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Kubik, Erica. "From girlfriend to gamer negotiating place in the hardcore/casual divide of online video game communities /." Bowling Green, Ohio : Bowling Green State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=bgsu1260391480.
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Djordjevic, Jelena. "YOUNG MEN'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS COMPUTER- AND VIDEO GAMES. AN INTERVIEW STUDY ABOUT YOUNG MEN’S EXPERIENCES OF COMPUTER- AND VIDEO GAMES." Thesis, Malmö högskola, Fakulteten för hälsa och samhälle (HS), 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-26768.
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Kunskapen om TV- och datorspelmissbruk bland ungdomar är idag väldigt begränsad. Stillasittande/fysisk inaktivitet, som TV- och datorspel ofta innebär och som kan innebära negativa konsekvenser, blir allt vanligare. En semistrukturerad intervjustudie har genomförts på sju män i åldersgruppen 17-29 år i syfte att undersöka drivkrafterna bakom mäns spelbeteende i tonåren. Dessutom har information om spelmissbruk bland ungdomar inhämtats av fyra yrkesverksamma inom spelområdet. Detta samt kopplingar mellan TV- och datorspel och spel om pengar har gjorts p g a bristen på forskning om TV- och datorspel. De före detta spelmissbrukarna har kategoriserats som fritidsspelare och spelproblematiker (som lyckats sluta missbruka spel på egen hand), samt spelberoende, som fått avstå helt från spel för att få ett slut på sitt missbruk, medan övriga än idag kan spela i måttlig och ytterst liten mängd. Verklig och upplevd kontroll över sig själva och omgivningen har varit viktiga determinanter för informanternas spelmissbruk. Anledningarna till att de slutade/minskade på spelandet är att de i huvudsak tappade intresset för spel (dock inte helt), fick andra prioriteringar och/eller inte ville få återfall där de återgår till sitt gamla missbruksbeteende. Spelandet har haft en funktion som flykt från en problematisk livssituation, vilken med tiden endast förvärrats för de spelberoende parallellt med missbruket. Även upplevelsen av direkt, tillfällig tillfredsställelse har varit en stor drivkraft samtidigt som det har lett till spelmissbruket. Det tidsödande fritidsintresset fick konsekvenser på den psykiska och fysiska hälsan och beteendet, utvecklingen, relationer till närstående, familjesituationen, skolgången, den sociala etableringen samt den socioekonomiska situationen, vilket sammanfattningsvis ledde till att informanterna utvecklade en ohälsosam och ofta destruktiv livsstil.<br>The knowledge of computer- and video game abuse and addiction among young people is very limited today. The sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity that computer- and video games often involve can have negative consequences, and are becoming more common. A semi-structured interview was conducted on seven men between the ages of 17-29 in order to examine the driving forces behind men’s gaming behavior in their adolescence. In addition, information about game abuse among young people was gathered from professionals in the area of computer- and video games. This and links between computer- and video games and gambling have been made due to the lack of research on video and computer games. The former video game addicts have been categorized as recreational players, game problematics (who by themselves managed to stop abusing games) and game addicts, who have completely abstained from gaming to put an end to their addiction, while the others still play moderately and very little today. Actual and perceived control over themselves and their environment has been important determinants for the player’s former addiction. The reason why they stopped/decreased the gaming is essentially because they lost interest in games (not completely though), got other priorities and/or did not want to relapse and return to old problematic behavior. Gaming as an escape from a problematic life situation was a common feature among the addicts. The situation for the game addicts only worsened with time along with their game abuse. Although the experience of direct, incidental satisfaction has been a major driving force, it simultaneously led to game abuse. The time-consuming leisure activity had consequences on the mental and physical health, behavior and social development, as well as on the relationships to relatives, family situation, school attendance, social establishment and socioeconomic situation. To sum up, the informants developed an unhealthy and often destructive lifestyle because of the game habits.
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Yan, Jingjing. "Gender and computer games / video games : girls’ perspective orientation." Thesis, Gotland University, Institutionen för humaniora och samhällsvetenskap, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hgo:diva-575.
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<p>The topic of this thesis is “Gender Differences in Computer games/ Video games Industry”. Due to rapid development in technology and popularization of computers all around the world, computer games have already become a kind of common entertainment. Because computer games were designed especially for boys at the very beginning, there are still some remaining barriers when training female game designers and expanding game markets among female players.This thesis is mainly based on two studies which have enormous contributions to gender issue in computer games area. A simple model is established by summarizing factors mentioned and discussed in those two books. The main purpose consists of two comparisons under Gender Differences: one comparison is between the current data with the previous one, in order to check whether there are any changes during the past 10 years. The other one compares the young people in two regions, Sweden and China, in computer games perspective.Model designing, test, questionnaire and interview methods are used in this paper aiming to collect and categorize the data, which facilitates to analyze the results of the comparisons. The results reflect that although computer becomes a familiar “friend” in modern daily life, there are not obvious changes of girls‟ perspectives in computer game industry. Certainly, there are some differences between the young people coming from two regions which will be expounded in the thesis.</p>
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Koffi, Cole Mahoukau. "Video game development with 3D Studio Max and the XNA framework." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2007. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/3228.
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The purpose of this project on game design and development is to experiment with actual technology tools used in computer games and get experience in three deminsional game development using 3D Studio Max and Microsoft XNA.
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Tulloch, Rowan Christopher English Media & Performing Arts Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences UNSW. "Powerplay: video games, subjectivity and culture." Publisher:University of New South Wales. English, Media, & Performing Arts, 2009. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/43519.
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This thesis examines single-player video gaming. It is an analysis of video game play: what it is, how it functions, and what it means. It is an account of how players learn to play. This is done through a set of close readings of significant video games and key academic texts. My focus is on the mechanisms and forces that shape gameplay practices. Building on the existing fields of ludology and media-studies video-game analysis, I outline a model of video game play as a cultural construction which builds upon the player's existing knowledge of real world and fictional objects, scenarios and conventions. I argue that the relationship between the video game player and the software is best understood as embodying a precise configuration of power. I demonstrate that the single-player video game is in fact what Michel Foucault terms a 'disciplinary apparatus'. It functions to shape players' subjectivities in order to have them behave in easily predicted and managed ways. To do this, video games reuse and repurpose conventions from existing media forms and everyday practices. By this mobilisation of familiar elements, which already have established practices of use, and by a careful process of surveillance, examination and the correction of play practices, video games encourage players to take on and perform the logics of the game system. This relationship between organic player and technological game, I suggest, is best understood through the theoretical figure of the 'Cyborg'. It is a point of intersection between human and computer logics. Far from the ludological assumption that play and culture are separate and that play is shaped entirely by rules, I show video game play to be produced by an array of complex cultural and technological forces that act upon the player. My model of video game play differs from others currently in circulation in that it foregrounds the role of culture in play, while not denying the technological specificity of the video gaming apparatus. My central focus on power and the construction of player subjectivities offers a way to move beyond the simplistic reliance on the notion that rules are the primary shaping mechanism of play that has, to date, dominated much of video game studies.
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Cooley, Benjamin. "Detecting Learning Styles in Video Games." DigitalCommons@CalPoly, 2015. https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/1369.
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Video games are increasingly becoming more intelligent, able to adapt themselves to the individual gamer. Learning styles are a set of models used to categorize people into different types of learners to explain why some people learn better through different methods. Since learning and exploration are such fundamental parts of the video game experience, it is interesting to consider the possibility of applying these learning style models to video games, allowing the video game to adapt to its player, providing a better experience. To consider such adaptation, the game must first be able to detect that learning style from how the player has interacted with it.
Simple metrics collected during game play of an instrumented game (opensource Supertux) are compared to the results of the Hay Group’s Kolb Learning Style Inventory, a paper test designed to determine one’s learning style. A relationship between recordable game play metrics and the academic model for learning would allow a game designer to potentially infer that model from game play and use it to adapt the game to that type of learner.
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Wibom, Martin. "Exploration of smell rehabilitation video games." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Institutionen för konst, kultur och kommunikation (K3), 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-45926.
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This project explores opportunities in designing hybrid digital/physical smell rehabilitation video games using no unique game peripherals. During a 13-week process, three major iterations were created and externally tested on a small user group. The first two iterations contained five simple minigames that served to explore different types of game concepts. For the final iteration, two minigames were fully developed, a slow- and fast-paced game. The main findings were that slow-paced better-facilitated smell training than fast-paced games; aesthetics increased the player’s focus on small training; not utilising unique game peripherals limited the design opportunities and implementation of smell mechanics.
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Shen, Elizabeth M. "Sprite tracking in two-dimensional video games." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/113111.
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Thesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2017.<br>This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.<br>Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.<br>Includes bibliographical references (page 32).<br>I explore various computer vision techniques and their application towards processing and extracting information from two-dimensional video games. The bulk of existing research is designed to work on real-world images, and thus makes assumptions about the world that do not translate to synthetic, stylized environments. Processing video game footage has promising applications in competitive gaming, such as analyzing strategy in multiplayer online games, or optimizing routes in speed-running. I present the exploratory results, details of a successful algorithm, and some sample applications.<br>by Elizabeth M. Shen.<br>M. Eng.
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Bloom, Victoria. "Multiple Action Recognition for Video Games (MARViG)." Thesis, Kingston University, 2015. http://eprints.kingston.ac.uk/37171/.
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Action recognition research historically has focused on increasing accuracy on datasets in highly controlled environments. Perfect or near perfect offline action recognition accuracy on scripted datasets has been achieved. The aim of this thesis is to deal with the more complex problem of online action recognition with low latency in real world scenarios. To fulfil this aim two new multi-modal gaming datasets were captured and three novel algorithms for online action recognition were proposed. Two new gaming datasets, G3D and G3Di for real-time action recognition with multiple actions and multi-modal data were captured and publicly released. Furthermore, G3Di was captured using a novel game-sourcing method so the actions are realistic. Three novel algorithms for online action recognition with low latency were proposed. Firstly, Dynamic Feature Selection, which combines the discriminative power of Random Forests for feature selection with an ensemble of AdaBoost classifiers for dynamic classification. Secondly, Clustered Spatio-Temporal Manifolds, which modelled the dynamics of human actions with style invariant action templates that were combined with Dynamic Time Warping for execution rate invariance. Finally, a Hierarchical Transfer Learning framework, comprised of a novel transfer learning algorithm to detect compound actions in addition to hierarchical interaction detection to recognise the actions and interactions of multiple subjects. The proposed algorithms run in real-time with low latency ensuring they are suitable for a wide range of natural user interface applications including gaming. State-of-the art results were achieved for online action recognition. Experimental results indicate higher complexity of the G3Di dataset in comparison to the existing gaming datasets, highlighting the importance of this dataset for designing algorithms suitable for realistic interactive applications. This thesis has advanced the study of realistic action recognition and is expected to serve as a basis for further study within the research community.
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Zhadan, Anastasiia. "Artificial Intelligence Adaptation in Video Games." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för datavetenskap och medieteknik (DM), 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-79131.
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One of the most important features of a (computer) game that makes it memorable is an ability to bring a sense of engagement. This can be achieved in numerous ways, but the most major part is a challenge, often provided by in-game enemies and their ability to adapt towards the human player. However, adaptability is not very common in games. Throughout this thesis work, aspects of the game control systems that can be improved in order to be adaptable were studied. Based on the results gained from the study of the literature related to artificial intelligence in games, a classification of games was developed for grouping the games by the complexity of the control systems and their ability to adapt different aspects of enemies behavior including individual and group behavior. It appeared that only 33% of the games can not be considered adaptable. This classification was then used to analyze the popularity of games regarding their challenge complexity. Analysis revealed that simple, familiar behavior is more welcomed by players. However, highly adaptable games have got competitively high scores and excellent reviews from game critics and reviewers, proving that adaptability in games deserves further research.
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Tran, Chris Wang Zuoming. "What's real anymore a comparison of World of Warcraft, secondlife and online experiences /." [Denton, Tex.] : University of North Texas, 2009. http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-10976.
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Hull, Kevin Boyd. "Computer/video games as a play therapy tool in reducing emotional disturbances in children." Lynchburg, Va. : Liberty University, 2009. http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu.
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White, Gareth R. "The playthrough evaluation framework : reliable usability evaluation for video games." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2014. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/51591/.
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This thesis presents the playthrough evaluation framework, a novel framework for the reliable usability evaluation of first-person shooter console video games. The framework includes playthrough evaluation, a structured usability evaluation method adapted from heuristic evaluation. Usability evaluation can help guide developers by pointing out design issues that cause users problems. However, usability evaluation methods suffer from the evaluator effect, where separate evaluations of the same data do not produce reliably consistent results. This can result in a number of undesirable consequences affecting issues such as: • Unreliable evaluation: Without reliable results, evaluation reports risk giving incorrect or misleading advice. • Weak methodological validation: Typically new methods (e.g., new heuristics) are validated against user tests. However, without a reliable means to describe observations, attempts to validate novel methods against user test data will also be affected by weak reliability. The playthrough evaluation framework addresses these points through a series of studies presenting the need for, and showing the development of the framework, including the following stages, 1. Explication of poor reliability in heuristic evaluation. 2. Development and validation of a reliable user test coding scheme. 3. Derivation of a novel usability evaluation method, playthrough evaluation. 4. Testing the method, quantifying results. Evaluations were conducted with 22 participants, on 3 first-person shooter action console video games, using two methodologies, heuristic evaluation and the novel playthrough evaluation developed in this thesis. Both methods proved effective, with playthrough evaluation providing more detailed analysis but requiring more time to conduct.
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Cowley, Benjamin Ultan. "Player profiling and modelling in computer and video games." Thesis, University of Ulster, 2009. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.529512.
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Hamidi, Bijan Alexander. "An Analysis of Virtual Economics in Video Games." Thesis, California State University, Fullerton, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10808086.
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<p> Bijan Hamidi explores economic systems in video games and expands on the definition of virtual economics to include economic behavior. Gamers commonly look to gain advantages over their opposition during game play. This thesis performs an analysis of how those decisions are constructed and provides insight on where economic principles are found in game play. </p><p> This body of work is based upon preexisting virtual economic works from Edward Castronova, Zachary Simpson, and Richard Bartle. However, this work does not focus purely on economic markets, but extends to study economic behavior exhibited during play.</p><p>
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Denham, Geoffrey Walter. "Audio-visions : domestic videogame play /." View thesis, 1999. http://library.uws.edu.au/adt-NUWS/public/adt-NUWS20030808.133600/index.html.
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Rehnberg, Oscar. "Static vs Dynamic Weather Systems in Video Games." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Malmö högskola, Institutionen för datavetenskap och medieteknik (DVMT), 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-40220.
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Research has shown that creating uniformity in video games has a larger potential to be objectively good. Realistic video games can create uniformity by implementing a dynamic weather system. The purpose of this thesis is to compare dynamic and static weather and their contribution to the overall player satisfaction. Three weather components were created: wind, rain and clouds. Which weather component that creates the most enjoyment have been examined. Two virtual environments, one dynamic and one static, were created and a test group answered a questionnaire regarding the simulations. Results indicate that dynamic weather is preferred over static weather regarding overall satisfaction.
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Johansson, Daniel. "Complex Systems in Video Games : a literature survey." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Sektionen för datavetenskap och kommunikation, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-4990.
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The idea that emergent content generation for video games will add depth to the gameplay experience is something often mentioned. With this article I want to make a connection between the science of complex systems and emergence, and the area of video game research and development. Not only does emergent content generation add depth to gameplay experience, it would also reduce the stress on developers, if diverse content could be generated automatically. I have conducted a keyword search on 412 articles from renown conferences with the following keywords: complex system", "emerg", and "spontaneous". The results show that while emergence is quite popular in the fi eld of video game research, complex system as a term is not.
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Mubireek, Khalid Al. "Gender-oriented vs. gender-neutral computer games in education." Connect to this title online, 2003. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=osu1056139090.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2003.<br>Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 120 p.; also includes graphics Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-106). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center
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Sandqvist, Ulf. "Digitala drömmar : en studie av den svenska dator- och tv-spelsbranschen 1980-2005." Licentiate thesis, Umeå University, Department of Economic History, 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-1470.
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<p>This licentiate thesis describes the development of the Swedish computer and video game industry. The main focus is on the Swedish game development industry. Little research on the industry has been done and the purpose is to define the companies involved and to create an initial overview of the development of the industry. This overview will later be used as a platform for the doctorial thesis.</p><p>Games are a growing culture form and today a lot of people are playing different types of computer and video games. Internationally the industry has expanded and some of the successful games have generated spectacular revenues. In Sweden the industry has received attention from different actors like universities, government bodies and media. There are today educations that are focused on game development and there are programs which allocates grants towards game companies. The rapid development in the computers technology has had a great impact on the game industry, which is dependent on hardware development to create games.</p><p>The first computer games were made for some of the very first computers in the 1940´s and 1950´s. In the 1970´s a market for games was created when arcade machines and somewhat later home consoles were introduced. The industry has grown and includes today some of the largest companies in the world.</p><p>The Swedish industry follows the international pattern but developed a bit later and the first Swedish game companies were founded in the late 1980´s. The industry has expanded, especially between 1998 and 2002. In 2005 the number of people employed in the industry had increased to over 600. During the period under study the industry seems to have had a constant problem with making a profit. Especially in 2002 and 2003 the industry has had economic problems and some of the lager companies were bankrupt.</p>
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Watson, Nicholas. "Game developing, the D'ni way: how myst/uru fans inherited the cultural legacy of a lost empire." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/44898.
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This research considers how the culture of game developer Cyan Worlds influences the gameplay environment and the culture of fans in Myst Online: Uru Live. The game has gone through two commercial releases and in both cases it was cancelled after a short time. Fans have attempted to salvage the game by producing their own server software and content creation tools. Recently, Cyan released their own source code and development tools to the fan community, giving fans an official channel for creating new content. This work builds off of Pearce's (2009b) study of the culture of Uru players and emergent play, but adds the dimension of considering the culture of developers themselves.
A primary goal of this study was to determine how the culture of a game developer like Cyan shapes the constraints of the designed "play ecosystem" (Pearce 2009b: 7), and how it shapes the processes by which fans can salvage aspects of the game to create new content. One finding is that the design of Uru's gameplay environment is rooted in the cultural practices, personal philosophical goals and individual personality traits of its developers. Fans were able to assert ownership over the Uru story-world and the means of production of new content by proactively applying technical and problem-solving skills--the same sorts of skills that players must apply to solving puzzles in Myst games. This fan action, coupled with Cyan's goal of making an open-ended world, has helped to propel the initiative to provide open-source tools for creating new content. When fans produce new content, they draw significantly from an existing shared cultural repertoire of cues and conventions. These conventions are supported both by the software affordances of the development environment and by cultural precedent--they are readily adapted to Myst-like narratives and are easily "read" by experienced players.
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Söderman, Anton. "Den svenskadataspelsbranschen." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Företagsekonomiska institutionen, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-261113.
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This paper deals with the Swedish computer and video game industry. The aim is toreach a better understanding of why it has been so successful and why it has seen such a largegrowth during the years 2008-2015. In the paper, this is shown by looking at Sweden’s computerand video game sector as a cluster, as defined by Porter. The analysis is based on a model usingnational systems of innovation. The paper presents a narrative of the development of theSwedish video game industry as well as cases describing specific companies in more detail.The reasons for the growth during the period are found to be primarily three different aspects ofthe sector: (1) success of the Swedish game Minecraft (2) the specific market conditions (3) acycle of growth in the Swedish game industry. The conditions allowing the Swedish gameindustry to be successful are found to be tradition, international focus, the Swedish nationalwelfare system, all supported by well-developed technical educations.
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Shand, Matthew. "Beginning, persisting, and ceasing to play : a stage use and gratifications approach to multiplayer video games /." Online version of thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1850/11589.
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Scantlin, Ronda Mae. "Interactive media : an analysis of children's computer and video game use /." Digital version accessible at:, 1999. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/utexas/main.
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Miles, Christopher E. "Co-evolving real times strategy game players." abstract and full text PDF (free order & download UNR users only), 2007. http://0-gateway.proquest.com.innopac.library.unr.edu/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3274501.
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Ferrari, Simon. "The judgment of procedural rhetoric." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/33915.
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This thesis establishes a theoretical framework for understanding virtual spaces and roleplaying in relation to Ian Bogost's theory of "procedural rhetoric," the art of persuading through rule systems alone. Bogost characterizes the persuasive power of games as setting up an Aristotelian enthymeme--an incomplete argument--that one completes through play; however, I argue that the dominant rhetoric intended by a team of game designers is subject to manipulation through player choice. Discrete structures within the play experience cause the meaning-making possibilities of a game object to pullulate in a number of directions. Procedural rhetoric is not comprehended or created when reflected back upon after play: we interrogate it, piece it together, and change it through play.
If rules are how the designers express themselves through videogames, then the player expresses herself by forming a personal ruleset--a modus operandi or ethical system--in response to the dominant rhetoric. Furthermore, game space is not merely the place where this dialectic occurs; it also embodies a ruleset in the way it organizes objects and directs the flow of play. The thesis proposes a model by which games, which are "half-real" according to theorist Jesper Juul, can be judged intersubjectively--that is, in a way that accounts for the objectivity of their rulesets and the subjectivity of player experience. By fully understanding the dynamic between the three procedural influences of rules, space, and identity, we can learn more about designing persuasive game systems and enhance the possibilities of subversive play.
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Chambers, Christopher. "Addressing Cheating and Workload Characterization in Online Games." PDXScholar, 2006. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/2669.
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The Internet has enabled the popular pastime of playing video games to grow rapidly by connecting game players in disparate locations. However, with popularity have come the two challenges of hosting a large number of users and detecting cheating among users. For reasons of control, security, and ease of development, the most popular system for hosting on-line games is the client server architecture. This is also the most expensive and least scalable architecture for the game publisher, which drives hosting costs upwards with the success of the game. In addition to the expense of hosting, as a particular game grows more competitive and popular, the incentive to cheat for that game grows as well. All popular online games suffer from cheats in one form or another, and this cheating adversely affects game popularity and growth.
In this dissertation we follow a hypothetical game company (GameCorp) as it surmounts challenges involved in running an on-line game. We develop a characterization of gamer habits and game workloads from data sampled over a period of years, and show the benefits and drawbacks of multiplexing online applications together in a single large server farm. We develop and evaluate a geographic redirection service for the public server architecture to match clients with servers. We show how the public server game architecture can be used to scalably host large persistent games such as massively multiplayer (MMO) games that previously used the client server architecture. Finally we develop a taxonomy for client cheating in on-line games to focus research efforts, and specifically treat one of the categories in detail: information exposure in peer-to-peer games.
The thesis of this dissertation is: a methodology for accurate usage modeling of server resources can improve workload management; public-server resources can be leveraged in new ways to serve multiplayer on-line games; and that information exposure in peer-to-peer on-line games is preventable or detectable with the adoption of cryptographic protocols.
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Barwick, Joanna. "Where have all the games gone? : an exploratory study of digital game preservation." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2012. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/10222.
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It is 50 years since the development of the first computer game and digital games now have an unprecedented influence on our culture. An increasingly popular leisure activity, digital games are also permeating other aspects of society. They continue to influence computer technology through graphics, animation and social networking; an influence which is also being felt in other media, in particular film and television. They are a new art form and they are seen to be influential on children s learning and development. However, despite their pervasiveness and apparent importance within our society and culture, they are still largely ignored as part of our cultural heritage. Dismissed as disposable, entertainment products, they have not specifically been addressed in most of the academic literature on digital preservation which represents a serious omission in past research. This was justification for an exploratory study into the preservation of digital games and the aim of this study has been to explore the value of digital games, their significance in our culture, and the current status of their preservation. Investigating the relationship of games to culture; reviewing current preservation activities and drawing conclusions about the value of digital games and the significance of their preservation were the study s objectives. These have been achieved through interviews with key stakeholders the academic community, as potential users of collections; memory institutions, as potential keepers of collections; fan-based game preservation experts; and representatives from the games industry. In addition to this, case studies of key game preservation activities were explored. Through this research, a clearer picture of attitudes towards digital games and opinions on the need for preservation of these cultural products has been established. It has become apparent that there is a need for more coherent and collaborative efforts to ensure the longevity of these important aspects of digital heritage.
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Blackburn, Jeremy. "An Analysis of (Bad) Behavior in Online Video Games." Scholar Commons, 2014. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5412.
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This dissertation studies bad behavior at large-scale using data traces from online video games. Video games provide a natural laboratory for exploring bad behavior due to their popularity, explicitly defined (programmed) rules, and a competitive nature that provides motivation for bad behavior. More specifically, we look at two forms of bad behavior: cheating and toxic behavior.
Cheating is most simply defined as breaking the rules of the game to give one player an edge over another. In video games, cheating is most often accomplished using programs, or "hacks," that circumvent the rules implemented by game code. Cheating is a threat to the gaming industry in that it diminishes the enjoyment of fair players, siphons off money that is paid to cheat creators, and requires investment in anti-cheat technologies.
Toxic behavior is a more nebulously defined term, but can be thought of as actions that violate social norms, especially those that harm other members of the society. Toxic behavior ranges from insults or harassment of players (which has clear parallels to the real world) to domain specific instances such as repeatedly "suiciding"" to help an enemy team. While toxic behavior has clear parallels to bad behavior in other online domains, e.g., cyberbullying, if gone unchecked it has the potential to "kill" a game by driving away its players.
We first present a distributed architecture and reference implementation for the collection and analysis of large-scale social data. Using this implementation we then study the social structure of over 10 million gamers collected from a planetary scale Online Social Network, about 720 thousand of whom have been labeled cheaters, finding a significant correlation between social structure and the probability of partaking in cheating behavior. We additionally collect over half a billion daily observations of the cheating status of these gamers. Using about 10 months of detailed server logs from a community owned and operated game server we next analyze how relationships in the aforementioned online social network are backed by in-game interactions. Next, we use the insights gained and find evidence for a contagion process underlying the spread of cheating behavior and perform a data driven simulation using mathematical models for contagion. Finally, we build a model using millions of crowdsourced decisions for predicting toxic behavior in online games.
To the best of our knowledge, this dissertation presents the largest study of bad behavior to date. Our findings confirm theories about cheating and unethical behavior that have previously remained untested outside of controlled laboratory experiments or only with small, survey based studies. We find that the intensity of interactions between players is a predictor of a future relationship forming. We provide statistically significant evidence for cheating as a contagion. Finally, we extract insights from our model for detecting toxic behavior on how human reviewers perceive the presence and severity of bad behavior.
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García, Ling Carlos. "Graphical Glitch Detection in Video Games Using CNNs." Thesis, KTH, Matematisk statistik, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-273574.
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This work addresses the following research question: Can we detect videogame glitches using Convolutional Neural Networks? Focusing on the most common types of glitches, texture glitches (Stretched, Lower Resolution, Missing, and Placeholder). We first systematically generate a dataset with both images with texture glitches and normal samples. To detect the faulty images we try both Classification and Semantic Segmentation approaches, with a clear focus on the former. The best setting in classification uses a ShuffleNetV2 architecture and obtains precisions of 80.0%, 64.3%, 99.2%, and 97.0% in the respective glitch classes Stretched, Lower Resolution, Missing, and Placeholder. All of this with a low false positive rate of 6.7%. To complement this study, we also discuss how the models extrapolate to different graphical environments, which are the main sources of confusion for the model, how to estimate the confidence of the network, and ways to interpret the internal behavior of the models.<br>Detta projekt svarar på följande forskningsfråga: Kan man använda Convolutional Neural Networks för att upptäcka felaktiga bilder i videospel? Vi fokuserar på de vanligast förekommande grafiska defekter i videospel, felaktiga textures (sträckt, lågupplöst, saknas och platshållare). Med hjälp av en systematisk process genererar vi data med både normala och felaktiga bilder. För att hitta defekter använder vi CNN via både Classification och Semantic Segmentation, med fokus på den första metoden. Den bäst presterande Classification-modellen baseras på ShuffleNetV2 och når 80.0%, 64.3%, 99.2% och 97.0% precision på respektive sträckt-, lågupplöst-, saknas- och platshållare-buggar. Detta medan endast 6.7% av negativa datapunkter felaktigt klassifieras som positiva. Denna undersökning ser även till hur modellen generaliserar till olika grafiska miljöer, vilka de primära orsakerna till förvirring hos modellen är, hur man kan bedöma säkerheten i nätverkets prediktion och hur man bättre kan förstå modellens interna struktur.
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Hagström, Anders. "Poetically Man Dwells in Game Space : A Phenomenological Investigation of Video Games as Art." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för speldesign, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-326132.
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The studies of digital games is a young scientific field notable for its interdisciplinary nature that seeks to unite several epistemological positions in order to properly encompass the wide array of questions raised by the subject matter. During the last two decades strides have been made towards the introduction of a unified game theory, with several of the more recently suggested methods coalescing towards a similar end. This paper posits a phenomenological game theory which circumvents the usual aesthetic arguments for a focus on game as space, and analyses what it means to be in that space. The result of the initial reading of mainly three well-known and critically acclaimed digital games strongly indicates that using Heideggerian phenomenological thought reveals things about games as art that a) reinforces the validity of commonly held beliefs in current game theory, and b) suggests new ways forward for game design to improve games through enhancing the player’s comportment into their spaces by means of phenomenological game theory.
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Stockburger, Axel. "The rendered arena : modalities of space in video and computer games." Thesis, University of the Arts London, 2006. http://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/6507/.
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During the last 30 years computer and videogames have grown into a large entertainment industry of economic as well as cultural and social importance. As a distinctive field of academic inquiry begins to evolve in the form of Game Studies, the majority of approaches can be identified as emerging either from a background of literary theory which motivates a concentration on narrative structures or from a dedicated focus on the rules of video and computer games. However, one of the most evident properties of those games is their shared participation in a variety of spatial illusions. Although most researchers share the view that issues related to mediated space are among the most significant factors characterising the new medium, as of yet, no coherent conceptual exploration of space and spatial representation in video and computer games has been undertaken. This thesis focuses on the novel spatial paradigms emerging from computer and video games. It aims to develop an original theoretical framework that takes the hybrid nature of the medium into account. The goal of this work is to extend the present range of methodologies directed towards the analysis of digital games. In order to reveal the roots of the spatial apparatus at work an overview of the most significant conceptions of space in western thought is given. Henri Lefebvre's reading of space as a triad of perceived, conceived and lived space is adopted. This serves to account for the multifaceted nature of the subject, enables the integration of divergent spatial conceptions as part of a coherent framework, and highlights the importance of experiential notions of spatiality. Starting from Michel Foucault's notion of the heterotopia, game-space is posited as the dynamic interplay between different spatial modalities. As constitutive elements of the dynamic spatial system mobilized by digital games the following modalities are advanced: the physical space of the player, the space emerging from the narrative, the rules, the audiovisual representation and the kinaesthetic link between player and game. These different modalities are examined in detail in the light of a selected range of exemplary games. Based on a discussion of film theory in this context an original model that serves to distinguish between different visual representational strategies is presented. A chapter is dedicated to the analysis of the crucial and often overlooked role of sound for the generation of spatial illusions. It is argued that sound has to be regarded as the privileged element that enables the active use of representational space in three dimensions. Finally the proposed model is mobilised to explore how the work of contemporary artists relates to the spatial paradigms set forth by digital games. The critical dimension of artistic work in this context is outlined. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the impact of the prevalent modes of spatial practice in computer and video games on wider areas of everyday life.
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Drummond, Jason A. "The relation between playing violent single and multiplayer video games and adolescents' aggression, social competence, and academic adjustment." Bowling Green, Ohio : Bowling Green State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=bgsu1236354262.
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Litwiller, Tad. "Evaluating the benefits of 3D stereo in modern video games." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2010. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4570.
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We present a study that investigates user performance benefits of 3D stereo in modern video games. Based on an analysis of several video games that are best suited for use with commercial 3D stereo drivers and vision systems, we chose five modern titles focusing on racing, first person shooter, third person shooter, and sports game genres. For each game, quantitative and qualitative measures were taken to determine if users performed better and learned faster in the experimental group (3D stereo display) than in the control group (2D display). A game experience pre-questionnaire was used to classify participants into beginner, intermediate, and advanced gameplay categories to ensure prior game experience did not bias the experiment. Our results indicate that even though participants preferred playing in 3D stereo, for the games we tested, it does not provide any significant advantage in overall user performance. In addition, users' learning rates were comparable in the 3D stereo display and 2D display cases.<br>ID: 029050136; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Thesis (M.S.)--University of Central Florida, 2010.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 62-65).<br>M.S.<br>Masters<br>Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science<br>Engineering and Computer Science
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Mendel, Oskar, and Jesper Bergström. "SIMD Optimizations of Software Rendering in 2D Video Games." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för datavetenskap och medieteknik (DM), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-88989.
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Optimizing rendering is one of the greatest challenges faced by game developers. Most game engines make use of hardware rendering which uses technology specifically built for rendering. Before such hardware existed, game developers had to rely on the CPU to render their games. This is known as software rendering. Software rendering is not commonly used nowadays but has been seen in cases such as a backup for when the end users machine does not support the hardware based renderer of the application. Since the CPU is not purposely built for rendering, unlike the GPU, the developer has to perform optimizations to make the renderer more efficient in terms of speed. In this thesis, we present an approach which is a subset of parallel programming called Single Instruction, Multiple Data. This technique operates on vector based registers which means operations can be performed on multiple pieces of data at once. This is applied to an already built game engine in order to optimize its rendering. The results show a speed-up of 90.5% and a framerate increase from 30 frames per second to 133 frames per second within the rendering routine.
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Williamson, Brian M. "RealNav exploring natural user interfaces for locomotion in video games /." Orlando, Fla. : University of Central Florida, 2009. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0002938.
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Hallros, Per, and Niklas Pålsson. "SIMULATING A SYSTEM : Using video games as tools to promote self-directed learning." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för speldesign, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-447884.
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As a response to finding innovative ways of using games as tools for learning we explore the design process of creating a game system meant to promote self-directed learning. This thesis explores what design pillars a game system needs to follow when making a game that is meant to promote self-directed learning through reflection on cause and effect relations. We use a theoretical framework based on procedural rhetoric and self-directed learning in video games to inform our design process when creating an eco-adapted game system that provides experimentation opportunities. We adapt an ecosystem as a simulated real life context for our game environment and identify the major design pillars that video games looking to promote self-directed learning needs to consist of. The major pillars we found most important were; 1, activate participation, to engage the player by allowing them to experiment with different perspectives and the game state. 2, avoid correlating rhetorical arguments, to not influence players as they set their own goals when playing in an informal setting. 3, provide observational clarity, to let players learn how the actions they perform affect the actors and events in the game system. 4, enable trial and error, to give players time to explore multiple approaches in a safe environment where they can fail and try again without penalties. This thesis focuses primarily on the design process and documentation around the creation of a game system that adapts self-directed learning principles as a central design directive. In our design documentation we provide an open discussion of our design process around the decisions, findings, and implementations that make our simulation.<br>Som ett svar på att hitta innovativa sätt att använda spel som verktyg för lärande undersöker vi designprocessen för skapandet av ett spelsystem som är avsett att främja självstyrd inlärning. Denna uppsats undersöker vilka designpelare ett spelsystem behöver följa när man skapar ett spel som är avsett att främja självstyrd inlärning genom reflektion över orsaks- och påverkansrelationer. Vi använder ett teoretisk ramverk baserat på procedurell retorik och självstyrd inlärning i datorspel för att informera vår designprocess när vi skapar ett eko-adapterat spelsystem som ger experimenteringsmöjligheter. Vi anpassar ett ekosystem som en simulerad verklig omgivning till vår spelmiljö och identifierar viktiga designpelare som datorspel som vill främja självstyrd inlärning behöver bestå av. De huvudsakliga pelarna som vi fann viktigast är; 1, aktivera deltagande, för att engagera spelarna genom att låta dem experimentera med olika perspektiv och spelets tillstånd. 2, undvik korrelerande retoriska argument, för att inte påverka spelarna när de sätter sina egna mål medan de spelar i en informell miljö. 3, ge observationsklarhet, så att spelarna lär sig hur handlingarna de utför påverkar aktörerna och händelserna i spelsystemet. 4, möjliggör försök och misstag, för att ge spelarna tid att utforska flera tillvägagångssätt i en säker miljö där de kan misslyckas och försöka igen utan straff. Denna uppsats fokuserar främst på designprocessen och dokumentationen kring skapandet av ett spelsystem som tillämpar självstyrda inlärningsprinciper som ett centralt designdirektiv. I vår designdokumentation ger vi en öppen diskussion om vår designprocess kring de beslut, resultat och implementeringar som utgör vår simulering.
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Mirza-Babaei, Pejman. "Biometric storyboards : a games user research approach for improving qualitative evaluations of player experience." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2014. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/47858/.
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Developing video games is an iterative and demanding process. It is difficult to achieve the goal of most video games — to be enjoyable, engaging and to create revenue for game developers — because of many hard-to-evaluate factors, such as the different ways players can interact with the game. Understanding how players behave during gameplay is of vital importance to developers and can be uncovered in user tests as part of game development. This can help developers to identify and resolve any potential problem areas before release, leading to a better player experience and possibly higher game review scores and sales. However, traditional user testing methods were developed for function and efficiency oriented applications. Hence, many traditional user testing methods cannot be applied in the same way for video game evaluation. This thesis presents an investigation into the contributions of physiological measurements in user testing within games user research (GUR). GUR specifically studies the interaction between a game and users (players) with the aim to provide feedback for developers to help them to optimise the game design of their title. An evaluation technique called Biometric Storyboards is developed, which visualises the relationships between game events, player feedback and changes in a player's physiological state. Biometric Storyboards contributes to the field of human-computer interaction and GUR in three important areas: (1) visualising mixedmeasures of player experience, (2) deconstructing game design by analysing game events and pace, (3) incremental improvement of classic user research techniques (such as interviews and physiological measurements). These contributions are described in practical case studies, interviews with game developers and laboratory experiments. The results show this evaluation approach can enable games user researchers to increase the plausibility and persuasiveness of their reports and facilitate developers to better deliver their design goals. Biometric Storyboards is not aimed at replacing existing methods, but to extend them with mixed methods visualisations, to provide powerful tools for games user researchers and developers to better understand and communicate player needs, interactions and experiences. The contributions of this thesis are directly applicable for user researchers and game developers, as well as for researchers in user experience evaluation in entertainment systems.
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Jones, Jason M. "Games for training leveraging commercial off the shelf multiplayer gaming software for infantry squad collective training." Thesis, Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/2047.
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Combat arms units (both Marine and Army) often do not have enough people, time and resources to properly train collective tasks at the squad level. Resources are often retained by higher headquarters due to tight deployment schedules, land restrictions, logistics constraints and a myriad of other reasons. Due to the current operational demands of combat arms brigades and regiments, the reality of limited resources is often a contributing factor in poor performance at the squad level. Leaders at all levels will need to look for innovative ways to sustain training levels at the small unit level. The scope of this study examined the collective and leader tasks that are required for successful execution of Infantry squad missions (using the Army Training and Evaluation Plan ARTEP 7-8 Drill), and how those tasks could be trained with the use of commercial off-the-shelf multiplayer gaming software. The end-state of this research study is to provide initial analysis on what collective skills games can be used to train at the Infantry squad level, and develop a training model recommendation for the integration of this tool into existing unit plans.
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Ruggill, Judd E. "Licensed to shill: How video and computer games tarnished the silver screen." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/280772.
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This dissertation outlines the material and aesthetic origins of the game film in order to show how video and computer games are altering film's role in the media economy specifically, and the form and function of the mass media more generally. I argue that game cinematization is emblematic of the culture industries' (1) new economic practices and (2) aesthetic and technological convergence. Chapter One introduces the dissertation and offers a precis of the history of film-based licensing in the U.S. In the chapter, I suggest that one of the primary functions of American commercial film is to brand and sell consumer goods, and that understanding the origins of this licensing function is crucial to understanding how games are redefining it. Chapter Two provides a political economy of the institutional and industrial factors that made the game film possible, focusing specifically on a sea change in game business during the late 1980s, and the joint Congressional hearings on game violence in the early 1990s. Chapter Three complements Chapter Two's historical materialist analysis with a textual one, analyzing why game films seem to draw primarily from a single genre--the fighting game. The fighting game's ability to facilitate "safe looking," along with the ways fighting games embody the very essence of genre, have helped ease the transformation of game content into film content. Chapter Four revisits Chapters Two and Three in order to show how the material and aesthetic forces that birthed the game film are among the most influential forces affecting film today. The chapter analyzes the evolution of media makers' attempts to explore and exploit the game medium, and describes the ways games have begun to reshape film business, production, and aesthetics.
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Vidlund, Anna. "English in video and online computer games : Potential enhancement of players’ vocabulary." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för språk (SPR), 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-28402.
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The aim of this essay is to distinguish whether the activity of playing video and online computer games as a leisure activity could be considered to be a learning situation. With the focus on vocabulary, this study investigates the possibility that gamers could improve their language proficiency while playing video and online computer games. The methodology is based on qualitative observations (Patel & Davidson 2011) and on interviews with seven players of five different games. The observations mainly considered the vocabulary used in the games and how the players used the English language while playing. The interviews are constructed with the methodology mentioned by Kylén (2004). The interview questions aimed to answer if the players had been noticing an improvement of their vocabulary. The data are mainly acquired from the observations and interviews. The background sections build on studies relating to computer-based language learning and on the previous research on ELF, primarily from Barbara Seidlhofer (2011). Even though the data acquired from the observations and interviews are limited, it is apparent that video and online computer games have a noticeable impact on language development, regarding vocabulary. The main conclusion of this study is that the games do not influence the players’ language proficiency as considerably as the engaging in the functions in conjunction with the games.
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Richoux, Natalie Regina Chambers. "Computer Mediated Communication: Enregisterment of Gamerspeak and Intertextual Borrowings by 4chan Users." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/81406.
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Digital spaces are opening the doors to developing types of registers within languages that rely on computer mediated communication. Participants in the video game community have enregistered language that is concise and efficient for the purposes of game play to make snap decisions. However, the register is being borrowed by 4chan users, adapted to their sociocultural needs, and employed by some to communicate threats of violence. The aim of this thesis is to understand the structure of gaming language both inside and outside of a gaming platform and to examine how some users of 4chan make use of this less commonly understood register for expressions of violent intent. I observe professional eSports athletes in game play, interviews, and news articles to establish a baseline of gaming terminology and examine the structure within this enregistered facet of language. I found that much of gaming terminology is derived through processes already common in the development of slang and other forms of language change, and I used the results of this analysis to generate a survey about understanding of these language forms. This survey was distributed to participants who had different amounts of experience with video games (mega gamers vs. non-mega gamers) to determine each groups' awareness of gaming terminology and their understanding of certain phrases as communication of a threat. The survey revealed that mega gamers more commonly define terms in relation to video games than non-mega gamers, but that they were not more likely to identify phrases with gaming terms as threats except in a few isolated cases.<br>Master of Arts
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Denham, Geoffrey Walter, University of Western Sydney, and School of Communication and Media. "Audio-visions : domestic videogame play." THESIS_XXX_SCM_Denham_G.xml, 1999. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/255.
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The domestic playing of videogames is examined through a series of extended dialogues with male adolescents. The research process was grounded in a theorisation of audience activity in communication studies which sees meanings emerging from the boys’ engagements with kinetic texts in terms of refigurative activity. This encapsulates reading, interpretation, and a cultural productivity whereby the kinetic text is returned to the everyday world, primarily through a relation of mimicry. The cultural fertility of videogames is traced through this mimicry to reveal a series of themes: a de-stabilising of the distinction between work and play spaces; the fragmentation of audiences of the small screen in the home through the establishment of gendered playspaces; the instilling of competitive relations within male community; and the melding of fantasy and discipline. An investigation of the significance of soundtrack to videogame play leads to the conclusion that in videogame playing a new cultural competency is taking shape in the form of a postmodern literacy, which lays stress on a continuous circumlocution, a destabilizing of narrative time, and middles rather than beginnings or endings. The findings contradict many ideas regarding videogame playing: that players are addicts; that videogame play is mindless; or that players are fickle. Videogame playing is implicated as an identity-making discursive project considered central to the business of being a male adolescent.<br>Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Stenmark, Philip. "Dynamic Mood in Games Using Parametric Input." Thesis, Luleå tekniska universitet, Institutionen för system- och rymdteknik, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-80041.
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In the context of video games, a portrayed mood can bring forward emotion and make a scene more alive. With the use of dynamic mood, the look and feel of the game may change provided dynamic events, as dictated by player inputs and various sets of conditions. This thesis aims to describe and present a range of techniques that are subject of affecting the in-game mood, as implemented into an original development project. By using select design patterns, carefully authored parameters and intuitive areas of implementation, the mood and atmosphere of the game experience can be altered dynamically in meaningful ways.<br>Ur ett datorspelsperpektiv så kan en viss stämning väcka känslor och få en miljö att kännas mer levande. Med dynamisk stämning så menas att spelets utseende och känsla kan förändras med hjälp av dynamiska händelser, formade efter indata från spelaren och olika uppsättningar av villkor. Detta dokument har för avsikt att presentera en rad tekniker som kan användas för att påverka ett spels stämning på ett dynamiskt och betydelsefullt sätt. Genom att välja rätt designmönster, noggrant formulera parametrar samt utforska intuitiva utvecklingsområden så demonstreras detta inför ett verkligt spelprojekt.
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Goeringer, Tyler. "Massively Parallel Reinforcement Learning With an Application to Video Games." Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1373073319.
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Ivory, Adrienne Holz. "The Effects of Profanity in Violent Video Game Content on Players' Hostile Expectations, Accessibility of Aggressive Thoughts, Aggressive Feelings, and Other Responses." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/77200.
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Although the effects of violent video games on aggression in users have been researched extensively and the resulting body of research shows that violent video games can increase aggressive behaviors, aggression-related feelings and thoughts, and physiological arousal, no empirical studies to date have examined whether there are similar and parallel effects of verbal aggression (e.g., profanity) in video game content. A 2 X 2 between-subjects factorial experiment (N = 321) tested the effects of profanity used by protagonists (protagonist profanity present versus absent) and antagonists (antagonist profanity present versus absent) on users' hostile expectations, accessibility of aggressive thoughts, aggressive feelings, perceived arousal, use of profanity, enjoyment, presence, and perceived performance while taking into account the potential moderating role of gender and controlling for several individual difference variables. The study's factors were manipulated via the creation of four versions of an original three-dimensional "first-person shooter" video game.
Profanity used by both protagonist and antagonist characters was found to have significant effects on players' hostile expectations, an important higher-order aggressive outcome that is the most direct precursor to aggressive behaviors in the process described by the general aggression model. There was limited evidence for effects of profanity in game content on players' accessibility of aggressive thoughts, aggressive feelings, and perceived arousal. Additionally, profanity had little impact on how much players used profanity themselves, how much they enjoyed the game, feelings of presence, and how they rated their performance in the game. These trends were consistent across a range of demographic, personality, and video game experience dimensions that were measured, even though several of these individual difference variables were found to be related to some outcome variables and to each other. Therefore, while this study's findings did not necessarily indicate imitative modeling of profanity, they point to the possibility of more general effects regarding aggressive outcomes. This study's findings emphasize the need for future research investigating the effects of profanity in video games and other media.<br>Ph. D.
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Krča, Michal. "Making better serious games for children with ADHD : Guidelines for designing motivational video game training." Thesis, Högskolan i Skövde, Institutionen för informationsteknologi, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-12448.
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This study examines how serious games may be designed and developed to contain engaging working memory (WM) training exercises. Video games have a high potential as WM exercise environment for children with ADHD, but it is still difficult to create a long-term training solution due to their problem to retain attention. This thesis aims for better understanding of ADHD children’s motivation to be trained by describing the creation of a game prototype that was designed with the help from WM experts, workshops with designers working on previous prototypes of the same game, guidance from medical doctors specialized on ADHD, and by using a methodical formal game design approach along with frequent user tests. The results of the presented prototype showed an increase in play-time and in retention of player’s attention over time in comparison to the previous prototype. The study concludes how game design resonated with the target audience.
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Gough, Richard D. "Player attitudes to avatar development in digital games : an exploratory study of single-player role-playing games and other genres." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2013. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/13540.
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Digital games incorporate systems that allow players to customise and develop their controllable in-game representative (avatar) over the course of a game. Avatar customisation systems represent a point at which the goals and values of players interface with the intentions of the game developer forming a dynamic and complex relationship between system and user. With the proliferation of customisable avatars through digital games and the ongoing monetisation of customisation options through digital content delivery platforms it is important to understand the relationship between player and avatar in order to provide a better user experience and to develop an understanding of the cultural impact of the avatar. Previous research on avatar customisation has focused on the users of virtual worlds and massively multiplayer games, leaving single-player avatar experiences. These past studies have also typically focused on one particular aspect of avatar customisation and those that have looked at all factors involved in avatar customisation have done so with a very small sample. This research has aimed to address this gap in the literature by focusing primarily on avatar customisation features in single-player games, aiming to investigate the relationship between player and customisation systems from the perspective of the players of digital games. To fulfill the research aims and objectives, the qualitative approach of interpretative phenomenological analysis was adopted. Thirty participants were recruited using snowball and purposive sampling (the criteria being that participants had played games featuring customisable avatars) and accounts of their experiences were gathered through semi-structured interviews. Through this research, strategies of avatar customisation were explored in order to demonstrate how people use such systems. The shortcomings in game mechanics and user interfaces were highlighted so that future games can improve the avatar customisation experience.
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Grimshaw, Mark Nicholas. "The Acoustic Ecology of the First-Person Shooter." The University of Waikato, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2653.
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This thesis contributes to the field of Game Studies by presenting the hypothesis that the player(s) and soundscape(s) in the first-person shooter (FPS) game, and the relationships between them, may be construed as an acoustic ecology. It explores the idea that the single-player FPS game acoustic ecology has the basic components of player and soundscape and that the relationships between these two lead to the creation and perception of a variety of spaces within the game world constituting a significant contributing factor to player immersion in that world. Additionally, in a multiplayer FPS game, these individual acoustic ecologies form part of a larger acoustic ecology which may be explained through autopoietic principles. There has been little written on digital game sound (much less on FPS game sound) and so the research contained within this thesis is an important contribution to the Game Studies field. Furthermore, the elaboration of the hypothesis provides insight into the role of sound in the perception of a variety of spaces in the FPS game, and player immersion in those spaces, and this has significance not only for Game Studies but also for other disciplines such as virtual environment design and the study of real-world acoustic ecologies. A text-based methodology is employed in which literature from a range of disciplines is researched for concepts relevant to the hypothesis but, where necessary, new concepts will be devised. The aim of the methodology is to construct a conceptual framework which is used to explicate the hypothesis and which may, with future refinement, be used for the study of sound in digital game genres other than FPS.
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Gillispie, Lucas B. "Effects of a 3-D video game on middle school student achievement and attitude in mathematics." View electronic thesis, 2008. http://dl.uncw.edu/etd/2008-3/gillispiel/lucasgillispie.pdf.
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