Percorrer por autor "Bala, Paulo"
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- CBT-Darts: identifying cognitive distortions in an immersive VR gamePublication . Camacho, Élton; Campos, Pedro; Bala, Paulo; Pereira Campos, Pedro Filipe; Campos, Pedro; Bala, Paulo; Camacho, ÉltonCognitive Behavioral Therapy is a empirically validated treatment for anxiety and depression. By identifying negative thinking pat terns (cognitive distortions), individuals are able to reevaluate and reframe thinking patterns for better mental health. Building on pre vious research in digital health interventions, we explore the use of games and VR for increasing awareness of cognitive distortions. CBT-Darts is an immersive VR game where players match state ments to cognitive distortions by throwing darts at balloons. By mixing a physical and cognitive task, we hope to create an engaging and fun way to teach how to identify cognitive distortions.
- College tales: pilot study on Large Language Models generated narratives for mental health literacyPublication . Sousa, José Pedro Vieira; Campos, Pedro; Bala, Paulo; Pereira Campos, Pedro Filipe; Campos, Pedro; Bala, PauloMental health, while a crucial component of health, has often been neglected and stigmatised. University students, considering their unique situations and stressors, are more vulnerable to experienc ing mental health challenges and being affected by stigma. The use of Large Language Models (LLMs) creates an opportunity to impart knowledge through digital interventions to address stigma, misinformation, and increase Mental Health Literacy in univer sity students. Using a LLM generated prompt game, we conducted a pilot study with 5 mental health professionals. Through semi structured interviews about the prototype and the narrative, we identified several narrative problems, such as missing information or overly simplified concepts. While the prototype has limitations, the participants considered it to have potential to be integrated as a tool for professionals.
- DreamScope Catcher: a Touch Sensitive Interface to Catch DreamsPublication . Dionisio, Mara; Bala, Paulo; Trindade, Rui; Nisi, Valentina; Nunes, Nuno JardimDream Scope is the interactive, stand alone, self contained portion of a bigger Art installation named Lucid Peninsula. The goal of the installation is to offer a way for people to experience the future through a physical interactive installation. To achieve this aim we designed and developed the interactive DreamScope device, while the Time’s Up collective designed and built the physical installation. On one side with the DreamViewer binoculars enable participants to see the Lucid Peninsula fictional world and absorb data relating to factors such as air quality, presence of plant and other life forms, etc. On the other side of the installation, the audience will be able to borrow mobile devices (DreamCatchers) and ‘catch’ the dreams of the inhabitants of the peninsula, which are mixed with memories of the world before it was transformed.
- Financial DreamScape: puzzle narrative games for financial educationPublication . Santos, Ana; Freitas, Constança; Bala, Paulo; Campos, Pedro; Dionisio, Mara; Bala, Paulo; Campos, Pedro; Dionisio, MaraFinancial literacy is essential for personal and national economic well-being, demanding attention in today’s dynamic society. How ever, a concerning trend persists where individuals may lack basic fnancial knowledge; this is common even among individuals with a high level of education. This gap is especially concerning for young adults, as it prevents them from making informed decisions, managing fnances efectively, and securing a stable future. This paper presents the development and pilot evaluation of a serious puzzle game prototype to enhance fnancial literacy among young adults. The pilot evaluation (N=7) explores various game mechan ics to deliver engaging fnancial education. Initial fndings indicate promising potential for serious puzzle games in facilitating fnancial literacy. The research aims to contribute insights into pedagogi cal strategies and game design enhancements, fostering informed decision-making and economic stability among young adults.
- FitFest: designing a narrative-driven exergame to engage active seniors in physical activityPublication . Freitas, Eva; Noronha, Hildegardo; França, Cíntia; Gouveia, Élvio; Bala, Paulo; Campos, Pedro; Dionísio, Mara; França, Cíntia; Gouveia, Elvio Rúbio; Gouveia, Elvio Rúbio; Gouveia, Élvio Rúbio; Bala, Paulo; Pereira Campos, Pedro Filipe; Campos, Pedro; Dionisio, MaraExergaming is a modern approach frequently used to promote physical activity at all ages while playing digital games. Given that physical health deteriorates with age, that older people tend to live sedentary lifestyles and that they get tired faster due to lack of physical stimulation, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise routine is important to avoid unintentional injuries. Taking into account interviews and a focus group with seniors and fitness professionals, this paper reports on the design and development of an exergame for seniors to complement their weekly exercise classes. Fit Fest is an exergame for seniors that leverages narra tive and sociocultural connections to create an engaging exercise experience.
- Lucid Peninsula: DreamScope: An Interactive Physical InstallationPublication . Dionisio, Mara; Bala, Paulo; Trindade, Rui; Nisi, Valentina; Hanna, JulianIn this paper we present Lucid Peninsula, an interactive installation designed to immerse participants in a dreamlike, post-apocalyptic story world. The goal of the installation is to offer a way for people to experience the future through a physical interactive installation. To achieve this aim we designed and developed the interactive DreamScope device, while the Time’s Up collective designed and built the physical installation. On one side with the Dreamviewer binoculars users will be able to see the world outside and absorb data relating to factors such as air quality, presence of plant and other life forms, etc. On the other side of the installation, the audience will be able to borrow mobile devices (Dreamcatchers) and venture into the actual landscape of the city, in order to ‘catch’ the dreams of the inhabitants of the peninsula, which are mixed with memories of the world before it was transformed.
- Prompt-gaming: a pilot study on LLM-evaluating agent in a meaningful energy gamePublication . Isaza-Giraldo, Andrés; Bala, Paulo; Campos, Pedro F.; Pereira, Lucas; Bala, Paulo; Pereira Campos, Pedro Filipe; Pereira, LucasBuilding on previous work on incorporating large language mod els (LLM) in gaming, we investigate the possibility of implement ing LLM as evaluating agents of open-ended challenges in serious games and its potential to facilitate a meaningful experience for the player. We contribute with a sustainability game prototype in a single natural language prompt about energy communities and we tested it with 13 participants inside ChatGPT-3.5. Two partici pants were already aware of energy communities before the game, and eight of the remaining 11 gained valuable knowledge about the specifc topic. Comparing ChatGPT-3.5 evaluations of players’ interaction with an expert’s assessment, ChatGPT-3.5 correctly evaluated 81% of player’s answers. Our results are encouraging and show the potential of using LLMs as mediating agents in ed ucational games, while also allowing easy prototyping of games through natural language prompts.
- When the Elephant Trumps": A Comparative Study on Spatial Audio for Orientation in 360◦ VideosPublication . Bala, Paulo; Masu, Raul; Nisi, Valentina; Nunes, NunoOrientation is an emerging issue in cinematic Virtual Reality (VR), as viewers may fail in locating points of interest. Recent strategies to tackle this research problem have investigated the role of cues, specifically diegetic sound effects. In this paper, we examine the use of sound spatialization for orien tation purposes, namely by studying different spatialization conditions ("none", "partial", and "full" spatial manipulation) of multitrack soundtracks. We performed a between-subject mixed-methods study with 36 participants, aided by Cue Control, a tool we developed for dynamic spatial sound edit ing and data collection/analysis. Based on existing literature on orientation cues in 360◦ and theories on human listening, we discuss situations in which the spatialization was more ef fective (namely, "full" spatial manipulation both when using only music and when combining music and diegetic effects), and how this can be used by creators of 360◦ videos.