The word "wargames" might seem like a contradiction in terms. After all, the declaration "This is war" is meant to signal that things have turned deadly serious, that there is no more playing around. Yet the practices of war are intimately entangled with practices of gaming, from military videogames to live battle reenactments. How do these forms of play impact how both soldiers and civilians perceive acts of war? This Quick Take considers how various war games and simulations shape the ways we imagine war. Paradoxically, these games grant us a sense of mastery and control as we strategize and scrutinize the enemy, yet also allow us the thrilling sense of being immersed in the carnage and chaos of battle. But as simulations of war become more integrated into both popular culture and military practice, how do they shape our apprehension of the traumatic realities of warfare? Covering everything from chess to football, from Saving Private Ryan to American Sniper, and from Call of Duty to drone interfaces, War Games is an essential guide for anyone seeking to understand the militarization of American culture, offering a compact yet comprehensive look at how we play with images of war.

Over 90% of children and adolescents play electronic or computerized games, and 25% play for three hours a day or even longer. Although some degree of video game playing is normal, excessive playing can negatively impact schoolwork, kids' social lives, and even their health. Pause and Reset is aimed at parents concerned about the role of gaming in their children's lives. In this informative, reader-friendly book, addiction expert Dr. Nancy Petry sheds light on what constitutes problematic video gaming and what does not, how to determine whether a child, adolescent or young adult may be "addicted" to gaming or developing problems with it, and when to seek professional help. Setting this book apart from others on the subject, the author also provides accessible explanations of the latest science behind how gaming addiction impacts children, adolescents, and families; she also explores the question of whether gaming may have positive effects in certain situations. Finally, Dr. Petry offers three simple, easy-to-implement steps parents can take to reduce and reverse the harmful effects of gaming: Record, Replace, and Reward. Pause and Reset also provides exercises and worksheets to support parents' efforts to help their kids.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, EuroVR 2017, held in Laval, France, in December 2017. The 10 full papers and 2 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 36 submissions. The papers are organized in four topical sections: interaction models and user studies, visual and haptic real-time rendering, perception and cognition, and rehabilitation and safety.

Automating technologies threaten to usher in a workless future. But this can be a good thing-if we play our cards right. Human obsolescence is imminent. The factories of the future will be dark, staffed by armies of tireless robots. The hospitals of the future will have fewer doctors, depending instead on cloud-based AI to diagnose patients and recommend treatments. The homes of the future will anticipate our wants and needs and provide all the entertainment, food, and distraction we could ever desire. To many, this is a depressing prognosis, an image of civilization replaced by its machines. But what if an automated future is something to be welcomed rather than feared? Work is a source of misery and oppression for most people, so shouldn't we do what we can to hasten its demise? Automation and Utopia makes the case for a world in which, free from need or want, we can spend our time inventing and playing games and exploring virtual realities that are more deeply engaging and absorbing than any we have experienced before, allowing us to achieve idealized forms of human flourishing. The idea that we should "give up" and retreat to the virtual may seem shocking, even distasteful. But John Danaher urges us to embrace the possibilities of this new existence. The rise of automating technologies presents a utopian moment for humankind, providing both the motive and the means to build a better future.

Create web-based VR applications and deploy them to GitHub pages with this short, practical tutorial crammed with hands-on examples. This book covers topics such as VR, the WebVR API, and A-Frame. In Learning Web-based Virtual Reality, you will build a number of 3D VR-based applications. In these apps, you will be able to test the VR environments, walk through the virtual world, interact with the objects, and perceive these virtual realities with the help of Google Cardboard. By the end of the book, you will have a complete understanding of what WebVR is, knowledge of what VR devices are available, and the requirements to start working on WebVR. You will also be comfortable in using A-Frame and its various components to build your own VR projects. What You Will Learn Experience WebVR, the WebVR API, and WebVR libraries Make use of various pieces of VR hardware See popular WebVR projects Use A-Frame to build your own WebVR projects Who This Book Is For Developers who want to build and deploy web-based virtual reality technology. Understanding of HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS is required.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents, IVA 2016, held in Los Angeles, CA, USA, in September 2016. The 12 full papers, 18 short papers, and 37 demo and poster papers accepted were carefully reviewed and selected from 81 submissions. IVA 2016 also includes three workshops: Workshop on Chatbots and Conversational Agents (WOCHAT), Can you feel me now? Creating Physiologically Aware Virtual Agents (PAVA), and Graphical and Robotic Embodied Agents for Therapeutic Systems, GREATS16. Intelligent Virtual Aspects (IVAs) are intelligent digital interactive characters that can communicate with humans and other agents using natural human modalities such as facial expressions, speech, gestures, and movement. They are capable of real-time perception, cognition, emotion and action that allow them to participate in dynamic social environments. Constructing and studying IVAs requires tools from a wide range of fields such as computer science, psychology, cognitive science, communication, linguistics, interactive media, human-computer interaction and artificial intelligence.

This is the first book to describe the Microsoft HoloLens wearable augmented reality device and provide step-by-step instructions on how developers can use the HoloLens SDK to create Windows 10 applications that merge holographic virtual reality with the wearer's actual environment. Best-selling author Allen G. Taylor explains how to develop and deliver HoloLens applications via Microsoft's ecosystem for third party apps. Readers will also learn how HoloLens differs from other virtual and augmented reality devices and how to create compelling applications to fully utilize its capabilities. What You Will Learn: The features and capabilities of HoloLens How to build a simple Windows 10 app optimized for HoloLens The tools and resources contained in the HoloLens SDK How to build several HoloLens apps, using the SDK tools

This volume constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 8th International Conference on HCI in Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality, VAMR 2016, held as part of the 18th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2016, which took place in Toronto, Canada, in July 2016. HCII 2016 received a total of 4354 submissions, of which 1287 papers were accepted for publication after a careful reviewing process. The 70 papers presented in this volume are organized in topical sections named: Usability, User Experience and Design in VAMR, Perception, Cognition, Psychology and Behaviour in VAMR, Multimodal Interaction in VAMR, Novel Devices and Technologies in VAMR, VAMR Applications in Aviation, Space and the Military, Medicine, Health and Well-Being Applications of VAMR, VAMR in Industry, Design and Engineering, Novel Virtual Environments.

Augmented reality takes the real world and through the use of graphics, sound and other effects allows you to enhance the environment. It makes a game more real. Your social media app puts you where want to be or go. Pro iOS 5 Augmented Reality walks you through the foundations of building an augmented reality application for the iPhone or iPad. From using MapKit, to the accelerometer and magnetometer, to integrating facial recognition and Facebook data, you'll learn the building blocks of creating augmented reality applications. Case studies are included in this one-of-a-kind book and you'll learn how to create augmented reality apps that unleash the full potential of the on-board sensors and camera. This book complements other iOS game or social media apps development books available from Apress. After reading Pro iOS 5 Augmented Reality, you'll be able to build augmented reality rich media apps or integrate all the best augmented reality techniques and tools into your existing apps.

Biological and machine systems exist within a complex and changing three-dimensional world. We appear to have no difficulty understanding this world, but how do we go about forming a perceptual model of it? Centred around three key themes: depth processing and stereopsis; motion and navigation in 3D; and natural scene perception, this volume explores the latest cutting-edge research into the perception of three dimension environments. It features contributions from top researchers in the field, presenting both biological and computational perspectives. Topics covered include binocular perception; blur and perceived depth; stereoscopic motion in depth; and perceiving and remembering the shape of visual space. This unique book will provide students and researchers with an overview of ongoing research as well as perspectives on future developments in the field. Colour versions of a selection of the figures are available at www.cambridge.org/9781107001756.

The articles by well-known international experts intend to facilitate more elaborate expositions of the research presented at the seminar, and to collect and document the results of the various discussions, including ideas and open problems that were identified. Correspondingly the book will consist of two parts. Part I will consist of extended articles describing research presented at the seminar. This will include papers on tracking, motion capture, displays, cloth simulation, and applications. Part II will consist of articles that capture the results of breakout discussions, describe visions, or advocate particular positions. This will include discussions about system latency, 3D interaction, haptic interfaces, social gaming, perceptual issues, and the fictional "Holodeck."

This sweeping introduction to the science of virtual environment technology masterfully integrates research and practical applications culled from a range of disciplines, including psychology, engineering, and computer science. With contributions from the field's foremost researchers and theorists, the book focuses in particular on how virtual technology and interface design can better accommodate human cognitive, motor, and perceptual capabilities. Throughout, it brings the reader up-to-date with the latest design strategies and cutting-edge virtual environments, and points to promising avenues for future development. The book is divided into three parts. The first part introduces the reader to the subject by defining basic terms, identifying key components of the virtual environment, and reviewing the origins and elements of virtual environments. The second part focuses of current technologies used to present visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic information. The book concludes with an in-depth analysis of how environments and human perception are integrated to create effective virtual systems. Comprehensive and splendidly written, Virtual Environmentsand Advanced Interface Design will be the "bible" on the subject for years to come. Students and researchers in computer science, psychology, and cognitive science will all want to have a copy on their shelves.

This book explains how to plan and build a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a collection of technologies that creates secure connections or "tunnels" over regular Internet lines. It discusses costs, configuration, and how to install and use VPN technologies that are available for Windows NT and Unix, such as PPTP and L2TP, Altavista Tunnel, Cisco PIX, and the secure shell (SSH). New features in the second edition include SSH and an expanded description of the IPSec standard.

It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this (book).

For more than 30 years, The Legend of Zelda—which immerses players in a courageous struggle against the shadowy forces of evil in a world of high fantasy—has spanned more than 30 different installments, selling over 75 million copies. Today, it is one of the most beloved video game franchises around the globe.

Video game sales as a whole have continued to grow, now raking in twice as much money per year as the entire film industry, and countless psychologists have turned their attention to the effects gaming has on us: our confidence, our identity, and our personal growth. The Psychology of Zelda applies the latest psychological findings, plus insights from classic psychology theory, to Link, Zelda, Hyrule, and the players who choose to wield the Master Sword.

In The Psychology of Zelda, psychologists who love the games ask:

- How do Link’s battles in Ocarina of Time against Dark Link, his monstrous doppelganger, mirror the difficulty of confronting our personal demons and the tendency to be our own worst enemies?

- What lessons about pursuing life’s greater meaning can we take away from Link’s quests through Hyrule and beyond the stereotypical video game scenario of rescuing a Princess (Zelda)?

- What do we experience as players when we hear that familiar royal lullaby on the ocarina, Saria’s spirited melody in the Lost Woods, or the iconic main theme on the title screen?

- How do the obstacles throughout Majora’s Mask represent the Five Stages of Grief?

- What can Link’s journey to overcome the loss of the fairy Navi teach us about understanding our own grief and depression?

- Why are we psychologically drawn to the game each and every time a new version becomes available even when they all have a similar storyline?

Think you’ve completed the quest? The Psychology of Zelda gives you new, thrilling dungeons to explore and even more puzzles to solve.

A surprising assessment of the ways that virtual worlds are entangled with human psychology Proteus, the mythical sea god who could alter his appearance at will, embodies one of the promises of online games: the ability to reinvent oneself. Yet inhabitants of virtual worlds rarely achieve this liberty, game researcher Nick Yee contends. Though online games evoke freedom and escapism, Yee shows that virtual spaces perpetuate social norms and stereotypes from the offline world, transform play into labor, and inspire racial scapegoating and superstitious thinking. And the change that does occur is often out of our control and effected by unparalleled-but rarely recognized-tools for controlling what players think and how they behave. Using player surveys, psychological experiments, and in-game data, Yee breaks down misconceptions about who plays fantasy games and the extent to which the online and offline worlds operate separately. With a wealth of entertaining and provocative examples, he explains what virtual worlds are about and why they matter, not only for entertainment but also for business and education. He uses gaming as a lens through which to examine the pressing question of what it means to be human in a digital world. His thought-provoking book is an invitation to think more deeply about virtual worlds and what they reveal to us about ourselves.

Research on multi-agent systems has provided a promising technology for implementing cognitive intelligent non-playing characters. However, the technologies used in game engines and multi-agent platforms are not readily compatible due to some inherent differences in concerns. Where game engines focus on real-time aspects and thus propagate efficiency and central control, multi-agent platforms assume autonomy of the agents. Increased autonomy and intelligence may offer benefits for a more compelling gameplay and may even be necessary for serious games. However, problems occur when current game design techniques are used to incorporate state-of-the-art multi-agent system technology. A very similar argument can be given for agent-based (social) simulation.

This volume contains the papers presented at AGS 2009, the First International Workshop on Agents for Games and Simulations, held in Budapest on May 11, 2009. The focus of the workshop was on the particular challenges facing those using agent technology for games and simulations, with topics covering the technical, conceptual and design aspects of the field.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 7th International Workshop on Intelligent Virtual Agents, IVA 2007, held in Paris, France, September 17-19, 2007.

The 19 revised full papers and 12 revised short papers presented together with 5 invited talks and the abstracts of 32 poster papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 100 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on Rendering and Analysis, Culture and Identity, Behavior Models, Feedback Models, Dialogues, Applications, Evaluation, Gaze models and Emotions.

Virtual and Augmented Reality have existed for a long time but were stuck to the research world or to some large manufacturing companies. With the appearance of low-cost devices, it is expected a number of new applications, including for the general audience. This book aims at making a statement about those novelties as well as distinguishing them from the complexes challenges they raise by proposing real use cases, replacing those recent evolutions through the VR/AR dynamic and by providing some perspective for the years to come.

The implementation of virtual environments in education has been rapidly increasing in frequency after the COVID-19 pandemic. As these technologies rise in popularity, it is essential to understand the roles digital technologies play in fostering connections and learning, the affordances of digital texts and spaces for virtual classroom experiences, the difficulties educators have faced and how these practices have been crafted to meet these challenges, and more. Innovations in Digital Instruction Through Virtual Environments advances knowledge about the pedagogical decisions and lived experiences of researchers and educators both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. It features research from those who have worked to sustain and develop digital/media pedagogical practices. Covering topics such as active learning environments, emotional labor, and textual engagements, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for educators and administrators of both K-12 and higher education, pre-service teachers, teacher educators, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

With the advent of the internet and handheld or wearable media systems that plunge the user into 360 video, augmented-or virtual reality-technology is changing how stories are told and created. In this book, John V. Pavlik argues that a new form of mediated communication has emerged: experiential news. Experiential media delivers not just news stories but also news experiences, in which the consumer engages news as a participant or virtual eyewitness in immersive, multisensory, and interactive narratives. Pavlik describes and analyzes new tools and approaches that allow journalists to tell stories that go beyond text and image. He delves into developing forms such as virtual reality, haptic technologies, interactive documentaries, and drone media, presenting the principles of how to design and frame a story using these techniques. Pavlik warns that although experiential news can heighten user engagement and increase understanding, it may also fuel the transformation of fake news into artificial realities, and he discusses the standards of ethics and accuracy needed to build public trust in journalism in the age of virtual reality. Journalism in the Age of Virtual Reality offers important lessons for practitioners seeking to produce quality experiential news and those interested in the ethical considerations that experiential media raise for journalism and the public.

Look - anyone who invents something really great has a moment where they think it's going to destroy the world. For the first time in her life, Fin is off the network. A few months ago, she was the inventor of a programme so powerful, so unusual that she was untouchable. Until she wasn't. Meanwhile, people have started disappearing from the streets of the city and the technology she created might be implicated. Square Eyes is a graphic novel about a future where the boundaries between memory, dreams and the digital world start to blur. It's a kaleidoscopic mystery story which asks: in a city built on digital illusion, who really holds the power? What is weakness? And when is it most dangerous?

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Conference on Augmented and Virtual Reality, AVR 2015, held in Lecce, Italy, in September 2015. The 32 papers and 8 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 82 submissions. The SALENTO AVR 2015 conference brings together a community of researchers from academia and industry, computer scientists, engineers, and physicians in order to share points of views, knowledge, experiences, and scientific and technical results related to state-of-the-art solutions and technologies on virtual and augmented reality applications for medicine, cultural heritage, education, industrial sectors, as well as the demonstration of advanced products and technologies.

Fantasy sports have the opportunity to provide a sporting community in which gendered physical presence plays no role-a space where men and women can compete and interact on a level playing field. Whose Game? shows, however, that while many turn to this space to socialize with friends or participate in a uniquely active and competitive fandom, men who play also depend on fantasy sports to perform a boyhood vision of masculinity otherwise inaccessible to them. Authors Rebecca Kissane and Sarah Winslow draw on a rich array of survey, interview, and observational data to examine how gender, race, and class frame the experiences of everyday fantasy sports players. This pioneering book examines gendered structures and processes, such as jock statsculinity-a nerdish form of masculine one-upmanship-and how women are often rendered as outsiders. Ultimately, Whose Game? demonstrates that fantasy sports are more than just an inconsequential leisure activity. This online world bleeds into participants' social lives in gendered ways-forging and strengthening relationships but also taking participants' time and attention to generate negative emotions, stress, discord, and unproductivity.