As video games move into new areas, the 'game' tag still affects perception of the seriousness of the application or service. In light of this, 'Serious Games' sounds like an oxymoron. Should we be bothered about nomenclature?
Issue 2625 of New Scientist magazine, 14 October 2007, page 27
Playing games with airport security guards sounds like a bad idea, but Praveen Paruchuri of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles is trying to thwart criminals by doing just that.
Guards are usually told to patrol in a random fashion but, being human, they tend to form habits that patient criminals can exploit. To help make their rounds less predictable, Paruchuri and colleagues created software based on game theory that simulates various random paths that a guard could take around Los Angeles International airport (LAX), and also how criminals might react.
Potential rewards, such as catching more criminals, and costs, such as a terrorist explosion, are evaluated for each path. The software, being trialled at LAX, then suggests the best route.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment