UNLV Experts Available: Super Bowl 2024

The Super Bowl: It’s annually one of the nation’s most-watched television broadcasts. And this year it’s happening in what’s perhaps the most fitting destination yet — Las Vegas, the Entertainment Capital of the World. From tourism and gaming to history and health, UNLV has experts who are uniquely poised to share perspectives on the sport, as well as the city where the Big Game is being held.

Intelligence document leak on Discord raises questions about security concerns and online gaming communities

Discord, a chat platform originally built for online gaming, is now subject of intense scrutiny after intelligence documents were leaked – allegedly by a member of the military. James Ivory, a Virginia Tech professor who researches social media and video game use related to military simulations and links to political extremism and intelligence risks, said Discord has become a very mainstream platform for individual and community messaging.

Sure Bet: UNLV Expert on the Past, Present, and Future of Legalized Sports Wagering

For many fans, sports betting is most associated with the glare of television screens broadcasting every sporting event imaginable in a glitzy casino in Las Vegas — for decades, one of the only places in the U.S. where spectators could legally place wagers. But today, we’re not alone: Since 2018, federal law changes have prompted 36 states to join Nevada in legalizing bets on some of America’s favorite pastimes, and another three could get in the game this year.

Driving simulations that look more life-like

Today’s driving simulators have a big problem: They don’t look realistic enough, particularly background objects, such as trees, and road markings. But researchers have developed a new way to create photorealistic images for simulators, paving the way for better testing of driverless cars.Conventional computer graphics use detailed models, meshes and textures to render 2D images from 3D scenes, a labor-intensive process which produces images that often fall short of being realistic, particularly in the background.

UCI Esports announces fall addition of Valorant team

Irvine, Calif., July 25, 2022 – The University of California, Irvine will expand its 5-year-old esports program this fall by adding a Valorant team to its existing Overwatch and League of Legends teams. Valorant is a first-person hero shooter video game developed and published by Riot Games that was originally released in June 2020.

Gaming the Research: Reinforcement Learning Changing Data Evaluation Challenges

Advances in artificial intelligence, specifically reinforcement learning, are proving beneficial to accelerating the pace of data-intensive challenges. The methods used by researchers with RL are techniques often used in video games, and by applying gamification to scientific processes, RL agents can learn as they are used in experiments, in effect, leveling up their rates of discovery as they work. Researchers are using trained RL agents at NSLS-II to accelerate the analysis of data-heavy measurements.

Health and Socializing: Why People Use Mixed-Reality Sports Tech

New technologies allow users to do things like race their real bikes against other real people in a virtual world, and a new study outlines what motivates people to use these online platforms. The findings offer insights for future iterations of these technologies – and how to market them.

Exercise caution after working out in virtual reality

Virtual ‘exergaming’ has become a popular way to exercise – especially among younger people – since the release of virtual reality (VR) fitness games on consoles such as Nintendo and Playstation.

But while VR is undoubtedly raising fitness games to a whole new level, researchers at the University of South Australia are cautioning players about the potential side effects of VR, particularly in the first hour after playing.

Virtual Reality Would Make Attending Therapy Easier For Stroke Survivors

Researchers have created a virtual reality clinic to make it easier for stroke survivors to attend physical and occupational therapy sessions. Results from a proof-of-concept study suggest the technology – and the social connection it facilitates – are effective at encouraging therapy participation.

University of Kentucky Partners With Gen.G to Build Community Through Games

The partnership between UK and Gen.G will develop wholly new pathways for student recruitment, classroom and internship opportunities; research avenues for scholars across a variety of colleges; and professional development for alumni.