Periodic Reporting for period 2 - GOAL (Games Of Active Life)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2018-05-01 do 2019-04-30
GOAL aims at helping people that want to achieve a change to their lifestyle into being more active physically, cognitively and socially (the achievers). It also guides people supporting their family and friends into that change (the supporters), while introducing them as well to the GOAL lifestyle. It finally invites 3rd party developers into the GOAL platform, trying to create an ecosystem of applications and games that make lifestyle change a fun and engaging process.
The GOAL primary achievers target group is the elderly and their supporting family members. But the platform addresses a broader audience of potential achievers: anyone striving for a lifestyle change, their friends and families. To do so, engaging applications and games have been built, either addressing specific target groups (games for the elderly but also for younger people) or offering customisations to match the need of the different target groups (information summaries and simple interfaces for the elderly, details in complex dashboards for younger people).
The GOAL primary achievers target group is the elderly and their supporting family members. But the platform addresses a broader audience of potential achievers: anyone striving for a lifestyle change, their friends and families. To do so, engaging applications and games have been built, either addressing specific target groups (games for the elderly but also for younger people) or offering customisations to match the need of the different target groups (information summaries and simple interfaces for the elderly, details in complex dashboards for younger people).
The work performed in the first reporting period resulted into a functional GOAL prototype, with all its components in place. As a result, in the second period only UI optimisations remain, in preparation and in response to the user trials.
The initial plans and wireframes have been used to extract specifications, leading to the final GOAL platform architecture (complete with the different software components and their interaction) and the initial design guidelines for the front-facing applications (those that unlike the platform components have a UI).
Development work then proceeded in three parallel paths: Building the platform components, the front-facing applications and the games.
Regarding the components, the effort has been centred around the API: the backbone gluing together all the components, and facilitating 3rd party developers’ access to the GOAL platform. The other components finalized in the reporting period are the motivational agent, the goal setting, the task manager and the aggregator. As a result, users’ activities in all GOAL domains are monitored, their existence is rewarded and their lack of results to user urging.
Regarding the applications, work has been carried out towards their first fully functional versions. We now have the web version of the Main application (focusing more on presenting past activities), the mobile version of the Main application (focusing more on presenting the current activities), the physical activity applications (one for sensors on the smartphone, integrated with the mobile main app and another for 3rd party dedicated hardware) and the social marketplace application (the web version being tightly coupled with the web main app, while the mobile being integrated with the mobile main app). An administration tool is underway, to be used in monitoring platform usage during the trials.
Regarding the games, the consortium has released cognitive games specially built for GOAL (24 game, PairMe! and LetsQuiz), while also existing games have been integrated with GOAL (World of Kingdoms, an existing game in the market and the Forward To game, which is being developed outside GOAL, but is integrated with it). Also physical activity gamification layers and the back-office for any role-playing game where character build-up is based on GOAL activities (physical or otherwise) are offered.
In the second period, all the above are being taken into account to produce the plan and carry out the user trials. The trial results are expected to lead to modifications to the front-facing applications and games.
The initial plans and wireframes have been used to extract specifications, leading to the final GOAL platform architecture (complete with the different software components and their interaction) and the initial design guidelines for the front-facing applications (those that unlike the platform components have a UI).
Development work then proceeded in three parallel paths: Building the platform components, the front-facing applications and the games.
Regarding the components, the effort has been centred around the API: the backbone gluing together all the components, and facilitating 3rd party developers’ access to the GOAL platform. The other components finalized in the reporting period are the motivational agent, the goal setting, the task manager and the aggregator. As a result, users’ activities in all GOAL domains are monitored, their existence is rewarded and their lack of results to user urging.
Regarding the applications, work has been carried out towards their first fully functional versions. We now have the web version of the Main application (focusing more on presenting past activities), the mobile version of the Main application (focusing more on presenting the current activities), the physical activity applications (one for sensors on the smartphone, integrated with the mobile main app and another for 3rd party dedicated hardware) and the social marketplace application (the web version being tightly coupled with the web main app, while the mobile being integrated with the mobile main app). An administration tool is underway, to be used in monitoring platform usage during the trials.
Regarding the games, the consortium has released cognitive games specially built for GOAL (24 game, PairMe! and LetsQuiz), while also existing games have been integrated with GOAL (World of Kingdoms, an existing game in the market and the Forward To game, which is being developed outside GOAL, but is integrated with it). Also physical activity gamification layers and the back-office for any role-playing game where character build-up is based on GOAL activities (physical or otherwise) are offered.
In the second period, all the above are being taken into account to produce the plan and carry out the user trials. The trial results are expected to lead to modifications to the front-facing applications and games.
GOAL manifests that recent advances in open gaming technologies can lead to innovative products and services, thereby contributing to economic and social benefits for citizens and corporations. Indeed, GOAL exploits the best-of-breed in a number of leading edge ICT technologies (i.e. server-side and client-side software engineering, body sensing, user context understanding and physical activity measurement & classification) in order to introduce the next generation of gaming platforms, systems and applications that will exploit the benefits of gamification. The respective economic and societal benefits will be manifested and evaluated in different settings as part of the GOAL validating use cases.
Overall, the project is perfectly aligned with a main goal of the ICT workprogramme, which is to use innovative ICT technologies in order to respond to societal challenges and improve the citizen well-being, especially since the effectiveness of the gamification process is a key pre-requisite towards accomplishing the above objective.
Economic Impact
GOAL will have a multi-facet economic impact on European organizations, including several direct and indirect contributions to economic growth, as outlined in the following paragraphs. GOAL will target several products and services falling in the scope of the games market. This is because the GOAL platform will give rise to a wide range of products and services, centred around the inclusion and wellbeing of elderlies through games and gamification. The value chain of the GOAL products and services includes the following business roles and stakeholders: Product Vendors, Game developers, Technology Providers, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), GOAL Solution Providers and Integrators, Consultants in the GOAL models and tools
Direct Economic Impacts
The indirect economic impacts of GOAL will be measured by the number of new companies and projects generated by the action as well as revenue growth of existing companies. This will apply to game developers, but also to companies related to the activities (providers of game developers, advertising networks etc.). The impacts will be beyond the initiating group of GOAL, but apply to a lot of third parties which have an interest and ambition to be part of the GOAL platform or use the platform for additional or only business activity.
The silver games target market is a large and growing market, with lots of unused potential as far as gaming is concerned. GOAL will thus impact on the European gaming and ICT markets. This will be made possible by offering an innovative platform for adapted or tailored to the needs and preferences of more elderly users. Supporting the expansion of applied gaming and gamification into non-leisure contexts will help SMEs to create a new type of products & services and to get new business opportunities.
Indirect Economic Impacts
GOAL will also have indirect economic impacts associated with the improvements in the quality and effectiveness of inclusion and wellbeing. The level of impact on individuals and society will be measured by significant quantitatively assessed and documented improvement in the social and psychological status of the primary, the elderly people in this case. It will generate a better quality of life, as psychologists we are beginning to understand that eudaemonics (the theory of being happy) can be realised with engagement and immersion on video game play.
Social Impact
GOAL will introduce a novel gamification platform and will contribute towards the inclusion and wellbeing of the elderly. Based on the innovative services stemming from the GOAL platform, the project intends to have a significant social impact in Lifestyle coaching, Physical activity, Cooperative behaviours, Social inclusion.
Overall, the project is perfectly aligned with a main goal of the ICT workprogramme, which is to use innovative ICT technologies in order to respond to societal challenges and improve the citizen well-being, especially since the effectiveness of the gamification process is a key pre-requisite towards accomplishing the above objective.
Economic Impact
GOAL will have a multi-facet economic impact on European organizations, including several direct and indirect contributions to economic growth, as outlined in the following paragraphs. GOAL will target several products and services falling in the scope of the games market. This is because the GOAL platform will give rise to a wide range of products and services, centred around the inclusion and wellbeing of elderlies through games and gamification. The value chain of the GOAL products and services includes the following business roles and stakeholders: Product Vendors, Game developers, Technology Providers, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), GOAL Solution Providers and Integrators, Consultants in the GOAL models and tools
Direct Economic Impacts
The indirect economic impacts of GOAL will be measured by the number of new companies and projects generated by the action as well as revenue growth of existing companies. This will apply to game developers, but also to companies related to the activities (providers of game developers, advertising networks etc.). The impacts will be beyond the initiating group of GOAL, but apply to a lot of third parties which have an interest and ambition to be part of the GOAL platform or use the platform for additional or only business activity.
The silver games target market is a large and growing market, with lots of unused potential as far as gaming is concerned. GOAL will thus impact on the European gaming and ICT markets. This will be made possible by offering an innovative platform for adapted or tailored to the needs and preferences of more elderly users. Supporting the expansion of applied gaming and gamification into non-leisure contexts will help SMEs to create a new type of products & services and to get new business opportunities.
Indirect Economic Impacts
GOAL will also have indirect economic impacts associated with the improvements in the quality and effectiveness of inclusion and wellbeing. The level of impact on individuals and society will be measured by significant quantitatively assessed and documented improvement in the social and psychological status of the primary, the elderly people in this case. It will generate a better quality of life, as psychologists we are beginning to understand that eudaemonics (the theory of being happy) can be realised with engagement and immersion on video game play.
Social Impact
GOAL will introduce a novel gamification platform and will contribute towards the inclusion and wellbeing of the elderly. Based on the innovative services stemming from the GOAL platform, the project intends to have a significant social impact in Lifestyle coaching, Physical activity, Cooperative behaviours, Social inclusion.