xBadges project certifies learning with commercial videogames
Researchers of the University of Barcelona take part in the project xBadges, based on reverse gamification, an innovative concept emphasizing the acquired skills in commercial videogames. In particular, xBadges was created to certify the development of these transversal competences through telemetry elements added to market videogames. The project is led by the company Compartia and counts with the collaboration of the group Human Pose Recovery and Behavior Analysis (HuPBA) of the UB, the Computer Vision Center (CVC) and GECON.es Foundation.
Researchers of the University of Barcelona take part in the project xBadges, based on reverse gamification, an innovative concept emphasizing the acquired skills in commercial videogames. In particular, xBadges was created to certify the development of these transversal competences through telemetry elements added to market videogames. The project is led by the company Compartia and counts with the collaboration of the group Human Pose Recovery and Behavior Analysis (HuPBA) of the UB, the Computer Vision Center (CVC) and GECON.es Foundation.
The program, now in its early-stage (prototype), enables catching and defining the usersʼ facial expressions to identify emotional windows in learning. Like gamification is applied to create a behavioral change through the creation of an experience with ludic elements, the concept of reverse gamification occurs when we try to infer a social, cultural or economic impact which is created by the industry and culture of gaming. xBadges helps to identify and assess necessary transverse competences to face challenges of the digital society such as persistence, risk awareness of spatial intelligence.
The prototype of the xBadges program enables to scientifically prove that some commercial videogames are already developing these skills. Also, by capturing facial expressions, we can discover which feelings are involved in learning these different skills.
xBadges is formed by different kinds of technologies: a module of computer vision, developed by the UB-CVC group of researchers, able to recognize the user and his/her emotions; tracking elements to analyze what happens inside the game, and a system of algorithms, tracking-in-game, linking the actions of the player with the identification of soft skills s/he is developing. Once the player shows the acquisition of those skills, a certificate in Open Badge is issued -a digital certificate by Mozilla Foundation.
The concept of xBadges is being tested in the fields of mental health and e-sports, where assessment, acquisition and training of skills are essential processes.
The project xBadges (TSI-100600-2015-30) is funded by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism in the framework of aid granting call for projects in the Strategic Action of Digital Economy and Society 2015 (AEESD), within the National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation, and is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).