Procedural content generation in pervasive games: state of affairs, mistakes, and successes
International Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications
ISSN: 1742-7371
Article publication date: 5 August 2024
Issue publication date: 30 September 2024
Abstract
Purpose
In ubiquitous games, sensor data and the player’s dynamic profile personalize the experience, adapting scenarios and difficulty to the player’s context. However, manually creating custom virtual environments becomes impractical due to the scalability required in the real world, where gameplay depends on the player’s environment and various points of interest. Procedural content generation (PCG) naturally emerges as an automated solution. This study aims to review the state of the art among pervasive games that use procedural generation techniques.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors performed a systematic review of the literature on PCG techniques in ubiquitous games. The research methodology included initial database searches, forward snowballing and backward snowballing.
Findings
The authors selected 40 articles published from 2008 to 2022 after analyzing 1,017 PCG articles. Many of these paper use dynamic difficulty generation methods that affect game customization, balance and playability. The majority of titles are in the area of education and require rigorous evaluation. Some articles mention the use of PCG but provide limited details of algorithms or processes.
Research limitations/implications
The low presence of recent articles stands out, which can lead to two conclusions: poor use of indexing of articles in the area or low amount of research over these years. One of the search bases did not enter due to the number of keywords used.
Practical implications
The paper is a guide for researchers in the area of pervasive games who are interested in using PCG techniques in their games.
Originality/value
This approach revealed articles combining PCG and ubiquitous games, with no previous systematic reviews at this intersection.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was carried out in partnership with the Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Ceará (IFCE). The research was promoted by CNPq, through the Research Project of CNPq, under concession number 458825/2013-1, prepared for execution within the Call MCTI-SECIS/CNPq Nº 84/2013 – Assistive Technology, under the title: Research and development of digital solutions for education, culture, and interaction with mobile systems for people who are blind. Funded by FONDECYT 1150898; by CONICYT's Basal Funds for Centers of Excellence, Project FB0003.
Funding: This research was partially funded by CNPQ through the project 314425/2021-7 and funded by FUNCAP BMD-0008-01460.01.25/23.
Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests.
Citation
Silva, B.C.d., Rodrigues Maia, J.G. and Viana de Carvalho, W. (2024), "Procedural content generation in pervasive games: state of affairs, mistakes, and successes", International Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 345-364. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPCC-11-2023-0314
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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