Branislav Sobota is an associate professor in the Department of Computers and Informatics of the FEEI at the Technical University of Košice, Slovakia. He obtained his MSc (with honors) from the same institution in 1990, defended his Ph.D. in 1999 and a habilitation thesis in the field of virtual reality and computer graphics in 2008. His research interests focus in particular on virtual reality and related technologies, as well as computer graphics and parallel computing.
Games both as activities and as a basic educational tool are important not only from birth to death, but also from the beginnings of human society to the present day. This book describes some modern game approaches, procedures and algorithms, as well as the practical use of game theory and its development. The discipline of game theory deals mainly with types, description, algorithmization and strategies, but also the formalization of games. Among other topics, the book discusses game classifications and formalization, cooperative and non-cooperative games, symmetric and asymmetric games, simultaneous and turn-based (sequential) games, and games with complete and incomplete information. The book also considers the testing and presentation of games, the relationship of game theory and information technologies, of strategy games and sports games, of economy and business games theory, and the educational, training and sociological impacts of gaming.
Go to the bookPart of the book: New Frontiers in Graph Theory
Mixed reality (MR) is an area of computer research dealing with the combination of real-world and computer-generated data (virtual reality), where computer-generated graphical objects are visually mixed into the real environment and vice versa in real time. This chapter contains an introduction to this modern technology. Mixed reality combines real and virtual and is interactive, real-time processed, and registered in three dimensions. We can create mixed reality by using at least one of the following technologies: augmented reality and augmented virtuality. The mixed reality system can be considered as the ultimate immersive system. MR systems are usually constructed as optical see-through systems (usually by using transparent displays) or video see-through. Implementation of MR systems is as marker systems (real scene will be added with special markers. These will be recognized during runtime and replaced with virtual objects) or (semi) markerless systems (processing and inserting of virtual objects is without exact markers. Additional information is usually needed, for example, image and face recognition, GPS coordinates, etc.). The chapter contains also a description of mixed reality as an advanced computer user interface and the newest collaborative mixed reality.
Part of the book: Mixed Reality and Three-Dimensional Computer Graphics
This chapter is dedicated to the description of 3D computer graphics used for the needs of virtual reality. Virtual reality (VR) is the use of computer technology to create a 3D virtual environment. The chapter presents some graphical features used in an environment as well as an explanation of good design practice. The chapter contains also the description of lighting settings, 3D objects/models and virtualization sequence, camera, and scenes where the wheelchair simulator is used as an example of the implementation environment.
Part of the book: Computer Game Development
Computer games and, of course, the development associated with them have been in the spotlight for many years; recently, also with technologies, such as virtual reality or extended reality. The main part of this chapter presents the classification of collaborative XR systems, the concept of the major application architectures and the consistency models of shared virtual game environments. The next subchapter briefly deals with the sharing of property ownership. The mentioned concepts and examples used in the chapter are implemented in many works and projects using a collaborative environment (also in gamified form) developed in the laboratory LIRKIS, the home laboratory of the authors. The knowledge presented in this chapter may provide tips and inspiration for some other game projects, and practical and useful notes on the advantages or disadvantages of some systems will be interesting and useful.
Part of the book: Computer Game Development
The following chapter presents an experience with academic education in computer games design and development based on game theory, emphasizing iterative development, rapid (paper) prototyping, and game testing. We demonstrate and comment on various educational activities focused on game testing, describing them in steps and including benefits and motivation. Iteration of card game rules, design of a board game, design of a computer game with a paper prototype, and testing of early-access games are supplemented with students’ practical outputs in both text and graphical form. The results include feedback in the testing forms: Focus Groups, Playtesting, Usability Testing, and Quality Assurance.
Part of the book: Game Theory