Tabletop Games: Platforms, Experimental Games and Design Recommendations (original) (raw)

Augmented Board Games: Enhancing board games with electronics

2005

This paper examines Augmented Board Games, the result of using computational power to extend functionality and gameplay in board games. Experimental interaction design has been used as the primary research method, through the use of numerous models and design tools, including social and functional roles, game design patterns, and task analysis. The paper is concluded with descriptions of concepts and prototypes as well as novel game design possibilities within the design space of augmented board games.

Multimodal multiplayer tabletop gaming

2006

Abstract There is a large disparity between the rich physical interfaces of co-located arcade games and the generic input devices seen in most home console systems.

Single Display Gaming: Examining Collaborative Games for Multi-User Tabletops

Playing games has always been a joint activity. New hardware developments such as multi-user touch-sensitive tabletop surfaces offer new possibilities to support games with information technology. This paper analyzes the properties of games that are relevant for choosing an appropriate hardware setup, e.g. the need for public or personal data for different players. These properties lead us to a categorization of games. Based on these results, possible hardware configurations for different game categories are discussed. Four sample games are presented by which the influence of the hardware setup on the game has been studied. The paper concludes with the lessons learned from our classification of games and their weaknesses and the next steps we are going to make.

Hybrid Board Game: Possibilities and Implications from an Interaction Design Perspective

2019

In a context of continuous miniaturization and technological advancement, the combination of digital and analog media is becoming an element of increasing importance. The so called “IoT revolution” represents one of the major technological breakthroughs of our times that re-framed the way we interact with our surroundings, now becoming data-rich and sensor-infused environments. The boardgames field, however, appears untouched by this revolution, even though an objectbased system such as a tabletop offers an interesting scenario for smart interactions. The research in the field and the development of a prototype lead to a series of ground rules, best practices and problematics related to operations of hybridisation of digital means in an analog

Design Guidelines for Multiplayer Video Games on Multi-touch Displays

The proliferation of multi-touch, tabletop display systems during the last few years have made them an attractive option for interactive, multiuser applications such as museum exhibits and video games. While there is a large body of research on the use of multi-touch and tabletop devices in general purpose applications, far less research has investigated the use of these systems in video games and other entertainment applications. This paper provides a set of guidelines specific to multi-touch displays that can be used to augment existing video game development principles. Through example, we illustrate how the unique capabilities of multitouch displays can be leveraged to create unique forms of gameplay that offer highly engaging multiplayer game experience. We describe three multiplayer games that have been developed by students as part of an interdisciplinary course in video game design.

Playtogether: Playing games across multiple interactive tabletops

IUI Workshop on Tangible Play: Research and …, 2006

Playing games together can be surprisingly difficultpeople have limited free time and are tending to live live farther away from friends and family. We introduce PlayTogether, a system that lets people play typical (and as-yet-unimagined) board games together even when they are far away from each other. We have adapted the PlayAnywhere tabletop system so that multiple remotely located people can engage in game-play. PlayTogether enhances the play experience by exchanging carefully composited video of remote players' hands and real game pieces. The video that is transmitted mimics a player's viewpoint via careful camera location. Because PlayTogether's camera senses in the infrared, it is easy to distinguish between objects in the camera's view and projected imagery. These capabilities create an interesting and engaging way to blend the virtual and real in multi-player gaming.

The Design and Implementation of Multi-player Card Games on Multi-user Interactive Tabletop Surfaces

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2004

We present the design and implementation of a card game architecture for mulit-user interactive tabletop surfaces. Our system is built on the DiamondTouch, a touch-sensitive input surface that allows several users to interact with a program at the same time. We describe the software architecture and present Blackjack as a sample implementation using this framework.

A multimodal interaction framework for pervasive game applications

Workshop at Artificial …, 2003

In this paper we present STARS, a platform for developing computer augmented board games that integrate mobile devices with an interactive table. The aim of STARS is to augment traditional board games with computing functionality, but without sacrificing the human-centered interaction dynamics of traditional tabletop games. STARS consists of a specialized hardware setup and an interaction framework that dynamically couples mobile and stationary input and output devices with the game table.

From Screens to Devices and Tangible Objects: A Framework Applied to Serious Games Characterization

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2014

The accelerated progress being made with interactive devices (such as screens, cameras, joysticks and tangible objects) has triggered the development of new interaction methods for applications (e.g., body language, haptic feedback, etc.). Video games and Serious Games are being played on increasingly innovative peripherals (e.g., Kinect, Wii Balance Board). These devices have generated new, intuitive forms of Human-Computer Interaction that are completely changing our usages. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of gaming technologies and suggest a framework for characterizing the role that screens play in these devices. This framework differentiates between the various gaming elements (the gamers, the interactive devices and the entertaining and gamified applications). This framework is a tool to analyze the effects of device choice and configuration. This paper presents an evaluation of the characterization of 15 serious games. This evaluation will provide a glimpse of the potentialities of the framework with respect to suggested criteria as well as of the trends and potential developments in interactive media.