The Positive Social Impacts of Augmented Reality in Gaming
The real world is where people live their everyday life. We experience it through our senses and through the cameras of our phones. However, the world is complicated and sometimes hard to understand. Recently, augmented reality has brought the real world and internet closer, by adding a new layer of information in front of our eyes and cameras. Not sure whether you love this “magic filter”? Read on to learn how AR can be used to create real-world positive impacts.
Augmented reality (AR) is an emerging technology defined as computer-generated content. It allows people to have an interactive experience in a real-world environment where live objects are enhanced through computer-generated imagery (CGI) and more. By adding pre-created visual, audio, and other sensory elements to the physical environment, AR offers an artificial experience that is quite realistic.
You probably have also heard of virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR). To differentiate between VR, AR, and MR, you need to understand how digital information fits into the real world. VR, which is the most widely known of the three technologies, is a fully immersive experience, typically consumed through a head-mounted display or headset. Compared to AR, which is centered on a real-world environment and adds a “magic filter,” VR takes you to a completely fabricated virtual time and space. When you put on a headset, you no longer see the real world around you, but rather a computer-generated world.
MR includes AR but has a wider scope, ranging on the spectrum between physical and digital worlds. It allows real and virtual elements to co-exist and interact in real-time to produce new environments and visualizations. Some great examples are furniture staging apps and virtual makeup filters.
Since the creation of the term, “augmented reality,” in 1990, commercial AR experiences were first introduced in the theater and entertainment industries. After years of development, the application of AR now spans widely from education to military fields.
One of the most popular uses of AR is in the gaming industry. In 2016, a mobile game called Pokémon Go was published by Niantic and Nintendo. With over 1 billion downloads since it was launched (Gamasutra, 2019), Pokémon Go ranks third on the list of highest-grossing games according to Apptopia. This great success is the result of the combination of the right technology and the right concept.
Looking into why users play the game, 77% of players said they play to complete their Pokédex, and 63% said that they play to hunt for new, shiny Pokémon. Meanwhile, 63% loved the social playing component of the game (Pokémon Go Hub, 2019). The AR aspect of the game makes collecting the pocket monsters feel more real. Players are immersed in the experience of going out to search for Pokémons. To catch them, players need to approach carefully and throw a Poké Ball. The biggest differentiation from other games is how the AR scavenger hunt encourages physical, outdoor activities. As shown by Pokémon Go, AR in gaming is not only a means for entertainment but can also create positive behavior change.
This summer, I worked with Yuqi Hu, the graphic designer in the Reese Innovation Lab, to revise an AR game, Adventure Squad, that was previously created by the Lab. The game was made for hospitalized children between seven and twelve years old. Through online and in-person research, we found that hospitalization reduces a child’s physical activity and that children often find it boring to simply walk around the hospital for exercise.
To solve this problem, Adventure Squad offers a game that leverages storytelling, gamification, and augmented reality to engage pediatric hospital patients in physical activity. The game is formatted as a scavenger hunt, leading patients on a journey throughout the hospital floor to find clues, play mini-games, and gain superpowers.
From past experience, we learned that it is hard to get people to download the app. Therefore, in this iteration of Adventure Squad, our biggest revision is creating a web-based version of the game, which will be realized by our developer, Liz Gibson. Additionally, we are working to redesign the storyline, update the graphics, and add new fun mini-games. I am excited and motivated to present the new version of this game, featuring the work of so many of our great Lab members.
Augmented reality is like a magic filter that brings people a digital perspective on the real world. With careful design, this technology can help us to supplement reality and accomplish things limited in the real world. Additionally, as it continues to develop, I believe AR will have more applications to not only entertain us but also serve more beneficial purposes.
