Mobile Blog: Video, Media, Augmented Reality, Rich Media, IVVR

In 2007, CreaLog GmbH, located in Munich, Germany, has developed the example IVVR (Interactive Voice & Video Response) game Santa Claus Sleigh Ride. The aim of the game is to steer the reindeer sleigh to the North Pole by using speech commands or keystrokes. The game is constructed from a series of pre-recorded video clips showing Santa Clause steering either to the right or the left, played back depending on the caller’s commands. Although this game cannot be considered a real-time interactive game, is technically near to an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) supplement, perfectly illustrating how to cope with the various limitations of 3G video calling.

IVVR game “Santa Claus” from CreaLog GmbH

The picture above shows a number of screenshots from the game that makes clear that the game is adapted to the characteristics of IVVR technology. It copes with the high delays by simple reducing the interaction rate to a minimum. After a 3G video call is placed, video sequences start automatically, explaining how to play the game and how to steer the reindeer sleigh to the North Pole. The only caller interaction required is to say left or right, or to use numbers 4 or 6, as seen in the second screenshot. During my testing sessions, the speech recognition misinterpreted my voice commands in approximately one-third of the time. The response delay after a keystroke was about 1 second before the next video sequence was played back.

Media codecs used in 3G-324M are targeted for speech communication and talking head scenarios. CreaLog’s game handles this limitation by having no sound effects but rather a voiceover technique where somebody playing Santa gives hilarious comments about the player’s decisions. Furthermore, the game uses a 3D animated environment consisting of colourful gradients with a small amount of sharp edges that, unsurprisingly, compresses well using video codecs aimed for the compression of natural scenes, creating a decent visual quality of this mobile game.

More about CreaLog.

Mobile Gaming using Interactive Voice & Video Response

Mobile Games using IVVR (Interactive Voice & Video Response) technology are games that are instantly streamed to the player’s phone and played using various interaction possibilities such as keystrokes, speech commands, or the use of the handset’s built-in camera for object, symbol, or gesture recognition. This enables any 3G camera phone to be used as a game console, without the need to download or install additional software. IVVR is well suited for games that do not require fast interaction and for casual games played on a per-session basis. Game developers do not need to worry about device porting or system requirements concerning graphic cards, for instance, as 3G-324M is a well-defined and widely deployed standard in 3G networks and devices. Moreover, billing is intuitive for gamers as it works on a per-minute basis with premium numbers, standard phone numbers, and even toll free numbers. However, despite all these advantages, there are some drawbacks to using today’s circuit-switched 3G video telephony for mobile games. Game designers need to cope with these limitations, circumvent them—or, better, create games that can exploit the possibilities of 3G video calling and cope with its disadvantages at the same time.

My Definition for Mobile Games over 3G Video Calling

Mobile Games over 3G Video Calling is an interactive person-to-application IVVR service and describes video games played on a 3G handset by establishing a simple 3G video call. By accessing and playing the game over a 3G video call, the handset turns into a thin gaming terminal. The game itself is processed, and its sound and graphics are generated on a remote gaming server. These mobile games can be controlled with the terminal’s built-in camera, microphone, or keypad while the game graphics and sounds are streamed to the gaming terminal. The concept of Mobile Games over 3G Video Calling exploits 3G-324M technology for circuit-switched conversational multimedia services—also known as video telephony or video conferencing—of today’s 3G infrastructure to create new types of services with existing technology. Network operators and standardisation bodies are working on the 4G technology IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) that will replace, among others, the circuit-switched video telephony service with an “all-IP” version. This evolution will counter limitations and drawbacks of the current bearer technology opening up more possibilities for streamed games.