Keywords

1 Introduction

In the world of entertainment, are had many options to choose from, but currently there is one that is taking a wide change in every concept that it previously had: video games. Videogames have always been a negative thing for the world, but today these thoughts have been changing, rather than something negative, now it is seen as an option to expand the things that people can do. There are all kinds of playable video games. Not only those for fun with recreational purposes, but those oriented to health, biology, physics, mathematics and even for people with disabilities. In the world of entertainment, are had many options to choose from, but currently there is one that is taking a wide change in every concept that it previously had: video games. Videogames have always been a negative thing for the world, but today these thoughts have been changing, rather than something negative, now it is seen as an option to expand the things that people can do. There are all kinds of playable video games. Not only those for fun with recreational purposes, but those oriented to health, biology, physics, mathematics and even for people with disabilities. Video games are changing young people habits, so it is very important to take advantages of this technological approach and apply their capabilities in improving results in learning process [1].

In consequence of the many applications video games have, they can be used in many industries. One of those industries is tourism. Different areas of tourism like planning, entertainment, education, and accessibility may prove benefited from the use of VR technologies [2]. Both virtual and augmented reality can be used to improve user experience and motivation, as a guide route while people are in the tour [3]. These tours often refer to landmarks, but tours may refer to other kind of places, such as a campus.

Campus tour video games are important and very dynamic because in a simple interactive way people can give themselves and idea how the building internally looks like, or how they can guide on their way when lost. These games offer solutions to many problems which occur in school year. Before starting college, many students and their parents come to check what the campus offers, which involves time and money [4]. It would be easier if those families could see the campus without going out from their homes, so they avoid the stress of walking or coming to campus just to tour the campus [5]. After that, once the student started college, in his freshman year, he does not know the entire facilities, so is sometimes hard to located specific places. Both situations can be solved by the guidance in a VR tour. However, when speaking of VR tours is needed to indicate different studies have shown that a 3D environment turns out to be more assertive than a 2D one [6]. 3D environments have shortened the distances between what the user sees in a real place and what he sees in a virtual world [7]. These similarities between real and virtual places is an explicit need of a VR project with a learning approach, which means is observable and the more consideration to those needs, the more meaningful learning is [8]. As a virtual campus looks quite similar to the real campus, the tool and what the user learns from it seems more meaningful than what the user would learn from 2D map.

When designing a video games, usability is a key aspect to consider. Usability involves and interaction of the user with the platform in which interface seems attractive for the user and is easy to learn and navigate [9]. Those aspects are external to the game, but these interactions define if a VR tool is useful to its purpose or its not. Although the game has the quality it required, interaction has always and effect on the use of technology [10]. However, even if quality and usability are accomplished, it is needed to see user experience in order to test a video game. By testing video games with user experience, it is possible to see and analyze satisfaction of the user and improvements to the gameplay [11].

The user emotional state is a factor which affects results in testing, so it should be monitored. Many VR solutions are usually designed so the user is able or learn how to do expensive or dangerous task Performance and reactions of a user in many situations vary depending on how he is feeling. By using virtual reality, user emotions can be used without taking any risks [12]. There are different tools that can be used in monitoring what the user is feeling, such as Emotiv EPOC. This device and interface allow to record brain activity so there is a channel of information about the emotional state of a user [13]. This technology provides an explanation about how the user feels, and where improvements are required.

The final product of this work is a game that consists of an interface which both the 3D-modeled institution area and a map of it, so is easier for any user to locate a specific place. The VR interface uses a gamepad controller to choose a facility where students want to go, and then start moving. As it can be seen, the proposed app required to 3D-model each building, as well as any other components which help as reference when using the map. Also, there are included several events which can guide a tour around the facilities of the institution.

Another benefit of this project is to raise awareness on location of places, at the field of video games that has not been fully investigated and, thanks to advances in current technology, some options are generated to make employees or students to feel there is always someone who can guide you, and what better way to do it in a fun and dynamic way.

2 Methodology

Virtual Tour allows the user to train in finding the most effective route to a specific place. In both virtual o real scenario, user look for information in their surrounding in order to find that route. When a student starts freshman year, he is challenged to arrive on time to all his courses. If the student went lost because of not knowing how to get to those courses, he would probably not arrive on time This virtual tool aims to help students in knowing the facilities of the university campus, composed by 10 buildings, several sport areas, study areas, and a library, so he takes advantage of those resources. User interaction must be studied, and experience must be evaluated in two different levels: looking for information in a virtual scenario so different routes are identified, and timing in moving from one place to a target one.

2.1 Method Steps

The method was divided into four steps to optimized the team work.

  • Phase 1: Virtual Map Concept, where the map requirements are defined.

  • Phase 2: Test and analysis design, in which needed resources. Both technological and human, are identified.

  • Phase 3: Virtual Map tour design by defining priority events in app outcome. This phase includes 3D-modelling of the institution.

  • Phase 4: Models construction and tour interaction. This phase includes buildings and objects images recording, as well as programming and functional options definition.

  • Phase 5: testing and Analysis.

2.2 Test and Analysis

Specific tests were carried out which will be mentioned below

  • Survey

  • Timing Tour

  • Recording

The types of Test are linked to each other, which ensures 3 samples from a single person; The plan that was organized was to apply these 3 tests to an exact amount of 40 people, which were all students from first semester to eighth semester, this in order to obtain different points of view, both of people more experienced with the surroundings and people who are not. Of course, both genders were taken into account, thus obtaining a total of 10 Female samples and 30 Male samples.

Timed Tests.

These focused-on timing the times people made from Point A to Point B and then to Point C and continued, thus with the 10 Points that were established, this in order that the route covered a large part of the facilities and will not leave any blind spot.

Recording Test.

This test consisted of using the Eye Tracker device to measure and record sight of people. In this way points of interest can be located and analyzed, so there is a chance for changing or improving routes in a more significant way (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1.
figure 1

Sample of what is shown in the program when recording what user sees, in which he sees plants.

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Survey Test.

This test is responsible for collecting opinions on the route. These data can be used to improve the information provided in Tutorials and thus give better guidance to students.

2.3 Infrastructure and Equipment

Eye Tracker.

This device is to analyze the interest of people through their eyes and gives another approach when analyzing more results.

Gazepoint Analysis.

Software provided by the Eye Tracker provider.

Xbox 360 Gamepad.

Controller used to move inside the interface of the app.

Unity Engine.

This engine was used as VR interface. Once 3D-modelled, all the buildings were used to create the virtual map of the institution as a Unity asset.

3 Results

In order to share the results obtained from the 40 samples, it was sought to gather the most accurate information. It was required in recording time intervals, so accuracy helped this work to have more control over the data collected.

Table 1, shows the results obtained from the first 15 samples only, all the times are measured in seconds.

Table 1. This table contains, targets, the locations of the Institution and the recorder time of the people that were applied the test.
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These time intervals indicate that there is some loss of orientation for first semester students. On the other hand, later semester students shown a better orientation around the facilities, this is due to the same induction that was obtained in the beginning or in turn, to the experience that is obtained throughout his stay at his institution.

Using the Virtual Tour, it was possible to improve the orientation of the first semester students, which favored this work since it indicated that there were benefits for the students when using this method of learning.

Some people found hard not knowing some of the facilities of the institution, which gave them a trouble when it came to timing. However, they found eventually the indicated areas and they could proceed with the other points.

Experience caused very unequal time intervals between people, but still data was relevant and reliable.

3.1 Students with Experience

Experienced results were obtained with people that were cataloged with experience already in the institution, this means that they are of advanced semesters and it could be verified that if they can stare at any object, this helped us to find points of interest throughout the facilities of the institution.

As shown in Fig. 2, these points are located in different structures, walls, halls or even doors. While testing, several users said things like “How well the buildings are designed”, and “This looks so realistic with all the details there are” and indicated this helped them in routes. Based on that, it was possible to identify points of interest.

Fig. 2.
figure 2

Points of interest representation from students who have experience at the facilities of the institution.

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3.2 Students Without Experience

In the case of people with less experience, Fig. 3, results were harder to analyze, since people observed too many things all the time and could not establish an intermediate point between all those things, for which it was chosen to keep them, but look for some key point. There are also shown three points for this case, but this data can not be as easily analyzed as the case where people already knew the facilities.

Fig. 3.
figure 3

Points of interest representation from students who have not experience with the facilities of the institution.

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Next, are summarized surveys results (Fig. 4):

Fig. 4.
figure 4

Surveys results from people who participated in Virtual Tour test, in which is shown most of them already knew the facilities of the institution.

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It was found that for the 75% (30 people out of 40) it was “Very Easy” to reach each of the proposed objectives. On the other hand, especially for first semester students, there were cases, 17% (6 People), where they say there was a “regular” difficulty locating the places, or even 8% (4 People) who said it was “Very Difficult” for them. This can give the work an idea of how well young people are oriented in their Tutorials classes and by the same institution.

4 Conclusions and Recommendations

Based on all obtained results and previous analysis, it can be established that people whom applied these tests have had a remarkable improvement in finding locations around the institution. They were asked if they would recommend using video games for their learning and more than 80% of them said they would recommend it.

This leads to the conclusion that video games, depending on how they are executed, can be beneficial for the people who try them, this with different purposes, but always the main one: the educational purpose. It would be recommended to place this type of modules in different locations, whether within the same institution or for casual use by employees or students, either at the entrance of the same or in a crowded place.

With the aim of being able to automate tests and find factors that allow restructuring scenarios it is necessary to find patterns of interaction variables through diffuse methods to be able to reinforce or eradicate vices in the interaction, the use of that method will be next step for this research.