Group items tagged

"Our group formed around the common theme of piracy, and after iterating through several different subthemes, we finally settled on two distinct persuasive objectives in our game. First of all, we intended to persuade the player that piracy is not theft. Secondly, we intended to convey the message that the media industry hides and distorts the reality of the situation for its own benefit. The game is meant to inspire critical thinking and discussion about the topics being discussed in the game."

TEMPE, AZ--(Marketwire - Dec 9, 2011) - The IEEE announced Tellus as the winner of the second contest in the SAVEEARTHGAME Playable Game Design Competition. The Tellus team created and submitted a fully functional game that challenges players to save the Earth based off real-world data and issues. IEEE collaborated...

Abstract: "Citizen science is a form of social computation where members of the public are recruited to contribute to scientific investigations. Citizen-science projects often use web-based systems to support collaborative scientific activities, making them a form of computer-supported cooperative work. However, finding ways to attract participants and confirm the veracity of the data they produce are key issues in making such systems successful. We describe a series of web-based tools and games currently under development to support taxonomic classification of organisms in photographs collected by citizen-science projects. In the design science tradition, the systems are purpose-built to test hypotheses about participant motivation and techniques for ensuring data quality. Findings from preliminary evaluation and the design process itself are discussed."

Abstract: "Search-based procedural content generation methods allow video games to introduce new content continually, thereby engaging the player for a longer time while reducing the burden on developers. However, games so far have not explored the potential economic value of unique evolved artifacts. Building on this insight, this paper presents for the first time a Facebook game called Petalz in which players can share flowers they breed themselves with other players through a global marketplace. In particular, the market in this social game allows players to set the price of their evolved aestheticallypleasing flowers in virtual currency. Furthermore, the transaction in which one player buys seeds from another creates a new social element that links the players in the transaction. The combination of unique user-generated content and social gaming in Petalz facilitates meaningful collaboration between users, positively influences the dynamics of the game, and opens new possibilities in digital entertainment."

A course blog from Georgia Tech

"This paper is a part of the game studies field from a design perspective. It investigates the computer game design process, focusing primarily on prototyping, as it is being performed in game development today. ... Potential users of prototypes and prototyping methods range from the designer and the design team, to beta testers and publishers. The focus in this paper is on internal use of prototypes, where the design team is the target audience. The prototype functions as a tool for getting the team on the same track and to introduce new members to the work. Prototypes and visualizations also tend to replace the game design document more and more. The work presented here is based on analysis of interviews with game designers. By applying perspectives from rhetoric, the aim is to investigate how the communication around the prototyping process within a design team can be improved."

"June 19, 2012 - Students in the University of Utah's Entertainment Arts and Engineering (EAE) program have pulled more firsts out of their impressive hats. This time, it is the release of "Heroes of Hat," the first game produced by students in the EAE program that can be played by up to four people in what is called "multiplayer co-op mode.""

Abstract: "This article presents experiences and lessons learned with the implementation of a serious game for simulating the management of a hostage taking scenario. The game was created with ARLearn, a toolkit for mobile and virtual reality serious games, developed at the Open University of the Netherlands. In collaboration with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), ARLearn use cases for crisis situations were developed. This manuscript covers the games that were designed with UNHCR's Global Learning Centre (GLC) and discusses the training pilot with UNHCR staff-members."

In a new book, Howard Rheingold describes crowdsourcing efforts such as FoldIt involving gamers as "supercollaborators"

Jane McGonical of Princeton's Institute for the Future makes the case for video game playing and real world applications of the technology. An example she uses is the knowledge base created by World of Warcraft users, the size of which rivals Wikipedia. She contradicts popular images of gamers as solitary and isolated, showing instead community-building and the self-valuation and validation gamers experience from collaborating with others of like interest. She goes on to describe real-world applications of video games, current and potential

Collaboration between RIT and ST John Fisher College to help young peole with self control skills through video game playing

Collaboration between RIT and Microsoft Research called Just Press Play

Discusses Turtle Boy Games, a venture to help game design students enter the game industry, in the context of the Mass Digi and statewide efforts to increase collaboration between game companies and academia to create industry and job growth.