WaaZam! Supporting creative play at a distance in customized video environments

Publication Type

Conference Proceeding Article

Publication Date

5-2014

Abstract

We present the design, and evaluation of WaaZam, a video mediated communication system designed to support creative play in customized environments. Users can interact together in virtual environments composed of digital assets layered in 3D space. The goal of the project is to support creative play and increase social engagement during video sessions of geographically separated families. We try to understand the value of customization for individual families with children ages 6-12. We present interviews with creativity experts, a pilot study and a formal evaluation of families playing together in four conditions: separate windows, merged windows, digital play sets, and customized digital environments. We found that playing in the same video space enables new activities and increases social engagement for families. Customization allows families to modify scenes for their needs and support more creative play activities that embody the imagination of the child.

Keywords

Composited video, Customized video environments, Family play, Play at a distance, Remote play, Shared experiences at a distance, Video mediated communication

Discipline

Information Security

Research Areas

Information Systems and Management

Publication

Proceedings of the 32nd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Toronto, Canada, 2014 April 26-May 1

First Page

1197

Last Page

1206

ISBN

9781450324731

Identifier

10.1145/2556288.2557382

Publisher

Association for Computing Machinery

City or Country

New York

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1145/2556288.2557382

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