Games are available to be played on a variety of platforms, including: 

• desktop computers running Windows or MacOS; 

• mobile devices running Windows, Android or iOS; 

• purpose designed gaming platforms such as Microsoft XBox or Sony Playstation. Games may be single player – designed to be played by one player at a time – or multiplayer – designed to be played by more than one player at a time. Multiplayer games include:

• World of Warcraft: https://worldofwarcraft.com 

• Second Life: http://secondlife.com/ World of Warcraft and Second Life are sometimes described as Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG) because of the vast numbers of players who can play simultaneously. 

Augmented Reality games provide the player with a modified view of the real physical world, into which computer generated content has been embedded. Augmented reality games include: 

• Pokemon Go: http://www.pokemongo.com/en-uk/ 

• Ingress: https://www.ingress.com/ 

Inspirational game designer, Jane McGonigal, makes a compelling case that computer games have the potential to transform the world for the better. She begins by observing that across the world, “three billion hours per week” are spent “playing online games” and noting that, as a consequence of this, gamers acquire a range of knowledge and skills that are specific to the games they are playing. 

She speculates that, if we could design games that were engaging enough, and that helped to develop skills that were needed in the real world, then we might be able to solve many of the world’s big problems. Jane McGonigal’s TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/ talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_ better_world

 • World Without Oil: http://worldwithoutoil.org/ 

• Superstruct: http://archive.superstructgame.net/

• EVOKE: http://www.urgentevoke.com/

 The Institute of Play is a US not for profit organisation that creates learning experiences based on the principles of game design. By creating games they claim to “design experiences that make learning irresistible”. 

• http://www.instituteofplay.org/ The Institute is interested in educational uses of all kinds of games – not just computer games. 

It is often argued that gaming can have a negative impact on teenagers’ social interaction and psychological well being. The feeling is that too much time spent sitting in front of a screen zapping aliens may make teenagers aggressive or turn them into poorly adjusted loners. Others respond by saying that not all games involve zapping aliens, and that online multiplayer games provide opportunities for players to expand their social network in ways that would not otherwise be possible. 

Weather forecasts are relied upon in industries that include: farming, fishing, aviation. Indeed accurate weather forecasts can be safety critical at sea and in the air. These are a simulation using data to predict what might happen.

This BBC news story reports on an app that helps trainee medical staff to improve their surgery skills. 

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-32844630

Trainees use the app to manipulate a 3D animated model of the relevant human anatomy. They can step through a range of surgical procedures and receive feedback on their performance. This is an example of a computer simulation. 

Computer Simulation “Simulation is the use of a computer program to predict the likely behaviour of a real-life system” BCS Glossary of Computing, 13th edition, p 106. 

Other widely used applications of simulation include weather forecasting and pilot training. Meteorologists use computer simulations to predict the weather. Their simulation software contains a mathematical model of how atmospheric conditions around the world interact to produce the weather we observe, and how this evolves over time. 

Starting with a detailed record of atmospheric conditions today, the software can predict what the weather will be tomorrow. Trainee pilots often gain experience using a flight simulator. 

• http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160106-theairliner-flight-sims-that-can-save-lives

The simulator consists of a collection of software and hardware that is intended to create a virtual environment that is as close as possible to an actual flight control deck. Simulators have the advantage of enable trainee pilots to be put into difficult situations – situations that would be dangerous if they took place in the real world. 

Anyone who has developed a mobile app may make it available on an App Store. There is currently a registration fee for both Google Play and iOS app stores, and a review process, which is intended to filter out low quality apps. These are not, however, significant obstacles. App developers have a number of options to profit from their app, including. 

• Pay to download; 

• In-app advertising; 

• In-app purchases. Pay to Download: 

Many apps are free to download and most of those that are not, are relatively inexpensive. Statista reports that (at April 2013) the average price of an iPhone app was $0.19 – and of an Android app, was $0.06. 

• https://www.statista.com/statistics/262387/ average-price-of-android-ipad-and-iphone-apps/ In-App Advertising: 

Many apps are designed to display advertisements during use. This has become known as in-app-advertising. In-app advertising is sometimes enhanced by location data to ensure that users are presented with advertisements at a time and place where they are able to make a relevant purchase.

 In-App Purchase: Many apps are designed to encourage the user to make an additional purchase whilst using the app. These have become known as in-app purchases (IAP). Often these IAPs are built into games and enable the user to buy additional game resources or gain access to additional levels. The use of IAPs has become quite controversial as users report making purchases that they had not intended – this has been a particular problem where children are concerned. It is now possible to disable in-app purchases in both Android and iOS apps. 

Statista reports that (In December 2016) 8.55% of the apps in the iOS App Store were classified as educational. 

• https://www.statista.com/statistics/270291/ popular-categories-in-the-app-store/ Browsing the educational category in Google Play Store I can see apps to help learn: 

• computer programming languages such as Python, Java and C#; 

• school subjects such as biology and mathematics; 

• modern languages such as French and Spanish. 

In addition to subject specific learning apps there are apps that enable access to more generic learning tools and services, including virtual learning environments (VLE) such as Blackboard Learn, Moodle and Google Classroom. A virtual learning environment (VLE) is a webbased platform designed to support a range of educational activities, which might include communication and resource sharing, as well as assessment and feedback. 

The debate about the effects of computer technology on human behaviour did not start with mobile computing. It is clear, however, that smartphone use has greatly increased the opportunities for any such effects to take place. It has been argued that this is having a negative impact on our social relationships. It is not, for example, uncommon nowadays to see a group of friends all looking down at their own phones, rather than communicating with one another. In this BBC interview, Professor Susan Greenfield discusses some of these issues. 

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22283452

Not everyone agrees with Professor Greenfield, and it is clear that mobile computing often enables social interaction. For example, many of the apps that we use on our phone (e.g. WhatsApp, Facebook) are specifically intended to enable and support interaction. In many cases our mobile phones enable social interaction that would be otherwise very difficult. For example, we can have (Skype) video conversations with friends and family at the other side of the world. 

You can read a range of viewpoints on these issues here: 

• http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150310-areyou-over-connected

• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/8458786/ The-young-generation-are-addicted-to-mobilephones.html

• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/ news/9714616/Mobile-phone-addiction-ruiningrelationships.htm

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-29569473

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16313832

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/17/ technology-changing-relationships_n_5884042. html

Generic mobile apps such as email and calendaring are widely used in the workplace. In addition to this there is also a range of more industry specific apps. For example: 

• Medicine: http://blog.capterra.com/top-7- medical-apps-for-doctors/

• Engineering: https://www.asme.org/engineeringtopics/articles/technology-and-society/5-mobileapps-for-engineers 

Online banking, also known as internet banking, enables you to access your bank account from any connected desktop computer or – increasingly – from any connected mobile device. In the latter case this is known as mobile banking. You can open/close accounts, check account balances, transfer money between accounts, pay bills – and do most of the things that you would expect to be able to do at your local high street bank. 

• The advantage to the customer is that they have the flexibility to access to their account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – and with mobile banking, this can take place from any location. 

• The advantage to the bank is that it costs much less to provide online services than to provide face-to-face service in a bricks and mortar, high street bank. Of course, online banking also brings risks. 

• Breach of the Bank’s Security: No matter how hard a bank tries to secure its online systems, there is always the possibility of this security being breached by criminals. 

• Breach of the User’s Security: While your online bank account is protected by passwords and PINS, this is only effective if you look after these properly.

– If you write your password down, it may be found and used to gain unauthorised access to your account.

– If you use the same password for your bank account that you use for some other service, it is possible that security at the other service may be breached. If this happens then the security of your bank account will also be compromised. 

– Certain kinds of malware are specifically designed to capture any passwords that you type into your computer. These may present a risk to the security of your bank account. 

• Breach of Network Security: It is possible, on insecure networks, for messages to be intercepted and this provides opportunities for criminals to access banking passwords. This is a particular risk when using public Wi-Fi. The good news is that, in the UK, if your bank account is hacked then the bank will be responsible for any losses – providing that you have taken proper care of your passwords. The customer should not lose any money.