International Journal Papers by Emmanouel Rovithis
Applied Sciences. 14(9, 2024
This paper proposes a novel approach to audio game design by introducing the concept of speech pu... more This paper proposes a novel approach to audio game design by introducing the concept of speech puzzles (spuzzles) to describe the utilisation of recorded voice for the creation of audio puzzles in ways that challenge players' different listening modes. In the fields of audio games and audio-interactive applications, speech serves instructive, descriptive, narrative, and in some casesin the form of hints or quizzes-gameplay purposes by addressing users through language. The suggested approach of spuzzles extends this potential by including, besides encoded meaning, the acoustic properties of sound, thus engaging the user's causal and reduced listening modes in parallel with the semantic listening mode. An audio game consisting of four inherently different spuzzles was designed as proof of concept and tested by seven third-year students of Audiovisual Arts, who elaborated on their experience through a focus group semi-structured discussion. Despite their difficulty, the spuzzles were well accepted by most of the participants (5/7), whereas all participants agreed on their acoustic richness, need for concentration, and independence from pre-existing musical knowledge. Therefore, the authors suggest that the proposed design approach could serve as a paradigm for future research in the design of complex audio-based game mechanics.
International Journal of Game-Based Learning (IJGBL), 2024
The study presents the authors' research for the purpose of designing ImGame, a virtual environme... more The study presents the authors' research for the purpose of designing ImGame, a virtual environment inviting users to playfully learn about the concept of immersion and its historical antecedents. The authors describe ImGame's current pre-production stage and examine the basic characteristics of the feeling of immersion. They intend to deepen the current understanding of the immersive experience in art, taking into account its broad cultural connotations. The article suggests that the aesthetics of immersion can be classified into two psychological modes that have not been explicitly defined in the discourse of immersivity: a calm reflection and one of awe. From the technical standpoint, the project offers a simple handling of triggering animations and events of the game as well as storing of their state in order to create gamification elements, interactions for quizzes and other activities for ImGame or any other game using the a-frame framework to create WebXR experiences.
Journal of Audio Engineering Society, 2021
Citizen Science aims to engage people in research activities on important issues related to their... more Citizen Science aims to engage people in research activities on important issues related to their well-being. Smart Cities aim to provide them with services that improve the quality of their life. Both concepts have seen significant growth in the last years and can be further enhanced by combining their purposes with Internet of Things technologies that allow for dynamic and large-scale communication and interaction. However, exciting and retaining the interest of participants is a key factor for such initiatives. In this paper we suggest that en- gagement in Citizen Science projects applied on Smart Cities infrastructure can be enhanced through contextual and structural game elements realized through augmented audio interactive mechanisms. Our inter-disciplinary framework is described through the paradigm of a collab- orative bird call recognition game, in which users collect and submit audio data that are then classified and used for augmenting physical space. We discuss the Playful Learning, Internet of Audio Things, and Bird Monitoring principles that shaped the design of our paradigm and analyze the design issues of its potential technical implementation.
Applied Sciences, 2021
At the core of augmented reality audio (ARA) technology lies the ARA mix, a process responsible f... more At the core of augmented reality audio (ARA) technology lies the ARA mix, a process responsible for the assignment of a virtual environment to a real one. Legacy ARA mix models have focused on the natural reproduction of the real environment, whereas the virtual environment is simply mixed through fixed gain methods. This study presents a novel approach of a dynamic ARA mix that facilitates a smooth adaptation of the virtual environment to the real one, as well as dynamic control of the virtual audio engine, by taking into account the inherent characteristics of both ARA technology and binaural auditory perception. A prototype feature extraction technique of auditory perception characteristics through a real-time binaural loudness prediction method was used to upgrade the legacy ARA mix model into a dynamic model, which was evaluated through benchmarks and subjective tests and showed encouraging results in terms of functionality and acceptance.
Multimodal Technologies Interact, 2019
Augmented Reality Audio Games (ARAG) enrich the physical world with virtual sounds to express the... more Augmented Reality Audio Games (ARAG) enrich the physical world with virtual sounds to express their content and mechanics. Existing ARAG implementations have focused on exploring the surroundings and navigating to virtual sound sources as the main mode of interaction. This paper suggests that gestural activity with a handheld device can realize complex modes of sonic interaction in the augmented environment, resulting in an enhanced immersive game experience. The ARAG "Audio Legends" was designed and tested to evaluate the usability and immersion of a system featuring an exploration phase based on auditory navigation, as well as an action phase, in which players aim at virtual sonic targets and wave the device to hit them or hold the device to block them. The results of the experiment provide evidence that players are easily accustomed to auditory navigation and that gestural sonic interaction is perceived as difficult, yet this does not affect negatively the system's usability and players' immersion. Findings also include indications that elements, such as sound design, the synchronization of sound and gesture, the fidelity of audio augmentation, and environmental conditions, also affect significantly the game experience, whereas background factors, such as age, sex, and game or music experience, do not have any critical impact.
The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 2019
Educational practices are constantly adjusting to technological advances, in order to improve the... more Educational practices are constantly adjusting to technological advances, in order to improve their effectiveness in delivering knowledge and preparing students for the challenges of modern digital society. Electronic games and augmented reality environments are two such media that can shape powerful modes of interactive and immersive experiences. Audio games in particular, i.e. electronic games that utilise data sonification and audio interaction techniques to express all narrative and gameplay content, have been proven to enhance players' skills, such as concentration, memory, fantasy, emotional response, perception, data management and cooperation. However, despite the promising research findings reported in literature, there has been no systematic approach in integrating systems based on audio interaction into formal education. This article suggests that audio games can be designed and implemented for the delivery of targeted curricula through an engaging learning experience, whereas fusing audio game mechanics into new interactive technologies, such as augmented reality environments, will further enhance the students' immersiveness in the learning process. Towards establishing the theoretical framework for the design of educational audio games, as well as educational augmented reality audio games, the authors review existing approaches and argue that the inherent features of both audio interaction and augmented reality systems agree with the official educational goals formulated by the Greek Ministry of Education and the International Baccalaureate Institution. Then, they discuss four original projects in terms of sound and mechanics design to demonstrate that audio games can address a wide range of subjects, adopt cross-curricular strategies, facilitate complex modes of interaction, and realise creative, collaborative and inclusive learning activities.
International Conference Papers by Emmanouel Rovithis
Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU), 2024
The study describes a creative virtual environment named ImGame which serves as an interactive pl... more The study describes a creative virtual environment named ImGame which serves as an interactive platform hosting recent works by new media artists in Latvia, Greece, and Hungary. The study explores the common conceptual characteristics of these works as interpreted by the ImGame researchers. The artworks have been categorized under two intertwined aspects, namely meditation and ecosystems. The terms are slightly different in each country: the Latvian artworks demonstrate a meditative state of mind linked to reflection about ecology that also encompasses purity of mind. The Greek works highlight the organicity and interconnectedness of elements that form alternate ecosystems which can be seen as ways to escape previous thought patterns. For unpredictable realities to be plausible there is a need for a contemplative mind set before the change of perspective. The human role is reimagined as a set of data-driven variables participating in the dialogue between old and new, physical and digital, natural and artificial. In Hungary, artworks often deal with data gathering techniques and their visualization. They are simulated ecosystems, where the viewer is part of that system and can contemplate and submerge in it with the aim of raising the participant's level of sensitization towards social issues or phenomena.
Proceedings of the 2nd Digital Culture & AudioVisual Challenges Conference on Interdisciplinary Creativity in Arts and Technology (DCAC), 2023
Digital literacy has become a focal topic in modern educational studies. In that context, the Ped... more Digital literacy has become a focal topic in modern educational studies. In that context, the Pedagogical and Didactical Sufficiency Program (PDSP) of the Ionian University Department of Audio & Visual Arts is investigating ways to enhance the learning process through the utilization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in teaching practices. This paper presents a learning activity, in which students of Art Education designed educational scenarios that combined a technology-oriented task with the music curriculum of Primary Education. Based on only simple actions, such as highlighting different parts of a sound file in a free, audio editing software, students were able to plan the teaching of audio technology in conjunction with a multitude of different musical subjects. We argue that this approach can foster ICT integration by addressing first-, second-, and third-order barriers, as well as by demonstrating that the teaching of even simple digital literacy skills can serve as the vessel for various learning contexts.
11th International Conference in Open & Distance Learning, 2022
In the framework of the proposed approach “Serious Film Games” (S.FI.GA.), play and cinematograph... more In the framework of the proposed approach “Serious Film Games” (S.FI.GA.), play and cinematography are combined to aim the study of randomness, risk and uncertainty, in an online teaching environment for the process of scriptwriting. Students and graduates of the Pedagogical and Didactical Sufficiency Program (PDSP) of the Department of Audio & Visual Arts participate in a playful activity, which requires them to select cards and use their content to create the backbone of a story. The card selection process, which is largely influenced by the element of chance, aims to push the students into quick and inventive shortcuts between the narrative elements, as well as towards a constant critical reflection against their stereotypes and preconceptions. This paper presents the game’s second case study, which builds on previous feedback to further elaborate on the issue of uncertainty and its role in creating challenging game-based learning environments. The results suggest that chance, risk, and uncertainty are positive contributors to an exciting and creative learning experience, whereas the constraint of time causes anxiety that is perceived by most as a positive motivator.
ICMI '20 Companion: Companion Publication of the 2020 International Conference on Multimodal Interaction, 2020
In this work we present an adaptive audio mixing technique to be implemented in the design of Aug... more In this work we present an adaptive audio mixing technique to be implemented in the design of Augmented Reality Audio (ARA) systems. The content of such systems is delivered entirely through the acoustic channel: the real acoustic environment is mixed with a virtual soundscape and returns to the listener as "pseudoacous-tic" environment. We argue that the proposed adaptive mixing technique enhances user immersion in the augmented space in terms of the localization of sound objects. The need to optimise our ARA mixing engine emerged from our previous research, and more specifically from the analysis of the experimental results regarding the development of the Augmented Reality Audio Game (ARAG) "Audio Legends" that was tested on the field. The purpose of our new design was to aid sound localization, which is a crucial and demanding factor for delivering an immersive acoustic experience. We describe in depth the adaptive mixing along with the experimental test-bed. The results for the sound localization scenario indicate a substantial increase of 55 percent in accuracy compared to the legacy ARA mix model.
Audio Engineering Society Convention 146, 2019
Audio-only games represent an alternative type of gaming genres that continuously evolves followi... more Audio-only games represent an alternative type of gaming genres that continuously evolves following the technolog- ical trends that boost the video-games market. Since augmented reality is now a widespread approach for producing new kind of immersive applications, including games, it is expected that audio-only games will be influenced by this approach. This work represents the beginning of an attempt to investigate the process of delivering augmented audio-only games, focusing on specific technical factors that can improve the user interaction and the overall game-play experience. In particularly, it focuses on a new augmented reality audio mixing process that is optimized for variable acoustic environments, allowing the development of new attractive titles of audio-only games.
Proceedings of the 17th European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL), ACPI, 2018
Electronic computer games used for educational purposes currently constitute an essential compone... more Electronic computer games used for educational purposes currently constitute an essential component of the learning process. By combining entertaining elements with interactive technologies to deliver the respective curricula they can enhance the development of various skills, as well as serve as platforms for the application of modern educational theories. Audio Games (AG) are a particular genre of electronic games, in which all information is conveyed mainly or exclusively through sound. Thus, players need to employ their sense of hearing to understand and accomplish the necessary tasks, a process that promotes their concentration, memory, fantasy, emotion, perception, data management and cooperation. Even though research findings have shown that both game and audio interaction have positive effects on the user, there has been no systematic approach in designing educational AG and implementing them in the learning process. In this paper the authors attempt to establish the theoretical frame for the design of educational AG by arguing that their features comply with the goals of music education, as these are formulated in the official Program of Music Studies by the Greek Ministry of Education, and in the Primary Years Program on learning Arts by the International Baccalaureate Institution, on local and global level respectively. In that context, three different audio gamification approaches developed by the authors are discussed as suggestions for incorporation into formal education. The first one aims at raising users’ awareness about the harmful impact of noize on the acoustic environment, the second one introduces players to concepts and techniques of electronic music composition, whereas the third one informs them about the layers of Earth’s atmosphere. All three approaches employ similar mechanics, but each one addresses a different topic: acoustics, music, and even non- music respectively, suggesting that the application of educational AG can extend to a variety of subject matters.
Proceedings of the 1st Digital Culture & AudioVisual Challenges Conference on Interdisciplinary Creativity in Arts and Technology (DCAC), 2018
This paper introduces the work-in-progress AstroSonic, an educational audio-only game on the subj... more This paper introduces the work-in-progress AstroSonic, an educational audio-only game on the subject of Astronomy that aims to investigate the efficiency of applying game mechanics on non-speech audio content to convey non-musical, scientific curricula. First, the authors establish the theoretical framework by analyzing the positive impact of audio interaction in the context of educational and game environments, discussing the directions, in which educational audio games have been developed, and describing the ways, in which sound has been implemented for the sonification of astronomical data. Then, the first two levels of the game are presented in terms of concept, sound, and mechanics design, as well as how these reflect on the targeted curriculum by guiding players to fly their spaceship into low earth orbit and collect hazardous space debris.
Proceedings of the IEEE Games, Entertainment, & Media (GEM) 2014 Conference, 2014
Audio-Games (AGs) are electronic games that mainly (or exclusively) implement auditory means to e... more Audio-Games (AGs) are electronic games that mainly (or exclusively) implement auditory means to express the game’s plot, mechanics and content. AG players need to concentrate on perceiving sound, in order to understand and play the game. Recent developments in the field of edutainment suggest that AGs can be implemented not only as entertaining systems, but also as valid tools for research and education on any curriculum related (but no limited) to acoustics and sound studies. This paper will first discuss existing approaches to organizing the sonic content of an AG. Then it will propose a methodology for designing an AG for educational purposes. Finally, a case–study consisting of the development of two educational AGs related to the issue of noise will be demonstrated, on which the proposed methodology is applied.
2014 IEEE Games Media Entertainment, 2014
Audio-Games (AGs) are electronic games that mainly (or exclusively) implement auditory means to e... more Audio-Games (AGs) are electronic games that mainly (or exclusively) implement auditory means to express the game’s plot, mechanics and content. AG players need to concentrate on perceiving sound, in order to understand and play the game. Recent developments in the field of edutainment suggest that AGs can be implemented not only as entertaining systems, but also as valid tools for research and education on any curriculum related (but no limited) to acoustics and sound studies. This paper will first discuss existing approaches to organizing the sonic content of an AG. Then it will propose a methodology for designing an AG for educational purposes. Finally, a case–study consisting of the development of two educational AGs related to the issue of noise will be demonstrated, on which the proposed methodology is applied.
Proceedings of the 9th Audio Mostly: A Conference on Interaction With Sound, 2014
Audio-Games (AGs) are electronic games that feature partially or completely auditory interfaces t... more Audio-Games (AGs) are electronic games that feature partially or completely auditory interfaces to express the game’s plot and mechanics. The required concentration on sonic information makes AGs a suitable medium not only for entertainment, but also for education on (and not limited to) music and sound studies curricula. This paper presents a novel educational AG entitled Kronos that implements a role-playing scenario to facilitate the sonification of the relevant curriculum and to create an educational platform that combines an audio-based gaming environment with a musical instrument. In that process a methodology suggested by the authors has been used. The sonic symbols assigned to create the game’s narrative content will be explained and future developments will be mentioned.
Proceedings of the 7th Audio Mostly Conference on Interaction with Sound , 2012
This paper examines the use of sound in designing and structuring the gameplay of Audio-Based gam... more This paper examines the use of sound in designing and structuring the gameplay of Audio-Based games. The classification into different categories and the discussion of existing techniques conclude that there are issues that need to be dealt with: the conflict between a strict system of rules and free improvisation, the sonic description of visual elements and the limited educational role. A brief outline of the work-in-project Audio- Based Role-Playing-Game ‘Kronos’ suggests how a game can be merged with an instrument on an educational basis.
Panhellenic Conference Papers by Emmanouel Rovithis
1ο Πανελλήνιο Συνέδριο: Το εκπαιδευτικό παιχνίδι στην τυπική και μη τυπική μάθηση, 2021
Η σχεδόν καθολική παρουσία της ψηφιακής τεχνολογίας στους τομείς της ανθρώπινης δραστηριότητας σε... more Η σχεδόν καθολική παρουσία της ψηφιακής τεχνολογίας στους τομείς της ανθρώπινης δραστηριότητας σε συνδυασμό με την κατεύθυνσή της σε ολοένα μεγαλύτερο εύρος χρηστών μέσω εργαλείων ολοένα αυξανόμενης υπολογιστικής ισχύος και αλληλεπιδραστικών δυνατοτήτων έχει δημιουργήσει νέες προκλήσεις ως προς τον ρόλο της σύγχρονης εκπαίδευσης, στρέφοντας το ενδιαφέρον σε θέματα ψηφιακού αλφαβητισμού και τεχνολογικής κατάρτισης τόσο των μαθητών όσο και των διδασκόντων. Μια ευρέως διαδεδομένη ψηφιακή τεχνολογία, και μάλιστα απευθυνόμενη σε μεγάλο ηλικιακό φάσμα, είναι αυτή των «έξυπνων» φορητών συσκευών τύπου tablet. Ο τρόπος ενσωμάτωσης εκπαιδευτικών εφαρμογών αυτού του νέου μέσου στη διδακτική διαδικασία αποτελεί πρόσφατο και εξελισσόμενο αντικείμενο έρευνας εκπαιδευτικών και ερευνητικών φορέων σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο και εξαρτάται από μια πληθώρα παραγόντων, συμπεριλαμβανομένων του γνωστικού υλικού, της αναδιάταξης της γνώσης, των διδακτικών μεθόδων, του κόστους εξοπλισμού και της πιθανής τεχνοφοβίας των εκπαιδευτικών. Σε αυτό το πλαίσιο, το Ειδικό Πρόγραμμα Σπουδών Πιστοποίησης Παιδαγωγικής και Διδακτικής Επάρκειας του Τμήματος Τεχνών Ήχου και Εικόνας (ΠΠΕΤΤΗΧΕ) του Ιονίου Πανεπιστημίου απευθυνόμενο σε αποφοίτους πανεπιστημιακών καλλιτεχνικών τμημάτων στοχεύει στη θεωρητική και πρακτική εξάσκησή τους σε ανοιχτά λογισμικά και ψηφιακές εφαρμογές οπτικοακουστικής τεχνολογίας για την τροποποίηση διαδικασιών διδασκαλίας και κυρίως μάθησης μέσω της καλλιτεχνικής δημιουργίας. Η παρούσα δημοσίευση εστιάζει ειδικότερα στον τομέα της τεχνολογίας ήχου, αρχικά καταγράφοντας τις τάσεις και τους προβληματισμούς σχετικά με την αξιοποίηση εφαρμογών ηχητικής αλληλεπίδρασης για την πλατφόρμα των συσκευών τύπου tablet, όπως αυτά προκύπτουν από τη μελέτη της σύγχρονης βιβλιογραφίας, και έπειτα προτείνοντας μια κατηγοριοποίηση των διαθέσιμων τίτλων σε τέσσερις περιοχές με κριτήρια τη στόχευση του περιεχομένου σε μουσικές έννοιες και πρακτικές και τον βαθμό ελευθερίας που καθορίζει τις επιλογές του χρήστη.
1ο Πανελλήνιο Συνέδριο «Το εκπαιδευτικό παιχνίδι στην τυπική και μη τυπική μάθηση», 2021
Το πεδίο της Επαυξημένης Πραγματικότητας αφορά τεχνολογίες, οι οποίες εμπλουτίζουν τον φυσικό κόσ... more Το πεδίο της Επαυξημένης Πραγματικότητας αφορά τεχνολογίες, οι οποίες εμπλουτίζουν τον φυσικό κόσμο με εικονικές πληροφορίες και παρέχουν στους χρήστες δυνατότητες αλληλεπίδρασης με το περιβάλλον τους που δεν θα ήταν εφικτές μέσω της άμεσης αισθητηριακής αντίληψης. Εξαιτίας των εγγενών αυτών χαρακτηριστικών, η Επαυξημένη Πραγματικότητα χρησιμοποιείται όλο και περισσότερο σε τομείς, όπως η εκπαίδευση, η μουσειακή και γενικότερα πολιτιστική περιήγηση, η προσβασιμότητα, η θεραπεία, και η ψυχαγωγία, γεγονός που τονίζει την ανάγκη εξοικείωσης μαθητών και σπουδαστών με το νέο αυτό μέσο, ώστε να αντεπεξέλθουν στις σύγχρονες και μελλοντικές προκλήσεις σε κοινωνικό και εργασιακό επίπεδο. Η αξιοποίηση ηχητικών ερεθισμάτων ως στοιχείων επαύξησης και η ως εκ τούτου πραγμάτωση της επαυξημένης αλληλεπίδρασης μέσω του ακουστικού καναλιού συνιστούν το πεδίο της Ακουστικώς Επαυξημένης Πραγματικότητας. Το Εργαστήριο Επεξεργασίας Οπτικοακουστικών Σημάτων (ΕΠ.ΟΑ.ΣΗ) του Τμήματος Τεχνών ‘Ήχου και Εικόνας του Ιονίου Πανεπιστημίου δραστηριοποιείται τα τελευταία χρόνια στον σχεδιασμό και την ανάπτυξη ακουστικώς επαυξημένων ηχητικών παιχνιδιών με σκοπό αφενός τη διερεύνηση των τρόπων αλληλεπίδρασης και εμβύθισης σε ένα ακουστικώς επαυξημένο παιγνιακό περιβάλλον και αφετέρου την εφαρμογή ακουστικώς επαυξημένων τεχνικών για την επιμόρφωση και ευαισθητοποίηση των χρηστών σχετικά με γνωστικά αντικείμενα που άπτονται της εκπαίδευσης και του πολιτισμού. Η παρούσα εισήγηση επιχειρεί να αναδείξει τις δυνατότητες αξιοποίησης ακουστικώς επαυξημένων ηχητικών παιχνιδιών στην εκπαίδευση μέσα από το πρίσμα των πεδίων της Ακουστικής Επαύξησης και της Πολιτιστικής Περιήγησης. Έπειτα, παρουσιάζει το ακουστικώς επαυξημένο ηχητικό παιχνίδι «Audio Legends», περιγράφοντας τον επιμορφωτικό σχετικά με την πολιτιστική κληρονομιά της Κέρκυρας χαρακτήρα του παιχνιδιού, τη σύνθεση του σεναρίου και των εκπορευόμενων παιγνιακών μηχανικών, τις τεχνικές σχεδιαστικές προδιαγραφές, την πειραματική δοκιμή του και τα συμπεράσματα που αντλήθηκαν σχετικά με την αποδοχή και εμβυθιστικότητα του νέου αυτού μέσου.
Πρακτικά του 9ου Πανελλήνιου Συνεδρίου του Ελληνικού Ινστιτούτου Ακουστικής (ΕΛΙΝΑ) «Ακουστική 2018», 2018
Η εισήγηση παρουσιάζει μια εναλλακτική προσέγγιση στη διδασκαλία του μαθήματος «Ψηφιακή Επεξεργασ... more Η εισήγηση παρουσιάζει μια εναλλακτική προσέγγιση στη διδασκαλία του μαθήματος «Ψηφιακή Επεξεργασία Ήχου» κατά το ΣΤ’ εξάμηνο του ακαδημαϊκού έτους 2018-19 στο Τμημα Τεχνών Ήχου & Εικόνας του Ιονίου Πανεπιστημίου. Η προσέγγιση αυτή αξιοποιεί στοιχεία από τα πεδία της Βιωματικής Μάθησης και της Παιγνιοποίησης για την υλοποίηση της τετρακάναλης διαδραστικής ηχητικής εγκατάστασης «Ο Τελευταίος Παγκόσμιος Κοινός Πρόγονος», με στόχο την ενίσχυση της κινητοποίησης των φοιτητών ως προς τη μαθησιακή διαδικασία. Ο βασικός άξονας του έργου συνίσταται στη συμβολική αντιστοίχιση της εξέλιξης ενός ζωντανού οργανισμού με ένα ολοένα αυξανόμενης πολυπλοκότητας και ευκρίνειας σύστημα πρόσληψης και επεξεργασίας ηχητικών δεδομένων. Στην εισήγηση αναλύονται το θεωρητικό υπόβαθρο και όλα τα στάδια της πολυπτυχούς συνθετικής διαδικασίας.
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International Journal Papers by Emmanouel Rovithis
International Conference Papers by Emmanouel Rovithis
Panhellenic Conference Papers by Emmanouel Rovithis
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Digital interactive environments are nowadays increasingly used not only for entertainment, but also for promoting education and awareness. Interactive audio environments employ sound as primary carrier of the conveyed information, a characteristic that has been proven to enhance the learning process. For their design sonification techniques are used, which facilitate the transformation of non-audio to audio data. Thus, users perceive the digital environment and interact with the system by focusing on their sense of hearing. This paper provides first a description of the ways, in which sonification has been applied on scientific, non-audio data in the field of Astronomy, and then proposes the digital application 'Hearing the Magnetic Storm', an interactive environment that relies on the users' aural perception in order to educate them on the transformation of Earth's magnetic field caused by the Sun's activity.
Παράλληλα, ψηφιακές εφαρμογές που χρησιμοποιούν τον ήχο ως κύριο φορέα πληροφορίας εντάσσονται στη διδακτική διαδικασία για θέματα που σχετίζονται με την ακουστική και τη μουσική. Έρευνες έχουν δείξει πως η ηχητική αλληλεπίδραση προάγει τις γνωστικές ικανότητες του μαθητή και μπορεί να αποτελέσει έγκυρο εργαλείο στην εκπαίδευση και την έρευνα.
Με την παρούσα εισήγηση προτείνεται το ηχητικό παιχνίδι Κέρβερος ως μέσο για την ευαισθητοποίηση των μαθητών σχετικά με τις ηχητικές ιδιότητες του θορύβου και τον πειραματισμό τους με σχετικές συνθετικές τεχνικές. Οι παίκτες πρέπει να ολοκληρώσουν το παιγνιακό σενάριο, ώστε να ανταμειφθούν με το αντίστοιχο περιβάλλον ηχητικής δημιουργίας. Κατά τη διαδικασία αυτή έρχονται σε επαφή με τρία είδη εργαστηριακού θορύβου, καθώς και με εργαλεία για την ηχητική επεξεργασία τους.
Στο κείμενο που ακολουθεί πραγματοποιείται αρχικά μια ιστορική αναδρομή στην εννοιακή θεμελίωση και την πρακτική χρήση του θορύβου ως υλικό μουσικής σύνθεσης και επεξεργασίας. Έπειτα, περιγράφονται οι εκπαιδευτικές δυνατότητες των ηχητικών παιχνιδιών, όπως αυτές έχουν αποδειχτεί πειραματικά και στοιχειοθετηθεί στη σύγχρονη βιβλιογραφία. Τέλος, παρουσιάζεται το ηχητικό παιχνίδι Κέρβερος σε σχέση με τις εκπαιδευτικές και δημιουργικές δυνατότητες του, αναλύονται η ηχητική παιγνιακή μηχανική και τα εμπλεκόμενα ηχητικά σύμβολα, και αναφέρονται κατευθύνσεις μελλοντικής ανάπτυξης του έργου.
eng:
Since the beginning of the last century technological progress has brought important changes to music creativity and aesthetics, accepting any possible sound as raw material for music composition. Noise in particular has been the essence of various music trends and compositional techniques due to its frequency spectrum and psycho-acoustic impact.
At the same time digital applications using sound as the main carrier of information are implemented into the educational process regarding acoustics and music curricula. Research has shown that interacting with sound promotes the student’s learning ability and thus can play a vital role in education and research.
This paper suggests the audio game Cerberus as the means to introduce students into the sonic properties of noise and facilitate their experimentation with relevant compositional techniques. Players must successfully complete the game to be rewarded with access to the respective compositional environment. In that process they come in contact with three kinds of studio noise, as well as with the tools to digitally process it.
The following text first reviews the conceptual and practical frame for using noise in electronic music composition. Then it explains the educational benefits of audio games, as pointed out by research in current literature. Consequently it presents the audio game Cerberus in terms of audio mechanics and sonic design. Finally the future development of the project is mentioned.