One of the fastest and easiest ways for us to get up and running is through using ARToolKit. It is a simple toolkit that works with C++ and OpenGL. For the most part, the toolkit is easy to understand and work with, and within an hour, I was able to get setup and running. Below is an example of what the output looks like when everything runs fine:
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| Source: http://www.hitl.washington.edu/artoolkit/documentation/userstartup.htm |
In our version (currently unnamed), users will rely on AR cards and watch their pets come to life as the camera picks up on the markers. Models of the pets would pop up and they would interact based on the type of AR card being used. For example, if a person placed their pet AR card along with a food card, lets say, the pizza card, then they will watch their pet eat the pizza.
For those that read my last post, you will probably remember that the theme of the game is change. The game must help the player change their lifestyle whether it be to remind them to eat healthier or to get a bit more exercise everyday or even just to socialize more instead of sitting in front of the computer all day. So how does an AR virtual pet game help users change? Basically, the virtual pet serves as a reminder to the player to make more health conscious choices and gradually change their lifestyle for the better. In the game, the player is free to choose foods and activities for their pets. If the player feeds their pet too much junk food and allows them to sit around and get no exercise all day, then the pet eventually becomes overweight, then unhealthy, and will live a much shorter life. On the other hand, through eating healthy foods such as salads and regularly exercising, pets will be much happier and live a longer life.
Currently, we are planning to show the player how many calories are in each food after it is consumed as well as showing animations of the pet getting overweight or in shape. For many of us, we don't bother to look at nutritional facts on most foods we eat before we eat them. In this game, it works in a similar fashion; players may think "ooh, my pet would like to eat bacon today", but, after eating bacon, a number of nutritional facts will appear on screen, which causes the player to think "uh oh, maybe that wasn't the best choice for my pet". Hopefully, players will gradually start to remember these facts and give foods a second thought before they buy or consume junk foods in the future.
With this idea, I'll admit we aren't the first to it as there have been several prototypes developed already. Zentium has already developed an application called iKat for Windows Phone 7 in which a virtual pet appears on the users phone (Ponder, 2010).
The iKat demo shows the idea for the pet part of the game, but doesn't show the interactions behind it. The video below provides a better example of what the final game may look like:
On the downside, some questions have been raised regarding how useful and groundbreaking such a game would be. As mentioned before, we won't be the first to attempt such an app. On top of that, do people really want to carry a bunch of AR cards in their pocket when they are going around town? Wouldn't it be easier to remove the AR portion of this and have a simple web game so that users can just log on and play whenever they wish?
At the moment, there is some debate in the group as to whether or not we should instead work with Microsoft's Kinect. The Kinect is capale of doing AR as well and the following video demonstrates what can be possible:
After watching the demo, one possible idea for an HCI game could be a game that helps players become more environmentally friendly and put waste in the appropriate bins. For example, garbage could fly towards the user, and the user must dodge actual garbage while catching recyclable items such as cans and put them into a recycling bin. Such a game could potentially get the player to start recognizing items that are recyclable and remind them to throw it into the recycling instead of the trash.
Such a training program could prove to be a good idea, especially since I see AR being useful in training applications or simulator type games. For example, Microsoft's Kinect can be used with a live video stream and previous brain scans in order to more easily identify where certain parts of the brain are as well as help identify what could be problem areas, which areas a disease could spread to, etc (Ostrovsky, 2013)
Personally, I don't mind working on either one of the projects, whether it is the AR Tamagotchi game or some other Kinect AR game, as it is a new technology I will be working with and I'd like to learn more about it. For the record, however, my vote goes for working on a training or simulator type AR game that uses the Kinect. The Kinect seems way more fun to work with and it feels as if it is easier to do something new and exciting with it instead of coding it from scratch with the ARToolKit. Either way, I will continue to update my progress on this project in the future as well as post videos and pictures of the demo once development begins.
References
George, P. (2010, March 11). Augmented reality app ikat gets demoed; tamagotchi fans rejoice. Retrieved from http://www.wpcentral.com/augmented-reality-app-ikat-gets-demoed-tamagotchi-fans-rejoice
Ostrovsky, G. (2013, March 11). Microsoft kinect helps bring augmented reality to operating rooms. Retrieved from http://www.medgadget.com/2013/03/microsoft-kinect-helps-bring-augmented-reality-to-operating-rooms.html
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