Paul Coulton

Extending cyberspace: location based games using cellular phones

In the current market many game developers and publishers treat the cellular phone as just another platform to which they can port a console game; they ignore the exciting new possibilities cellular phones provide via their inherent ability to maintain connectivity while on the move. One possibility is to extend the virtual world of traditional video games through location-based information, which allows users to play games that incorporate knowledge of their physical location and landscape, and then provides them with the ability to interact with both real and virtual objects within that space. However, if such games are to become pervasive and if developers want their efforts to escape the bounds of the research laboratory, they must address the nature of the cellular environment, the precision of the location-based technologies in their region, and the present and likely future capabilities of cellular handsets. To aid innovative game development we draw together many fragmented sources of information for an assessment of technologies, and implementations of cellular location-based games. Further, we discuss practical mechanisms for producing a finer degree of location granularity, both through future technology and our novel implementations of systems that augment location-sensing. The first mechanism uses Bluetooth, which is already a pervasive component of mobile phones feature sets, and can be implemented without the need for client side software. The second implements the use of a future pervasive technology, RFID tags, now that commercial cellular handsets that incorporate RFID readers have emerged.

Using a Mobile Phone as a “Wii-like” Controller for Playing Games on a Large Public Display

Undoubtedly the biggest success amongst the recent games console releases has been the launch of the Nintendo Wii. This is arguably due to its most innovative attribute—the wireless controller or “Wiimote.” The Wiimote can be used as a versatile game controller, able to detect motion and rotation in three dimensions which allows for very innovative game play. Prior to the Wii, and with much less furor, Nokia launched its 5500 model phone which contains 3D motion sensors. Using the Sensor API library available for the Symbian OS, this sensor data can be used by developers to create interesting new control schemes for mobile games. Whilst 3D motion can be utilized for ondevice games, in this paper we present a novel system that connects these phones to large public game screens via Bluetooth where it becomes a game controller for a multiplayer game. We illustrate the potential of this system through a multiplayer driving game using the Microsoft XNA framework and present preliminary feedback on the user experience from a public trial which highlights that these controls can be both intuitive and fun.

PAC-LAN: mixed-reality gaming with RFID-enabled mobile phones

RFID (Radio frequency identification) is often seen as an enabling technology for mixed-reality experiences where all kinds of objects, even the most mundane and inanimate, can be equipped to provide interaction between the real and virtual worlds. These mixed-reality experiences could occur in all aspects of our lives, but one of the most easily envisaged is that of computer games. As the mobile phone has become the computer carried in the pockets of a third of the population of the planet, it would seem a natural platform for these mixed-reality games. Further, the emergence of mobile phones that incorporate RFID readers gives the opportunity for creating games in which players interact with real physical objects, in real locations, and provides enhanced gameplay and experience. In this article we present details of a novel location- and object-enhanced mixed-reality version of the Namco arcade classic, Pacman. In particular, the article presents a comparison of the game to other mixed-reality versions of Pacman; the rationale behind specific design choices made during game design and its subsequent implementation; and an analysis of the experiences of people who have played the game. Our system highlights the possibilities via use of physical objects and the combination of mobile phones and RFID of yielding new mixed-reality entertainment experiences.

Mobile phone vulnerabilities: a new generation of malware

There has recently been concern about potential tlireats rind security issrres of ntobile phone techno1ogie.s. Some unalysts argue that mobile phones are iwherable to the sanie sort qf security risks as PCs. Vinrses. Trojans. arid ~vorms have been created and rurgeted ut mobile phone risen but so .far have been harmless. Recent inedia reports on activities srrc/t u s ‘bluejacking ’ and ‘hlr iesna~ng ’ have highlighted tbe attacks Bltietooth enubled devices are vrrbierable to. This paper evultiares the possibility that mobile phnries are soon to be threatened by the nine sort of maliciotrs activities that PC.s have to defend against on a daily 17u.si.s. It identifies the types of computer threats and recognises tlie new forms of attack aimed specifically toward mobile phones. It also denionstrates the ease with which cer/ahi 9pe.s of malware can be impkmentul on a mobile device.’ system. However, analysts have argued that the capability of the current mobile phones makes it impossible for a virus to infect such devices [I] . Mobile viruses have yet to overcome the problem of cross-platform contamination, currently limited to being able to only infect mobile phones running a similar operating system thus limiting their ability to spread. However, as mobile phones become more intelligent and powerful, the risk of a mobile virus infecting mobile phones increases [ 2 ] . The adoption of standard technologies in mobile networks and the ability to constantly connect to the Internet, offer many functionalities and services to users such as sending and downloading tiles with attachments, some of which may be infectable. It is anticipated that by 2005 mobile networks will be hit by a malicious program costing approximately

Understanding the School Journey: Integrating Data on Travel and Environment

471 million for every five million users affected 131. _ _ ~~ ~~~~~ The discovery of security flaws in Bluetooth enabled devices suggests the growing concern over the vulnerability of mobile phones. Blueiackinx and bluesnarfing are some of the Index Terms Mobile Malware’ Worms. new forms of hacking. Bluejacking is a technique of sending

Implementing location based information/advertising for existing mobile phone users in indoor/urban environments

Travel to and from school is a regular part of life for most children. Such movement can also have important social, economic, and environmental implications, both for individuals and for wider society. This paper uses innovative methods to examine the complexity of the school journey, and to relate it to exposure to air pollution and engagement with the environment through which children pass. Some thirty lower secondary school pupils used mobile phone and global positioning system technology to record their routes to and from school in four study periods. They were asked to take photographs and write text messages relating to their route, and these data were then linked to modelled air pollution on the routes through which pupils travelled. Results demonstrate that for most children the journey to and from school is highly variable and contingent on other factors. Pupils who travelled independently (on foot, by bicycle, or by bus) were most likely to engage with their immediate environment, and small variations in route choice had significant effects on their cumulative exposure to air pollution. It is argued that the results shed new light on the everyday experience of the school journey, and have implications for health promotion and transport planning in towns.

Using “tilt” as an interface to control “no-button” 3-D mobile games

In the emerging world of m-commerce potential users consistently cite location based services as a technology they would be interested in using. However, solutions to obtaining the specific location of the user predominately rely on the provision of additional hardware and/or software within the mobile phone or the system infrastructure. These techniques are often inappropriate for indoor and highly urban environments where the line of sight to the location measurement unit is often unavailable resulting in inaccurate and unreliable positional information. In this paper we present a system that can be used with any current mobile phone system to provide location based information/advertisements to any mobile phone, equipped with Bluetooth technology, without any necessity of installing client side software. The system can be used to provide systems such as location based information for tourist in cities or museums or location based advertisements.

Space-time travel blogging using a mobile phone

Mobile phones offer considerable challenges for game developers, and not least among them is the user interface, which is primarily optimized for number entry rather than for playing games. In fact, due to the limitations one of the most desirable criteria for mobile games has the design of games controlled by a one-button interface. However, this type of interface has only been seen as applicable for casual games, where mastering the interface is de-emphasized. As a number of mobile phones are starting to appear with 3-D accelerometers, game developers have the opportunity to investigate new interface mechanisms. In this article we illustrate how accelerometers provide the possibility of a no-button mobile game. While 3-D accelerometers offer a range of possible interface mechanisms, the one that requires minimal signal processing and no external references is motion, and in particular, tilt, and as such is eminently suitable for mobile phones. In this article we explore a tilt interface for a 3-D graphics first-person driving game titled Tunnel Run, and compare the user experience playing the same game with a traditional phone joypad interface and with a tilt interface in two different modes. The results show that the tilt interface was experienced as fun, and certainly seemed more attractive to players, who said they would not have played this type of game otherwise.

Providing location based information/advertising for existing mobile phone users

Whilst location based services have long been envisioned as an important element of future mobile user experiences, they have only recently become realizable for the average phone user. This is due to the emergence of: flat rate date tariffs on mobile networks; low cost Bluetooth GPS units and a large user base of phones capable of installing and running applications. In this paper we discuss the design, implementation, and results of a six month open user trial of a space-time photo travel blogging service called LocoBlog. The user experiences, over 1100 photographs from 14 countries, show that such a service is practical, affordable and seen as a new and exciting way of not only recording and sharing travel experiences but also general activities within their daily lives.

Talk, technologies and teenagers: understanding the school journey using a mixed-methods approach

In the emerging world of m-commerce potential users consistently cite location based information as one of the emergent services that they would most likely utilise. However, solutions for obtaining the specific location of a mobile user predominately rely on the provision of additional hardware and/or software within either the mobile phone or system infrastructure. Further, these techniques are often inappropriate for indoor and highly urban environments, where they are often most useful, as the line of sight to the location measurement unit is often obscured resulting in inaccurate and unreliable positional information. In this paper we present a system that can be used with any current mobile phone system to provide location based information/advertisements to any mobile phone, equipped with Bluetooth technology, without any necessity of installing client side software. The system is readily deployable and can be used to provide systems such as location based information for tourist in cities or museums or indeed location based advertisements.