DSS Blog

VR FOR CHANGE ALCOVE CHALLENGE

Participate in a $10K design challenge hosted by Games for Change in collaboration with AARP Innovation Labs!

Social isolation is an epidemic impacting people of all ages. Among adults age 45 and older, 1 in 3 are lonely. Due to its impact on stress hormones, loneliness has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease, arthritis, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, dementia and suicide attempts. The Alcove VR platform was developed by AARP Innovation Labs in direct response to these issues, with a mission to help adults feel more socially connected, reduce depression, and increase overall well-being.

 

Games for Change and AARP are inviting developers to submit games and experiences to be considered for publication on Alcove. Using the recently announced Alcove Playground powered by Rendever, participants will have the ability to utilize a custom developer ecosystem that makes it easy to build or integrate virtual reality experiences into Alcove. Submissions can center around any subject, theme, or activity that promotes healthy aging and/or intergenerational connection.

 

Select finalists and winners will present their work at the XR for Change Summit in New York City on July 14th, 2020, and one submission will win a $10,000 cash prize.

 

Be sure to read our GUIDELINES and OFFICIAL RULES

 

REGISTRATION FORM (Deadline March 30): bit.ly/alcove_registration

Register to access the Alcove Playground development ecosystem; non-disclosure and usage agreements required.

 

SUBMISSION PORTAL (Deadline April 13): bit.ly/alcove_submit

Tell us about your winning idea and submit your final competition build.

 

NOTE: CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS MUST BE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER TO ENTER. NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY AS A CONDITION OF ENTERING THE CONTEST. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE APPLICANT’S CHANCE OF WINNING. SUBJECT TO ALL APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

 

Questions? Send us an email: challenges@gamesforchange.org

 

OUTCOMES:

The Challenge aims to inspire people to think about how games can enhance our collective quality of life, create new memories, and deepen intergenerational bonds with loved ones across the world.

 

PARTNERS:

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D.S.S. Spotlight: “Teaching Technology”: WRT307 Students explore Instructional Writing

Students enrolled in Professor Christina Feikes’ professional and technical writing course recently completed a unit examining the genre of instructional writing. The Digital Scholarship Space(D.S.S.) is spotlighting students that used the interactive space for their projects.

What was your project?

For our instructions, I will be creating a video to teach someone how to use a camera stabilizer. To use a camera stabilizer a high attention to detail is required. The camera should be perfectly centered over the stabilizer. In order to get good results and improve our projects, the class created usability reports and tested a randomly selected sample in class on how they interpret the instructions. This process allowed students to take down notes on their subjects and take your instructions back to the drawing board for improvement.

How did you use the D.S.S.?

Camera stabilizer.
Camera stabilizer.

The room we used in Bird not only had space for me to sit and show other students my video but also had enough space within the digital side of the D.S.S. to demonstrate the use of the camera stabilizer. In order to stabilize the camera a decent amount of space is necessary. The D.S.S. was created for interactive activities which we inferred due to all of the virtual reality equipment. I was able to use the space to let others being tested stabilize the camera themselves. Room around the users is required because one has to let the rig fall and adjust. Without this space, several people in the course would have not had enough space to test their projects in a classroom setting.

 

About the author: James Rudman is a Junior at Syracuse University studying Information Management & Technology in the School of Information Studies.

 

“Good Sport”: WRT307 Students Explore Instructional Writing

Students enrolled in Professor Christina Feikes’ professional and technical writing course recently completed a unit examining the genre of instructional writing. The Digital Scholarship Space(D.S.S.) is spotlighting students that used the interactive space for their projects.

What was your Project?

Man juggling soccer ball.
Soccer ball juggling.

My project was to instruct my fellow classmates on how to properly and efficiently juggle a soccer ball. Using guided instructions, my goal was to explore and convey the ease behind learning a new skill, including juggling a soccer ball! Although it may seem difficult, anyone can accomplish this task with persistence and minor practice. I used the size of the space to spread to show my testers how to properly juggle in a very confined space. During my test runs, we made sure to secure all the expensive equipment away to ensure nothing was damaged accidentally.

 

How did you use the D.S.S.?

The D.S.S. within Bird Library was certainly an eye-opening experience. Even though a smaller space, the technology within the room was absolutely breathtaking! Seeing an Xbox, PS4, and VR systems all in one spot was truly an amazing sight. The whole layout of the room was very articulate, and the tables were placed uniquely allowing for maximum working efficiency. In the future, I hope to visit this space to check out some of the gaming consoles and other technologies outside of the classroom setting. I see a bright path for the functionality of this dedicated space within Bird. Whether being used my classes for various tasks, gaming, more! The space will certainly be incredibly useful, a great community resource, and beneficial towards students.

 

About the author: Marten Sakharny is a Junior at Syracuse University studying Information Management & Technology in the School of Information Studies.