Type: Story-based geometry learning game based context-awareness and augmented reality.
Purpose: Learn geometry in a fun way through a story-based adventure game featuring animal characters (leopards, dung beetle), intriguing challenges and augmented reality.
Place: anywhere
Technologies: Client: Android, GPS, Vuforia AR SDK; server: J2EE servlet, MySQL; sensors.
Period: 2014-
Contributors: Teemu H. Laine, Hae Jung Suk, Renny Lindberg, Dae Hwan Kim, Nina Hytönen, Eeva Nygren, Amir Dirin and Joonas Westlin.
Leometry was created for 6th graders to learn about basic geometric shapes such as triangles, circles and rectangles. It uses a story-based approach to immerse the player in an adventure on African savannah. The story starts when two leopards, mother and her cub Senatla (first appeared in UFractions), escape from poachers who have illegally captured them. The player’s task is to help the leopards find their way home which is the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The road is filled with dangers and obstacles such as crocodile-infested lakes and rivers. The player is assisted by an intelligent dung beetle who not only presents the player various geometric challenges to solve but also gives hints when needed.
The game story is divided into Science Spots which may correspond to some real-world locations. Each Science Spot in turn consist of several challenges that require mathematical problem solving. In the case of Leometry the challenges are based on the Van Hiele levels. Figure below illustrates example challenges where the player must identify a valid shape or count the number of shapes in a composite diagram.
The game was created with highly appealing graphics and simple interaction techniques to increase the players’ immersion in the game play experience. Results of the first player study at the SciFest 2014 festival suggested that the target audience appreciated the well-designed appearance of the game. Figures below show selected game screens.
While augmented reality is not the main feature of the game, it is used in the game map to mark “science spots” as well as in the last task where the player must find and disarm traps deployed by the poachers. The trap disarming feature is very similar to defusing of calory bombs in the Calory Battle AR exergame, thus showing reusability of our AR technology. Figures below illustrate the game map with augmented reality science spots and the disarming of a trap.
Here is a gameplay video of Leometry’s beta version: