Cláudia Ortet (DigiMedia PhD student) was the only Portuguese and academic to present at EuroVelo, which is considered the most important conference on cyclotourism worldwide. From October 6th to 8th, Barcelona hosted the CICLOBCN21, which includes three cyclotourism conferences: EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference 2021, XVIII Iberian Congress of the Bicycle and the City and 7th International Bicycle Conference.

Cláudia – researcher of the SEDUCE 2.0 project (http://www.seduce.pt) and student of the doctoral program in Information and Communication in Digital Platforms – presented, on October 6th, “A Reflection on the Evaluation of Gamified Cyclotourism Strategies for Active and Healthy Ageing” at the EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference 2021, which was included in the thematic axis of Infrastructure, Innovation and Digitalization. This communication was a joint presentation of the two papers submitted and accepted, being based on the research that she will develop during her PhD thesis.

CICLOBCN21 was the stage for several international representatives and sponsors of the cyclotourism sector (governmental and public institutions, federations, travel agencies, service providers), with special emphasis on EuroVelo and the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF). The conference also had parallel events, with Cláudia participating in the technical visit of the Catalan Art Noveau route in the Eixample district, which allowed to know – by pedaling – the main buildings of modernism, the urban plan of Ildefons Cerdà, the courtyards hidden within the city blocks and the main cycle paths in the center of Barcelona.

The purpose of joining these conferences was to defend the role of the bicycle and reaffirm the commitment of institutions and the community to promoting its use. For more information visit https://ciclobcn21.cat.

The article “The Current Status of Online Resources from the Portuguese Health System for Childbirth Education” by Carla V. Leite (DigiMedia PhD student) and Ana Margarida Almeida (DigiMedia member) was published in the  2021 16th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (CISTI)

Citation:

C. V. Leite and A. Margarida Almeida, “The Current Status of Online Resources from the Portuguese Health System for Childbirth Education,” 2021 16th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (CISTI), 2021, pp. 1-4, doi: 10.23919/CISTI52073.2021.9476461.

Abstract: In order to build knowledge and to make informed-decisions regarding childbirth, women need to gather information. Online resources can play a relevant role to its access, and health professionals can recommend, support and endorse it. The aim of this study is to understand the current state of e-health services for childbirth education provided by the Portuguese Health System. The data was collected from five portals: a) Portuguese National Patient Portal; b) Academia project website; c) Portuguese Health System website; d) Digital Library in Health Literacy; e) SNS24. Results show that childbirth topics are scarce or inexistent on those platforms. Only one document was found related to Pregnancy, with four pages regarding Childbirth, which were analysed according to the topics coverage, organisation, approach, and visual presentation. The results show that there is room for novel initiatives on e-health to promote childbirth education in Portugal.

More information available HERE

The article “Tangible Interfaces and Augmented Reality in a Nutrition Serious Game for Kids” by Pedro Reisinho (DigiMedia PhD student), Cátia Silva (DigiMedia PhD student), Mário Vairinhos (DigiMedia member),  Ana Patrícia Oliveira (DigiMedia member), Pedro Cardoso (DigiMedia member), Nelson Zagalo (DigiMedia member)  was published in the 2021 IEEE 9th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health(SeGAH).

Citation:

P. Reisinho, C. Silva, M. Vairinhos, A. P. Oliveira and N. Zagalo, “Tangible Interfaces and Augmented Reality in a Nutrition Serious Game for Kids,” 2021 IEEE 9th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health(SeGAH), 2021, pp. 1-8, doi: 10.1109/SEGAH52098.2021.9551852.

Abstract: In this paper we present and discuss the potentialities of using augmented reality and tangible interfaces to enhance kids’ cooking skills within a serious nutrition hybrid board game, grounded in the research proj ect “FlavourGame”. The research project is developing a serious game for kids aged 10–12 years old to generate discussion and sense-making around nutrition, more specifically everyday choices of nourishment and food. The main aim is to develop a game design model for hybrid games, making use of digital and physical interactions with fictional worlds to create engaging experiences. In this article, we unravel the creative and technological processes inherent to combining the analog with the digital without disrupting the game’s flow, as well as the benefits of simulating the recipes’ culinary processes through augmented reality. Additionally, we describe the evaluation process of the prototype that connects the game board to the mobile application and presents the augmented reality challenge to the player. Lastly, we present an analysis of the data collected during the evaluation sessions, showing the good receptivity of participants regarding the use of augmented reality to simulate food and kitchen equipment, and learn and improve their culinary skills.

More information available HERE

The article “Defining the Mechanisms for Engagement Design Protocol Towards the Development of Analogue and Hybrid Serious Games: Learning from FlavourGame” by Micael Sousa (CITTA- UC), Ana Patrícia Oliveira (DigiMedia member), Pedro Cardoso (DigiMedia member), Nelson Zagalo (DigiMedia member) and Mário Vairinhos (DigiMedia member) was published in the book series Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS).

Citation:

Sousa M., Oliveira A.P., Cardoso P., Zagalo N., Vairinhos M. (2021) Defining the Mechanisms for Engagement Design Protocol Towards the Development of Analogue and Hybrid Serious Games: Learning from FlavourGame. In: Fletcher B., Ma M., Göbel S., Baalsrud Hauge J., Marsh T. (eds) Serious Games. JCSG 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 12945. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88272-3_3

Abstract: There are no perfect recipes to develop a game, even less for creating an effective serious game. Nevertheless, it is crucial to employ methods and protocols to that ensure certain criteria and goals are met during their development. For that intention, we propose the Mechanics for Engagement Design Protocol (MEDP), a procedure that emerges from the need to consider the mechanisms explored through the Design, Play and Experience (DPE) framework’s dimensions to meet a serious game’s goals, while considering the player profiles according to the Engagement Model. This protocol was implemented and tested during the development of FlavourGame (FG), a serious game that aims to promote discussion and awareness about nutrition for children. The exploration and testing process also allowed to support the MEDP for other serious game projects, as well as to consider the state of the art of current analogue and hybrid games related to food, the theme of FG.

Keywords: Game mechanics; Mechanisms; Engagement design; Serious games; Hybrid games 

More information available HERE

Francisco Regalado (DigiMedia PhD Student) and Sónia Machado are the members of the Seduce 2.0 project team that won awards for their dissertations.

On June 30, and after the evaluation of more than twenty applications, RUTIS – Senior Universities Network and PSE – Statistical Products and Services (a company specializing in Data Science and Advanced Research) presented the RUTIS/PSE 2021 Academic Award – Active Aging, aimed at higher-level research (Masters and PhDs) on active aging and senior universities.

Francisco Regalado was the winner of the award with his dissertation, entitled “Gamifying News for the miOne Online Community” and had the opportunity to present his work live, within the Online Event “Data in Investigation”.

The 2nd honorary prize was awarded to Sónia Machado, with her dissertation entitled “Co-designing a UX Toolkit for Senior Online Communities: The Case of the miOne Online Community”.

These two awardees are part of the SEDUCE 2.0 project, whose main objectives are to assess the impact of psychosocial variables and Online Sociability of senior citizens through the use of Information and Communication Technologies and to contribute to the growing development of the miOne community with the participation of senior citizens.

From 22 to 24 September, 2021, the 21st GAMEON® European Conference on Simulation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Computer Games will be organized by DigiMedia Research Center – Department of Communication and Art at the University of Aveiro and EUROSIS – European Technology Institute.

For three days, game designers, Artificial Intelligence enthusiasts, programmers and researchers will meet in the virtual room of the GAMEON conference, which takes place online and has four keynote speakers, five thematic sessions, a workshop and a discussion panel about the use of digital games and artificial intelligence in health and well-being.

Simon See, Senior Director of Singapore’s Nvidia AI Technology center will present how games have contributed to artificial intelligence research. Davide Gadia (Università degli Studi di Milano) and Maxim Mozgovoy (University of Aizu) proceed with some considerations in game development and AI. Sanaul Haque (Polytechnic University of Lappeenranta) points to the importance of gamification in the development of sustainable solutions and value co-creation for the territories.

Micael Sousa, researcher at CITTA/University of Coimbra, will give a workshop on the use of board game mechanics to develop serious analogue games.

The event ends on Friday (24th) with a panel of discussion on the use of digital games and artificial intelligence for health and well-being, with guests Ricardo Velásquez (CEO and Co-Founder of the company Alternova), John Muñoz Cardona (Game Designer and Researcher at the University of Waterloo) and Luis Quintero (Data Scientist, Stockholm University).

The event will be broadcast in the Department of Communication and Art, so the entire academic community is invited to attend. If you are interested in attending and participating in the event, please contact Liliana Costa (lilianavale@ua.pt). Last year (GAMEON®’2020), the research “Gamified App to promote Senior Cyclo-Tourism: A Pilot Study” by Cláudia Ortet, Ana Veloso and Liliana Costa was awarded a best paper award, and this year one of the papers by the DigiMedia team was also selected for best paper.

More information can be obtained at https://www.eurosis.org/conf/gameon/2021/

The GAMEON® Conference (GAMEON®’2021) aims to bring together researchers and game enthusiasts to discuss game trends and programming techniques in universities and the gaming industry.

The article “Women and men in technology: an alternative historical proposal for equals” by Renata Frade (DigiMedia PhD student) was published in the Hypothesis Historia Periodical.

Abstract: Pioneers in programming from the 19th to the 20th century, women were also responsible for the creation of ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), one of the projects that gave rise to the Web. However, their role is usually absent from STEM official narrative, either in educational or media context. This work aims to reveal hidden aspects of women in technology at two crucial moments: the 60s (return of men to the labor market) and the 80s (influence of advertising and behavior shaped by capitalist consumption). More specifically, it intends to identify specific key aspects that were pivotal in the construction of today’s invisibility of women’s role in tech from the majority of persons. Based on ethnographic work with the online communities of women in technology, this study, while also resourcing to Alternative History, explores how a better historical knowledge of female IT accomplishements and communities could have determined present-day equal pay and professional opportunities in the area. Through counterfactual/factual historical discussion, we conclude that if they had not been emptied socially, politically, historically and economically in the 80s within IT and STEM context as pioneers, the fourth wave of feminism and women’s rights would faced an altogether more positive scenario at present.

Keywords: Technology; Feminism; History; Communication; Alternative History; Storytelling

Article available HERE

The article “MOBILE JOURNALISM: the emergence of a new field of journalism” by Luis Pedro Rodrigues, Vania Baldi (DigiMedia researcher) and Adelino Gala (DigiMedia researcher) was published in the Brazilian Journalism Research.

Abstract: This article was developed within the scope of the Erasmus+ PAgES project, and it aims to investigate mobile journalism (mojo) as a new digital journalism technique that is based upon three characteristics: agility, flexibility, and accessibility. The proposed hypotheses are that mobile journalists can produce news content quickly and also include a greater variety of formats. In addition, access to remote locations and characters for interviews has been facilitated. Exploratory research tested these hypotheses using a mixed-method approach: an online survey (53 responses), to assess the degree of agreement/disagreement of the mobile journalists themselves regarding the hypotheses; and four interviews with experts to understand their perceptions of this new approach to journalism. The result of the research was favorable to the hypotheses and confirmed the process of individualization in journalism. It also ratified mojo as a journalistic technique suited to the demands of the 21st-century media industry.

Keywords: Digital journalism; Mobile journalism; Smartphone

Article available HERE

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/wit.2021.15840.

Journal of Digital Media & Interaction

ISSN 2184-3120

The Journal of Digital Media & Interaction is an open access, international peer-reviewed research journal, published by DigiMedia, University of Aveiro.

JDMI has been accepted for indexation in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

Journal of Digital Media & Interaction, Vol.4, No.10, is now available.

Editorial