Carleton University - School of Computer Science Honours Project
Winter 2018
Multitasking Test Game
Mathieu Comeau
SCS Honours Project Image
ABSTRACT
Multitasking is an important aspect of everyday life. There are certain professions where a person relies on their ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously. For example, military pilots need to be able to focus on flying aircraft while also responding to various external stimuli, such as keeping track of how much fuel is left in the aircraft, navigating to the correct location, and engaging in combat with enemy forces. Delivery truck drivers must also be able to multitask. They must be able to drive their trucks along the streets while checking their GPS systems to ensure that they are driving to the correct location. There have been many different tools developed for the purpose of training and evaluating a person’s ability to multitask. The Space Fortress game developed in 1983 by Amir Mané and Emmanuel Donchin is an early example of a game developed for such a purpose. There is also MIND, which was developed by Wei Lun Lim, Olga Sourina, and Lipo Wang in 2015. In order to build on this existing research and address design flaws of existing tools, I developed the Multitasking Test game. The Multitasking Test Game is a 3D racing game with a top-down view, where the objective of the game is to drive from a starting point until the finish line is reached. During each track, there will be additional subtasks that the player must complete while still playing the game. The objective of the game is to complete the course as fast as possible, while completing the subtasks as fast and as accurately as possible. This game is meant to be used for testing/evaluating a player’s ability to multitask, that is, to focus on multiple tasks at once. The player needs to be able to manage their focus between completing the subtask while simultaneously completing the main driving task.