Campus community invited to test educational computer game

Faculty and students in the Department of Computer Science at Appalachian State University have developed an educational, Kinect-based computer game and are seeking campus volunteers to try it out.

The game, Spellotron, was developed in the department’s Visual and Image Processing (VIP) Lab. While the target age is children in grades K-12, it’s suitable for all ages. Spellotron is designed to help engage learners by making spelling fun as players spell words using body poses.

Spellotron uses the Microsoft Kinect sensor, used with Xbox One, to detect body poses and hand and feet positions. The program recognizes different poses as letters of the English alphabet, thus players use a sequence of poses corresponding to the letters of the alphabet to spell a word. One of the unique features of the game is that it requires players to interact with it and pay attention to various visual features to successfully spell a given word. Players can choose the level of difficulty.

The designers and developers of the game are seeking user input to improve the game, which can at http://cs.appstate.edu/~rt/kinect after providing some basic information on the registration form. A Readme file provides instructions for setting up your station. If you don’t own a Kinect sensor, one might be available for loan.

Requirements are a Kinect sensor (Version 1) and a Windows-based PC or laptop. A short video on the Spellotron page shows how the game works.

In addition to offering the free download, the Visual Image and Processing Lab will hold several demonstration sessions in the lobby on the third floor of Anne Belk Hall from 4-6 p.m. on Nov. 16, 17, 20 and 23. Signs will be posted on the third floor to help volunteers locate the stations.

While the download is free, donations are appreciated, but not required for downloading the game. Donations will provide support to students who work on this and similar projects. A math game is being developed that will be shared soon.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

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