William Bamford

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.

Space-time travel blogging using a mobile phone

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.

Location-bsed Mobile Blogging

Mobile phones are becoming the most pervasive computing platform for a large proportion of the worlds population. Furthermore, their inherent mobility and connectivity are providing new and interesting possibilities for documenting human activity across both time and space. In this paper, we present the LocoBlog, a mobile phone application which allows bloggers to update their online blogs with conventional journal information, such as text and photos, alongside information relating to their geographical position. This information allows blog entries to gain a greater contextual significance. The users position can be obtained directly, by connecting the application to a Bluetooth GPS receiver, or derived by linking their GSM Cell ID to location. Once logged, this data can then be interpreted in a number of ways from 2D dimensional mapping and tracking using such systems as the Google Maps API, to more complex analysis using 3D space-time mapping

Utilising RFID for mixed reality mobile games

RFID is often cited as the next big evolution in computing as it effectively enables everyday objects to be connected to the Internet. RFID readers are now available on mobile phones and in this paper we present an example of their use in a location based mobile game. Location based games are a new entertainment genre that allow users to play games in mixed reality in that they incorporate knowledge of their physical location and then provide them with the ability to interact with both real and virtual objects within that location. The game presented in this paper is the first of its kind and shows the potential for using RFID with mobile phones.

Using mobile phones to reveal the complexities of the school journey

In this paper, we present findings of a research project in which mobile phones were used as part of a multi-methods approach to analyze the effects of air pollution on childrens journeys to and from school. In particular, we will present the results from the space-time blogs generated by 30 Year 8 pupils (aged 12--13) on their school journeys during four periods of study across the seasons of a year. The blogs were generated by the teenagers using a specially created application running on a mobile phone linked to a Bluetooth GPS unit and consist of spatially and temporally-referenced texts and images together with a record of their route using GPS coordinates stored at one second intervals. Whilst the blogs generated considerable amounts of quantitative information, particularly when coupled with the pollution profiles of the routes the teenagers travelled, it is the depth of qualitative information revealed in the interviews with the teenagers after each study period, using the routes and blogs as a trigger, that demonstrates the benefits of the multi-methods approach. In particular, we highlight some of the depth of contextual information revealed not only in regard to the use of the phone application and GPS unit but also the complex social factors which contribute to formation of the school journey.

PAC-LAN: the human arcade

PAC-LAN is a mixed reality game, which plays homage to the Namco classic Pacman, which utilises mobile phones equipped with in-built RFID readers. The game is played by 5 players around a suitable pedestrian area with their positions indicated on a graphical representation on their phone screen. Players use their mobile phone to interact with physical game pills (in the form of yellow plastic discs equipped with RFID tags and attached to lampposts) and opposing players (who have tags attached to their costumes). Whilst this is not the first game to play homage to Pacman the user experience shows that this technology is simple, easy to use, and allows the game to be played at very high speed over a large area with minimal setup. It is also the first that allows spectators to follow the action through an application running on any suitable Java enabled mobile phone. As current predictions estimate that half of mobile phones will be equipped with RFID capabilities by 2009 this project demonstrates an enormous potential for entertainment applications.

Mobile Games: Challenges and Opportunities

Mobile games are expected to play significant role in future mobile services by evolving beyond the largely single player titles that currently dominate the market to ones that take advantage expanding mobile phone functionality and the wide demographic of the mobile phone user. However, because of the fragmented nature of the mobile software development market, and the restrictions imposed by the mobile phone hardware, the skills required for games development are more akin to embedded software development and those used in the game development of the early 1980s, rather than those currently practiced amongst console and PC game developers. In the first half of this chapter we discuss the hardware restrictions and the different software environments encountered together with methodologies so that mobile game developers can produce effective designs. Having discussed the challenges in developing mobile games in the second half of the chapter we discuss the opportunities for innovation provided by the mobile phones through both their anywhere connectivity and the ever enhancing feature set. To this end we present examples using Cameras, RFID, Bluetooth, and GPS that illustrate how through careful design mobile games do not simply have to be cut down versions of console games but can provide uniquely mobile gaming experiences.