This demo is the first outcome of the research project VR for Diversity. The theoretical backgrounds for the project are shortly discussed and the concept for Amelia’s Dream is presented. Amelia’s Dream is a VR experience that is filmed using volumetric video capture technology, in which a young woman shares some of her dreams and concerns, relating to issues of gender equality. Focusing on how parasocial and physical interaction may impact the persuasive effects of VR, the research plan shortly elaborates on how the installation will be used for experimental studies into the possibilities of VR as a perspective shifter.
A problem in spontaneous dream psi studies is validation of purported psi elements. Dreams rarely have enough specifi city to satisfy critics that they point to paranormal knowledge of a specifi c event. This creates evidential hurdles to overcome when evaluating whether a dream contains psi-derived information such as scenes of future events or physically distant locations. In this study, the goal is to arrive at a reasonable method to establish that information derived from spontaneous dream experiences can be established as veridical. To accomplish this, a method for fi nding the equivalent of a target within a spontaneous experience is used to fi x a specifi c locale and time for comparison. Adverse scoring criteria are used to address complaints about confi rmation bias. The result is a psi-adverse method for scoring spontaneous experiences that are anchored to a specifi c locale and time. This method regularly produced signifi cant p-values when used to assess 20 consecutive dream records, comprising 598 individual line items. These records were taken as a sample from a group of 3,305 dream records made over the past 22 years by the author.
Dreams that appear to predict future events that could not have been anticipated through any known inferential processes have been reported for centuries, and dreams that appear to anticipate the death of an acquaintance or loved one are particularly common. Such reports become more suggestive of genuine precognition if there are no natural cues (such as an illness) to an impending death and if the time interval between the dream and the subsequent death is brief. Most reports are difficult to evaluate because we dream many times each night but typically remember and report only a salient subset of our dreams. Thus we cannot assess whether the time interval between a death-related dream and the death of the dream character is brief or lengthy because we have no control set of non-death-related dreams to which its time interval can be compared. The study reported here provides just such a control set by comparing deathrelated and non-death-related dreams featuring the same set of dream characters who died after the dreams occurred. These were drawn from the author's own dream journal in which he has recorded his nightly dreams for nearly twenty-five years. The mean time interval between death-related dreams and the person's subsequent death was significantly shorter than the time interval between non-death-related dreams and his or her death, t(11) = 3.30, p =.004, one-tailed. Cases in which death-related dreams occurred after the characters had died are also considered. Seven of the cases are discussed in detail.
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Evaluating player game experiences through biometric measurementsThe BD4CG (Biometric Design for Casual Games project) worked in a highly interdisciplinary context with several international partners. The aim of our project was to popularize the biometric method, which is a neuro-scientific approach to evaluating the player experience. We specifically aimed at the casual games sector, where casual games can be defined as video or web-based games with simple and accessible game mechanics, non threatening themes and generally short play sessions. Popular examples of casual games are Angry Birds and FarmVille. We focussed on this sector because it is growing fast, but its methodologies have not grown with it yet. Especially the biometrics method has so far been almost exclusively used domain by the very large game developers (such as Valve and EA). The insights and scientific output of this project have been enthusiastically embraced by the international academic arena. The aim of the grant was to focus on game producers in the casual sector, and we have done so but we also established further contacts with the game sector in general. Thirty-one outputs were generated, in the form of presentations, workshops, and accepted papers in prominent academic and industry journals in the field of game studies and game user research. Partners: University of Antwerpen, RANJ, Forward Games, Double Jungle, Realgames, Dreams of Danu, Codemasters, Dezzel, Truimph Studios, Golabi Studios
Codarts, as a University of the Arts, develops practice-oriented research to enhance artistic development, the arts practice and arts education. Performing arts, specifically dance, music and circus, enable us to communicate beyond geographical, cultural, linguistic and religious boundaries and helps us connect our common values and dreams. The performing arts are universal in their capacity to unite and inspire, providing an excellent opportunity for us to expand our research to an international level. However, the current research strategy at Codarts does not sufficiently match our European research ambitions, even though our education is inherently international and there are multiple strong connections to relevant themes in the European Research Area. Accordingly, with this project, we aim to bridge the gap between our current national research activities and our European ambitions by aligning our research focus with the European Research Area. The aim is to develop a strategy that enriches the arts practice, arts education and our research, creating a stronger connection to the European Research Area and to relevant European networks. Expanding the scope of our practice-oriented research towards European projects is essential to increase research opportunities, improve the applicability and societal impact of our research outcomes and provide more opportunities for students, teachers and researchers to learn and exchange knowledge and insights. Additionally, it is necessary to create a sustainable future for our institution. Strategic brainstorm sessions, benchmark studies, detailed action plans and viability assessments need to make sure that we become aware of our current position in the European research field, as well as identify potential partners and networks to collaborate with. This project will eventually work towards participation in a relevant European project proposal as the first step towards strengthening our position as a leading University of the Arts in Europe.
Het thema duurzaamheid komt steeds prominenter naar voren in onze samenleving (Griggs, 2013). Zo ook binnen de reissector waar het vervuilende effect veelal in de media verschijnt. Dit resulteert in bewustwording, echter is reizen nog nooit eerder zo populair geweest (Vermeulen, 2014); het verandert niet de manier waarop wij boeken. Dreamtraveller beoogt sector en reiziger samen te laten werken en vertegenwoordigt de stem van de bestemmingen die ondergaan aan toerisme. Dit onlinefiltersysteem dat op bestaande boekingswebsites geïnstalleerd kan worden laat de beste keuze binnen de (duurzame)wensen van de reiziger zien. Zo creëer je niet alleen droombestemmingen, maar ook droomreizigers.
