Haunted Planet Game Research

Step into the world of gaming innovation as we delve into the latest discoveries and insights in game design, mechanics, and immersivity. Our research papers and e-books are a gateway to help you understand more about our work, offering a glimpse into the fascinating realm of location-based augmented-reality games and cultural heritage engagement.

Research Papers

Exploring Classical Music Narratives Through Multimodality in AR/VR Experiences

This paper discusses the exploration of classical music narratives through multimodal AR/VR experiences, emphasizing that classical compositions not only evoke emotions but also tell stories with structures akin to Aristotelian drama. It explores various forms of music narratives, including structural analysis, emotional narratives, and program narratives, to visualize music stories through cross-modal associations and synaesthesia art. The goal is to develop interactive AR/VR visualizations that enhance the storytelling aspect of classical music.

Rudenko, S. et al. (2022) Exploring classical music narratives through multimodality in AR/VR experiences, SpringerLink.

Alice Dali MR: A Mixed Reality Interactive Narrative Experience

Alice Dali Mixed Reality (MR) introduces a novel MR experience blending music, art, and narrative in a surreal fashion for both individual and live performance use. It utilizes MR technology to merge real and surreal elements, creating a unique experience that operates in a liminal space between reality and dreams. The project features three interactive scenes accessible via the Meta Quest Pro headset, with live audience projection. It incorporates original piano tracks activated through interactive elements in the app, aiming for applications in family entertainment, intergenerational play, concert visuals, and music art therapy.

Rudenko, S., Fu, X. and Haahr, M. (2023) Alice Dali Mr: A mixed reality interactive narrative experience, SpringerLink. Available here.

Synaesthesia Gallery AR: Journey Through the Senses – Using Augmented Reality for Education

The paper presents "Synaesthesia Gallery AR," an AR app designed to educate and raise awareness about synaesthesia through an interactive digital gallery featuring works by artist-synaesthetes and music composed on art. The app, developed from a seven-year collaboration, aims to enhance understanding of cross-modal perception for a wide audience, including researchers, students, and art enthusiasts.

Rudenko, S. and Haahr, M. (2023) Synaesthesia gallery AR: Journey through the senses – using augmented reality for Education, SpringerLink. Available here.

Psychogeography with Jack B. Yeats Art Sounding Gallery: Augmented Reality Locative Experience for Blind People

This paper discusses Sensory Substitution Devices (SSDs), which translate information from one sensory modality to another, inspired by the brain's multisensory integration. It highlights the development of an audio GPS app that conveys the visual and emotional content of artworks to blind individuals through music, focusing on the works of Jack B. Yeats. The project, involving collaboration with Haunted Planet Studios, aims to enrich the experience of visual arts for the blind, leveraging synaesthesia principles for multisensory design.

Haahr, M. (2022) Psychogeography with Jack B. Yeats art sounding gallery: Augmented reality locative experience for blind people, Human Factors in Accessibility and Assistive Technology. Available here.

Music for Alice Dali Augmented Reality Experience: Multisensory Design Soundscapes for Locative Mobile Phone Gaming (via Synaesthesia)

The paper discusses enhancing AR/VR music composition by integrating audio with visual design, inspired by the multisensory nature of perception. It highlights a project that uses synaesthesia principles for creating an Augmented Reality experience based on Salvador Dali's illustrations for "Alice in Wonderland," with music translating visual elements into sound. The approach suggests potential benefits for creativity, education, and mental health, with the AR app available for free on Android and iOS.

Haahr, M. (1970) Music for Alice Dali Augmented Reality experience: Multisensory design soundscapes for locative mobile phone gaming (via synaesthesia), TARA. Available here.

Everting the Holodeck: Games and Storytelling in Physical Space

Shifting from virtual reality, mobile games are increasingly blending narratives with real-world environments. These games use player movement and real-world locations to create immersive storytelling experiences. The narrative structures vary, offering both unstructured, sandbox-style environments and structured approaches, uniquely merging digital and physical worlds.

Haahr, M., 2015. 14 Everting the Holodeck. Interactive Digital Narrative, p.211-226, Routledge.

A Narrative Architecture for Story-Driven Location-Based Mobile Games

This paper presents a new framework for creating story-driven, location-based mobile games, utilizing smartphones' advanced features like GPS and sensors. It highlights the enhanced immersion in interactive stories by integrating real-world locations. The effectiveness of this framework is demonstrated through a case study of an augmented reality game, proving its suitability for modern smartphones.

Naliuka, K., Carrigy, T., Paterson, N. and Haahr, M., 2010, December. A narrative architecture for story-driven location-based mobile games. In International Conference on Web-Based Learning (pp. 11-20). Springer, Berlin.

Supporting Immersive Location-Based Games on Resource-Constrained Platforms

This paper is concerned with challenges and solutions related to the use of smartphones as a location-based mobile gaming (LBMG) platform. We present here a summary of our experiences from building a feature-rich story-driven LBMG for the Android platform. The game uses location, handset orientation and marker-less augmented reality to support its core mechanics, which in turn support a strong story line.

Naliuka, K., Carrigy, T., Paterson, N., Cotton, R., Jensen, S.K. and Haahr, M., 2010, November. Supporting immersive location-based games on resource-constrained platforms. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology (pp. 102-103). ACM.

Creating Location-Based Augmented Reality Games for Cultural Heritage

This workshop explores location-based AR games for cultural heritage. It covers game mechanics, narrative techniques, and visual/audio methods for immersion. Participants can create such experiences without programming using the Haunted Planet tool. Valuable for cultural professionals and learning game researchers.

Haahr, M., 2017, November. Creating Location-Based Augmented-Reality Games for Cultural Heritage. In Joint International Conference on Serious Games (pp. 313-318). Springer.

Location-Aware Interactive Game Audio

This paper explores using audio in location-aware games for immersive experiences. It discusses how audio can enhance engagement with the physical location and storyline. The paper presents the theory and implementation of interactive audio in a tourism application, aiming to create an immersive gaming experience aligned with the historical setting and narrative.

Paterson, N., Naliuka, K., Carrigy, T., Haahr, M. and Conway, F., 2011, February. Location-aware interactive game audio. In Audio Engineering Society Conference: 41st International Conference: Audio for Games. Audio Engineering Society.

Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Audio for a Location-Aware Augmented Reality Game

This paper discusses the use of audio in the location-aware game Viking Ghost Hunt (VGH). It highlights the role of audio in immersion and emotional engagement based on a three-day evaluation with 19 participants. Audio is found to be crucial for immersing players and enhancing emotional connections in the game. Challenges related to GPS accuracy and device processing are noted for achieving accurate audio.

Paterson, N., Naliuka, K., Jensen, S. K., Carrigy, T., Haahr, M., & Conway, F. (2010, September). Design, implementation and evaluation of audio for a location aware augmented reality game. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Fun and Games (pp. 149-156). ACM.

Design and Evaluation of Player Experience of a Location-based Mobile Game

This paper discusses the design and evaluation of a Location-Based Mobile Game set in Dublin, where players act as paranormal investigators hunting for ghosts. The study focuses on player engagement and immersion, involving 19 participants over three days. Results show that the game successfully creates immersion, influenced by factors like usability, control, interaction, aesthetics, flow, and location choice.

Carrigy, T., Naliuka, K., Paterson, N. and Haahr, M., 2010, October. Design and evaluation of player experience of a location-based mobile game. In Proceedings of the 6th Nordic conference on human-computer interaction: Extending boundaries (pp. 92-101). ACM.

Viking Ghost Hunt: Creating Engaging Sound Design for Location-Aware Applications


This paper explores the sound design and audio evaluation of Viking Ghost Hunt, a location-aware game in Dublin, Ireland. It focuses on creating an engaging soundscape for mobile devices, emphasizing spatial audio and reverberation's impact on player engagement. Results from this investigation offer insights for future location-aware sound designs.

Paterson, N., Kearney, G., Naliuka, K., Carrigy, T., Haahr, M. and Conway, F., 2012. Viking Ghost Hunt: creating engaging sound design for location–aware applications. International Journal of Arts and Technology, 6(1), pp.61-82.

Literary Play: Locative Game Mechanics and Narrative Techniques for Cultural Heritage

This paper discusses ongoing efforts to create location-based augmented-reality games for cultural heritage engagement. Unlike strictly historical approaches, these games draw from both original and adapted literary content relevant to specific sites. The paper explores game mechanics, narrative techniques, and the potential application of this approach to other sites and historical content.

Haahr, M., 2015, June. Literary Play: Locative Game Mechanics and Narrative Techniques for Cultural Heritage. In Joint International Conference on Serious Games (pp. 114-119). Springer.

Reconciling Immersion and Presence: Locative Game Mechanics and Narrative Techniques for Cultural Heritage

This paper addresses the challenge of balancing immersion and presence in locative gaming for cultural heritage. It discusses the popularity of games like Ingress and Pokémon GO and the need to maintain a sense of presence in the physical environment. The paper argues that successful cultural heritage locative games must bridge the gap between immersion and presence. It provides examples from two titles to illustrate how locative game mechanics and narrative techniques can achieve this balance.

Haahr, M., 2017. Reconciling Immersion and Presence: Locative Game Mechanics and Narrative Techniques for Cultural Heritage. In International Conference on Virtual Systems & Multimedia (VSMM), IEEE.

E-Book

Location-based Augmented-Reality Games For Cultural Heritage

Location-Based Mobile Games (LBMGs) blend real-world navigation with digital gameplay, using location-tracking technologies. These games transform physical environments into interactive gaming spaces, where player movement is integral to the game experience. The design challenge lies in creating engaging content that harmoniously integrates with the physical setting, especially important in cultural heritage games where the real-world site is a crucial part of the experience.