Education, Games, and Entertainment
30857

In this course we will have a look at why and how Embodied Interaction, Play and Interactive Technology can have an impact on applications that seem so far apart as, for example, Lego Mindstorms, state of the art interactive themed attractions such as Disney's Virtual Pirates of the Caribbean, Exergames such as the Interactive Slide, or experiences to help children with Autism such as ECHOES or Pico's Adventures. In the course we will also design a Full-body Interaction Learning Environment and an Interactive Themed Attraction. And we will take a look at the theories that inform the design and evaluation of these applications.

This course focusses on three main application areas: Learning, Public Space Entertainment and Special Needs. These three areas are analysed from three main transversal research fields: Play, Embodiment and Technology. This means that we will analyse how these three latter research fields inform the three former application areas. We will focus on Interaction Design for these application areas and will especially try to understand how Embodied Interaction can provide very interesting benefits for them.

The course will therefore concentrate on how Embodied Interaction informs and helps in:

• Technology Enhanced Learning such as Manipulatives and Full-Body Interaction Learning Environments (FUBILEs)
• Large Scale Interaction for Location-Based Entertainment (LBE) and Theme Parks
• Special Needs in Health, Motor and Cognitive Disorders such as through Exergames and Virtual Rehabilitation Systems

We will cover theoretical aspects, technological solutions, as well as interaction design strategies that can provide meaning generation, rich interaction and entertaining experiences to help users learn, have fun or have a more autonomous life.

Details

Institution: Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Program: Master in Cognitive Systems and Interactive Media
Professor: Narcis Parés
Semester: Summer 2019
Syllabus: Link