketball SSGs with different rules can be used for training different tactical behaviors important to formal games, especially since the 3vs.3 HALF presented good reliability for many variables related to tactical behavior.

  7. 75 FR 8731 - Proposed Appointment to the National Indian Gaming Commission

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-25

    ... National Indian Gaming Commission ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act provides for a three-person National Indian Gaming Commission. One member, the chairman, is appointed by the President... as an associate member of the National Indian Gaming Commission for a term of 3 years. DATES...

  8. 76 FR 33181 - Regulatory Review Schedule

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Indian Gaming Commission 25 CFR Chapter III Regulatory Review... conducting a comprehensive review of all its regulations and requesting public comment on the process for conducting the regulatory review. On April 4, 2011, after holding eight consultation meetings and reviewing...

  9. 76 FR 26967 - Regulatory Review Schedule

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-10

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Indian Gaming Commission 25 CFR Chapter III Regulatory Review... review of its regulations and requesting public comment on the process for conducting the regulatory review. On April 4, 2011, after holding eight consultation meetings and reviewing all comments, NIGC...

  10. 76 FR 47089 - Regulatory Review Schedule; Cancellation of Consultation Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-04

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Indian Gaming Commission 25 CFR Chapter III Regulatory Review Schedule; Cancellation of Consultation Meetings AGENCY: National Indian Gaming Commission. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: On November 18, 2010, the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) issued a Notice of Inquiry and...

  11. Comparıson of the Heart Rate and Blood Lactate Responses of Different Small Sided Games in Young Soccer Players.

    PubMed

    Köklü, Yusuf; Alemdaroğlu, Utku

    2016-09-29

    The purpose of this study was to compare the percentage of maximum heart rate (%HRmax), blood lactate (La - ), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE, CR-10) responses across different formats of small-sided games (SSG) in elite young soccer players. Fourteen players (average age 16.7 ± 0.6 years; height 177.6 ± 4.1 cm; body mass 66.3 ± 4.7 kg; average training age 6.7 ± 1.6 years; percentage of body fat 8.4 ± 2.6%) volunteered to perform the YoYo intermittent recovery test (level 1) and eight bouts of soccer drills including 2-a-side, 3-a-side, and 4-a-side games without goalkeepers in random order at two-day intervals. Heart rates were monitored throughout the SSGs, whereas the RPE and venous blood lactate were determined at the end of the last bout of each SSG. The differences in La - , %HRmax, and RPE either across the different SSGs or between the bouts were identified using 3 × 8 (games × exercise bouts) two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures. Significant differences were found in terms of La - , RPE, and %HRmax among the different types of SSG ( p ≤ 0.05). 3-a-side and 4-a-side games elicited significantly higher responses than 2-a-side games in terms of %HRmax ( p ≤ 0.05), whereas 4-a-side games resulted in significantly lower La - and RPE responses compared to 2-a-side and 3-a-side games. The results of this study show that physiological responses differ according to the numbers of players involved in small-sided games. Therefore, it can be concluded that 3-a-side and 4-a-side games could be more effective in improving high intensity aerobic performance than 2-a-side games, which in turn are more appropriate for developing anaerobic performance.

  12. tRNA-Derived Small RNA: A Novel Regulatory Small Non-Coding RNA.

    PubMed

    Li, Siqi; Xu, Zhengping; Sheng, Jinghao

    2018-05-10

    Deep analysis of next-generation sequencing data unveils numerous small non-coding RNAs with distinct functions. Recently, fragments derived from tRNA, named as tRNA-derived small RNA (tsRNA), have attracted broad attention. There are mainly two types of tsRNAs, including tRNA-derived stress-induced RNA (tiRNA) and tRNA-derived fragment (tRF), which differ in the cleavage position of the precursor or mature tRNA transcript. Emerging evidence has shown that tsRNAs are not merely tRNA degradation debris but have been recognized to play regulatory roles in many specific physiological and pathological processes. In this review, we summarize the biogeneses of various tsRNAs, present the emerging concepts regarding functions and mechanisms of action of tsRNAs, highlight the potential application of tsRNAs in human diseases, and put forward the current problems and future research directions.

  13. Effects of the number of players and game type constraints on heart rate, rating of perceived exertion, and technical actions of small-sided soccer games.

    PubMed

    Abrantes, Catarina I; Nunes, Marta I; Maçãs, Victor M; Leite, Nuno M; Sampaio, Jaime E

    2012-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify the variation of heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and technical actions between 2 soccer small-sided games (SSGs; 3 × 3 and 4 × 4) in 3 game type constraints (when playing only offense [OFF], playing only defense [DEF], and both situations [GAME]). Sixteen high-level young male players were analyzed (age 15.75 ± 0.45 years; height 172.4 ± 4.83 cm; body mass 64.5 ± 6.44 kg; HRmax199.1 ± 9.08 b·min(-1); and 8.06 ± 1.98 years of soccer practice). All tasks were performed in 4 periods of 4 minutes interspersed with 2 minutes of active recovery. The HR was measured continuously and then analyzed by the time spent into 4 training zones according to individual %HRmax (zone 1 <75%; zone 2 75-84.9%; zone 3 85-89.9%; and zone 4 ≥90%). Results identified that players were most frequently in zones 2 and 3. The 3 × 3 SSGs elicited higher HR and RPE and the most intense situation was GAME. Despite the known higher frequencies from technical actions in SSGs with fewer players, player effectiveness in 3 × 3 and 4 × 4 was identical. The use of GAME, OFF, and DEF game type constraints should be carefully planned. Using the 3 × 3 format seems more adequate when aiming for aerobic performance optimal effects; however, DEF situations should only be used to promote aerobic recovery effects. The inclusion of an additional player in SSGs had different interactions in game type constraints, and only GAME presented adequate intensity.

  14. Emergence of synchronization induced by the interplay between two prisoner's dilemma games with volunteering in small-world networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Yong; Qin, Shao-Meng; Yu, Lianchun; Zhang, Shengli

    2008-03-01

    We studied synchronization between prisoner’s dilemma games with voluntary participation in two Newman-Watts small-world networks. It was found that there are three kinds of synchronization: partial phase synchronization, total phase synchronization, and complete synchronization, for varied coupling factors. Besides, two games can reach complete synchronization for the large enough coupling factor. We also discussed the effect of the coupling factor on the amplitude of oscillation of cooperator density.

  15. Effect of Court Dimensions on Players’ External and Internal Load during Small-Sided Handball Games

    PubMed Central

    Corvino, Matteo; Tessitore, Antonio; Minganti, Carlo; Sibila, Marko

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of three different court dimensions on the internal and external load during small-sided handball games. Six male amateur handball players took part in this study and participated in three different 8-min 3vs3 (plus goalkeepers) small-sided handball games (each repeated twice). The three court dimensions were 12×24m, 30×15m and 32×16m. Through Global Positioning System devices (SPI pro elite 15Hz, GPSports) and video analysis, the following parameters were recorded: cyclic and acyclic movements (distance covered and number of technical actions executed), heart rate, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Total distance travelled increased with court dimensions (885.2m ± 66.6m in 24×12m; 980.0m ± 73.4m in 30×15m; 1095.0m ± 112.9m in 32×16m, p < 0.05). The analysis of distance covered in the four speed zones (0–1.4 m·s-1; 1.4–3.4 m·s-1; 3.4–5.2 m·s-1; >5.2 m·s-1) highlighted substantial differences: playing with the 30×15m court in comparison to the 24×12m, the players covered less distance in the first speed zone (p = 0.012; ES = 0.70) and more distance in the second (p = 0.049; ES = 0.73) and third (p = 0.012; ES = 0.51) speed zones. Statistical differences were also found between the 24×12m and 32×16m courts: the players covered more distance in the second and third speed zones (p = 0.013, ES = 0.76; p = 0.023 ES = 0.69) with the 32×16m court in comparison to the 24×12m. There was no significant effect of court dimensions on the technical parameters (number of team actions, passes, piston movements toward goal and defensive activities), the number of specific handball jumps and changes of direction, and the time spent in the different heart rate zones. Considering the average data of all the experimental conditions together (24×12m, 30×15m, 32×16m), a pronounced statistical difference was highlighted between the values in first two HR zones and the last two (p < 0.05; large ES). The

  16. Effect of Court Dimensions on Players' External and Internal Load during Small-Sided Handball Games.

    PubMed

    Corvino, Matteo; Tessitore, Antonio; Minganti, Carlo; Sibila, Marko

    2014-05-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of three different court dimensions on the internal and external load during small-sided handball games. Six male amateur handball players took part in this study and participated in three different 8-min 3vs3 (plus goalkeepers) small-sided handball games (each repeated twice). The three court dimensions were 12×24m, 30×15m and 32×16m. Through Global Positioning System devices (SPI pro elite 15Hz, GPSports) and video analysis, the following parameters were recorded: cyclic and acyclic movements (distance covered and number of technical actions executed), heart rate, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Total distance travelled increased with court dimensions (885.2m ± 66.6m in 24×12m; 980.0m ± 73.4m in 30×15m; 1095.0m ± 112.9m in 32×16m, p < 0.05). The analysis of distance covered in the four speed zones (0-1.4 m·s(-1); 1.4-3.4 m·s(-1); 3.4-5.2 m·s(-1); >5.2 m·s(-1)) highlighted substantial differences: playing with the 30×15m court in comparison to the 24×12m, the players covered less distance in the first speed zone (p = 0.012; ES = 0.70) and more distance in the second (p = 0.049; ES = 0.73) and third (p = 0.012; ES = 0.51) speed zones. Statistical differences were also found between the 24×12m and 32×16m courts: the players covered more distance in the second and third speed zones (p = 0.013, ES = 0.76; p = 0.023 ES = 0.69) with the 32×16m court in comparison to the 24×12m. There was no significant effect of court dimensions on the technical parameters (number of team actions, passes, piston movements toward goal and defensive activities), the number of specific handball jumps and changes of direction, and the time spent in the different heart rate zones. Considering the average data of all the experimental conditions together (24×12m, 30×15m, 32×16m), a pronounced statistical difference was highlighted between the values in first two HR zones and the last two (p < 0.05; large ES). The

  17. Self-discrepancy and regulatory fit in avatar-based exergames.

    PubMed

    Jin, Seung-A Annie

    2012-12-01

    Drawing from Higgins's self-discrepancy theory and regulatory focus theory, this study examined the use of activated selves and regulatory foci in health games. Utilizing the Wii's avatar-creating and exergaming features, a 2 (activated self: actual self versus ideal self) x 2 (regulatory focus: promotion versus prevention) x 2 (efficacy appeals: self-efficacy versus response-efficacy) between-subjects experiment tested the interactions of activated selves, regulatory foci, and efficacy appeals on low-calorie dieting intentions after health game playing. Results from an experiment with 156 participants demonstrated that a fit between regulatory focus and efficacy appeals induced greater dieting intentions when the actual self was activated while the opposite effect occurred when the ideal self was activated. Theoretical contributions to basic and applied social psychology as well as managerial implications for consumer behavior research are considered.

  18. Energy expenditure and enjoyment of small-sided soccer games in overweight boys.

    PubMed

    Toh, Sharon H; Guelfi, Kym J; Wong, Patricia; Fournier, Paul A

    2011-06-01

    When space is limited, it would be preferable to play multiple small-sided soccer games (SSG) simultaneously on small courts, rather than a single game, to maximise participation. Given that the layouts of most gymnasiums incorporate several badminton courts, we examined whether energy expenditure and enjoyment of SSG on a badminton court (6.1×13.4 m) were comparable to larger court dimensions (volleyball and basketball courts; 9×18 m and 14.2×26.5 m, respectively). Twelve overweight boys played 30 min three-a-side SSG on each court in a counterbalanced design. During SSG, energy expenditure was estimated via accelerometry, heart rate was monitored and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and enjoyment were obtained. Energy expenditure was similar between badminton and volleyball courts, but lower than the basketball court (p<.05). Mean% HR(max) was significantly lower on the badminton court than the volleyball and basketball courts (p<.05). There was no effect of court size on RPE or enjoyment (p>.05). These results suggest that it may be preferable to play SSG on a larger court when space is available. Alternatively, when space is limited the difference in energy expenditure between court sizes can be accounted for by an additional 2.3 min of play on a badminton court. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. "The Greatest Game Ever": Swatball

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swartz, Daniel R.; Rauschenbach, Jim

    2013-01-01

    The guidance document "Teaching Large Class Sizes in Physical Education" (NASPE, 2006) suggests incorporating small group work by putting students into small groups to work on a concept, skill, and/or task and using small-sided games that utilize a smaller number of players and a smaller playing area than those of a regulation game. It…

  20. Instructional games and activities for criticality safety training

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bullard, B.; McBride, J.

    1993-01-01

    During the past several years, the Training and Management Systems Division (TMSD) staff of Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) has designed and developed nuclear criticality safety (NCS) training programs that focus on high trainee involvement through the use of instructional games and activities. This paper discusses the instructional game, initial considerations for developing games, advantages and limitations of games, and how games may be used in developing and implementing NCS training. It also provides examples of the various instructional games and activities used in separate courses designed for Martin Marietta Energy Systems (MMES's) supervisors and U.S. Nuclearmore » Regulatory Commission (NRC) fuel facility inspectors.« less

  1. Elucidating the Small Regulatory RNA Repertoire of the Sea Anemone Anemonia viridis Based on Whole Genome and Small RNA Sequencing

    PubMed Central

    Patel, Hardip; Forêt, Sylvain; Karlsen, Bård Ove; Jørgensen, Tor Erik; Hall-Spencer, Jason M

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Cnidarians harbor a variety of small regulatory RNAs that include microRNAs (miRNAs) and PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), but detailed information is limited. Here, we report the identification and expression of novel miRNAs and putative piRNAs, as well as their genomic loci, in the symbiotic sea anemone Anemonia viridis. We generated a draft assembly of the A. viridis genome with putative size of 313 Mb that appeared to be composed of about 36% repeats, including known transposable elements. We detected approximately equal fractions of DNA transposons and retrotransposons. Deep sequencing of small RNA libraries constructed from A. viridis adults sampled at a natural CO2 gradient off Vulcano Island, Italy, identified 70 distinct miRNAs. Eight were homologous to previously reported miRNAs in cnidarians, whereas 62 appeared novel. Nine miRNAs were recognized as differentially expressed along the natural seawater pH gradient. We found a highly abundant and diverse population of piRNAs, with a substantial fraction showing ping–pong signatures. We identified nearly 22% putative piRNAs potentially targeting transposable elements within the A. viridis genome. The A. viridis genome appeared similar in size to that of other hexacorals with a very high divergence of transposable elements resembling that of the sea anemone genus Exaiptasia. The genome encodes and expresses a high number of small regulatory RNAs, which include novel miRNAs and piRNAs. Differentially expressed small RNAs along the seawater pH gradient indicated regulatory gene responses to environmental stressors. PMID:29385567

  2. The influence of the playing surface on the exercise intensity of small-sided recreational soccer games.

    PubMed

    Brito, João; Krustrup, Peter; Rebelo, António

    2012-08-01

    This study aimed to analyze the influence of the playing surface on movement pattern, physical loading, perceived exertion, and fatigue development during small-sided recreational soccer games. Time-motion, heart rate, blood lactate, and perceived exertion were measured for 16 recreational players aged 22 (range: 19-35) yrs. During 5-a-side soccer games on 3 different field surfaces: sand, artificial turf, and asphalt. Jump and sprint tests were performed prior to and after each game. Total distance covered was higher on asphalt and turf than on sand (3.89±0.04 and 3.73±0.12 vs. 2.59±0.21 km; p<.01), and the number of high-intensity runs was higher on asphalt than on turf (55±3 vs. 43±3; p<.05), but not sand (46±6). Mean heart rate (means±SEM, 160±3 vs. 171±1 b.p.m.) and time>90% HR(max) (20.8±5.1% vs. 44.1±5.0%) were lower (p<.05) on asphalt than on turf, with intermediate values for sand. Blood lactate was lower on asphalt than on sand (2.8±0.3 vs. 4.7±0.6 mmolL(-1); p<.05). Perceived exertion was lower on asphalt than on turf and sand (VAS 0-100: 52±3 vs. 72±3 and 72±3; p<.01). After the game, squat and countermovement jump performances were lower (4.9-8.1%, and 1.9-6.4%, respectively; p<.001) for all field surfaces, but no changes were observed in 5- and 30-m sprint performance. Small-sided recreational soccer games elicit high heart rates, multiple intense actions, and decreased jump performance for all the investigated playing surfaces, suggesting that multiple fitness and health benefits can be achieved through soccer on sand, artificial turf and asphalt. Nonetheless, locomotor activities, heart rate, blood lactate levels, and perceived exertion differ between surfaces. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Optimal convergence in naming game with geography-based negotiation on small-world networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Run-Ran; Wang, Wen-Xu; Lai, Ying-Cheng; Chen, Guanrong; Wang, Bing-Hong

    2011-01-01

    We propose a negotiation strategy to address the effect of geography on the dynamics of naming games over small-world networks. Communication and negotiation frequencies between two agents are determined by their geographical distance in terms of a parameter characterizing the correlation between interaction strength and the distance. A finding is that there exists an optimal parameter value leading to fastest convergence to global consensus on naming. Numerical computations and a theoretical analysis are provided to substantiate our findings.

  4. Small-angle scattering from 3D Sierpinski tetrahedron generated using chaos game

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Slyamov, Azat

    2017-12-01

    We approximate a three dimensional version of deterministic Sierpinski gasket (SG), also known as Sierpinski tetrahedron (ST), by using the chaos game representation (CGR). Structural properties of the fractal, generated by both deterministic and CGR algorithms are determined using small-angle scattering (SAS) technique. We calculate the corresponding monodisperse structure factor of ST, using an optimized Debye formula. We show that scattering from CGR of ST recovers basic fractal properties, such as fractal dimension, iteration number, scaling factor, overall size of the system and the number of units composing the fractal.

  5. Genome-Scale Architecture of Small Molecule Regulatory Networks and the Fundamental Trade-Off between Regulation and Enzymatic Activity

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Reznik, Ed; Christodoulou, Dimitris; Goldford, Joshua E.

    Metabolic flux is in part regulated by endogenous small molecules that modulate the catalytic activity of an enzyme, e.g., allosteric inhibition. In contrast to transcriptional regulation of enzymes, technical limitations have hindered the production of a genome-scale atlas of small molecule-enzyme regulatory interactions. Here, we develop a framework leveraging the vast, but fragmented, biochemical literature to reconstruct and analyze the small molecule regulatory network (SMRN) of the model organism Escherichia coli, including the primary metabolite regulators and enzyme targets. Using metabolic control analysis, we prove a fundamental trade-off between regulation and enzymatic activity, and we combine it with metabolomic measurementsmore » and the SMRN to make inferences on the sensitivity of enzymes to their regulators. By generalizing the analysis to other organisms, we identify highly conserved regulatory interactions across evolutionarily divergent species, further emphasizing a critical role for small molecule interactions in the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis.« less

  6. Genome-Scale Architecture of Small Molecule Regulatory Networks and the Fundamental Trade-Off between Regulation and Enzymatic Activity

    DOE PAGES

    Reznik, Ed; Christodoulou, Dimitris; Goldford, Joshua E.; ...

    2017-09-12

    Metabolic flux is in part regulated by endogenous small molecules that modulate the catalytic activity of an enzyme, e.g., allosteric inhibition. In contrast to transcriptional regulation of enzymes, technical limitations have hindered the production of a genome-scale atlas of small molecule-enzyme regulatory interactions. Here, we develop a framework leveraging the vast, but fragmented, biochemical literature to reconstruct and analyze the small molecule regulatory network (SMRN) of the model organism Escherichia coli, including the primary metabolite regulators and enzyme targets. Using metabolic control analysis, we prove a fundamental trade-off between regulation and enzymatic activity, and we combine it with metabolomic measurementsmore » and the SMRN to make inferences on the sensitivity of enzymes to their regulators. By generalizing the analysis to other organisms, we identify highly conserved regulatory interactions across evolutionarily divergent species, further emphasizing a critical role for small molecule interactions in the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis.« less

  7. 78 FR 30384 - Federal Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Hearing; Region X Regulatory Fairness Board

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-22

    ... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Federal Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Hearing; Region X Regulatory... Regional (Region X) Small Business Regulatory Fairness Board. SUMMARY: The (SBA) Office of the National... Region X Regulatory Fairness Board must contact Jos[eacute] M[eacute]ndez by May 30, 2013 in writing, by...

  8. Impulsivity, self-regulation,and pathological video gaming among youth: testing a mediation model.

    PubMed

    Liau, Albert K; Neo, Eng Chuan; Gentile, Douglas A; Choo, Hyekyung; Sim, Timothy; Li, Dongdong; Khoo, Angeline

    2015-03-01

    Given the potential negative mental health consequences of pathological video gaming, understanding its etiology may lead to useful treatment developments. The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of impulsive and regulatory processes on pathological video gaming. Study 1 involved 2154 students from 6 primary and 4 secondary schools in Singapore. Study 2 involved 191 students from 2 secondary schools. The results of study 1 and study 2 supported the hypothesis that self-regulation is a mediator between impulsivity and pathological video gaming. Specifically, higher levels of impulsivity was related to lower levels of self-regulation, which in turn was related to higher levels of pathological video gaming. The use of impulsivity and self-regulation in predicting pathological video gaming supports the dual-system model of incorporating both impulsive and reflective systems in the prediction of self-control outcomes. The study highlights the development of self-regulatory resources as a possible avenue for future prevention and treatment research. © 2011 APJPH.

  9. Game-Based Approaches' Pedagogical Principles: Exploring Task Constraints in Youth Soccer.

    PubMed

    Serra-Olivares, Jaime; González-Víllora, Sixto; García-López, Luis Miguel; Araújo, Duarte

    2015-06-27

    This study tested the use of two pedagogical principles of Game-based approaches, representation and exaggeration, in the context of game performance of U10 soccer players. Twenty-one players participated in two 3 vs. 3 small-sided games. The first small-sided game was modified by representation. The second small-sided game was modified by enhancing the penetration of the defense tactical problem for invasion games. Decision-making and execution were assessed using the Game Performance Evaluation Tool. No significant differences were observed between games in the number of decision-making units related to keeping possession, nor in those related to penetrating the defense. No significant differences were observed in any execution ability (ball control, passing, dribbling and get free movements). The findings suggested that both games could provide similar degeneracy processes to the players for skill acquisition (specific and contextualized task constraints in which they could develop their game performance and the capability to achieve different outcomes in varying contexts). Probably both games had similar learner-environment dynamics leading players to develop their capabilities for adapting their behaviours to the changing performance situations. More research is necessary, from the ecological dynamics point of view, to determine how we should use small-sided games in Game-based approaches.

  10. Game-Based Approaches’ Pedagogical Principles: Exploring Task Constraints in Youth Soccer

    PubMed Central

    Serra-Olivares, Jaime; González-Víllora, Sixto; García-López, Luis Miguel; Araújo, Duarte

    2015-01-01

    This study tested the use of two pedagogical principles of Game-based approaches, representation and exaggeration, in the context of game performance of U10 soccer players. Twenty-one players participated in two 3 vs. 3 small-sided games. The first small-sided game was modified by representation. The second small-sided game was modified by enhancing the penetration of the defense tactical problem for invasion games. Decision-making and execution were assessed using the Game Performance Evaluation Tool. No significant differences were observed between games in the number of decision-making units related to keeping possession, nor in those related to penetrating the defense. No significant differences were observed in any execution ability (ball control, passing, dribbling and get free movements). The findings suggested that both games could provide similar degeneracy processes to the players for skill acquisition (specific and contextualized task constraints in which they could develop their game performance and the capability to achieve different outcomes in varying contexts). Probably both games had similar learner-environment dynamics leading players to develop their capabilities for adapting their behaviours to the changing performance situations. More research is necessary, from the ecological dynamics point of view, to determine how we should use small-sided games in Game-based approaches. PMID:26240668

  11. Challenge and Retention in Games

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Debeauvais, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    Game designers and researchers agree that the main motivation for starting playing a game is challenge. It is only a small step to say that when the game becomes too difficult, players can become frustrated and quit. While extensive work shows that challenge is central in player enjoyment, its influence on player retention has received little…

  12. Locomotor and Heart Rate Responses of Floaters During Small-Sided Games in Elite Soccer Players: Effect of Pitch Size and Inclusion of Goalkeepers.

    PubMed

    Lacome, Mathieu; Simpson, Ben M; Cholley, Yannick; Buchheit, Martin

    2018-05-01

    To (1) compare the locomotor and heart rate responses between floaters and regular players during both small and large small-sided games (SSGs) and (2) examine whether the type of game (ie, game simulation [GS] vs possession game [PO]) affects the magnitude of the difference between floaters and regular players. Data were collected in 41 players belonging to an elite French football team during 3 consecutive seasons (2014-2017). A 5-Hz global positionning system was used to collect all training data, with the Athletic Data Innovation analyzer (v5.4.1.514) used to derive total distance (m), high-speed distance (>14.4 km·h -1 , m), and external mechanical load (MechL, a.u.). All SSGs included exclusively 1 floater and were divided into 2 main categories, according to the participation of goalkeepers (GS) or not (PO) and then further divided into small and large (>100 m 2 per player) SSGs based on the area per player ratio. Locomotor activity and MechL performed were likely-to-most likely lower (moderate to large magnitude) in floaters compared with regular players, whereas differences in heart rate responses were unclear to possibly higher (small) in floaters. The magnitude of the difference in locomotor activity and MechL between floaters and regular players was substantially greater during GS compared with PO. Compared with regular players, floaters present decreased external load (both locomotor and MechL) despite unclear to possibly slightly higher heart rate responses during SSGs. Moreover, the responses of floaters compared with regular players are not consistent across different sizes of SSGs, with greater differences during GS than PO.

  13. Identification of 88 regulatory small RNAs in the TIGR4 strain of the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae

    PubMed Central

    Acebo, Paloma; Martin-Galiano, Antonio J.; Navarro, Sara; Zaballos, Ángel; Amblar, Mónica

    2012-01-01

    Streptococcus pneumoniae is the main etiological agent of community-acquired pneumonia and a major cause of mortality and morbidity among children and the elderly. Genome sequencing of several pneumococcal strains revealed valuable information about the potential proteins and genetic diversity of this prevalent human pathogen. However, little is known about its transcriptional regulation and its small regulatory noncoding RNAs. In this study, we performed deep sequencing of the S. pneumoniae TIGR4 strain RNome to identify small regulatory RNA candidates expressed in this pathogen. We discovered 1047 potential small RNAs including intragenic, 5′- and/or 3′-overlapping RNAs and 88 small RNAs encoded in intergenic regions. With this approach, we recovered many of the previously identified intergenic small RNAs and identified 68 novel candidates, most of which are conserved in both sequence and genomic context in other S. pneumoniae strains. We confirmed the independent expression of 17 intergenic small RNAs and predicted putative mRNA targets for six of them using bioinformatics tools. Preliminary results suggest that one of these six is a key player in the regulation of competence development. This study is the biggest catalog of small noncoding RNAs reported to date in S. pneumoniae and provides a highly complete view of the small RNA network in this pathogen. PMID:22274957

  14. What's in Small Talk? Revolutionary Communication in Black Children's Games.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barnes, Alene; Asante, Molefi

    A number of the historical and contemporary games of black children reflect an attitude of resistance and assertion on the part of the players. Older game songs, dating from the days of slavery, express a recreative anger against slave masters or a contempt for the theater image of the jolly plantation slave, Jim Crow. Post-Civil War songs and…

  15. Physical and Physiological Characteristics of Various-Sided Games in Elite Women's Soccer.

    PubMed

    Mara, Jocelyn K; Thompson, Kevin G; Pumpa, Kate L

    2016-10-01

    To investigate the physical and physiological response to different formats of various-sided games. Eighteen elite women's soccer players wore 15-Hz global positioning system devices and heart-rate (HR) monitors during various-sided games (small, 4 vs 4 and 5 vs 5; medium, 6 vs 6 and 7 vs 7; large, 8 vs 8 and 9 vs 9). Players covered more relative sprinting distance during large-sided games than in small-sided (P < .001, d = 0.69) and medium-sided (P < .001, d = 0.54) games. In addition, a greater proportion of total acceleration efforts that had a commencement velocity <1 m/s were observed in small-sided games (44.7% ± 5.5%) than in large-sided games (36.7% ± 10.6%) (P = .018, d = 0.94). This was accompanied by a greater proportion of acceleration efforts with a final velocity equivalent to the sprint threshold in large-sided games (15.4% ± 7.7%) than in small-sided games (5.2% ± 2.5%) (P < .001, d = 1.78). The proportion of time spent in HR zone 4 (>85% maximum HR) was greater during small-sided games (69.8% ± 2.5%) than in medium- (62.1% ± 2.8%, d = 2.90) and large-sided games (54.9% ± 3.1%) (P < .001, d = 5.29). The results from this study demonstrate that coaches can use small-sided games as an aerobic conditioning stimulus and to develop players' explosiveness and repeat-sprint ability over short durations. Large-sided games can be used to maintain aerobic capacity and develop maximum speed over longer distances.

  16. Work for Play: Careers in Video Game Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liming, Drew; Vilorio, Dennis

    2011-01-01

    Video games are not only for play; they also provide work. Making video games is a serious--and big--business. Creating these games is complex and requires the collaboration of many developers, who perform a variety of tasks, from production to programming. They work for both small and large game studios to create games that can be played on many…

  17. Substituting Developmental for Traditional Games in Elementary Physical Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Belka, David

    2004-01-01

    When children are assessed as being developmentally ready for competitive game play, large group games and traditional low organizational games need to be replaced by an approach that uses small-sided games, modified equipment and playing areas, and emphasizes game tactics. Manipulating factors that affect the structure and understanding of games…

  18. Effects of emphasising opposition and cooperation on collective movement behaviour during football small-sided games.

    PubMed

    Gonçalves, B; Marcelino, R; Torres-Ronda, L; Torrents, C; Sampaio, J

    2016-07-01

    Optimizing collective behaviour helps to increase performance in mutual tasks. In team sports settings, the small-sided games (SSG) have been used as key context tools to stress out the players' awareness about their in-game required behaviours. Research has mostly described these behaviours when confronting teams have the same number of players, disregarding the frequent situations of low and high inequality. This study compared the players' positioning dynamics when manipulating the number of opponents and teammates during professional and amateur football SSG. The participants played 4v3, 4v5 and 4v7 games, where one team was confronted with low-superiority, low- and high-inferiority situations, and their opponents with low-, medium- and high-cooperation situations. Positional data were used to calculate effective playing space and distances from each player to team centroid, opponent team centroid and nearest opponent. Outcomes suggested that increasing the number of opponents in professional teams resulted in moderate/large decrease in approximate entropy (ApEn) values to both distance to team and opponent team centroid (i.e., the variables present higher regularity/predictability pattern). In low-cooperation game scenarios, the ApEn in amateurs' tactical variables presented a moderate/large increase. The professional teams presented an increase in the distance to nearest opponent with the increase of the cooperation level. Increasing the number of opponents was effective to overemphasise the need to use local information in the positioning decision-making process from professionals. Conversely, amateur still rely on external informational feedback. Increasing the cooperation promoted more regularity in spatial organisation in amateurs and emphasise their players' local perceptions.

  19. Role-Playing and Real-Time Strategy Games Associated with Greater Probability of Internet Gaming Disorder.

    PubMed

    Eichenbaum, Adam; Kattner, Florian; Bradford, Daniel; Gentile, Douglas A; Green, C Shawn

    2015-08-01

    Research indicates that a small subset of those who routinely play video games show signs of pathological habits, with side effects ranging from mild (e.g., being late) to quite severe (e.g., losing a job). However, it is still not clear whether individual types, or genres, of games are most strongly associated with Internet gaming disorder (IGD). A sample of 4,744 University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduates (Mage=18.9 years; SD=1.9 years; 60.5% female) completed questionnaires on general video game playing habits and on symptoms of IGD. Consistent with previous reports: 5.9-10.8% (depending on classification criteria) of individuals who played video games show signs of pathological play. Furthermore, real-time strategy and role-playing video games were more strongly associated with pathological play, compared with action and other games (e.g., phone games). The current investigation adds support to the idea that not all video games are equal. Instead, certain genres of video games, specifically real-time strategy and role-playing/fantasy games, are disproportionately associated with IGD symptoms.

  20. Biomedical technology prosperity game{trademark}

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Berman, M.; Boyack, K.W.; Wesenberg, D.L.

    1996-07-01

    Prosperity Games{trademark} are an outgrowth and adaptation of move/countermove and seminar War Games. Prosperity Games{trademark} are simulations that explore complex issues in a variety of areas including economics, politics, sociology, environment, education and research. These issues can be examined from a variety of perspectives ranging from a global, macroeconomic and geopolitical viewpoint down to the details of customer/supplier/market interactions in specific industries. All Prosperity Games{trademark} are unique in that both the game format and the player contributions vary from game to game. This report documents the Biomedical Technology Prosperity Game{trademark} conducted under the sponsorship of Sandia National Laboratories, the Defensemore » Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the Koop Foundation, Inc. Players were drawn from all stakeholders involved in biomedical technologies including patients, hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, legislators, suppliers/manufacturers, regulators, funding organizations, universities/laboratories, and the legal profession. The primary objectives of this game were to: (1) Identify advanced/critical technology issues that affect the cost and quality of health care. (2) Explore the development, patenting, manufacturing and licensing of needed technologies that would decrease costs while maintaining or improving quality. (3) Identify policy and regulatory changes that would reduce costs and improve quality and timeliness of health care delivery. (4) Identify and apply existing resources and facilities to develop and implement improved technologies and policies. (5) Begin to develop Biomedical Technology Roadmaps for industry and government cooperation. The deliberations and recommendations of these players provided valuable insights as to the views of this diverse group of decision makers concerning biomedical issues. Significant progress was made in the roadmapping of key areas in the biomedical technology

  1. Multi-language naming game

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Jianfeng; Lou, Yang; Chen, Guanrong; Tang, Wallace K. S.

    2018-04-01

    Naming game is a simulation-based experiment used to study the evolution of languages. The conventional naming game focuses on a single language. In this paper, a novel naming game model named multi-language naming game (MLNG) is proposed, where the agents are different-language speakers who cannot communicate with each other without a translator (interpreter) in between. The MLNG model is general, capable of managing k different languages with k ≥ 2. For illustration, the paper only discusses the MLNG with two different languages, and studies five representative network topologies, namely random-graph, WS small-world, NW small-world, scale-free, and random-triangle topologies. Simulation and analysis results both show that: 1) using the network features and based on the proportion of translators the probability of establishing a conversation between two or three agents can be theoretically estimated; 2) the relationship between the convergence speed and the proportion of translators has a power-law-like relation; 3) different agents require different memory sizes, thus a local memory allocation rule is recommended for saving memory resources. The new model and new findings should be useful for further studies of naming games and for better understanding of languages evolution from a dynamical network perspective.

  2. 76 FR 54408 - Regulatory Review Schedule

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Indian Gaming Commission 25 CFR Chapter III Regulatory Review...-7003; e-mail: reg.review@nigc.gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 18, 2010, the National... that it was conducting a review of its regulations promulgated to implement 25 U.S.C. 2701-2721 of the...

  3. Demographic factors and playing variables in online computer gaming.

    PubMed

    Griffiths, Mark D; Davies, Mark N O; Chappell, Darren

    2004-08-01

    Despite the growing popularity of online game playing, there has been no primary survey of its players. Therefore, an online questionnaire survey was used to examine basic demographic factors of online computer game players who played the popular online game Everquest (i.e., gender, age, marital status, nationality, education level, occupation). The survey also examined playing frequency (i.e., amount of time spent playing the game a week), playing history (i.e., how long they had been playing the game, who they played the game with, whether they had ever gender swapped their game character), the favorite and least favorite aspects of playing the game, and what they sacrifice (if anything) to play the game. Results showed that 81% of online game players were male, and that the mean age of players was 27.9 years of age. For many players, the social aspects of the game were the most important factor in playing. A small minority of players appear to play excessively (over 80 h a week), and results suggest that a small minority sacrifice important activities in order to play (e.g., sleep, time with family and/or partner, work, or schooling).

  4. Evolutionary patterns of Escherichia coli small RNAs and their regulatory interactions.

    PubMed

    Peer, Asaf; Margalit, Hanah

    2014-07-01

    Most bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs) are post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, exerting their regulatory function by base-pairing with their target mRNAs. While it has become evident that sRNAs play central regulatory roles in the cell, little is known about their evolution and the evolution of their regulatory interactions. Here we used the prokaryotic phylogenetic tree to reconstruct the evolutionary history of Escherichia coli sRNAs and their binding sites on target mRNAs. We discovered that sRNAs currently present in E. coli mainly accumulated inside the Enterobacteriales order, succeeding the appearance of other types of noncoding RNAs and concurrently with the evolution of a variant of the Hfq protein exhibiting a longer C-terminal region. Our analysis of the evolutionary ages of sRNA-mRNA interactions revealed that while all sRNAs were evolutionarily older than most of their known binding sites on mRNA targets, for quite a few sRNAs there was at least one binding site that coappeared with or preceded them. It is conceivable that the establishment of these first interactions forced selective pressure on the sRNAs, after which additional targets were acquired by fitting a binding site to the active region of the sRNA. This conjecture is supported by the appearance of many binding sites on target mRNAs only after the sRNA gain, despite the prior presence of the target gene in ancestral genomes. Our results suggest a selective mechanism that maintained the sRNAs across the phylogenetic tree, and shed light on the evolution of E. coli post-transcriptional regulatory network. © 2014 Peer and Margalit; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for the RNA Society.

  5. The Importance of Postural Control in Relation to Technical Abilities in Small-Sided Soccer Games

    PubMed Central

    Edis, Çağlar; Vurgun, Hikmet

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Making assessments regarding postural control and balance is very important for injury prevention in soccer. However, there has been no study that has associated postural control variables with branch-specific technical properties in a game. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationships between variables designating postural control levels and technical performance variables in different (1:1, 2:2 and 3:3) small-sided games (SSGs). Sixteen trained male amateur soccer players volunteered to take part in the study (age 17.2 ± 1.02 years, body height 176.25 ± 0.07 m, body mass 67.67 ± 13.27 kg). Following familiarization sessions, postural control was evaluated using one-leg and both-leg quiet-stance positions by measuring postural sway with a Tekscan HR Mat™ in anterior–posterior and medial–lateral directions. Later, 1:1, 2:2 and 3:3 SSGs were performed at two-day intervals and the technical variables specified for each game were analyzed. A Spearman’s rank-order correlation analysis demonstrated the relationship between postural control and soccer-specific technical variables in 1:1 (r-values ranging from 0.582 to 0.776), 2:2 (rvalues ranging from 0.511 to 0.740) and 3:3 (r-values ranging from 0.502 to 0.834) SSGs. In addition, a Wilcoxon signed rank test revealed differences between SSGs in terms of several variables. The results of the study showed that higher postural control levels are among the important variables that affect success in the performance of technical skills under rival pressure and suddenly changing conditions. Therefore, it is recommended that in addition to its use for injury prevention purposes, balance training should be conducted to improve branch-specific technical skills and to increase the levels of their successful performance in a game. PMID:28149410

  6. The Importance of Postural Control in Relation to Technical Abilities in Small-Sided Soccer Games.

    PubMed

    Edis, Çağlar; Vural, Faik; Vurgun, Hikmet

    2016-12-01

    Making assessments regarding postural control and balance is very important for injury prevention in soccer. However, there has been no study that has associated postural control variables with branch-specific technical properties in a game. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationships between variables designating postural control levels and technical performance variables in different (1:1, 2:2 and 3:3) small-sided games (SSGs). Sixteen trained male amateur soccer players volunteered to take part in the study (age 17.2 ± 1.02 years, body height 176.25 ± 0.07 m, body mass 67.67 ± 13.27 kg). Following familiarization sessions, postural control was evaluated using one-leg and both-leg quiet-stance positions by measuring postural sway with a Tekscan HR Mat™ in anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions. Later, 1:1, 2:2 and 3:3 SSGs were performed at two-day intervals and the technical variables specified for each game were analyzed. A Spearman's rank-order correlation analysis demonstrated the relationship between postural control and soccer-specific technical variables in 1:1 (r-values ranging from 0.582 to 0.776), 2:2 (rvalues ranging from 0.511 to 0.740) and 3:3 (r-values ranging from 0.502 to 0.834) SSGs. In addition, a Wilcoxon signed rank test revealed differences between SSGs in terms of several variables. The results of the study showed that higher postural control levels are among the important variables that affect success in the performance of technical skills under rival pressure and suddenly changing conditions. Therefore, it is recommended that in addition to its use for injury prevention purposes, balance training should be conducted to improve branch-specific technical skills and to increase the levels of their successful performance in a game.

  7. 25 CFR 542.6 - Does this part apply to small and charitable gaming operations?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... operations? 542.6 Section 542.6 Indians NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUMAN... integrity of games offered; and (ii) Safeguard the assets used in connection with the operation. (b... the integrity of the games offered; and (ii) Safeguard the assets used in connection with the gaming...

  8. 25 CFR 543.6 - Does this part apply to small and charitable gaming operations?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... operations? 543.6 Section 543.6 Indians NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUMAN...) Protect the integrity of games offered; (ii) Safeguard the assets used in connection with the operation... the integrity of the games offered; (ii) Safeguard the assets used in connection with the gaming...

  9. The Tortoise and the Hare. Small-Game Use, the Broad-Spectrum Revolution, and Paleolithic Demography.

    PubMed

    Stiner; Munro; Surovell

    2000-02-01

    This study illustrates the potential of small-game data for identifying and dating Paleolithic demographic pulses such as those associated with modern human origins and the later evolution of food-producing economies. Archaeofaunal series from Israel and Italy serve as our examples. Three important implications of this study are that (1) early Middle Paleolithic populations were exceptionally small and highly dispersed, (2) the first major population growth pulse in the eastern Mediterranean probably occurred before the end of the Middle Paleolithic, and (3) subsequent demographic pulses in the Upper and Epi-Paleolithic greatly reshaped the conditions of selection that operated on human subsistence ecology, technology, and society. The findings of this study are consistent with the main premise of Flannery's broad-spectrum-revolution hypothesis. However, ranking small prey in terms of work of capture (in the absence of special harvesting tools) proved far more effective in this investigation of human diet breadth than have the taxonomic-diversity analyses published previously.

  10. The Contribution of Game Genre and other Use Patterns to Problem Video Game Play among Adult Video Gamers.

    PubMed

    Elliott, Luther; Ream, Geoffrey; McGinsky, Elizabeth; Dunlap, Eloise

    2012-12-01

    AIMS: To assess the contribution of patterns of video game play, including game genre, involvement, and time spent gaming, to problem use symptomatology. DESIGN: Nationally representative survey. SETTING: Online. PARTICIPANTS: Large sample (n=3,380) of adult video gamers in the US. MEASUREMENTS: Problem video game play (PVGP) scale, video game genre typology, use patterns (gaming days in the past month and hours on days used), enjoyment, consumer involvement, and background variables. FINDINGS: Study confirms game genre's contribution to problem use as well as demographic variation in play patterns that underlie problem video game play vulnerability. CONCLUSIONS: Identification of a small group of game types positively correlated with problem use suggests new directions for research into the specific design elements and reward mechanics of "addictive" video games. Unique vulnerabilities to problem use among certain groups demonstrate the need for ongoing investigation of health disparities related to contextual dimensions of video game play.

  11. The Contribution of Game Genre and other Use Patterns to Problem Video Game Play among Adult Video Gamers

    PubMed Central

    Ream, Geoffrey; McGinsky, Elizabeth; Dunlap, Eloise

    2012-01-01

    Aims To assess the contribution of patterns of video game play, including game genre, involvement, and time spent gaming, to problem use symptomatology. Design Nationally representative survey. Setting Online. Participants Large sample (n=3,380) of adult video gamers in the US. Measurements Problem video game play (PVGP) scale, video game genre typology, use patterns (gaming days in the past month and hours on days used), enjoyment, consumer involvement, and background variables. Findings Study confirms game genre's contribution to problem use as well as demographic variation in play patterns that underlie problem video game play vulnerability. Conclusions Identification of a small group of game types positively correlated with problem use suggests new directions for research into the specific design elements and reward mechanics of “addictive” video games. Unique vulnerabilities to problem use among certain groups demonstrate the need for ongoing investigation of health disparities related to contextual dimensions of video game play. PMID:23284310

  12. Parrondo Games with Two-Dimensional Spatial Dependence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ethier, S. N.; Lee, Jiyeon

    Parrondo games with one-dimensional (1D) spatial dependence were introduced by Toral and extended to the two-dimensional (2D) setting by Mihailović and Rajković. MN players are arranged in an M × N array. There are three games, the fair, spatially independent game A, the spatially dependent game B, and game C, which is a random mixture or non-random pattern of games A and B. Of interest is μB (or μC), the mean profit per turn at equilibrium to the set of MN players playing game B (or game C). Game A is fair, so if μB ≤ 0 and μC > 0, then we say the Parrondo effect is present. We obtain a strong law of large numbers (SLLN) and a central limit theorem (CLT) for the sequence of profits of the set of MN players playing game B (or game C). The mean and variance parameters are computable for small arrays and can be simulated otherwise. The SLLN justifies the use of simulation to estimate the mean. The CLT permits evaluation of the standard error of a simulated estimate. We investigate the presence of the Parrondo effect for both small arrays and large ones. One of the findings of Mihailović and Rajković was that “capital evolution depends to a large degree on the lattice size.” We provide evidence that this conclusion is partly incorrect. A paradoxical feature of the 2D game B that does not appear in the 1D setting is that, for fixed M and N, the mean function μB is not necessarily a monotone function of its parameters.

  13. Computer games to teach hygiene: an evaluation of the e-Bug junior game.

    PubMed

    Farrell, David; Kostkova, Patty; Weinberg, Julius; Lazareck, Lisa; Weerasinghe, Dasun; Lecky, Donna M; McNulty, Cliodna A M

    2011-06-01

    Handwashing, respiratory hygiene and antibiotic resistance remain major public health concerns. In order to facilitate an effective outcome when teaching the basic principles of hand and respiratory hygiene, educational interventions should first target school children. As computer games are ubiquitous in most children's lives, e-Bug developed computer games targeted at teaching children handwashing, respiratory hygiene and antibiotic resistance. The games were designed for two target audiences: junior school children (9-12 year olds); and senior school children (13-15 year olds). Between May and August 2009, the finalized junior game underwent an evaluation in three UK schools (in Glasgow, Gloucester and London), involving 62 children in the schools and ∼ 1700 players accessing the junior game online. The e-Bug junior game consists of a number of levels of play, each of which promotes a set of learning outcomes (LOs). These LOs, complementary to those in the e-Bug packs, are expressed through the game mechanics (the rules of the game) rather than through story or dialogue. Although the junior game's evaluation demonstrated a statistically significant change in the knowledge for only a small number of given LOs, because many children had the required knowledge already before playing the game, this is e-Bug's first statistical study on the junior game and the first comprehensive evaluation of its kind. Future work includes a re-examination of the quiz-style questionnaires utilized in this study and an exploration of the potential knowledge change acquired strictly through engagement.

  14. The Complexity of Posttranscriptional Small RNA Regulatory Networks Revealed by In Silico Analysis of Gossypium arboreum L. Leaf, Flower and Boll Small Regulatory RNAs.

    PubMed

    Hu, Hongtao; Rashotte, Aaron M; Singh, Narendra K; Weaver, David B; Goertzen, Leslie R; Singh, Shree R; Locy, Robert D

    2015-01-01

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and secondary small interfering RNAs (principally phased siRNAs or trans-acting siRNAs) are two distinct subfamilies of small RNAs (sRNAs) that are emerging as key regulators of posttranscriptional gene expression in plants. Both miRNAs and secondary-siRNAs (sec-siRNAs) are processed from longer RNA precursors by DICER-LIKE proteins (DCLs). Gossypium arboreum L., also known as tree cotton or Asian cotton, is a diploid, possibly ancestral relative of tetraploid Gossypium hirsutum L., the predominant type of commercially grown cotton worldwide known as upland cotton. To understand the biological significance of these gene regulators in G. arboreum, a bioinformatics analysis was performed on G. arboreum small RNAs produced from G. arboreum leaf, flower, and boll tissues. Consequently, 263 miRNAs derived from 353 precursors, including 155 conserved miRNAs (cs-miRNAs) and 108 novel lineage-specific miRNAs (ls-miRNAs). Along with miRNAs, 2,033 miRNA variants (isomiRNAs) were identified as well. Those isomiRNAs with variation at the 3'-miRNA end were expressed at the highest levels, compared to other types of variants. In addition, 755 pha-siRNAs derived 319 pha-siRNA gene transcripts (PGTs) were identified, and the potential pha-siRNA initiators were predicted. Also, 2,251 non-phased siRNAs were found as well, of which 1,088 appeared to be produced by so-called cis- or trans-cleavage of the PGTs observed at positions differing from pha-siRNAs. Of those sRNAs, 148 miRNAs/isomiRNAs and 274 phased/non-phased siRNAs were differentially expressed in one or more pairs of tissues examined. Target analysis revealed that target genes for both miRNAs and pha-siRNAs are involved a broad range of metabolic and enzymatic activities. We demonstrate that secondary siRNA production could result from initial cleavage of precursors by both miRNAs or isomiRNAs, and that subsequently produced phased and unphased siRNAs could result that also serve as triggers of a second

  15. The Regulatory Small RNA MarS Supports Virulence of Streptococcus pyogenes.

    PubMed

    Pappesch, Roberto; Warnke, Philipp; Mikkat, Stefan; Normann, Jana; Wisniewska-Kucper, Aleksandra; Huschka, Franziska; Wittmann, Maja; Khani, Afsaneh; Schwengers, Oliver; Oehmcke-Hecht, Sonja; Hain, Torsten; Kreikemeyer, Bernd; Patenge, Nadja

    2017-09-25

    Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) play a role in the control of bacterial virulence gene expression. In this study, we investigated an sRNA that was identified in Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus, GAS) but is conserved throughout various streptococci. In a deletion strain, expression of mga, the gene encoding the multiple virulence gene regulator, was reduced. Accordingly, transcript and proteome analyses revealed decreased expression of several Mga-activated genes. Therefore, and because the sRNA was shown to interact with the 5' UTR of the mga transcript in a gel-shift assay, we designated it MarS for m ga-activating regulatory sRNA. Down-regulation of important virulence factors, including the antiphagocytic M-protein, led to increased susceptibility of the deletion strain to phagocytosis and reduced adherence to human keratinocytes. In a mouse infection model, the marS deletion mutant showed reduced dissemination to the liver, kidney, and spleen. Additionally, deletion of marS led to increased tolerance towards oxidative stress. Our in vitro and in vivo results indicate a modulating effect of MarS on virulence gene expression and on the pathogenic potential of GAS.

  16. Introduction: MicroRNAs in human reproduction: small molecules with crucial regulatory roles.

    PubMed

    Imbar, Tal; Galliano, Daniela; Pellicer, Antonio; Laufer, Neri

    2014-06-01

    MicroRNAs constitute a large family of approximately 21-nucleotide-long, noncoding RNAs. They emerged more than 20 years ago as key posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression. The regulatory role of these small RNA molecules has recently begun to be explored in the human reproductive system. In this issue's Views and Reviews, the authors present the current knowledge regarding the involvement of microRNAs in several aspects of human reproduction and discuss its future implications for clinical practice. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Pitch size and Game Surface in Different Small-Sided Games. Global Indicators, Activity Profile and Acceleration of Female Soccer Players.

    PubMed

    López-Fernández, Jorge; Gallardo, Leonor; Fernández-Luna, Álvaro; Villacañas, Victor; García-Unanue, Jorge; Sánchez-Sánchez, Javier

    2017-06-22

    The aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of game surface and pitch size on the movement profile in female soccer players during Small-Sided-Games (SSGs) of 4 v 4. 16 women played three different 4-a-side (400 m, 600 m and 800 m) on three surfaces (ground [GR], artificial turf [AT] and natural grass [NG]). Time-motion variables were assessed through GPS devices (Spi Pro X, GPSports, Australia). GR had the worst outputs on most variables. NG achieved higher results than AT in terms of total distance [SSG 400 (+37.000 m; p=0.006); SSG 600 (+59.989 m; p<0.001); SSG 800 (+42.284 m; p=0.001)]. On the other hand, the smaller SSG (400) had the lowest values on most variables. However, while the middle SSG (600) presented higher output than the bigger one (800) for Body Load [NG (+7.745 a.u.; p<0.001); AT (+8.207 a.u.; p<0.001); GR (+5.879 a.u.; p<0.001)], it had lower results for High Intensity Distance [NG (-13.15 m; p=0.025); AT (-13.59 m; p=0.026)]. Despite women's performance being higher on AT than GR, the NG surface still showed the highest outcomes in the most intense SSG. Moreover, although the performance increase in bigger pitches, if the size is too large the outputs could be reduced.

  18. 75 FR 18245 - Public Federal Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Hearing Region IX Regulatory Fairness Board

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-09

    ... the meeting is for Business Organizations, Trade Associations, Chambers of Commerce and related... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Public Federal Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Hearing Region IX... hereby given that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Region IX Regulatory Fairness Board and...

  19. Quantification of physiological, movement, and technical outputs during a novel small-sided game in young team sport athletes.

    PubMed

    Harrison, Craig B; Gill, Nicholas D; Kinugasa, Taisuke; Kilding, Andrew E

    2013-10-01

    The aim of this study was to quantify the physiological responses, time-motion characteristics, and technical executions associated with a novel non-sport-specific small-sided game (SSG) in young team sport players. On 6 separate occasions, 12 young male team sport athletes (mean ± SD: age, 13.0 ± 0.3 years; height, 157.4 ± 4.9 cm; body mass, 47.0 ± 5.0 kg; and V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak, 55.1 ± 4.6 ml·kg·min) completed various "bucketball" SSG formats (i.e., 3 vs. 3, 4 vs. 4, and 6 vs. 6) twice each. Heart rate (HR) was measured during each SSG at 5-second intervals. Time-motion characteristics were measured using global positioning systems. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPEs) were recorded immediately after the SSGs using the Borg scale (RPEs, 6-20). Technical skill executions were measured using a high-speed digital video camera. Analysis revealed a tendency for the 3 vs. 3 games to elicit higher HRs (88.3 ± 4.3) than either 4 vs. 4 (85.9 ± 4.9) or 6 vs. 6 formats (85.9 ± 3.2). Total distance traveled at 13-17.9 km·h was more during 6 vs. 6 than 3 vs. 3 games (very likely substantial true difference, 97%), and total possessions and number of catches, passes, and shots were all higher in 3 vs. 3 compared with 4 vs. 4 and 6 vs. 6 games. There was no difference in RPE between the game formats. The results of this study indicate that 3 vs. 3 non-sport-specific SSGs provide higher stimulus for aerobic fitness adaptation and technical improvement than 4 vs. 4 and 6 vs. 6 formats, and their use for training young team sport athletes is recommended.

  20. An Overview of Structural Characteristics in Problematic Video Game Playing.

    PubMed

    Griffiths, Mark D; Nuyens, Filip

    2017-01-01

    There are many different factors involved in how and why people develop problems with video game playing. One such set of factors concerns the structural characteristics of video games (i.e., the structure, elements, and components of the video games themselves). Much of the research examining the structural characteristics of video games was initially based on research and theorizing from the gambling studies field. The present review briefly overviews the key papers in the field to date. The paper examines a number of areas including (i) similarities in structural characteristics of gambling and video gaming, (ii) structural characteristics in video games, (iii) narrative and flow in video games, (iv) structural characteristic taxonomies for video games, and (v) video game structural characteristics and game design ethics. Many of the studies carried out to date are small-scale, and comprise self-selected convenience samples (typically using self-report surveys or non-ecologically valid laboratory experiments). Based on the small amount of empirical data, it appears that structural features that take a long time to achieve in-game are the ones most associated with problematic video game play (e.g., earning experience points, managing in-game resources, mastering the video game, getting 100% in-game). The study of video games from a structural characteristic perspective is of benefit to many different stakeholders including academic researchers, video game players, and video game designers, as well as those interested in prevention and policymaking by making the games more socially responsible. It is important that researchers understand and recognize the psycho-social effects and impacts that the structural characteristics of video games can have on players, both positive and negative.

  1. On Nash-Equilibria of Approximation-Stable Games

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Awasthi, Pranjal; Balcan, Maria-Florina; Blum, Avrim; Sheffet, Or; Vempala, Santosh

    One reason for wanting to compute an (approximate) Nash equilibrium of a game is to predict how players will play. However, if the game has multiple equilibria that are far apart, or ɛ-equilibria that are far in variation distance from the true Nash equilibrium strategies, then this prediction may not be possible even in principle. Motivated by this consideration, in this paper we define the notion of games that are approximation stable, meaning that all ɛ-approximate equilibria are contained inside a small ball of radius Δ around a true equilibrium, and investigate a number of their properties. Many natural small games such as matching pennies and rock-paper-scissors are indeed approximation stable. We show furthermore there exist 2-player n-by-n approximation-stable games in which the Nash equilibrium and all approximate equilibria have support Ω(log n). On the other hand, we show all (ɛ,Δ) approximation-stable games must have an ɛ-equilibrium of support O(Δ^{2-o(1)}/ɛ2{log n}), yielding an immediate n^{O(Δ^{2-o(1)}/ɛ^2log n)}-time algorithm, improving over the bound of [11] for games satisfying this condition. We in addition give a polynomial-time algorithm for the case that Δ and ɛ are sufficiently close together. We also consider an inverse property, namely that all non-approximate equilibria are far from some true equilibrium, and give an efficient algorithm for games satisfying that condition.

  2. Long-Term Changes in Game Species Over a Long Period of Transformation in the Iberian Mediterranean Landscape

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Delibes-Mateos, Miguel; Farfán, Miguel Ángel; Olivero, Jesús; Márquez, Ana Luz; Vargas, Juan Mario

    2009-06-01

    Agricultural change has transformed large areas of traditional farming landscapes, leading to important changes in the species community assemblages in most European countries. We suspect that the drastic changes in land-use that have occurred in Andalusia (southern Spain) over recent decades, may have affected the distribution and abundance of game species in this region. This article compares the distribution of the main game species in Andalusia during the 1960s and 1990s, using data from maps available from the Mainland Spanish Fish, Game and National Parks Service and from recent datasets on hunting yield distributions, respectively. Big-game and small-game species were significantly segregated in southern Spain during the 1990s, as two clearly independent chorotypes (groups of species whose abundances are similarly distributed) were obtained from the classification analysis. In contrast, big-game and small-game species were not significantly segregated several decades ago, when there was only one chorotype consisting of small-game species and wild boar. The other three ungulates did not constitute a significant chorotype, as they showed positive correlations with some species in the group mentioned above. These changes seem to be a consequence of the transformations that have occurred in the Iberian Mediterranean landscape over the last few decades. The abandoning of traditional activities, and the consequent formation of dense scrubland and woodland, has led to an expansion of big-game species, and a decrease of small-game species in mountain areas. Moreover, agricultural intensification has apparently depleted small-game species populations in some agricultural areas. On the other hand, the increasingly intensive hunting management could be artificially boosting this segregation between small-game and big-game species. Our results suggest that the conservation and regeneration of traditional agricultural landscapes (like those predominating in the 1960s

  3. Estimated metabolic and mechanical demands during different small-sided games in elite soccer players.

    PubMed

    Gaudino, Paolo; Alberti, Giampietro; Iaia, F Marcello

    2014-08-01

    The present study examined the extent to which game format (possession play, SSG-P and game with regular goals and goalkeepers, SSG-G) and the number of players (5, 7 and 10 a-side) influence the physical demands of small-sided soccer games (SSGs) in elite soccer players. Training data were collected during the in-season period from 26 English Premier League outfield players using global positioning system technology. Total distance covered, distance at different speed categories and maximal speed were calculated. In addition, we focused on changes in velocity by reporting the number of accelerations and decelerations carried out during the SSGs (divided in two categories: moderate and high) and the absolute maximal values of acceleration and deceleration achieved. By taking into account these parameters besides speed and distance values, estimated energy expenditure and average metabolic power and distance covered at different metabolic power categories were calculated. All variables were normalized by time (i.e., 4min). The main findings were that the total distance, distances run at high speed (>14.4kmh(-1)) as well as absolute maximum velocity, maximum acceleration and maximum deceleration increased with pitch size (10v10>7v7>5v5; p<.05). Furthermore, total distance, very high (19.8-25.2kmh(-1)) and maximal (>25.2kmh(-1)) speed distances, absolute maximal velocity and maximum acceleration and deceleration were higher in SSG-G than in SSG-P (p<.001). On the other hand, the number of moderate (2-3ms(-2)) accelerations and decelerations as well as the total number of changes in velocity were greater as the pitch dimensions decreased (i.e., 5v5>7v7>10v10; p<.001) in both SSG-G and SSG-P. In addition, predicted energy cost, average metabolic power and distance covered at every metabolic power categories were higher in SSG-P compared to SSG-G and in big than in small pitch areas (p<.05). A detailed analysis of these drills is pivotal in contemporary football as it

  4. A weed resistance management game: a teaching tool.

    PubMed

    Frisvold, George B

    2018-04-15

    This article provides instructions and materials to moderate an interactive resistance management game. The game is designed to generate discussion about the challenges and possibilities of coordinating resistance management activities among groups of farmers. The game has been successfully applied in classroom settings, extension workshops, and at professional weed science meetings. Research has found farmers often perceive the success of their own resistance management may be thwarted if their neighbors are not adequately managing resistance as well. This can lead to negative 'tragedy of the commons' outcomes. In past applications of the game exercise, participants have often responded in ways consistent with similar studies in experimental and behavioral economics. This includes dividing benefits evenly (even though this is not a requirement of the game) or treating one-time transactions as potentially repeated exchanges. Player behavior may also be greatly influenced by their attitudes toward monetary risks. The game allows participants to explore ways to overcome the tragedy of the commons and illustrates the roles of information sharing and economic incentives in finding solutions. It also allows participants to experiment with bottom-up voluntary approaches toward resistance management as an alternative to top-down regulatory approaches. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

  5. Promotion of cooperation induced by appropriate payoff aspirations in a small-world networked game

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Xiaojie; Wang, Long

    2008-01-01

    Based on learning theory, we adopt a stochastic learning updating rule to investigate the evolution of cooperation in the Prisoner’s Dilemma game on Newman-Watts small-world networks with different payoff aspiration levels. Interestingly, simulation results show that the mechanism of intermediate aspiration promoting cooperation resembles a resonancelike behavior, and there exists a ping-pong vibration of cooperation for large payoff aspiration. To explain the nontrivial dependence of the cooperation level on the aspiration level, we investigate the fractions of links, provide analytical results of the cooperation level, and find that the simulation results are in close agreement with analytical ones. Our work may be helpful in understanding the cooperative behavior induced by the aspiration level in society.

  6. GRIL-seq provides a method for identifying direct targets of bacterial small regulatory RNA by in vivo proximity ligation.

    PubMed

    Han, Kook; Tjaden, Brian; Lory, Stephen

    2016-12-22

    The first step in the post-transcriptional regulatory function of most bacterial small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) is base pairing with partially complementary sequences of targeted transcripts. We present a simple method for identifying sRNA targets in vivo and defining processing sites of the regulated transcripts. The technique, referred to as global small non-coding RNA target identification by ligation and sequencing (GRIL-seq), is based on preferential ligation of sRNAs to the ends of base-paired targets in bacteria co-expressing T4 RNA ligase, followed by sequencing to identify the chimaeras. In addition to the RNA chaperone Hfq, the GRIL-seq method depends on the activity of the pyrophosphorylase RppH. Using PrrF1, an iron-regulated sRNA in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we demonstrated that direct regulatory targets of this sRNA can readily be identified. Therefore, GRIL-seq represents a powerful tool not only for identifying direct targets of sRNAs in a variety of environments, but also for uncovering novel roles for sRNAs and their targets in complex regulatory networks.

  7. The allure of multi-line games in modern slot machines.

    PubMed

    Dixon, Mike J; Graydon, Candice; Harrigan, Kevin A; Wojtowicz, Lisa; Siu, Vivian; Fugelsang, Jonathan A

    2014-11-01

    In multi-line slot machines, players can wager on more than one line per spin. We sought to show that players preferred multi-line over single-line games, and that certain game features could cause multi-line game play to feel more rewarding. Reward was measured using post-reinforcement pauses (PRPs) following each outcome (the time between outcome delivery and the next spin). Gamblers (n = 102) played 250 spins on a 20-line game and 250 spins on a one-line game (answering questions about game experiences following each session). Playing one-line, a small credit gain (e.g. 2 cents) was a net win. In the 20-line game it was a net loss of 18 credits but was still accompanied by 'winning' sights and sounds. Most players (94%) preferred the 20-line game. PRPs for small credit gains (net losses) in the 20-line game were equivalent, or larger than in the one-line game where such gains were wins. The largest increase in PRP size was between the 0 and 2 credit conditions for both games. Thus 20-line players reacted as though these net losses of 18 credits were rewarding. Players' estimates of the number of true wins were accurate in the one-line game, but they significantly over-estimated the number of true wins in the 20-line game (P < 0.01). Problem gamblers felt more skilful (P < 0.01) and were more absorbed (P < 0.01) by multi-line than single-line game play. Multi-line games appear to be more appealing to gaming machine ('slots') players than single-line games. These games may be particularly absorbing for those with gambling problems. © 2014 Society for the Study of Addiction.

  8. Are Some Technologies Beyond Regulatory Regimes?

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jones, Wendell B.; Kusnezov, Dimitri

    Regulatory frameworks are a common tool in governance to incent and coerce behaviors supporting national or strategic stability. This includes domestic regulations and international agreements. Though regulation is always a challenge, the domain of fast evolving threats, like cyber, are proving much more difficult to control. Many discussions are underway searching for approaches that can provide national security in these domains. We use game theoretic learning models to explore the question of strategic stability with respect to the democratization of certain technologies (such as cyber). We suggest that such many-player games could inherently be chaotic with no corresponding (Nash) equilibria.more » In the absence of such equilibria, traditional approaches, as measures to achieve levels of overall security, may not be suitable approaches to support strategic stability in these domains. Altogether new paradigms may be needed for these issues. At the very least, regulatory regimes that fail to address the basic nature of the technology domains should not be pursued as a default solution, regardless of success in other domains. In addition, the very chaotic nature of these domains may hold the promise of novel approaches to regulation.« less

  9. Temporal Changes in Technical and Physical Performances During a Small-Sided Game in Elite Youth Soccer Players

    PubMed Central

    Moreira, Alexandre; Saldanha Aoki, Marcelo; Carling, Chris; Alan Rodrigues Lopes, Rafael; Felipe Schultz de Arruda, Ademir; Lima, Marcelo; Cesar Correa, Umberto; Bradley, Paul S

    2016-01-01

    Background There have been claims that small-sided games (SSG) may generate an appropriate environment to develop youth players’ technical performance associated to game-related problem solving. However, the temporal change in technical performance parameters of youth players during SSG is still unknown. Objectives The aim of this study was to examine temporal changes in technical and physical performances during a small-sided game (SSG) in elite soccer players. Methods Sixty elite youth players (age 14.8 ± 0.2 yr; stature 177 ± 5 cm; body mass 66.2 ± 4.7 kg) completed a 5 v 5 SSG using two repetitions of 8 minutes interspersed by 3 minutes of passive recovery. To evaluate temporal changes in performance, the data were analysed across 4 minutes quarters. Physical performance parameters included the total distance covered (TDC), the frequency of sprints (>18 km•h-1), accelerations and decelerations (> 2.0 m•s-2 and - 2.0 m•s-2), metabolic power (W•kg-1), training impulse (TRIMP), TDC: TRIMP, number of impacts, and body load. Technical performance parameters included goal attempts, total number of tackles, tackles and interceptions, total number of passes, and passes effectiveness. Results All physical performance parameters decreased from the first to the last quarter with notable declines in TDC, metabolic power and the frequency of sprints, accelerations and decelerations (P < 0.05; moderate to very large ES: 1.08 - 3.30). However, technical performance parameters did not vary across quarters (P > 0.05; trivial ES for 1st v 4th quarters: 0.15 - 0.33). Conclusions The data demonstrate that technical performance is maintained despite substantial declines in physical performance during a SSG in elite youth players. This finding may have implications for designing SSG’s for elite youth players to ensure physical, technical and tactical capabilities are optimized. Modifications in player number, pitch dimensions, rules, coach encouragement, for instance

  10. Temporal Changes in Technical and Physical Performances During a Small-Sided Game in Elite Youth Soccer Players.

    PubMed

    Moreira, Alexandre; Saldanha Aoki, Marcelo; Carling, Chris; Alan Rodrigues Lopes, Rafael; Felipe Schultz de Arruda, Ademir; Lima, Marcelo; Cesar Correa, Umberto; Bradley, Paul S

    2016-12-01

    There have been claims that small-sided games (SSG) may generate an appropriate environment to develop youth players' technical performance associated to game-related problem solving. However, the temporal change in technical performance parameters of youth players during SSG is still unknown. The aim of this study was to examine temporal changes in technical and physical performances during a small-sided game (SSG) in elite soccer players. Sixty elite youth players (age 14.8 ± 0.2 yr; stature 177 ± 5 cm; body mass 66.2 ± 4.7 kg) completed a 5 v 5 SSG using two repetitions of 8 minutes interspersed by 3 minutes of passive recovery. To evaluate temporal changes in performance, the data were analysed across 4 minutes quarters. Physical performance parameters included the total distance covered (TDC), the frequency of sprints (>18 km•h -1 ), accelerations and decelerations (> 2.0 m•s -2 and - 2.0 m•s -2 ), metabolic power (W•kg -1 ), training impulse (TRIMP), TDC: TRIMP, number of impacts, and body load. Technical performance parameters included goal attempts, total number of tackles, tackles and interceptions, total number of passes, and passes effectiveness. All physical performance parameters decreased from the first to the last quarter with notable declines in TDC, metabolic power and the frequency of sprints, accelerations and decelerations (P < 0.05; moderate to very large ES: 1.08 - 3.30). However, technical performance parameters did not vary across quarters (P > 0.05; trivial ES for 1st v 4th quarters: 0.15 - 0.33). The data demonstrate that technical performance is maintained despite substantial declines in physical performance during a SSG in elite youth players. This finding may have implications for designing SSG's for elite youth players to ensure physical, technical and tactical capabilities are optimized. Modifications in player number, pitch dimensions, rules, coach encouragement, for instance, should be included taking into account the

  11. Using Video Game Design to Motivate Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Evans, Michael A.; Jones, Brett D.; Akalin, Sehmuz

    2017-01-01

    Because video games are so popular with young people, researchers have explored ways to use game play to engage students in school subjects (Peppler & Kafai, 2007; Rockwell & Kee, 2011; Small, 2011). Motivating students in science is especially important because of declines both in the number of young people who choose science careers and…

  12. Spatial evolutionary games with weak selection.

    PubMed

    Nanda, Mridu; Durrett, Richard

    2017-06-06

    Recently, a rigorous mathematical theory has been developed for spatial games with weak selection, i.e., when the payoff differences between strategies are small. The key to the analysis is that when space and time are suitably rescaled, the spatial model converges to the solution of a partial differential equation (PDE). This approach can be used to analyze all [Formula: see text] games, but there are a number of [Formula: see text] games for which the behavior of the limiting PDE is not known. In this paper, we give rules for determining the behavior of a large class of [Formula: see text] games and check their validity using simulation. In words, the effect of space is equivalent to making changes in the payoff matrix, and once this is done, the behavior of the spatial game can be predicted from the behavior of the replicator equation for the modified game. We say predicted here because in some cases the behavior of the spatial game is different from that of the replicator equation for the modified game. For example, if a rock-paper-scissors game has a replicator equation that spirals out to the boundary, space stabilizes the system and produces an equilibrium.

  13. Spatial evolutionary games with weak selection

    PubMed Central

    Nanda, Mridu; Durrett, Richard

    2017-01-01

    Recently, a rigorous mathematical theory has been developed for spatial games with weak selection, i.e., when the payoff differences between strategies are small. The key to the analysis is that when space and time are suitably rescaled, the spatial model converges to the solution of a partial differential equation (PDE). This approach can be used to analyze all 2×2 games, but there are a number of 3×3 games for which the behavior of the limiting PDE is not known. In this paper, we give rules for determining the behavior of a large class of 3×3 games and check their validity using simulation. In words, the effect of space is equivalent to making changes in the payoff matrix, and once this is done, the behavior of the spatial game can be predicted from the behavior of the replicator equation for the modified game. We say predicted here because in some cases the behavior of the spatial game is different from that of the replicator equation for the modified game. For example, if a rock–paper–scissors game has a replicator equation that spirals out to the boundary, space stabilizes the system and produces an equilibrium. PMID:28533405

  14. [Principle directions for the creation and organization of the system of sanitary-epidemiological safety during the preparations for the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi].

    PubMed

    Onishchenko, G G; Bragina, I V; Ezhlova, E B; Demina, V P; Gorskiĭ, A A; Gus'kov, A S; Aksenova, O I; Ivanov, G E; Klindukhov, V P; Nikolaevich, P N; Grechanaia, T B; Kulichenko, A N; Maletskaia, O V; Manin, E A; Parkhomenko, V V; Kulichenko, O A

    2015-01-01

    The paper generalizes the experience of formation of protection system against biological threats and ensuring sanitary and epidemiological welfare during preparation for the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi. The basic steps for creating this system, since 2007, participation and role of Rospotrebnadzor in this process are shown. The paper deals with such questions as the governmental and administrative structures with federal agencies interaction, development of a regulatory framework governing the safety system of the Olympic Games, development of algorithms of information exchange and management decisions, biological safety in developing infrastructure in Sochi.

  15. Conveying population education through games.

    PubMed

    1987-01-01

    Games are extremely useful for conveying population education messages because they are entertaining, because they involve the players in the learning situation, and because, by compressing space and time, they enable the players to perceive the effects of future events on their own lives. One teaching game, called "Futures Wheel," enables the players to move step by step from an abstract real-world situation to its impact on their own lives. Another game, called "Card Game on Family Welfare," is played by 4 players using cards illustrating such things as preparation for marriage, planned families, small families, responsible parenthood, and women's roles. 24 of the 25 cards dealt to the players have matching pictures on a base sheet. The player who loses, i.e., cannot find a match for his last card, is holding the card which displays an unhappy big family.

  16. States assuming responsibility over wetlands: State assumption as a regulatory option for protection of wetlands

    Treesearch

    Kristen M. Fletcher

    2000-01-01

    While States have initiated their own wetland protection schemes for decades, Congress formally invited States to join the regulatory game under the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1977. The CWA Amendments provided two ways for States to increase responsibility by assuming some administration of Federal regulatory programs: State programmatic general permits and State...

  17. 25 CFR 542.43 - What are the minimum internal control standards for surveillance for a Tier C gaming operation?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... surveillance system that enable surveillance personnel to observe the table games remaining open for play and... recordings and/or digital records shall be provided to the Commission upon request. (x) Video library log. A video library log, or comparable alternative procedure approved by the Tribal gaming regulatory...

  18. 25 CFR 542.43 - What are the minimum internal control standards for surveillance for a Tier C gaming operation?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... surveillance system that enable surveillance personnel to observe the table games remaining open for play and... recordings and/or digital records shall be provided to the Commission upon request. (x) Video library log. A video library log, or comparable alternative procedure approved by the Tribal gaming regulatory...

  19. Video games and adolescents' intentions to take risks in traffic.

    PubMed

    Beullens, Kathleen; Roe, Keith; Van den Bulck, Jan

    2008-07-01

    In a sample of 2193 adolescents the impact of racing games and drive'em up games on the intention to engage in risky driving was examined. The results indicated that playing video games is a small predictor of attitudes (standardized total effect of .171), which in turn, predict fun riding intentions (R(2) = .555).

  20. Effects of Environmental Context on Physiological Response During Team Handball Small Sided Games.

    PubMed

    Bělka, Jan; Hulka, Karel; Machová, Iva; Šafář, Michal; Weisser, Radim; Bellar, David M; Hoover, Donald L; Judge, Lawrence W

    2017-01-01

    This study examined the distance covered and physiological effects of altering the number of players during small-sided games (SSG) in team handball. Twelve professional female handball players [24.6±3.7 years, 172±6.2 cm, 68.2 ± 9.9kg, 22.7 ± 2 kg/m 2 ] participated in this study. The SSG were played, first with five on each side (SSG 5), then four (SSG 4), then three (SSG 3). Each game was four minutes long, followed by three minutes of rest. The distance covered and time spent in four speed zones (based on player movement speed) were selected for analysis: Zone 1 (0-1.4 m/s), Zone 2 (1.5-3.4 m/s), Zone 3 (3.5-5.2 m/s), and Zone 4 (>5.2 m/s). Statistically significant differences were found in Zone 2, between conditions SSG 3 and SSG 4 (p=.049,ω 2 = .32). The highest average heart rate (HR) occurred during SSG 3. Average HR between SSG 3 (89.7 % HRmax) and SSG 5 (87.8 % HRmax) (p= .04, ω2= .26) were also significantly different. Participant HR response between the speed zones was not statistically significant. HR response was negatively correlated with the number of players within the SSG condition. Statistically significant results were found for RPE between SSG 3 and the other two SSG conditions (SSG 4, p = .01, and SSG 5, p = .00). These results indicate that changing the number of SSG players can be used to manipulate the physiological response during handball training.

  1. Nitrogen modulation of legume root architecture signaling pathways involves phytohormones and small regulatory molecules.

    PubMed

    Mohd-Radzman, Nadiatul A; Djordjevic, Michael A; Imin, Nijat

    2013-10-01

    Nitrogen, particularly nitrate is an important yield determinant for crops. However, current agricultural practice with excessive fertilizer usage has detrimental effects on the environment. Therefore, legumes have been suggested as a sustainable alternative for replenishing soil nitrogen. Legumes can uniquely form nitrogen-fixing nodules through symbiotic interaction with specialized soil bacteria. Legumes possess a highly plastic root system which modulates its architecture according to the nitrogen availability in the soil. Understanding how legumes regulate root development in response to nitrogen availability is an important step to improving root architecture. The nitrogen-mediated root development pathway starts with sensing soil nitrogen level followed by subsequent signal transduction pathways involving phytohormones, microRNAs and regulatory peptides that collectively modulate the growth and shape of the root system. This review focuses on the current understanding of nitrogen-mediated legume root architecture including local and systemic regulations by different N-sources and the modulations by phytohormones and small regulatory molecules.

  2. Should the model for risk-informed regulation be game theory rather than decision theory?

    PubMed

    Bier, Vicki M; Lin, Shi-Woei

    2013-02-01

    deception), to identify optimal regulatory strategies. Therefore, we believe that the types of regulatory interactions analyzed in this article are better modeled using game theory rather than decision theory. In particular, the goals of this article are to review the relevant literature in game theory and regulatory economics (to stimulate interest in this area among risk analysts), and to present illustrative results showing how the application of game theory can provide useful insights into the theory and practice of risk-informed regulation. © 2012 Society for Risk Analysis.

  3. Match-derived relative pitch area changes the physical and team tactical performance of elite soccer players in small-sided soccer games.

    PubMed

    Olthof, Sigrid B H; Frencken, Wouter G P; Lemmink, Koen A P M

    2018-07-01

    Small-sided games (SSGs) are used in training sessions to prepare for full-sized matches. For the same number of players, smaller pitch sizes result in decreased physical performance and shorter interpersonal distances. A relative pitch area derived from the full-sized match results in larger pitch sizes and this may increase the fit between SSGs and full-sized matches. This study aimed to investigate SSGs with a traditional small pitch and a match-derived relative pitch area in youth elite soccer players. Four age categories (under-13, under-15, under-17 and under-19) played 4 vs. 4 plus goalkeepers on a small (40x30m, 120m 2 relative pitch area) and large pitch (68x47m, 320m 2 relative pitch area). The number of games per age category ranged 15-30. Positional data (LPM-system) were collected to determine physical (total distance covered, high intensity distance and number of sprints) and team tactical (inter-team distance, LPW-ratio, surface area, stretch indices, goalkeeper-defender distance) performance measures and tactical variability. On a large pitch, physical performance significantly increased, inter-team and intra-team distances were significantly larger and tactical variability of intra-team distance measures significantly increased. The match-derived relative pitch area is an important training manipulation and leads to changes in physical and tactical performance 4 vs. 4 plus goalkeepers.

  4. Improving fitness of elite handball players: small-sided games vs. high-intensity intermittent training.

    PubMed

    Iacono, Antonio Dello; Eliakim, Alon; Meckel, Yoav

    2015-03-01

    The present study was designed to compare the effects of high-intensity intermittent training (HIIT) and small-sided games (SSGs) training on fitness variables of elite handball players. Eighteen highly trained players (mean age ± SD: 25.6 ± 0.5 years) were assigned to either HIIT or SSGs group training protocols twice per week for 8 weeks. The HIIT consisted of 12-24 × 15 seconds of high-intensity runs interspersed by 15 seconds of recovery. The SSGs training consisted of 3 against 3 small-sided handball games. Both training methods were matched for exercise duration and recovery at each training session. Before and after 8-week training, the following fitness variables were assessed-speed: 10- and 20-m sprint time, agility: handball agility specific test (HAST), upper arm strength: 1 repetition maximum (1RM) bench press test, lower limb power: counter-movement jump tests with (CMJarm) and without (CMJ) arm movement, and aerobic fitness (yo-yo intermittent recovery test level 1 [YYIRTL1]). Significant improvement was found in the YYIRTL1 (23.3 and 26.3%, respectively), 10-m sprint (2.3 and 4.1%, respectively) and 20-m sprint (2.1 and 4%, respectively), HAST (1.1 and 2.2%, respectively), 1RM bench press (6.8 and 12.3%, respectively), CMJ (7.4 and 10.8%, respectively), and CMJarm (6.4 and 8.9%, respectively) following training in both groups (p ≤ 0.05 for all). There was a significantly greater improvement in 10- and 20-m sprint, HAST, 1RM, CMJ, and CMJarm following the SSGs training compared with the HIIT (p ≤ 0.05 for all). These results indicated that both HIIT and SSGs are effective training methods for fitness development among elite adult handball players. However, SSGs training may be considered as the preferred training regimen for improving handball-specific fitness variables during the in-season period.

  5. The kids got game: Computer/video games, gender and learning outcomes in science classrooms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anderson, Janice Lyn

    In recent years educators have begun to explore how to purposively design computer/video games to support student learning. This interest in video games has arisen in part because educational video games appear to have the potential to improve student motivation and interest in technology, and engage students in learning through the use of a familiar medium (Squire, 2005; Shaffer, 2006; Gee, 2005). The purpose of this dissertation research is to specifically address the issue of student learning through the use of educational computer/video games. Using the Quest Atlantis computer game, this study involved a mixed model research strategy that allowed for both broad understandings of classroom practices and specific analysis of outcomes through the themes that emerged from the case studies of the gendered groups using the game. Specifically, this study examined how fifth-grade students learning about science concepts, such as water quality and ecosystems, unfolds over time as they participate in the Quest Atlantis computer game. Data sources included classroom observations and video, pre- and post-written assessments, pre- and post- student content interviews, student field notebooks, field reports and the field notes of the researcher. To make sense of how students learning unfolded, video was analyzed using a framework of interaction analysis and small group interactions (Jordan & Henderson, 1995; Webb, 1995). These coded units were then examined with respect to student artifacts and assessments and patterns of learning trajectories analyzed. The analysis revealed that overall, student learning outcomes improved from pre- to post-assessments for all students. While there were no observable gendered differences with respect to the test scores and content interviews, there were gendered differences with respect to game play. Implications for game design, use of external scaffolds, games as tools for learning and gendered findings are discussed.

  6. Understanding Protein Synthesis: An Interactive Card Game Discussion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lewis, Alison; Peat, Mary; Franklin, Sue

    2005-01-01

    Protein synthesis is a complex process and students find it difficult to understand. This article describes an interactive discussion "game" used by first year biology students at the University of Sydney. The students, in small groups, use the game in which the processes of protein synthesis are actioned by the students during a…

  7. Orbitofrontal gray matter deficits as marker of Internet gaming disorder: converging evidence from a cross-sectional and prospective longitudinal design.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Feng; Montag, Christian; Sariyska, Rayna; Lachmann, Bernd; Reuter, Martin; Weber, Bernd; Trautner, Peter; Kendrick, Keith M; Markett, Sebastian; Becker, Benjamin

    2017-10-23

    Internet gaming disorder represents a growing health issue. Core symptoms include unsuccessful attempts to control the addictive patterns of behavior and continued use despite negative consequences indicating a loss of regulatory control. Previous studies revealed brain structural deficits in prefrontal regions subserving regulatory control in individuals with excessive Internet use. However, because of the cross-sectional nature of these studies, it remains unknown whether the observed brain structural deficits preceded the onset of excessive Internet use. Against this background, the present study combined a cross-sectional and longitudinal design to determine the consequences of excessive online video gaming. Forty-one subjects with a history of excessive Internet gaming and 78 gaming-naive subjects were enrolled in the present study. To determine effects of Internet gaming on brain structure, gaming-naive subjects were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of daily Internet gaming (training group) or a non-gaming condition (training control group). At study inclusion, excessive Internet gamers demonstrated lower right orbitofrontal gray matter volume compared with Internet gaming-naive subjects. Within the Internet gamers, a lower gray matter volume in this region was associated with higher online video gaming addiction severity. Longitudinal analysis revealed initial evidence that left orbitofrontal gray matter volume decreased during the training period in the training group as well as in the group of excessive gamers. Together, the present findings suggest an important role of the orbitofrontal cortex in the development of Internet addiction with a direct association between excessive engagement in online gaming and structural deficits in this brain region. © 2017 Society for the Study of Addiction.

  8. Emergence of Exploratory, Technical and Tactical Behavior in Small-Sided Soccer Games when Manipulating the Number of Teammates and Opponents.

    PubMed

    Torrents, Carlota; Ric, Angel; Hristovski, Robert; Torres-Ronda, Lorena; Vicente, Emili; Sampaio, Jaime

    2016-01-01

    The effects that different constraints have on the exploratory behavior, measured by the variety and quantity of different responses within a game situation, is of the utmost importance for successful performance in team sports. The aim of this study was to determine how the number of teammates and opponents affects the exploratory behavior of both professional and amateur players in small-sided soccer games. Twenty-two professional (age 25.6 ± 4.9 years) and 22 amateur (age 23.1 ± 0.7 years) male soccer players played three small-sided game formats (4 vs. 3, 4 vs. 5, and 4 vs. 7). These trials were video-recorded and a systematic observation instrument was used to notate the actions, which were subsequently analyzed by means of a principal component analysis and the dynamic overlap order parameter (measure to identify the rate and breadth of exploratory behavior on different time scales). Results revealed that a higher the number of opponents required for more frequent ball controls. Moreover, with a higher number of teammates, there were more defensive actions focused on protecting the goal, with more players balancing. In relation to attack, an increase in the number of opponents produced a decrease in passing, driving and controlling actions, while an increase in the number of teammates led to more time being spent in attacking situations. A numerical advantage led to less exploratory behavior, an effect that was especially clear when playing within a team of seven players against four opponents. All teams showed strong effects of the number of teammates on the exploratory behavior when comparing 5 vs 7 or 3 vs 7 teammates. These results seem to be independent of the players' level.

  9. Effects of Environmental Context on Physiological Response During Team Handball Small Sided Games

    PubMed Central

    BĚLKA, JAN; HULKA, KAREL; MACHOVÁ, IVA; ŠAFÁŘ, MICHAL; WEISSER, RADIM; BELLAR, DAVID M.; HOOVER, DONALD L; JUDGE, LAWRENCE W.

    2017-01-01

    This study examined the distance covered and physiological effects of altering the number of players during small-sided games (SSG) in team handball. Twelve professional female handball players [24.6±3.7 years, 172±6.2 cm, 68.2 ± 9.9kg, 22.7 ± 2 kg/m2] participated in this study. The SSG were played, first with five on each side (SSG 5), then four (SSG 4), then three (SSG 3). Each game was four minutes long, followed by three minutes of rest. The distance covered and time spent in four speed zones (based on player movement speed) were selected for analysis: Zone 1 (0–1.4 m/s), Zone 2 (1.5–3.4 m/s), Zone 3 (3.5–5.2 m/s), and Zone 4 (>5.2 m/s). Statistically significant differences were found in Zone 2, between conditions SSG 3 and SSG 4 (p=.049,ω2= .32). The highest average heart rate (HR) occurred during SSG 3. Average HR between SSG 3 (89.7 % HRmax) and SSG 5 (87.8 % HRmax) (p= .04, ω2= .26) were also significantly different. Participant HR response between the speed zones was not statistically significant. HR response was negatively correlated with the number of players within the SSG condition. Statistically significant results were found for RPE between SSG 3 and the other two SSG conditions (SSG 4, p = .01, and SSG 5, p = .00). These results indicate that changing the number of SSG players can be used to manipulate the physiological response during handball training. PMID:29399252

  10. Negative correlates of computer game play in adolescents.

    PubMed

    Colwell, J; Payne, J

    2000-08-01

    There is some concern that playing computer games may be associated with social isolation, lowered self-esteem, and aggression among adolescents. Measures of these variables were included in a questionnaire completed by 204 year eight students at a North London comprehensive school. Principal components analysis of a scale to assess needs fulfilled by game play provided some support for the notion of 'electronic friendship' among boys, but there was no evidence that game play leads to social isolation. Play was not linked to self-esteem in girls, but a negative relationship was obtained between self-esteem and frequency of play in boys. However, self-esteem was not associated with total exposure to game play. Aggression scores were not related to the number of games with aggressive content named among three favourite games, but they were positively correlated with total exposure to game play. A multiple regression analysis revealed that sex and total game play exposure each accounted for a significant but small amount of the variance in aggression scores. The positive correlation between playing computer games and aggression provides some justification for further investigation of the causal hypothesis, and possible methodologies are discussed.

  11. [Improving prevention activities of infectious diseases during preparation and holding of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi].

    PubMed

    Onishchenko, G G; Bragina, I V; Ezhlova, E B; Demina, Iu V; Grechanaia, T V; Nikolaevich, P N; Balaeva, M I; Tesheva, S Ch; Biriukov, V A; Kulichenko, A N; Vasilenko, N F; Maletskaia, O V; Manin, E A; Orobeĭ, V G

    2015-01-01

    The article presents data on the implementation of a set of preventive activities to ensure sanitation and epidemiological welfare during the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi. The importance of monitoring and evaluation of epidemiological risk, as the basis of formation of preventive measures is noticed. The questions of specific, and nonspecific prevention of infectious diseases, especially the work done during the pre-Olympic period are considered. The importance of specifically developed regulatory basis, and health education are emphasized. The conclusion about the effectiveness of the measures taken, which led to a significant reduction of infectious diseases in the region is made.

  12. School Students and Computer Games with Screen Violence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fedorov, A. V.

    2005-01-01

    In this article, the author states how these days, school students from low-income strata of the population in Russia spend hours sitting in computer rooms and Internet clubs, where, for a relatively small fee, they can play interactive video games. And to determine what games they prefer the author conducted a content analysis of eighty-seven…

  13. Evolutionary game analysis and regulatory strategies for online group-buying based on system dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Zhong-Zhong; He, Na; Qin, Xuwei; Ip, W. H.; Wu, C. H.; Yung, K. L.

    2018-07-01

    The emergence of online group-buying provides a new consumption pattern for consumers in e-commerce era. However, many consumers realize that their own interests sometimes can't be guaranteed in the group-buying market due to the lack of being regulated. This paper aims to develop effective regulation strategies for online group-buying market. To the best of our knowledge, most existing studies assume that three parties in online group-buying market, i.e. the retailer, the group-buying platform and the consumer, are perfectly rational. To better understand the decision process, in this paper, we incorporate the concept of bounded rationality into consideration. Firstly, a three-parties evolutionary game model is established to study each player's game strategy based on bounded rationality. Secondly, the game model is simulated as a whole by adopting system dynamics to analyze its stability. Finally, theoretical analysis and extensive computational experiments are conducted to obtain the managerial insights and regulation strategies for online group-buying market. Our results clearly demonstrate that a suitable bonus-penalty measure can promote the healthy development of online group-buying market.

  14. Heritability of decisions and outcomes of public goods games

    PubMed Central

    Hiraishi, Kai; Shikishima, Chizuru; Yamagata, Shinji; Ando, Juko

    2015-01-01

    Prosociality is one of the most distinctive features of human beings but there are individual differences in cooperative behavior. Employing the twin method, we examined the heritability of cooperativeness and its outcomes on public goods games using a strategy method. In two experiments (Study 1 and Study 2), twin participants were asked to indicate (1) how much they would contribute to a group when they did not know how much the other group members were contributing, and (2) how much they would contribute if they knew the contributions of others. Overall, the heritability estimates were relatively small for each type of decision, but heritability was greater when participants knew that the others had made larger contributions. Using registered decisions in Study 2, we conducted seven Monte Carlo simulations to examine genetic and environmental influences on the expected game payoffs. For the simulated one-shot game, the heritability estimates were small, comparable to those of game decisions. For the simulated iterated games, we found that the genetic influences first decreased, then increased as the numbers of iterations grew. The implication for the evolution of individual differences in prosociality is discussed. PMID:25954213

  15. A Benefit-Risk Analysis Approach to Capture Regulatory Decision-Making: Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

    PubMed

    Raju, G K; Gurumurthi, K; Domike, R; Kazandjian, D; Blumenthal, G; Pazdur, R; Woodcock, J

    2016-12-01

    Drug regulators around the world make decisions about drug approvability based on qualitative benefit-risk analyses. There is much interest in quantifying regulatory approaches to benefit and risk. In this work the use of a quantitative benefit-risk analysis was applied to regulatory decision-making about new drugs to treat advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Benefits and risks associated with 20 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decisions associated with a set of candidate treatments submitted between 2003 and 2015 were analyzed. For benefit analysis, the median overall survival (OS) was used where available. When not available, OS was estimated based on overall response rate (ORR) or progression-free survival (PFS). Risks were analyzed based on magnitude (or severity) of harm and likelihood of occurrence. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was explored to demonstrate analysis of systematic uncertainty. FDA approval decision outcomes considered were found to be consistent with the benefit-risk logic. © 2016 American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

  16. The Uses of Teaching Games in Game Theory Classes and Some Experimental Games.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shubik, Martin

    2002-01-01

    Discusses the use of lightly controlled games, primarily in classes in game theory. Considers the value of such games from the viewpoint of both teaching and experimentation and discusses context; control; pros and cons of games in teaching; experimental games; and games in class, including cooperative game theory. (Author/LRW)

  17. Leading the Game, Losing the Competition: Identifying Leaders and Followers in a Repeated Game

    PubMed Central

    Seip, Knut Lehre; Grøn, Øyvind

    2016-01-01

    We explore a new method for identifying leaders and followers, LF, in repeated games by analyzing an experimental, repeated (50 rounds) game where Row player shifts the payoff between small and large values–a type of “investor” and Column player determines who gets the payoff–a type of “manager”. We found that i) the Investor (Row) most often is a leading player and the manager (Column) a follower. The longer the Investor leads the game, the higher is both player’s payoff. Surprisingly however, it is always the Manager that achieves the largest payoff. ii) The game has an efficient cooperative strategy where the players alternate in receiving a high payoff, but the players never identify, or accept, that strategy. iii) Under the assumption that the information used by the players is closely associated with the leader- follower sequence, and that information is available before the player’s decisions are made, the players switched LF- strategy primarily as a function of information on the Investor’s investment and moves and secondly as a function of the Manager’s payoff. PMID:26968032

  18. Examining Spillovers between Long and Short Repeated Prisoner's Dilemma Games Played in the Laboratory.

    PubMed

    Arechar, Antonio A; Kouchaki, Maryam; Rand, David G

    2018-03-01

    We had participants play two sets of repeated Prisoner's Dilemma (RPD) games, one with a large continuation probability and the other with a small continuation probability, as well as Dictator Games (DGs) before and after the RPDs. We find that, regardless of which is RPD set is played first, participants typically cooperate when the continuation probability is large and defect when the continuation probability is small. However, there is an asymmetry in behavior when transitioning from one continuation probability to the other. When switching from large to small, transient higher levels of cooperation are observed in the early games of the small continuation set. Conversely, when switching from small to large, cooperation is immediately high in the first game of the large continuation set. We also observe that response times increase when transitioning between sets of RPDs, except for altruistic participants transitioning into the set of RPDs with long continuation probabilities. These asymmetries suggest a bias in favor of cooperation. Finally, we examine the link between altruism and RPD play. We find that small continuation probability RPD play is correlated with giving in DGs played before and after the RPDs, whereas high continuation probability RPD play is not.

  19. Influence of prior knowledge of exercise duration on pacing strategies during game-based activities.

    PubMed

    Gabbett, Tim J; Walker, Ben; Walker, Shane

    2015-04-01

    To investigate the influence of prior knowledge of exercise duration on the pacing strategies employed during game-based activities. Twelve semiprofessional team-sport athletes (mean ± SD age 22.8 ± 2.1 y) participated in this study. Players performed 3 small-sided games in random order. In one condition (Control), players were informed that they would play the small-sided game for 12 min and then completed the 12-min game. In a 2nd condition (Deception), players were told that they would play the small-sided game for 6 minutes, but after completing the 6-min game, they were asked to complete another 6 min. In a 3rd condition (Unknown), players were not told how long they would be required to play the small-sided game, but the activity was terminated after 12 min. Movement was recorded using a GPS unit sampling at 10 Hz. Post hoc inspection of video footage was undertaken to count the number of possessions and the number and quality of disposals. Higher initial intensities were observed in the Deception (130.6 ± 3.3 m/min) and Unknown (129.3 ± 2.4 m/min) conditions than the Control condition (123.3 ± 3.4 m/min). Greater amounts of high-speed running occurred during the initial phases of the Deception condition, and more low-speed activity occurred during the Unknown condition. A moderately greater number of total skill involvements occurred in the Unknown condition than the Control condition. These findings suggest that during game-based activities, players alter their pacing strategy based on the anticipated endpoint of the exercise bout.

  20. Communication Games: Participant's Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krupar, Karen R.

    Using a series of communicational games, the author leads the participant through self-awareness, verbal and nonverbal communication, decision-making, problem-solving, and skills in perception, listening, and small group, organizational, and cultural communications. The thesis behind the book is that model-making, role-playing, or other forms of…

  1. Impossible Neanderthals? Making string, throwing projectiles and catching small game during Marine Isotope Stage 4 (Abri du Maras, France)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hardy, Bruce L.; Moncel, Marie-Hélène; Daujeard, Camille; Fernandes, Paul; Béarez, Philippe; Desclaux, Emmanuel; Chacon Navarro, Maria Gema; Puaud, Simon; Gallotti, Rosalia

    2013-12-01

    Neanderthal behavior is often described in one of two contradictory ways: 1) Neanderthals were behaviorally inflexible and specialized in large game hunting or 2) Neanderthals exhibited a wide range of behaviors and exploited a wide range of resources including plants and small, fast game. Using stone tool residue analysis with supporting information from zooarchaeology, we provide evidence that at the Abri du Maras, Ardèche, France, Neanderthals were behaviorally flexible at the beginning of MIS 4. Here, Neanderthals exploited a wide range of resources including large mammals, fish, ducks, raptors, rabbits, mushrooms, plants, and wood. Twisted fibers on stone tools provide evidence of making string or cordage. Using a variety of lines of evidence, we show the presence of stone projectile tips, possibly used in complex projectile technology. This evidence shows a level of behavioral variability that is often denied to Neanderthals. Furthermore, it sheds light on perishable materials and resources that are not often recovered which should be considered more fully in reconstructions of Neanderthal behavior.

  2. Conway's Game of Life: Early Personal Recollections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wainwright, Robert

    When the October 1970 issue of Scientific American arrived, I had no idea the extent to which Martin Gardner's article in that issue would affect my life. As long as I can remember, my custom would be to seek out the Mathematical Games column in search for Gardner's latest topic with the usual reader challenges. My first reaction to that particular article introducing a new pastime titled "The fantastic combinations of John Conway's new solitaire game 'life''' was only mildly interesting. A couple of days later, still curious about the outcome of random patterns, I located an old checkerboard and a small jarful of pennies to investigate this new game.

  3. Video game addiction in emerging adulthood: Cross-sectional evidence of pathology in video game addicts as compared to matched healthy controls.

    PubMed

    Stockdale, Laura; Coyne, Sarah M

    2018-01-01

    The Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (IGDS) is a widely used measure of video game addiction, a pathology affecting a small percentage of all people who play video games. Emerging adult males are significantly more likely to be video game addicts. Few researchers have examined how people who qualify as video game addicts based on the IGDS compared to matched controls based on age, gender, race, and marital status. The current study compared IGDS video game addicts to matched non-addicts in terms of their mental, physical, social-emotional health using self-report, survey methods. Addicts had poorer mental health and cognitive functioning including poorer impulse control and ADHD symptoms compared to controls. Additionally, addicts displayed increased emotional difficulties including increased depression and anxiety, felt more socially isolated, and were more likely to display internet pornography pathological use symptoms. Female video game addicts were at unique risk for negative outcomes. The sample for this study was undergraduate college students and self-report measures were used. Participants who met the IGDS criteria for video game addiction displayed poorer emotional, physical, mental, and social health, adding to the growing evidence that video game addictions are a valid phenomenon. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Healthy Gaming - Video Game Design to promote Health.

    PubMed

    Brox, E; Fernandez-Luque, L; Tøllefsen, T

    2011-01-01

    There is an increasing interest in health games including simulation tools, games for specific conditions, persuasive games to promote a healthy life style or exergames where physical exercise is used to control the game. The objective of the article is to review current literature about available health games and the impact related to game design principles as well as some educational theory aspects. Literature from the big databases and known sites with games for health has been searched to find articles about games for health purposes. The focus has been on educational games, persuasive games and exergames as well as articles describing game design principles. The medical objectives can either be a part of the game theme (intrinsic) or be totally dispatched (extrinsic), and particularly persuasive games seem to use extrinsic game design. Peer support is important, but there is only limited research on multiplayer health games. Evaluation of health games can be both medical and technical, and the focus will depend on the game purpose. There is still not enough evidence to conclude which design principles work for what purposes since most of the literature in health serious games does not specify design methodologies, but it seems that extrinsic methods work in persuasion. However, when designing health care games it is important to define both the target group and main objective, and then design a game accordingly using sound game design principles, but also utilizing design elements to enhance learning and persuasion. A collaboration with health professionals from an early design stage is necessary both to ensure that the content is valid and to have the game validated from a clinical viewpoint. Patients need to be involved, especially to improve usability. More research should be done on social aspects in health games, both related to learning and persuasion.

  5. The Pattern of Electronic Game Use and Related Bodily Discomfort in Hong Kong Primary School Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lui, Donald P. Y.; Szeto, Grace P. Y.; Jones, Alice Y. M.

    2011-01-01

    The present study examined the usage pattern of electronic game devices among primary school children in Hong Kong. Commonly used types of games devices were grouped into three main categories: large-screen/TV-based games, small handheld game devices and active game devices. A survey was conducted among 476 students in a local primary school, with…

  6. Addictive Online Games: Examining the Relationship Between Game Genres and Internet Gaming Disorder.

    PubMed

    Lemmens, Jeroen S; Hendriks, Stefan J F

    2016-04-01

    Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is the most recent term used to describe problematic or pathological involvement with computer or video games. This study examined whether this disorder is more likely to involve pathological involvement with online (i.e., Internet) games as opposed to offline games. We also explored the addictive potential of nine video game genres by examining the relationship between IGD and 2,720 games played by a sample of 13- to 40-year olds (N = 2,442). Although time spent playing both online and offline games was related to IGD, online games showed much stronger correlations. This tendency is also reflected within various genres. Disordered gamers spent more than four times as much time playing online role-playing games than nondisordered gamers and more than thrice as much time playing online shooters, whereas no significant differences for offline games from these genres were found. Results are discussed within the frame of social interaction and competition provided by online games.

  7. The benefits of playing video games.

    PubMed

    Granic, Isabela; Lobel, Adam; Engels, Rutger C M E

    2014-01-01

    Video games are a ubiquitous part of almost all children's and adolescents' lives, with 97% playing for at least one hour per day in the United States. The vast majority of research by psychologists on the effects of "gaming" has been on its negative impact: the potential harm related to violence, addiction, and depression. We recognize the value of that research; however, we argue that a more balanced perspective is needed, one that considers not only the possible negative effects but also the benefits of playing these games. Considering these potential benefits is important, in part, because the nature of these games has changed dramatically in the last decade, becoming increasingly complex, diverse, realistic, and social in nature. A small but significant body of research has begun to emerge, mostly in the last five years, documenting these benefits. In this article, we summarize the research on the positive effects of playing video games, focusing on four main domains: cognitive, motivational, emotional, and social. By integrating insights from developmental, positive, and social psychology, as well as media psychology, we propose some candidate mechanisms by which playing video games may foster real-world psychosocial benefits. Our aim is to provide strong enough evidence and a theoretical rationale to inspire new programs of research on the largely unexplored mental health benefits of gaming. Finally, we end with a call to intervention researchers and practitioners to test the positive uses of video games, and we suggest several promising directions for doing so. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

  8. The (co-)occurrence of problematic video gaming, substance use, and psychosocial problems in adolescents.

    PubMed

    VAN Rooij, Antonius J; Kuss, Daria J; Griffiths, Mark D; Shorter, Gillian W; Schoenmakers, M Tim; VAN DE Mheen, Dike

    2014-09-01

    The current study explored the nature of problematic (addictive) video gaming (PVG) and the association with game type, psychosocial health, and substance use. Data were collected using a paper and pencil survey in the classroom setting. Three samples were aggregated to achieve a total sample of 8478 unique adolescents. Scales included measures of game use, game type, the Video game Addiction Test (VAT), depressive mood, negative self-esteem, loneliness, social anxiety, education performance, and use of cannabis, alcohol and nicotine (smoking). Findings confirmed problematic gaming is most common amongst adolescent gamers who play multiplayer online games. Boys (60%) were more likely to play online games than girls (14%) and problematic gamers were more likely to be boys (5%) than girls (1%). High problematic gamers showed higher scores on depressive mood, loneliness, social anxiety, negative self-esteem, and self-reported lower school performance. Nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis using boys were almost twice more likely to report high PVG than non-users. It appears that online gaming in general is not necessarily associated with problems. However, problematic gamers do seem to play online games more often, and a small subgroup of gamers - specifically boys - showed lower psychosocial functioning and lower grades. Moreover, associations with alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use are found. It would appear that problematic gaming is an undesirable problem for a small subgroup of gamers. The findings encourage further exploration of the role of psychoactive substance use in problematic gaming.

  9. GRIL-Seq, a method for identifying direct targets of bacterial small regulatory RNA by in vivo proximity ligation

    PubMed Central

    Han, Kook; Tjaden, Brian; Lory, Stephen

    2017-01-01

    The first step in the post-transcriptional regulatory function of most bacterial small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) is base-pairing with partially complementary sequences of targeted transcripts. We present a simple method for identifying sRNA targets in vivo and defining processing sites of the regulated transcripts. The technique (referred to as GRIL-Seq) is based on preferential ligation of sRNAs to ends of base-paired targets in bacteria co-expressing T4 RNA ligase, followed by sequencing to identify the chimeras. In addition to the RNA chaperone Hfq, the GRIL-Seq method depends on the activity of the pyrophosphorylase RppH. Using PrrF1, an iron-regulated sRNA in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we demonstrate that direct regulatory targets of this sRNA can be readily identified. Therefore, GRIL-Seq represents a powerful tool not only for identifying direct targets of sRNAs in a variety of environments, but can also result in uncovering novel roles for sRNAs and their targets in complex regulatory networks. PMID:28005055

  10. Repeated sprints, high-intensity interval training, small-sided games: theory and application to field sports.

    PubMed

    Hoffmann, James J; Reed, Jacob P; Leiting, Keith; Chiang, Chieh-Ying; Stone, Michael H

    2014-03-01

    Due to the broad spectrum of physical characteristics necessary for success in field sports, numerous training modalities have been used develop physical preparedness. Sports like rugby, basketball, lacrosse, and others require athletes to be not only strong and powerful but also aerobically fit and able to recover from high-intensity intermittent exercise. This provides coaches and sport scientists with a complex range of variables to consider when developing training programs. This can often lead to confusion and the misuse of training modalities, particularly in the development of aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. This review outlines the benefits and general adaptations to 3 commonly used and effective conditioning methods: high-intensity interval training, repeated-sprint training, and small-sided games. The goals and outcomes of these training methods are discussed, and practical implementations strategies for coaches and sport scientists are provided.

  11. Gaming Device Usage Patterns Predict Internet Gaming Disorder: Comparison across Different Gaming Device Usage Patterns.

    PubMed

    Paik, Soo-Hyun; Cho, Hyun; Chun, Ji-Won; Jeong, Jo-Eun; Kim, Dai-Jin

    2017-12-05

    Gaming behaviors have been significantly influenced by smartphones. This study was designed to explore gaming behaviors and clinical characteristics across different gaming device usage patterns and the role of the patterns on Internet gaming disorder (IGD). Responders of an online survey regarding smartphone and online game usage were classified by different gaming device usage patterns: (1) individuals who played only computer games; (2) individuals who played computer games more than smartphone games; (3) individuals who played computer and smartphone games evenly; (4) individuals who played smartphone games more than computer games; (5) individuals who played only smartphone games. Data on demographics, gaming-related behaviors, and scales for Internet and smartphone addiction, depression, anxiety disorder, and substance use were collected. Combined users, especially those who played computer and smartphone games evenly, had higher prevalence of IGD, depression, anxiety disorder, and substance use disorder. These subjects were more prone to develop IGD than reference group (computer only gamers) (B = 0.457, odds ratio = 1.579). Smartphone only gamers had the lowest prevalence of IGD, spent the least time and money on gaming, and showed lowest scores of Internet and smartphone addiction. Our findings suggest that gaming device usage patterns may be associated with the occurrence, course, and prognosis of IGD.

  12. Gaming Device Usage Patterns Predict Internet Gaming Disorder: Comparison across Different Gaming Device Usage Patterns

    PubMed Central

    Cho, Hyun; Chun, Ji-Won; Jeong, Jo-Eun; Kim, Dai-Jin

    2017-01-01

    Gaming behaviors have been significantly influenced by smartphones. This study was designed to explore gaming behaviors and clinical characteristics across different gaming device usage patterns and the role of the patterns on Internet gaming disorder (IGD). Responders of an online survey regarding smartphone and online game usage were classified by different gaming device usage patterns: (1) individuals who played only computer games; (2) individuals who played computer games more than smartphone games; (3) individuals who played computer and smartphone games evenly; (4) individuals who played smartphone games more than computer games; (5) individuals who played only smartphone games. Data on demographics, gaming-related behaviors, and scales for Internet and smartphone addiction, depression, anxiety disorder, and substance use were collected. Combined users, especially those who played computer and smartphone games evenly, had higher prevalence of IGD, depression, anxiety disorder, and substance use disorder. These subjects were more prone to develop IGD than reference group (computer only gamers) (B = 0.457, odds ratio = 1.579). Smartphone only gamers had the lowest prevalence of IGD, spent the least time and money on gaming, and showed lowest scores of Internet and smartphone addiction. Our findings suggest that gaming device usage patterns may be associated with the occurrence, course, and prognosis of IGD. PMID:29206183

  13. A Board Game for Sensitizing Dental Students to Children with Special Needs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Udin, Richard D.; Kuster, Curtis G.

    1985-01-01

    A study to determine the usefulness of a board game in training and sensitizing senior dental students toward handicapped children showed that neither the board game nor a standard small-group lecture affected student attitudes or confidence. (MSE)

  14. 75 FR 17793 - Public Federal Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Hearing; Region III Regulatory Fairness Board

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-07

    ... Regulatory Fairness Board Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2, notice is hereby given that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Region III Regulatory Fairness Board and... and Development Authority, Virginia Housing Center, 4224 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060-3318. The...

  15. The Effectiveness of the Smart Board-Based Small-Group Graduated Guidance Instruction on Digital Gaming and Observational Learning Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cattik, Melih; Odluyurt, Serhat

    2017-01-01

    The objective of this study was to teach digital gaming skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using a SMART board with a graduated guidance teaching method in a small-group instructional format, to determine the participants' levels of learning by observation, and to determine the views of their families on the conducted…

  16. Distinguishing between gaming and gambling activities in addiction research.

    PubMed

    King, Daniel L; Gainsbury, Sally M; Delfabbro, Paul H; Hing, Nerilee; Abarbanel, Brett

    2015-12-01

    Gambling and gaming activities have become increasingly recognised as sharing many common features at a structural and aesthetic level. Both have also been implicated as contributing to harm through excessive involvement. Despite this, relatively little attention has been given to the fundamental characteristics that differentiate these two classes of activity, especially in situations where the boundaries between them may be particularly hard to distinguish. This is evident, for example, in digital games that incorporate free and paid virtual currencies or items, as well as the capacity for wagering. Such overlaps create problems for regulatory classifications, screening, diagnosis and treatment. Is the problem related to the gambling or gaming content? In this paper, we review the principal sources of overlap between the activity classes in terms of several dimensions: interactivity, monetisation, betting and wagering, types of outcomes, structural fidelity, context and centrality of content, and advertising. We argue that gaming is principally defined by its interactivity, skill-based play, and contextual indicators of progression and success. In contrast, gambling is defined by betting and wagering mechanics, predominantly chance-determined outcomes, and monetisation features that involve risk and payout to the player. A checklist measure is provided, with practical examples, to examine activities according to features of design and function, which may inform guidelines for policy makers, researchers and treatment providers. We suggest that, in some instances, using category-based nomenclature (e.g., "gambling-like game") may be too vague or cumbersome to adequately organise our understanding of new gaming/gambling hybrid activities.

  17. A large scale test of the gaming-enhancement hypothesis.

    PubMed

    Przybylski, Andrew K; Wang, John C

    2016-01-01

    A growing research literature suggests that regular electronic game play and game-based training programs may confer practically significant benefits to cognitive functioning. Most evidence supporting this idea, the gaming-enhancement hypothesis , has been collected in small-scale studies of university students and older adults. This research investigated the hypothesis in a general way with a large sample of 1,847 school-aged children. Our aim was to examine the relations between young people's gaming experiences and an objective test of reasoning performance. Using a Bayesian hypothesis testing approach, evidence for the gaming-enhancement and null hypotheses were compared. Results provided no substantive evidence supporting the idea that having preference for or regularly playing commercially available games was positively associated with reasoning ability. Evidence ranged from equivocal to very strong in support for the null hypothesis over what was predicted. The discussion focuses on the value of Bayesian hypothesis testing for investigating electronic gaming effects, the importance of open science practices, and pre-registered designs to improve the quality of future work.

  18. A large scale test of the gaming-enhancement hypothesis

    PubMed Central

    Wang, John C.

    2016-01-01

    A growing research literature suggests that regular electronic game play and game-based training programs may confer practically significant benefits to cognitive functioning. Most evidence supporting this idea, the gaming-enhancement hypothesis, has been collected in small-scale studies of university students and older adults. This research investigated the hypothesis in a general way with a large sample of 1,847 school-aged children. Our aim was to examine the relations between young people’s gaming experiences and an objective test of reasoning performance. Using a Bayesian hypothesis testing approach, evidence for the gaming-enhancement and null hypotheses were compared. Results provided no substantive evidence supporting the idea that having preference for or regularly playing commercially available games was positively associated with reasoning ability. Evidence ranged from equivocal to very strong in support for the null hypothesis over what was predicted. The discussion focuses on the value of Bayesian hypothesis testing for investigating electronic gaming effects, the importance of open science practices, and pre-registered designs to improve the quality of future work. PMID:27896035

  19. Digital Games for Young Children Ages Three to Six: From Research to Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lieberman, Debra A.; Fisk, Maria Chesley; Biely, Erica

    2009-01-01

    Young children ages 3 to 6 play a wide range of digital games, which are now available on large screens, handheld screens, electronic learning systems, and electronic toys, and their time spent with games is growing. This article examines effects of digital games and how they could be designed to best serve children's needs. A small body of…

  20. Evolutionary mixed games in structured populations: Cooperation and the benefits of heterogeneity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Amaral, Marco A.; Wardil, Lucas; Perc, Matjaž; da Silva, Jafferson K. L.

    2016-04-01

    Evolutionary games on networks traditionally involve the same game at each interaction. Here we depart from this assumption by considering mixed games, where the game played at each interaction is drawn uniformly at random from a set of two different games. While in well-mixed populations the random mixture of the two games is always equivalent to the average single game, in structured populations this is not always the case. We show that the outcome is, in fact, strongly dependent on the distance of separation of the two games in the parameter space. Effectively, this distance introduces payoff heterogeneity, and the average game is returned only if the heterogeneity is small. For higher levels of heterogeneity the distance to the average game grows, which often involves the promotion of cooperation. The presented results support preceding research that highlights the favorable role of heterogeneity regardless of its origin, and they also emphasize the importance of the population structure in amplifying facilitators of cooperation.

  1. Evolutionary mixed games in structured populations: Cooperation and the benefits of heterogeneity.

    PubMed

    Amaral, Marco A; Wardil, Lucas; Perc, Matjaž; da Silva, Jafferson K L

    2016-04-01

    Evolutionary games on networks traditionally involve the same game at each interaction. Here we depart from this assumption by considering mixed games, where the game played at each interaction is drawn uniformly at random from a set of two different games. While in well-mixed populations the random mixture of the two games is always equivalent to the average single game, in structured populations this is not always the case. We show that the outcome is, in fact, strongly dependent on the distance of separation of the two games in the parameter space. Effectively, this distance introduces payoff heterogeneity, and the average game is returned only if the heterogeneity is small. For higher levels of heterogeneity the distance to the average game grows, which often involves the promotion of cooperation. The presented results support preceding research that highlights the favorable role of heterogeneity regardless of its origin, and they also emphasize the importance of the population structure in amplifying facilitators of cooperation.

  2. Healthy Gaming – Video Game Design to promote Health

    PubMed Central

    Brox, E.; Fernandez-Luque, L.; Tøllefsen, T.

    2011-01-01

    Background There is an increasing interest in health games including simulation tools, games for specific conditions, persuasive games to promote a healthy life style or exergames where physical exercise is used to control the game. Objective The objective of the article is to review current literature about available health games and the impact related to game design principles as well as some educational theory aspects. Methods Literature from the big databases and known sites with games for health has been searched to find articles about games for health purposes. The focus has been on educational games, persuasive games and exergames as well as articles describing game design principles. Results The medical objectives can either be a part of the game theme (intrinsic) or be totally dispatched (extrinsic), and particularly persuasive games seem to use extrinsic game design. Peer support is important, but there is only limited research on multiplayer health games. Evaluation of health games can be both medical and technical, and the focus will depend on the game purpose. Conclusion There is still not enough evidence to conclude which design principles work for what purposes since most of the literature in health serious games does not specify design methodologies, but it seems that extrinsic methods work in persuasion. However, when designing health care games it is important to define both the target group and main objective, and then design a game accordingly using sound game design principles, but also utilizing design elements to enhance learning and persuasion. A collaboration with health professionals from an early design stage is necessary both to ensure that the content is valid and to have the game validated from a clinical viewpoint. Patients need to be involved, especially to improve usability. More research should be done on social aspects in health games, both related to learning and persuasion. PMID:23616865

  3. Serious Games: Video Games for Good?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanford, Kathy; Starr, Lisa J.; Merkel, Liz; Bonsor Kurki, Sarah

    2015-01-01

    As video games become a ubiquitous part of today's culture internationally, as educators and parents we need to turn our attention to how video games are being understood and used in informal and formal settings. Serious games have developed as a genre of video games marketed for educating youth about a range of world issues. At face value this…

  4. Small regulatory RNA-induced growth rate heterogeneity of Bacillus subtilis.

    PubMed

    Mars, Ruben A T; Nicolas, Pierre; Ciccolini, Mariano; Reilman, Ewoud; Reder, Alexander; Schaffer, Marc; Mäder, Ulrike; Völker, Uwe; van Dijl, Jan Maarten; Denham, Emma L

    2015-03-01

    Isogenic bacterial populations can consist of cells displaying heterogeneous physiological traits. Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) could affect this heterogeneity since they act by fine-tuning mRNA or protein levels to coordinate the appropriate cellular behavior. Here we show that the sRNA RnaC/S1022 from the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis can suppress exponential growth by modulation of the transcriptional regulator AbrB. Specifically, the post-transcriptional abrB-RnaC/S1022 interaction allows B. subtilis to increase the cell-to-cell variation in AbrB protein levels, despite strong negative autoregulation of the abrB promoter. This behavior is consistent with existing mathematical models of sRNA action, thus suggesting that induction of protein expression noise could be a new general aspect of sRNA regulation. Importantly, we show that the sRNA-induced diversity in AbrB levels generates heterogeneity in growth rates during the exponential growth phase. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that the resulting subpopulations of fast- and slow-growing B. subtilis cells reflect a bet-hedging strategy for enhanced survival of unfavorable conditions.

  5. The (co-)occurrence of problematic video gaming, substance use, and psychosocial problems in adolescents

    PubMed Central

    VAN ROOIJ, ANTONIUS J.; KUSS, DARIA J.; GRIFFITHS, MARK D.; SHORTER, GILLIAN W.; SCHOENMAKERS, M. TIM; VAN DE MHEEN, DIKE

    2014-01-01

    Abstract Aims: The current study explored the nature of problematic (addictive) video gaming (PVG) and the association with game type, psychosocial health, and substance use. Methods: Data were collected using a paper and pencil survey in the classroom setting. Three samples were aggregated to achieve a total sample of 8478 unique adolescents. Scales included measures of game use, game type, the Video game Addiction Test (VAT), depressive mood, negative self-esteem, loneliness, social anxiety, education performance, and use of cannabis, alcohol and nicotine (smoking). Results: Findings confirmed problematic gaming is most common amongst adolescent gamers who play multiplayer online games. Boys (60%) were more likely to play online games than girls (14%) and problematic gamers were more likely to be boys (5%) than girls (1%). High problematic gamers showed higher scores on depressive mood, loneliness, social anxiety, negative self-esteem, and self-reported lower school performance. Nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis using boys were almost twice more likely to report high PVG than non-users. Conclusions: It appears that online gaming in general is not necessarily associated with problems. However, problematic gamers do seem to play online games more often, and a small subgroup of gamers – specifically boys – showed lower psychosocial functioning and lower grades. Moreover, associations with alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use are found. It would appear that problematic gaming is an undesirable problem for a small subgroup of gamers. The findings encourage further exploration of the role of psychoactive substance use in problematic gaming. PMID:25317339

  6. Examining Spillovers between Long and Short Repeated Prisoner’s Dilemma Games Played in the Laboratory

    PubMed Central

    Arechar, Antonio A.; Kouchaki, Maryam; Rand, David G.

    2018-01-01

    We had participants play two sets of repeated Prisoner’s Dilemma (RPD) games, one with a large continuation probability and the other with a small continuation probability, as well as Dictator Games (DGs) before and after the RPDs. We find that, regardless of which is RPD set is played first, participants typically cooperate when the continuation probability is large and defect when the continuation probability is small. However, there is an asymmetry in behavior when transitioning from one continuation probability to the other. When switching from large to small, transient higher levels of cooperation are observed in the early games of the small continuation set. Conversely, when switching from small to large, cooperation is immediately high in the first game of the large continuation set. We also observe that response times increase when transitioning between sets of RPDs, except for altruistic participants transitioning into the set of RPDs with long continuation probabilities. These asymmetries suggest a bias in favor of cooperation. Finally, we examine the link between altruism and RPD play. We find that small continuation probability RPD play is correlated with giving in DGs played before and after the RPDs, whereas high continuation probability RPD play is not. PMID:29809199

  7. Player guild dynamics and evolution in massively multiplayer online games.

    PubMed

    Chen, Chien-Hsun; Sun, Chuen-Tsai; Hsieh, Jilung

    2008-06-01

    In the latest versions of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), developers have purposefully made guilds part of game environments. Guilds represent a powerful method for giving players a sense of online community, but there is little quantitative data on guild dynamics. To address this topic, we took advantage of a feature found in one of today's most popular MMOGs (World of Warcraft) to collect in-game data: user interfaces that players can modify and refine. In addition to collecting data on in-game player activities, we used this feature to observe and investigate how players join and leave guilds. Data were analyzed for the purpose of identifying factors that propel game-world guild dynamics and evolution. After collecting data for 641,805 avatars on 62 Taiwanese World of Warcraft game servers between February 10 and April 10, 2006, we created five guild type categories (small, large, elite, newbie, and unstable) that have different meanings in terms of in-game group dynamics. By viewing players as the most important resource affecting guild life cycles, it is possible to analyze game worlds as ecosystems consisting of evolving guilds and to study how guild life cycles reflect game world characteristics.

  8. Electronic gaming and psychosocial adjustment.

    PubMed

    Przybylski, Andrew K

    2014-09-01

    The rise of electronic games has driven both concerns and hopes regarding their potential to influence young people. Existing research identifies a series of isolated positive and negative effects, yet no research to date has examined the balance of these potential effects in a representative sample of children and adolescents. The objective of this study was to explore how time spent playing electronic games accounts for significant variation in positive and negative psychosocial adjustment using a representative cohort of children aged 10 to 15 years. A large sample of children and adolescents aged 10 to 15 years completed assessments of psychosocial adjustment and reported typical daily hours spent playing electronic games. Relations between different levels of engagement and indicators of positive and negative psychosocial adjustment were examined, controlling for participant age and gender and weighted for population representativeness. Low levels (<1 hour daily) as well as high levels (>3 hours daily) of game engagement was linked to key indicators of psychosocial adjustment. Low engagement was associated with higher life satisfaction and prosocial behavior and lower externalizing and internalizing problems, whereas the opposite was found for high levels of play. No effects were observed for moderate play levels when compared with non-players. The links between different levels of electronic game engagement and psychosocial adjustment were small (<1.6% of variance) yet statistically significant. Games consistently but not robustly associated with children's adjustment in both positive and negative ways, findings that inform policy-making as well as future avenues for research in the area. Copyright © 2014 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  9. Stochastic differential game formulation on the reinsurance and investment problem

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Danping; Rong, Ximin; Zhao, Hui

    2015-09-01

    This paper focuses on a stochastic differential game between two insurance companies, a big one and a small one. The big company has sufficient asset to invest in a risk-free asset and a risky asset and is allowed to purchase proportional reinsurance or acquire new business, and the small company can transfer part of the risk to a reinsurer via proportional reinsurance. The game studied here is zero-sum, where the big company is trying to maximise the expected exponential utility of the difference between two insurance companies' surpluses at the terminal time to keep its advantage on surplus, while simultaneously the small company is trying to minimise the same quantity to reduce its disadvantage. Particularly, the relationships between the surplus processes and the price process of the risky asset are considered. By applying stochastic control theory, we provide and prove the verification theorem and obtain the Nash equilibrium strategy of the game, explicitly. Furthermore, numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the effects of parameters on the equilibrium strategy as well as the economic meanings behind.

  10. Defining and Leveraging Game Qualities for Serious Games

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Martin, Michael W.; Shen, Yuzhong

    2011-01-01

    Serious games can and should leverage the unique qualities of video games to effectively deliver educational experiences for the learners. However, leveraging these qualities is incumbent upon understanding what these unique 'game' qualities are , and how they can facilitate the learning process. This paper presents an examination of the meaning of the term 'game' . as it applies to both serious games and digital entertainment games. Through the examination of counter examples, we derive three game characteristics; games are self contained, provide a variety of meaningful choices, and are intrinsically compelling. We also discuss the theoretical educational foundations which support the application of these 'game qualities' to educational endeavors. This paper concludes with a presentation of results achieved through the application of these qualities and the applicable educational theories to teach learners about the periodic table of elements via a serious game developed by the authors.

  11. Health promotion programs related to the Athens 2004 Olympic and Para Olympic games.

    PubMed

    Soteriades, Elpidoforos S; Hadjichristodoulou, Christos; Kremastinou, Jeni; Chelvatzoglou, Fotini C; Minogiannis, Panagiotis S; Falagas, Matthew E

    2006-02-24

    The Olympic Games constitute a first-class opportunity to promote athleticism and health messages. Little is known, however on the impact of Olympic Games on the development of health-promotion programs for the general population. Our objective was to identify and describe the population-based health-promotion programs implemented in relation to the Athens 2004 Olympic and Para Olympic Games. A cross-sectional survey of all stakeholders of the Games, including the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee, all ministries of the Greek government, the National School of Public Health, all municipalities hosting Olympic events and all official private sponsors of the Games, was conducted after the conclusion of the Games. A total of 44 agencies were surveyed, 40 responded (91%), and ten (10) health-promotion programs were identified. Two programs were implemented by the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee, 2 from the Greek ministries, 2 from the National School of Public Health, 1 from municipalities, and 3 from official private sponsors of the Games. The total cost of the programs was estimated at 943,000 Euros; a relatively small fraction (0.08%) of the overall cost of the Games. Greece has made a small, however, significant step forward, on health promotion, in the context of the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee and the future hosting countries, including China, are encouraged to elaborate on this idea and offer the world a promising future for public health.

  12. Health promotion programs related to the Athens 2004 Olympic and Para Olympic games

    PubMed Central

    Soteriades, Elpidoforos S; Hadjichristodoulou, Christos; Kremastinou, Jeni; Chelvatzoglou, Fotini C; Minogiannis, Panagiotis S; Falagas, Matthew E

    2006-01-01

    Background The Olympic Games constitute a first-class opportunity to promote athleticism and health messages. Little is known, however on the impact of Olympic Games on the development of health-promotion programs for the general population. Our objective was to identify and describe the population-based health-promotion programs implemented in relation to the Athens 2004 Olympic and Para Olympic Games. Methods A cross-sectional survey of all stakeholders of the Games, including the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee, all ministries of the Greek government, the National School of Public Health, all municipalities hosting Olympic events and all official private sponsors of the Games, was conducted after the conclusion of the Games. Results A total of 44 agencies were surveyed, 40 responded (91%), and ten (10) health-promotion programs were identified. Two programs were implemented by the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee, 2 from the Greek ministries, 2 from the National School of Public Health, 1 from municipalities, and 3 from official private sponsors of the Games. The total cost of the programs was estimated at 943,000 Euros; a relatively small fraction (0.08%) of the overall cost of the Games. Conclusion Greece has made a small, however, significant step forward, on health promotion, in the context of the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee and the future hosting countries, including China, are encouraged to elaborate on this idea and offer the world a promising future for public health. PMID:16504120

  13. Asymmetric negotiation in structured language games

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Han-Xin; Wang, Wen-Xu; Wang, Bing-Hong

    2008-02-01

    We propose an asymmetric negotiation strategy to investigate the influence of high-degree agents on the agreement dynamics in a structured language game, the naming game. We introduce a model parameter, which governs the frequency of high-degree agents acting as speakers in communication. It is found that there exists an optimal value of the parameter that induces the fastest convergence to a global consensus on naming an object for both scale-free and small-world naming games. This phenomenon indicates that, although a strong influence of high-degree agents favors consensus achievement, very strong influences inhibit the convergence process, making it even slower than in the absence of influence of high-degree agents. Investigation of the total memory used by agents implies that there is some trade-off between the convergence speed and the required total memory. Other quantities, including the evolution of the number of different names and the relationship between agents’ memories and their degrees, are also studied. The results are helpful for better understanding of the dynamics of the naming game with asymmetric negotiation strategy.

  14. Extrapolating Weak Selection in Evolutionary Games

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Bin; García, Julián; Hauert, Christoph; Traulsen, Arne

    2013-01-01

    In evolutionary games, reproductive success is determined by payoffs. Weak selection means that even large differences in game outcomes translate into small fitness differences. Many results have been derived using weak selection approximations, in which perturbation analysis facilitates the derivation of analytical results. Here, we ask whether results derived under weak selection are also qualitatively valid for intermediate and strong selection. By “qualitatively valid” we mean that the ranking of strategies induced by an evolutionary process does not change when the intensity of selection increases. For two-strategy games, we show that the ranking obtained under weak selection cannot be carried over to higher selection intensity if the number of players exceeds two. For games with three (or more) strategies, previous examples for multiplayer games have shown that the ranking of strategies can change with the intensity of selection. In particular, rank changes imply that the most abundant strategy at one intensity of selection can become the least abundant for another. We show that this applies already to pairwise interactions for a broad class of evolutionary processes. Even when both weak and strong selection limits lead to consistent predictions, rank changes can occur for intermediate intensities of selection. To analyze how common such games are, we show numerically that for randomly drawn two-player games with three or more strategies, rank changes frequently occur and their likelihood increases rapidly with the number of strategies . In particular, rank changes are almost certain for , which jeopardizes the predictive power of results derived for weak selection. PMID:24339769

  15. Distinguishing humans from computers in the game of go: A complex network approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coquidé, C.; Georgeot, B.; Giraud, O.

    2017-08-01

    We compare complex networks built from the game of go and obtained from databases of human-played games with those obtained from computer-played games. Our investigations show that statistical features of the human-based networks and the computer-based networks differ, and that these differences can be statistically significant on a relatively small number of games using specific estimators. We show that the deterministic or stochastic nature of the computer algorithm playing the game can also be distinguished from these quantities. This can be seen as a tool to implement a Turing-like test for go simulators.

  16. Effect of contact and no-contact small-sided games on elite handball players.

    PubMed

    Dello Iacono, Antonio; Martone, Domenico; Zagatto, Alessandro Moura; Meckel, Yoav; Sindiani, Mahmood; Milic, Mirjana; Padulo, Johnny

    2018-01-01

    This study aimed to investigate the effect of contact (C-SSG) and no-contact (NC-SSG) handball small-sided games (SSGs) on motion patterns and physiological responses of elite handball players. Twelve male handball players performed 10 C-SSG and 10 NC-SSG while being monitored through the heart rate (HR) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) as physiological responses and time-motion activities profile using video-match analysis. Both game conditions resulted in similar HR responses (P > 0.05), but the NC-SSG led to a higher RPE scores. The time-motion activity analysis featured NC-SSG with a greater amount of walking (855.6 ± 25.1 vs. 690.6 ± 35.2 m) and backward movements (187.5 ± 12.3 vs. 142.5 ± 8.7 m) combined with fast running (232.3 ± 8.5 vs. 159.7 ± 5.7 m) and sprinting (79.5 ± 4.7 vs. 39.7 ± 3.7 m) activities (P < 0.001). Conversely, C-SSG had a higher percentage of jogging and sideway movements associated with greater frequency of jumping (0.87 ± 0.09 vs. 0.31 ± 0.06 nr) and physical contact (1.82 ± 0.55 vs. 0.25 ± 0.03 nr) events (P < 0.001). No between-regimen differences were found for the number of throws (P = 0.745). In addition, the RPE was significantly correlated with fast running relative distances (r = 0.909, P < 0.001) and sprinting relative distances (r = 0.939, P < 0.001). In conclusion, this investigation showed that both C-SSG and NC-SSG in team handball can effectively represent specifically oriented exercises, according to the sport-task and the performance demands.

  17. Video gaming in school children: How much is enough?

    PubMed

    Pujol, Jesus; Fenoll, Raquel; Forns, Joan; Harrison, Ben J; Martínez-Vilavella, Gerard; Macià, Dídac; Alvarez-Pedrerol, Mar; Blanco-Hinojo, Laura; González-Ortiz, Sofía; Deus, Joan; Sunyer, Jordi

    2016-09-01

    Despite extensive debate, the proposed benefits and risks of video gaming in young people remain to be empirically clarified, particularly as regards an optimal level of use. In 2,442 children aged 7 to 11 years, we investigated relationships between weekly video game use, selected cognitive abilities, and conduct-related problems. A large subgroup of these children (n = 260) was further examined with magnetic resonance imaging approximately 1 year later to assess the impact of video gaming on brain structure and function. Playing video games for 1 hour per week was associated with faster and more consistent psychomotor responses to visual stimulation. Remarkably, no further change in motor speed was identified in children playing >2 hours per week. By comparison, the weekly time spent gaming was steadily associated with conduct problems, peer conflicts, and reduced prosocial abilities. These negative implications were clearly visible only in children at the extreme of our game-playing distribution, with 9 hours or more of video gaming per week. At a neural level, changes associated with gaming were most evident in basal ganglia white matter and functional connectivity. Significantly better visuomotor skills can be seen in school children playing video games, even with relatively small amounts of use. Frequent weekly use, by contrast, was associated with conduct problems. Further studies are needed to determine whether moderate video gaming causes improved visuomotor skills and whether excessive video gaming causes conduct problems, or whether children who already have these characteristics simply play more video games. Ann Neurol 2016;80:424-433. © 2016 American Neurological Association.

  18. Properties of interaction networks underlying the minority game.

    PubMed

    Caridi, Inés

    2014-11-01

    The minority game is a well-known agent-based model with no explicit interaction among its agents. However, it is known that they interact through the global magnitudes of the model and through their strategies. In this work we have attempted to formalize the implicit interactions among minority game agents as if they were links on a complex network. We have defined the link between two agents by quantifying the similarity between them. This link definition is based on the information of the instance of the game (the set of strategies assigned to each agent at the beginning) without any dynamic information on the game and brings about a static, unweighed and undirected network. We have analyzed the structure of the resulting network for different parameters, such as the number of agents (N) and the agent's capacity to process information (m), always taking into account games with two strategies per agent. In the region of crowd effects of the model, the resulting networks structure is a small-world network, whereas in the region where the behavior of the minority game is the same as in a game of random decisions, networks become a random network of Erdos-Renyi. The transition between these two types of networks is slow, without any peculiar feature of the network in the region of the coordination among agents. Finally, we have studied the resulting static networks for the full strategy minority game model, a maximal instance of the minority game in which all possible agents take part in the game. We have explicitly calculated the degree distribution of the full strategy minority game network and, on the basis of this analytical result, we have estimated the degree distribution of the minority game network, which is in accordance with computational results.

  19. Development of novel cardiovascular therapeutics from small regulatory RNA molecules--an outline of key requirements.

    PubMed

    Poller, W; Fechner, H

    2010-01-01

    Understanding of the roles of RNAs within the cell has changed and expanded dramatically during the past few years. Based on fundamentally new insights it is now increasingly possible to employ RNAs as highly valuable tools in molecular biology and medicine. At present, the most important therapeutic strategies are based on non-coding regulatory RNAs inducing RNA interference (RNAi) to silence single genes, and on modulation of cellular microRNAs (miRNAs) to alter complex gene expression patterns in diseased organs. Only recently it became possible to target therapeutic RNAi to specific organs via organotropic viral vector systems and we discuss the most recent strategies in this field, e.g. heart failure treatment by cardiac-targeted RNAi. Due to the peculiar biochemical properties of small RNA molecules, true therapeutic translation of results in vitro is more demanding than with small molecule drugs or proteins. Specifically, there is a critical requirement for extensive studies in animal models of human disease after pre-testing of the RNAi tools in vitro. This requirement likewise applies for miRNA modulations which have complex consequences in the recipient dependent on biochemical stability and distribution of the therapeutic RNA. Problems not yet fully solved are the prediction of targets and specificity of the RNA tools. However, major progress has been made to achieve their tissue-specific and regulatable expression, and breakthroughs in vector technologies from the gene therapy field have fundamentally improved safety and efficacy of RNA-based therapeutic approaches, too. In summary, insight into the molecular mechanisms of action of regulatory RNAs in combination with new delivery tools for RNA therapeutics will significantly expand our cardiovascular therapeutic repertoire beyond classical pharmacology.

  20. Exploring Game Experiences and Game Leadership in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jang, YeiBeech; Ryu, SeoungHo

    2011-01-01

    This study explored the in-game experiences of massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) players focusing on game leadership and offline leadership. MMORPGs have enormous potential to provide gameplayers with rich social experiences through various interactions along with social activities such as joining a game community, team play…

  1. Gaming Increases Craving to Gaming-Related Stimuli in Individuals With Internet Gaming Disorder.

    PubMed

    Dong, Guangheng; Wang, Lingxiao; Du, Xiaoxia; Potenza, Marc N

    2017-07-01

    Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has been proposed as a behavioral addiction warranting additional investigation. Craving is considered a core component of addictions. However, few studies to date have investigated craving in IGD. In the current study, we investigated how gaming was associated with changes in response to gaming-related stimuli in subjects with IGD and those with recreational game use (RGU). Behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 27 individuals with IGD and 43 individuals with RGU. Subjects' craving responses to gaming-related stimuli were measured before and after 30 minutes of gaming. The comparison between post- and pregaming measures showed that for IGD, gaming was associated with increased craving and increased brain activation of the lateral and prefrontal cortex, the striatum, and the precuneus when exposed to gaming-related stimuli. In individuals with RGU, no enhanced brain activity was observed. These results suggest that gaming behavior enhances craving responses in subjects with IGD but not in subjects with RGU, provide insight into potential mechanisms underlying IGD, and suggest behavioral and neurobiological targets for IGD-related interventions. Copyright © 2017 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Games in Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walford, Rex

    Six games designed for classroom use are described in this book: 1) Shopping Game; 2) Bus Service Game; 3) North Sea Gas Game; 4) Railway Pioneers Game; 5) Development Game; and 6) Export Drive Game. The description of each game comprises a separate chapter, and includes information about the general aims of the game, how the various game elements…

  3. Regulatory Considerations for the Approval of Drugs Against Histomoniasis (Blackhead Disease) in Turkeys, Chickens, and Game Birds in the United States.

    PubMed

    Regmi, Prajwal R; Shaw, Ashley L; Hungerford, Laura L; Messenheimer, Janis R; Zhou, Tong; Pillai, Padmakumar; Omer, Amy; Gilbert, Jeffrey M

    2016-12-01

    Histomoniasis, commonly referred to as blackhead disease, is a serious threat to the turkey and game bird industries worldwide, and it is having an increasingly negative impact on the chicken industry as well. The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), charged with the approval and regulation of new animal drugs in the United States, understands the rising need for the availability of therapeutic options against histomoniasis. CVM has actively engaged in discussions with the poultry industry, academic institutions, and animal health companies regarding the current status of histomoniasis in the United States and varied success of past and current management, prophylactic, and therapeutic interventions that have been used against the disease. As effective options against the disease are severely limited, CVM encourages the poultry industry, academic institutions, and animal health companies to work together to research and develop viable management, prophylactic, and therapeutic strategies, such as litter management, deworming programs, vaccines or other biologics, novel technologies, and animal drugs. CVM also recognizes the potential challenges that the poultry industry, academic institutions, and animal health companies may encounter while working towards the approval of safe and effective drug products for the treatment and control of histomoniasis. With that recognition, CVM encourages interested parties to begin discussions with CVM early in order to align research of the drug product against histomoniasis with the drug approval requirements, such that it leads to the approval of a new animal drug in an efficient and expedient manner. This article provides information about the FDA's regulatory process for the approval of new animal drugs in the United States, with especial emphasis on drug products for the treatment and control of histomoniasis in turkeys, chickens, and game birds.

  4. Optional contributions have positive effects for volunteering public goods games

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Qi-Qing; Li, Zhen-Peng; Fu, Chang-He; Wang, Lai-Sheng

    2011-11-01

    Public goods (PG) games with the volunteering mechanism are referred to as volunteering public goods (VPG) games, in which loners are introduced to the PG games, and a loner obtains a constant payoff but not participating the game. Considering that small contributions may have positive effects to encourage more players with bounded rationality to contribute, this paper introduces optional contributions (high value or low value) to these typical VPG games-a cooperator can contribute a high or low payoff to the public pools. With the low contribution, the logit dynamics show that cooperation can be promoted in a well mixed population comparing to the typical VPG games, furthermore, as the multiplication factor is greater than a threshold, the average payoff of the population is also enhanced. In spatial VPG games, we introduce a new adjusting mechanism that is an approximation to best response. Some results in agreement with the prediction of the logit dynamics are found. These simulation results reveal that for VPG games the option of low contributions may be a better method to stimulate the growth of cooperation frequency and the average payoff of the population.

  5. Resource Allocation Games: A Priming Game for a Series of Instructional Games (The POE Game).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, Layman E.

    This paper describes in detail the paper-and-pencil POE (Pelham Odd 'R Even) game, in which units of space are the allocated resources. The game is designed to provide an introduction to the rule structure common to the games of EQUATIONS, WFF 'N PROOF, and ON-SENTS & NON-SENTS. Techniques of playing POE, including goals, solutions, moves, scoring…

  6. What Do Tag Games Teach?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Belka, David

    2006-01-01

    Tag games have been described as "Chasing, fleeing, and dodging" type activities. Most "fleeing" activities involve dramatic play, use of movement concepts (such as quick and light), or movement changes without a partner, while many of the chasing and dodging activities utilize dodging concepts between partners or within small groups and are…

  7. Don't Lose Your Marbles!: Game Project Teaches Introductory Manufacturing Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kapur, Arjun; Carter, Horlin; Dillon, Dave

    2006-01-01

    This article describes a lab activity conducted in an introductory manufacturing class. In this good, simple, mass-production project, the students designed and produced a small game composed of a piece of plywood and 14 glass marbles. In appearance, the game is something like Chinese checkers, but it involves jumping over marbles, then removing…

  8. The effect of small-sided games with different levels of opposition on the tactical behaviour of young footballers with different levels of sport expertise.

    PubMed

    Práxedes, Alba; Moreno, Alberto; Gil-Arias, Alexander; Claver, Fernando; Del Villar, Fernando

    2018-01-01

    To optimize players' tactical abilities, coaches need to design training sessions with representative learning tasks, such as, small-sided games. Moreover, it is necessary to adapt the complexity of the tasks to the skill level of the athletes to maximally improve their perceptual, visual and attentive abilities. The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of two teaching programs, each utilizing modified games with varied levels of opposition, on decision-making and action execution in young players with different levels of sports expertise. 19 football players (U12), separated into two ability groups (Average versus Low skill-level), participated in a series of training sessions that were spread over 4 phases: Pre-intervention 1, Intervention 1 (teaching program based on modified games with numerical superiority in attack), Pre-intervention 2 and Intervention 2 (teaching program based on modified games with numerical equality). Each intervention phase lasted 14 sessions. Decision-making and the execution of pass action during league matches over the same period were evaluated using the Game Performance Evaluation Tool (GPET). The Average skill-level group showed significant differences after the first intervention in decision-making and execution of the pass action (decision-making, p = .015; execution, p = .031), but not after the second intervention (decision-making, p = 1.000; execution, p = 1.000). For the Low skill-level group, significant differences were only observed in the execution of passing between the first and last phases (p = .014). These findings seem to indicate that for groups with an average level of expertise, training with numerical superiority in attack provides players with more time to make better decisions and to better execute actions. However, for lower-level groups programs may take longer to facilitate improvement. Nevertheless, numerical equality did not result in improvement for either group.

  9. Navajo Games.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cliff, Janet M.

    1990-01-01

    Reviews 163 sources on Navajo games, play, and toys. Includes an annotated bibliography of those materials. Examines relationships between games and religion, origin myths, and ceremonies. Discusses attitudes toward games, gambling, and cheating; and the dichotomy between children's and adults' games. Describes specific toys, games, and play…

  10. The Spot 42 RNA: A regulatory small RNA with roles in the central metabolism.

    PubMed

    Bækkedal, Cecilie; Haugen, Peik

    2015-01-01

    The Spot 42 RNA is a 109 nucleotide long (in Escherichia coli) noncoding small regulatory RNA (sRNA) encoded by the spf (spot fourty-two) gene. spf is found in gamma-proteobacteria and the majority of experimental work on Spot 42 RNA has been performed using E. coli, and recently Aliivibrio salmonicida. In the cell Spot 42 RNA plays essential roles as a regulator in carbohydrate metabolism and uptake, and its expression is activated by glucose, and inhibited by the cAMP-CRP complex. Here we summarize the current knowledge on Spot 42, and present the natural distribution of spf, show family-specific secondary structural features of Spot 42, and link highly conserved structural regions to mRNA target binding.

  11. The Spot 42 RNA: A regulatory small RNA with roles in the central metabolism

    PubMed Central

    Bækkedal, Cecilie; Haugen, Peik

    2015-01-01

    The Spot 42 RNA is a 109 nucleotide long (in Escherichia coli) noncoding small regulatory RNA (sRNA) encoded by the spf (spot fourty-two) gene. spf is found in gamma-proteobacteria and the majority of experimental work on Spot 42 RNA has been performed using E. coli, and recently Aliivibrio salmonicida. In the cell Spot 42 RNA plays essential roles as a regulator in carbohydrate metabolism and uptake, and its expression is activated by glucose, and inhibited by the cAMP-CRP complex. Here we summarize the current knowledge on Spot 42, and present the natural distribution of spf, show family-specific secondary structural features of Spot 42, and link highly conserved structural regions to mRNA target binding. PMID:26327359

  12. [Game addiction].

    PubMed

    Mori, Akio; Iwadate, Masako; Minakawa, Nahoko T; Kawashima, Satoshi

    2015-09-01

    The purpose of this article is to analyze the South Korea and China of computer game research, and the current state of research in Japan. Excessive game actions were analyzed by PET-MRI, MRI, fMRI, NIRS, EEG. These results showed that the prefrontal cortical activity decreased during game play. Also, game addiction causes damage to the prefrontal cortex. The NIRS-EEG and simultaneous recording, during game play correspond well with the decrease of β band and oxygen-hemoglobin. The α band did not change with game play. However, oxygen-hemoglobin decreased during game play. South Korea, game addiction measures have been analyzed since 2002, but in Japan the research is recent.

  13. The influence of game genre on Internet gaming disorder

    PubMed Central

    Na, Euihyeon; Choi, Inyoung; Lee, Taek-Ho; Lee, Hyeseon; Rho, Mi Jung; Cho, Hyun; Jung, Dong Jin; Kim, Dai-Jin

    2017-01-01

    Background and aims Although Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has been investigated in detail, minimal research has been conducted regarding the influence of different game genres on IGD. The aim of this study is to compare the characteristics of members of game genre-specific groups with IGD and to identify factors associated with IGD status in each group in a large sample of adults. Methods Internet games were categorized into four genres: real-time strategy games, massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG), sport games, and first-person shooter (FPS) games. Participants (n = 2,923) who usually played one of these games completed an anonymous online survey that collected sociodemographic, game usage pattern, and psychopathological assessment data. Results MMORPG and FPS game players more frequently met the criteria for IGD than participants in the other two groups. Differences between the IGD-suspected gamers within the genre-specific groups were observed for a few items, such as average game-playing time and the subscales of the behavioral activation system; however, the factors that contributed to the development of IGD within each game genre-specific group were found to be considerably different. Discussion and conclusions The findings of this study suggest that IGD is a stable psychiatric diagnosis encompassing users of a broad range of game genres. In addition, the development of strategies for the prevention of and early intervention on individuals at high risk for developing IGD may require consideration of the distinct characteristics identified as effective predictors of IGD in users of each game genre. PMID:28658960

  14. The influence of game genre on Internet gaming disorder.

    PubMed

    Na, Euihyeon; Choi, Inyoung; Lee, Taek-Ho; Lee, Hyeseon; Rho, Mi Jung; Cho, Hyun; Jung, Dong Jin; Kim, Dai-Jin

    2017-06-29

    Background and aims Although Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has been investigated in detail, minimal research has been conducted regarding the influence of different game genres on IGD. The aim of this study is to compare the characteristics of members of game genre-specific groups with IGD and to identify factors associated with IGD status in each group in a large sample of adults. Methods Internet games were categorized into four genres: real-time strategy games, massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG), sport games, and first-person shooter (FPS) games. Participants (n = 2,923) who usually played one of these games completed an anonymous online survey that collected sociodemographic, game usage pattern, and psychopathological assessment data. Results MMORPG and FPS game players more frequently met the criteria for IGD than participants in the other two groups. Differences between the IGD-suspected gamers within the genre-specific groups were observed for a few items, such as average game-playing time and the subscales of the behavioral activation system; however, the factors that contributed to the development of IGD within each game genre-specific group were found to be considerably different. Discussion and conclusions The findings of this study suggest that IGD is a stable psychiatric diagnosis encompassing users of a broad range of game genres. In addition, the development of strategies for the prevention of and early intervention on individuals at high risk for developing IGD may require consideration of the distinct characteristics identified as effective predictors of IGD in users of each game genre.

  15. Video game addiction, ADHD symptomatology, and video game reinforcement.

    PubMed

    Mathews, Christine L; Morrell, Holly E R; Molle, Jon E

    2018-06-06

    Up to 23% of people who play video games report symptoms of addiction. Individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be at increased risk for video game addiction, especially when playing games with more reinforcing properties. The current study tested whether level of video game reinforcement (type of game) places individuals with greater ADHD symptom severity at higher risk for developing video game addiction. Adult video game players (N = 2,801; Mean age = 22.43, SD = 4.70; 93.30% male; 82.80% Caucasian) completed an online survey. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were used to test type of game, ADHD symptom severity, and the interaction between type of game and ADHD symptomatology as predictors of video game addiction severity, after controlling for age, gender, and weekly time spent playing video games. ADHD symptom severity was positively associated with increased addiction severity (b = .73 and .68, ps < 0.001). Type of game played or preferred the most was not associated with addiction severity, ps > .05. The relationship between ADHD symptom severity and addiction severity did not depend on the type of video game played or preferred most, ps > .05. Gamers who have greater ADHD symptom severity may be at greater risk for developing symptoms of video game addiction and its negative consequences, regardless of type of video game played or preferred most. Individuals who report ADHD symptomatology and also identify as gamers may benefit from psychoeducation about the potential risk for problematic play.

  16. Violent Video Games and the Military: Recruitment, Training, and Treating Mental Disability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Derby, John

    2014-01-01

    This article adds to the small collection of art education studies on video games (Parks, 2008; Patton, 2013; Sweeny, 2010) by critically examining the association between violent video games, the U.S. military, and mental disability--from a critical disability studies perspective. Derby overviews the controversies surrounding violent video games…

  17. Distinguishing between gaming and gambling activities in addiction research

    PubMed Central

    King, Daniel L.; Gainsbury, Sally M.; Delfabbro, Paul H.; Hing, Nerilee; Abarbanel, Brett

    2015-01-01

    Background and Aims Gambling and gaming activities have become increasingly recognised as sharing many common features at a structural and aesthetic level. Both have also been implicated as contributing to harm through excessive involvement. Despite this, relatively little attention has been given to the fundamental characteristics that differentiate these two classes of activity, especially in situations where the boundaries between them may be particularly hard to distinguish. This is evident, for example, in digital games that incorporate free and paid virtual currencies or items, as well as the capacity for wagering. Such overlaps create problems for regulatory classifications, screening, diagnosis and treatment. Is the problem related to the gambling or gaming content? Methods In this paper, we review the principal sources of overlap between the activity classes in terms of several dimensions: interactivity, monetisation, betting and wagering, types of outcomes, structural fidelity, context and centrality of content, and advertising. Results We argue that gaming is principally defined by its interactivity, skill-based play, and contextual indicators of progression and success. In contrast, gambling is defined by betting and wagering mechanics, predominantly chance-determined outcomes, and monetisation features that involve risk and payout to the player. A checklist measure is provided, with practical examples, to examine activities according to features of design and function, which may inform guidelines for policy makers, researchers and treatment providers. Discussion and conclusions We suggest that, in some instances, using category-based nomenclature (e.g., “gambling-like game”) may be too vague or cumbersome to adequately organise our understanding of new gaming/gambling hybrid activities. PMID:26690615

  18. Group-Level Analysis on Multiplayer Game Collaboration: How Do the Individuals Shape the Group Interaction?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bluemink, Johanna; Hamalainen, Raija; Manninen, Tony; Jarvela, Sanna

    2010-01-01

    In this study, the aim was to examine how small-group collaboration is shaped by individuals interacting in a virtual multiplayer game. The data were collected from a design experiment in which six randomly divided groups of four university students played a voice-enhanced game lasting about 1 h. The "eScape" game was a social action adventure…

  19. Novel Approaches to Obesity Prevention: Effects of Game Enjoyment and Game Type on Energy Expenditure in Active Video Games

    PubMed Central

    Lyons, Elizabeth J.; Tate, Deborah F.; Komoski, Stephanie E.; Carr, Philip M.; Ward, Dianne S.

    2012-01-01

    Background Some active video games have been found to promote physical activity adherence because of enjoyment. However, many active games are exercise themed, which may interfere with the distracting properties that make game-based exercise more enjoyable than traditional exercise. This study compared exercise-themed and game-themed active games to investigate differences in energy expenditure and enjoyment. Method Young adults (N = 100, 50 female, 55 overweight, aged 18–35 years) played two of four Wii Fit games (one aerobic game and one balance game per person) for 10 min each. Of the two aerobic games, one was exercise themed (jogging) and the other was game themed (hula hooping). Both balance games were game themed. Energy expenditure and enjoyment were measured. Results After adjustment for gender and weight, aerobic games produced 2.70 kcal/kg-1/h-1 (95% confidence interval 2.41, 3.00) greater energy expenditure than balance games (p < .001), but balance games were more enjoyable (p < .001). In aerobic games, jogging produced greater energy expenditure than hula hooping in normal-weight and male participants (p < .001); in overweight and female participants, no differences were found (p > .17). Hula hooping was enjoyed more than jogging (p = .008). Enjoyment predicted energy expenditure in aerobic games (B = 0.767, p = .010). Conclusions Aerobic games produced greater energy expenditure but lower enjoyment than balance games, and a game-themed aerobic game was found more enjoyable than an exercise-themed aerobic game. Integrating more strenuous activity into entertaining games instead of games that simply simulate exercise may be a fruitful avenue for active game development. PMID:22920810

  20. Novel approaches to obesity prevention: effects of game enjoyment and game type on energy expenditure in active video games.

    PubMed

    Lyons, Elizabeth J; Tate, Deborah F; Komoski, Stephanie E; Carr, Philip M; Ward, Dianne S

    2012-07-01

    Some active video games have been found to promote physical activity adherence because of enjoyment. However, many active games are exercise themed, which may interfere with the distracting properties that make game-based exercise more enjoyable than traditional exercise. This study compared exercise-themed and game-themed active games to investigate differences in energy expenditure and enjoyment. Young adults (N = 100, 50 female, 55 overweight, aged 18-35 years) played two of four Wii Fit games (one aerobic game and one balance game per person) for 10 min each. Of the two aerobic games, one was exercise themed (jogging) and the other was game themed (hula hooping). Both balance games were game themed. Energy expenditure and enjoyment were measured. After adjustment for gender and weight, aerobic games produced 2.70 kcal/kg(-1)/h(-1) (95% confidence interval 2.41, 3.00) greater energy expenditure than balance games (p < .001), but balance games were more enjoyable (p < .001). In aerobic games, jogging produced greater energy expenditure than hula hooping in normal-weight and male participants (p < .001); in overweight and female participants, no differences were found (p > .17). Hula hooping was enjoyed more than jogging (p = .008). Enjoyment predicted energy expenditure in aerobic games (B = 0.767, p = .010). Aerobic games produced greater energy expenditure but lower enjoyment than balance games, and a game-themed aerobic game was found more enjoyable than an exercise-themed aerobic game. Integrating more strenuous activity into entertaining games instead of games that simply simulate exercise may be a fruitful avenue for active game development. © 2012 Diabetes Technology Society.

  1. Computer and video game addiction-a comparison between game users and non-game users.

    PubMed

    Weinstein, Aviv Malkiel

    2010-09-01

    Computer game addiction is excessive or compulsive use of computer and video games that may interfere with daily life. It is not clear whether video game playing meets diagnostic criteria for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). First objective is to review the literature on computer and video game addiction over the topics of diagnosis, phenomenology, epidemiology, and treatment. Second objective is to describe a brain imaging study measuring dopamine release during computer game playing. Article search of 15 published articles between 2000 and 2009 in Medline and PubMed on computer and video game addiction. Nine abstinent "ecstasy" users and 8 control subjects were scanned at baseline and after performing on a motorbike riding computer game while imaging dopamine release in vivo with [123I] IBZM and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Psycho-physiological mechanisms underlying computer game addiction are mainly stress coping mechanisms, emotional reactions, sensitization, and reward. Computer game playing may lead to long-term changes in the reward circuitry that resemble the effects of substance dependence. The brain imaging study showed that healthy control subjects had reduced dopamine D2 receptor occupancy of 10.5% in the caudate after playing a motorbike riding computer game compared with baseline levels of binding consistent with increased release and binding to its receptors. Ex-chronic "ecstasy" users showed no change in levels of dopamine D2 receptor occupancy after playing this game. This evidence supports the notion that psycho-stimulant users have decreased sensitivity to natural reward. Computer game addicts or gamblers may show reduced dopamine response to stimuli associated with their addiction presumably due to sensitization.

  2. Simulation games that integrate research, entertainment, and learning around ecosystem services

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Costanza, Robert; Chichakly, Karim; Dale, Virginia

    Humans currently spend over 3 billion person-hours per week playing computer games. Most of these games are purely for entertainment, but use of computer games for education has also expanded dramatically. At the same time, experimental games have become a staple of social science research but have depended on relatively small sample sizes and simple, abstract situations, limiting their range and applicability. If only a fraction of the time spent playing computer games could be harnessed for research, it would open up a huge range of new opportunities. We review the use of games in research, education, and entertainment andmore » develop ideas for integrating these three functions around the idea of ecosystem services valuation. This approach to valuation can be seen as a version of choice modeling that allows players to generate their own scenarios taking account of the trade-offs embedded in the game, rather than simply ranking pre-formed scenarios. We outline a prototype game called Lagom Island to test the proposition that gaming can be used to reveal the value of ecosystem services. Ultimately, our prototype provides a potential pathway and functional building blocks for approaching the relatively untapped potential of games in the context of ecosystem services research.« less

  3. Simulation games that integrate research, entertainment, and learning around ecosystem services

    DOE PAGES

    Costanza, Robert; Chichakly, Karim; Dale, Virginia; ...

    2014-11-07

    Humans currently spend over 3 billion person-hours per week playing computer games. Most of these games are purely for entertainment, but use of computer games for education has also expanded dramatically. At the same time, experimental games have become a staple of social science research but have depended on relatively small sample sizes and simple, abstract situations, limiting their range and applicability. If only a fraction of the time spent playing computer games could be harnessed for research, it would open up a huge range of new opportunities. We review the use of games in research, education, and entertainment andmore » develop ideas for integrating these three functions around the idea of ecosystem services valuation. This approach to valuation can be seen as a version of choice modeling that allows players to generate their own scenarios taking account of the trade-offs embedded in the game, rather than simply ranking pre-formed scenarios. We outline a prototype game called Lagom Island to test the proposition that gaming can be used to reveal the value of ecosystem services. Ultimately, our prototype provides a potential pathway and functional building blocks for approaching the relatively untapped potential of games in the context of ecosystem services research.« less

  4. Tabletop Games: Platforms, Experimental Games and Design Recommendations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haller, Michael; Forlines, Clifton; Koeffel, Christina; Leitner, Jakob; Shen, Chia

    While the last decade has seen massive improvements in not only the rendering quality, but also the overall performance of console and desktop video games, these improvements have not necessarily led to a greater population of video game players. In addition to continuing these improvements, the video game industry is also constantly searching for new ways to convert non-players into dedicated gamers. Despite the growing popularity of computer-based video games, people still love to play traditional board games, such as Risk, Monopoly, and Trivial Pursuit. Both video and board games have their strengths and weaknesses, and an intriguing conclusion is to merge both worlds. We believe that a tabletop form-factor provides an ideal interface for digital board games. The design and implementation of tabletop games will be influenced by the hardware platforms, form factors, sensing technologies, as well as input techniques and devices that are available and chosen. This chapter is divided into three major sections. In the first section, we describe the most recent tabletop hardware technologies that have been used by tabletop researchers and practitioners. In the second section, we discuss a set of experimental tabletop games. The third section presents ten evaluation heuristics for tabletop game design.

  5. DSM-5 diagnosis of Internet Gaming Disorder: Some ways forward in overcoming issues and concerns in the gaming studies field

    PubMed Central

    Kuss, Daria J.; Griffiths, Mark D.; Pontes, Halley M.

    2017-01-01

    Background and aims The current DSM-5 diagnosis of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) has led to a number of issues and concerns that we highlighted in our recent paper (Kuss, Griffiths, & Pontes, 2017). Experts in the field responded to our evaluation of these issues resulting in six commentaries. Methods In this paper, we offer responses to the six commentaries to move the scientific field forward. All of the responses to our original paper highlighted many conceptual, theoretical, and/or methodological problems with the proposed IGD diagnosis as outlined in the DSM-5. We outline some ways forward in overcoming issues and concerns in the gaming studies field. Results We argue that rather than stigmatizing gaming per se, the role of scientists and practitioners is to establish a clear-cut distinction between someone who may use games excessively but non-problematically and someone who is experiencing significant impairment in their daily lives as a consequence of their excessive gaming. This responsibility needs to be shared by popular media who are often quick to build a moral panic around gaming behaviors, often based on cherry-picking specific case studies and pieces of research which support their headlines. Conclusion Researchers, practitioners, gaming developers, and the media need to work together and collaboratively to build a realistic and comprehensive understanding of gaming as a normal, enjoyable, and often beneficial sociocultural practice, which for a small minority of excessive users may be associated with the experience of addiction-related symptoms that may require professional support. PMID:28662619

  6. DSM-5 diagnosis of Internet Gaming Disorder: Some ways forward in overcoming issues and concerns in the gaming studies field.

    PubMed

    Kuss, Daria J; Griffiths, Mark D; Pontes, Halley M

    2017-06-01

    Background and aims The current DSM-5 diagnosis of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) has led to a number of issues and concerns that we highlighted in our recent paper (Kuss, Griffiths, & Pontes, 2017). Experts in the field responded to our evaluation of these issues resulting in six commentaries. Methods In this paper, we offer responses to the six commentaries to move the scientific field forward. All of the responses to our original paper highlighted many conceptual, theoretical, and/or methodological problems with the proposed IGD diagnosis as outlined in the DSM-5. We outline some ways forward in overcoming issues and concerns in the gaming studies field. Results We argue that rather than stigmatizing gaming per se, the role of scientists and practitioners is to establish a clear-cut distinction between someone who may use games excessively but non-problematically and someone who is experiencing significant impairment in their daily lives as a consequence of their excessive gaming. This responsibility needs to be shared by popular media who are often quick to build a moral panic around gaming behaviors, often based on cherry-picking specific case studies and pieces of research which support their headlines. Conclusion Researchers, practitioners, gaming developers, and the media need to work together and collaboratively to build a realistic and comprehensive understanding of gaming as a normal, enjoyable, and often beneficial sociocultural practice, which for a small minority of excessive users may be associated with the experience of addiction-related symptoms that may require professional support.

  7. Social activities, self-efficacy, game attitudes, and game addiction.

    PubMed

    Jeong, Eui Jun; Kim, Doo Hwan

    2011-04-01

    This study examines whether social activities with parents, online and offline social self-efficacy, and attitudes toward gaming are associated with the degree of game addiction among adolescents. Using data from a survey of 600 middle- and high-school students in South Korea, we tested the relationships of personal characteristics (grade point average and time spent on gaming each day), social self-efficacy (both on- and offline), general social activities (with parents, friends, and teachers), gaming activities with parents, and attitudes toward gaming (those of self, parents, friends, and teachers) with the degree of game addiction. In addition, we conducted ANOVA tests to determine the differences among three groups: non-addicts (NA), possible (mild or moderate) addicts (PA), and Internet addicts (IA). The results show that social self-efficacy in the real world (offline) was negatively related with the degree of game addiction, whereas social self-efficacy in the virtual world (online) indicated a positive association. Social activities with parents are negatively associated with game addiction, although no relationship is found between gaming activities with parents and game addiction. Parental attitude toward gaming has a negative relationship with the addiction. Results and implications are discussed.

  8. Developing Strategic and Reasoning Abilities with Computer Games at Primary School Level

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bottino, R. M.; Ferlino, L.; Ott, M.; Tavella, M.

    2007-01-01

    The paper reports a small-scale, long-term pilot project designed to foster strategic and reasoning abilities in young primary school pupils by engaging them in a number of computer games, mainly those usually called mind games (brainteasers, puzzlers, etc.). In this paper, the objectives, work methodology, experimental setting, and tools used in…

  9. Kinship, Family, and Gender Effects in the Ultimatum Game.

    PubMed

    Macfarlan, Shane J; Quinlan, Robert J

    2008-09-01

    Kinship and reciprocity are two main predictors of altruism. The ultimatum game has been used to study altruism in many small-scale societies. We used the ultimatum game to examine effects of individuals' family and kin relations on altruistic behavior in a kin-based horticultural community in rural Dominica. Results show sex-specific effects of kin on ultimatum game play. Average coefficient of relatedness to the village was negatively associated with women's ultimatum game proposals and had little effect on men's proposals. Number of brothers in the village was positively associated with men's ultimatum game proposals and negatively associated with women's proposals. Similarly, presence of father in the village was associated with higher proposals by men and lower proposals by women. We interpret the effect of brothers on men's proposals as a consequence of local competition among brothers. We speculate that daughter-biased parental care in this community creates a sense of entitlement among women with brothers, which may explain the inverse relation between number of brothers and women's ultimatum game proposals. The pattern of results may be consistent with how matrifocality affects cultural models of fairness differently along gender and family lines.

  10. Dynamics in atomic signaling games.

    PubMed

    Fox, Michael J; Touri, Behrouz; Shamma, Jeff S

    2015-07-07

    We study an atomic signaling game under stochastic evolutionary dynamics. There are a finite number of players who repeatedly update from a finite number of available languages/signaling strategies. Players imitate the most fit agents with high probability or mutate with low probability. We analyze the long-run distribution of states and show that, for sufficiently small mutation probability, its support is limited to efficient communication systems. We find that this behavior is insensitive to the particular choice of evolutionary dynamic, a property that is due to the game having a potential structure with a potential function corresponding to average fitness. Consequently, the model supports conclusions similar to those found in the literature on language competition. That is, we show that efficient languages eventually predominate the society while reproducing the empirical phenomenon of linguistic drift. The emergence of efficiency in the atomic case can be contrasted with results for non-atomic signaling games that establish the non-negligible possibility of convergence, under replicator dynamics, to states of unbounded efficiency loss. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Innovation under Regulatory Uncertainty: Evidence from Medical Technology

    PubMed Central

    Stern, Ariel Dora

    2016-01-01

    This paper explores how the regulatory approval process affects innovation incentives in medical technologies. Prior studies have found early mover regulatory advantages for drugs. I find the opposite for medical devices, where pioneer entrants spend 34 percent (7.2 months) longer than follow-on entrants in regulatory approval. Back-of-the- envelope calculations suggest that the cost of a delay of this length is upwards of 7 percent of the total cost of bringing a new high-risk device to market. Considering potential explanations, I find that approval times are largely unrelated to technological novelty, but are meaningfully reduced by the publication of objective regulatory guidelines. Finally, I consider how the regulatory process affects small firms’ market entry patterns and find that small firms are less likely to be pioneers in new device markets, a fact consistent with relatively higher costs of doing so for more financially constrained firms. PMID:28652646

  12. Online video game addiction: identification of addicted adolescent gamers.

    PubMed

    Van Rooij, Antonius J; Schoenmakers, Tim M; Vermulst, Ad A; Van den Eijnden, Regina J J M; Van de Mheen, Dike

    2011-01-01

    To provide empirical data-driven identification of a group of addicted online gamers. Repeated cross-sectional survey study, comprising a longitudinal cohort, conducted in 2008 and 2009. Secondary schools in the Netherlands.   Two large samples of Dutch schoolchildren (aged 13-16 years). Compulsive internet use scale, weekly hours of online gaming and psychosocial variables. This study confirms the existence of a small group of addicted online gamers (3%), representing about 1.5% of all children aged 13-16 years in the Netherlands. Although these gamers report addiction-like problems, relationships with decreased psychosocial health were less evident. The identification of a small group of addicted online gamers supports efforts to develop and validate questionnaire scales aimed at measuring the phenomenon of online video game addiction. The findings contribute to the discussion on the inclusion of non-substance addictions in the proposed unified concept of 'Addiction and Related Disorders' for the DSM-V by providing indirect identification and validation of a group of suspected online video game addicts. © 2010 The Authors, Addiction © 2010 Society for the Study of Addiction.

  13. Two vs. One Keep Away: A Simple Game of Beginning Tactics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Belka, David E.

    2005-01-01

    In the last decade or so, there has been a shift toward small-sided games played in smaller spaces, with limited rules and an emphasis on tactics. The goal of the current instruction is to use less complex game settings to develop players who then learn to make more appropriate and quicker tactical decisions. In this article, the author presents…

  14. Cognitive control and reward/loss processing in Internet gaming disorder: Results from a comparison with recreational Internet game-users.

    PubMed

    Dong, G; Li, H; Wang, L; Potenza, M N

    2017-07-01

    Although playing of Internet games may lead to Internet gaming disorder (IGD), most game-users do not develop problems and only a relatively small subset experiences IGD. Game playing may have positive health associations, whereas IGD has been repeatedly associated with negative health measures, and it is thus important to understand differences between individuals with IGD, recreational (non-problematic) game use (RGU) and non-/low-frequency game use (NLFGU). Individuals with IGD have shown differences in neural activations from non-gamers, yet few studies have examined neural differences between individuals with IGD, RGU and NLFGU. Eighteen individuals with IGD, 21 with RGU and 19 with NFLGU performed a color-word Stroop task and a guessing task assessing reward/loss processing. Behavioral and functional imaging data were collected and compared between groups. RGU and NLFGU subjects showed lower Stroop effects as compared with those with IGD. RGU subjects as compared to those with IGD demonstrated less frontal cortical activation brain activation during Stroop performance. During the guessing task, RGU subjects showed greater cortico-striatal activations than IGD subjects during processing of winning outcomes and greater frontal brain during processing of losing outcomes. Findings suggest that RGU as compared with IGD subjects show greater executive control and greater activations of brain regions implicated in motivational processes during reward processing and greater cortical activations during loss processing. These findings suggest neural and behavioral features distinguishing RGU from IGD and mechanisms by which RGU may be motivated to play online games frequently yet avoid developing IGD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  15. Do motion controllers make action video games less sedentary? A randomized experiment.

    PubMed

    Lyons, Elizabeth J; Tate, Deborah F; Ward, Dianne S; Ribisl, Kurt M; Bowling, J Michael; Kalyanaraman, Sriram

    2012-01-01

    Sports- and fitness-themed video games using motion controllers have been found to produce physical activity. It is possible that motion controllers may also enhance energy expenditure when applied to more sedentary games such as action games. Young adults (N = 100) were randomized to play three games using either motion-based or traditional controllers. No main effect was found for controller or game pair (P > .12). An interaction was found such that in one pair, motion control (mean [SD] 0.96 [0.20] kcal · kg(-1) · hr(-1)) produced 0.10 kcal · kg(-1) · hr(-1) (95% confidence interval 0.03 to 0.17) greater energy expenditure than traditional control (0.86 [0.17] kcal · kg(-1) · hr(-1), P = .048). All games were sedentary. As currently implemented, motion control is unlikely to produce moderate intensity physical activity in action games. However, some games produce small but significant increases in energy expenditure, which may benefit health by decreasing sedentary behavior.

  16. Do Motion Controllers Make Action Video Games Less Sedentary? A Randomized Experiment

    PubMed Central

    Lyons, Elizabeth J.; Tate, Deborah F.; Ward, Dianne S.; Ribisl, Kurt M.; Bowling, J. Michael; Kalyanaraman, Sriram

    2012-01-01

    Sports- and fitness-themed video games using motion controllers have been found to produce physical activity. It is possible that motion controllers may also enhance energy expenditure when applied to more sedentary games such as action games. Young adults (N = 100) were randomized to play three games using either motion-based or traditional controllers. No main effect was found for controller or game pair (P > .12). An interaction was found such that in one pair, motion control (mean [SD] 0.96 [0.20] kcal · kg−1 · hr−1) produced 0.10 kcal · kg−1 · hr−1 (95% confidence interval 0.03 to 0.17) greater energy expenditure than traditional control (0.86 [0.17] kcal · kg−1 · hr−1, P = .048). All games were sedentary. As currently implemented, motion control is unlikely to produce moderate intensity physical activity in action games. However, some games produce small but significant increases in energy expenditure, which may benefit health by decreasing sedentary behavior. PMID:22028959

  17. A meta-analysis of serious digital games for healthy lifestyle promotion.

    PubMed

    DeSmet, Ann; Van Ryckeghem, Dimitri; Compernolle, Sofie; Baranowski, Tom; Thompson, Debbe; Crombez, Geert; Poels, Karolien; Van Lippevelde, Wendy; Bastiaensens, Sara; Van Cleemput, Katrien; Vandebosch, Heidi; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse

    2014-12-01

    Several systematic reviews have described health-promoting effects of serious games but so far no meta-analysis has been reported. This paper presents a meta-analysis of 54 serious digital game studies for healthy lifestyle promotion, in which we investigated the overall effectiveness of serious digital games on healthy lifestyle promotion outcomes and the role of theoretically and clinically important moderators. Findings showed that serious games have small positive effects on healthy lifestyles (g=0.260, 95% CI 0.148; 0.373) and their determinants (g=0.334, 95% CI 0.260; 0.407), especially for knowledge. Effects on clinical outcomes were significant, but much smaller (g=0.079, 95% CI 0.038; 0.120). Long-term effects were maintained for all outcomes except for behavior. Serious games are best individually tailored to both socio-demographic and change need information, and benefit from a strong focus on game theories or a dual theoretical foundation in both behavioral prediction and game theories. They can be effective either as a stand-alone or multi-component programs, and appeal to populations regardless of age and gender. Given that effects of games remain heterogeneous, further explorations of which game features create larger effects are needed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion

    PubMed Central

    DeSmet, Ann; Van Ryckeghem, Dimitri; Compernolle, Sofie; Baranowski, Tom; Thompson, Debbe; Crombez, Geert; Poels, Karolien; Van Lippevelde, Wendy; Bastiaensens, Sara; Van Cleemput, Katrien; Vandebosch, Heidi; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse

    2015-01-01

    Several systematic reviews have described health-promoting effects of serious games but so far no meta-analysis has been reported. This paper presents a meta-analysis of 54 serious digital game studies for healthy lifestyle promotion, in which we investigated the overall effectiveness of serious digital games on healthy lifestyle promotion outcomes and the role of theoretically and clinically important moderators. Findings showed serious games have small positive effects on healthy lifestyles (g=0.260, 95% CI 0.148; 0.373) and their determinants (g=0.334, 95% CI 0.260; 0.407), especially for knowledge. Effects on clinical outcomes were significant, but much smaller (g=0.079, 95% CI 0.038; 0.120). Long-term effects were maintained for all outcomes except for behavior. Serious games are best individually tailored to both socio-demographic and change need information, and benefit from a strong focus on game theories or a dual theoretical foundation in both behavioral prediction and game theories. They can be effective either as a stand-alone or multi-component programs, and appeal to populations regardless of age and gender. Given that effects of games remain heterogeneous, further exploration of which game features create larger effects are needed. PMID:25172024

  19. Attacker-defender game from a network science perspective

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Ya-Peng; Tan, Suo-Yi; Deng, Ye; Wu, Jun

    2018-05-01

    Dealing with the protection of critical infrastructures, many game-theoretic methods have been developed to study the strategic interactions between defenders and attackers. However, most game models ignore the interrelationship between different components within a certain system. In this paper, we propose a simultaneous-move attacker-defender game model, which is a two-player zero-sum static game with complete information. The strategies and payoffs of this game are defined on the basis of the topology structure of the infrastructure system, which is represented by a complex network. Due to the complexity of strategies, the attack and defense strategies are confined by two typical strategies, namely, targeted strategy and random strategy. The simulation results indicate that in a scale-free network, the attacker virtually always attacks randomly in the Nash equilibrium. With a small cost-sensitive parameter, representing the degree to which costs increase with the importance of a target, the defender protects the hub targets with large degrees preferentially. When the cost-sensitive parameter exceeds a threshold, the defender switches to protecting nodes randomly. Our work provides a new theoretical framework to analyze the confrontations between the attacker and the defender on critical infrastructures and deserves further study.

  20. Regulatory focus and generalized trust: the impact of prevention-focused self-regulation on trusting others.

    PubMed

    Keller, Johannes; Mayo, Ruth; Greifeneder, Rainer; Pfattheicher, Stefan

    2015-01-01

    The current research suggests that taking self-regulatory mechanisms into account provides insights regarding individuals' responses to threats in social interactions. In general, based on the notion that a prevention-focused orientation of self-regulation is associated with a need for security and a vigilant tendency to avoid losses and other types of negative events we advocate that a prevention-focused orientation, both as a disposition as well as a situationally induced state, lowers generalized trust, thus hindering cooperation within social interactions that entail threats. Specifically, we found that the more individuals' habitual self-regulatory orientation is dominated by a prevention focus, the less likely they are to score high on a self-report measure of generalized trust (Study 1), and to express trust in a trust game paradigm as manifested in lower sums of transferred money (Studies 2 and 3). Similar findings were found when prevention focus was situationally manipulated (Study 4). Finally, one possible factor underlying the impact of prevention-focused self-regulation on generalized trust was demonstrated as individuals with a special sensitivity to negative information were significantly affected by a subtle prevention focus manipulation (versus control condition) in that they reacted with reduced trust in the trust game (Study 5). In sum, the current findings document the crucial relevance of self-regulatory orientations as conceptualized in regulatory focus theory regarding generalized trust and responses to threats within a social interaction. The theoretical and applied implications of the findings are discussed.

  1. The Effects of Man-Marking on Work Intensity in Small-Sided Soccer Games

    PubMed Central

    Ngo, Jake K.; Tsui, Man-Chung; Smith, Andrew W.; Carling, Christopher; Chan, Gar-Sun; Wong, Del P.

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the effect of manipulating defensive rules: with and without man-marking (MM and NMM) on exercise intensity in 3 vs. 3 small- sided games (SSGs). Twelve adolescent soccer players (age: 16.2 ± 0.7 years; body mass: 55.7 ± 6.4 kg; body height: 1.70 ± 0.07 m) participated in this repeated measures study. Each participant performed in four different SSGs formats: 3 vs. 3 MM with and without goals and 3 vs. 3 NMM with and without goals. Each SSG lasted 3 x 4 minutes interspersed with 4 minutes passive recovery. The percentage heart rate reserve (%HRreserve) was recorded continuously during SSG and session-rating of perceived exertion (session-RPE) after the SSG. MANOVA showed that defensive rule had significant effects on intensity (F = 5.37, p < 0.01). Specifically, MM during SSG induced significantly higher %HRreserve compared to NMM (Goal: 80.5 vs. 75.7%; No goal: 80.5 vs. 76.1%; p < 0.05, effect size = 0.91-1.06), irrespective of the presence or absence of goals. However, only MM with the presence of goals induced significant higher session-RPE compared to NMM (7.1 vs. 6. 0; p < 0.05, effect size = 1.36), whereas no difference in session-RPE was observed between MM and NMM (7.4 vs. 6.9; p > 0.05, effect size = 0.63) when no goals were used. Higher intra-class reliability and lower coefficient of variation values were also reported in MM as compared to NMM. This study in youth soccer players shows there is ~4.5% increase in heart rate response by using the man-marking in 3 vs. 3 SSG thus the intensity of SSG can be significantly increased when using man-marking tactics. Key pointsIntensity level of exercise during games can be raised if man-marking rule is adopted.No significant differences in perceived exertion were found in no goal SSG with and without man-marking.Adding goals in 3 vs. 3 SSG can lower perceived exertion without leading to large variations in intensity level. PMID:24149127

  2. Individual differences in motives, preferences, and pathology in video games: the gaming attitudes, motives, and experiences scales (GAMES)

    PubMed Central

    Hilgard, Joseph; Engelhardt, Christopher R.; Bartholow, Bruce D.

    2013-01-01

    A new measure of individual habits and preferences in video game use is developed in order to better study the risk factors of pathological game use (i.e., excessively frequent or prolonged use, sometimes called “game addiction”). This measure was distributed to internet message boards for game enthusiasts and to college undergraduates. An exploratory factor analysis identified 9 factors: Story, Violent Catharsis, Violent Reward, Social Interaction, Escapism, Loss-Sensitivity, Customization, Grinding, and Autonomy. These factors demonstrated excellent fit in a subsequent confirmatory factor analysis, and, importantly, were found to reliably discriminate between inter-individual game preferences (e.g., Super Mario Brothers as compared to Call of Duty). Moreover, three factors were significantly related to pathological game use: the use of games to escape daily life, the use of games as a social outlet, and positive attitudes toward the steady accumulation of in-game rewards. The current research identifies individual preferences and motives relevant to understanding video game players' evaluations of different games and risk factors for pathological video game use. PMID:24058355

  3. Individual differences in motives, preferences, and pathology in video games: the gaming attitudes, motives, and experiences scales (GAMES).

    PubMed

    Hilgard, Joseph; Engelhardt, Christopher R; Bartholow, Bruce D

    2013-01-01

    A new measure of individual habits and preferences in video game use is developed in order to better study the risk factors of pathological game use (i.e., excessively frequent or prolonged use, sometimes called "game addiction"). This measure was distributed to internet message boards for game enthusiasts and to college undergraduates. An exploratory factor analysis identified 9 factors: Story, Violent Catharsis, Violent Reward, Social Interaction, Escapism, Loss-Sensitivity, Customization, Grinding, and Autonomy. These factors demonstrated excellent fit in a subsequent confirmatory factor analysis, and, importantly, were found to reliably discriminate between inter-individual game preferences (e.g., Super Mario Brothers as compared to Call of Duty). Moreover, three factors were significantly related to pathological game use: the use of games to escape daily life, the use of games as a social outlet, and positive attitudes toward the steady accumulation of in-game rewards. The current research identifies individual preferences and motives relevant to understanding video game players' evaluations of different games and risk factors for pathological video game use.

  4. Internet Gaming Disorder: Investigating the Clinical Relevance of a New Phenomenon.

    PubMed

    Przybylski, Andrew K; Weinstein, Netta; Murayama, Kou

    2017-03-01

    The American Psychiatric Association (APA) identified Internet gaming disorder as a new potential psychiatric disorder and has recognized that little is known about the prevalence, validity, or cross-cultural robustness of proposed Internet gaming disorder criteria. In response to this gap in our understanding, the present study, a first for this research topic, estimated the period prevalence of this new potential psychiatric disorder using APA guidance, examined the validity of its proposed indicators, evaluated reliability cross-culturally and across genders, compared it to gold-standard research on gambling addiction and problem gaming, and estimated its impact on physical, social, and mental health. Four survey studies (N=18,932) with large international cohorts employed an open-science methodology wherein the analysis plans for confirmatory hypotheses were registered prior to data collection. Among those who played games, more than 2 out of 3 did not report any symptoms of Internet gaming disorder, and findings showed that a very small proportion of the general population (between 0.3% and 1.0%) might qualify for a potential acute diagnosis of Internet gaming disorder. Comparison to gambling disorder revealed that Internet-based games may be significantly less addictive than gambling and similarly dysregulating as electronic games more generally. The evidence linking Internet gaming disorder to game engagement was strong, but links to physical, social, and mental health outcomes were decidedly mixed.

  5. Game Theoretic Approach to Post-Docked Satellite Control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hiramatsu, Takashi; Fitz-Coy, Norman G.

    2007-01-01

    This paper studies the interaction between two satellites after docking. In order to maintain the docked state with uncertainty in the motion of the target vehicle, a game theoretic controller with Stackelberg strategy to minimize the interaction between the satellites is considered. The small perturbation approximation leads to LQ differential game scheme, which is validated to address the docking interactions between a service vehicle and a target vehicle. The open-loop solution are compared with Nash strategy, and it is shown that less control efforts are obtained with Stackelberg strategy.

  6. Naming Game with Multiple Hearers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Bing; Chen, Guanrong; Chow, Tommy W. S.

    2013-05-01

    A new model called Naming Game with Multiple Hearers (NGMH) is proposed in this paper. A naming game over a population of individuals aims to reach consensus on the name of an object through pair-wise local interactions among all the individuals. The proposed NGMH model describes the learning process of a new word, in a population with one speaker and multiple hearers, at each interaction towards convergence. The characteristics of NGMH are examined on three types of network topologies, namely ER random-graph network, WS small-world network, and BA scale-free network. Comparative analysis on the convergence time is performed, revealing that the topology with a larger average (node) degree can reach consensus faster than the others over the same population. It is found that, for a homogeneous network, the average degree is the limiting value of the number of hearers, which reduces the individual ability of learning new words, consequently decreasing the convergence time; for a scale-free network, this limiting value is the deviation of the average degree. It is also found that a network with a larger clustering coefficient takes longer time to converge; especially a small-word network with smallest rewiring possibility takes longest time to reach convergence. As more new nodes are being added to scale-free networks with different degree distributions, their convergence time appears to be robust against the network-size variation. Most new findings reported in this paper are different from that of the single-speaker/single-hearer naming games documented in the literature.

  7. Augmented reality cube game for cognitive training: an interaction study.

    PubMed

    Boletsis, Costas; Mccallum, Simon

    2014-01-01

    There is the potential that cognitive activity may delay cognitive decline in people with mild cognitive impairment. Games provide both cognitive challenge and motivation for repeated use, a prerequisite for long lasting effect. Recent advances in technology introduce several new interaction methods, potentially leading to more efficient, personalized cognitive gaming experiences. In this paper, we present an Augmented Reality (AR) cognitive training game, utilizing cubes as input tools, and we test the cube interaction with a pilot study. The results of the study revealed the marker occlusion problem, and that novice AR users can adjust to the developed AR environment after a small number of sessions.

  8. Nanomaterial categorization for assessing risk potential to facilitate regulatory decision-making.

    PubMed

    Godwin, Hilary; Nameth, Catherine; Avery, David; Bergeson, Lynn L; Bernard, Daniel; Beryt, Elizabeth; Boyes, William; Brown, Scott; Clippinger, Amy J; Cohen, Yoram; Doa, Maria; Hendren, Christine Ogilvie; Holden, Patricia; Houck, Keith; Kane, Agnes B; Klaessig, Frederick; Kodas, Toivo; Landsiedel, Robert; Lynch, Iseult; Malloy, Timothy; Miller, Mary Beth; Muller, Julie; Oberdorster, Gunter; Petersen, Elijah J; Pleus, Richard C; Sayre, Philip; Stone, Vicki; Sullivan, Kristie M; Tentschert, Jutta; Wallis, Philip; Nel, Andre E

    2015-01-01

    For nanotechnology to meet its potential as a game-changing and sustainable technology, it is important to ensure that the engineered nanomaterials and nanoenabled products that gain entry to the marketplace are safe and effective. Tools and methods are needed for regulatory purposes to allow rapid material categorization according to human health and environmental risk potential, so that materials of high concern can be targeted for additional scrutiny, while material categories that pose the least risk can receive expedited review. Using carbon nanotubes as an example, we discuss how data from alternative testing strategies can be used to facilitate engineered nanomaterial categorization according to risk potential and how such an approach could facilitate regulatory decision-making in the future.

  9. Cognitive behavioral game design: a unified model for designing serious games

    PubMed Central

    Starks, Katryna

    2014-01-01

    Video games have a unique ability to engage, challenge, and motivate, which has led teachers, psychology specialists, political activists and health educators to find ways of using them to help people learn, grow and change. Serious games, as they are called, are defined as games that have a primary purpose other than entertainment. However, it is challenging to create games that both educate and entertain. While game designers have embraced some psychological concepts such as flow and mastery, understanding how these concepts work together within established psychological theory would assist them in creating effective serious games. Similarly, game design professionals have understood the propensity of video games to teach while lamenting that educators do not understand how to incorporate educational principles into game play in a way that preserves the entertainment. Bandura (2006) social cognitive theory (SCT) has been used successfully to create video games that create positive behavior outcomes, and teachers have successfully used Gardner’s (1983) theory of multiple intelligences (MIs) to create engaging, immersive learning experiences. Cognitive behavioral game design is a new framework that incorporates SCT and MI with game design principles to create a game design blueprint for serious games. PMID:24550858

  10. Cognitive behavioral game design: a unified model for designing serious games.

    PubMed

    Starks, Katryna

    2014-01-01

    Video games have a unique ability to engage, challenge, and motivate, which has led teachers, psychology specialists, political activists and health educators to find ways of using them to help people learn, grow and change. Serious games, as they are called, are defined as games that have a primary purpose other than entertainment. However, it is challenging to create games that both educate and entertain. While game designers have embraced some psychological concepts such as flow and mastery, understanding how these concepts work together within established psychological theory would assist them in creating effective serious games. Similarly, game design professionals have understood the propensity of video games to teach while lamenting that educators do not understand how to incorporate educational principles into game play in a way that preserves the entertainment. Bandura (2006) social cognitive theory (SCT) has been used successfully to create video games that create positive behavior outcomes, and teachers have successfully used Gardner's (1983) theory of multiple intelligences (MIs) to create engaging, immersive learning experiences. Cognitive behavioral game design is a new framework that incorporates SCT and MI with game design principles to create a game design blueprint for serious games.

  11. Physiological and skill demands of 'on-side' and 'off-side' games.

    PubMed

    Gabbett, Tim J; Jenkins, David G; Abernethy, Bruce

    2010-11-01

    This study investigated the physiological and skill demands of 'on-side' and 'off-side' games in elite rugby league players. Sixteen male rugby league players participated in 'on-side' and 'off-side' games. Both small-sided games were played in a 40- × 40-m playing area. The 'off-side' game permitted players to have 3 'plays' while in possession of the ball. Players were permitted to pass backward or forward (to an 'off-side' player). The 'on-side' game also permitted players to have 3 'plays' while in possession of the ball. However, players were only permitted to pass backward to players in an 'on-side' position. Heart rate and movement patterns (via global positioning system) were recorded continuously throughout both games. Data were collected on the distance covered, number of high-acceleration and velocity efforts, and recovery between efforts. Video footage was also taken to track the performance of the players. Post hoc inspection of the footage was undertaken to count the number of possessions and the number and quality of disposals. In comparison to 'on-side' games, 'off-side' games had a greater number of involvements ("touches"), passes, and effective passes. However, the cognitive demands of 'on-side' games were greater than 'off-side' games. 'Off-side' games resulted in a greater total distance covered, greater distance covered in mild and moderate accelerations, and greater distance covered in low, moderate, and high-velocity efforts. There were also a greater number of short duration recovery periods between efforts in 'off-side' games. The results of this study demonstrate that 'off-side' games provide greater physiological and skill demands than 'on-side' games. 'Off-side' games may provide a practical alternative to 'on-side' games for the development of skill and fitness in elite rugby league players.

  12. 76 FR 40144 - Semiannual Regulatory Agenda

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-07

    ... the Small Business Administration's regulations establishing the Women-Owned Small Business Program... Government's rulemaking Web site at http://www.regulations.gov . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Hada Flowers, Division Director, Regulatory Secretariat Director, Room 783E, 1275 First Street, NE., Washington...

  13. Combat games

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ardema, M. D.; Heymann, M.; Rajan, N.

    1985-01-01

    A mathematical formulation is proposed of a combat game between two opponents with offensive capabilities and offensive objective is proposed. Resolution of the combat involves solving two differential games with state constraints. Depending on the game dynamics and parameters, the combat can terminate in one of four ways: the first player wins; the second player wins; a draw (neither wins); or joint capture. In the first two cases, the optimal strategies of the two players are determined from suitable zero-sum games, whereas in the latter two the relevant games are nonzero-sum. Further, to avoid certain technical difficulties, the concept of a delta-combat game is introduced.

  14. Game-based interventions and their impact on dementia: a narrative review.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Jiaying; Chen, Xueping; Yu, Ping

    2017-12-01

    The aim of this review was to examine the efficacy of game-based interventions for people with dementia. Seven studies that met the inclusion criteria were found in four databases. Their interventions and key findings were analysed and synthesised. Game-based interventions for people with dementia are showing promise for improving cognition, coordination and behavioural and psychological symptoms. The generalisability of the findings is limited by weak methodology and small sample size. Game-based interventions can improve cognition, coordination and behavioural and psychological symptoms for people with dementia. Future research should include methodological improvement and practice guideline development.

  15. Genome-wide analysis of the regulatory function mediated by the small regulatory psm-mec RNA of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

    PubMed

    Cheung, Gordon Y C; Villaruz, Amer E; Joo, Hwang-Soo; Duong, Anthony C; Yeh, Anthony J; Nguyen, Thuan H; Sturdevant, Daniel E; Queck, S Y; Otto, M

    2014-07-01

    Several methicillin resistance (SCCmec) clusters characteristic of hospital-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains harbor the psm-mec locus. In addition to encoding the cytolysin, phenol-soluble modulin (PSM)-mec, this locus has been attributed gene regulatory functions. Here we employed genome-wide transcriptional profiling to define the regulatory function of the psm-mec locus. The immune evasion factor protein A emerged as the primary conserved and strongly regulated target of psm-mec, an effect we show is mediated by the psm-mec RNA. Furthermore, the psm-mec locus exerted regulatory effects that were more moderate in extent. For example, expression of PSM-mec limited expression of mecA, thereby decreasing methicillin resistance. Our study shows that the psm-mec locus has a rare dual regulatory RNA and encoded cytolysin function. Furthermore, our findings reveal a specific mechanism underscoring the recently emerging concept that S. aureus strains balance pronounced virulence and high expression of antibiotic resistance. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  16. Altered Brain Reactivity to Game Cues After Gaming Experience.

    PubMed

    Ahn, Hyeon Min; Chung, Hwan Jun; Kim, Sang Hee

    2015-08-01

    Individuals who play Internet games excessively show elevated brain reactivity to game-related cues. This study attempted to test whether this elevated cue reactivity observed in game players is a result of repeated exposure to Internet games. Healthy young adults without a history of excessively playing Internet games were recruited, and they were instructed to play an online Internet game for 2 hours/day for five consecutive weekdays. Two control groups were used: the drama group, which viewed a fantasy TV drama, and the no-exposure group, which received no systematic exposure. All participants performed a cue reactivity task with game, drama, and neutral cues in the brain scanner, both before and after the exposure sessions. The game group showed an increased reactivity to game cues in the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC). The degree of VLPFC activation increase was positively correlated with the self-reported increase in desire for the game. The drama group showed an increased cue reactivity in response to the presentation of drama cues in the caudate, posterior cingulate, and precuneus. The results indicate that exposure to either Internet games or TV dramas elevates the reactivity to visual cues associated with the particular exposure. The exact elevation patterns, however, appear to differ depending on the type of media experienced. How changes in each of the regions contribute to the progression to pathological craving warrants a future longitudinal study.

  17. "The Academic Game" as a Frame Game.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bredemeier, Mary E.; And Others

    1981-01-01

    Describes a frame game which focuses on problems of sex, status, and organizational development. "The Academic Game" is a specific model of a generic game that has differential consequences for men and women, and is easily adaptable to other organizational settings, including public administration and industry. Six references are listed.…

  18. Brain activities associated with gaming urge of online gaming addiction.

    PubMed

    Ko, Chih-Hung; Liu, Gin-Chung; Hsiao, Sigmund; Yen, Ju-Yu; Yang, Ming-Jen; Lin, Wei-Chen; Yen, Cheng-Fang; Chen, Cheng-Sheng

    2009-04-01

    The aim of this study was to identify the neural substrates of online gaming addiction through evaluation of the brain areas associated with the cue-induced gaming urge. Ten participants with online gaming addiction and 10 control subjects without online gaming addiction were tested. They were presented with gaming pictures and the paired mosaic pictures while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning. The contrast in blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signals when viewing gaming pictures and when viewing mosaic pictures was calculated with the SPM2 software to evaluate the brain activations. Right orbitofrontal cortex, right nucleus accumbens, bilateral anterior cingulate and medial frontal cortex, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and right caudate nucleus were activated in the addicted group in contrast to the control group. The activation of the region-of-interest (ROI) defined by the above brain areas was positively correlated with self-reported gaming urge and recalling of gaming experience provoked by the WOW pictures. The results demonstrate that the neural substrate of cue-induced gaming urge/craving in online gaming addiction is similar to that of the cue-induced craving in substance dependence. The above-mentioned brain regions have been reported to contribute to the craving in substance dependence, and here we show that the same areas were involved in online gaming urge/craving. Thus, the results suggest that the gaming urge/craving in online gaming addiction and craving in substance dependence might share the same neurobiological mechanism.

  19. Game injuries in relation to game schedules in the National Basketball Association.

    PubMed

    Teramoto, Masaru; Cross, Chad L; Cushman, Daniel M; Maak, Travis G; Petron, David J; Willick, Stuart E

    2017-03-01

    Injury management is critical in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as players experience a wide variety of injuries. Recently, it has been suggested that game schedules, such as back-to-back games and four games in five days, increase the risk of injuries in the NBA. The aim of this study was to examine the association between game schedules and player injuries in the NBA. Descriptive epidemiology study. The present study analyzed game injuries and game schedules in the 2012-13 through 2014-15 regular seasons. Game injuries by game schedules and players' profiles were examined using an exact binomial test, the Fisher's exact test and the Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test. A Poisson regression analysis was performed to predict the number of game injuries sustained by each player from game schedules and injured players' profiles. There were a total of 681 cases of game injuries sustained by 280 different players during the three years (total N=1443 players). Playing back-to-back games or playing four games in five days alone was not associated with an increased rate of game injuries, whereas a significant positive association was found between game injuries and playing away from home (p<0.05). Playing back-to-back games and away games were significant predictors of frequent game injuries (p<0.05). Game schedules could be one factor that impacts the risk of game injuries in the NBA. The findings could be useful for designing optimal game schedules in the NBA as well as helping NBA teams make adjustments to minimize game injuries. Copyright © 2016 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Versatility and addiction in gaming: the number of video-game genres played is associated with pathological gaming in male adolescents.

    PubMed

    Donati, Maria Anna; Chiesi, Francesca; Ammannato, Giulio; Primi, Caterina

    2015-02-01

    This study tested the predictive power of gaming versatility (i.e., the number of video game genres engaged in) on game addiction in male adolescents, controlling for time spent on gaming. Participants were 701 male adolescents attending high school (Mage=15.6 years). Analyses showed that pathological gaming was predicted not only by higher time spent on gaming, but also by participation in a greater number of video game genres. Specifically, the wider the array of video game genres played, the higher were the negative consequences caused by gaming. Findings show that versatility can be considered as one of the behavioral risk factors related to gaming addiction, which may be characterized by a composite and diversified experience with video games. This study suggests that educational efforts designed to prevent gaming addiction among youth may also be focused on adolescents' engagement in different video games.

  1. Constructionist Gaming: Understanding the Benefits of Making Games for Learning.

    PubMed

    Kafai, Yasmin B; Burke, Quinn

    2015-10-02

    There has been considerable interest in examining the educational potential of playing video games. One crucial element, however, has traditionally been left out of these discussions-namely, children's learning through making their own games. In this article, we review and synthesize 55 studies from the last decade on making games and learning. We found that the majority of studies focused on teaching coding and academic content through game making, and that few studies explicitly examined the roles of collaboration and identity in the game making process. We argue that future discussions of serious gaming ought to be more inclusive of constructionist approaches to realize the full potential of serious gaming. Making games, we contend, not only more genuinely introduces children to a range of technical skills but also better connects them to each other, addressing the persistent issues of access and diversity present in traditional digital gaming cultures.

  2. Constructionist Gaming: Understanding the Benefits of Making Games for Learning

    PubMed Central

    Kafai, Yasmin B.; Burke, Quinn

    2015-01-01

    There has been considerable interest in examining the educational potential of playing video games. One crucial element, however, has traditionally been left out of these discussions—namely, children's learning through making their own games. In this article, we review and synthesize 55 studies from the last decade on making games and learning. We found that the majority of studies focused on teaching coding and academic content through game making, and that few studies explicitly examined the roles of collaboration and identity in the game making process. We argue that future discussions of serious gaming ought to be more inclusive of constructionist approaches to realize the full potential of serious gaming. Making games, we contend, not only more genuinely introduces children to a range of technical skills but also better connects them to each other, addressing the persistent issues of access and diversity present in traditional digital gaming cultures. PMID:27019536

  3. Enhancing cognition with video games: a multiple game training study.

    PubMed

    Oei, Adam C; Patterson, Michael D

    2013-01-01

    Previous evidence points to a causal link between playing action video games and enhanced cognition and perception. However, benefits of playing other video games are under-investigated. We examined whether playing non-action games also improves cognition. Hence, we compared transfer effects of an action and other non-action types that required different cognitive demands. We instructed 5 groups of non-gamer participants to play one game each on a mobile device (iPhone/iPod Touch) for one hour a day/five days a week over four weeks (20 hours). Games included action, spatial memory, match-3, hidden- object, and an agent-based life simulation. Participants performed four behavioral tasks before and after video game training to assess for transfer effects. Tasks included an attentional blink task, a spatial memory and visual search dual task, a visual filter memory task to assess for multiple object tracking and cognitive control, as well as a complex verbal span task. Action game playing eliminated attentional blink and improved cognitive control and multiple-object tracking. Match-3, spatial memory and hidden object games improved visual search performance while the latter two also improved spatial working memory. Complex verbal span improved after match-3 and action game training. Cognitive improvements were not limited to action game training alone and different games enhanced different aspects of cognition. We conclude that training specific cognitive abilities frequently in a video game improves performance in tasks that share common underlying demands. Overall, these results suggest that many video game-related cognitive improvements may not be due to training of general broad cognitive systems such as executive attentional control, but instead due to frequent utilization of specific cognitive processes during game play. Thus, many video game training related improvements to cognition may be attributed to near-transfer effects.

  4. Enhancing Cognition with Video Games: A Multiple Game Training Study

    PubMed Central

    Oei, Adam C.; Patterson, Michael D.

    2013-01-01

    Background Previous evidence points to a causal link between playing action video games and enhanced cognition and perception. However, benefits of playing other video games are under-investigated. We examined whether playing non-action games also improves cognition. Hence, we compared transfer effects of an action and other non-action types that required different cognitive demands. Methodology/Principal Findings We instructed 5 groups of non-gamer participants to play one game each on a mobile device (iPhone/iPod Touch) for one hour a day/five days a week over four weeks (20 hours). Games included action, spatial memory, match-3, hidden- object, and an agent-based life simulation. Participants performed four behavioral tasks before and after video game training to assess for transfer effects. Tasks included an attentional blink task, a spatial memory and visual search dual task, a visual filter memory task to assess for multiple object tracking and cognitive control, as well as a complex verbal span task. Action game playing eliminated attentional blink and improved cognitive control and multiple-object tracking. Match-3, spatial memory and hidden object games improved visual search performance while the latter two also improved spatial working memory. Complex verbal span improved after match-3 and action game training. Conclusion/Significance Cognitive improvements were not limited to action game training alone and different games enhanced different aspects of cognition. We conclude that training specific cognitive abilities frequently in a video game improves performance in tasks that share common underlying demands. Overall, these results suggest that many video game-related cognitive improvements may not be due to training of general broad cognitive systems such as executive attentional control, but instead due to frequent utilization of specific cognitive processes during game play. Thus, many video game training related improvements to cognition may be

  5. Ubiquitous Games for Learning (UbiqGames): Weatherlings, a Worked Example

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klopfer, E.; Sheldon, J.; Perry, J.; Chen, V. H. -H.

    2012-01-01

    This paper provides a rationale for a class of mobile, casual, and educational games, which we call UbiqGames. The study is motivated by the desire to understand how students use educational games in light of additional distractions on their devices, and how game design can make those games appealing, educationally useful, and practical. In…

  6. Executive summary: the health and fitness benefits of regular participation in small-sided football games.

    PubMed

    Krustrup, P; Dvorak, J; Junge, A; Bangsbo, J

    2010-04-01

    The present special issue of Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports deals with health and fitness benefits of regular participation in small-sided football games. One review article and 13 original articles were the result of a 2-year multi-center study in Copenhagen and Zurich and include studies of different age groups analyzed from a physiological, medical, social and psychological perspective. The main groups investigated were middle-aged, former untrained, healthy men and women who were followed for up to 16 months. In addition, elderly, children and hypertensive patients were studied. A summary and interpretations of the main findings divided into an analysis of the physical demands during training of various groups and the effect of a period of training on performance, muscle adaptations and health profile follow. In addition, social and psychological effects on participation in recreational football are considered, the comparison of football training and endurance running is summarized and the effects of football practice on the elderly and children and youngsters are presented.

  7. T regulatory cells in contact hypersensitivity.

    PubMed

    Cavani, Andrea

    2008-08-01

    The review summarizes the recent investigations focused on T regulatory cells in hapten diseases. Multiple mechanisms ensure tolerance to small chemicals penetrating the skin. Among these, specific T regulatory cells play a major role in controlling harmful immune responses to environmental antigens. Most of the T regulatory cells involved in this process belongs to the CD4 subset and suppress hapten-specific immune response through the release of IL-10 and through direct interaction with effector T cells, blocking their function. Methods for in-vitro and in-vivo expansion of specific T regulatory cells may represent an innovative approach for the cure of contact hypersensitivity.

  8. Investigating Flow Experience and Scientific Practices During a Mobile Serious Educational Game

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bressler, Denise M.; Bodzin, Alec M.

    2016-10-01

    Mobile serious educational games (SEGs) show promise for promoting scientific practices and high engagement. Researchers have quantified this engagement according to flow theory. This study investigated whether a mobile SEG promotes flow experience and scientific practices with eighth-grade urban students. Students playing the game ( n = 59) were compared with students in a business-as-usual control activity ( n = 120). In both scenarios, students worked in small teams. Data measures included an open-ended instrument designed to measure scientific practices, a self-report flow survey, and classroom observations. The game players had significantly higher levels of flow and scientific practices compared to the control group. Observations revealed that game teams received less whole-class instruction and review compared to the control teams. Game teachers had primarily a guide-on-the-side role when facilitating the game, while control teachers predominantly used didactic instruction when facilitating the control activity. Implications for these findings are discussed.

  9. Strong Stackelberg reasoning in symmetric games: An experimental replication and extension

    PubMed Central

    Colman, Andrew M.; Lawrence, Catherine L.

    2014-01-01

    In common interest games in which players are motivated to coordinate their strategies to achieve a jointly optimal outcome, orthodox game theory provides no general reason or justification for choosing the required strategies. In the simplest cases, where the optimal strategies are intuitively obvious, human decision makers generally coordinate without difficulty, but how they achieve this is poorly understood. Most theories seeking to explain strategic coordination have limited applicability, or require changes to the game specification, or introduce implausible assumptions or radical departures from fundamental game-theoretic assumptions. The theory of strong Stackelberg reasoning, according to which players choose strategies that would maximize their own payoffs if their co-players could invariably anticipate any strategy and respond with a best reply to it, avoids these problems and explains strategic coordination in all dyadic common interest games. Previous experimental evidence has provided evidence for strong Stackelberg reasoning in asymmetric games. Here we report evidence from two experiments consistent with players being influenced by strong Stackelberg reasoning in a wide variety of symmetric 3 × 3 games but tending to revert to other choice criteria when strong Stackelberg reasoning generates small payoffs. PMID:24688846

  10. Strong Stackelberg reasoning in symmetric games: An experimental replication and extension.

    PubMed

    Pulford, Briony D; Colman, Andrew M; Lawrence, Catherine L

    2014-01-01

    In common interest games in which players are motivated to coordinate their strategies to achieve a jointly optimal outcome, orthodox game theory provides no general reason or justification for choosing the required strategies. In the simplest cases, where the optimal strategies are intuitively obvious, human decision makers generally coordinate without difficulty, but how they achieve this is poorly understood. Most theories seeking to explain strategic coordination have limited applicability, or require changes to the game specification, or introduce implausible assumptions or radical departures from fundamental game-theoretic assumptions. The theory of strong Stackelberg reasoning, according to which players choose strategies that would maximize their own payoffs if their co-players could invariably anticipate any strategy and respond with a best reply to it, avoids these problems and explains strategic coordination in all dyadic common interest games. Previous experimental evidence has provided evidence for strong Stackelberg reasoning in asymmetric games. Here we report evidence from two experiments consistent with players being influenced by strong Stackelberg reasoning in a wide variety of symmetric 3 × 3 games but tending to revert to other choice criteria when strong Stackelberg reasoning generates small payoffs.

  11. Neurotensin may function as a regulatory peptide in small cell lung cancer.

    PubMed

    Davis, T P; Crowell, S; McInturff, B; Louis, R; Gillespie, T

    1991-01-01

    Neurotensin (NT) has been postulated to act as a modulatory agent in the central nervous system. Besides its presence in mammalian brain, NT is produced by small cell carcinoma of the lung (SCLC) and cell lines derived from these tumors. Receptors have also been characterized in some SCLC cell lines leading to the suggestion that NT could regulate the growth of SCLC in an autocrine fashion similar to bombesin/GRP. Previously, we had reported that a 10 nM dose of NT and NT(8-13), but not NT(1-8), elevated cytosolic Ca2+, indicating that SCLC NT receptors may use Ca2+ as a second messenger. Using intact SCLC cells we report that time-course incubations with NT lead to the formation of the amino-terminal fragment NT(1-8) and small amounts of the C-terminal fragment NT(9-13). These fragments are formed by metalloendopeptidase 3.4.24.15 cleaving enzyme at the Arg8-Arg9 bond of NT. Significant levels of soluble 3.4.24.15 (10-17 nmoles/mg Pr-/min) are present in SCLC cell lines. Using the in vitro clonogenic assay we tested the effect of 0.5, 5.0 and 10.0 nM doses of NT, NT(1-8) and NT(8-13) on SCLC clonal growth. NT and the C-terminal fragment NT(8-13) stimulated colony formation whereas the N-terminal fragment did not. In summary, NT may function as a regulatory peptide in SCLC through the formation of peptide fragments.

  12. Energy cost and game flow of 5 exer-games in trained players.

    PubMed

    Bronner, Shaw; Pinsker, Russell; Noah, J Adam

    2013-05-01

    To determine energy expenditure and player experience in exer-games designed for novel platforms. Energy cost of 7 trained players was measured in 5 music-based exer-games. Participants answered a questionnaire about "game flow," experience of enjoyment, and immersion in game play. Energy expenditure during game play ranged from moderate to vigorous intensity (4 - 9 MET). Participant achieved highest MET levels and game flow while playing StepMania and lowest MET levels and game flow when playing Wii Just Dance 3(®) and Kinect Dance Central™. Game flow scores positively correlated with MET levels. Physiological measurement and game flow testing during game development may help to optimize exer-game player activity and experience.

  13. Precise estimates of gaming-related harm should guide regulation of gaming.

    PubMed

    Starcevic, Vladan; Billieux, Joël

    2018-06-13

    Regulation of gaming is largely based on the perception of gaming-related harm. This perception varies from one country to another and does not necessarily correspond to the real gaming-related harm. It is argued that there is a crucial need to define and assess domains of this harm in order to introduce policies that regulate gaming. Such policies would ideally be targeted at individuals at risk for problematic gaming and would be based more on educational efforts than on restrictive measures. The role of gaming industry in the regulation of gaming would depend on the more precise estimates of gaming-related harm.

  14. Empathy emerges spontaneously in the ultimatum game: small groups and networks.

    PubMed

    Iranzo, Jaime; Floría, Luis M; Moreno, Yamir; Sánchez, Angel

    2012-01-01

    The Ultimatum game, in which one subject proposes how to share a pot and the other has veto power on the proposal, in which case both lose everything, is a paradigmatic scenario to probe the degree of cooperation and altruism in human subjects. It has been shown that if individuals are empathic, i.e., they play the game having in mind how their opponent will react by offering an amount that they themselves would accept, then non-rational large offers well above the smallest possible ones are evolutionarily selected. We here show that empathy itself may be selected and need not be exogenously imposed provided that interactions take place only with a fraction of the total population, and that the role of proposer or responder is randomly changed from round to round. These empathic agents, that displace agents with independent (uncorrelated) offers and proposals, behave far from what is expected rationally, offering and accepting sizable fractions of the amount to be shared. Specific values for the typical offer depend on the details of the interacion network and on the existence of hubs, but they are almost always significantly larger than zero, indicating that the mechanism at work here is quite general and could explain the emergence of empathy in very many different contexts.

  15. Video games.

    PubMed

    Funk, Jeanne B

    2005-06-01

    The video game industry insists that it is doing everything possible to provide information about the content of games so that parents can make informed choices; however, surveys indicate that ratings may not reflect consumer views of the nature of the content. This article describes some of the currently popular video games, as well as developments that are on the horizon, and discusses the status of research on the positive and negative impacts of playing video games. Recommendations are made to help parents ensure that children play games that are consistent with their values.

  16. Game theory.

    PubMed

    Dufwenberg, Martin

    2011-03-01

    Game theory is a toolkit for examining situations where decision makers influence each other. I discuss the nature of game-theoretic analysis, the history of game theory, why game theory is useful for understanding human psychology, and why game theory has played a key role in the recent explosion of interest in the field of behavioral economics. WIREs Cogni Sci 2011 2 167-173 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.119 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Differential games.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Varaiya, P. P.

    1972-01-01

    General discussion of the theory of differential games with two players and zero sum. Games starting at a fixed initial state and ending at a fixed final time are analyzed. Strategies for the games are defined. The existence of saddle values and saddle points is considered. A stochastic version of a differential game is used to examine the synthesis problem.

  18. 75 FR 21889 - Semiannual Regulatory Agenda

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-26

    ...--Resetting Fixed Interest Rate 3245-AG03 286 504 Program Governance Regulations 3245-AG04 287 Small Business...). It also conforms SBA rules for the section 7(a) Business Loan Program and the Certified Development... Part XVI Small Business Administration ###Semiannual Regulatory Agenda### [[Page 21890

  19. 75 FR 79863 - Semiannual Regulatory Agenda

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-20

    ... represent that it will make good faith efforts to award subcontracts to small businesses at the same...). It also conforms SBA rules for the section 7(a) Business Loan Program and the Certified Development... Part XVII Small Business Administration ###Semiannual Regulatory Agenda### [[Page 79864

  20. Altered Heart Rate Variability During Gaming in Internet Gaming Disorder.

    PubMed

    Lee, Deokjong; Hong, Sung Jun; Jung, Young-Chul; Park, Jinsick; Kim, In Young; Namkoong, Kee

    2018-04-01

    Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is characterized by addiction to online gaming and reduced executive control, particularly when individuals are exposed to gaming-related cues. Executive control can be measured as vagally mediated heart rate variability (HRV), which corresponds to variability in the time interval between heart beats. In this study, we investigated whether individuals with IGD have altered HRV while playing online games. We hypothesized that while gaming, individuals with IGD would exhibit phasic suppression of vagally mediated HRV, which would reflect executive control dysfunction during game play. To test this, we measured the changes of HRV when young males with IGD were engaged in real-time online gaming. The changes of HRV were associated with the severity of IGD assessed by self-reports and prefrontal gray matter volume (GMV) calculated by voxel-based morphometry. We included 23 IGD subjects and 18 controls in our analyses. Changes in HRV were not statistically different between IGD subjects and controls. Within the IGD group, however, subjects showed significant decreases in high-frequency (HF) HRV during gaming. Furthermore, the degree of decrease correlated with IGD severity and prefrontal GMV. Importantly, this phasic suppression of HF-HRV in response to gaming did not occur in control subjects. In conclusion, young males with IGD showed an altered HRV response while playing an online game, reflecting their difficulties in executive control over gaming. The dynamics between executive control and reward seeking may be out of balance during game play in IGD.

  1. Zero-Determinant Strategies in Iterated Public Goods Game

    PubMed Central

    Pan, Liming; Hao, Dong; Rong, Zhihai; Zhou, Tao

    2015-01-01

    Recently, Press and Dyson have proposed a new class of probabilistic and conditional strategies for the two-player iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma, so-called zero-determinant strategies. A player adopting zero-determinant strategies is able to pin the expected payoff of the opponents or to enforce a linear relationship between his own payoff and the opponents’ payoff, in a unilateral way. This paper considers zero-determinant strategies in the iterated public goods game, a representative multi-player game where in each round each player will choose whether or not to put his tokens into a public pot, and the tokens in this pot are multiplied by a factor larger than one and then evenly divided among all players. The analytical and numerical results exhibit a similar yet different scenario to the case of two-player games: (i) with small number of players or a small multiplication factor, a player is able to unilaterally pin the expected total payoff of all other players; (ii) a player is able to set the ratio between his payoff and the total payoff of all other players, but this ratio is limited by an upper bound if the multiplication factor exceeds a threshold that depends on the number of players. PMID:26293589

  2. Is video-game playing a risk factor for pathological gambling in Australian adolescents?

    PubMed

    Delfabbro, Paul; King, Daniel; Lambos, Chrisi; Puglies, Stan

    2009-09-01

    Very little research has been conducted to examine the relationship between video-game playing and gambling in adolescence. In this study, 2,669 adolescents aged 13-17 years were surveyed to obtained details of their involvement in gambling and video-game playing as well as a measure of pathological gambling (the DSM-IV-J). The results showed that, the frequency of video game playing was significantly related to pathological gambling, but that the effect size was very small and largely accounted for by the greater popularity of both activities amongst boys. There was some evidence for stronger associations between technologically similar activities, namely arcade video games and an interest in gaming machines, but other factors discussed in the paper may also account for this association. In summary, the findings suggested that playing video-games is unlikely to be a significant risk factor for pathological gambling during adolescence.

  3. Extended non-local games and monogamy-of-entanglement games.

    PubMed

    Johnston, Nathaniel; Mittal, Rajat; Russo, Vincent; Watrous, John

    2016-05-01

    We study a generalization of non-local games-which we call extended non-local games -in which the players, Alice and Bob, initially share a tripartite quantum state with the referee. In such games, the winning conditions for Alice and Bob may depend on the outcomes of measurements made by the referee, on its part of the shared quantum state, in addition to Alice and Bob's answers to randomly selected questions. Our study of this class of games was inspired by the monogamy-of-entanglement games introduced by Tomamichel, Fehr, Kaniewski and Wehner, which they also generalize. We prove that a natural extension of the Navascués-Pironio-Acín hierarchy of semidefinite programmes converges to the optimal commuting measurement value of extended non-local games, and we prove two extensions of results of Tomamichel et al.  concerning monogamy-of-entanglement games.

  4. DJ Sim: a virtual reality DJ simulation game

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tang, Ka Yin; Loke, Mei Hwan; Chin, Ching Ling; Chua, Gim Guan; Chong, Jyh Herng; Manders, Corey; Khan, Ishtiaq Rasool; Yuan, Miaolong; Farbiz, Farzam

    2009-02-01

    This work describes the process of developing a 3D Virtual Reality (VR) DJ simulation game intended to be displayed on a stereoscopic display. Using a DLP projector and shutter glasses, the user of the system plays a game in which he or she is a DJ in a night club. The night club's music is playing, and the DJ is "scratching" in correspondence to this music. Much in the flavor of Guitar Hero or Dance Dance Revolution, a virtual turntable is manipulated to project information about how the user should perform. The user only needs a small set of hand gestures, corresponding to the turntable scratch movements to play the game. As the music plays, a series of moving arrows approaching the DJ's turntable instruct the user as to when and how to perform the scratches.

  5. Exploring the Potential of a Location Based Augmented Reality Game for Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richardson, Donald

    2016-01-01

    This paper adds to the small but growing body of research into the potential of augmented reality games for teaching and learning English as a foreign language (EFL). It explores the extent to which such games enhance the language learning experience of advanced level EFL learners. The author draws on his work developing "Mission not really…

  6. Innovative Teaching Games: Climbing the Hills of Math Skills. California Demonstration Mathematics Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pittsburg Unified School District, CA.

    The card games in this publication are an alternative activity to help students master computational skills. Games for operations with whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percents, integers, and square roots are included. They can be used to introduce math topics and for practice and review, with either the whole class or in small groups with 2 to…

  7. Effects of video-game play on information processing: a meta-analytic investigation.

    PubMed

    Powers, Kasey L; Brooks, Patricia J; Aldrich, Naomi J; Palladino, Melissa A; Alfieri, Louis

    2013-12-01

    Do video games enhance cognitive functioning? We conducted two meta-analyses based on different research designs to investigate how video games impact information-processing skills (auditory processing, executive functions, motor skills, spatial imagery, and visual processing). Quasi-experimental studies (72 studies, 318 comparisons) compare habitual gamers with controls; true experiments (46 studies, 251 comparisons) use commercial video games in training. Using random-effects models, video games led to improved information processing in both the quasi-experimental studies, d = 0.61, 95% CI [0.50, 0.73], and the true experiments, d = 0.48, 95% CI [0.35, 0.60]. Whereas the quasi-experimental studies yielded small to large effect sizes across domains, the true experiments yielded negligible effects for executive functions, which contrasted with the small to medium effect sizes in other domains. The quasi-experimental studies appeared more susceptible to bias than were the true experiments, with larger effects being reported in higher-tier than in lower-tier journals, and larger effects reported by the most active research groups in comparison with other labs. The results are further discussed with respect to other moderators and limitations in the extant literature.

  8. Identifying protein complexes in PPI network using non-cooperative sequential game.

    PubMed

    Maulik, Ujjwal; Basu, Srinka; Ray, Sumanta

    2017-08-21

    Identifying protein complexes from protein-protein interaction (PPI) network is an important and challenging task in computational biology as it helps in better understanding of cellular mechanisms in various organisms. In this paper we propose a noncooperative sequential game based model for protein complex detection from PPI network. The key hypothesis is that protein complex formation is driven by mechanism that eventually optimizes the number of interactions within the complex leading to dense subgraph. The hypothesis is drawn from the observed network property named small world. The proposed multi-player game model translates the hypothesis into the game strategies. The Nash equilibrium of the game corresponds to a network partition where each protein either belong to a complex or form a singleton cluster. We further propose an algorithm to find the Nash equilibrium of the sequential game. The exhaustive experiment on synthetic benchmark and real life yeast networks evaluates the structural as well as biological significance of the network partitions.

  9. Gamble While You Gamble: Electronic Games in Ontario Charitable Gaming Centres.

    PubMed

    Harrigan, Kevin; Brown, Dan; MacLaren, Vance

    Electronic Bingo games have recently appeared in Ontario Charitable Gaming Centres. Here we summarize the characteristics of this novel form of electronic gambling, and give a detailed characterization of one game. We contend that these games have structural characteristics that make them similar to modern Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs) that feature multiline slots games. These features include a fast and continuous gaming experience, with player adjustable win size and reinforcement rate, a high frequency of losses disguised as wins, and highly salient near misses. Some of these games also have bonus rounds and provide players with a list of recent wins. We conclude that provincial and state gaming authorities should be aware that the placement of Bingo EGMs in existing Bingo facilities may increase problem gambling among an already well-established community of Bingo enthusiasts.

  10. Fleet Arctic Operations Game: Game Report

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-09-01

    By: Director: CDR Christopher Gray Designer : Prof. Leif Bergey Analyst: Prof. Walter A. Berbrick Report Documentation Page Form ApprovedOMB No...7 II. GAME DESIGN & RESEARCH...METHODOLOGY ......................................................................... 9 Discussion of Game Design

  11. Hopf Bifurcation Analysis of a Gene Regulatory Network Mediated by Small Noncoding RNA with Time Delays and Diffusion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Chengxian; Liu, Haihong; Zhang, Tonghua; Yan, Fang

    2017-12-01

    In this paper, a gene regulatory network mediated by small noncoding RNA involving two time delays and diffusion under the Neumann boundary conditions is studied. Choosing the sum of delays as the bifurcation parameter, the stability of the positive equilibrium and the existence of spatially homogeneous and spatially inhomogeneous periodic solutions are investigated by analyzing the corresponding characteristic equation. It is shown that the sum of delays can induce Hopf bifurcation and the diffusion incorporated into the system can effect the amplitude of periodic solutions. Furthermore, the spatially homogeneous periodic solution always exists and the spatially inhomogeneous periodic solution will arise when the diffusion coefficients of protein and mRNA are suitably small. Particularly, the small RNA diffusion coefficient is more robust and its effect on model is much less than protein and mRNA. Finally, the explicit formulae for determining the direction of Hopf bifurcation and the stability of the bifurcating periodic solutions are derived by employing the normal form theory and center manifold theorem for partial functional differential equations. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to illustrate our theoretical analysis.

  12. Genome-wide identification of Hfq-regulated small RNAs in the fire blight pathogen Erwinia amylovora discovered small RNAs with virulence regulatory function.

    PubMed

    Zeng, Quan; Sundin, George W

    2014-05-31

    Erwinia amylovora is a phytopathogenic bacterium and causal agent of fire blight disease in apples and pears. Although many virulence factors have been characterized, the coordination of expression of these virulence factors in E. amylovora is still not clear. Regulatory small RNAs (sRNAs) are important post-transcriptional regulatory components in bacteria. A large number of sRNAs require the RNA chaperone Hfq for both stability and functional activation. In E. amylovora, Hfq was identified as a major regulator of virulence and various virulence traits. However, information is still lacking about Hfq-dependent sRNAs on a genome scale, including the virulence regulatory functions of these sRNAs in E. amylovora. Using both an RNA-seq analysis and a Rho-independent terminator search, 40 candidate Hfq-dependent sRNAs were identified in E. amylovora. The expression and sizes of 12 sRNAs and the sequence boundaries of seven sRNAs were confirmed by Northern blot and 5' RACE assay respectively. Sequence conservation analysis identified sRNAs conserved only in the Erwinia genus as well as E. amylovora species-specific sRNAs. In addition, a dynamic re-patterning of expression of Hfq-dependent sRNAs was observed at 6 and 12 hours after induction in Hrp-inducing minimal medium. Furthermore, sRNAs that control virulence traits were characterized, among which ArcZ positively controls the type III secretion system (T3SS), amylovoran exopolysaccahride production, biofilm formation, and motility, and negatively modulates attachment while RmaA (Hrs6) and OmrAB both negatively regulate amylovoran production and positively regulate motility. This study has significantly enhanced our understanding of the Hfq-dependent sRNAs in E. amylovora at the genome level. The identification of multiple virulence-regulating sRNAs also suggests that post-transcriptional regulation by sRNAs may play a role in the deployment of virulence factors needed during varying stages of pathogenesis during

  13. Learning by gaming - evaluation of an online game for children.

    PubMed

    Lazareck, Lisa J; Farrell, David; Kostkova, Patty; Lecky, Donna M; McNulty, Cliodna A M; Weerasinghe, Dasun

    2010-01-01

    Playing computer games is widely popular among children and teenagers as an entertainment activity; meanwhile, playing computer games also provides a learning opportunity. For example, the rules of the game have to be learned by the player in order to improve his/her performance. Based on that principle, the City eHealth Research Centre (CeRC) developed a web game for 13-15 year olds, whereby the player becomes an investigator who attends the scene of an incident that involves microbes. There are four missions in total, each involving a mystery that the player needs to solve and learning objectives that need to be taught - such as antibiotic resistance and the importance of hygiene. This paper presents the results from a game evaluation that took place between July of 2009, in four UK schools (Glasgow, Gloucester, London), with 129 students; whereby 98% of the students commented positively about playing the game. Subsequently, CeRC has improved the game and developed an interactive educational games portal (www.edugames4all.com) for different age groups of web game enthusiasts.

  14. Games and Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oblinger, Diana G.

    2006-01-01

    From a very early age, people learn from games and play. Parents and preschool teachers use games to teach colors, numbers, names, and shapes; the process is drill and practice. Games engage everyone, capturing their attention. People willingly spend time on task. Although students in high school and college continue to play games, games rarely…

  15. The Use of Computer Games as an Educational Tool: Identification of Appropriate Game Types and Game Elements.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Amory, Alan; Naicker, Kevin; Vincent, Jacky; Adams, Claudia

    1999-01-01

    Describes research with college students that investigated commercial game types and game elements to determine what would be suitable for education. Students rated logic, memory, visualization, and problem solving as important game elements that are used to develop a model that links pedagogical issues with game elements. (Author/LRW)

  16. Using game theory to analyze green stormwater infrastructure implementation policies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    William, R. K.; Garg, J.; Stillwell, A. S.

    2017-12-01

    While green stormwater infrastructure is a useful approach in addressing multiple challenges facing the urban environment, little consensus exists on how to best incentivize its adoption by private landowners. Game theory, a field of study designed to model conflict and cooperation between two or more agents, is well-suited to address this policy question. We used a cooperative game theory framework to analyze the impacts of three different policy approaches frequently used to incentivize the uptake of green infrastructure by private landowners: municipal regulation, direct grants, and stormwater fees. The results indicate that municipal regulation leads to the greatest environmental benefits; however, the choice of "best" regulatory approach is dependent on a variety of different factors including political and financial considerations. Policy impacts are also highly dependent on agents' spatial positions within the stormwater network. This finding leads to important questions of social equity and environmental justice.

  17. Sport Education as a Curriculum Approach to Student Learning of Invasion Games: Effects on Game Performance and Game Involvement

    PubMed Central

    Farias, Cláudio; Valério, Carla; Mesquita, Isabel

    2018-01-01

    The teaching and learning of games and sport-based activities has historically been the dominant form of the physical education curricula. With an interest in providing to students meaningful and culturally situated sporting experiences, Sport Education is probably the most implemented and researched pedagogical model worldwide. However, although there is considerable evidence that the model as a curriculum approach can benefit the development of social goals and healthy sport behaviors, not a single study as to date examined students’ game-play development beyond participation in single and isolated teaching units. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine students’ development of Game Performance and Game Involvement during participation in three consecutive Sport Education seasons of invasion games. The participants were an experienced physical education teacher and one seventh-grade class totaling 26 students (10 girls and 16 boys). Using the Game Performance Assessment Instrument (Oslin et al., 1998), pre-test to post-tests measures of students’ Game Performance and Game Involvement were collected during their participation in basketball (20 lessons), handball (16 lessons), and football (18 lessons) units. Inter-group differences and pre-test to post-test improvements within each season were analyzed through 2 (time) x group (sport) repeated measures ANOVA tests. There were found significant pre-test to post-test improvements in Game Performance and Game Involvement in the second (handball) and third (football) seasons, but not in the first season (basketball). Students’ Game Performance and Involvement scores of handball and football were significantly higher than their scores while playing basketball. The opportunity for an extended engagement in game-play activities and prolonged membership of students in the same teams throughout three consecutive seasons of Sport Education were key to the outcomes found. The specific configurations of

  18. 78 FR 11795 - Minimum Technical Standards for Class II Gaming Systems and Equipment

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-20

    ... threshold amount. The Commission increased that amount in the MICS from $1,000,000 to $3,000,000. The... considered to be small entities for the purposes of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act The proposed rule is not a major rule under 5 U.S.C. 804(2), the Small Business...

  19. Biosimilars and the long game.

    PubMed

    Huzair, Farah; Kale, Dinar

    2015-05-01

    Despite greater certainty for biosimilar markets and regulation, the change that was seen in the small-molecule pharmaceuticals market with the rapid entrance of emerging-country generics suppliers will not be replicated exactly. The long game has yet to be played out, and recent changes in regulation, science, and production technology are likely to impact on future patterns of partnership and production. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Games, Gaming, and Gamification: Some Aspects of Motivation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanson-Smith, Elizabeth

    2016-01-01

    Unsupported claims have been made for the use of games in education and the gamification (game-like aspects, such as scores and point goals) of various learning elements. This brief article examines what may be the motivational basis of gaming and how it can affect students' behavior and ultimate success.

  1. Energy expenditure and enjoyment during video game play: differences by game type.

    PubMed

    Lyons, Elizabeth J; Tate, Deborah F; Ward, Dianne S; Bowling, J Michael; Ribisl, Kurt M; Kalyararaman, Sriram

    2011-10-01

    Play of physically active video games may be a way to increase physical activity and/or decrease sedentary behavior, but games are not universally active or enjoyable. Active games may differ from traditional games on important attributes, which may affect frequency and intensity of play. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in energy expenditure and enjoyment across four game types: shooter (played with traditional controllers), band simulation (guitar or drum controller), dance simulation (dance mat controller), and fitness (balance board controller). Energy expenditure (METs) and enjoyment were measured across 10 games in 100 young adults age 18-35 yr (50 women). All games except shooter games significantly increased energy expenditure over rest (P < 0.001). Fitness and dance games increased energy expenditure by 322% (mean ± SD = 3.10 ± 0.89 METs) and 298% (2.91 ± 0.87 METs), which was greater than that produced by band simulation (73%, 1.28 ± 0.28 METs) and shooter games (23%, 0.91 ± 0.16 METs). However, enjoyment was higher in band simulation games than in other types (P < 0.001). Body mass-corrected energy expenditure was greater in normal weight than in overweight participants in the two most active game types (P < 0.001). Active video games can significantly increase energy expended during screen time, but these games are less enjoyable than other more sedentary games, suggesting that they may be less likely to be played over time. Less active but more enjoyable video games may be a promising method for decreasing sedentary behavior.

  2. Energy Expenditure and Enjoyment during Video Game Play: Differences by Game Type

    PubMed Central

    Lyons, Elizabeth J.; Tate, Deborah F.; Ward, Dianne S.; Bowling, J. Michael; Ribisl, Kurt M.; Kalyararaman, Sriram

    2012-01-01

    Purpose Play of physically active video games may be a way to increase physical activity and/or decrease sedentary behavior, but games are not universally active or enjoyable. Active games may differ from traditional games on important attributes, which may affect frequency and intensity of play. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in energy expenditure and enjoyment across four game types: shooter (played with traditional controllers), band simulation (guitar or drum controller), dance simulation (dance mat controller), and fitness (balance board controller). Methods Energy expenditure (metabolic equivalents [METs]) and enjoyment were measured across ten games in 100 young adults aged 18 to 35 (50 females). Results All games except shooter games significantly increased energy expenditure over rest (P < .001). Fitness and dance games increased energy expenditure by 322 (mean [SD] 3.10 [0.89] METs) and 298 (2.91 [0.87] METs) percent, which was greater than that produced by band simulation (73%, 1.28 [0.28] METs) and shooter games (23%, 0.91 [0.16] METs). However, enjoyment was higher in band simulation games than in other types (P < .001). Body mass-corrected energy expenditure was greater in normal weight than overweight participants in the two most active game types (P < .001). Conclusions Active video games can significantly increase energy expended during screen time, but these games are less enjoyable than other more sedentary games, suggesting that they may be less likely to be played over time. Less active but more enjoyable video games may be a promising method for decreasing sedentary behavior. PMID:21364477

  3. Metabolic responses to Wii Fit™ video games at different game levels.

    PubMed

    Worley, Jennifer R; Rogers, Sharon N; Kraemer, Robert R

    2011-03-01

    The Wii Fit™ is a form of interactive gaming designed to elicit health and fitness benefits to replace sedentary gaming. This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of Wii Fit™ fitness games. The purpose of the study was to determine the %VO2max and energy expenditure from different Wii Fit™ games at different levels including the step and hula games. Eight healthy young women completed a preliminary trial to determine VO2max and later played the Wii Fit™ during 2 separate counterbalanced trials. During each session, subjects played levels of Wii Fit™ games for 10 minutes each level. One session involved beginning and intermediate hula, and the other session involved beginning and intermediate steps. The VO2 was measured continuously via metabolic cart, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was assessed at the end of each game level. The lowest %VO2max, kcal·min, and RPE occurred during the beginning step game and the highest values occurred during the intermediate hula game. Respiratory exchange ratio was significantly higher in the intermediate hula than beginning hula game but was not significantly different between step game levels. The intermediate hula and step games produced the greatest energy expenditure with an equivalent effect of a walking speed of >5.63 km·h (>3.5 miles·h). This is the first study to determine the percentage of VO2max and caloric expenditure elicited by different Wii Fit™ video games at different game levels in adults. Findings suggest that the Wii Fit™ can be used as an effective activity for promoting physical health in this population.

  4. Elements of Collaborative Discussion and Shared Problem Solving in a Voice-Enhanced Multiplayer Game

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bluemink, Johanna; Jarvela, Sanna

    2011-01-01

    This study focuses on investigating the nature of small-group collaborative interaction in a voice-enhanced multiplayer game called "eScape". The aim was to analyse the elements of groups' collaborative discussion and to explore the nature of the players' shared problem solving activity during the solution critical moments in the game. The data…

  5. Teaching About The Nexus of Energy, Water and Climate Through Traditional Games

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hall, M. K.; Mayhew, M. A.; Kaminsky, A.

    2011-12-01

    Getting to a sustainable energy economy, while conserving water resources and mitigating climate change, will involve myriad choices. Thus, it is important that the American public have an improved science-based understanding to form a strong basis for decision-making and to understand the trade-offs. To address this need, we are developing compelling, resource management style games that convey the intimate inter-relationships among energy demand, water consumption, and climate change and the importance of these inter-relationships to society. We have developed a card game with the help of professional game developer and an advisory group consisting of high school students and scientists involved with different aspects of energy-climate-water research as well as experts from the energy utilities and regulatory sectors. We have developed the card game based on real world data on energy production and consumption, regional climate information, and knowledge of emerging technologies that would mitigate the demand for energy, consumption of water with energy production, or climate change. The game is being played within the setting of our Cafe Scientifique program, now in its fifth year of serving high school age teens. One of the important aspects of the game is to find the right balance of energy output for various sources, water use by these sources, and amount of "pollution" generated (CO2 impacting climate, but also other kinds, such a radioactive waste and ground water contamination). Each player acts as "governor" of a specific region of the country, and no region has an a priori advantage. At the same time, it is important that the energy-water-pollution values we use correspond as closely as possible to real-world values. Data gathered from a combination of focus groups, surveys, and observations strongly suggest that this game, grounded in real life problems, stimulates authentic, meaningful learning. There is also some evidence that if games, such as this

  6. Effects of Small-Sided Games vs. Interval Training in Aerobic Fitness and Physical Enjoyment in Young Elite Soccer Players

    PubMed Central

    Martín, Juan; Lerga, Javier; Sánchez, Felipe; Villagra, Federico; Zulueta, Javier J.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of Small-Sided Games (SSG) vs. Interval Training (IT) in soccer training on aerobic fitness and physical enjoyment in youth elite soccer players during the last 8 weeks of the season. Seventeen U-16 male soccer players (age = 15.5 ± 0.6 years, and 8.5 years of experience) of a Spanish First Division club academy were randomized to 2 different groups for 6 weeks: SSG group (n = 9) and IT group (n = 8). In addition to the usual technical and tactical sessions and competitive games, the SSG group performed 11 sessions with different SSGs, whereas the IT group performed the same number of sessions of IT. Players were tested before and after the 6-week training intervention with a continuous maximal multistage running field test and the counter movement jump test (CMJ). At the end of the study, players answered the physical activity enjoyment scale (PACES). During the study, heart rate (HR) and session perceived effort (sRPE) were assessed. SSGs were as effective as IT in maintaining the aerobic fitness in elite young soccer players during the last weeks of the season. Players in the SSG group declared a greater physical enjoyment than IT (P = 0.006; ES = 1.86 ± 1.07). Coaches could use SSG training during the last weeks of the season as an option without fear of losing aerobic fitness while promoting high physical enjoyment. PMID:26331623

  7. Game Over?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harteveld, Casper

    This level marks the ending of the book. After comparing the game design process to a children's book about designing a butterfly, it goes into how a balance is found when designing a game. To explain this, an analogy is made with the concept of Yin and Yang. This level further deals with the “so what” and “who cares” question of the Triadic Game Design (TGD) approach. It is concluded that it can be used as an “analytical lens,” “application tool,” or “puzzle frame” in the field of games. But to have a real impact on the actual practice, it is needed that people are familiar with the idea of TGD. Since game design is (generally) collaborative, it would be beneficial that more than one person knows about it. For this reason, a game-based workshop has been developed that can be employed at the beginning of a project. Besides making sure that a project runs smoothly during the design, considerations should also be made about what happens if the game is finished. From the observations of the “life after the design” it becomes clear that this is certainly an issue that should not be neglected. The main message of this level concerns, however, that although this book is “game over,” it is everything but “over” for the design and research of games. To bring the field to “the next level,” structural approaches are needed and TGD is one of them. With the insights of this approach in mind, people can start to “dance.” Because it takes two to tango, but it takes three to design a game with a meaningful purpose.

  8. More Cooperative Games!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sobel, Jeffrey

    1993-01-01

    Details instructions for four cooperative games primarily for young children. The games are of low to moderate activity level and involve partners or a group circle. Descriptions include variations of the game and helpful hints for making the game more successful. (KS)

  9. Personal, social, and game-related correlates of active and non-active gaming among dutch gaming adolescents: survey-based multivariable, multilevel logistic regression analyses.

    PubMed

    Simons, Monique; de Vet, Emely; Chinapaw, Mai Jm; de Boer, Michiel; Seidell, Jacob C; Brug, Johannes

    2014-04-04

    Playing video games contributes substantially to sedentary behavior in youth. A new generation of video games-active games-seems to be a promising alternative to sedentary games to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior. At this time, little is known about correlates of active and non-active gaming among adolescents. The objective of this study was to examine potential personal, social, and game-related correlates of both active and non-active gaming in adolescents. A survey assessing game behavior and potential personal, social, and game-related correlates was conducted among adolescents (12-16 years, N=353) recruited via schools. Multivariable, multilevel logistic regression analyses, adjusted for demographics (age, sex and educational level of adolescents), were conducted to examine personal, social, and game-related correlates of active gaming ≥1 hour per week (h/wk) and non-active gaming >7 h/wk. Active gaming ≥1 h/wk was significantly associated with a more positive attitude toward active gaming (OR 5.3, CI 2.4-11.8; P<.001), a less positive attitude toward non-active games (OR 0.30, CI 0.1-0.6; P=.002), a higher score on habit strength regarding gaming (OR 1.9, CI 1.2-3.2; P=.008) and having brothers/sisters (OR 6.7, CI 2.6-17.1; P<.001) and friends (OR 3.4, CI 1.4-8.4; P=.009) who spend more time on active gaming and a little bit lower score on game engagement (OR 0.95, CI 0.91-0.997; P=.04). Non-active gaming >7 h/wk was significantly associated with a more positive attitude toward non-active gaming (OR 2.6, CI 1.1-6.3; P=.035), a stronger habit regarding gaming (OR 3.0, CI 1.7-5.3; P<.001), having friends who spend more time on non-active gaming (OR 3.3, CI 1.46-7.53; P=.004), and a more positive image of a non-active gamer (OR 2, CI 1.07-3.75; P=.03). Various factors were significantly associated with active gaming ≥1 h/wk and non-active gaming >7 h/wk. Active gaming is most strongly (negatively) associated with attitude with

  10. High User Control in Game Design Elements Increases Compliance and In-game Performance in a Memory Training Game.

    PubMed

    Nagle, Aniket; Riener, Robert; Wolf, Peter

    2015-01-01

    Computer games are increasingly being used for training cognitive functions like working memory and attention among the growing population of older adults. While cognitive training games often include elements like difficulty adaptation, rewards, and visual themes to make the games more enjoyable and effective, the effect of different degrees of afforded user control in manipulating these elements has not been systematically studied. To address this issue, two distinct implementations of the three aforementioned game elements were tested among healthy older adults (N = 21, 69.9 ± 6.4 years old) playing a game-like version of the n-back task on a tablet at home for 3 weeks. Two modes were considered, differentiated by the afforded degree of user control of the three elements: user control of difficulty vs. automatic difficulty adaptation, difficulty-dependent rewards vs. automatic feedback messages, and user choice of visual theme vs. no choice. The two modes ("USER-CONTROL" and "AUTO") were compared for frequency of play, duration of play, and in-game performance. Participants were free to play the game whenever and for however long they wished. Participants in USER-CONTROL exhibited significantly higher frequency of playing, total play duration, and in-game performance than participants in AUTO. The results of the present study demonstrate the efficacy of providing user control in the three game elements, while validating a home-based study design in which participants were not bound by any training regimen, and could play the game whenever they wished. The results have implications for designing cognitive training games that elicit higher compliance and better in-game performance, with an emphasis on home-based training.

  11. High User Control in Game Design Elements Increases Compliance and In-game Performance in a Memory Training Game

    PubMed Central

    Nagle, Aniket; Riener, Robert; Wolf, Peter

    2015-01-01

    Computer games are increasingly being used for training cognitive functions like working memory and attention among the growing population of older adults. While cognitive training games often include elements like difficulty adaptation, rewards, and visual themes to make the games more enjoyable and effective, the effect of different degrees of afforded user control in manipulating these elements has not been systematically studied. To address this issue, two distinct implementations of the three aforementioned game elements were tested among healthy older adults (N = 21, 69.9 ± 6.4 years old) playing a game-like version of the n-back task on a tablet at home for 3 weeks. Two modes were considered, differentiated by the afforded degree of user control of the three elements: user control of difficulty vs. automatic difficulty adaptation, difficulty-dependent rewards vs. automatic feedback messages, and user choice of visual theme vs. no choice. The two modes (“USER-CONTROL” and “AUTO”) were compared for frequency of play, duration of play, and in-game performance. Participants were free to play the game whenever and for however long they wished. Participants in USER-CONTROL exhibited significantly higher frequency of playing, total play duration, and in-game performance than participants in AUTO. The results of the present study demonstrate the efficacy of providing user control in the three game elements, while validating a home-based study design in which participants were not bound by any training regimen, and could play the game whenever they wished. The results have implications for designing cognitive training games that elicit higher compliance and better in-game performance, with an emphasis on home-based training. PMID:26635681

  12. Regulatory/Scientific Supports for Micro-, Small-, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) With Medicinal Products Provided by the PMDA and EMA.

    PubMed

    Kondo, Hideyuki; Shibatsuji, Masayoshi; Yasuda, Naoyuki

    2018-01-01

    Micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been considered as key players who can bring innovative medicinal products and/or technologies into the field. However, they may need much regulatory/scientific supports to provide their products, technologies, or services to the market in a timely way. Both the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), regulatory authorities for medicinal products in Japan and the EU, respectively, have prepared supportive measures for SMEs from the early phase of product/technology development to the postmarketing phase. With respect to supports for SMEs, both agencies have provided similar SME-specific supportive activities, including routine administrative assistance, consultations about product development strategy from an early phase, as well as specific regulatory/scientific issues and fee incentives. In addition, there is a system to register SME status in the EU, which can be a tool for regulators to know how much potential SME-driven activities have and with whom they should communicate to provide necessary supports. Furthermore, as new technologies and novel products from SMEs are not limited to the region where they are developed, close communication about these topics between the PMDA and the EMA will contribute to advancing patients' access to necessary medicinal products.

  13. Sport Education as a Curriculum Approach to Student Learning of Invasion Games: Effects on Game Performance and Game Involvement.

    PubMed

    Farias, Cláudio; Valério, Carla; Mesquita, Isabel

    2018-03-01

    The teaching and learning of games and sport-based activities has historically been the dominant form of the physical education curricula. With an interest in providing to students meaningful and culturally situated sporting experiences, Sport Education is probably the most implemented and researched pedagogical model worldwide. However, although there is considerable evidence that the model as a curriculum approach can benefit the development of social goals and healthy sport behaviors, not a single study as to date examined students' game-play development beyond participation in single and isolated teaching units. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine students' development of Game Performance and Game Involvement during participation in three consecutive Sport Education seasons of invasion games. The participants were an experienced physical education teacher and one seventh-grade class totaling 26 students (10 girls and 16 boys). Using the Game Performance Assessment Instrument (Oslin et al., 1998), pre-test to post-tests measures of students' Game Performance and Game Involvement were collected during their participation in basketball (20 lessons), handball (16 lessons), and football (18 lessons) units. Inter-group differences and pre-test to post-test improvements within each season were analyzed through 2 (time) x group (sport) repeated measures ANOVA tests. There were found significant pre-test to post-test improvements in Game Performance and Game Involvement in the second (handball) and third (football) seasons, but not in the first season (basketball). Students' Game Performance and Involvement scores of handball and football were significantly higher than their scores while playing basketball. The opportunity for an extended engagement in game-play activities and prolonged membership of students in the same teams throughout three consecutive seasons of Sport Education were key to the outcomes found. The specific configurations of the game

  14. The Association Between Video Game Play and Cognitive Function: Does Gaming Platform Matter?

    PubMed

    Huang, Vivian; Young, Michaelia; Fiocco, Alexandra J

    2017-11-01

    Despite consumer growth, few studies have evaluated the cognitive effects of gaming using mobile devices. This study examined the association between video game play platform and cognitive performance. Furthermore, the differential effect of video game genre (action versus nonaction) was explored. Sixty undergraduate students completed a video game experience questionnaire, and we divided them into three groups: mobile video game players (MVGPs), console/computer video game players (CVGPs), and nonvideo game players (NVGPs). Participants completed a cognitive battery to assess executive function, and learning and memory. Controlling for sex and ethnicity, analyses showed that frequent video game play is associated with enhanced executive function, but not learning and memory. MVGPs were significantly more accurate on working memory performances than NVGPs. Both MVGPs and CVGPs were similarly associated with enhanced cognitive function, suggesting that platform does not significantly determine the benefits of frequent video game play. Video game platform was found to differentially associate with preference for action video game genre and motivation for gaming. Exploratory analyses show that sex significantly effects frequent video game play, platform and genre preference, and cognitive function. This study represents a novel exploration of the relationship between mobile video game play and cognition and adds support to the cognitive benefits of frequent video game play.

  15. Integrative Gaming: A Framework for Sustainable Game-Based Diabetes Management

    PubMed Central

    Kahol, Kanav

    2011-01-01

    Obesity and diabetes have reached epidemic proportions in both developing and developed nations. While doctors and caregivers stress the importance of physical exercise in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, many people have difficulty subscribing to a healthy lifestyle. Virtual reality games offer a potentially exciting aid in accelerating and sustaining behavior change. However, care needs to be taken to develop sustainable models of employing games for the management of diabetes and obesity. In this article, we propose an integrative gaming paradigm designed to combine multiple activities involving physical exercises and cognitive skills through a game-based storyline. The persuasive story acts as a motivational binder that enables a user to perform multiple activities such as running, cycling, and problem solving. These activities guide a virtual character through different stages of the game. While performing the activities in the games, users wear sensors that can measure movement (accelerometers, gyrometers, magnetometers) and sense physiological measures (heart rate, pulse oximeter oxygen saturation). These measures drive the game and are stored and analyzed on a cloud computing platform. A prototype integrative gaming system is described and design considerations are discussed. The system is highly configurable and allows researchers to build games for the system with ease and drive the games with different types of activities. The capabilities of the system allow for engaging and motivating the user in the long term. Clinicians can employ the system to collect clinically relevant data in a seamless manner. PMID:21527096

  16. Game playing.

    PubMed

    Rosin, Christopher D

    2014-03-01

    Game playing has been a core domain of artificial intelligence research since the beginnings of the field. Game playing provides clearly defined arenas within which computational approaches can be readily compared to human expertise through head-to-head competition and other benchmarks. Game playing research has identified several simple core algorithms that provide successful foundations, with development focused on the challenges of defeating human experts in specific games. Key developments include minimax search in chess, machine learning from self-play in backgammon, and Monte Carlo tree search in Go. These approaches have generalized successfully to additional games. While computers have surpassed human expertise in a wide variety of games, open challenges remain and research focuses on identifying and developing new successful algorithmic foundations. WIREs Cogn Sci 2014, 5:193-205. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1278 CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The author has declared no conflicts of interest for this article. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Antidiabetic effects of glucokinase regulatory protein small-molecule disruptors.

    PubMed

    Lloyd, David J; St Jean, David J; Kurzeja, Robert J M; Wahl, Robert C; Michelsen, Klaus; Cupples, Rod; Chen, Michelle; Wu, John; Sivits, Glenn; Helmering, Joan; Komorowski, Renée; Ashton, Kate S; Pennington, Lewis D; Fotsch, Christopher; Vazir, Mukta; Chen, Kui; Chmait, Samer; Zhang, Jiandong; Liu, Longbin; Norman, Mark H; Andrews, Kristin L; Bartberger, Michael D; Van, Gwyneth; Galbreath, Elizabeth J; Vonderfecht, Steven L; Wang, Minghan; Jordan, Steven R; Véniant, Murielle M; Hale, Clarence

    2013-12-19

    Glucose homeostasis is a vital and complex process, and its disruption can cause hyperglycaemia and type II diabetes mellitus. Glucokinase (GK), a key enzyme that regulates glucose homeostasis, converts glucose to glucose-6-phosphate in pancreatic β-cells, liver hepatocytes, specific hypothalamic neurons, and gut enterocytes. In hepatocytes, GK regulates glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis, suppresses glucose production, and is subject to the endogenous inhibitor GK regulatory protein (GKRP). During fasting, GKRP binds, inactivates and sequesters GK in the nucleus, which removes GK from the gluconeogenic process and prevents a futile cycle of glucose phosphorylation. Compounds that directly hyperactivate GK (GK activators) lower blood glucose levels and are being evaluated clinically as potential therapeutics for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus. However, initial reports indicate that an increased risk of hypoglycaemia is associated with some GK activators. To mitigate the risk of hypoglycaemia, we sought to increase GK activity by blocking GKRP. Here we describe the identification of two potent small-molecule GK-GKRP disruptors (AMG-1694 and AMG-3969) that normalized blood glucose levels in several rodent models of diabetes. These compounds potently reversed the inhibitory effect of GKRP on GK activity and promoted GK translocation both in vitro (isolated hepatocytes) and in vivo (liver). A co-crystal structure of full-length human GKRP in complex with AMG-1694 revealed a previously unknown binding pocket in GKRP distinct from that of the phosphofructose-binding site. Furthermore, with AMG-1694 and AMG-3969 (but not GK activators), blood glucose lowering was restricted to diabetic and not normoglycaemic animals. These findings exploit a new cellular mechanism for lowering blood glucose levels with reduced potential for hypoglycaemic risk in patients with type II diabetes mellitus.

  18. Antidiabetic effects of glucokinase regulatory protein small-molecule disruptors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lloyd, David J.; St Jean, David J.; Kurzeja, Robert J. M.; Wahl, Robert C.; Michelsen, Klaus; Cupples, Rod; Chen, Michelle; Wu, John; Sivits, Glenn; Helmering, Joan; Komorowski, Renée; Ashton, Kate S.; Pennington, Lewis D.; Fotsch, Christopher; Vazir, Mukta; Chen, Kui; Chmait, Samer; Zhang, Jiandong; Liu, Longbin; Norman, Mark H.; Andrews, Kristin L.; Bartberger, Michael D.; van, Gwyneth; Galbreath, Elizabeth J.; Vonderfecht, Steven L.; Wang, Minghan; Jordan, Steven R.; Véniant, Murielle M.; Hale, Clarence

    2013-12-01

    Glucose homeostasis is a vital and complex process, and its disruption can cause hyperglycaemia and type II diabetes mellitus. Glucokinase (GK), a key enzyme that regulates glucose homeostasis, converts glucose to glucose-6-phosphate in pancreatic β-cells, liver hepatocytes, specific hypothalamic neurons, and gut enterocytes. In hepatocytes, GK regulates glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis, suppresses glucose production, and is subject to the endogenous inhibitor GK regulatory protein (GKRP). During fasting, GKRP binds, inactivates and sequesters GK in the nucleus, which removes GK from the gluconeogenic process and prevents a futile cycle of glucose phosphorylation. Compounds that directly hyperactivate GK (GK activators) lower blood glucose levels and are being evaluated clinically as potential therapeutics for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus. However, initial reports indicate that an increased risk of hypoglycaemia is associated with some GK activators. To mitigate the risk of hypoglycaemia, we sought to increase GK activity by blocking GKRP. Here we describe the identification of two potent small-molecule GK-GKRP disruptors (AMG-1694 and AMG-3969) that normalized blood glucose levels in several rodent models of diabetes. These compounds potently reversed the inhibitory effect of GKRP on GK activity and promoted GK translocation both in vitro (isolated hepatocytes) and in vivo (liver). A co-crystal structure of full-length human GKRP in complex with AMG-1694 revealed a previously unknown binding pocket in GKRP distinct from that of the phosphofructose-binding site. Furthermore, with AMG-1694 and AMG-3969 (but not GK activators), blood glucose lowering was restricted to diabetic and not normoglycaemic animals. These findings exploit a new cellular mechanism for lowering blood glucose levels with reduced potential for hypoglycaemic risk in patients with type II diabetes mellitus.

  19. Applying a gaming approach to IP strategy.

    PubMed

    Gasnier, Arnaud; Vandamme, Luc

    2010-02-01

    Adopting an appropriate IP strategy is an important but complex area, particularly in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, in which aspects such as regulatory submissions, high competitive activity, and public health and safety information requirements limit the amount of information that can be protected effectively through secrecy. As a result, and considering the existing time limits for patent protection, decisions on how to approach IP in these sectors must be made with knowledge of the options and consequences of IP positioning. Because of the specialized nature of IP, it is necessary to impart knowledge regarding the options and impact of IP to decision-makers, whether at the level of inventors, marketers or strategic business managers. This feature review provides some insight on IP strategy, with a focus on the use of a new 'gaming' approach for transferring the skills and understanding needed to make informed IP-related decisions; the game Patentopolis is discussed as an example of such an approach. Patentopolis involves interactive activities with IP-related business decisions, including the exploitation and enforcement of IP rights, and can be used to gain knowledge on the impact of adopting different IP strategies.

  20. A Virtual Reality Game to Assess Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

    PubMed

    van Bennekom, Martine J; Kasanmoentalib, M Soemiati; de Koning, Pelle P; Denys, Damiaan

    2017-11-01

    The retrospective and subjective nature of clinical interviews is an important shortcoming of current psychiatric diagnosis. Consequently, there is a clear need for objective and standardized tools. Virtual reality (VR) can be used to achieve controlled symptom provocation, which allows direct assessment for the clinician. We developed a video VR game to provoke and assess obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms in a standardized and controlled environment. The first objective was to evaluate if the VR game is capable of provoking symptoms in OCD patients as opposed to healthy controls. The second objective was to evaluate the tolerability of the VR game in OCD patients. The VR game was created using a first-person perspective and confronted patients with 15 OCD-specific items, while simultaneously measuring OCD symptoms, including the number of compulsions, anxiety, tension, uncertainty, and urge to control. In this pilot study, eight patients and eight healthy controls performed the VR game. OCD patients performed significantly more compulsions (U = 5, p = 0.003) during the VR game. The anxiety, tension, uncertainty, and urge to control in response to the specific items were also higher for OCD patients, although significance was not yet reached because of the small sample. There were no substantial adverse effects. The results of this pilot study indicate that the VR game is capable of provoking a variety of OCD symptoms in OCD patients, as opposed to healthy controls, and is a potential valuable tool to objectify and standardize an OCD diagnosis.

  1. Polymorphic Evolutionary Games.

    PubMed

    Fishman, Michael A

    2016-06-07

    In this paper, I present an analytical framework for polymorphic evolutionary games suitable for explicitly modeling evolutionary processes in diploid populations with sexual reproduction. The principal aspect of the proposed approach is adding diploid genetics cum sexual recombination to a traditional evolutionary game, and switching from phenotypes to haplotypes as the new game׳s pure strategies. Here, the relevant pure strategy׳s payoffs derived by summing the payoffs of all the phenotypes capable of producing gametes containing that particular haplotype weighted by the pertinent probabilities. The resulting game is structurally identical to the familiar Evolutionary Games with non-linear pure strategy payoffs (Hofbauer and Sigmund, 1998. Cambridge University Press), and can be analyzed in terms of an established analytical framework for such games. And these results can be translated into the terms of genotypic, and whence, phenotypic evolutionary stability pertinent to the original game. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Game-Informed Learning: Applying Computer Game Processes to Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Begg, Michael; Dewhurst, David; Macleod, Hamish

    2005-01-01

    The term "game-based learning" has emerged as a general name for the use of computer games in education. Despite early work showing rich inferential learning taking place as a result of gameplay, most game-based learning has been geared towards using a game as a host into which curricular content can be embedded. This approach can be problematic,…

  3. Access for all: the rise of the Paralympic Games.

    PubMed

    Gold, John R; Gold, Margaret M

    2007-05-01

    The Paralympic, or Parallel, Games for athletes with disabilities have played a major role over the past half century in changing attitudes towards disability and accelerating the agenda for inclusion. This article charts their development from small beginnings as a competition for disabled ex-servicemen and women in England founded shortly after the Second World War to the present day ambulatory international festival of Summer and Winter Games organized in conjunction with the Olympic Games. The Paralympic Games trace their origins to the work of Dr (later Sir) Ludwig Guttmann at the National Spinal Injuries Unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire who used sport as an integral part of the treatment of paraplegic patients. A sports competition was held at the hospital to coincide with the Opening Ceremony of the London Games in July 1948. This became an annual event attracting the first international participation in 1952, after which it became the International Stoke Mandeville Games. From 1960 onwards attempts were made to hold every fourth Games in the Olympic host city. Despite initial success in staging the 1960 Games in Rome and the 1964 Games in Tokyo, subsequent host cities refused to host the competitions and alternative locations were found where a package of official support, finance and suitable venues could be assembled. In 1976, the scope of the Games was widened to accept other disabilities. From 1988 onwards, a process of convergence took place that saw the Paralympics brought into the central arena of the Olympics, both literally and figuratively. In the process they have embraced new sports, have encompassed a wider range of disabilities, and helped give credence to the belief that access to sport is available to all. The Paralympics also underline the change from sport as therapeutic competition to that of elite events that carry intrinsic prestige, with growing rivalry over medal tables. For the future, however, questions remain as

  4. Dimensions of operational stress and forms of unacceptable risk taking with small arms and munitions.

    PubMed

    Ben-Shalom, Uzi

    2015-01-01

    Accidents with small arms and munitions during deployment is a significant safety concern for leaders and safety specialists in combat units. Operational stress may lead to forms of unacceptable risk taking with small arms that may underlie some of these accidents. The present research studied the correlation between two dimensions of operational stress, two forms of risk taking with small arms among combat unit soldiers and possible mediators. The dimensions of operational threat, negative affect and personality profile from the EPQ-R-S were predictors; "exaggerated preparedness" and "risky games with small arms and munitions" were dependent variables; safety climate of the platoon served as a mediator variable. The participants were 461 compulsory service combat soldiers in 31 companies. This field study was conducted during period of top security alert. The results reveal that perceived threat is indeed correlated with exaggerated operational preparedness whereas general emotional state was correlated with risky games with small arms. Safety climate mediated only the correlation between general emotional state and risky games with small arms and munitions. Preparedness and risky games were predicted by the interaction of Psychoticism and the Lie Scale from the EPQ-R-S. The results may enhance the efforts in reducing risk taking and prevention of accidents with small arms and munitions during and following deployment.

  5. Video-gaming among high school students: health correlates, gender differences, and problematic gaming.

    PubMed

    Desai, Rani A; Krishnan-Sarin, Suchitra; Cavallo, Dana; Potenza, Marc N

    2010-12-01

    Video game playing may negatively impact youth. However, the existing literature on gaming is inconsistent and often has focused on aggression rather than the health correlates of gaming and the prevalence and correlates of problematic gaming. We anonymously surveyed 4028 adolescents about gaming and reported problems with gaming and other health behaviors. A total of 51.2% of the sample reported gaming (76.3% of boys and 29.2% of girls). There were no negative health correlates of gaming in boys and lower odds of smoking regularly; however, girls who reported gaming were less likely to report depression and more likely to report getting into serious fights and carrying a weapon to school. Among gamers, 4.9% reported problematic gaming, defined as reporting trying to cut back, experiencing an irresistible urge to play, and experiencing a growing tension that could only be relieved by playing. Boys were more likely to report these problems (5.8%) than girls (3.0%). Correlates of problematic gaming included regular cigarette smoking, drug use, depression, and serious fights. Results suggest that gaming is largely normative in boys and not associated with many health factors. In girls, however, gaming seems to be associated with more externalizing behaviors and fewer internalizing symptoms. The prevalence of problematic gaming is low but not insignificant, and problematic gaming may be contained within a larger spectrum of externalizing behaviors. More research is needed to define safe levels of gaming, refine the definition of problematic gaming, and evaluate effective prevention and intervention strategies.

  6. Games for increasing physical activity: Mechanisms for change

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A small conference was held in Houston, TX, in May 2014, to address how to enhance exergames to increase physical activity. Several leading researchers were asked to address specific topics. Attendees came from across the globe. This Games for Health Journal Special Issue is devoted to sharing the a...

  7. A game theory analysis of green infrastructure stormwater management policies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    William, Reshmina; Garg, Jugal; Stillwell, Ashlynn S.

    2017-09-01

    Green stormwater infrastructure has been demonstrated as an innovative water resources management approach that addresses multiple challenges facing urban environments. However, there is little consensus on what policy strategies can be used to best incentivize green infrastructure adoption by private landowners. Game theory, an analysis framework that has historically been under-utilized within the context of stormwater management, is uniquely suited to address this policy question. We used a cooperative game theory framework to investigate the potential impacts of different policy strategies used to incentivize green infrastructure installation. The results indicate that municipal regulation leads to the greatest reduction in pollutant loading. However, the choice of the "best" regulatory approach will depend on a variety of different factors including politics and financial considerations. Large, downstream agents have a disproportionate share of bargaining power. Results also reveal that policy impacts are highly dependent on agents' spatial position within the stormwater network, leading to important questions of social equity and environmental justice.

  8. Games at work: the recreational use of computer games during working hours.

    PubMed

    Reinecke, Leonard

    2009-08-01

    The present study investigated the recreational use of video and computer games in the workplace. In an online survey, 833 employed users of online casual games reported on their use of computer games during working hours. The data indicate that playing computer games in the workplace elicits substantial levels of recovery experience. Recovery experience associated with gameplay was the strongest predictor for the use of games in the workplace. Furthermore, individuals with higher levels of work-related fatigue reported stronger recovery experience during gameplay and showed a higher tendency to play games during working hours than did persons with lower levels of work strain. Additionally, the social situation at work was found to have a significant influence on the use of games. Persons receiving less social support from colleagues and supervisors played games at work more frequently than did individuals with higher levels of social support. Furthermore, job control was positively related to the use of games at work. In sum, the results of the present study illustrate that computer games have a significant recovery potential. Implications of these findings for research on personal computer use during work and for games research in general are discussed.

  9. Personal, Social, and Game-Related Correlates of Active and Non-Active Gaming Among Dutch Gaming Adolescents: Survey-Based Multivariable, Multilevel Logistic Regression Analyses

    PubMed Central

    de Vet, Emely; Chinapaw, Mai JM; de Boer, Michiel; Seidell, Jacob C; Brug, Johannes

    2014-01-01

    Background Playing video games contributes substantially to sedentary behavior in youth. A new generation of video games—active games—seems to be a promising alternative to sedentary games to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior. At this time, little is known about correlates of active and non-active gaming among adolescents. Objective The objective of this study was to examine potential personal, social, and game-related correlates of both active and non-active gaming in adolescents. Methods A survey assessing game behavior and potential personal, social, and game-related correlates was conducted among adolescents (12-16 years, N=353) recruited via schools. Multivariable, multilevel logistic regression analyses, adjusted for demographics (age, sex and educational level of adolescents), were conducted to examine personal, social, and game-related correlates of active gaming ≥1 hour per week (h/wk) and non-active gaming >7 h/wk. Results Active gaming ≥1 h/wk was significantly associated with a more positive attitude toward active gaming (OR 5.3, CI 2.4-11.8; P<.001), a less positive attitude toward non-active games (OR 0.30, CI 0.1-0.6; P=.002), a higher score on habit strength regarding gaming (OR 1.9, CI 1.2-3.2; P=.008) and having brothers/sisters (OR 6.7, CI 2.6-17.1; P<.001) and friends (OR 3.4, CI 1.4-8.4; P=.009) who spend more time on active gaming and a little bit lower score on game engagement (OR 0.95, CI 0.91-0.997; P=.04). Non-active gaming >7 h/wk was significantly associated with a more positive attitude toward non-active gaming (OR 2.6, CI 1.1-6.3; P=.035), a stronger habit regarding gaming (OR 3.0, CI 1.7-5.3; P<.001), having friends who spend more time on non-active gaming (OR 3.3, CI 1.46-7.53; P=.004), and a more positive image of a non-active gamer (OR 2, CI 1.07–3.75; P=.03). Conclusions Various factors were significantly associated with active gaming ≥1 h/wk and non-active gaming >7 h/wk. Active gaming is most

  10. Dynamic probability of reinforcement for cooperation: Random game termination in the centipede game.

    PubMed

    Krockow, Eva M; Colman, Andrew M; Pulford, Briony D

    2018-03-01

    Experimental games have previously been used to study principles of human interaction. Many such games are characterized by iterated or repeated designs that model dynamic relationships, including reciprocal cooperation. To enable the study of infinite game repetitions and to avoid endgame effects of lower cooperation toward the final game round, investigators have introduced random termination rules. This study extends previous research that has focused narrowly on repeated Prisoner's Dilemma games by conducting a controlled experiment of two-player, random termination Centipede games involving probabilistic reinforcement and characterized by the longest decision sequences reported in the empirical literature to date (24 decision nodes). Specifically, we assessed mean exit points and cooperation rates, and compared the effects of four different termination rules: no random game termination, random game termination with constant termination probability, random game termination with increasing termination probability, and random game termination with decreasing termination probability. We found that although mean exit points were lower for games with shorter expected game lengths, the subjects' cooperativeness was significantly reduced only in the most extreme condition with decreasing computer termination probability and an expected game length of two decision nodes. © 2018 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

  11. 13 CFR 108.585 - Voluntary decrease in NMVC Company's Regulatory Capital.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...'s Regulatory Capital. 108.585 Section 108.585 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION NEW MARKETS VENTURE CAPITAL (âNMVCâ) PROGRAM Managing the Operations of a NMVC Company Voluntary Decrease in Regulatory Capital § 108.585 Voluntary decrease in NMVC Company's Regulatory Capital. You must...

  12. Video gaming and gaming addiction in transgender people: An exploratory study.

    PubMed

    Arcelus, Jon; Bouman, Walter Pierre; Jones, Bethany Alice; Richards, Christina; Jimenez-Murcia, Susana; Griffiths, Mark D

    2017-03-01

    Background There is anecdotal clinical evidence that transgender people use the online world - such as forums and online video gaming - for the purpose of experiencing their gender identity in a safe, non-threatening, non-alienating, non-stigmatizing, and non-critical environment. Aims To describe gaming behavior, degree of problematic gaming behavior and associated factors with problematic gaming in a comparatively large group of transgender people accessing transgender health services. Methods Every individual referred to a national transgender health service in the United Kingdom during a 12-month period was invited to complete a series of questionnaires to measure gaming behavior, interpersonal functioning, severity of autistic features, and anxiety and depressive symptoms. Results A total of 245 people agreed to participate in the study with 154 (62.9%) describing themselves as current gamers. Gaming behavior in the transgender population attending transgender health services was prevalent, but less than 1% of them presented with clinical scores for Internet Gaming Disorder, with no differences according to gender. Problematic gaming behavior was associated with general interpersonal problems, depression, and young age. Discussion and conclusions Transgender people who engage in problematic gaming behavior are younger, and present with high interpersonal problems, and depression, which can affect a successful transition. In view of the high levels of gaming activity in this population games that are designed to address these psychological problems may be well received by transgender people.

  13. Video gaming and gaming addiction in transgender people: An exploratory study

    PubMed Central

    Arcelus, Jon; Bouman, Walter Pierre; Jones, Bethany Alice; Richards, Christina; Jimenez-Murcia, Susana; Griffiths, Mark D.

    2017-01-01

    Background There is anecdotal clinical evidence that transgender people use the online world – such as forums and online video gaming – for the purpose of experiencing their gender identity in a safe, non-threatening, non-alienating, non-stigmatizing, and non-critical environment. Aims To describe gaming behavior, degree of problematic gaming behavior and associated factors with problematic gaming in a comparatively large group of transgender people accessing transgender health services. Methods Every individual referred to a national transgender health service in the United Kingdom during a 12-month period was invited to complete a series of questionnaires to measure gaming behavior, interpersonal functioning, severity of autistic features, and anxiety and depressive symptoms. Results A total of 245 people agreed to participate in the study with 154 (62.9%) describing themselves as current gamers. Gaming behavior in the transgender population attending transgender health services was prevalent, but less than 1% of them presented with clinical scores for Internet Gaming Disorder, with no differences according to gender. Problematic gaming behavior was associated with general interpersonal problems, depression, and young age. Discussion and conclusions Transgender people who engage in problematic gaming behavior are younger, and present with high interpersonal problems, and depression, which can affect a successful transition. In view of the high levels of gaming activity in this population games that are designed to address these psychological problems may be well received by transgender people. PMID:28198637

  14. Computer Games and Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tobias, Sigmund, Ed.; Fletcher, J. D., Ed.

    2011-01-01

    There is intense interest in computer games. A total of 65 percent of all American households play computer games, and sales of such games increased 22.9 percent last year. The average amount of game playing time was found to be 13.2 hours per week. The popularity and market success of games is evident from both the increased earnings from games,…

  15. The Coaching Cycle: A Coaching-by-Gaming Approach in Serious Games

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alklind Taylor, Anna-Sofia; Backlund, Per; Niklasson, Lars

    2012-01-01

    Military organizations have a long history of using simulations, role-play, and games for training. This also encompasses good practices concerning how instructors utilize games and gaming behavior. Unfortunately, the work of instructors is rarely described explicitly in research relating to serious gaming. Decision makers also tend to have…

  16. Practical example of game theory application for production route selection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Olender, M.; Krenczyk, D.

    2017-08-01

    The opportunity which opens before manufacturers on the dynamic market, especially before those from the sector of the small and medium-sized enterprises, is associated with the use of the virtual organizations concept. The planning stage of such organizations could be based on supporting decision-making tasks using the tools and formalisms taken from the game theory. In the paper the model of the virtual manufacturing network, along with the practical example of decision-making situation as two person game and the decision strategies with an analysis of calculation results are presented.

  17. Game Board Artists.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Szekely, George

    2000-01-01

    Explores children's fascination with creating their own unique games as an art form. Focuses on different games, such as chess, checkers, pogs, and monopoly. States that observing children playing games offers a firsthand lesson in how children create. Discusses what it means to be an art teacher who promotes creative play with games. (CMK)

  18. Serious game design principles: The impact of game design on learning outcomes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martin, Michael W.

    This dissertation examines the research question "How do video game design principles affect learning outcomes in serious games?" This research first develops a theoretical foundation concerning the meaning of the terms "game" and "serious game". This conceptual clarification is broken down into analytic propositions, which state that games have participants, rules, goals and challenges, and synthetic propositions, which state that the games should be intrinsically compelling, provide meaningful choices, and be self encapsulated. Based on these synthetic propositions, three hypotheses were developed. The hypotheses are that games with an enhanced aesthetic presentation, more meaningful choices, or provide player competition will elicit higher learning outcomes than identical games without these factors. These hypotheses were tested via a quantitative experiment involving 172 undergraduate students in the Old Dominion University Chemistry Department. The students were asked to play a chemistry-oriented serious game entitled Element Solitaire©, which was created by the research author. The students were randomly given different treatments of the Element Solitaire© game to play, and the difference between their learning outcomes were compared. The experimental results demonstrated that the aesthetic presentation of a game can have a significant impact upon the learning outcome. The experiment was not able to discern significant effects from the choice or competition conditions, but further examination of the experimental data did reveal some insight into these aspects of serious game design. Choices need to provide the player with options that have a sufficient value that they will be considered and the application of competition within games needs to be judiciously implemented to promote a positive affect for all players. The results of the theoretical foundations and empirical evidence were then combined with additional theoretical research to develop a set of

  19. Gaming Personality and Game Dynamics in Online Discussion Instructions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tu, Chih-Hsiung; Yen, Cherng-Jyh; Sujo-Montes, Laura; Roberts, Gayle A.

    2015-01-01

    Gamification is the use of game mechanics to drive game-like engagements and actions. It applies game mechanics, dynamics and frameworks to promote desired learning behaviours. Positive and effective gamification could enhance learning and engage learners in more social and context-rich decision-making for problem-solving in learning tasks.…

  20. Designing Leadership and Soft Skills in Educational Games: The e-Leadership and Soft Skills Educational Games Design Model (ELESS)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Freitas, Sara; Routledge, Helen

    2013-01-01

    While the field of leadership studies includes a large corpus of literature and studies, the literature and scientific research in the field of e-leadership and soft skills used in learning game environments are at present small in scale. Towards contributing to this newly emerging field of literature and study, this research paper presents a new…

  1. Fish play Minority Game as humans do

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Ruey-Tarng; Chung, Fei Fang; Liaw, Sy-Sang

    2012-01-01

    We report the results of an unprecedented real Minority Game (MG) played by university staff members who clicked one of two identical buttons (A and B) on a computer screen while clocking in or out of work. We recorded the number of people who clicked button A for 1288 games, beginning on April 21, 2008 and ending on October 31, 2010, and calculated the variance among the people who clicked A as a function of time. The evolution of the variance shows that the global gain of selfish agents increases when a small portion of agents make persistent choice in the games. We also carried out another experiment in which we forced 101 fish to enter one of the two symmetric chambers (A and B). We repeated the fish experiment 500 times and found that the variance of the number of fish that entered chamber A evolved in a way similar to the human MG, suggesting that fish have memory and can employ more strategies when facing the same situation again and again.

  2. An iPhone Game with GOES-R Insight

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fitzpatrick, A. J.; Fisher, D. K.; Leon, N.; Space Place Team

    2011-12-01

    Our team developed a game, "Satellite Insight," for iPhone, iPod, or iPad. The game highlights the environmental and weather data-gathering potential of the next generation GOES-R satellite. We aimed to create a game that would have educational value, feature a real NOAA mission, and increase awareness of the GOES satellites and especially of the societal benefits deriving from this next generation of technology. We also wanted to reach a different, broader audience of a wider age range than we normally target with our NASA (spaceplace.nasa.gov) and NOAA (scijinks.gov) websites for kids. Oh . . . and we wanted the game to be fun. Although we had developed many fun and educational Flash games hosted on our Space Place and SciJinks Weather Laboratory websites for kids, developing an iOS game presented some different challenges: (1) players are usually interested in playing only very short games, under two minutes; (2) we wanted the game to appeal to a range of ages; and (3) the small touch screen requires a totally different type of interface design. The game is about gathering and storing different types of data collected by GOES-R, with the data rate increasing rapidly while you try to keep up. Six different types (colors, with different symbols) of tiles drop down from the top of a grid and collect in the columns. Touch any block that is in a group of three or more like blocks, then touch the GOES-R satellite icon below the grid to "save" the data and clear the selected blocks off the grid. If more than two columns completely fill up, the game is over. The "data rate" speeds up quickly, making it more challenging to keep the grid from overflowing. "Power-up" symbols appear periodically, which, when touched, do helpful things, such as clear out your tallest column. Players try to beat their own best "survival" time. The first lesson we learned in developing this game was to make sure the game play concept was simple and feasible to implement. Our first idea, in

  3. Differential Game Logic for Hybrid Games

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-03-01

    André Platzer. Logics of dynamical systems (invited tutorial). In LICS [DBL12]. [PP03] Marc Pauly and Rohit Parikh. Game logic - an overview...hybrid games. Theor. Comput. Sci., 412(48):6770–6785, 2011. [Wal98] Wolfgang Walter. Ordinary Differential Equations. Springer, 1998. 18 A Proof of Scott

  4. First Video Game

    ScienceCinema

    Takacs, Peter

    2018-06-21

    More than fifty years ago, before either arcades or home video games, visitors waited in line at Brookhaven National Laboratory to play Tennis for Two, an electronic tennis game that is unquestionably a forerunner of the modern video game. Two people played the electronic tennis game with separate controllers that connected to an analog computer and used an oscilloscope for a screen. The game's creator, William Higinbotham, was a physicist who lobbied for nuclear nonproliferation as the first chair of the Federation of American Scientists.

  5. Game On, Science - How Video Game Technology May Help Biologists Tackle Visualization Challenges

    PubMed Central

    Da Silva, Franck; Empereur-mot, Charly; Chavent, Matthieu; Baaden, Marc

    2013-01-01

    The video games industry develops ever more advanced technologies to improve rendering, image quality, ergonomics and user experience of their creations providing very simple to use tools to design new games. In the molecular sciences, only a small number of experts with specialized know-how are able to design interactive visualization applications, typically static computer programs that cannot easily be modified. Are there lessons to be learned from video games? Could their technology help us explore new molecular graphics ideas and render graphics developments accessible to non-specialists? This approach points to an extension of open computer programs, not only providing access to the source code, but also delivering an easily modifiable and extensible scientific research tool. In this work, we will explore these questions using the Unity3D game engine to develop and prototype a biological network and molecular visualization application for subsequent use in research or education. We have compared several routines to represent spheres and links between them, using either built-in Unity3D features or our own implementation. These developments resulted in a stand-alone viewer capable of displaying molecular structures, surfaces, animated electrostatic field lines and biological networks with powerful, artistic and illustrative rendering methods. We consider this work as a proof of principle demonstrating that the functionalities of classical viewers and more advanced novel features could be implemented in substantially less time and with less development effort. Our prototype is easily modifiable and extensible and may serve others as starting point and platform for their developments. A webserver example, standalone versions for MacOS X, Linux and Windows, source code, screen shots, videos and documentation are available at the address: http://unitymol.sourceforge.net/. PMID:23483961

  6. Game on, science - how video game technology may help biologists tackle visualization challenges.

    PubMed

    Lv, Zhihan; Tek, Alex; Da Silva, Franck; Empereur-mot, Charly; Chavent, Matthieu; Baaden, Marc

    2013-01-01

    The video games industry develops ever more advanced technologies to improve rendering, image quality, ergonomics and user experience of their creations providing very simple to use tools to design new games. In the molecular sciences, only a small number of experts with specialized know-how are able to design interactive visualization applications, typically static computer programs that cannot easily be modified. Are there lessons to be learned from video games? Could their technology help us explore new molecular graphics ideas and render graphics developments accessible to non-specialists? This approach points to an extension of open computer programs, not only providing access to the source code, but also delivering an easily modifiable and extensible scientific research tool. In this work, we will explore these questions using the Unity3D game engine to develop and prototype a biological network and molecular visualization application for subsequent use in research or education. We have compared several routines to represent spheres and links between them, using either built-in Unity3D features or our own implementation. These developments resulted in a stand-alone viewer capable of displaying molecular structures, surfaces, animated electrostatic field lines and biological networks with powerful, artistic and illustrative rendering methods. We consider this work as a proof of principle demonstrating that the functionalities of classical viewers and more advanced novel features could be implemented in substantially less time and with less development effort. Our prototype is easily modifiable and extensible and may serve others as starting point and platform for their developments. A webserver example, standalone versions for MacOS X, Linux and Windows, source code, screen shots, videos and documentation are available at the address: http://unitymol.sourceforge.net/.

  7. Educational Adventure Games.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Fred D.

    An adventure game is a role-playing game that usually, but not always, has some fantasy aspect. The role-playing aspect is the key element because players become personally involved when they assume a role, and defeat becomes personal and less acceptable than in other types of games. Computer-based role-playing games are extremely popular because…

  8. Video Gaming in a Hyperconnected World: A Cross-sectional Study of Heavy Gaming, Problematic Gaming Symptoms, and Online Socializing in Adolescents.

    PubMed

    Colder Carras, Michelle; Van Rooij, Antonius J; Van de Mheen, Dike; Musci, Rashelle; Xue, Qian-Li; Mendelson, Tamar

    2017-03-01

    Examining online social interactions along with patterns of video gaming behaviors and game addiction symptoms has the potential to enrich our understanding of disorders related to excessive video game play. We performed latent class analysis in a sample of 9733 adolescents based on heavy use of games, social networking and instant messaging, and game addiction symptoms. We used latent class regression to determine associations between classes, psychosocial well-being and friendship quality. We identified two types of heavy gaming classes that differed in probability of online social interaction. Classes with more online social interaction reported fewer problematic gaming symptoms than those with less online social interaction. Most adolescents estimated to be in heavy gaming classes had more depressive symptoms than normative classes. Male non-social gamers had more social anxiety. Female social gamers had less social anxiety and loneliness, but lower self-esteem. Friendship quality attenuated depression in some male social gamers, but strengthened associations with loneliness in some male non-social gamers. In adolescents, symptoms of video game addiction depend not only on video game play but also on concurrent levels of online communication, and those who are very socially active online report fewer symptoms of game addiction.

  9. The Gaming of Policy and the Politics of Gaming: A Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mayer, Igor S.

    2009-01-01

    This article examines the foundations of gaming and related concepts, such as policy exercises and serious gaming, in a public policy making context. Examining the relevant publications in "Simulation & Gaming" since 1969, the author looks back at the development of gaming simulation for purposes such as public policy analysis and planning, and…

  10. Evolutionary game theory and multiple chemical sensitivity.

    PubMed

    Newlin, D B

    1999-01-01

    Newlin's [Newlin D.B. Evolutionary game theory of tolerance and sensitization in substance abuse. Paper presented to the Research Society on Alcoholism, Hilton Head, SC, 1998] evolutionary game theory of addictive behavior specifies how evolutionarily stable strategies for survival and reproduction may lead to addiction. The game theory of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) assumes that: (1) the MCS patient responds to low-level toxicants as stressors or as direct threats to their survival and reproductive fitness, (2) this activates the cortico-mesolimbic dopamine system, (3) this system is a survival motivation center--not a 'reward center', (4) the subject emits a counter-response that is in the same direction as the naive response to the chemicals, (5) previously neutral stimuli associated with chemicals also trigger conditioned responses that mimic those to the chemicals, (6) these counter-responses further activate the dopaminergic survival motivation system, and (7) this produces a positive feedback loop that leads to strong neural sensitization in these structures and in behavior controlled by this system, despite a small initial response. Psychologically, the MCS patient with a sensitized cortico-mesolimbic dopamine system is behaving as though his/her survival is directly threatened by these chemicals. Non-MCS subjects have counter-responses opposite in direction to those of the chemicals and show tolerance. An autoshaping/sign-tracking model of this game is discussed. This evolutionary game makes several specific, testable predictions about differences between MCS subjects, non-MCS controls, and substance abusers in laboratory experiments, and between sensitized and nonsensitized animals.

  11. Winter Games.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tarbuth, Lawson, Comp.

    Educators may find activities for indoor and outdoor winter programs in the games of the traditional Eskimo. These games are dominated by few-step operations and low level structural organization. For the most part they are quickly organized, begun, terminated, and ready to be recommenced. All types of games can be found, including quiet ones,…

  12. Game Face

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weiner, Jill

    2005-01-01

    In this article, the author discusses "Game Face: Life Lessons Across the Curriculum", a teaching kit that challenges assumptions and builds confidence. Game Face, which is derived from a book and art exhibition, "Game Face: What Does a Female Athlete Look Like?", uses layered and powerful images of women and girls participating in sports to teach…

  13. Problematic gaming exists and is an example of disordered gaming.

    PubMed

    Griffiths, Mark D; Kuss, Daria J; Lopez-Fernandez, Olatz; Pontes, Halley M

    2017-09-01

    Background The recent paper by Aarseth et al. (2016) questioned whether problematic gaming should be considered a new disorder particularly because "Gaming Disorder" (GD) has been identified as a disorder to be included in the next (11th) revision of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Methods This study uses contemporary literature to argue why GD should be included in the ICD-11. Results Aarseth and colleagues acknowledge that there is much literature (including papers by some of the authors themselves) that some individuals experience serious problems with video gaming. How can such an activity be seriously problematic yet not disordered? Similar to other addictions, gaming addiction is relatively rare and is in essence a syndrome (i.e., a condition or disorder characterized by a set of associated symptoms that tend to occur under specific circumstances). Consequently, not everyone will exhibit exactly the same set of symptoms and consequences, and this partly explains why those working in the problematic gaming field often disagree on symptomatology. Conclusions Research into gaming is not about pathologizing healthy entertainment, but about pathologizing excessive and problematic behaviors that cause significant psychological distress and impairment in an individual's life. These are two related, but (ultimately) very distinct phenomena. While being aware that gaming is a pastime activity which is enjoyed non-problematically by many millions of individuals worldwide, it is concluded that problematic gaming exists and that it is an example of disordered gaming.

  14. Effects of Bout Duration on Players' Internal and External Loads During Small-Sided Games in Young Soccer Players.

    PubMed

    Köklü, Yusuf; Alemdaroğlu, Utku; Cihan, Hamit; Wong, Del P

    2017-11-01

    To investigate the effects of different bout durations on internal and external loads of young soccer players during different small-sided games (SSGs). Fifteen young male soccer players (average age 17 ± 1 y) participated in 2 vs 2, 3 vs 3, and 4 vs 4 SSGs. All games lasted 12 min playing time in total, but each SSG format further consisted of 4 bout durations: continuous (CON: 1 bout × 12 min) or interval with short (SBD: 6 bouts  × 2 min), medium (MBD: 3 bouts × 4 min), or long (LBD: 2 bouts × 6 min) bout durations. During the SSGs, heart-rate (HR) responses and distance covered in different speed zones (walking and low-intensity, moderate-intensity, and high-intensity running) were measured. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and blood lactate (La - ) were determined at the end of each SSG. The SBD format elicited significantly lower %HR max responses compared to LBD and CON in all formats (P < .05). The SBD format also showed significantly shorter distances covered in walking and greater distances covered in moderate-intensity running, as well as significantly greater total distance covered compared to LBD and CON in all formats (P < .05). In addition, LBD produced significantly lower La - and RPE responses than SBD and CON in all formats (P < .05). These results suggest that coaches and sport scientists who want to achieve higher internal loads could use SBD and CON timing protocols, while those who want to achieve higher external loads might prefer to use SBD and MBD when planning all SSG formats.

  15. Quantum games of opinion formation based on the Marinatto-Weber quantum game scheme

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deng, Xinyang; Deng, Yong; Liu, Qi; Shi, Lei; Wang, Zhen

    2016-06-01

    Quantization has become a new way to investigate classical game theory since quantum strategies and quantum games were proposed. In the existing studies, many typical game models, such as the prisoner's dilemma, battle of the sexes, Hawk-Dove game, have been extensively explored by using quantization approach. Along a similar method, here several game models of opinion formations will be quantized on the basis of the Marinatto-Weber quantum game scheme, a frequently used scheme of converting classical games to quantum versions. Our results show that the quantization can fascinatingly change the properties of some classical opinion formation game models so as to generate win-win outcomes.

  16. Game Design & Development: Using Computer Games as Creative and Challenging Assignments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seals, Cheryl; Hundley, Jacqueline; Montgomery, Lacey Strange

    2008-01-01

    This paper describes a game design and development course. The rationale for forming this class was to use student excitement with video games as an intrinsic motivation over traditional courses. Today's students have grown up exposed to gaming, interactive environments, and vivid 3D. Computer gaming has the capacity to attract many new students…

  17. Game on: The Impact of Game Features in Computer-Based Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DeRouin-Jessen, Renee E.

    2008-01-01

    The term "serious games" became popularized in 2002 as a result of an initiative to promote the use of games for education, training, and other purposes. Today, many companies are using games for training and development, often with hefty price tags. For example, the development budget for the U.S. Army recruiting game, "America's…

  18. Dynamic game balancing implementation using adaptive algorithm in mobile-based Safari Indonesia game

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuniarti, Anny; Nata Wardanie, Novita; Kuswardayan, Imam

    2018-03-01

    In developing a game there is one method that should be applied to maintain the interest of players, namely dynamic game balancing. Dynamic game balancing is a process to match a player’s playing style with the behaviour, attributes, and game environment. This study applies dynamic game balancing using adaptive algorithm in scrolling shooter game type called Safari Indonesia which developed using Unity. The game of this type is portrayed by a fighter aircraft character trying to defend itself from insistent enemy attacks. This classic game is chosen to implement adaptive algorithms because it has quite complex attributes to be developed using dynamic game balancing. Tests conducted by distributing questionnaires to a number of players indicate that this method managed to reduce frustration and increase the pleasure factor in playing.

  19. Games for Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gee, James Paul

    2013-01-01

    Today there is a great deal of interest in and a lot of hype about using video games in schools. Video games are a new silver bullet. Games can create good learning because they teach in powerful ways. The theory behind game-based learning is not really new, but a traditional and well-tested approach to deep and effective learning, often…

  20. Homemade Powerpoint Games: Game Design Pedagogy Aligned to the TPACK Framework

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Siko, Jason P.; Barbour, Michael K.

    2012-01-01

    While researchers are examining the role of playing games to learn, others are looking at using game design as an instructional tool. However, game-design software may require additional time to train both teachers and students. In this article, the authors discuss the use of Microsoft PowerPoint as a tool for game-design instruction and the…

  1. Asymmetric Evolutionary Games.

    PubMed

    McAvoy, Alex; Hauert, Christoph

    2015-08-01

    Evolutionary game theory is a powerful framework for studying evolution in populations of interacting individuals. A common assumption in evolutionary game theory is that interactions are symmetric, which means that the players are distinguished by only their strategies. In nature, however, the microscopic interactions between players are nearly always asymmetric due to environmental effects, differing baseline characteristics, and other possible sources of heterogeneity. To model these phenomena, we introduce into evolutionary game theory two broad classes of asymmetric interactions: ecological and genotypic. Ecological asymmetry results from variation in the environments of the players, while genotypic asymmetry is a consequence of the players having differing baseline genotypes. We develop a theory of these forms of asymmetry for games in structured populations and use the classical social dilemmas, the Prisoner's Dilemma and the Snowdrift Game, for illustrations. Interestingly, asymmetric games reveal essential differences between models of genetic evolution based on reproduction and models of cultural evolution based on imitation that are not apparent in symmetric games.

  2. Asymmetric Evolutionary Games

    PubMed Central

    McAvoy, Alex; Hauert, Christoph

    2015-01-01

    Evolutionary game theory is a powerful framework for studying evolution in populations of interacting individuals. A common assumption in evolutionary game theory is that interactions are symmetric, which means that the players are distinguished by only their strategies. In nature, however, the microscopic interactions between players are nearly always asymmetric due to environmental effects, differing baseline characteristics, and other possible sources of heterogeneity. To model these phenomena, we introduce into evolutionary game theory two broad classes of asymmetric interactions: ecological and genotypic. Ecological asymmetry results from variation in the environments of the players, while genotypic asymmetry is a consequence of the players having differing baseline genotypes. We develop a theory of these forms of asymmetry for games in structured populations and use the classical social dilemmas, the Prisoner’s Dilemma and the Snowdrift Game, for illustrations. Interestingly, asymmetric games reveal essential differences between models of genetic evolution based on reproduction and models of cultural evolution based on imitation that are not apparent in symmetric games. PMID:26308326

  3. ALTEC Learning Games: Successful Integration of Learning and Gaming

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bacon, Melanie A.; Ault, Marilyn M.

    2009-01-01

    Of the 53 million K-12 students in the United States, 93%, or 51 million, of them play video games (Etuk, 2008). ALTEC Learning Games utilize the excitement of video games to engage students and provide teachers authentic online resources that reinforce skills in math and language arts. Our recent work was partially supported by a partnership with…

  4. Transcriptome landscape of Lactococcus lactis reveals many novel RNAs including a small regulatory RNA involved in carbon uptake and metabolism.

    PubMed

    van der Meulen, Sjoerd B; de Jong, Anne; Kok, Jan

    2016-01-01

    RNA sequencing has revolutionized genome-wide transcriptome analyses, and the identification of non-coding regulatory RNAs in bacteria has thus increased concurrently. Here we reveal the transcriptome map of the lactic acid bacterial paradigm Lactococcus lactis MG1363 by employing differential RNA sequencing (dRNA-seq) and a combination of manual and automated transcriptome mining. This resulted in a high-resolution genome annotation of L. lactis and the identification of 60 cis-encoded antisense RNAs (asRNAs), 186 trans-encoded putative regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) and 134 novel small ORFs. Based on the putative targets of asRNAs, a novel classification is proposed. Several transcription factor DNA binding motifs were identified in the promoter sequences of (a)sRNAs, providing insight in the interplay between lactococcal regulatory RNAs and transcription factors. The presence and lengths of 14 putative sRNAs were experimentally confirmed by differential Northern hybridization, including the abundant RNA 6S that is differentially expressed depending on the available carbon source. For another sRNA, LLMGnc_147, functional analysis revealed that it is involved in carbon uptake and metabolism. L. lactis contains 13% leaderless mRNAs (lmRNAs) that, from an analysis of overrepresentation in GO classes, seem predominantly involved in nucleotide metabolism and DNA/RNA binding. Moreover, an A-rich sequence motif immediately following the start codon was uncovered, which could provide novel insight in the translation of lmRNAs. Altogether, this first experimental genome-wide assessment of the transcriptome landscape of L. lactis and subsequent sRNA studies provide an extensive basis for the investigation of regulatory RNAs in L. lactis and related lactococcal species.

  5. Video Gaming in a Hyperconnected World: A Cross-sectional Study of Heavy Gaming, Problematic Gaming Symptoms, and Online Socializing in Adolescents

    PubMed Central

    Colder Carras, Michelle; Van Rooij, Antonius J.; Van de Mheen, Dike; Musci, Rashelle; Xue, Qian-Li; Mendelson, Tamar

    2016-01-01

    Aims Examining online social interactions along with patterns of video gaming behaviors and game addiction symptoms has the potential to enrich our understanding of disorders related to excessive video game play. Methods We performed latent class analysis in a sample of 9733 adolescents based on heavy use of games, social networking and instant messaging, and game addiction symptoms. We used latent class regression to determine associations between classes, psychosocial well-being and friendship quality. Results We identified two types of heavy gaming classes that differed in probability of online social interaction. Classes with more online social interaction reported fewer problematic gaming symptoms than those with less online social interaction. Most adolescents estimated to be in heavy gaming classes had more depressive symptoms than normative classes. Male non-social gamers had more social anxiety. Female social gamers had less social anxiety and loneliness, but lower self-esteem. Friendship quality attenuated depression in some male social gamers, but strengthened associations with loneliness in some male non-social gamers. Conclusions In adolescents, symptoms of video game addiction depend not only on video game play but also on concurrent levels of online communication, and those who are very socially active online report fewer symptoms of game addiction. PMID:28260834

  6. Are Girls Game?: How School Libraries Can Provide Gender Equity in E-Gaming

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farmer, Lesley S. J.

    2011-01-01

    Gaming has come to the library. School librarians are increasingly incorporating gaming into their program of resources and services. Besides addressing the natural interest that youth have in games, school librarians recognize the educational benefits of games, particularly in terms of information and digital literacies. While board games have…

  7. Theory of mind and the Ultimatum Game in healthy adult aging.

    PubMed

    Girardi, Alessandra; Sala, Sergio Della; MacPherson, Sarah E

    2018-01-01

    The Ultimatum Game assesses decision-making involved in cooperative interactions with others. However, little is known about the role that the ability to understand other people's intentions plays in these interactions. This study examined performance on the Ultimatum Game and theory of mind (ToM) tasks in younger and older adults. Age differences were not found on the ToM tasks, and a lack of variability in performance prevented analyses of the relationships between performance on the Ultimatum Game and ToM. However, age differences were found on the Ultimatum Game, with older adults accepting more unfair offers. Yet, the two age groups did not differ in their appreciation of fairness, as assessed using subjective fairness ratings. These findings suggest that older adults are more rational in their behavior, accepting unfair offers even when they know they are unfair, as it is in their self-interest to accept small monetary values rather than nothing at all.

  8. Video game playing in high school students: health correlates, gender differences and problematic gaming

    PubMed Central

    Desai, Rani A.; Krishnan-Sarin, Suchitra; Cavallo, Dana; Potenza, Marc N.

    2013-01-01

    There is concern about the potential for negative impact of video games on youth. However the existing literature on gaming is inconsistent and has often focused on aggression. Health correlates of gaming and the prevalence and correlates of problematic gaming have not been systematically studied. We anonymously surveyed 4,028 adolescents about gaming, reported problems with gaming, and other health behaviors. 51.2% of the sample reported gaming (76.3% of boys and 29.2% of girls). There were no negative health correlates of gaming in boys, and lower odds of smoking regularly; however, girls who reported gaming were less likely to report depression, and more likely to report getting into serious fights and carrying a weapon to school. Among gamers, 4.9% reported problematic gaming, defined as reporting trying to cut back, experiencing an irresistible urge to play, and experiencing a growing tension that could only be relieved by playing. Boys were more likely to report these problems (5.8%) than girls (3.0%). Correlates of problematic gaming included regular cigarette smoking, drug use, depression, and serious fights. Results suggest that gaming is largely normative in boys and not associated with many health factors. In girls, however, gaming appears associated with more externalizing behaviors and fewer internalizing symptoms. The prevalence of problematic gaming is low but not insignificant, and problematic gaming may be contained within a larger spectrum of externalizing behaviors. More research is needed to define safe levels of gaming, refine the definition of problematic gaming, and evaluate effective prevention and intervention strategies. PMID:21078729

  9. Social games in a social network.

    PubMed

    Abramson, G; Kuperman, M

    2001-03-01

    We study an evolutionary version of the Prisoner's Dilemma game, played by agents placed in a small-world network. Agents are able to change their strategy, imitating that of the most successful neighbor. We observe that different topologies, ranging from regular lattices to random graphs, produce a variety of emergent behaviors. This is a contribution towards the study of social phenomena and transitions governed by the topology of the community.

  10. Teaching Using Computer Games

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Lee Dee; Shell, Duane; Khandaker, Nobel; Soh, Leen-Kiat

    2011-01-01

    Computer games have long been used for teaching. Current reviews lack categorization and analysis using learning models which would help instructors assess the usefulness of computer games. We divide the use of games into two classes: game playing and game development. We discuss the Input-Process-Outcome (IPO) model for the learning process when…

  11. Cooperative Trust Games

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-01-01

    the more widely recognized competitive (non-cooperative) game theory. Cooperative game theory focuses on what groups of self-interested agents can...provides immediate justification for using non-cooperative game theory as the basis for modeling the purely competitive agents. 2.4. Superadditive...the competitive and altruistic contributions of the subset team. Definition: Given a payoff function ( ) in a subset team game , the total marginal

  12. Problematic gaming exists and is an example of disordered gaming

    PubMed Central

    Griffiths, Mark D.; Kuss, Daria J.; Lopez-Fernandez, Olatz; Pontes, Halley M.

    2017-01-01

    Background The recent paper by Aarseth et al. (2016) questioned whether problematic gaming should be considered a new disorder particularly because “Gaming Disorder” (GD) has been identified as a disorder to be included in the next (11th) revision of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Methods This study uses contemporary literature to argue why GD should be included in the ICD-11. Results Aarseth and colleagues acknowledge that there is much literature (including papers by some of the authors themselves) that some individuals experience serious problems with video gaming. How can such an activity be seriously problematic yet not disordered? Similar to other addictions, gaming addiction is relatively rare and is in essence a syndrome (i.e., a condition or disorder characterized by a set of associated symptoms that tend to occur under specific circumstances). Consequently, not everyone will exhibit exactly the same set of symptoms and consequences, and this partly explains why those working in the problematic gaming field often disagree on symptomatology. Conclusions Research into gaming is not about pathologizing healthy entertainment, but about pathologizing excessive and problematic behaviors that cause significant psychological distress and impairment in an individual’s life. These are two related, but (ultimately) very distinct phenomena. While being aware that gaming is a pastime activity which is enjoyed non-problematically by many millions of individuals worldwide, it is concluded that problematic gaming exists and that it is an example of disordered gaming. PMID:28816501

  13. Learning about the game: designing science games for a generation of gamers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chmiel, Marjee

    2012-12-01

    This paper is a response to "Challenges and Opportunities: Using a science-based video game in secondary school settings" by Rachel Muehrer, Jennifer Jenson, Jeremy Friedberg, and Nicole Husain. The article highlights two critical areas that I argue require more research in the studies of video games in education. The first area focuses on the need to better understand how children interact with non-educational games, outside of the school setting. This includes issues such as "gamer culture" and game play styles. The better we understand these issues, the better educational game designers and implementers can imagine the kinds of behaviors that might be elicited from students when we bring educational games into their classroom. In this focus, the student is the unit of analysis, but it is the student in and out of the classroom: the way the student understands video games when she is at home, playing with friends, and at school. The second area focuses on the study of the classroom as a unit of analysis. As the authors of this study reveal, classroom cultures affect the reception and success of an educational game. This is to ask, how does a game play when students have to play it in pairs or groups for a lack of resources? What is the role of the teacher in the success of video game implementation? How does a game react to multiple server requests in a short period of time? These are issues that are still largely unexplored in the educational game design literature.

  14. Emergent Complexity in Conway's Game of Life

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gotts, Nick

    It is shown that both small, finite patterns and random infinite very low density ("sparse") arrays of the Game of Life can produce emergent structures and processes of great complexity, through ramifying feedback networks and cross-scale interactions. The implications are discussed: it is proposed that analogous networks and interactions may have been precursors to natural selection in the real world.

  15. Ontology of Serious Games

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prayaga, Lakshmi; Rasmussen, Karen L.

    2008-01-01

    Computer games are no longer just for entertainment; they have also become a useful instructional strategy for acquiring knowledge. When games are used for purposes other than strict entertainment they become serious games. The goal of serious games is to enable the player to learn a task, master a strategy or develop a skill. Serious games can be…

  16. Mobile Game for Learning Bacteriology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sugimura, Ryo; Kawazu, Sotaro; Tamari, Hiroki; Watanabe, Kodai; Nishimura, Yohei; Oguma, Toshiki; Watanabe, Katsushiro; Kaneko, Kosuke; Okada, Yoshihiro; Yoshida, Motofumi; Takano, Shigeru; Inoue, Hitoshi

    2014-01-01

    This paper treats serious games. Recently, one of the game genres called serious game has become popular, which has other purposes besides enjoyments like education, training and so on. Especially, learning games of the serious games seem very attractive for the age of video games so that the authors developed a mobile game for learning…

  17. Heterogeneous game resource distributions promote cooperation in spatial prisoner's dilemma game

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cui, Guang-Hai; Wang, Zhen; Yang, Yan-Cun; Tian, Sheng-Wen; Yue, Jun

    2018-01-01

    In social networks, individual abilities to establish interactions are always heterogeneous and independent of the number of topological neighbors. We here study the influence of heterogeneous distributions of abilities on the evolution of individual cooperation in the spatial prisoner's dilemma game. First, we introduced a prisoner's dilemma game, taking into account individual heterogeneous abilities to establish games, which are determined by the owned game resources. Second, we studied three types of game resource distributions that follow the power-law property. Simulation results show that the heterogeneous distribution of individual game resources can promote cooperation effectively, and the heterogeneous level of resource distributions has a positive influence on the maintenance of cooperation. Extensive analysis shows that cooperators with large resource capacities can foster cooperator clusters around themselves. Furthermore, when the temptation to defect is high, cooperator clusters in which the central pure cooperators have larger game resource capacities are more stable than other cooperator clusters.

  18. The Effect of Recovery Duration on Technical Proficiency during Small Sided Games of Football.

    PubMed

    McLean, Scott; Kerhervé, Hugo; Naughton, Mitchell; Lovell, Geoff P; Gorman, Adam D; Solomon, Colin

    2016-07-08

    The aim of this study was to determine the effect of increasing the duration of the recovery periods separating serial bouts of small sided games (SSG) of football on technical skills (TS). Twelve semi-professional footballers (mean ± SD; age 21 ± 3 years; VO 2peak 64 ± 7 mL∙min∙kg -1 ; playing experience 15 ± 3 years) completed two SSG sessions, consisting of 3 vs. 3 players and 6 bouts of 2 min, separated by either 30 s recovery (REC-30) or 120 s recovery (REC-120). Sixteen TS, including passing, possession, and defensive related variables, and exercise intensity (heart rate, rating of perceived exertion, time motion descriptors) during the bouts were measured. Repeated measures ANOVA were used to determine differences between-conditions, for TS. The number of successful tackles was significantly higher, and the average time each team maintained possession was significantly lower in REC-120 compared to REC-30. There were no significant differences for all other TS variables, or exercise intensity measures between REC-30 and REC-120. Overall, a four-fold increase in the duration of recovery separating SSG bouts did not alter the technical skill execution of players. The experience and skill level of the players, combined with an apparent regulation of effort through pacing, may have assisted in the maintenance of technical skill execution.

  19. Mapping Learning and Game Mechanics for Serious Games Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arnab, Sylvester; Lim, Theodore; Carvalho, Maira B.; Bellotti, Francesco; de Freitas, Sara; Louchart, Sandy; Suttie, Neil; Berta, Riccardo; De Gloria, Alessandro

    2015-01-01

    Although there is a consensus on the instructional potential of Serious Games (SGs), there is still a lack of methodologies and tools not only for design but also to support analysis and assessment. Filling this gap is one of the main aims of the Games and Learning Alliance (http://www.galanoe.eu) European Network of Excellence on Serious Games,…

  20. What Can K-12 School Leaders Learn from Video Games and Gaming?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Halverson, Richard

    2005-01-01

    Schools have much to learn from video games and the gaming community. By providing compelling activities for motivating otherwise indifferent learners, video games can potentially help teachers improve the design of learning environments. However, there are considerable rhetorical and practical barriers between the schooling and gaming communities…

  1. Mutation-selection equilibrium in games with mixed strategies.

    PubMed

    Tarnita, Corina E; Antal, Tibor; Nowak, Martin A

    2009-11-07

    We develop a new method for studying stochastic evolutionary game dynamics of mixed strategies. We consider the general situation: there are n pure strategies whose interactions are described by an nxn payoff matrix. Players can use mixed strategies, which are given by the vector (p(1),...,p(n)). Each entry specifies the probability to use the corresponding pure strategy. The sum over all entries is one. Therefore, a mixed strategy is a point in the simplex S(n). We study evolutionary dynamics in a well-mixed population of finite size. Individuals reproduce proportional to payoff. We consider the case of weak selection, which means the payoff from the game is only a small contribution to overall fitness. Reproduction can be subject to mutation; a mutant adopts a randomly chosen mixed strategy. We calculate the average abundance of every mixed strategy in the stationary distribution of the mutation-selection process. We find the crucial conditions that specify if a strategy is favored or opposed by selection. One condition holds for low mutation rate, another for high mutation rate. The result for any mutation rate is a linear combination of those two. As a specific example we study the Hawk-Dove game. We prove general statements about the relationship between games with pure and with mixed strategies.

  2. Improving Simulated Annealing by Replacing Its Variables with Game-Theoretic Utility Maximizers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wolpert, David H.; Bandari, Esfandiar; Tumer, Kagan

    2001-01-01

    The game-theory field of Collective INtelligence (COIN) concerns the design of computer-based players engaged in a non-cooperative game so that as those players pursue their self-interests, a pre-specified global goal for the collective computational system is achieved as a side-effect. Previous implementations of COIN algorithms have outperformed conventional techniques by up to several orders of magnitude, on domains ranging from telecommunications control to optimization in congestion problems. Recent mathematical developments have revealed that these previously developed algorithms were based on only two of the three factors determining performance. Consideration of only the third factor would instead lead to conventional optimization techniques like simulated annealing that have little to do with non-cooperative games. In this paper we present an algorithm based on all three terms at once. This algorithm can be viewed as a way to modify simulated annealing by recasting it as a non-cooperative game, with each variable replaced by a player. This recasting allows us to leverage the intelligent behavior of the individual players to substantially improve the exploration step of the simulated annealing. Experiments are presented demonstrating that this recasting significantly improves simulated annealing for a model of an economic process run over an underlying small-worlds topology. Furthermore, these experiments reveal novel small-worlds phenomena, and highlight the shortcomings of conventional mechanism design in bounded rationality domains.

  3. Cognitive Analysis of Educational Games: The Number Game.

    PubMed

    van der Maas, Han L J; Nyamsuren, Enkhbold

    2017-04-01

    We analyze the cognitive strategies underlying performance in the Number task, a Math game that requires both arithmetic fluency and mathematical creativity. In this game all elements in a set of numbers (for instance, 2, 5, 9) have to be used precisely once to create a target number (for instance, 27) with basic arithmetic operations (solution: [5-2] × 9). We argue that some instances of this game are NP complete, by showing its relation to the well-known Partition problem. We propose heuristics based on the distinction in forward and backward reasoning. The Number Game is part of Math Garden, a popular online educational platform for practicing and monitoring math skills using innovations in computerized adaptive testing. These educational games generate enormous amounts of rich data on children's cognitive development. We found converging evidence for the use of forward proximity heuristics in the data of Math Garden, consisting of more than 20 million answers to 1,700 items. Item difficulties and the structure of correct answers were analyzed. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  4. The Impact of Degree of Exposure to Violent Video Games, Family Background, and Other Factors on Youth Violence.

    PubMed

    DeCamp, Whitney; Ferguson, Christopher J

    2017-02-01

    Despite decades of study, no scholarly consensus has emerged regarding whether violent video games contribute to youth violence. Some skeptics contend that small correlations between violent game play and violence-related outcomes may be due to other factors, which include a wide range of possible effects from gender, mental health, and social influences. The current study examines this issue with a large and diverse (49 % white, 21 % black, 18 % Hispanic, and 12 % other or mixed race/ethnicity; 51 % female) sample of youth in eighth (n = 5133) and eleventh grade (n = 3886). Models examining video game play and violence-related outcomes without any controls tended to return small, but statistically significant relationships between violent games and violence-related outcomes. However, once other predictors were included in the models and once propensity scores were used to control for an underlying propensity for choosing or being allowed to play violent video games, these relationships vanished, became inverse, or were reduced to trivial effect sizes. These results offer further support to the conclusion that video game violence is not a meaningful predictor of youth violence and, instead, support the conclusion that family and social variables are more influential factors.

  5. Computer Games as Instructional Tools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bright, George W.; Harvey, John G.

    1984-01-01

    Defines games, instructional games, and computer instructional games; discusses several unique capabilities that facilitate game playing and may make computer games more attractive to students than noncomputer alternatives; and examines the potential disadvantages of using instructional computer games on a regular basis. (MBR)

  6. Chances and Limitations of Video Games in the Fight against Childhood Obesity-A Systematic Review.

    PubMed

    Mack, Isabelle; Bayer, Carolin; Schäffeler, Norbert; Reiband, Nadine; Brölz, Ellen; Zurstiege, Guido; Fernandez-Aranda, Fernando; Gawrilow, Caterina; Zipfel, Stephan

    2017-07-01

    A systematic literature search was conducted to assess the chances and limitations of video games to combat and prevent childhood obesity. This search included studies with video or computer games targeting nutrition, physical activity and obesity for children between 7 and 15 years of age. The study distinguished between games that aimed to (i) improve knowledge about nutrition, eating habits and exercise; (ii) increase physical activity; or (iii) combine both approaches. Overall, the games were well accepted. On a qualitative level, most studies reported positive effects on obesity-related outcomes (improvement of weight-related parameters, physical activity or dietary behaviour/knowledge). However, the observed effects were small. The games did not address psychosocial aspects. Using video games for weight management exclusively does not deliver satisfying results. Video games as an additional guided component of prevention and treatment programs have the potential to increase compliance and thus enhance treatment outcome. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

  7. The Good Behavior Game for Latino English Language Learners in a Small-Group Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ortiz, Jennifer; Bray, Melissa A.; Bilias-Lolis, Evelyn; Kehle, Thomas J.

    2017-01-01

    The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a group contingency intervention that has effectively reduced disruptive behavior and improved classroom management in many replications, for various settings and populations. The student composition of American public schools is changing, leading to culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms with unique…

  8. Making Sense of Game-Based User Data: Learning Analytics in Applied Games

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steiner, Christina M.; Kickmeier-Rus, Michael D.; Albert, Dietrich

    2015-01-01

    Digital learning games are useful educational tools with high motivational potential. With the application of games for instruction there comes the need of acknowledging learning game experiences also in the context of educational assessment. Learning analytics provides new opportunities for supporting assessment in and of educational games. We…

  9. The development of video game enjoyment in a role playing game.

    PubMed

    Wirth, Werner; Ryffel, Fabian; von Pape, Thilo; Karnowski, Veronika

    2013-04-01

    This study examines the development of video game enjoyment over time. The results of a longitudinal study (N=62) show that enjoyment increases over several sessions. Moreover, results of a multilevel regression model indicate a causal link between the dependent variable video game enjoyment and the predictor variables exploratory behavior, spatial presence, competence, suspense and solution, and simulated experiences of life. These findings are important for video game research because they reveal the antecedents of video game enjoyment in a real-world longitudinal setting. Results are discussed in terms of the dynamics of video game enjoyment under real-world conditions.

  10. Online gaming addiction? Motives predict addictive play behavior in massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

    PubMed

    Kuss, Daria J; Louws, Jorik; Wiers, Reinout W

    2012-09-01

    Recently, there have been growing concerns about excessive online gaming. Playing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) appears to be particularly problematic, because these games require a high degree of commitment and time investment from the players to the detriment of occupational, social, and other recreational activities and relations. A number of gaming motives have been linked to excessive online gaming in adolescents and young adults. We assessed 175 current MMORPG players and 90 nonplayers using a Web-based questionnaire regarding their gaming behavior, problems as consequences of gaming, and game motivations and tested their statistical associations. Results indicated that (a) MMORPG players are significantly more likely to experience gaming-related problems relative to nonplayers, and that (b) the gaming motivations escapism and mechanics significantly predicted excessive gaming and appeared as stronger predictors than time investment in game. The findings support the necessity of using measures that distinguish between different types of online games. In addition, this study proves useful regarding the current discussion on establishing (online) gaming addiction as a diagnosis in future categorizations of psychopathology.

  11. Men's harassment behavior in online video games: Personality traits and game factors.

    PubMed

    Tang, Wai Yen; Fox, Jesse

    2016-11-01

    Online video games afford co-play and social interaction, often anonymous, among players from around the world. As predicted by the social identity model of deindividuation effects, undesirable behavior is not uncommon in online gaming environments, and online harassment has become a pervasive issue in the gaming community. In this study, we sought to determine what personality traits and game-related variables predicted two types of online aggression in video games: general harassment (e.g., skill-based taunting, insulting others' intelligence) and sexual harassment (e.g., sexist comments, rape threats). Men who play online video games (N = 425) participated in an anonymous online survey. Social dominance orientation and hostile sexism predicted higher levels of both sexual harassment and general harassment in online games. Game involvement and hours of weekly gameplay were additional predictors of general harassment. We discuss implications of online social aggression and online sexual harassment for online gaming. We also apply our findings to the broader understanding of online harassment, cyberaggression, cyberbullying, and other forms of online hostility in computer-mediated communication contexts. Aggr. Behav. 42:513-521, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Extended non-local games and monogamy-of-entanglement games

    PubMed Central

    Johnston, Nathaniel; Mittal, Rajat; Watrous, John

    2016-01-01

    We study a generalization of non-local games—which we call extended non-local games—in which the players, Alice and Bob, initially share a tripartite quantum state with the referee. In such games, the winning conditions for Alice and Bob may depend on the outcomes of measurements made by the referee, on its part of the shared quantum state, in addition to Alice and Bob's answers to randomly selected questions. Our study of this class of games was inspired by the monogamy-of-entanglement games introduced by Tomamichel, Fehr, Kaniewski and Wehner, which they also generalize. We prove that a natural extension of the Navascués–Pironio–Acín hierarchy of semidefinite programmes converges to the optimal commuting measurement value of extended non-local games, and we prove two extensions of results of Tomamichel et al. concerning monogamy-of-entanglement games. PMID:27279771

  13. Using Tutors to Improve Educational Games: A Cognitive Game for Policy Argument

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Easterday, Matthew W.; Aleven, Vincent; Scheines, Richard; Carver, Sharon M.

    2017-01-01

    How might we balance assistance and penalties to intelligent tutors and educational games that increase learning and interest? We created two versions of an educational game for learning policy argumentation called Policy World. The game (only) version provided minimal feedback and penalized students for errors whereas the game+tutor version…

  14. Spatial correlated games

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    This article studies correlated two-person games constructed from games with independent players as proposed in Iqbal et al. (2016 R. Soc. open sci. 3, 150477. (doi:10.1098/rsos.150477)). The games are played in a collective manner, both in a two-dimensional lattice where the players interact with their neighbours, and with players interacting at random. Four game types are scrutinized in iterated games where the players are allowed to change their strategies, adopting that of their best paid mate neighbour. Particular attention is paid in the study to the effect of a variable degree of correlation on Nash equilibrium strategy pairs. PMID:29291120

  15. Caffeine use in a Super Rugby game and its relationship to post-game sleep.

    PubMed

    Dunican, Ian C; Higgins, Charles C; Jones, Maddison J; Clarke, Michael W; Murray, Kevin; Dawson, Brian; Caldwell, John A; Halson, Shona L; Eastwood, Peter R

    2018-05-01

    To examine the relationship between regular game-related caffeine consumption on sleep after an evening Super Rugby game. Twenty elite rugby union players wore a wrist-activity monitor to measure sleep for three days before, three days after and on the night of an evening Super Rugby game (19:00-21:00). Players ingested caffeine as they would normally (i.e. before and sometimes during a game) and saliva samples were collected before (17:00) and after (21:30) the game for caffeine concentration. Compared to the nights leading up to the game, on the night of the game, players went to bed 3 h later (23:08 ± 66 min vs 02:11 ± 114 min; p < .001) and had 1:30 hh:mm less sleep (5:54 ± 2:59 vs 8:02 ± 1:24 hh:mm; p < .05) and four players did not sleep after the game. Post-game caffeine saliva concentrations were greater than pre-game levels in 17 players (Pre-game 0.40 µg/mL vs Post-game 2.77 µg/mL; p < .001). The increase in caffeine saliva concentrations was moderately associated with an increase in sleep latency (p < .05), a decrease in sleep efficiency (p < .05), and a trend for a decrease in sleep duration (p = .06) on game night. Caffeine consumption before a Super Rugby game markedly increases post-game saliva caffeine levels. This may contribute to the observed 3.5 h delay in time at sleep onset and the 1.5 h reduction in sleep duration on the night of the game. This study highlights the need for a strategic approach to the use of caffeine within a Super Rugby team considering the potential effect on post-game sleep.

  16. The effect of the topology on the spatial ultimatum game

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuperman, M. N.; Risau-Gusman, S.

    2008-03-01

    In this work we present an analysis of a spatially non homogeneous ultimatum game. By considering different underlying topologies as substrates on top of which the game takes place we obtain nontrivial behaviors for the evolution of the strategies of the players. We analyze separately the effect of the size of the neighborhood and the spatial structure. Whereas this last effect is the most significant one, we show that even for disordered networks and provided the neighborhood of each site is small, the results can be significantly different from those obtained in the case of fully connected networks.

  17. PROOF BY GAMES

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-03-01

    calculated dependency graph, which is used by the game logic to populate the game interface with various “clues”. The math runtime module is shown in...variable dependency data described in Section 3.3. In the game narrative, the “energy signature” table (See Figure 25) that delivers this...introduction of data dependency clues (see “energy signatures” above), which replaced a presentation of the FSAs that was included in the Phase One game . We

  18. A fault-tolerant small world topology control model in ad hoc networks for search and rescue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tan, Mian; Fang, Ling; Wu, Yue; Zhang, Bo; Chang, Bowen; Holme, Petter; Zhao, Jing

    2018-02-01

    Due to their self-organized, multi-hop and distributed characteristics, ad hoc networks are useful in search and rescue. Topology control models need to be designed for energy-efficient, robust and fast communication in ad hoc networks. This paper proposes a topology control model which specializes for search and rescue-Compensation Small World-Repeated Game (CSWRG)-which integrates mobility models, constructing small world networks and a game-theoretic approach to the allocation of resources. Simulation results show that our mobility models can enhance the communication performance of the constructed small-world networks. Our strategy, based on repeated game, can suppress selfish behavior and compensate agents that encounter selfish or faulty neighbors. This model could be useful for the design of ad hoc communication networks.

  19. We Are the Game Changers: An Open Gaming Literacy Programme

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arnab, Sylvester; Morini, Luca; Green, Kate; Masters, Alex; Bellamy-Woods, Tyrone

    2017-01-01

    This paper discusses the first iteration of Game Changers Programme hosted by Coventry University's Disruptive Media Learning Lab (DMLL), an open game design initiative. The Programme had the goal of facilitating new models of teaching and learning, new practices in cross-faculty learning/ collaboration to make game design and development more…

  20. Stay Teen: Games

    MedlinePlus

    ... by You are here Home » Games and Quizzes Games and Quizzes Facebook Twitter Tumblr Shares · 0 quiz ... Year’s Relationship Resolution Be? Shares · 0 Comments · 0 game Block Party Shares · 0 Comments · 0 quiz Should ...

  1. Video Game Player Profiles: Bridging Industry, Game Studies and Social Science Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frye, Jonathan M.

    2013-01-01

    For decades, game designers and game studies experts have largely sought to understand video game players through a lens of experience and observation. Meanwhile, social science research has focused on the empirical understanding of video game players using a variety of psychological constructs. This study focuses on the creation and evaluation of…

  2. Natural games

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anttila, Jani; Annila, Arto

    2011-10-01

    A course of a game is formulated as a physical process that will consume free energy in the least time. Accordingly, the rate of entropy increase is the payoff function that will subsume all forms of free energy that motivate diverse decisions. Also other concepts of game theory are related to their profound physical counterparts. When the physical portrayal of behavior is mathematically analyzed, the course of a game is found to be inherently unpredictable because each move affects motives in the future. Despite the non-holonomic character of the natural process, the objective of consuming free energy in the least time will direct an extensive-form game toward a Lyapunov-stable point that satisfies the minimax theorem.

  3. Digital games in health professions education: Advantages, disadvantages, and game engagement factors.

    PubMed

    Bigdeli, Shoaleh; Kaufman, David

    2017-01-01

    Background: The application of digital educational games in health professions education is on expansion and game-based education usage is increasing. Methods: Diverse databases were searched and the related papers were reviewed. Results: Considering the growing popularity of educational games in medical education, we attempted to classify their benefits, flaws, and engaging factors. Conclusion: Advantages, disadvantages, and engagement factors of educational digital games used for health professions education must be the focus of attention in designing games for health professions discipline.

  4. Digital games in health professions education: Advantages, disadvantages, and game engagement factors

    PubMed Central

    Bigdeli, Shoaleh; Kaufman, David

    2017-01-01

    Background: The application of digital educational games in health professions education is on expansion and game-based education usage is increasing. Methods: Diverse databases were searched and the related papers were reviewed. Results: Considering the growing popularity of educational games in medical education, we attempted to classify their benefits, flaws, and engaging factors. Conclusion: Advantages, disadvantages, and engagement factors of educational digital games used for health professions education must be the focus of attention in designing games for health professions discipline. PMID:29951418

  5. Game Birds of Colorado.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Colorado State Div. of Wildlife, Denver.

    This booklet is intended to familiarize the reader with game birds typical of Colorado. Discussions in English and Spanish are presented. Discussions cover the management of game birds, individual game bird species, and endangered species of birds related to game birds. (RE)

  6. Recall and recognition of in-game advertising: the role of game control.

    PubMed

    Herrewijn, Laura; Poels, Karolien

    2013-01-01

    Digital gaming has become one of the largest entertainment sectors worldwide, increasingly turning the medium into a promising vehicle for advertisers. As a result, the inclusion of advertising messages in digital games or in-game advertising (IGA) is expected to grow steadily over the course of the following years. However, much work is still needed to maximize the effectiveness of IGA. The aim of the study was to contribute to IGA effectiveness research by analyzing the impact of two factors on the processing of IGA in terms of brand awareness. The primary objective was to investigate the effect of a person's sense of involvement related to the control and movement mechanisms in a game (i.e., kinesthetic involvement). A within-subjects experiment was conducted in which control over a racing game was varied by manipulating game controller type, resulting in two experimental conditions (symbolic versus mimetic controller). Results show that the variation in game controller has a significant effect on the recall and recognition of the brands integrated into the game, and that this effect can be partially brought back to players' perceived control over the game: when a game is easier to control, the control mechanisms require less conscious attention, freeing attentional resources that can be subsequently spent on other elements of the game such as IGA. A second factor that was taken into account in the study was brand prominence. The influence of both the size and spatial position of in-game advertisements was examined. Findings demonstrate that there are significant changes in effectiveness between different types of placements. Spatial position seems to be the most important placement characteristic, with central brand placements obtaining the highest recall and recognition scores. The effect of ad size is much smaller, with the effectiveness of the large placements not differing significantly from the effectiveness of their smaller counterparts.

  7. Recall and recognition of in-game advertising: the role of game control

    PubMed Central

    Herrewijn, Laura; Poels, Karolien

    2014-01-01

    Digital gaming has become one of the largest entertainment sectors worldwide, increasingly turning the medium into a promising vehicle for advertisers. As a result, the inclusion of advertising messages in digital games or in-game advertising (IGA) is expected to grow steadily over the course of the following years. However, much work is still needed to maximize the effectiveness of IGA. The aim of the study was to contribute to IGA effectiveness research by analyzing the impact of two factors on the processing of IGA in terms of brand awareness. The primary objective was to investigate the effect of a person’s sense of involvement related to the control and movement mechanisms in a game (i.e., kinesthetic involvement). A within-subjects experiment was conducted in which control over a racing game was varied by manipulating game controller type, resulting in two experimental conditions (symbolic versus mimetic controller). Results show that the variation in game controller has a significant effect on the recall and recognition of the brands integrated into the game, and that this effect can be partially brought back to players’ perceived control over the game: when a game is easier to control, the control mechanisms require less conscious attention, freeing attentional resources that can be subsequently spent on other elements of the game such as IGA. A second factor that was taken into account in the study was brand prominence. The influence of both the size and spatial position of in-game advertisements was examined. Findings demonstrate that there are significant changes in effectiveness between different types of placements. Spatial position seems to be the most important placement characteristic, with central brand placements obtaining the highest recall and recognition scores. The effect of ad size is much smaller, with the effectiveness of the large placements not differing significantly from the effectiveness of their smaller counterparts. PMID:24478736

  8. An Architecture for Designing Content Agnostic Game Mechanics for Educational Burst Games

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baron, Tyler

    2017-01-01

    Currently, educational games are designed with the educational content as the primary factor driving the design of the game. While this may seem to be the optimal approach, this design paradigm causes multiple issues. For one, the games themselves are often not engaging as game design principles were put aside in favor of increasing the…

  9. Games Superheroes Play: Teaching Game Theory with Comic Book Favorites

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Roark, Brian; Grant, William

    2018-01-01

    The valuable insights of game theory sometimes remain out of reach for students who are overwhelmed by the subject's complexity. Comic book applications of game theory, with superheroes as players, can facilitate enthusiasm and classroom interaction to enhance the learning of game theory. Drawing from content in superhero movies and books, the…

  10. Constructionist Gaming: Understanding the Benefits of Making Games for Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kafai, Yasmin B.; Burke, Quinn

    2015-01-01

    There has been considerable interest in examining the educational potential of playing video games. One crucial element, however, has traditionally been left out of these discussions--namely, children's learning through making their own games. In this article, we review and synthesize 55 studies from the last decade on making games and learning.…

  11. Serious Gaming in Medical Education: A Proposed Structured Framework for Game Development.

    PubMed

    Olszewski, Aleksandra E; Wolbrink, Traci A

    2017-08-01

    Serious games are increasingly being used for medical education. However, the design and development of serious games for the education of health professionals is highly variable, and very few articles report the development process used for game development. There are many established processes for software development that can improve and streamline development, and incorporating the best practices from educational pedagogy and software development may enhance teamwork and communication, decrease development costs, and improve the quality of serious games. In this article, we review and summarize the literature for serious game development for medical education, and combining the best practices, we propose a structured three-phase iterative development framework for serious game development.

  12. Symmetric Decomposition of Asymmetric Games.

    PubMed

    Tuyls, Karl; Pérolat, Julien; Lanctot, Marc; Ostrovski, Georg; Savani, Rahul; Leibo, Joel Z; Ord, Toby; Graepel, Thore; Legg, Shane

    2018-01-17

    We introduce new theoretical insights into two-population asymmetric games allowing for an elegant symmetric decomposition into two single population symmetric games. Specifically, we show how an asymmetric bimatrix game (A,B) can be decomposed into its symmetric counterparts by envisioning and investigating the payoff tables (A and B) that constitute the asymmetric game, as two independent, single population, symmetric games. We reveal several surprising formal relationships between an asymmetric two-population game and its symmetric single population counterparts, which facilitate a convenient analysis of the original asymmetric game due to the dimensionality reduction of the decomposition. The main finding reveals that if (x,y) is a Nash equilibrium of an asymmetric game (A,B), this implies that y is a Nash equilibrium of the symmetric counterpart game determined by payoff table A, and x is a Nash equilibrium of the symmetric counterpart game determined by payoff table B. Also the reverse holds and combinations of Nash equilibria of the counterpart games form Nash equilibria of the asymmetric game. We illustrate how these formal relationships aid in identifying and analysing the Nash structure of asymmetric games, by examining the evolutionary dynamics of the simpler counterpart games in several canonical examples.

  13. Gaming Preferences of Aging Generations.

    PubMed

    Blocker, Kenneth A; Wright, Timothy J; Boot, Walter R

    2014-01-01

    Increasing evidence suggests that action digital game training can improve a variety of perceptual and cognitive abilities, including those that decline most with age. Unfortunately, previous work has found that older adults dislike these games and adherence may be poor for action game-based interventions. The focus of the current study was to better understand the types of games older adults are willing to play and explore predictors of game preference (e.g., gender, age, technology experience, personality). With this information action games might be modified or developed to maximize adherence and cognitive benefit. Older adults were administered a modified version of an existing game questionnaire and a custom game preference survey. Clear preferences were observed that were similar between participants with and without previous digital game experience (with puzzle and intellectually stimulating games being most interesting to older adults in our sample, and massively multiplayer online games and first-person shooters being least interesting). Personality, demographic, and technology experience variables were also collected. Interesting trends suggested the possibility that several demographic and personality variables might be predictive of game preference. Results have implications for future directions of research, designing games that would appeal to older adult audiences, and for how to design custom games to maximize intervention adherence based on individual difference characteristics.

  14. Video and Computer Games in the '90s: Children's Time Commitment and Game Preference.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buchman, Debra D.; Funk, Jeanne B.

    1996-01-01

    Examined electronic game-playing habits of 900 children. Found that time commitment to game-playing decreased from fourth to eighth grade. Boys played more than girls. Preference for general entertainment games increased across grades while educational games preference decreased. Violent game popularity remained consistent; fantasy violence was…

  15. Meta-Games in Information Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huvila, Isto

    2013-01-01

    Introduction: Meta-games and meta-gaming refer to various second-order conceptions of games and gaming. The present article discusses the applicability of the notions of meta-game and meta-gaming in understanding the patterns of how people use, misuse, work and work-around information and information infrastructures. Method: Twenty-two qualitative…

  16. Active video-gaming effects on balance and mobility in individuals with chronic stroke: a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Fritz, Stacy L; Peters, Denise M; Merlo, Angela M; Donley, Jonathan

    2013-01-01

    Treatments that provide feedback, increase practice with multiple repetitions, and motivate patients are essential to rehabilitation post stroke. To determine whether playing active video games results in improved balance and mobility post stroke. Thirty participants with chronic (time since stroke = 3.0 [2.9] years) hemiparesis post stroke were randomly assigned to a gaming group or normal activity control group. Gaming systems provided participants with an interactive interface of real-time movement of either themselves or an avatar on the screen. Participants played games 50-60 minutes/day, 4 days/week, for 5 weeks. The intervention was strictly game-play, in standing position, without physical therapy. The control group received no special intervention and continued with normal activity. Both groups were tested prior to, following the 5 weeks (post test), and 3 months following the completion of the study. Outcome measures included the Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Berg Balance Scale, Dynamic Gait Index, Timed Up & Go, 6-minute walk test, 3-meter walk (self-selected and fast), and perception of recovery. No statistically significant differences between or within groups were found through analysis of covariance (covaried for side of hemiparesis) at post test or follow-up. Although the within-group effect sizes were primarily indexed as "small" (< .36), the gaming group exhibited higher within-group effect sizes before and after testing than did the control group on all 7 dependent variables analyzed. Even though the only intervention was game-play, there were small positive effects. Therapist assistance in making more optimum movement choices may be needed before significant improvements are seen with commercially available, general purpose games.

  17. Nash Equilibria in Noncooperative Predator-Prey Games

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ramos, Angel Manuel; Roubicek, Tomas

    2007-09-15

    A noncooperative game governed by a distributed-parameter predator-prey system is considered, assuming that two players control initial conditions for predator and prey, respectively. Existence of a Nash equilibrium is shown under the condition that the desired population profiles and the environmental carrying capacity for the prey are sufficiently small. A conceptual approximation algorithm is proposed and analyzed. Finally, numerical simulations are performed, too.

  18. Gaming the Game: A Study of the Gamer Mode in Educational Wargaming

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frank, Anders

    2012-01-01

    A risk associated with the use of games in training and education is that players "game the game," instead of focusing on their learning goals. The term "gamer mode" is proposed to describe this attitude. A player with a gamer-mode attitude strives to achieve goals that are optimal for winning the game, but suboptimal with…

  19. Do violent video games impair the effectiveness of in-game advertisements? The impact of gaming environment on brand recall, brand attitude, and purchase intention.

    PubMed

    Yoo, Seung-Chul; Peña, Jorge

    2011-01-01

    The present study examined whether a violent video game impairs the effectiveness of in-game advertisements compared to a nonviolent video game. Participants recalled and evaluated in-game ads after navigating identical violent or nonviolent game scenarios. Participants' brand recall, recognition, and attitudes were comparatively lower after navigating the violent video game. Also, females in the violent game condition reported lower brand attitudes in comparison to males in the violent game condition, thus suggesting that the effects of gaming environment interacts with participants' gender. The findings supported the predictions of the limited capacity model of attention and cognitive priming effects. The results also extend previous studies on how violent media impair advertising effectiveness and provide practical implications for researchers and practitioners.

  20. Internet gaming addiction: current perspectives.

    PubMed

    Kuss, Daria J

    2013-01-01

    In the 2000s, online games became popular, while studies of Internet gaming addiction emerged, outlining the negative consequences of excessive gaming, its prevalence, and associated risk factors. The establishment of specialized treatment centers in South-East Asia, the US, and Europe reflects the growing need for professional help. It is argued that only by understanding the appeal of Internet gaming, its context, and neurobiologic correlates can the phenomenon of Internet gaming addiction be understood comprehensively. The aim of this review is to provide an insight into current perspectives on Internet gaming addiction using a holistic approach, taking into consideration the mass appeal of online games, the context of Internet gaming addiction, and associated neuroimaging findings, as well as the current diagnostic framework adopted by the American Psychiatric Association. The cited research indicates that the individual's context is a significant factor that marks the dividing line between excessive gaming and gaming addiction, and the game context can gain particular importance for players, depending on their life situation and gaming preferences. Moreover, the cultural context is significant because it embeds the gamer in a community with shared beliefs and practices, endowing their gaming with particular meaning. The cited neuroimaging studies indicate that Internet gaming addiction shares similarities with other addictions, including substance dependence, at the molecular, neurocircuitry, and behavioral levels. The findings provide support for the current perspective of understanding Internet gaming addiction from a disease framework. The benefits of an Internet gaming addiction diagnosis include reliability across research, destigmatization of individuals, development of efficacious treatments, and the creation of an incentive for public health care and insurance providers. The holistic approach adopted here not only highlights empirical research that

  1. Video Game Development Strategies for Creating Successful Cognitively Challenging Games

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Walter K.

    2018-01-01

    The video game industry is a global multibillion dollar industry with millions of players. The process of developing video games is essential for the continued growth of the industry, and developers need to employ effective strategies that will help them to create successful games. The purpose of this explorative qualitative single case study was…

  2. From the Games Industry: Ten Lessons for Game-Based Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hollins, Paul; Whitton, Nicola

    2011-01-01

    This paper draws on lessons learned from the development process of the entertainment games industry and discusses how they can be applied to the field of game-based learning. This paper examines policy makers and those wishing to commission or develop games for learning and highlights potential opportunities as well as pitfalls. The paper focuses…

  3. 75 FR 21871 - Spring 2010 Regulatory Agenda

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-26

    ... Entities J. What Other Special Attention Do We Give to the Impacts of Rules on Small Businesses, Small..., Administrator Jackson has outlined seven themes to focus the work of EPA. These key goals shape everything we do... under section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) (5 U.S.C. 610). Priority: Entries are placed...

  4. Gaming the System: Developing an Educational Game for Securing Principles of Arterial Blood Gases.

    PubMed

    Boyd, Cory Ann; Warren, Jonah; Glendon, Mary Ann

    2016-01-01

    This article describes the development process for creating a digital educational mini game prototype designed to provide practice opportunities for learning fundamental principles of arterial blood gases. Mini games generally take less than an hour to play and focus on specific subject matter. An interdisciplinary team of faculty from two universities mentored student game developers to design a digital educational mini game prototype. Sixteen accelerated bachelor of science in nursing students collaborated with game development students and playtested the game prototype during the last semester of their senior year in nursing school. Playtesting is a form of feedback that supports an iterative design process that is critical to game development. A 10-question survey was coupled with group discussions addressing five broad themes of an archetypical digital educational mini game to yield feedback on game design, play, and content. Four rounds of playtesting and incorporating feedback supported the iterative process. Accelerated bachelor of science in nursing student playtester feedback suggests that the digital educational mini game prototype has potential for offering an engaging, playful game experience that will support securing the fundamental principles of arterial blood gases. Next steps are to test the digital educational mini game for teaching and learning effectiveness. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Serious simulation game development for energy transition education using integrated framework game design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Destyanto, A. R.; Putri, O. A.; Hidayatno, A.

    2017-11-01

    Due to the advantages that serious simulation game offered, many areas of studies, including energy, have used serious simulation games as their instruments. However, serious simulation games in the field of energy transition still have few attentions. In this study, serious simulation game is developed and tested as the activity of public education about energy transition which is a conversion from oil to natural gas program. The aim of the game development is to create understanding and awareness about the importance of energy transition for society in accelerating the process of energy transition in Indonesia since 1987 the energy transition program has not achieved the conversion target yet due to the lack of education about energy transition for society. Developed as a digital serious simulation game following the framework of integrated game design, the Transergy game has been tested to 15 users and then analysed. The result of verification and validation of the game shows that Transergy gives significance to the users for understanding and triggering the needs of oil to natural gas conversion.

  6. Effect of an Intervention Program Based on Active Video Games and Motor Games on Health Indicators in University Students: A Pilot Study.

    PubMed

    Zurita-Ortega, Félix; Chacón-Cuberos, Ramón; Castro-Sánchez, Manuel; Gutiérrez-Vela, Francisco Luis; González-Valero, Gabriel

    2018-06-25

    (1) Background: High levels of physical inactivity caused by sedentary digital screen leisure constitute one of the main causes of the high levels of obesity observed in today’s society; (2) Methods: The present study aims to analyse the effect of a 12-week intervention program based on the application of active video games and motor games on health status indicators, problematic use of video games, and resilience capacity in university students. Besides, the content blocks of the Physical Education (PE) field are worked on through these devices, revealing their potential as an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) resource. A longitudinal study with a pre-experimental design with pretest⁻posttest measurements in a single group ( n = 47) was performed, using as main instruments a Tanita TBF300® bioimpedance scale, the 20mSRT test for maximum oxygen consumption ( V O² max ), the Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet Test (KIDMED), the Questionnaire for Experiences Related to Video games (QERV) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC); (3) Results: The main results were a discrete improvement in the percentage of fat mass and V O² max , representing a small effect size in both cases. The quality of the diet followed and the confidence and tolerance for adversity as a resilience factor were also improved, representing a medium size effect for this last variable; (4) Conclusions: Despite the limitations of this study as it does not have a control group, the main conclusions are that active video games and motor games can be a motivational resource to follow an active lifestyle, helping to improve health status indicators in young adults.

  7. The Easiest Lights Out Games

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Torrence, Bruce

    2011-01-01

    The game "Lights Out" and its mathematical predecessor, the sigma-plus game, has inspired an extensive mathematical literature. In this paper, the original game and a borderless version played on a torus are considered. We define an easy game to be one in which pushing the buttons that are originally lit solves the game. Easy games are classified…

  8. Games and Diabetes

    PubMed Central

    Lazem, Shaimaa; Webster, Mary; Holmes, Wayne; Wolf, Motje

    2015-01-01

    Here we review 18 articles that describe the design and evaluation of 1 or more games for diabetes from technical, methodological, and theoretical perspectives. We undertook searches covering the period 2010 to May 2015 in the ACM, IEEE, Journal of Medical Internet Research, Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, and Google Scholar online databases using the keywords “children,” “computer games,” “diabetes,” “games,” “type 1,” and “type 2” in various Boolean combinations. The review sets out to establish, for future research, an understanding of the current landscape of digital games designed for children with diabetes. We briefly explored the use and impact of well-established learning theories in such games. The most frequently mentioned theoretical frameworks were social cognitive theory and social constructivism. Due to the limitations of the reported evaluation methodologies, little evidence was found to support the strong promise of games for diabetes. Furthermore, we could not establish a relation between design features and the game outcomes. We argue that an in-depth discussion about the extent to which learning theories could and should be manifested in the design decisions is required. PMID:26337753

  9. Quantum game theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stohler, Michael Lehman

    2002-01-01

    Non-cooperative quantum games have received much attention recently. This thesis defines and divides current works into two major categories of gaming techniques with close attention paid to Nash equilibria, form and possibilities for the payoff functions, and the benefits of using a quantum strategy. In addition to comparing and contrasting these techniques, new applications and calculations are discussed. Finally, the techniques are expanded into 3 x 3 games which allows the study of non-transitive strategies in quantum games.

  10. Using Games Invention with Elementary Children--Teaching for Understanding: Tactical Approaches to Teaching Games.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curtner-Smith, Matthew D.

    1996-01-01

    Explains how teachers of students in grades four through six can use the Teaching Games for Understanding Approach and incorporate games invention into the physical education curriculum. A three-step model is proposed: selection and modification of games; teaching games with an understanding approach; and student invention of games. Summaries of…

  11. Computer Games Are Fun? On Professional Games and Players' Motivations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eglesz, Denes; Fekete, Istvan; Kiss, Orhidea Edith; Izso, Lajos

    2005-01-01

    As computer games are becoming more widespread, there is a tendency for young people to spend a growing amount of time playing games. The first part of this paper will deal with various types of computer games and their characteristic features. In the second part we show the results of our recent surveys. We examined the motivations of young…

  12. Game theoretic analysis of physical protection system design

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Canion, B.; Schneider, E.; Bickel, E.

    The physical protection system (PPS) of a fictional small modular reactor (SMR) facility have been modeled as a platform for a game theoretic approach to security decision analysis. To demonstrate the game theoretic approach, a rational adversary with complete knowledge of the facility has been modeled attempting a sabotage attack. The adversary adjusts his decisions in response to investments made by the defender to enhance the security measures. This can lead to a conservative physical protection system design. Since defender upgrades were limited by a budget, cost benefit analysis may be conducted upon security upgrades. One approach to cost benefitmore » analysis is the efficient frontier, which depicts the reduction in expected consequence per incremental increase in the security budget.« less

  13. Online Strategy Games.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dye, Bryan

    2002-01-01

    A strategy game is an online interactive game that requires thinking in order to be played at its best and whose winning strategy is not obvious. Provides information on strategy games that are written in Java or JavaScript and freely available on the web. (KHR)

  14. The influence of scoring targets and outer-floaters on attacking and defending team dispersion, shape and creation of space during small-sided soccer games.

    PubMed

    Castellano, Julen; Silva, Pedro; Usabiaga, Oidui; Barreira, Daniel

    2016-06-01

    The effect of altered game formats on team performances during soccer practice can be harnessed by coaches to stimulate specific tactical behaviours. The aim of the present study was to analyse the influence of using (i) small goals [SG], (ii) goalkeepers [7G] and (iii) floaters [7GF] on the dispersion, shape and available space of teams during small-sided games (SSGs). Twenty-four male soccer players were distributed into four teams composed of five players, two goalkeepers and two floaters that performed six SSG bouts of 6 min, interspersed with 6 min of passive recovery. Offensive and defensive phases were also analysed separately in order to verify the preservation of basic principles of attacking (teams more stretched to create free space) and defending (teams more compact to tie-up space) during SSGs. The variables used to characterize the collective behaviour were: length [L], width [W], team shape [Sh], and team separateness [TS]. Results revealed that the teams showed different collective behaviours depending on SSG format and a playing phase: a) L and W were higher in attack than in defence in all SSGs; b) team shapes were more elongated in defence in all SSGs except SG; c) the space separating players from their closest opponents (TS) was shorter in 7G; and d) SG and 7GF elicited greater defensive openness due to increased team width. The results suggest that manipulating task constraints, such as goal size, presence or absence of goalkeepers and floaters can be harnessed by coaches to shape distinct team tactical behaviours in SSGs while preserving the basic principles of attacking and defending.

  15. The influence of scoring targets and outer-floaters on attacking and defending team dispersion, shape and creation of space during small-sided soccer games

    PubMed Central

    Silva, Pedro; Usabiaga, Oidui; Barreira, Daniel

    2016-01-01

    Abstract The effect of altered game formats on team performances during soccer practice can be harnessed by coaches to stimulate specific tactical behaviours. The aim of the present study was to analyse the influence of using (i) small goals [SG], (ii) goalkeepers [7G] and (iii) floaters [7GF] on the dispersion, shape and available space of teams during small-sided games (SSGs). Twenty-four male soccer players were distributed into four teams composed of five players, two goalkeepers and two floaters that performed six SSG bouts of 6 min, interspersed with 6 min of passive recovery. Offensive and defensive phases were also analysed separately in order to verify the preservation of basic principles of attacking (teams more stretched to create free space) and defending (teams more compact to tie-up space) during SSGs. The variables used to characterize the collective behaviour were: length [L], width [W], team shape [Sh], and team separateness [TS]. Results revealed that the teams showed different collective behaviours depending on SSG format and a playing phase: a) L and W were higher in attack than in defence in all SSGs; b) team shapes were more elongated in defence in all SSGs except SG; c) the space separating players from their closest opponents (TS) was shorter in 7G; and d) SG and 7GF elicited greater defensive openness due to increased team width. The results suggest that manipulating task constraints, such as goal size, presence or absence of goalkeepers and floaters can be harnessed by coaches to shape distinct team tactical behaviours in SSGs while preserving the basic principles of attacking and defending. PMID:28149378

  16. Combinatorial optimization games

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Deng, X.; Ibaraki, Toshihide; Nagamochi, Hiroshi

    1997-06-01

    We introduce a general integer programming formulation for a class of combinatorial optimization games, which immediately allows us to improve the algorithmic result for finding amputations in the core (an important solution concept in cooperative game theory) of the network flow game on simple networks by Kalai and Zemel. An interesting result is a general theorem that the core for this class of games is nonempty if and only if a related linear program has an integer optimal solution. We study the properties for this mathematical condition to hold for several interesting problems, and apply them to resolve algorithmic andmore » complexity issues for their cores along the line as put forward in: decide whether the core is empty; if the core is empty, find an imputation in the core; given an imputation x, test whether x is in the core. We also explore the properties of totally balanced games in this succinct formulation of cooperative games.« less

  17. Gaming Preferences of Aging Generations

    PubMed Central

    Blocker, Kenneth A.; Wright, Timothy J.; Boot, Walter R.

    2017-01-01

    Increasing evidence suggests that action digital game training can improve a variety of perceptual and cognitive abilities, including those that decline most with age. Unfortunately, previous work has found that older adults dislike these games and adherence may be poor for action game-based interventions. The focus of the current study was to better understand the types of games older adults are willing to play and explore predictors of game preference (e.g., gender, age, technology experience, personality). With this information action games might be modified or developed to maximize adherence and cognitive benefit. Older adults were administered a modified version of an existing game questionnaire and a custom game preference survey. Clear preferences were observed that were similar between participants with and without previous digital game experience (with puzzle and intellectually stimulating games being most interesting to older adults in our sample, and massively multiplayer online games and first-person shooters being least interesting). Personality, demographic, and technology experience variables were also collected. Interesting trends suggested the possibility that several demographic and personality variables might be predictive of game preference. Results have implications for future directions of research, designing games that would appeal to older adult audiences, and for how to design custom games to maximize intervention adherence based on individual difference characteristics. PMID:29033699

  18. Extension of the simulated drinking game procedure to multiple drinking games.

    PubMed

    Cameron, Jennifer M; Leon, Matthew R; Correia, Christopher J

    2011-08-01

    The present study extended the Simulated Drinking Game Procedure (SDGP) to obtain information about different types of drinking games. Phase I participants (N = 545) completed online screening questionnaires assessing substance use and drinking game participation. Participants who met the selection criteria for Phase II (N = 92) participated in laboratory sessions that consisted of three different periods of drinking game play. Sixty-two percent (N = 57) of the sample was female. Data from these sessions was used to estimate the peak Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) a participant would achieve if they consumed alcohol while participating in the SDGP. Total consumption and estimated BAC varied as a function of game type. The total consumption and estimated BAC obtained while playing Beer Pong and Memory varied significantly as a function of group. Total ounces consumed while playing Three Man varied significantly as a function of group; however, the variation in estimated BAC obtained while playing Three Man was not significant. Results indicated that estimated BACs were higher for female participants across game type. Previous experience playing the three drinking games had no impact on total drink consumption or estimated BAC obtained while participating in the SDGP. The present study demonstrated that the SDGP can be used to generate estimates of how much alcohol is consumed and the associated obtained BAC during multiple types of drinking games. In order to fully examine whether previous experience factors in to overall alcohol consumption and BAC, future research should extend the SDGP to incorporate laboratory administration of alcohol during drinking game participation. (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

  19. Daily violent video game playing and depression in preadolescent youth.

    PubMed

    Tortolero, Susan R; Peskin, Melissa F; Baumler, Elizabeth R; Cuccaro, Paula M; Elliott, Marc N; Davies, Susan L; Lewis, Terri H; Banspach, Stephen W; Kanouse, David E; Schuster, Mark A

    2014-09-01

    Most studies on the impact of playing violent video games on mental health have focused on aggression. Relatively few studies have examined the relationship between playing violent video games and depression, especially among preadolescent youth. In this study, we investigated whether daily violent video game playing over the past year is associated with a greater number of depressive symptoms among preadolescent youth, after controlling for several well-known correlates of depression among youth. We analyzed cross-sectional data collected from 5,147 fifth-grade students and their primary caregivers who participated in Wave I (2004-2006) of Healthy Passages, a community-based longitudinal study conducted in three U.S. cities. Linear regression was conducted to determine the association between violent video game exposure and number of depressive symptoms, while controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, peer victimization, witnessing violence, being threatened with violence, aggression, family structure, and household income level. We found that students who reported playing high-violence video games for ≥2 hours per day had significantly more depressive symptoms than those who reported playing low-violence video games for <2 hours per day (p<0.001). The magnitude of this association was small (Cohen's d=0.16), but this association was consistent across all racial/ethnic subgroups and among boys (Cohen's d values ranged from 0.12 to 0.25). Our findings indicate that there is an association between daily exposure to violent video games and number of depressive symptoms among preadolescent youth. More research is needed to examine this association and, if confirmed, to investigate its causality, persistence over time, underlying mechanisms, and clinical implications.

  20. Daily Violent Video Game Playing and Depression in Preadolescent Youth

    PubMed Central

    Peskin, Melissa F.; Baumler, Elizabeth R.; Cuccaro, Paula M.; Elliott, Marc N.; Davies, Susan L.; Lewis, Terri H.; Banspach, Stephen W.; Kanouse, David E.; Schuster, Mark A.

    2014-01-01

    Abstract Most studies on the impact of playing violent video games on mental health have focused on aggression. Relatively few studies have examined the relationship between playing violent video games and depression, especially among preadolescent youth. In this study, we investigated whether daily violent video game playing over the past year is associated with a greater number of depressive symptoms among preadolescent youth, after controlling for several well-known correlates of depression among youth. We analyzed cross-sectional data collected from 5,147 fifth-grade students and their primary caregivers who participated in Wave I (2004–2006) of Healthy Passages, a community-based longitudinal study conducted in three U.S. cities. Linear regression was conducted to determine the association between violent video game exposure and number of depressive symptoms, while controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, peer victimization, witnessing violence, being threatened with violence, aggression, family structure, and household income level. We found that students who reported playing high-violence video games for ≥2 hours per day had significantly more depressive symptoms than those who reported playing low-violence video games for <2 hours per day (p<0.001). The magnitude of this association was small (Cohen's d=0.16), but this association was consistent across all racial/ethnic subgroups and among boys (Cohen's d values ranged from 0.12 to 0.25). Our findings indicate that there is an association between daily exposure to violent video games and number of depressive symptoms among preadolescent youth. More research is needed to examine this association and, if confirmed, to investigate its causality, persistence over time, underlying mechanisms, and clinical implications. PMID:25007237

  1. Game Literacy, Gaming Cultures and Media Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Partington, Anthony

    2010-01-01

    This article presents an overview of how the popular "3-Cs" model (creative, critical and cultural) for literacy and media literacy can be applied to the study of computer games in the English and Media classroom. Focusing on the development of an existing computer games course that encompasses many opportunities for critical activity…

  2. Inclusive Game Design Facilitating Shared Gaming Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilhelmsson, UIf; Engström, Henrik; Brusk, Jenny; Östblad, Per Anders

    2017-01-01

    This article presents the result from a study comparing the perception and understanding of a game story between sighted and visually impaired players playing the same game. In particular, whether sighted and visually impaired players could experience and recount the same story construed from the plot elements that are either manifested by audio…

  3. Serious Game Evaluation as a Meta-Game

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hall, Lynne; Jones, Susan Jane; Aylett, Ruth; Hall, Marc; Tazzyman, Sarah; Paiva, Ana; Humphries, Lynne

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: This paper aims to briefly outline the seamless evaluation approach and its application during an evaluation of ORIENT, a serious game aimed at young adults. Design/methodology/approach: In this paper, the authors detail a unobtrusive, embedded evaluation approach that occurs within the game context, adding value and entertainment to the…

  4. Cultivating Critical Game Makers in Digital Game-Based Learning: Learning from the Arts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Denham, André R.; Guyotte, Kelly W.

    2018-01-01

    Digital games have the potential of being a transformative tool for applying constructionist principles to learning within formal and informal learning settings. Unfortunately, most recent attention has focused on instructionist games. Connected gaming provides a tantalizing alternative approach by calling for the development of games that are…

  5. Learning with Calculator Games

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frahm, Bruce

    2013-01-01

    Educational games provide a fun introduction to new material and a review of mathematical algorithms. Specifically, games can be designed to assist students in developing mathematical skills as an incidental consequence of the game-playing process. The programs presented in this article are adaptations of board games or television shows that…

  6. Assessing Game Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gaydos, Matthew; Harris, Shannon; Squire, Kurt

    2016-01-01

    Player responses to a brief survey gauging their understanding of content after playing an educational game, "Virulent," are presented. Response accuracy was higher for picture-based questions than text-based questions, despite the presentation of both within the game. Given that games may present educational content in multiple ways…

  7. Relation of Adolescent Video Game Play to Time Spent in Other Activities

    PubMed Central

    Cummings, Hope M.; Vandewater, Elizabeth A.

    2017-01-01

    Objective To examine the notion that playing video games is negatively related to the time adolescents spend in more developmentally appropriate activities. Design Nonexperimental study. Setting Survey data collected during the 2002–2003 school year. Participants A nationally representative sample of 1491 children aged 10 to 19 years. Main Outcome Measure Twenty-four–hour time-use diaries were collected on 1 weekday and 1 weekend day, both randomly chosen. Time-use diaries were used to determine adolescents’ time spent playing video games, with parents and friends, reading and doing homework, and in sports and active leisure. Results Differences in time spent between game players and nonplayers as well as the magnitude of the relationships among game time and activity time among adolescent game players were assessed. Thirty-six percent of adolescents (80% of boys and 20% of girls) played video games. On average, gamers played for an hour on the weekdays and an hour and a half on the weekends. Compared with nongamers, adolescent gamers spent 30% less time reading and 34% less time doing homework. Among gamers (both genders), time spent playing video games without parents or friends was negatively related to time spent with parents and friends in other activities. Conclusions Although gamers and nongamers did not differ in the amount of time they spent interacting with family and friends, concerns regarding gamers’ neglect of school responsibilities (reading and homework) are warranted. Although only a small percentage of girls played video games, our findings suggest that playing video games may have different social implications for girls than for boys. PMID:17606832

  8. Targeted decay of a regulatory small RNA by an adaptor protein for RNase E and counteraction by an anti-adaptor RNA

    PubMed Central

    Göpel, Yvonne; Papenfort, Kai; Reichenbach, Birte; Vogel, Jörg; Görke, Boris

    2013-01-01

    Bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs) are well established to regulate diverse cellular processes, but how they themselves are regulated is less understood. Recently, we identified a regulatory circuit wherein the GlmY and GlmZ sRNAs of Escherichia coli act hierarchically to activate mRNA glmS, which encodes glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN6P) synthase. Although the two sRNAs are highly similar, only GlmZ is a direct activator that base-pairs with the glmS mRNA, aided by protein Hfq. GlmY, however, does not bind Hfq and activates glmS indirectly by protecting GlmZ from RNA cleavage. This complex regulation feedback controls the levels of GlmS protein in response to its product, GlcN6P, a key metabolite in cell wall biosynthesis. Here, we reveal the molecular basis for the regulated turnover of GlmZ, identifying RapZ (RNase adaptor protein for sRNA GlmZ; formerly YhbJ) as a novel type of RNA-binding protein that recruits the major endoribonuclease RNase E to GlmZ. This involves direct interaction of RapZ with the catalytic domain of RNase E. GlmY binds RapZ through a secondary structure shared by both sRNAs and therefore acts by molecular mimicry as a specific decoy for RapZ. Thus, in analogy to regulated proteolysis, RapZ is an adaptor, and GlmY is an anti-adaptor in regulated turnover of a regulatory small RNA. PMID:23475961

  9. Resistance through Video Game Play: It's a Boy Thing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanford, Kathy; Madill, Leanna

    2006-01-01

    The male youth in our study used video games to resist institutional authority, hegemonic masculinity, and femininity. Videogame play offered them a safe place to resist authority, which was often limited to small acts of adolescent defiance that could limit their future ability to engage thoughtfully and critically in the world. This resistance…

  10. Games Children Play: How Games and Sport Help Children Develop.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brooking-Payne, Kim

    This book presents games for children, teenagers, and adults, explaining how each game can help children develop in a holistic way. It begins by discussing tips for teaching games, how to deal with children who break the rules, and what type of equipment to use. The book provides help on how to approach play within each of the different age…

  11. Problematic Gaming Behavior Among Finnish Junior High School Students: Relation to Socio-Demographics and Gaming Behavior Characteristics.

    PubMed

    Männikkö, Niko; Ruotsalainen, Heidi; Demetrovics, Zsolt; Lopez-Fernandez, Olatz; Myllymäki, Laura; Miettunen, Jouko; Kääriäinen, Maria

    2017-09-14

    Multiplatform digital media use and gaming have been increased in recent years. The aim of this study was to examine associations between sociodemographics and digital gaming behavior characteristics (i.e., gaming time, medium, and genres) with problematic gaming behavior in adolescents. A convenience sample of Finnish junior high school students (n = 560; mean age 14 years, ranging from 12 to 16 years) participated in the cross-sectional survey, of which, 83% (n = 465) reported having played digital games regularly. Sociodemographic data, different forms of digital media use, gaming behavior characteristics and problematic gaming behavior was assessed. Study participants spent on average one hour per day playing digital games; casual games (23.9%), shooting games (19.8%), and sport games (12.9%), were the most popular games among participants. By using regression analysis, a blended family structure and gaming time related positively to problematic gaming behavior. Preferences for game genres such as solo, Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing and strategy-management games were also positively associated with problematic use of digital games. These findings provide knowledge that can be utilized in the prevention of the possible negative consequences of digital gaming.

  12. Expression profile of small RNAs in Acacia mangium secondary xylem tissue with contrasting lignin content - potential regulatory sequences in monolignol biosynthetic pathway

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    epigenetic silencing. Differential expression of the small RNAs between secondary xylem tissues with contrasting lignin content suggests that a cascade of miRNAs play an interconnected role in regulating the lignin biosynthetic pathway in Acacia species. Conclusions Our study critically demonstrated the roles of small RNAs during secondary wall formation. Comparison of the expression pattern of small RNAs between secondary xylem tissues with contrasting lignin content strongly indicated that small RNAs play a key regulatory role during lignin biosynthesis. Our analyses suggest an evolutionary mechanism for miRNA targets on the basis of the length of their 5’ and 3’ UTRs and their cellular roles. The results obtained can be used to better understand the roles of small RNAs during lignin biosynthesis and for the development of gene constructs for silencing of specific genes involved in monolignol biosynthesis with minimal effect on plant fitness and viability. For the first time, small RNAs were proven to play an important regulatory role during lignin biosynthesis in A. mangium. PMID:22369296

  13. Expression profile of small RNAs in Acacia mangium secondary xylem tissue with contrasting lignin content - potential regulatory sequences in monolignol biosynthetic pathway.

    PubMed

    Ong, Seong Siang; Wickneswari, Ratnam

    2011-11-30

    . Differential expression of the small RNAs between secondary xylem tissues with contrasting lignin content suggests that a cascade of miRNAs play an interconnected role in regulating the lignin biosynthetic pathway in Acacia species. Our study critically demonstrated the roles of small RNAs during secondary wall formation. Comparison of the expression pattern of small RNAs between secondary xylem tissues with contrasting lignin content strongly indicated that small RNAs play a key regulatory role during lignin biosynthesis. Our analyses suggest an evolutionary mechanism for miRNA targets on the basis of the length of their 5' and 3' UTRs and their cellular roles. The results obtained can be used to better understand the roles of small RNAs during lignin biosynthesis and for the development of gene constructs for silencing of specific genes involved in monolignol biosynthesis with minimal effect on plant fitness and viability. For the first time, small RNAs were proven to play an important regulatory role during lignin biosynthesis in A. mangium.

  14. Internet gaming addiction: current perspectives

    PubMed Central

    Kuss, Daria J

    2013-01-01

    In the 2000s, online games became popular, while studies of Internet gaming addiction emerged, outlining the negative consequences of excessive gaming, its prevalence, and associated risk factors. The establishment of specialized treatment centers in South-East Asia, the US, and Europe reflects the growing need for professional help. It is argued that only by understanding the appeal of Internet gaming, its context, and neurobiologic correlates can the phenomenon of Internet gaming addiction be understood comprehensively. The aim of this review is to provide an insight into current perspectives on Internet gaming addiction using a holistic approach, taking into consideration the mass appeal of online games, the context of Internet gaming addiction, and associated neuroimaging findings, as well as the current diagnostic framework adopted by the American Psychiatric Association. The cited research indicates that the individual’s context is a significant factor that marks the dividing line between excessive gaming and gaming addiction, and the game context can gain particular importance for players, depending on their life situation and gaming preferences. Moreover, the cultural context is significant because it embeds the gamer in a community with shared beliefs and practices, endowing their gaming with particular meaning. The cited neuroimaging studies indicate that Internet gaming addiction shares similarities with other addictions, including substance dependence, at the molecular, neurocircuitry, and behavioral levels. The findings provide support for the current perspective of understanding Internet gaming addiction from a disease framework. The benefits of an Internet gaming addiction diagnosis include reliability across research, destigmatization of individuals, development of efficacious treatments, and the creation of an incentive for public health care and insurance providers. The holistic approach adopted here not only highlights empirical research that

  15. Non-Serious Serious Games

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hudson, Matthew

    2016-01-01

    Serious games have been shown to promote behavioural change and impart skills to players, and non-serious games have proven to have numerous benefits. This paper argues that non-serious digital games played in a "clan" or online community setting can lead to similar real world benefits to serious games. This paper reports the outcomes…

  16. Tolerance in Internet gaming disorder: A need for increasing gaming time or something else?

    PubMed

    King, Daniel L; Herd, Madeleine C E; Delfabbro, Paul H

    2017-12-01

    Background and aims The criterion of tolerance in DSM-5 Internet gaming disorder (IGD) refers to a need for increasing time spent gaming. However, this focus on "need for gaming time" may overlook some of the broader motivations, outcomes, or effects of gaming that underlie excessive play. This study aimed to explore regular and problematic gamers' experiences and perceptions of tolerance in IGD. Methods An online survey of 630 adult gamers yielded 1,417 text responses to open-ended questions. A thematic analysis of 23,373 words was conducted to extract dominant themes. Results Participants reported that they increasingly desired game items, status, or story progress as they became more involved or invested in games. As players develop higher standards of play in games, an increasing number of potential reward outcomes may have diminishing mood-modifying effects. None of the participants, including those with self-reported IGD, explicitly referred to a need for increasing time spent gaming. Discussion and conclusions These results suggest that players may be motivated by preferences for specific goals or reinforcers in games rather than wanting an amount of time spent gaming. Thus, problematic gaming may involve a need for completion of increasingly intricate, time-consuming, or difficult goals to achieve satisfaction and/or reduce fears of missing out. Further research is needed to determine whether these cognitive and motivational factors related to gaming stimuli should extend or replace the concept of tolerance in IGD or be considered as separate but related processes in disordered gaming.

  17. Stability of Zero-Sum Games in Evolutionary Game Theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Knebel, Johannes; Krueger, Torben; Weber, Markus F.; Frey, Erwin

    2014-03-01

    Evolutionary game theory has evolved into a successful theoretical concept to study mechanisms that govern the evolution of ecological communities. On a mathematical level, this theory was formalized in the framework of the celebrated replicator equations (REs) and its stochastic generalizations. In our work, we analyze the long-time behavior of the REs for zero-sum games with arbitrarily many strategies, which are generalized versions of the children's game Rock-Paper-Scissors.[1] We demonstrate how to determine the strategies that survive and those that become extinct in the long run. Our results show that extinction of strategies is exponentially fast in generic setups, and that conditions for the survival can be formulated in terms of the Pfaffian of the REs' antisymmetric payoff matrix. Consequences for the stochastic dynamics, which arise in finite populations, are reflected by a generalized scaling law for the extinction time in the vicinity of critical reaction rates. Our findings underline the relevance of zero-sum games as a reference for the analysis of other models in evolutionary game theory.

  18. Novel Regulatory Small RNAs in Streptococcus pyogenes

    PubMed Central

    Tesorero, Rafael A.; Yu, Ning; Wright, Jordan O.; Svencionis, Juan P.; Cheng, Qiang; Kim, Jeong-Ho; Cho, Kyu Hong

    2013-01-01

    Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus or GAS) is a Gram-positive bacterial pathogen that has shown complex modes of regulation of its virulence factors to cause diverse diseases. Bacterial small RNAs are regarded as novel widespread regulators of gene expression in response to environmental signals. Recent studies have revealed that several small RNAs (sRNAs) have an important role in S. pyogenes physiology and pathogenesis by regulating gene expression at the translational level. To search for new sRNAs in S. pyogenes, we performed a genomewide analysis through computational prediction followed by experimental verification. To overcome the limitation of low accuracy in computational prediction, we employed a combination of three different computational algorithms (sRNAPredict, eQRNA and RNAz). A total of 45 candidates were chosen based on the computational analysis, and their transcription was analyzed by reverse-transcriptase PCR and Northern blot. Through this process, we discovered 7 putative novel trans-acting sRNAs. Their abundance varied between different growth phases, suggesting that their expression is influenced by environmental or internal signals. Further, to screen target mRNAs of an sRNA, we employed differential RNA sequencing analysis. This study provides a significant resource for future study of small RNAs and their roles in physiology and pathogenesis of S. pyogenes. PMID:23762235

  19. German War Gaming

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-07-01

    This game became known as ajedrez in Spanish, xadres in Portuguese, and zatrikion in Greek. The game was introduced to Western Europe generally by...six companies, one or two cavalry squadrons, and a quarter or a half of a battery.59 A large game en - compassed the tactical exercise of forces up

  20. Institutional games played by confined juveniles.

    PubMed

    Bartollas, C; Sieverdes, C M

    1983-01-01

    This study examined the games played by 561 juvenile offenders confined in six coeducational correctional facilities in one state. The types of games these residents used against staff and peers within the confines of the institution varied considerably. The study documented nineteen games used by males and females, twelve to deal with staff and seven to deal with peers. The games were defined as therapeutic games, material games, psychological games, and physical games. Peer-oriented games included attention-seeking activities and a variety of dominance games. Additionally, these games were described and tabulated according to the sex and race of the residents. The conclusion was that game-playing behavior was no less frequent in coeducational institutions than it was in single-sex institutions.

  1. A Systematic Literature Review of Empirical Evidence on Computer Games and Serious Games

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Connolly, Thomas M.; Boyle, Elizabeth A.; MacArthur, Ewan; Hainey, Thomas; Boyle, James M.

    2012-01-01

    This paper examines the literature on computer games and serious games in regard to the potential positive impacts of gaming on users aged 14 years or above, especially with respect to learning, skill enhancement and engagement. Search terms identified 129 papers reporting empirical evidence about the impacts and outcomes of computer games and…

  2. Educational Games in Practice: The Challenges Involved in Conducting a Game-Based Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marklund, Björn Berg; Taylor, Anna-Sofia Alklind

    2016-01-01

    The task of integrating games into an educational setting is a demanding one, and integrating games as a harmonious part of a bigger ecosystem of learning requires teachers to orchestrate a myriad of complex organizational resources. Historically, research on digital game-based learning has focused heavily on the coupling between game designs,…

  3. Are digital games perceived as fun or danger? Supporting and suppressing different game-related concepts.

    PubMed

    Kneer, Julia; Glock, Sabine; Beskes, Sara; Bente, Gary

    2012-11-01

    Violent digital game play has repeatedly been discussed to be strongly related to aggression and emotional instability. Thus, digital game players have to defend against these prejudices through emphasizing positive game-related concepts such as achievement, social interaction, and immersion. We experimentally investigated which positive- and negative-concept players and nonplayers activate when being primed with digital games. Participants were either exposed to violent or nonviolent game content and were required to work on a lexical decision task. Results showed that response latencies for the concept aggression and emotional instability were faster than for neutral concepts (not associated with digital games), but slower than for the positive concepts sociality and competition. Both players and nonplayers felt the need to defend against prejudices and emphasized positive concepts. Neither their own gaming experience nor the game content influenced the results. Being a part of the net generation is sufficient to suppress negative game-related concepts and to support positive game-related concepts to protect digital games as common leisure activity among peers.

  4. Analysis of the "naming game" with learning errors in communications.

    PubMed

    Lou, Yang; Chen, Guanrong

    2015-07-16

    Naming game simulates the process of naming an objective by a population of agents organized in a certain communication network. By pair-wise iterative interactions, the population reaches consensus asymptotically. We study naming game with communication errors during pair-wise conversations, with error rates in a uniform probability distribution. First, a model of naming game with learning errors in communications (NGLE) is proposed. Then, a strategy for agents to prevent learning errors is suggested. To that end, three typical topologies of communication networks, namely random-graph, small-world and scale-free networks, are employed to investigate the effects of various learning errors. Simulation results on these models show that 1) learning errors slightly affect the convergence speed but distinctively increase the requirement for memory of each agent during lexicon propagation; 2) the maximum number of different words held by the population increases linearly as the error rate increases; 3) without applying any strategy to eliminate learning errors, there is a threshold of the learning errors which impairs the convergence. The new findings may help to better understand the role of learning errors in naming game as well as in human language development from a network science perspective.

  5. Modeling Misbehavior in Cooperative Diversity: A Dynamic Game Approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dehnie, Sintayehu; Memon, Nasir

    2009-12-01

    Cooperative diversity protocols are designed with the assumption that terminals always help each other in a socially efficient manner. This assumption may not be valid in commercial wireless networks where terminals may misbehave for selfish or malicious intentions. The presence of misbehaving terminals creates a social-dilemma where terminals exhibit uncertainty about the cooperative behavior of other terminals in the network. Cooperation in social-dilemma is characterized by a suboptimal Nash equilibrium where wireless terminals opt out of cooperation. Hence, without establishing a mechanism to detect and mitigate effects of misbehavior, it is difficult to maintain a socially optimal cooperation. In this paper, we first examine effects of misbehavior assuming static game model and show that cooperation under existing cooperative protocols is characterized by a noncooperative Nash equilibrium. Using evolutionary game dynamics we show that a small number of mutants can successfully invade a population of cooperators, which indicates that misbehavior is an evolutionary stable strategy (ESS). Our main goal is to design a mechanism that would enable wireless terminals to select reliable partners in the presence of uncertainty. To this end, we formulate cooperative diversity as a dynamic game with incomplete information. We show that the proposed dynamic game formulation satisfied the conditions for the existence of perfect Bayesian equilibrium.

  6. Multiple effect of social influence on cooperation in interdependent network games.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Luo-Luo; Li, Wen-Jing; Wang, Zhen

    2015-10-01

    The social influence exists widely in the human society, where individual decision-making process (from congressional election to electronic commerce) may be affected by the attitude and behavior of others belonging to different social networks. Here, we couple the snowdrift (SD) game and the prisoner's dilemma (PD) game on two interdependent networks, where strategies in both games are associated by social influence to mimick the majority rule. More accurately, individuals' strategies updating refers to social learning (based on payoff difference) and above-mentioned social influence (related with environment of interdependent group), which is controlled by social influence strength s. Setting s = 0 decouples the networks and returns the traditional network game; while its increase involves the interactions between networks. By means of numerous Monte Carlo simulations, we find that such a mechanism brings multiple influence to the evolution of cooperation. Small s leads to unequal cooperation level in both games, because social learning is still the main updating rule for most players. Though intermediate and large s guarantees the synchronized evolution of strategy pairs, cooperation finally dies out and reaches a completely dominance in both cases. Interestingly, these observations are attributed to the expansion of cooperation clusters. Our work may provide a new understanding to the emergence of cooperation in intercorrelated social systems.

  7. Multiple effect of social influence on cooperation in interdependent network games

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Luo-Luo; Li, Wen-Jing; Wang, Zhen

    2015-10-01

    The social influence exists widely in the human society, where individual decision-making process (from congressional election to electronic commerce) may be affected by the attitude and behavior of others belonging to different social networks. Here, we couple the snowdrift (SD) game and the prisoner’s dilemma (PD) game on two interdependent networks, where strategies in both games are associated by social influence to mimick the majority rule. More accurately, individuals’ strategies updating refers to social learning (based on payoff difference) and above-mentioned social influence (related with environment of interdependent group), which is controlled by social influence strength s. Setting s = 0 decouples the networks and returns the traditional network game; while its increase involves the interactions between networks. By means of numerous Monte Carlo simulations, we find that such a mechanism brings multiple influence to the evolution of cooperation. Small s leads to unequal cooperation level in both games, because social learning is still the main updating rule for most players. Though intermediate and large s guarantees the synchronized evolution of strategy pairs, cooperation finally dies out and reaches a completely dominance in both cases. Interestingly, these observations are attributed to the expansion of cooperation clusters. Our work may provide a new understanding to the emergence of cooperation in intercorrelated social systems.

  8. Teaching Quantum Mechanics with qCraft: Outreach and Video Games

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kubica, Aleksander; Chatwin-Davies, Aidan; Michalakis, Spyridon

    Why is quantum mechanics considered a hard and inaccessible subject? Part of the difficulty is due to the nature of the subject itself. However, no small part of the difficulty is its pedagogy, which often relies on out-of-date historical motivation and experimental evidence that is disconnected from day-to-day experiences. In this first talk, we explore ways in which video games are well-suited to teaching quantum mechanics, in particular with regards to building intuition, as well as some of their limitations. We then illustrate these considerations through qCraft, an extension for Minecraft that incorporates aspects of quantum mechanics into the game.

  9. Violence in Teen-Rated Video Games

    PubMed Central

    Haninger, Kevin; Ryan, M. Seamus; Thompson, Kimberly M

    2004-01-01

    Context: Children's exposure to violence in the media remains a source of public health concern; however, violence in video games rated T (for “Teen”) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has not been quantified. Objective: To quantify and characterize the depiction of violence and blood in T-rated video games. According to the ESRB, T-rated video games may be suitable for persons aged 13 years and older and may contain violence, mild or strong language, and/or suggestive themes. Design: We created a database of all 396 T-rated video game titles released on the major video game consoles in the United States by April 1, 2001 to identify the distribution of games by genre and to characterize the distribution of content descriptors for violence and blood assigned to these games. We randomly sampled 80 game titles (which included 81 games because 1 title included 2 separate games), played each game for at least 1 hour, and quantitatively assessed the content. Given the release of 2 new video game consoles, Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo GameCube, and a significant number of T-rated video games released after we drew our random sample, we played and assessed 9 additional games for these consoles. Finally, we assessed the content of 2 R-rated films, The Matrix and The Matrix: Reloaded, associated with the T-rated video game Enter the Matrix. Main Outcome Measures: Game genre; percentage of game play depicting violence; depiction of injury; depiction of blood; number of human and nonhuman fatalities; types of weapons used; whether injuring characters, killing characters, or destroying objects is rewarded or is required to advance in the game; and content that may raise concerns about marketing T-rated video games to children. Results: Based on analysis of the 396 T-rated video game titles, 93 game titles (23%) received content descriptors for both violence and blood, 280 game titles (71%) received only a content descriptor for violence, 9 game titles (2

  10. Violence in teen-rated video games.

    PubMed

    Haninger, Kevin; Ryan, M Seamus; Thompson, Kimberly M

    2004-03-11

    Children's exposure to violence in the media remains a source of public health concern; however, violence in video games rated T (for "Teen") by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has not been quantified. To quantify and characterize the depiction of violence and blood in T-rated video games. According to the ESRB, T-rated video games may be suitable for persons aged 13 years and older and may contain violence, mild or strong language, and/or suggestive themes. We created a database of all 396 T-rated video game titles released on the major video game consoles in the United States by April 1, 2001 to identify the distribution of games by genre and to characterize the distribution of content descriptors for violence and blood assigned to these games. We randomly sampled 80 game titles (which included 81 games because 1 title included 2 separate games), played each game for at least 1 hour, and quantitatively assessed the content. Given the release of 2 new video game consoles, Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo GameCube, and a significant number of T-rated video games released after we drew our random sample, we played and assessed 9 additional games for these consoles. Finally, we assessed the content of 2 R-rated films, The Matrix and The Matrix: Reloaded, associated with the T-rated video game Enter the Matrix. Game genre; percentage of game play depicting violence; depiction of injury; depiction of blood; number of human and nonhuman fatalities; types of weapons used; whether injuring characters, killing characters, or destroying objects is rewarded or is required to advance in the game; and content that may raise concerns about marketing T-rated video games to children. Based on analysis of the 396 T-rated video game titles, 93 game titles (23%) received content descriptors for both violence and blood, 280 game titles (71%) received only a content descriptor for violence, 9 game titles (2%) received only a content descriptor for blood, and 14 game titles

  11. International Cooperative Games.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoppe, Christine

    The book "Of Play and Playfulness" (Eastern Cooperative Recreation School, 1990) is recommended as a source of ideas for second language learning games. It describes folk dances, ideas for crafts, puppetry, games, and a variety of other activities from many countries. Several games from the book, easy to teach in a foreign language or…

  12. National Gaming Council.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    House, Peter W.; And Others

    This publication describes thirty-three simulation games discussed at the 9th Symposium of the Council in April of 1970. Those articles related to the social sciences are: 1) Teaching Economics with Competitive Games; 2) An Economic Strategy Analysis Game; 3) A Social Simulation Strategy for Researching the Israeli Arab Conflict; 4) The Use of…

  13. Decomposition of Multi-player Games

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Dengji; Schiffel, Stephan; Thielscher, Michael

    Research in General Game Playing aims at building systems that learn to play unknown games without human intervention. We contribute to this endeavour by generalising the established technique of decomposition from AI Planning to multi-player games. To this end, we present a method for the automatic decomposition of previously unknown games into independent subgames, and we show how a general game player can exploit a successful decomposition for game tree search.

  14. Better retention through game-play - EcoChains: Arctic Crisis card game

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pfirman, S. L.; Lee, J.; O'Garra, T.; Bachrach, E.

    2015-12-01

    Increasingly games are being used in formal and informal education with the goal of improving student/participant understanding of content knowledge through enhanced engagement. While most games are fun by design, few controlled studies have been conducted to assess games' potential for learning gains in comparison with traditional educational approaches. Without evidence for learning, it can be difficult to justify incorporating STEM games in curricula and other programming. In this study we assess the impact of a game called EcoChains (http://thepolarhub.org/project/ecochains-arctic-crisis) on learning, using a controlled experiment. The EcoChains: Arctic Crisis card game gives players the opportunity to learn about the components of an Arctic marine food web, the reliance of some species on sea ice, and the potential impacts of future changes on the ecosystem. EcoChains was developed under the Polar Learning and Responding: PoLAR Climate Change Education Partnership (thepolarhub.org). EcoChains aligns with Next Generation Science Standards LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics and ESS3 Earth and Human Activity. Participants in this experiment (n=41) were randomly assigned to either play EcoChains or to read a magazine-style article with similar content (the control). Questionnaires, mapping exercises and a 4-week follow-up survey were used to identify changes in participant knowledge of climate change and the Arctic region, attitudes and beliefs about climate change and its impacts, information-seeking behaviors, systems thinking, impressions of and engagement with the intervention experience. Analysis indicates that the game was as effective as, and in some respects more effective than, the article at teaching participants about climate change and the Arctic region and ecosystems. The follow up survey found that game players recalled new information better than those who read the article. Participants were also more engaged in the game than the

  15. An Authoring Tool for Educational Adventure Games: Concept, Game Models and Authoring Processes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mehm, Florian; Göbel, Stefan; Steinmetz, Ralf

    2013-01-01

    The genre of educational adventure games is a common and successful choice in game-based learning. The games combine captivating narratives that motivate players to continue playing with game mechanics that are conductive to learning: the gameplay is slow-paced, allowing players to learn at their own pace, and focused on puzzles that can be…

  16. How do passion for video games and needs frustration explain time spent gaming?

    PubMed

    Mills, Devin J; Milyavskaya, Marina; Mettler, Jessica; Heath, Nancy L; Derevensky, Jeffrey L

    2018-04-01

    Research applying self-determination theory and the dualistic model of passion (DMP) has shown video games may satisfy basic psychological needs (i.e., competence, autonomy, and relatedness) and be identified as a passion. The DMP distinguishes between healthy or harmonious passion and problematic or obsessive passion (OP), with the latter reflecting an overreliance towards one's passion to obtain needs satisfaction. The experience of daily obstructions to needs satisfaction, or needs frustration (NF), may facilitate such an overreliance. This study explored how NF and both types of passion explain the amount of time that university students spend gaming. The overall association between NF and time spent gaming was not significant. However, for video game users with low levels of OP for gaming, there was a significant negative association between NF and time spent gaming. Additionally, evidence of a mutually reinforcing association between NF and OP for gaming indicates that a vicious cycle exists, whereby a strong OP for gaming predicts and is reinforced by greater NF. The theoretical implications are discussed. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

  17. Excessive and addictive gaming control using counselling agent in online game design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ididi, Italumeh O.; Hassan, Sa'adah; Ghani, Abdul Azim Abd; Ali, Norhayati Mohd

    2017-10-01

    In recent times, online game play has become a food for thought to concerned individuals, researchers and authorities of various countries due to its excessive and addictive usage. Although, various government have taken certain measures such as shutting down internet cafe at certain hours of the day, censoring the most brutal, offensive and aggressive sections of certain games before they are released. Researchers have advised developers on ways of limiting harm on players by suggesting design changes on time limit. Furthermore, researchers have also suggested that online game distributors ought to make available appropriate referral services. The impart of the above are yet to make any remarkable impact on players. In this paper, we have proposed a Counseling Agent model integrating informative and self-appraisal messages in online game design as a control measure. Informative and self-appraisal messaging in games have proven optimistic through making positive impact on player's thoughts and behavior towards gaming. These messages are expected to remind players about the negative impact of excessive and addictive gaming habits, as well as suggesting possible reductive solutions through message streaming.

  18. Bringing your a-game: Educational gaming for student success.

    PubMed

    Strickland, Haley P; Kaylor, Sara K

    2016-05-01

    The purpose of this article is to describe the theoretical basis for the integration of gaming in nursing education and discuss aspects related to the implementation of "The Race for Nursing Student Success" game. This game was designed for 112 junior-level baccalaureate nursing students enrolled in a fundamentals nursing course. Students were divided into groups of 5-8 and rotated through ten specific learning activities that took place in various locations throughout the nursing building. Student and faculty feedback indicated positive responses to this instructional strategy and also promoted a learner-centered teaching environment. This learning activity supports the use of educational gaming as a means to develop learner-centered environments that provide experiential experiences, enhance learning, and stimulate interest, and motivation for students to learn. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Gaming Gains Respect

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richardson, Will

    2012-01-01

    The idea of learning through games isn't necessarily new. In fact, over the past decade, researchers have been espousing the use of games to help both children and adults learn. But it's only been recently that games have begun to make serious inroads into classrooms. As the world becomes more and more driven by mobile apps and tablet…

  20. Gaming and the Commodities Market: An Economic-Based Game for Developing Reasoning Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Witschonke, Christopher; Herrera, Jose Maria

    2013-01-01

    The authors describe an economics-based game they have developed to instruct student teachers in the value of games and gaming for developing reasoning and decision-making skills in economics in K-12 students (5-18-year-olds). The game is designed to progress through each grade level so that by high school students have a thorough appreciation and…

  1. Superman vs. BAD man? The effects of empathy and game character in violent video games.

    PubMed

    Happ, Christian; Melzer, André; Steffgen, Georges

    2013-10-01

    Recent findings indicate that events in video games, as well as players' perceptions of game characters, moderate well-established video game effects. This includes the level of identification with game characters, and players' interpretation of whether or not the actions of the characters are conceived as moral. In the present study, it was tested whether manipulating empathy for well-known game characters influences video game effects in a violent beat-'em-up game. As was expected, playing the comic hero Superman led to more prosocial behavior (i.e., returning a lost letter) than playing the evil villain Joker. A similar positive effect was observed for inducing game characters as warm and empathic before playing. Compared to a neutral text, participants in the empathy text condition judged the violence in the game as less justified, irrespective of game character. When looking at hostile perception, an interaction was found between empathy and game character. For Superman, empathy led participants to interpret neutral faces as less aggressive. When playing the evil Joker, however, empathy even increased hostile perception. This is in line with previous findings that empathy may not be positive per se. In fact, it may backfire depending on the interaction of game characters and the empathy players feel for them.

  2. Pursuit-evasion games with information uncertainties for elusive orbital maneuver and space object tracking

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shen, Dan; Jia, Bin; Chen, Genshe; Blasch, Erik; Pham, Khanh

    2015-05-01

    This paper develops and evaluates a pursuit-evasion (PE) game approach for elusive orbital maneuver and space object tracking. Unlike the PE games in the literature, where the assumption is that either both players have perfect knowledge of the opponents' positions or use primitive sensing models, the proposed PE approach solves the realistic space situation awareness (SSA) problem with imperfect information, where the evaders will exploit the pursuers' sensing and tracking models to confuse their opponents by maneuvering their orbits to increase the uncertainties, which the pursuers perform orbital maneuvers to minimize. In the game setup, each game player P (pursuer) and E (evader) has its own motion equations with a small continuous low-thrust. The magnitude of the low thrust is fixed and the direction can be controlled by the associated game player. The entropic uncertainty is used to generate the cost functions of game players. The Nash or mixed Nash equilibrium is composed of the directional controls of low-thrusts. Numerical simulations are emulated to demonstrate the performance. Simplified perturbations models (SGP4/SDP4) are exploited to calculate the ground truth of the satellite states (position and speed).

  3. The racing-game effect: why do video racing games increase risk-taking inclinations?

    PubMed

    Fischer, Peter; Greitemeyer, Tobias; Morton, Thomas; Kastenmüller, Andreas; Postmes, Tom; Frey, Dieter; Kubitzki, Jörg; Odenwälder, Jörg

    2009-10-01

    The present studies investigated why video racing games increase players' risk-taking inclinations. Four studies reveal that playing video racing games increases risk taking in a subsequent simulated road traffic situation, as well as risk-promoting cognitions and emotions, blood pressure, sensation seeking, and attitudes toward reckless driving. Study 1 ruled out the role of experimental demand in creating such effects. Studies 2 and 3 showed that the effect of playing video racing games on risk taking was partially mediated by changes in self-perceptions as a reckless driver. These effects were evident only when the individual played racing games that reward traffic violations rather than racing games that do not reward traffic violations (Study 3) and when the individual was an active player of such games rather than a passive observer (Study 4). In sum, the results underline the potential negative impact of racing games on traffic safety.

  4. Videogame Mechanics in Games for Health.

    PubMed

    Baranowski, Moderator Tom; Lieberman, Participants Debra; Buday, Richard; Peng, Wei; Zimmerli, Lukas; Wiederhold, Brenda; Kato, Pamela M

    2013-08-01

    Game mechanics have been identified as "methods invoked by agents for interacting with the game world."(1) They are elements of game play that provide a primary source of interactivity and structure how videogames proceed. Many kinds of game mechanics have been generated. Some provide fun or enjoyment, others may provide excitement or even suspense (i.e., emotional aspects of game play), whereas some are guided by principles of behavior change theory. Game mechanics that succeed in off-the-shelf entertainment videogames, however, may not work in serious games, such as games for health (G4H). Although game mechanics are key to a serious videogame's success, maintaining a balance between the serious intent of the game while keeping it fun, there has been little attention to game mechanics in the academic G4H literature. Several eminent games for health developers (academics and nonacademics) were asked to share their experiences in regard to game mechanics in the serious videogames they have developed.

  5. Evolutionary games in the multiverse.

    PubMed

    Gokhale, Chaitanya S; Traulsen, Arne

    2010-03-23

    Evolutionary game dynamics of two players with two strategies has been studied in great detail. These games have been used to model many biologically relevant scenarios, ranging from social dilemmas in mammals to microbial diversity. Some of these games may, in fact, take place between a number of individuals and not just between two. Here we address one-shot games with multiple players. As long as we have only two strategies, many results from two-player games can be generalized to multiple players. For games with multiple players and more than two strategies, we show that statements derived for pairwise interactions no longer hold. For two-player games with any number of strategies there can be at most one isolated internal equilibrium. For any number of players with any number of strategies , there can be at most isolated internal equilibria. Multiplayer games show a great dynamical complexity that cannot be captured based on pairwise interactions. Our results hold for any game and can easily be applied to specific cases, such as public goods games or multiplayer stag hunts.

  6. Evolutionary games in the multiverse

    PubMed Central

    Gokhale, Chaitanya S.; Traulsen, Arne

    2010-01-01

    Evolutionary game dynamics of two players with two strategies has been studied in great detail. These games have been used to model many biologically relevant scenarios, ranging from social dilemmas in mammals to microbial diversity. Some of these games may, in fact, take place between a number of individuals and not just between two. Here we address one-shot games with multiple players. As long as we have only two strategies, many results from two-player games can be generalized to multiple players. For games with multiple players and more than two strategies, we show that statements derived for pairwise interactions no longer hold. For two-player games with any number of strategies there can be at most one isolated internal equilibrium. For any number of players with any number of strategies , there can be at most isolated internal equilibria. Multiplayer games show a great dynamical complexity that cannot be captured based on pairwise interactions. Our results hold for any game and can easily be applied to specific cases, such as public goods games or multiplayer stag hunts. PMID:20212124

  7. Game Warden

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1976-01-01

    18 Py ’chologicalf operations ........ i.. . * ...... ~..,..24 Game Warden in;h the’RSSZ sete o.. & . e ........ o 99oao999*ie ooo ... a e o...o 26 Game , VWarden ih. the’ Mekong Delta o o o ** ***~o e ........... o oeoo * eoee , 4f -’. 30 The situa~tion,’in October .1968 **99*9*9*999*9*999999...H - Mekong RiVer xiierchant ship smuggling f.. * f.. e .o"f ao ..o.o H-i - H-2 Appendix I - Game Wardenchronology............... I-1-1!-is Appendi*, J

  8. Changing the Game: What Happens when Video Games Enter the Classroom?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Squire, Kurt

    2005-01-01

    Over the past few years, games have gone from social pariahs to the darlings of the media, technology, and now educational industries. E-learning educators in particular stand to learn a lot about building next-generation learning environments from games. While online courses are usually little more than "online course notes," games offer entire…

  9. Math Games for the Young Child.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Azzolino, Agnes

    This is a textbook of games for children of ages two through seven. In each section, games are listed from the basic to the more sophisticated and advanced. The book contains sections addressing: (1) counting and counting games; (2) travel games; (3) card games; (4) board games; and (5) games and activities with other things. (PK)

  10. The Role of Auditory Features Within Slot-Themed Social Casino Games and Online Slot Machine Games.

    PubMed

    Bramley, Stephanie; Gainsbury, Sally M

    2015-12-01

    Over the last few years playing social casino games has become a popular entertainment activity. Social casino games are offered via social media platforms and mobile apps and resemble gambling activities. However, social casino games are not classified as gambling as they can be played for free, outcomes may not be determined by chance, and players receive no monetary payouts. Social casino games appear to be somewhat similar to online gambling activities in terms of their visual and auditory features, but to date little research has investigated the cross over between these games. This study examines the auditory features of slot-themed social casino games and online slot machine games using a case study design. An example of each game type was played on three separate occasions during which, the auditory features (i.e., music, speech, sound effects, and the absence of sound) within the games were logged. The online slot-themed game was played in demo mode. This is the first study to provide a qualitative account of the role of auditory features within a slot-themed social casino game and an online slot machine game. Our results found many similarities between how sound is utilised within the two games. Therefore the sounds within these games may serve functions including: setting the scene for gaming, creating an image, demarcating space, interacting with visual features, prompting players to act, communicating achievements to players, providing reinforcement, heightening player emotions and the gaming experience. As a result this may reduce the ability of players to make a clear distinction between these two activities, which may facilitate migration between games.

  11. Game narratives among adolescents of different game-play and socio-demographic backgrounds

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Digital games hold great potential for health interventions. Their narratives may influence game engagement, enjoyment and players' behavioral determinants. Research is needed on which narratives are appealing to target groups of health interventions that make use of a serious digital game for healt...

  12. Churn prediction of mobile and online casual games using play log data.

    PubMed

    Kim, Seungwook; Choi, Daeyoung; Lee, Eunjung; Rhee, Wonjong

    2017-01-01

    Internet-connected devices, especially mobile devices such as smartphones, have become widely accessible in the past decade. Interaction with such devices has evolved into frequent and short-duration usage, and this phenomenon has resulted in a pervasive popularity of casual games in the game sector. On the other hand, development of casual games has become easier than ever as a result of the advancement of development tools. With the resulting fierce competition, now both acquisition and retention of users are the prime concerns in the field. In this study, we focus on churn prediction of mobile and online casual games. While churn prediction and analysis can provide important insights and action cues on retention, its application using play log data has been primitive or very limited in the casual game area. Most of the existing methods cannot be applied to casual games because casual game players tend to churn very quickly and they do not pay periodic subscription fees. Therefore, we focus on the new players and formally define churn using observation period (OP) and churn prediction period (CP). Using the definition, we develop a standard churn analysis process for casual games. We cover essential topics such as pre-processing of raw data, feature engineering including feature analysis, churn prediction modeling using traditional machine learning algorithms (logistic regression, gradient boosting, and random forests) and two deep learning algorithms (CNN and LSTM), and sensitivity analysis for OP and CP. Play log data of three different casual games are considered by analyzing a total of 193,443 unique player records and 10,874,958 play log records. While the analysis results provide useful insights, the overall results indicate that a small number of well-chosen features used as performance metrics might be sufficient for making important action decisions and that OP and CP should be properly chosen depending on the analysis goal.

  13. Transfer of conflict and cooperation from experienced games to new games: a connectionist model of learning

    PubMed Central

    Spiliopoulos, Leonidas

    2015-01-01

    The question of whether, and if so how, learning can be transfered from previously experienced games to novel games has recently attracted the attention of the experimental game theory literature. Existing research presumes that learning operates over actions, beliefs or decision rules. This study instead uses a connectionist approach that learns a direct mapping from game payoffs to a probability distribution over own actions. Learning is operationalized as a backpropagation rule that adjusts the weights of feedforward neural networks in the direction of increasing the probability of an agent playing a myopic best response to the last game played. One advantage of this approach is that it expands the scope of the model to any possible n × n normal-form game allowing for a comprehensive model of transfer of learning. Agents are exposed to games drawn from one of seven classes of games with significantly different strategic characteristics and then forced to play games from previously unseen classes. I find significant transfer of learning, i.e., behavior that is path-dependent, or conditional on the previously seen games. Cooperation is more pronounced in new games when agents are previously exposed to games where the incentive to cooperate is stronger than the incentive to compete, i.e., when individual incentives are aligned. Prior exposure to Prisoner's dilemma, zero-sum and discoordination games led to a significant decrease in realized payoffs for all the game classes under investigation. A distinction is made between superficial and deep transfer of learning both—the former is driven by superficial payoff similarities between games, the latter by differences in the incentive structures or strategic implications of the games. I examine whether agents learn to play the Nash equilibria of games, how they select amongst multiple equilibria, and whether they transfer Nash equilibrium behavior to unseen games. Sufficient exposure to a strategically heterogeneous

  14. Regulatory Aspects of Sabin Type 2 Withdrawal From Trivalent Oral Poliovirus Vaccine: Process and Lessons Learned.

    PubMed

    Decina, Daniela; Fournier-Caruana, Jacqueline; Takane, Marina; Ostad Ali Dehaghi, Razieh; Sutter, Roland

    2017-07-01

    Withdrawal of type 2 oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) in OPV-using countries required regulatory approval for use of inactivated poliovirus vaccine and bivalent OPV in routine immunization. Worldwide, a variety of mechanisms were used by member states, with some differences in approach observed between inactivated poliovirus vaccine and bivalent OPV. These included acceptance for use of World Health Organization (WHO) prequalified vaccines, registration and licensure pathways, participation in WHO-convened joint reviews of licensing dossiers, as well as pragmatic application of alternatively available mechanisms, when appropriate. Simple but effective tools were used to monitor progress and to record, authenticate, and share information. Essential to achievement of regulatory targets was ongoing communication with key stakeholders, including switch-country national regulatory authorities, vaccine manufacturers, partner organizations, and relevant units within WHO. Understanding of the regulatory environment gained through the OPV switch can be helpful in supporting further stages of the polio end game and other time-sensitive vaccine introduction programs. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

  15. [Serious video games in pediatrics].

    PubMed

    Drummond, D; Tesnière, A; Hadchouel, A

    2018-01-01

    Playing video games has been associated with several negative effects in children. However, serious games, which are video games designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment, should not be neglected by pediatricians. In the field of public health, some serious games are a means to decrease drug consumption and improve sexual health behavior in adolescents. In schools, serious games can be used to change students' perception of the disease of one of their classmates, or to train students on basic life support. Serious games are also used with patients: they can distract them from a painful procedure, increase their compliance to treatments, or participate in their rehabilitation. Finally, serious games allow healthcare professionals to train on the management of various medical situations without risk. For every field of application, this review presents the rationale of the use of video games, followed by concrete examples of video games and the results of their scientific evaluation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  16. Using Game Mechanics to Measure What Students Learn from Programming Games

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Denner, Jill; Werner, Linda; Campe, Shannon; Ortiz, Eloy

    2014-01-01

    Despite the growing popularity of teaching children to program games, little is known about the benefits for learning. In this article, the authors propose that game mechanics can be used as a window into how the children are thinking and describe a strategy for using them to analyze students' games. The study involved sixty 10-14 year old…

  17. Gaming in the Game of Love: Effects of Video Games on Conflict in Couples

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coyne, Sarah M.; Busby, Dean; Bushman, Brad J.; Gentile, Douglas A.; Ridge, Robert; Stockdale, Laura

    2012-01-01

    The current study assessed how playing video games can influence conflict and aggression in relationships. A sample of 1,333 heterosexual couples reported their video game playing habits, conflict regarding the media, and physical and relational aggression (both self and partner directed). Results showed that for men (but not women), time spent…

  18. Remote gaming on resource-constrained devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reza, Waazim; Kalva, Hari; Kaufman, Richard

    2010-08-01

    Games have become important applications on mobile devices. A mobile gaming approach known as remote gaming is being developed to support games on low cost mobile devices. In the remote gaming approach, the responsibility of rendering a game and advancing the game play is put on remote servers instead of the resource constrained mobile devices. The games rendered on the servers are encoded as video and streamed to mobile devices. Mobile devices gather user input and stream the commands back to the servers to advance game play. With this solution, mobile devices with video playback and network connectivity can become game consoles. In this paper we present the design and development of such a system and evaluate the performance and design considerations to maximize the end user gaming experience.

  19. The Game of Tri

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haggard, Gary; Schonberger, Ann Koch

    1977-01-01

    The paper-and-pencil game "Tri" is described. The authors argue that students gain logical skills by playing the game, and that the game lends itself to the introduction of diverse mathematical ideas. (SD)

  20. Traffic Games: Modeling Freeway Traffic with Game Theory

    PubMed Central

    Cortés-Berrueco, Luis E.; Gershenson, Carlos; Stephens, Christopher R.

    2016-01-01

    We apply game theory to a vehicular traffic model to study the effect of driver strategies on traffic flow. The resulting model inherits the realistic dynamics achieved by a two-lane traffic model and aims to incorporate phenomena caused by driver-driver interactions. To achieve this goal, a game-theoretic description of driver interaction was developed. This game-theoretic formalization allows one to model different lane-changing behaviors and to keep track of mobility performance. We simulate the evolution of cooperation, traffic flow, and mobility performance for different modeled behaviors. The analysis of these results indicates a mobility optimization process achieved by drivers’ interactions. PMID:27855176