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Ngai, Anita Ching Yi. "Cultural Influences On Video Games: players' preferences in narrative and game-play." Thesis, University of Waterloo, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/770.
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As an entertainment media, video games provide pleasure and enjoyment through interactions with various game elements. Some games are more successful in one part of the world than others, which sales data have clearly shown over the years. Games designed in various parts of the world often have distinct differences, as developers implicitly or subconsciously convey their values and culture in their creations. Thus, in examining ?what is fun,? one must move beyond technical aspects of game design and look into immersion and emotional experiences. In this paper, sales data for 2004 were first examined, followed by a case study to investigate any differences between Japan and the US, where major game console manufacturers and game developers reside. Although they indicated differences in popularity of genres and design approaches, results from the survey were not able to verify conclusively major statistical difference between the two groups of respondents.
The survey was constructed with a focus on narrative and game-play elements, in hopes to get a better understanding of players? preferences through the concept of immersion, which were anticipated to be influenced by cultural differences. Although no major differences were found, given the small sample population, it could be seen that there was a greater sense of character attachment from Japanese respondents, while American respondents did not like to be forced away from their actions by ?long? narrative elements.
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Chisholm, Joseph Donald. "Reduced attentional capture in action video game players." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/12578.
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Over the past 30 years, video games have become a more accepted and increasingly popular form of entertainment. Due to this increase in public interest as well as the increasing complexity of modern video games, researchers have begun to study whether extensive video game experience can affect cognitive and perceptual skills. Of particular interest is whether video game experience affects aspects of visual attention. Recent studies indicate that playing action video games improves performance on a number of visual attention-based tasks. However, it remains unclear whether action video game experience primarily affects endogenous or exogenous forms of spatial orienting. To examine this issue, action video game players and non-action video game players performed an attentional capture task. Results showed that action video game players responded quicker than non-action video game players both when a target appeared in isolation and when a salient, task-irrelevant distractor was present in the display. Action video game players additionally showed a smaller capture effect than non-action video game players. When coupled with the findings of previous studies, the collective evidence indicates that extensive experience with action video games may enhance players’ top-down attentional control which in turn can modulate the negative effects of bottom-up attentional capture. Collectively, this work also adds to the literature suggesting that video games can provide a novel form of rehabilitation for individuals living with various cognitive or visual deficits.
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Phillips, R. S. "Exploring the characteristics of violent video game players." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2018. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/52040/.
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The role of violent video games (VVG) in increasing levels of aggression in players is a topic that has been debated for decades. While a simple cause and effect relationship is not present, it is apparent from the literature that VVGs do have a relationship with elevated levels of aggression within some players. The first chapter of this Thesis presents a systematic review of the literature focusing on additional factors included in the research to explain this finding. However, a lack of standardisation in both measurement and reporting of results making interpretation difficult. The second chapter provides a critique of the non-experimental methods used within video game (VG) research. The third chapter focuses on a non-experimental study which highlighted the differences in aggression, motivations for playing, empathy, and personality in a group of VVG players. The final chapter presents the results of a service evaluation of the management of VGs within a high secure psychiatric hospital, which highlighted the real-world implication of an unclear literature base. The conclusions of this thesis highlight the variation in the quality of the literature available and stresses the need to conduct research with targeted populations, both VG players and clinically populations, to fully understand the relationship between engaging in VVG and increased aggression.
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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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Wydick, James R. "The impact of in-game advertising on players' attitudes and purchasing behavior towards video games." View electronic thesis, 2008. http://dl.uncw.edu/etd/2008-3/wydickj/jameswydick.pdf.
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Peters, Sara Jean. "Get in the game the effects of game-product and product placement proximity on game players' processing of brands embedded advergames /." Diss., Columbia, Mo. : University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10355/5756.
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Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008.The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 14, 2009) Includes bibliographical references.
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Evanson, Michele Desiree. "Examining Female Gamers’ Perceptions and Attitudes of Behaviors in the Gaming Community." Marietta College / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=marietta1494336910328406.
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Schmidt, Anne [Verfasser], and Stefan [Gutachter] Pollmann. "Spatial contextual cueing in handball players and action video game players / Anne Schmidt ; Gutachter: Stefan Pollmann." Magdeburg : Universitätsbibliothek Otto-von-Guericke-Universität, 2019. http://d-nb.info/1219965812/34.
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Rios, Pino Luis Felipe. "Players Attitudes Towards In-Game Advertising." Bachelor's thesis, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC), 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10757/655075.
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Los usuarios están protestando activamente contra los anuncios digitales invasivos descargando software de bloqueo de anuncios. Los desarrolladores de juegos recientes introducen publicidad dinámica e interactiva en mundos virtuales. En este contexto, videojuegos como el NBA2K18, lanzaron diferentes plataformas como vallas publicitarias y otros medios publicitarios dentro del juego. Este estudio tiene como objetivo analizar cómo es la experiencia del usuario en NBA2K18 con respecto a la participación de las marcas en él. Se posiciona en el paradigma interpretativo y se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas. Los participantes fueron 15 jugadores NBA2K18, considerados "Hard Core Players" cuyas edades oscilaron entre los 18 y los 25 años. Se estudiará MyCareer, un modo de juego en NBA 2K18. Los resultados muestran que todos los participantes estuvieron de acuerdo en que las marcas son necesarias en este juego, ya que ayudan a los jugadores a cumplir con todas sus fantasías. Las percepciones de los jóvenes giraban en torno a cómo las marcas les ayudaban a perseguir sus sueños. Las marcas en NBA2K18, no sometieron la experiencia del juego a sus objetivos; más bien, lo mejoran, para que los jugadores lo sientan mucho más cercano a la vida real.Users are actively protesting against invasive digital ads by downloading adblocking software. Recent games developers introduce dynamic and interactive advertising into virtual worlds. In this context, video games like NBA2K18 launched different platforms like billboards and other advertising media within the game. This study aims to analyze how the user’s experience in NBA2K18 is regarding the participation of brands in it. It is positioned in the interpretive paradigm and semi-structured interviews were conducted. The participants were 15 NBA2K18 players, considered "hard-core players" whose ages ranged from 18 to 25. MyCareer, a game mode in NBA 2K18 will be studied. Findings show all participants agreed that brands are necessary in this game because help the players fulfilled every fantasy requirement. Young people's perceptions revolved around how the brands help them pursuing their dreams. Brands in NBA2K18, do not undergo the experience of the game; rather, they enhance it, so that players feel it much more like real life.
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Chukwu, Leonard O., and Yazhini Ramaswamy. "Differentiating Video Game Addiction from Other High-Level Engagements Among Adult Players." Thesis, Högskolan Dalarna, Institutionen för information och teknik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:du-37742.
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This study focused on the behaviours of adult video game players in the context of positive and negative effects of video games, to accurately differentiate video game addicts from highly engaged and non-addicted players. To accomplish this, we adopted the Problematic Video Game Playing Test (PVGT) to measure the components of addiction and Flow Short Scale (FSS) to measure high-level engagement. This is a concept which has been lost in the previous studies, setting the current study apart from other studies which were primarily concerned with investigating the negative impact of video games on its players. To get the data needed for this study, we conducted an online survey with a 40-item questionnaire which included demographic information of the respondents, gaming experience and behavioural components of flow and addiction. We were able to attract 80 adult video game players to participate in the study. Our findings showed that 60% of these 80 adult video game players were not addicted, 34% were highly engaged while 6% of the players were addicted. These findings helped us to infer that not all highly engaged video game players are addicted. Furthermore, most of the addicted players were players who have been playing video games for a long time.
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Chisholm, Joseph D. "Individual differences in oculomotor control : the case of action video game players." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/49997.
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A growing field of research has highlighted that experience with action video games, characterized by being particularly fast paced and attentionally demanding, yields performance improvements across a host of cognitive paradigms. The prevailing account is that extensive action video game experience gives rise to improvements in the control of selective attention. By recording eye movements in a series of experiments where participants completed an oculomotor capture task, the present dissertation aims to use a more direct measure of the spatial allocation of attention to further examine the basis for the improvements demonstrated by action video game players (AVGPs) relative to non-video game players (NVGPs). Chapter 2 examines the basis for AVGPs’ reported resistance to distracting information. In addition to demonstrating that the AVGP advantage extends to overt attention, the results reveal that AVGPs are better able to avoid distraction by making fewer shifts of attention to salient task-irrelevant information. Chapter 3 examines whether the AVGPs’ resistance to distraction is a result of improvements in selection and/or response-based processes. Evidence is provided to suggest that AVGPs’ performance is enhanced via benefits to both processes. Independent of video game experience, Chapter 4 examines the influence that distractor awareness has on oculomotor control and reveals that it can benefit performance. This knowledge was applied in Chapter 5 to assess whether distractor awareness interacts with AVGP and NVGP performance. Results demonstrate that distractor awareness can eliminate the AVGP advantage. Chapter 6 examined whether AVGP would outperform NVGPs when biologically relevant stimuli was added to search displays. Results reveal that AVGP benefits generalize to more complex stimuli. Chapter 7 provides a test of the recently proposed learning to learn account of AVGP performance benefits and disconfirms this explanation. Collectively, the dissertation demonstrates how improved attentional control can be manifested in AVGPs to reduce distraction from salient visual information. Importantly, the conclusions drawn from this body of work are consistent with the notion that AVGPs experience more efficient processing of sensory information than NVGPs, providing a possible mechanism subserving the general AVGP advantage observed across a variety of cognitive tasks.Arts, Faculty of
Psychology, Department of
Graduate
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Crowell, Robin April. "Gender Bias and the Evaluation of Players: Voice and Gender in Narrated Gameplay Videos." PDXScholar, 2016. http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/3156.
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This study evaluates perception differences of male and female narrators in video game tutorials. Video games have long been considered a masculine pursuit, and because of this, women have endured unpleasant surroundings and interactions in gaming and related communities. With the proliferation of technologies like Twitch and YouTube gaming, gaming is more communicative than ever, increasing potential for problematic interactions. Recent booms in these technologies emphasize the importance of understanding how varying demographics are perceived, as these perceptions influence interactions, potentially limiting the likelihood of women and others' involvement and interest.
Involvement in technology during youth is associated with interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers--all fields with disparities in women's employment. Measures included confidence, credibility, performance, trustworthiness, and leadership ability to better understand how the integration of communicative technologies into gaming influences perceptions based on cues--in this case, specifically voice. Male narrators were hypothesized to be evaluated as more confident and credible than female narrators overall, while performance, trustworthiness, and leadership evaluations were hypothesized to be moderated by one's own gender identity. No significant differences emerged, which suggests a positive change in climate for female gamers and leaders in the industry.
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Clark, Bradley R. "Using the ZMET Method to Understand Individual Meanings Created by Video Game Players Through the Player-Super Mario Avatar Relationship." Diss., CLICK HERE for online access, 2008. http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/ETD/image/etd2358.pdf.
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Almeida, Samuel de Jesus. "The player and video game interplay in the gameplay experience construct." Doctoral thesis, Universidade de Aveiro, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10773/13417.
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Doutoramento em Informação e Comunicação em Plataformas DigitaisAmong the many discussions and studies related to video games, one of the most recurrent, widely debated and important relates to the experience of playing video games. The gameplay experience – as appropriated in this study – is the result of the interplay between two essential elements: a video game and a player. Existing studies have explored the resulting experience of video game playing from the perspective of the video game or the player, but none appear to equally balance both of these elements. The study presented here contributes to the ongoing debate with a gameplay experience model. The proposed model, which looks to equally balance the video game and the player elements, considers the gameplay experience to be both an interactive experience (related to the process of playing the video game) and an emotional experience (related to the outcome of playing the video game). The mutual influence of these two experiences during video game play ultimately defines the gameplay experience. To this gameplay experience contributes several dimensions, related to both the video game and player: the video game includes a mechanics, interface and narrative dimension; the player includes a motivations, expectations and background dimension. Also, the gameplay experience is initially defined by a gameplay situation, conditioned by an ambient in which gameplay takes place and a platform on which the video game is played. In order to initially validate the proposed model and attempt to show a relationship among the multiple model dimensions, a multi-case study was carried out using two different video games and player samples. In one study, results show significant correlations between multiple model dimensions, and evidence that video game related changes influence player motivations as well as player visual behavior. In specific player related analysis, results show that while players may be different in terms of background and expectations regarding the game, their motivation to play are not necessarily different, even if their performance in the game is weak. While further validation is necessary, this model not only contributes to the gameplay experience debate, but also demonstrates in a given context how player and video game dimensions evolve during video game play.
Entre as muitas discussões e estudos relacionados com os videojogos, um dos mais recorrentes, amplamente debatido e importante relaciona-se com a experiência de jogar videojogos. A experiência de jogo - como empregado neste estudo - é o resultado da interação entre dois elementos essenciais: um videojogo e um jogador. Os estudos existentes têm explorado a experiência resultante do ato de jogar a partir da perspectiva do videojogo ou do jogador, mas nenhum parece igualmente equilibrar estes dois elementos. O estudo aqui apresentado contribui para o debate em curso com um modelo da experiência de jogo. O modelo proposto, que procura equilibrar de forma igual os elementos videojogo e jogador, considera a experiência de jogo como uma experiência interativa (relacionada com o processo de jogar o videojogo) e uma experiência emocional (relacionada com o resultado de jogar o videojogo). A influência mútua destas duas experiências durante o ato de jogar define a experiência de jogo. Para esta experiência de jogo contribuem várias dimensões, relacionadas com o videojogo e o jogador: o videojogo inclui a dimensão da mecânica, da interface e narrativa; o jogador inclui a dimensão das motivações, expectativas e background. Além disso, a experiência de jogo é inicialmente definida por uma situação de jogo, condicionada por um ambiente em que o jogo se realiza e uma plataforma na qual se joga. Para inicialmente validar o modelo e tentar mostrar uma relação entre as múltiplas dimensões do modelo proposto, um estudo multicaso foi concretizado utilizando dois videojogos e amostras diferentes. Num dos estudos, os resultados mostram correlações significativas entre as múltiplas dimensões do modelo, e evidências de que alterações ao videojogo podem influenciar as motivações do jogador e o seu comportamento visual. Numa análise relacionada com características dos jogadores, os resultados mostram que os jogadores, embora possam ser diferentes em termos de experiência e expectativas em relação ao jogo, a sua motivação para jogar não é necessariamente diferente, mesmo que o seu desempenho no jogo seja fraco. Embora uma validação contínua do modelo seja necessária, este modelo não só contribui para o debate da experiência de jogo, mas também mostra num determinado contexto como as dimensões do jogador e videojogo evoluem durante o ato de jogar.
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Hansen, Jared Capener. "Why Can't Zelda Save Herself? How the Damsel in Distress Trope Affects Video Game Players." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2018. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/7304.
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Research has unearthed an abundance of objectification and hypersexualization of female characters within video games. However, the recurring element of the damsel in distress trope is also harmful to the medium. This cliché of a helpless princess in need of a man to save her is a recurring element of The Legend of Zelda series. This experimental design tested the effects of a prototypical <&hyphen>œsave the princess<&hyphen> mission on players<'> agreement to sexist statements on gender roles, objectification, and female dependency, and examined the factors of self-efficacy and gamer status as potential mediators. Participants played a modified version of a classic Legend of Zelda game, where the genders of the hero protagonist and damsel are manipulated. This 2 x 2 study included male and female heroes rescuing male and female victims in the four different cells. Immediately following the experiment, participants then took a post-test survey to gauge if there was any difference on their agreement to sexist statements. These results were also compared to their previous responses on their self-efficacy scores and their gamer status.
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Warm, Anna. "The role of video game violence in hostile affect, cognitions and attributional style among adolescent players." Thesis, University of Central Lancashire, 1999. http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/19055/.
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A central aim of the present research was to investigate the short-term influences of video game play on aggression-related psychological states (including affect, cognitions, attributions and behavioural tendencies). More specifically, efforts were directed at establishing psychological effects of video games, which are causally related to game violence. A series of experiments examined short-term changes in adolescent players following various types of video game play. Experiment 1 identified a number of important game dimensions (i.e., characteristics of video game play) and explored their relationship to overall game enjoyment using path analysis. Of particular interest was the finding that violence did not strongly influence game enjoyment. In Experiment 2, increases in affective hostility and anger were reported after both types of video game play. Significantly greater increases after violent video game play provided support for a video game violence-hostile affect relation. However, the findings of subsequent experiments produced contrasting evidence showing that affective changes following video game play do not predictably vary as a function of game violence, but appear to be linearly related to video game pace. Game violence was more strongly implicated in cognitive effects of video game play. Evidence that game violence affects cognitions emerged on a variety of measures. These cognitive effects were seen as being reflective of aggression priming and short-term disinhibition processes. Finally, the extent to which short-term effects of violent video game play dispose players towards aggression was investigated using attribution and response tendency measures. Whilst the majority of the analyses failed to produce effects of game violence on attributions and response tendencies, an interesting interaction emerged involving game violence effects in females. The nature of the inteaction was viewed as being best explained by modelling processes, though disinhibition explanations were also viewed as being compatible. The findings were interpreted within existing social-psychological theories of media-elicited aggression. A number of video game effects could be accounted for using Berkowitz's cognitive neo-associationist framework, whilst other findings implicated the usefulness of Zillmann's excitation-transfer theory for understanding video game effects. Ultimately, the results were conceptualised using Anderson's General Affective Aggression model. Overall, the research was fairly successful in highlighting a number of short-term affective and cognitive states that can result from video game play. However, these effects were generally not manifested in behavioural tendencies towards others. The few findings that did implicate increases in aggressive behavioural tendencies were difficult to place within Anderson's framework, as they did not parallel changes at earlier stages of the model (i.e. affective and cognitive changes). Modelling and/or possibly disinhibition effects were viewed as the most appropriate theoretical concepts for explaining the findings relating to behavioural tendencies. The implications of the findings in relation to previous research on video game and media effects and limitations to the generalisability of the findings are discussed. Finally, several recommendations for future research are outlined.
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Burke, Benjamin M. S., James M. Ph D. Duncan, Nick Ph D. Frye, and Mallory Ph D. LMFT CFLE Lucier-Greer. "Sense of (Online) Community? The Social Organization Theory of Action and Change and Adult Video Game Players." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2020. https://dc.etsu.edu/secfr-conf/2020/schedule/45.
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Much investigation has explored the potential effects of video games in adolescence. However, limited research has been conducted on the effects of social video game play and individual and relational well-being in adults. The Social Organization Theory of Action and Change (SOAC) may be a helpful way to examine social behaviors (like gaming) and how they relate to well-being. This exploratory study will utilize the SOAC to examine social gaming behaviors in adults, and examine the relationships between these behaviors and adult individual and relational outcomes (e.g., loneliness, relationship satisfaction). Descriptive statistics and correlations are provided. Regression analyses will be performed. Results will be used to discuss the viability of applying the SOAC to online, social gaming contexts. Implications for social video game play in adults will be provided.
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Young, Lois Alison. "A Gender Role Theory Examination of the Relationship between Gender Identity and Video Game Players' Avatar Choices." Thesis, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10743235.
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This study had two purposes: to determine whether or not biological sex and/or gender identity impacted the way an individual would customize a video game avatar, and to focus on the components—length of time and number of customizations—of avatar design. In addition, an individual’s experience with video games—novice, casual, and hardcore—was considered throughout this study to determine a relationship between individuals and their avatars. This study was based on previous studies about how gender identity impacted individuals in virtual worlds. The video game Dark Souls (2011) was used for the stimulus and the (30-item) Bem Sex Role Inventory—a scale that measures gender identity—was used as the measure. While the research questions provided resulted in no correlation between sex, gender, and player experience, further research is needed to determine how the evolution of the gaming community and the gaming industry continues to impact both players and gaming research.
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Stark, Jessica. "A Day in the Life of a Sim: Making Meaning of Video Game Avatars and Behaviors." Antioch University / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1497718914530561.
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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.Ph. D.
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Hanus, Michael D. "Pay to Play: Effects of Money and Choice on Intrinsic Motivation, Enjoyment, and Self-Esteem in Video Game Players." The Ohio State University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1338480089.
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Liblik, Karl-Chris, and Berlo Kevin van. "The Business of Micro Transactions : What is the players' motivation for purchasing virtual items?" Thesis, Internationella Handelshögskolan, Högskolan i Jönköping, IHH, Företagsekonomi, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-30578.
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Bergstedt, Simon, and Pontus Skoglund. "The loot box dilemma : A qualitative thesis of video game players interactions and mitigation of unethical aspects in loot boxes." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för informatik (IK), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-96512.
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In-game purchase options are referred to as microtransactions and have become a common revenue for modern video games. Microtransactions refer to small payments made inside of video games to acquire game content. The phenomenon of microtransactions is often related to "loot boxes". The definition of loot boxes are items in video games that players can buy with real-world money, the loot boxes, when opened contain randomised rewards. The rise of microtransactions has led to concerns for vulnerable users overspending with currently no regulation or consumer protection. The chance-based nature of loot boxes has arisen discussion regarding the similarities of loot boxes and gambling. The apparent similarity is that the player is risking the loss of real-world money for a small chance of getting a valuable reward. The thesis aims to research video game players motivations, experiences and gameplay habits, to establish guidelines for loot box systems later. Empirical methods, such as surveys and semi-structured interviews, were used to collect data. Established theories Hedonic motivation-system acceptance model (HMSAM) and Theory of planned behaviour (TPB) were used as a theoretical framework to understand the collected data. The results of the empirical data display negative attitudes towards loot boxes. Themes were made to make sense of the attitudes and provide an understanding of the negative attitudes. A design solution in the form of guidelines was developed based on the themes. The guidelines were implemented in a design prototype and thereafter evaluated by participants with a user experience questionnaire. The results of the user evaluation illustrate a positive attitude towards the design, but not convincing enough. Participants raised concerns about a few features of the design and had difficulties to see the features be implemented in the future. Therefore, arguments for further research of the guidelines were establishedAlternativ för köp i videospel kallas mikrotransaktioner och har blivit en vanlig inkomstkälla för moderna videospel. Mikrotransaktioner avser små betalningar inuti videospel för att skaffa spelinnehåll. Fenomenet med mikrotransaktioner är ofta relaterat till "loot boxes". Definitionen för loot boxes är föremål i videospel som spelare kan köpa med riktiga pengar. Loot boxes, när de öppnas innehåller slumpmässiga belöningar. Ökningen av mikrotransaktioner har lett till oro för utsatta användare som överkonsumerar med för närvarande ingen lagstiftning eller konsumentskydd för mikrotransaktioner. Den slumpmässiga karaktären hos loot boxes har lett till diskussioner om likheterna med loot boxes och gambling. Den uppenbara likheten är att spelaren riskerar förlusten av riktiga pengar för en liten chans att få en värdefull belöning. Denna uppsats syftar till att undersöka videospelspelares motivationer, erfarenheter och spelvanor, för att senare fastställa riktlinjer för loot box-system. Empiriska metoder, såsom enkät och semistrukturerade intervjuer, användes för att samla in data. De etablerade teorierna Hedonic motivationssystem acceptance model (HMSAM) och theory of planned behaviour (TPB) användes som ett teoretiskt ramverk för att förstå den insamlade data. Resultaten av empiriska data visar negativa attityder för loot boxes. Teman gjordes för att skapa förståelse till de positiva och negativa attityderna. En designlösning i form av riktlinjer utvecklades utifrån dessa teman. Riktlinjerna implementerades i en designprototyp och utvärderades därefter av deltagare med ett frågeformulär för användarupplevelse. Resultaten från användarutvärderingen illustrerar en positiv inställning till designen, men inte övertygande nog. Deltagarna tar upp bekymmer över några funktioner i designen och hade svårt att se funktionerna implementeras i framtiden. Därför upprättades argument för ytterligare forskning av riktlinjerna.
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Ruiz, Victoria Jeronimo, and Arne Samuel Löffler. "Identifying and testing success factors for brand extensions in the Video Game Industry : The differences between segments of players and a model for predicting success in the Tomb Raider Series." Thesis, Internationella Handelshögskolan, Högskolan i Jönköping, IHH, Företagsekonomi, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-18155.
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Background Brand managers often use brand extension as a “lower” risk alternative when introducing new products. A lot of research has been conducted about brand extensions but mostly focusing on fast moving consumer goods, therefore ignoring the impact that this strategy carries on experience goods and more precisely, the video game industry. Video games have turned from a niche product to a global billion dollar market in which brand extensions are a common marketing strategy. There are several examples of both successful and failed brand extensions in the video game industry. Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to identify brand extension success factors in the videogame industry and how important these factors are for the consumers, a model will be created to test the obtained results; further on the authors will look at different segment of gamers and how the importance of the identified factors differ among them. Method In order to analyze the level of importance that video game users give to the brand extension success factors, an online questionnaire was created with Likert Scale questions to measure each factor. Descriptive statistics, linear regression analysis, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U test were utilized to analyze the results of the questionnaire and to identify differences between the responses of different type of video game users. A second identical questionnaire was distributed only to Tomb Raider users in order to create a model which gave each factor a score depending on the results of the questionnaire and weighted their positive or negative influence into the likelihood of success of each of the Tomb Raider games; the purpose of the model is to predict if each game could be considered a success or not and then compare the prediction with the real outcome of each game in the Tomb Raider series. Conclusion The most important factors for the success of a brand extension in the video game industry are the factors game-play, the brand extension quality as perceived by the users and the factor storyline. On a lower level of importance, the gamers classified the parent brand quality by users and the factors audio, graphics, developer and genre. The lowest category of importance includes the quality as perceived by the critics of the parent brand and the brand extension, the parent brand awareness and the factor multiplayer mode. Finally the survey showed that the cultural familiarity, the factors publisher and rating, and the marketing campaign for the brand extension are not important for the gamers. A second survey was conducted exclusively with Tomb Raider users in order to create the model and the results for this second survey were the same as the one targeted to general gamers, which allows the possibility to generalize the results of the model. The findings of this thesis can help members of the video game industry to better allocate resources towards the factors that most influence the brand extension success.
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Wood, Hannah. "Video game 'Underland', and, thesis 'Playable stories : writing and design methods for negotiating narrative and player agency'." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/29281.
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Creative Project Abstract: The creative project of this thesis is a script prototype for Underland, a crime drama video game and digital playable story that demonstrates writing and design methods for negotiating narrative and player agency. The story is set in October 2006 and players are investigative psychologists given access to a secure police server and tasked with analysing evidence related to two linked murders that have resulted in the arrest of journalist Silvi Moore. The aim is to uncover what happened and why by analysing Silvi’s flat, calendar of events, emails, texts, photos, voicemail, call log, 999 call, a map of the city of Plymouth and a crime scene. It is a combination of story exploration game and digital epistolary fiction that is structured via an authored fabula and dynamic syuzhet and uses the Internal-Exploratory and Internal-Ontological interactive modes to negotiate narrative and player agency. Its use of this structure and these modes shows how playable stories are uniquely positioned to deliver self-directed and empathetic emotional immersion simultaneously. The story is told in a mixture of enacted, embedded, evoked, environmental and epistolary narrative, the combination of which contributes new knowledge on how writers can use mystery, suspense and dramatic irony in playable stories. The interactive script prototype is accessible at underlandgame.com and is a means to represent how the final game is intended to be experienced by players. Thesis Abstract: This thesis considers writing and design methods for playable stories that negotiate narrative and player agency. By approaching the topic through the lens of creative writing practice, it seeks to fill a gap in the literature related to the execution of interactive and narrative devices as a practitioner. Chapter 1 defines the key terms for understanding the field and surveys the academic and theoretical debate to identify the challenges and opportunities for writers and creators. In this it departs from the dominant vision of the future of digital playable stories as the ‘holodeck,’ a simulated reality players can enter and manipulate and that shapes around them as story protagonists. Building on narratological theory it contributes a new term—the dynamic syuzhet—to express an alternate negotiation of narrative and player agency within current technological realities. Three further terms—the authored fabula, fixed syuzhet and improvised fabula—are also contributed as means to compare and contrast the narrative structures and affordances available to writers of live, digital and live-digital hybrid work. Chapter 2 conducts a qualitative analysis of digital, live and live-digital playable stories, released 2010–2016, and combines this with insights gained from primary interviews with their writers and creators to identify the techniques at work and their implications for narrative and player agency. This analysis contributes new knowledge to writing and design approaches in four interactive modes—Internal-Ontological, Internal-Exploratory, External-Ontological and External-Exploratory—that impact on where players are positioned in the work and how the experiential narrative unfolds. Chapter 3 shows how the knowledge developed through academic research informed the creation of a new playable story, Underland; as well as how the creative practice informed the academic research. Underland provides a means to demonstrate how making players protagonists of the experience, rather than of the story, enables the coupling of self-directed and empathetic emotional immersion in a way uniquely available to digital playable stories. It further shows how this negotiation of narrative and player agency can use a combination of enacted, embedded, evoked, environmental and epistolary narrative to employ dramatic irony in a new way. These findings demonstrate ways playable stories can be written and designed to deliver the ‘traditional’ pleasure of narrative and the ‘newer’ pleasure of player agency without sacrificing either.
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Haddad, David, and Casper Strand. "Visual Substitutes for Audio Cues - Providing situational awareness for players with auditory disabilities." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Fakulteten för teknik och samhälle (TS), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-20123.
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Spel har förvandlats till en mainstream underhållningskälla och har utvecklats tillsammans med teknologin. Till en nivå som nyttjar en spelares alla sinnen för att fördjupa de i ett spel. Uppmärksamheten kring tillgänglighet inom spel har dock försvagats.Detta examensarbete undersöker de tillgängliga lösningarna som syftar till att hjälpa döva eller hörselskadade, främst när det gäller situationsmedvetenhet genom att ersätta ljud med en visuell representation. De i skrivande stund tillgängliga lösningarna jämförs sedan med resultaten i relaterad forskning och en undersökning som genomfördes för detta arbete. Målsättningen var att hitta vad som fungerade som en visuell representation av ljud, med undersökningssvaren som ger insikt i döva och hörselskadade individers perspektiv på lösningarna.Dessa resultat kan fungera som en referenspunkt för utvecklare som vill implementera en visuell representation av ljud eller liknande funktion i deras spel.Video Games have turned into a mainstream source of entertainment and have evolved alongside technological improvements. To the point of being able to bring the player immersive gaming experiences that rely heavily on their senses. However, the attention to the accessibility aspects of video games has been lagging behind.This thesis explores the available solutions that aim to help Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH) players, primarily in terms of situational awareness by substituting audio with a visual representation. The currently available solutions are then compared with the findings in related research and a survey that was conducted for this paper. The objective was to find what worked as a visual representation of audio, with the survey responses providing insight into DHH players perspective.These findings can serve as a reference point for developers who want to implement a visual substitute for audio or a similar feature intheir game.
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Koster, Raphaël. "Le jeu vidéo comme manière d'être au monde : socio-anthropologie de l'expérience vidéoludique." Thesis, Paris 1, 2013. http://www.theses.fr/2013PA010541/document.
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La portée culturelle des jeux vidéo passe par le plaisir que les joueurs prennent à leurs pratiques. Cette étude propose d'analyser les régimes d'expérience vidéoludique. A partir d'entretiens qualitatifs et d'enquêtes anthropologiques, deux niveaux d'expérience ont été dégagés : la maîtrise et l'immersion. La maîtrise renvoie à des valeurs individualistes de discipline de soi, de compétition et de quête de reconnaissance sociale. De son côté, l'immersion apparaît davantage portée sur l'affect dans ses sollicitations sensorielles, ses rapports au récit et à la sociabilité. Le jeu vidéo est une « manière d'être au monde » en tant qu'il mobilise des sentiments d'adhésion à des valeurs symboliques partagées. La mise en relation de l'échelle micro-sociologique de la pratique de jeu observée sur le terrain et de l'échelle macro-sociologique de ses déterminations sociales permet de contextualiser les représentations sociales des joueurs et d'en évaluer la portée instituanteThe cultural impact of video games directly depends on the enjoyment experienced by players in their practices. This study analyses the modes of videogaming experience. Drawing from qualitative interviews and anthropological surveys, two modes of experience have been settled : control and immersion. The videogaming experience of control spreads individualistic values of self-discipline, competition and social recognition quest. Whereas immersion appears more in an affective way in its sensorial sollicitations, its narrative modes, and its networking sociabilities. Video gaming is a type of « presence to the world » as it conveys feelings of belonging to shared symbolic values. The connexion between the micro-sociological scale of the on-field observed game practice and the macro-sociological scale of its social determinations allow to contextualise the players' social representations and to evaluate their instituting reach
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Shoemaker, Broderick James. "Competitive multi-player video games." Thesis, Boston University, 2006. https://hdl.handle.net/2144/27769.
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Boston University. University Professors Program Senior theses.PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you.
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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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Medler, Ben. "Play with data - an exploration of play analytics and its effect on player expereinces." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/44888.
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In a time of 'Big Data,' 'Personal Informatics' and 'Infographics' the definitions of data visualization and data analytics are splintering rapidly. When one compares how Fortune 500 companies are using analytics to optimize their supply chains and lone individuals are visualizing their Twitter messages, we can see how multipurpose these areas are becoming. Visualization and analytics are frequently exhibited as tools for increasing efficiency and informing future decisions. At the same time, they are used to produce artworks that alter our perspectives of how data is represented and analyzed. During this time of turbulent reflection within the fields of data visualization and analytics, digital games have been going through a similar period of data metamorphosis as players are increasingly being connected and tracked through various platform systems and social networks. The amount of game-related data collected and shared today greatly exceeds that of previous gaming eras and, by utilizing the domains of data visualization and analytics, this increased access to data is poised to reshape, and continue to reshape, how players experience games.
This dissertation examines how visualization, analytics and games intersect into a domain with a fluctuating identity but has the overall goal to analyze game-related data. At this intersection exists play analytics, a blend of digital systems and data analysis methods connecting players, games and their data. Play analytic systems surround the experience of playing a game, visualizing data collected from players and act as external online hubs where players congregate. As part of this dissertation's examination of play analytics, over eighty systems are analyzed and discussed. Additionally, a user study was conducted to test the effects play analytic systems have on a player's gameplay behavior. Both studies are used to highlight how play analytic systems function and are experienced by players. With millions of players already using play analytics systems, this dissertation provides a chronicle of the current state of play analytics, how the design of play analytics systems may shift in the future and what it means to play with data.
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Callahan, Patrick. "Long versus short violent videogame play : do players habituate? /." Swinburne Research Bank, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/4484.
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Thesis (BA(Hons) (Psychology)) - Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, 2006."October 2006". Typescript. [A thesis is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Honours), Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology - 2006.].
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Ögren, Erik. "Hopelessness in Video Games : Motivating the player." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för speldesign, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-411097.
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This bachelor thesis details the study and analysis of hopelessness, motivation, and personality types concerning game design. It offers definitions for hopelessness based on previous studies and explains what makes people experience hopelessness in games. The thesis compares previously conducted studies on hopelessness and motivation, confirms their validity, and applies the conclusion to theories of game design, such as MDA.
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Ejdemyr, Niclas. "Eye Tracking as an Additional Input Method in Video Games : Using Player Gaze to Improve Player Immersion and Performance." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för kreativa teknologier, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-11824.
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Context. Gaze based interaction in video games is still a developing field, and is mostly used as an off-line evaluation tool or a replacement for traditional input methods. This thesis will look closer at the prospect of using eye tracking as an additional input to be used alongside the traditional methods of input to improve the immersion and performance of the player. Objectives. To implement a gaze based interaction method into arst person adventure in a way to improve player performance and immersion. Method. Using the Tobii REX eye tracker, 18 volunteers participated in an experiment. They played two versions of a game in an controlled environment. The versions had the same mechanics and game elements but only one of them had eye tracking implemented. After the experiment the participants answered nine questions about which prototype they preferred. Results. All participants' scores were in all cases but one, lower when using the eye tracking input method, compared to the traditional one.The time it took for the participants to complete the game was longer for everybody. 16 out of 18 players also felt more immersed in the game while using eye tracking compared to playing with the traditional input method. Conclusions. The results from the experiments provided evidence that the interaction method designed for this thesis did not improve player performance. The results also showed that the interaction method did improve immersion for most players.
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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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Ware, Nicholas R. "“You Must Defeat Shen Long To Stand A Chance”: Street Fighter, Race, Play, and Player." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1277062605.
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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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Ó, Súilleabháin Gearóid. "Learning transfer as “Preparedness” : a phenomenological study of computer and video game player." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2012. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.658015.
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Learning transfer has been the subject of research and debate since the time at least of the publication of seminal articles by Thorndike and Woodworth (1901) with regard to the specificity of its effects. Over the intervening period there have been many reconstructions and reinterpretations of the concept, as well as calls to abandon it entirely as a way to study the influence of prior learning in new learning contexts. Against this background a research question is posed which deliberately does not begin with the concept of learning transfer but asks rather: how do prior learning and experience interplay with or support new learning efforts in the negotiation of novel learning or performance challenges? The influence of prior learning and experience is, after Brallsford and Schwartz (1999), operationalised as "preparedness for future learning" in a phenomenological study of computer and video game players (n=9) of varying levels of past experience as they make their way through a series of novel game-based challenges. The key data gathering methods are those of concurrent think aloud and retrospective stimulated recall. Analysis culminates in a model of transfer as preparedness based around the interplay of four constructs - those of performance, preparedness, new learning, and felt experience. Preparedness emerges from this model as something which, at its deepest core, provides the extensive non explicit background without which even the "unsuccessful" meeting of any performance or learning challenge would not be possible. Preparedness, however, it also suggested, does not bring the learner "all the way" in terms of manifest acts of transfer or performance without some kind of active negotiation with other elements of the model. A final chapter offers discussion with regard to the differences between this model and the original work of Bransford and Schwartz (1999), as well as some reflections on the validity and limitations of the study findings and their implications for practice, policy and future research.
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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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Niklasson, Alfred. "Game design of multiple genre, testing player experience on shifting combat." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Interaktiva och kognitiva system, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-159834.
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As more and more people get in to video games. We look at what makes for a good experience. Psychological factors which enriches gameplay like flow and immersion. And Game design factors which provides conditions for flow and immersion. We gather knowledge and use these factors to implement a video game prototype with two versions for testing a scenario. In this scenario the player is set out in the world to fight terrorists in a top-down shooter. Version 1 keeps top-down shooter throughout the entire level while version 2 changes the combat system to a Japanese Role-Playing Game style on the end boss. We then sent out both versions to testers to measure their experience with both versions. Measurement is done with the Game Experience Questionnaire and interviews were held with the testers. The results from this study indicates that the experience is largely unaffected. This may however be due to many causes as, sample size, the scenario itself and more.
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Forsyth, Susan Redman. "Virtually Smoking| Exploring Player Perception of Tobacco Content in Video Games." Thesis, University of California, San Francisco, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10133422.
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Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experience of play for adolescent and young adult video game players, perceptions of tobacco content in games, and to understand why game designers inserted tobacco content into the play experience.
Background: Viewing smoking in movies causes adolescents to start to smoke. Little research has been done examining whether tobacco content in video games may have similar effects. Teens play video games for an average of 1.4 hours a day, 83% of teens have a dedicated gaming console at home, and on any given day, 56% of teens play video games.
Methods: Four data collection strategies were used: interviews including in-person interviews with adolescents (n=20), online interviews with adults (n=41) in-person/video phone interviews with game designers (n=5), observation of gameplay (40 hours), watching movies made from gameplay (n=350 hours) and examining relevant artifacts, including: game ratings and commentary websites, game wikis, written material about video gaming and specific games. Data were collected and analyzed using an interpretive phenomenological approach.
Results: Game players valued playing because of the games’ ability to transport them into worlds where they experienced freedom, power, stress relief and relaxation. Far from being isolating, games also served as places to gather, make community and create, hone and extend identity. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) did not rate games with tobacco content accurately. Only 8% (9/118) of the games examined had received ESRB tobacco-related content descriptors, but 42% (50/118) contained such content. Participant recall of tobacco content increased when players were actively involved with the tobacco product. Players and designers implicitly understood that insertion of tobacco content allowed messages to be rapidly conveyed about characters, including tobacco-industry groomed tropes such as being cool, rebellious, world-weary, stressed, “badass”, masculine or feminine, tough and normal.
Conclusion: Tobacco content is present in games played by adolescents and imbued with meaning. Game companies are uniquely positioned to inculcate game-normative values among players, including continuing the normalization of smoking and its associated tropes.
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Blair, Lucas. "The use of video game achievements to enhance player performance, self-efficacy, and motivation." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2011. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4740.
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A taxonomy of achievement design features that exist currently in video game systems was created in order to evaluate the current the state of the art in achievement design. From the taxonomy of design features multiple mechanisms of action that influence player behavior were identified. These mechanisms lead to a predictive model that can guide the designs of achievements in order to improve performance, self-efficacy and motivation in players. Expected, unexpected, and incremental achievements were tested. Notifications occurring before and after earning an achievement were also tested. In addition to testing individual mechanisms of action a "combined achievement" was created with multiple mechanisms added that were hand-picked. For testing purposes the model was applied to achievements that were inserted into an instructional game. The results of the study revealed that individual mechanisms of action had little effect on players while multiple mechanisms in a combined achievement caused significant improvements in several categories. The limitations of the current study, as well as, plans for future study are also discussed.ID: 031001469; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Title from PDF title page (viewed July 11, 2013).; Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2011.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-70).
Ph.D.
Doctorate
Psychology
Sciences
Modeling and Simulation
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Fuentes, Raul. "A qualitative examination of tilt in League of Legends esports players." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för hälsa och välfärd, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-45543.
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Some video games offer, today, high-level competitive performance in the form of esports – a discipline recognized as a performance domain in need of investigation within a sport psychological perspective. Tilt, described as severe frustration resulting in suboptimal performance, is a common, yet still under-investigated performance debilitating phenomenon in esports. The aim of the present study was to gain an understanding of factors and processes relating to tilt in the esports of League of Legends. To that end, a qualitative method was applied using thematic analysis to explore (1) antecedents of tilt, (2) the effects of tilt on performance, and (3) players’ strategies to manage tilt-inducing situations. Findings show players experience antecedents of tilt to be teammates failing to meet the expectations of the players, teammates’ toxic behaviour, players failing to meet their own expectations, and negative emotions. These events can result in the players experiencing a sense of discouragement, a loss of control, misplaced attention, as well as displaying toxic behaviour. Lastly, the players resort to managing tilt-inducing situations by muting the in-game chat, redirecting attention towards controllable actions, and acceptance of mistakes and situations in general. These findings suggest tilt processes to be partly influenced by the players’ teammates’ actions, thus different social contexts may influence the experience of tilt. Further, findings indicate the players’ experience of discouragement when under tilt as an additional factor related to tilt, which is discussed as potentially unique to the context of players in LoL.
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Banks, John A. L. "Participatory culture and enjoyment in the video games industry : reconfiguring the player-developer relationship /." [St. Lucia, Qld.], 2004. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe18404.pdf.
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Colman, Jason Edward. "Multi-player online video games for cognitive rehabilitation for the brain injured." Thesis, University of Portsmouth, 2016. https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/multiplayer-online-video-games-for-cognitive-rehabilitation-for-the-brain-injured(2fcaa6fa-b7e6-406c-b720-7724681ee2d9).html.
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Every year, millions of people suffer a stroke, and millions more sustain a traumatic brain injury. This thesis proposes that playing multi-player online video games could provide a form of therapy for brain-injured people. The original contribution to knowledge comprises a conceptual framework for this claim, the design of a game to be used as a research instrument, and the findings of pilot studies, conducted with brain-injured participants. An initial literature review led to the formation of the core proposal. In order to conduct experimental research with brain-injured participants, ethical approval was sought and obtained from the Faculty of Technology Ethics Committee at the University of Portsmouth. The first phase of the study concentrated on the iterative development of a prototype online multi-player game, which encouraged cooperative, altruistic interaction. This research instrument included integrated cognitive tests. The second phase of the research was to conduct pilot studies with brain-injured participants. The aim of these studies was to refine the experimental method and the software design, and to gather results to determine whether a larger research project would be warranted. The first experiment was conducted over four weeks in 2013. Results from the cognitive tests did not show any improvement due to playing the video game, but methodological issues were discovered, and were used to refine the experimental protocol and software. The second experiment was conducted over eight weeks in 2014. New tests integrated with the game software measured loneliness and satisfaction with life. These results showed promise for online multi-player games to have the potential to provide emotional and cognitive therapeutic benefit. It is argued that further research in this area is warranted, and recommendations are provided for such work.
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Arredal, Martin. "Eye Tracking’s Impact on Player Performance and Experience in a 2D Space Shooter Video Game." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för datavetenskap, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-17823.
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Background. Although a growing market, most of the commercially available gamestoday that features eye tracking support is rendered in a 3D perspective. Games ren-dered in 2D have seen little support for eye trackers from developers. By comparing the differences in player performance and experience between an eye tracker and acomputer mouse when playing a classic 2D genre: space shooter, this thesis aim tomake an argument for the implementation of eye tracking in 2D video games. Objectives. Create a 2D space shooter video game where movement will be handledthrough a keyboard but the input method for aiming will alter between a computermouse and an eye tracker. Methods. Using a Tobii EyeX eye tracker, an experiment was conducted with fif-teen participants. To measure their performance, three variables was used: accuracy,completion time and collisions. The participants played two modes of a 2D spaceshooter video game in a controlled environment. Depending on which mode wasplayed, the input method for aiming was either an eye tracker or a computer mouse.The movement was handled using a keyboard for both modes. When the modes hadbeen completed, a questionnaire was presented where the participants would ratetheir experience playing the game with each input method. Results. The computer mouse had a better performance in two out of three per-formance variables. On average the computer mouse had a better accuracy andcompletion time but more collisions. However, the data gathered from the question-naire shows that the participants had on average a better experience when playingwith an eye tracker Conclusions. The results from the experiment shows a better performance for par-ticipants using the computer mouse, but participants felt more immersed with the eyetracker and giving it a better score on all experience categories. With these results,this study hope to encourage developers to implement eye tracking as an interactionmethod for 2D video games. However, future work is necessary to determine if theexperience and performance increase or decrease as the playtime gets longer.
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Årnell, Tobias, and Nikola Stojanovic. "Horror game design – what instills fear in the player? : A study on the effects of horror game design theories and level design patterns on player behaviour in a horror environment." Thesis, Södertörns högskola, Medieteknik, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-40778.
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This research paper aimed to study how to make a scary horror game and what in turn makes these games scary. This study utilizes an original game called The House specifically designed and created by us. This is done in order to study the effects of implementing level design and navigation patterns and horror game design theories in an original horror game on player behaviour and reaction in relation to these theories. The study was done with the use of 10 participants, who each took part in a 15 minute play session, and were later interviewed using the data gathering method stimulated recall. The result of the study shows that level design had no significant effect on the amount of fear that the participants expressed. The implementation of proven horror game design theories proved successful at contributing to the general horror experience, and combining elements of level design and horror game theories in horror game design proved successful at scaring the participants.Denna forskningsstudie syftade till att studera hur man skapar och designar ett skrämmande skräckspel och vad som gör ett skräckspel skräckinjagande. Denna studie använder ett originellt spel vid namn The House som var specifikt utformat och skapat av oss. Detta gjordes för att studera effekterna av implementering av nivå design och navigationsmönster samt skräckspelsteorier på spelarens beteende och reaktion i relation till dessa teorier. Studien gjordes med användning av 10 deltagare, som var och en deltog i en 15-minuters spelsession och intervjuades senare med hjälp av datainsamlingsmetoden stimulated recall. Resultatet av studien visar att nivådesign inte hade någon signifikant effekt på mängden rädsla som deltagarna uttryckte. Implementeringen av beprövade teorier om skräckspelsdesign visade sig framgångsrika då de bidrog till den allmänna skräckupplevelsen, och att kombinera element av nivådesign och skräckspelsteorier i skräckspelsdesign visade sig mycket framgångsrika att skrämma deltagarna.
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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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Flensburg, Allan, and Simon Nilsson. "Player-Driven UI Design for FPS-Games." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Fakulteten för teknik och samhälle (TS), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-20143.
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This paper explores the appeal of customizable user interfaces (UI) in video games, and the choices players make when this option is available to them. In the video game industry at present, players aren't given much choice in regards to the UI, even though it is usually a vital element that will support them throughout their whole experience. To determine the value of customizable UIs, players were provided a testing environment with tools that allowed them to modify their UI, and quantitative data was collected during this test. A qualitative study has also been conducted with a focus on the players attitude towards the subject. The results of the study show a high favor for UI customization among the players. It does however show that players are split on several aspects within the topic and further research is required. This can hopefully lead to developers adapting more uses of user experience (UX) and implementing UI customization within their games.
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Bergsten, John, and Konrad Öhman. "Player Analysis in Computer Games Using Artificial Neural Networks." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för kreativa teknologier, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-14812.
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Star Vault AB is a video game development company that has developed the video game Mortal Online. The company has stated that they believe that players new to the game repeatedly find themselves being lost in the game. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether or not an Artificial Neural Network can be used to evaluate when a player is lost in the game Mortal Online. This is done using the free open source library Fast Artifical Neural Network Library. People are invited to a data collection event where they play a tweaked version of the game to facilitate data collection. Players specify whether they are lost or not and the data collected is flagged accordingly. The collected data is then prepared with different parameters to be used when training multiple Artificial Neural Networks. When creating an Artificial Neural Network there exists several parameters which have an impact on its performance. Performance is defined as the balance of high prediction accuracy against low false positive rate. These parameters vary depending on the purpose of the Artificial Neural Network. A quantitative approach is followed where these parameters are varied to investigate which values result in the Artificial Neural Network which best identifies when a player is lost. The parameters are grouped into stages where all combinations of parameter values within each stage are evaluated to reduce the amount of Artificial Neural Networks which have to be trained, with the best performing parameters of each stage being used in subsequent stages. The result is a set of values for the parameters that are considered as ideal as possible. These parameter values are then altered one at a time to verify that they are ideal. The results show that a set of parameters exist which can optimize the Artificial Neural Network model to identify when a player is lost, however not with the high performance that was hoped for. It is theorized that the ambiguity of the word "lost" and the complexity of the game are critical to the low performance.
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McMahan, Timothy. "Real Time Assessment of a Video Game Player's State of Mind Using Off-the-Shelf Electroencephalography." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2016. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc955121/.
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The focus of this research is on the development of a real time application that uses a low cost EEG headset to measure a player's state of mind while they play a video game. Using data collected using the Emotiv EPOC headset, various EEG processing techniques are tested to find ways of measuring a person's engagement and arousal levels. The ability to measure a person's engagement and arousal levels provide an opportunity to develop a model that monitor a person's flow while playing video games. Identifying when certain events occur, like when the player dies, will make it easier to identify when a player has left a state of flow. The real time application Brainwave captures data from the wireless Emotiv EPOC headset. Brainwave converts the raw EEG data into more meaningful brainwave band frequencies. Utilizing the brainwave frequencies the program trains multiple machine learning algorithms with data designed to identify when the player dies. Brainwave runs while the player plays through a video gaming monitoring their engagement and arousal levels for changes that cause the player to leave a state of flow. Brainwave reports to researchers and developers when the player dies along with the identification of the players exit of the state of flow.