Group items tagged

Abstract: "Out of the recent popularity of downloadable contents (DLC) among video game manufac- turers has resurfaced the issue of versioning of informatio n goods. The central idea behind the zero-day DLC strategy is that consumers who find the base v ersion of a game to be suffi- ciently attractive would pay a premium to upgrade by purchas ing such a DLC. In this work, we combine the literature on versioning with that on product sampling to model the impact of consumer learning on the product-line strategy of a game m anufacturer. In doing so, we demonstrate that a manufacturer's desire to vertically diff erentiate could actually stem from a horizontal separation among consumers. When consumers diff er in their perception of the fit between their tastes and the features of the product, horizo ntal differentiation seems a natural choice. However, if the manufacturer is unable to classify p otential consumers into groups with distinct tastes, horizontal differentiation becomes impra ctical. We find that, interestingly, this inability to differentiate horizontally does not limit the m anufacturer from vertically positioning its product line. We characterize the conditions under whic h the DLC strategy is effective and discuss how it affects consumer and social welfare. Our resul ts also have obvious implications in markets for other digital experience goods."

Abstract :"This thesis is a research project on the similarities and difference in 3D modeling and op- timizations for different sectors of multimedia. The purpose of this project is to analyse three different areas , an d carry out a project for practical comparison purpose s with the creation of a 3D model using different methods of modeling and optimization . The methods used in this project is a workflow step by step process of production , for later comparison and analysis. The result of this project was the creation of an optimized model for game production, the methods used at modeling pipeline and the comparison between different sectors of Mul- timedia illustrate the similarities and di fferen ces in modeling optimization between these sectors. This project is created to illustrate paths taken for modeling optimization in the biggest sectors of 3D production, with comparative results and analysis. "

Abstract: "In this paper, we explore the application of Software Product Line (SPL) technology in the video games domain by exploiting differences in various video game platforms to design a variable component - based software product line architecture for a multiplatform vide o game . Our approach consists of constructing a feature dependency model for describing variability in multiplatform video games. We explored variability in the user interface, input devices, output devices, CPU, as well as other variability in various vid eo game platforms. Then, we designed a variable component - based SPL that is tailored to every video game in the product line. We validated our approach by implementing a SPL of a combat flight - simulator game and by deriving two versions of the game: a Win dows desktop version and a Windows Phone version. The derivation process of each version is done by selecting features from the feature dependency model and the corresponding software components and SPL parameters that relate to those features. "

Excerpted in Google Books, Published November 2012."Join videogame industry veteran Michael Thornton Wyman on a series of detailed, behind-the-scenes tours with the teams that have made some of the most popular and critically acclaimed videogames of the modern era. Drawing on insider's perspectives from a wide variety of teams, learn about the creation of a tiny, independent game project (World of Goo), casual game classics (Diner Dash, Bejeweled Twist), the world's most popular social game (FarmVille) as well as the world's most popular MMORPG (World of Warcraft), PC titles (Half Life 2) to AAA console games (Madden NFL 10), and modern-day masterpieces (Little Big Planet, Rock Band, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves). Hear directly from the creators about how these games were made, and learn from their stories from the trenches of videogames production. This book is an excellent resource for those working directly on game design or production, for those aspiring to work in the field, or for anyone who has wondered how the world's greatest videogames get made."

"This action research study investigated whether the combination of the appreciative learning approach as a pedagogical strategy and computer game development as a technological tool enhances student creativity in terms of the products produced. The study consisted of three phases. Phase I used an experimental design with randomized subjects and a control group to investigate the effectiveness of the combination of appreciative learning and computer game development for creativity enhancement. Phases II and III used a one-group pretest-posttest experimental design for the treatment group only. Subjects of the study consisted of 13 and 14-year-old students. Product creativity was evaluated through the Computer Game Assessment Inventory (COMGAIN). Findings in Phase I indicated that the treatment group produced more creative products than the control group. Improvements in the implementation of the appreciative learning approach and computer game development increased product creativity levels in Phases II and III. Thus, this study provides evidence of the transformational possibilities of the appreciative learning approach when combined with computer game development with regards to student creativity."

"Scaleform 4.1 for all aspects of video game development"

"the aim of this study has been to explore the value of digital games, their significance in our culture, and the current status of their preservation. Investigating the relationship of games to culture; reviewing current preservation activities and drawing conclusions about the value of digital games and the significance of their preservation were the study s objectives. These have been achieved through interviews with key stakeholders the academic community, as potential users of collections; memory institutions, as potential keepers of collections; fan-based game preservation experts; and representatives from the games industry. In addition to this, case studies of key game preservation activities were explored. Through this research, a clearer picture of attitudes towards digital games and opinions on the need for preservation of these cultural products has been established. It has become apparent that there is a need for more coherent and collaborative efforts to ensure the longevity of these important aspects of digital heritage. "

Abstract: "This essay is about common problems that can arise during game development projects. It is focused around the production cycle and how the game industry treats the game development pipeline. It mainly describes issues with communication within game development teams, problems concerning planning and how the design process affects members of the game development team's work process and efficiency. It includes an analysis of common problems that I have found during my studies of literature describing the game industry, a short research study of post mortems written by game developers and a survey about game design documentation and communication sent out to game developers and game design students."

Abstract: "Abstract Game developers spend a large portion of their time developing and tweaking the articial intelligence in video games. Problems related to productivity in the development of AI have been solved using various modeling techniques in the eld of AI, language design and easier to use editors. Using a domain specic language to assist in describing AI can increase productivity in this area. In addition to this, game developers can be relieved from irrelevant tasks such as worrying about performance, correctness of the implementation, memory management and optimiza- tion data structures and focus on the high level description of the game play. In this thesis, we focus on real-time video games and we investigate the development of a domain-specic language containing the necessary elements to describe and execute strategies to achieve goals in a real-time video game. We develop a domain-specic language to express strategies for computer controlled actors using techniques commonly found in em- bedded domain-specic languages, and in particular embedded domain- specic languages in Haskell. To demonstrate this language we have developed a prototype of a real-time strategy game that uses strategies implemented using the domain-specic language developed in this thesis"

From the abstract: "Traditionally, the tasks associated with game AI revolved around non player character (NPC) behavior at dierent levels of control, varying from navigation and pathnding to decision making. Commercial-standard games developed over the last 15 years and current game productions, however, suggest that the traditional challenges of game AI have been well addressed via the use of sophisticated AI approaches, not necessarily following or inspired by advances in academic practices. The marginal penetration of traditional academic game AI methods in industrial productions has been mainly due to the lack of constructive communication between academia and industry in the early days of academic game AI, and the inability of academic game AI to propose methods that would signicantly advance existing development processes or provide scalable solutions to real world problems. Recently, however, there has been a shift of research focus as the current plethora of AI uses in games is breaking the non-player character AI tradition. A number of those alternative AI uses have already shown a signicant potential for the design of better games. This paper presents four key game AI research areas that are currently reshaping the research roadmap in the game AI eld and evidently put the game AI term under a new perspective. These game AI agship research areas include the computational modeling of player experience, the procedural generation of content, the mining of player data on massive-scale and the alternative AI research foci for enhancing NPC capabilities."

"Abstract Video game developers have a tough road ahead as they try to out-do their competitors and develop the next blockbuster video game. The problem they face is that the cost of developing a video game is rising. The pressure mounts as economic uncertainty has led many consumers to cut spending on lucrative video game titles that publishers are tossing out up to $100 million (in rare cases) to develop, and the publishers are already beginning to feel the heat. Recent years have seen a number of publishers close up shop and even more publishers cutting jobs to save on spending. Despite the need for producing a product more efficiently and within a time restriction, the video game industry bases most of the production phases in-house instead of adopting a 24-hour business model in co-located sites around the world. Implementation of the 24 hour knowledge factory can help to solve some of the problems developers face in the numerous phases of video game development. However, publishers have yet to take advantage of this efficient business model."

Report on Valve's new Big Picture "television-friendly" viewing product, and forays into wearable computing

Abstract Berry (1994) and some later papers provide a way to estimate dierentiated product models. When the product of interest is a durable good, consumers do not pay the entire retail price due to the existence of the second hand market. This paper employs data from the US video game market and proposes a new angel to investigate the demand side of a durable good. The results of the empirical investigation suggests that the inclusion of the future resale price makes the model estimation more sensible and reasonable.

Presentation by Bing Wilson, co-founder of Electronic Arts, showing the use of game design principles to engage users of your product, a three pronged approach, "acquire, engage and retain"

Profiles an MIT grad Eitan Gilnert, founded company with new game "Slam Bolt Scrappers," using funding from friends and family. Gives his insights on entrepreneurship and why one should invest in his company. The company's web site: http://www.firehosegames.com/ features product information and an online community.

"We propose a course design that ts a practical game development project into a regular game design lecture course. As this approach requires a consistent structure, our concept proposes an adaption of Scrum that is based on the game development life-cycle: ABC-Sprints consist of three Sprints to iteratively create Alpha, Beta and Completed versions of a game. We present a detailed walkthrough of the course and give results of a formal evaluation. These indicate that ABC-Sprints help students to manage their workload and to increase productivity over time. Consequently, three teams each presented a game at the end of the course that technically exceeded typical outcomes of game projects without lectures. We hence encourage to apply ABC-Sprints to other curricula and provide a set of recommendations."

A journal recently launched by Mary Ann Liebert publishers features peer-reviewed articles on the application of video games to health management

Abstract: " wanted to inspect how developing a game from a purely commercial pe rspective a ffect s on the game design. The purpose of this thesis is to define the valid aspects of product marketing for games , how they are perceived in game industry and how those aspects affect to the game design. The question I am asking is how to make marketing a flue nt part of indie game development process. Through m y thesis project, Puzzleplatf orm, I s tudy how the marketing aspects affect the game concept itself and how the se aspects can be implemented in the game concept."

Abstract: "This paper describes the design and evaluation of Zoo U, a novel computer game to assess children's social skills development. Zoo U is an innovative product that combines theory-driven content and customized game mechanics. The game-like play creates the opportunity for stealth assessment, in which dynamic evidence of social skills is collected in real time and players' choices during gameplay provide the needed data. To ensure the development of an engaging and valid game, we utilized an iterative datadriven validation process in which the game was created, tested, revised based on student performance and feedback, and retested until game play was statistically matched to independent ratings of social skills. We first investigated whether the data collected through extensive logging of student actions provided information that could be used to improve the assessment. We found that detailed game logs of socially relevant player behavior combined with external measures of player social skills provided an efficient vector to incrementally improve the accuracy of the embedded assessments. Next, we investigated whether the game performance correlated with teachers' assessments of students' social skills competencies. An evaluation of the final game showed (a) significant correlations between in-game social skills assessments and independently obtained standard psychological assessments of the same students and (b) high levels of engagement and likeability for students. These findings support the use of the interactive and engaging computer game format for the stealth assessment of children's social skills. The created innovative design methodologies should prove useful in the design and improvement of computer games in education."

Abstract: "In 2010, the authors (Jacobs, a game design professor, Sugarman, a pediatrician, and Rice, a psychotherapist ) started meeting to brainstorm design and play concepts for a therapeutic, physiologically-controlled videogame intended for use by people diagnosed with anxiety and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The goal was to combine cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), narrative therapy (NT) and biofeedback supported psychophysiological selfregulation (PSR) into a game that would engage adolescents and provide hard data on a player's physical and emotional states during a therapy session. The game concept that emerged is "MindGamersTM in School" (MG), a therapeutic game prototype being developed and tested across two 6-month sessions by the authors and two teams of undergraduate game design and development students at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Pursuing the design required half the team to learn principles, terms and methods of strength-based, client-centered psychotherapy and their application to psychophysiological selfregulation and biofeedback theory and practice. The other half of the team needed to engage in understanding the current state of role-playing videogames, avatar creation systems and game design/development processes. This paper will describe the current game prototype and then focus on MG's design and development process by looking at how the initial design period brought the game design to its current state and how it has continued to influence the production process."