Group items tagged

"A Comprehensive Study of Sound in Computer Games: How Audio Affects Player ActionJørgensen, Kristine This study examines the functionality of sound in computer games, a topic which has received little attention in game studies and media studies." Especially focuses on player experience of sound

Abstract: "Macquarie University, in 2012, introduced two undergraduate coursework programs in the area of video games. These programs are a joint initiative of the Departments of Computing and Media, Music, Communication and Cultural Studies. The programs represent an innovative approach to curriculum structure in this area, combining technical, design and reflective critical practice to produce rounded graduates with a wide knowledge of issues and practices in interactive media. This paper describes the process of designing these programs, the aims and rationales guiding their design and their detailed structure. The central guiding principle behind the programs was that accomplished designers of interactive media, particularly video games, need both a sound technical background and an appreciation of the relationship between users, society and their designs. This is reflected in both the structure of the programs and the pedagogical approaches in the specialist units."

Wordplay and the Discourse of Video Games: Analyzing Words, Design and Play Routledge Studies in New Media and Cyberculture, 2012 Publisher Description: In this timely new book, Christopher Paul analyzes how the words we use to talk about video games and the structures that are produced within games shape a particular way of gaming by focusing on how games create meaning, lead to identification and division, persuade, and circulate ideas.

Abstract: "In this study, we device a digital game, which possessed scientific and fun, base on the conception of insects (DGBI), then can use it to test elementary school student's conception about insect. The DGBI materials creating pattern use as the ADDIE model. First step is to analyze the DGBI materials. We analyze student's alternative conceptions of insect and what the teaching staff needs to teach in the section of insect, and then we develop three teaching units, namely the ―Bugs Adventure‖, ―Legs and Wings "and" Mouthparts and feeding habits‖. Second, design the DGBI. Making DGBI has a clear teaching aim, multi-learning strategy like conception puzzle, computer simulation and conception mapping etc, an artistic and convenient operating media interface and a learning content that is easy to understand by the words and video in the DGBI materials. Third, develop the DGBI. Developing DGBI includes making animation component and composing animation component, these animation components makes 94.4% of students prefer to use DGBI materials to learn the conceptions of insect, especially the constructional detail magnify function and interactive game design in the teaching materials increase the student's learning interest. Forth, implement DGBI. We invite Two national college professors and four senior science teachers to use DGBI, and then we interview them to collect the testing amendments, and corrected it.Fifth, evaluate DGBI. We use quasi-experiment design and questionnaire survey to evaluate DGBI. In the quasi-experiment design, we select 111 students for four classes in an elementary school in New Taipei City and ask them to use DGBI, and then we tested them by the ―Insects Conceptions test‖. We found that after using the DGBI materials, the student's post-test scores (13.64) is higher than the pre-test scores (7.55), and there are significant differences (t = 16.47,p = .00)and helps the student to establish the correct concept of insect

Otis report study from 2007-2010 does note " Digital media, including software publishing and video game design and production, had robust earnings gains, with payrolls in the two counties up by a third, to $1.33 billion," although number employed actually declined

"The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) has launched the Center for Digital Games Research to study digital media and games from a multidisciplinary approach. Launched with seed funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the center brings together 30 faculty members with expertise in "human-computer interaction, virtual environments, simulations, social networks, data mining, interactive storytelling and narrative, media neuroscience and behavioral health," among others, according to a news release."

Abstract :"This thesis deals with the analysis, design, implementation and testing of a video game prototype , which is intended for practicing lucid dreaming induction . R esearch i ndicates the potential of the video game medium in this end and the experimental game design has been the result of examining various study case s covering both video gam es and dreams , besides multiple lucid dreaming induction techniques . The design approach was more focused on creatively modif yin g existing techniques , in order to take advantage of the potential of the video game medium, than to simply copy them. This has led to establishi ng a set of formal design goals , with an emphasis on creating a game world simulating a dream, in which rehearsing can take place prior to sleep . The video game prototype is inasmuch an interactive training tool as it is an artistic video game experiment . With the aim of also tak ing the player experience into account, a set of aesthetic goals was also established , approached by the use of the MDA framework ( Hunicke , LeBlanc & Zubek, 2004) and the player involvement model - related to the concept of incorporation (Calleja, 2011)"

From the introduction: "The staggering growth of violent video games in recent years raises important socio - psychological questions concerning the relationship between the civilian population, the military , and the phenomenon of violence . This thesis is based on interviews with active - duty soldiers , veterans, psychologists and gamers alike, conducting original research to gain a better understanding of the lasting ramifications of this popular genre. Many studies have outlined the negative consequences of viole nt video games, but this mor e comprehensive analysis of the medium will show a more balanced picture of the true implications of this growing phenomenon . As I will demonstrate, the growth of video games is a net benefit for society. Video games as a growing new media - and a rapidly expanding part of our culture - are not to be purely defined by the overly - negative rhetoric that has been popularized by syndicated news and the public eye, as there are so much more "nutritious" benefits games have to offer to society."

"The game enjoyment threshold model was used to evaluate player feedback in the feasibility study of a serious game, Wellness Partners. This game was purposefully developed as a web-based application that combines digital gaming and social networking to promote physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. The game design team led by the second author consisted of current students and alumni at the Interactive Media Division at the School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California. The primary participants were middle-aged university staff (egos) and they were asked to invite at least one family member or friend to enroll in the game as their wellness partners (alters). Players can accumulate points by sending status updates about their physical activities or setbacks. They can redeem their points to collect virtual objects or play animations of a virtual character related to healthy activities. A tag cloud is generated based the frequency of physical activities reported by members in a playgroup."

Abstract: Joseph Campbell's Monomyth not only provides a well-proven pattern for successful storytelling, it may also help to guide teams and team leaders through the challenges of change and innovation processes. In project "HELD: Innovationsdramaturgie nach dem Heldenprinzip" researchers of the University of the Arts Berlin and the Berlin Gameslab, part of the University of Applied Sciences HTW-Berlin, team up to examine the applicability of the Hero's Journey to change management using an adaptation of Campbell's pattern called „Heldenprinzip®". The project's goal is not to teach the stages of the Monomyth as mere facts but to enable participants of training courses and interventions to actually experience its concepts using a portfolio of creative and aesthetic methods. While a pool of aesthetic methods - like drawing, performing or role-playing - is already being used, the Gameslab subproject qualitatively researches the potentials for enriching and complementing these methods with interactive digital media and games. This paper discusses three types of game based learning treatments to be used in training and intervention sessions as well as teaching the Monomyth in a game based learning university course. The first option is providing participants with a game that follows the Hero's Journey and inducing them to reflect on the experience and its relation to the learning goal. An alternative strategy is to make participants go through a game sequence broaching issues that are relevant for a stage or the journey of change in general. Last but not least, digital equivalents of the non-digital aesthetic methods can be constructed using digital games or digitally enhanced set-ups for playful interactions. All three treatments have their merits and pitfalls, which are discussed in relation to the identified game-based learning scenarios: self-study, blended game-based learning and face-to-face sessions"

Monica M. McGill's blog, assitant professor at Bradely University, one of her areas of study is game design curricula in US, UK and Canada. "Creating proposals in production courses, particularly games courses, is important in order to teach students to think about what they want to do for their project and why they want to do it."

Blogs used in game design courses

Abstract: "The most popular Facebook games are being played by millions of users, sometimes only a few weeks after introduction. Although several of these games and their users have been studied, there currently exists no open-source version of such a game. In this thesis we present the design, implementation, and performance analysis of WebHack, a Facebook-integrated multiplayer game. WebHack is built upon the classic, but still popular, game of Nethack. We discuss the technical difficulties with file handles, process limits, communication networks, and handling failures. Further, we consider aspects specific to legacy applications, for example legal issues and technical limitations. We propose methods to circumvent these issues, and show a successful integration of the legacy game Nethack into our Facebookintegrated game system. We present the design of our system and evaluate the performance of the design in various scenarios. Among other results, we show that WebHack is a highperformance system, able to support over 300,000 concurrent players, handle arrival rates for up to 1,750 new players per second for over 60 seconds, and is able to recover within 10 seconds from a server failure."

"Digital technology empowers one to access vast amounts of on-line data. From a learning perspective, however, it is difficult to access meaningful on-site information within a given context. The Hypercontextualized Game (HCG) design model interweaves on-site resources, translated as content, and the digital game. As a local game design process, HCG builds on the resources available on-site (context) and transfers them beyond their origin (hyper). A successful example is the HCG stories in LieksaMyst, an application developed for the Pielinen Museum, in which the player is guided through a series of activities by a virtual host from the historic past. It took three years of extensive work and research for the LieksaMyst HCG stories to mature from brainstorming concepts to a fully-fledged museum service. Curators, educational technology experts and a total of 476 visitors (from 6 to 77 years old) contributed to the design process. The analysis of the context and feedback from the visitors enabled us to choose media, content and activities suitable to the Pielinen Museum. Our findings indicate that quality time, sincere reflection and communication between local experts and potential players, are indispensable when designing a HCG based game. The analysis benefits researchers and practitioners who are interested in the ways in which a game can bridge the gap between people and relevant on-site information"