Max J. Chen

Industrial and academic laboratories are undergoing a paradigm shift in process technology from batch to modular flow. Implementation of modular flow processes can enable more efficient operation with superior throughput, scalability, and safety factors owing to superior transport and reaction kinetics. However, both fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries have historically run exclusively batch processes, highlighting a substantive knowledge gap in industrial workforce training in designing and building modular flow systems. To address this gap in knowledge, we developed an augmented reality (AR) program, FlowAR, that aims to teach users how to build modular flow packed bed reactors. FlowAR is a voice-activated program in which users assemble physical objects to build the modular flow reactor that are observed in the FlowAR program with accompanying narration of each step. To compare the learning experience and effectiveness of FlowAR when compared to traditional assembly methods, 34 participants were randomly assigned to AR (experimental) and non-AR (control, i.e., written instructions) conditions to learn and assemble a flow chemistry packed bed column. We obtained pre- and post-questionnaires from the participants with quantitative and qualitative questions on their learning experience. Inspection of the data from our assessments revealed that users in the experimental condition recall the procedure and parts at a higher level when compared to the control condition. In addition, FlowAR resulted in more content clarity and a much more enjoyable and effective experience compared to the control conditions. This provides evidence that voice-activated AR programs can be used to enable students to better assemble complex instruments in an asynchronous format.

Game companies and degree-granting colleges with game design programs create numerous games annually, with lessons learned from the development process holding significance for developers and game developer communities. Usually, game developers write postmortems to reflect on what went right and wrong in their game development process. Existing studies on video game postmortems have been primarily of games from professional studios that take years of development effort. Our work analyzes 36 student-created game postmortems spanning 9 years, all for mobile games shipped after 3-month development cycles in a summer internship program organized by the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDigi). We identify common themes and topics in these student postmortems and contribute to a greater understanding of student game-creation practices and project-based learning for game education.

As the game industry expands, an increasing number of students and hobbyists are entering the game development field, eager to create their own titles. However, there is a lack of structured training programs that effectively prepare them for industry demands. Games convey meaningful messages through stories, assets, and mechanics, yet how early-stage developers make creative decisions while building production skills remains unclear. We explored skill development and cultural representation in game design during a 10-week professional development program at MassDigi with early-stage developers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Our findings reveal three observed strategies as themes through which developers incorporate their personal experiences and cultural backgrounds into game development to achieve cultural representation, as well as four themes that address developers’ skill set improvement and personal growth during this process. We recommend structuring programs by considering these themes to enhance self-expressive game design and support skill development through a peer learning community.

One of the more exploratory and experimental forms of output in the games research community involves authors utilising games they have developed in the academic context. Whether fully embodying the role of a designer-researcher in communicating the development process, or presenting the data that derives from a complete game artefact, academics can use games as an integral part of their research. The academic game making context is distinct from other forms of game creation, with academia allowing for certain freedoms while also enforcing its own strict constraints. Our understanding of academic games derives from how they have been reported in the literature, as there is limited preservation of these games as playable experiences. For the 20th Foundations of Digital Games (FDG) conference, we analysed its corpus of 1,437 articles to take examine their historical development and identify some of the developmental trends of academic games as reported over nearly two decades. Through this study, we identify the diverse purposes of these games and examine how they have contributed to advancing research efforts.