IADIS International Journal on Computer Science and Information Systems

Published by IADIS (International Association for Development of the Information Society) • ISSN (Online): 1646-3692 • ISSN (Print): 1646-3692
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Activity Analysis (acta): Empowering Smart Game Design with a General Purpose Fsm Description Language

Emmanouil Zidianakis *
Margherita Antona *
Constantine Stephanidis *
* Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), Institute of Computer Science (ICS), N. Plastira 100, Heraklion, GR-70013, Greece (Portugal)
* Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), Institute of Computer Science (ICS), N. Plastira 100, Heraklion, GR-70013, Greece (Portugal)
* Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), Institute of Computer Science (ICS), N. Plastira 100, Heraklion, GR-70013, Greece (Portugal)

Abstract

Game design process creates goals, rules, and challenges to define a game that produces desirable interactions among its participants. Modeling the way in which players interact with the game requires among others the definition of game rules, plot, connection between player and the game, etc. ACTA (ACTivity Analysis) is a general purpose finite state machine (FSM) description language for rapid prototyping of smart games. ACTA facilitates smart game design by intervention professionals who are not familiar with traditional programming languages . Professionals are able to model the game’s logic and interaction using a straightforward and intuitive notation which can be customized for every different game. In order to support a customized scripting vocabulary, a reflection-oriented model was adopted allowing dynamic linking between ACTA generated rules and multiple data types. Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) is the “glue layer” connecting AC TA’s scripting vocabulary with the application internals. Moreover, developers can use ACTA not only for developing event -driven sequential logic games, but also for applications of behavior composed of a finite number of states, transitions between those states and actions , as well as for applications based on rules driven workflows. As a case study illustrating the usefulness and benefits of ACTA, a body posture imitation game, called Mimesis game, was developed based on occupational therapy expertise and practice.

Keywords

Smart Games Rapid Prototyping Finite State Machine Interaction Modeling
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Funding: This research received academic dissemination support through ESCAP / JournalsHub publishing programs.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no competing financial or institutional interests.
Peer Review: Double-blind peer reviewed by international subject specialists.
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
How to Cite This Article
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Zidianakis, et al. (2018). Activity Analysis (acta): Empowering Smart Game Design with a General Purpose Fsm Description Language. IADIS International Journal on Computer Science and Information Systems, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.33965/ijcsis_2018_v13i1_07
Zidianakis, et al. "Activity Analysis (acta): Empowering Smart Game Design with a General Purpose Fsm Description Language." IADIS International Journal on Computer Science and Information Systems, vol. 13, no. 1, 2018. https://doi.org/10.33965/ijcsis_2018_v13i1_07
Zidianakis, et al. "Activity Analysis (acta): Empowering Smart Game Design with a General Purpose Fsm Description Language." IADIS International Journal on Computer Science and Information Systems 13, no. 1 (2018). https://doi.org/10.33965/ijcsis_2018_v13i1_07