THEMATIC SESSION #6
Exploring eXtended Reality for Serious Games: Design, Technology, and Applications
ORGANIZED BY
Javier Marín-Morales
LabLENI - Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain
Ersilia Vallefuoco
DIETI, University of Naples Federico II, Italy
Maria Eleonora Minissi
LabLENI - Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain
Giovanni D'Errico
DISAT - Politecnico di Torino, Italy
ABSTRACT
Over the past few decades, serious games (SGs) have become increasingly popular in various fields, such as education, healthcare, business, and training. Defined as digital games designed to achieve specific learning objectives, they combine engaging gameplay with meaningful content to teach and train specific behaviors and practice skills transferable to real-world situations. With the integration of eXtended Reality (XR) technologies, SGs have reached new heights of interaction and immersion. XR-based SGs enable the simulation of real-world scenarios, create interactive environments, provide personalized feedback and input, and increase user motivation and engagement. However, the design and development of XR-based SGs present unique challenges. A critical balance must be struck between game elements, learning content, and technological innovations to ensure an effective enduser experience. This thematic issue aims to collect original papers on SGs in XR environments. Submissions are encouraged on, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Game Design and Development: Frameworks, methodologies, and tools for creating effective and immersive SGs in XR.
- Technological Innovations: Incorporating emerging technologies such as AI, virtual agents, and multisensory technologies into XR-based SGs.
- User Experience and Engagement: Studies on how XR enhances user interaction, engagement, and the overall learning process.
- Applications and Case Studies: implementation and evaluations of XR-based SGs, SG-based interventions.
TOPICS
- XR Game Design
- Technological Innovations in Serious Games
- AI and Virtual Agents in XR
- Multisensory Experiences
- User Engagement in XR-based Learning
- Adaptive Feedback Systems
- Applications of XR-based Serious Games
- Healthcare and Rehabilitation
- Education and Training
- Business and Professional Simulations
- Accessibility in XR Serious Games
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
Javier Marín-Morales (Member, IEEE) received the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering and the Ph.D. degree in technologies for health and wellbeing from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), in 2014 and 2020, respectively. He is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Institute for Research and Innovation in Bioengineering, UPV. His research interests include virtual reality, biomedical signal processing, machine learning, affective computing, and psychological assessment. He is the author of more than 20 international scientific contributions in these fields and has been involved in several international research projects.
Ersilia Vallefuoco is a researcher in Biomedical Engineering at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology of the University of Naples Federico II. Her main areas of expertise are serious games for rehabilitation application, eXtended reality and simulation in healthcare, and assistive technologies. In detail, her research is focused on the validation and the use of serious games-based interventions for people with neurodevelopmental disorders (Autism Spectrum Disorder), and neurodegenerative disorders (Parkinson, Alzheimer and dementia). She is the author and co-author of several publications, and she was a speaker at national and international conferences.
Maria Eleonora Minissi currently works at i3B LabLeni of Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. She is a PhD Student in New Technologies for Health and Well Being. Maria Eleonora does research in Neuropsychology, Cognitive Science and Applied Psychology. Her interest is to use virtual reality for neuropsychological assessment and cognitive enhancement.
Giovanni D’Errico graduated magna cum laude in Information Engineering in University of Salento in 2017. Over the years as a research fellow in AVRLab he has gained expertise in virtual/augmented reality applications and gamification in the context of smart cities, cultural heritage smart fruition and neurocognitive rehabilitation. He is currently a PhD student at the Polytechnic University of Turin (doctoral school in Metrology) and is also part of the ARHeMLab research laboratory of the Federico II University in Naples. His current research interests are oriented to biosignal-based adaptivity in eXtended Reality (XR) towards mental states assessment and regulation.