Greetings. When you last saw me, I was playing with the MYO gesture control device in an old C++ project. It seemed pretty responsive and because I have the device and haven’t done much with it, I’m going to be using it in another project this year.
An audio game
For this project, I will be attempting to make a game where you can play on your mobile device with audio feedback only (maybe MYO vibrations too). Basically, no visuals.
The idea of the project is to create a prototype and write a report about the findings of creating the game and whether the MYO can be used to engage the user without visual feedback.
Measuring engagement
The hard part of this project would be to measure the engagement of the users. After some research, there are many ways that this can be done, and there are many people that study this type of thing. I believe after enough research, I can figure out a good method of achieving engagement in the game users.
Other motion capturing hardware
In the report I will be comparing different human motion capturing devices such as the Nintendo Wii, Xbox Kinekt, Razer Hydra, and an upcoming product called the Perception Neuron. However, most of these don’t have the required specificatios needed for a game like the one proposed. The Perception Neuron, for example, uses wifi to connect to a PC that does the game simulation, rather than bluetooth which is what the MYO uses.
Other audio games
There are a couiple of audio-only games that spring to mind. One in particular is Papa Sandgre and Papa Sangre II by game company “Somethin’ Else“, where you play a game without visuals to hear the direction you are facing and various enemies. Another audio game is “Zombies: Run!” and “Zombies 5k”. These both engage the audience using a story told through audio, plus getting the player to do certain activities like leg raises or sprinting from a group of zombies. In Zombies, Run!, they also include a base that you can build up by adding resources they they collected during the jog.
Schedule
As always, I want to make due dates for certain sections of this project. Below is a matrix of milestones.
| Week | Date | Assignment item | Milestone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 August | – | – |
| 2 | 13 August | – | – |
| 3 | 20 August | – | – |
| 4 | 27 August | – | Report intro, abstract and formatting complete. |
| 5 | 3 September | – | Myo gestures and movements implemented. |
| 6 | 10 September | – | Research on gesture devices and audio games complete and drafted in report. |
| 7 | 17 September | – | Mobile version working to test with, including sound effects. 1 boss fight. |
| 8 | 24 September | – | App tested with users and findings added to report. |
| 9 | 1 October | – | Draft of report done – more testing completed if necessary. No more adding to report – polish only. |
| 10 | 8 October | Report due | Report completed and submitted. |
| 11 | 15 October | – | |
| 12 | 22 October | – | |
| 13 | 29 October | – | |
| 14 | 5 November | Working prototype due | Working prototype complete and submitted. |
| 15 | 12 November | – | |
| 16 | 19 November | – | Draft presentation complete – prototype polished for presentation. |
| 17 | 25 November | Presentation day | Final presentation complete and presented. |
Testing
Testing will involve users playing the game and seeing how it feels. They will be asked a survey with questions similar to the following:
- How much does the Myo enhance the game experience? (-3 to +3, where 0 is no enhancement or you would have just as much fun touching the screen, -3 is that the Myo makes it worse, or 3 where the Myo definitely creates a fun experience)
- Would this game enhance your exercise routine if it incorporated GPS and jogging to a location?
- How likely are you to play the game out in the open where people could see you? (-3 to 3 where 0 is neutral, 3 is very likely or don’t care, and -3 is shy and would play it at home, maybe using a treadmill.
- How effective are the audio queues at providing proper feedback about the game world. (-3 to 3) : -3 makes it worse, 0 is neutral, 3 is makes it more fun and easier so you don’t have to look at the screen.
- How responsive is the Myo device at getting your arm’s orientation? (-3 – 3)
- How responsive is the Myo device at getting the correct gestures (spread hands, fist, etc.)?
- Anything that didn’t feel quite right?
- Any notes that would help improve the game?
- What was the most fun thing about the game?
- What was the least fun thing about the game?
- Would you buy a Myo if there were more games like this one?
I will be adding more as the game develops, but as of now, these will be a good start at getting my report done.