Group items tagged

Ars Technica's 10 worst and 20 best games, reviewed

Abstract: "This thesis aims to study the design possibilities for supporting explorative form-finding in 3D modeling applications. For today's many design professions, 3D forms are achieved partly in engagement with digital environments. Use of software has far exceeded final idea execution, extending to the early phases of design work in which the outcome is not predetermined. This insight led designers of interactive systems support sketching and ideating activities by reducing the risk of experimentation and cognitive effort demanded from user. Yet, there has been less emphasis on traditional design and craft practice that acknowledges engagement with materials and effort spent on work as an integral part of creative process. The notion of exploration in the scope of this thesis attempts to incorporate such aspects. Relevant literature about workshop practice in design and craft has been reviewed, as well as examples of CAD technologies that aid designers. In this light, HCI perspectives on the design of creativity support tools and games have been discussed. The thesis work aimed to concretize this background by building a design strategy and an interactive artifact. A 3D form-finding application concept using objects in modeling space to indirectly manipulate geometry, "kfields", has been developed and evaluated with users at various stages. The thesis concludes by reflecting on the findings of different design stages and proposing further directions for design. Keywords: 3D Modeling, CAD, digital material, form"

A technology and curiosity weblog " a directory of wonderful things," that frequently posts articles and reviews on video games and technology relating to game design

game review

"blocks that players can move around and touch to one another to solve puzzles or create patterns"

Abstract: "Teaching computer programming to novices has always posed a major challenge to educators, most novices acquire basic programming skills but they are unable to utilize them in a meaningful way to solve many of the non-routine problems which are presented to them. As a result, they do not achieve any level of programming fluency. Collaboration has been identified as a useful tool to help overcome this problem if utilized at the right times during the programming/problem solving process. This paper presents a review of computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) concepts, collaboration in programming and the problem solving domain. Finally, a design for a gaming application of CSCL (COPS) to help improve the problem solving ability of novice programmers is presented."

Abstract: "This paper presents a review of practical research papers on augmented reality games for learning. The study evaluates how these games may impact motivation (affective learning outcomes) and knowledge gain (cognitive learning outcomes). For the analysis, we use game design patterns for mobile games and Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. Our study results substantiate the generally assumed motivational potential of augmented reality games. Also, they indicate that augmented reality games may have the potential to bring about cognitive learning outcomes."

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: "This paper explores the use of modern sensor technologies for physical interaction on educati onal games and interactive spaces. More specifically the thesis studies the potential effect of motion capture and wearable body sensors on educational interactive games, on two aspects: i) on the involvement of human body and motion in the process of lear ning, and recall of knowledge (embodied learning), ii) on assisting the development of basic social emotional competencies, through the enhanced social affordances of embodied games. The paper presents a prototype of an educational game developed using a m otion capture controller and two bio feedback sensors, proposing a generic architecture for multi sensor interactive spaces. Finally the paper provides a review of previously studied modalities for emotion recognition, and examines their application on gam e mechanics and AI game agents."

From the abstract: "this study investigated how the perspectives of the non-computer science educators changed after learning game-programming and how it could be fitted into the K-12 curriculum. Fourteen non-computer science educators and/or administrators in the K - 16 educational systems who made up a cohort at Sam Houston State University, Master of Education/Instructional Technology Program participated in this study. The participants were required to learn two free Web 2.0 game-programming applications and reflect on an article related to reviving interest in math and science as part of their program. Qualitative data consisted of online reflections, and peer-review processes through Facebook. A quantitative component was added to the analysis. The findings indicated that: (a) the perspectives of the participants changed from negative to positive as they reflected on their own game-programming learning experiences; (b) participants came to understand how game programming could build up students' logical concepts and critical thinking skills improving performances in math, science, and other subjects; and (c) due to the benefits of logical concepts and critical thinking skills game programming could have immense benefits if built into the K-12 curriculum."

Abstract: "Design techniques can have an important effect on how video games teach and players learn. The ability to harness these techniques in the design of educational video game can impact the motivation and engagement of playing and learning by creating more options for players to connect with game content as well as to other players. This article focuses on the design phase of the game development process and highlights the role of some techniques that can be used to design a successful educational video game (guidelines and design patterns). These techniques provide information on good practice and form a basis for evaluating the educational video game quality, acting as useful tools for developers to enhance video game playability. To this end, we have presented a set of guidelines and design patterns in order to provide an acceptable level of playability and, in this way, a better player experiences and learning achievement."

From the abstract: "Objective: We report the design of a trial to assess the educational efficacy of InsuOnline, a game for education of primary care physicians (PCPs). The goal of InsuOnline was to improve appropriate initiation and adjustment of insulin for the treatment of DM. InsuOnline was designed to be educationally adequate, self-motivating, and attractive. Methods: A multidisciplinary team of endocrinologists, experts in medical education, and programmers, was assembled for the design and development of InsuOnline. Currently, we are conducting usability and playability tests, with PCPs and medical students playing the game on a desktop computer. Adjustments will be made based on these results. An unblinded randomized controlled trial with PCPs who work in the city of Londrina, Brazil, will be conducted to assess the educational validity of InsuOnline on the Web. In this trial, 64 PCPs will play InsuOnline, and 64 PCPs will undergo traditional instructional activities (lecture and group discussion). Knowledge on how to initiate and adjust insulin will be assessed by a Web-based multiple choice questionnaire, and attitudes regarding diabetes/insulin will be assessed by Diabetes Attitude Scale 3 at 3 time points-before, immediately after, and 6 months after the intervention. Subjects´ general impressions on the interventions will be assessed by a questionnaire. Software logs will be reviewed. Results: To our knowledge, this is the first research with the aim of assessing the educational efficacy of a computer game for teaching PCPs about insulin therapy in DM. We describe the development criteria used for creating InsuOnline. Evaluation of the game using a randomized controlled trial design will be done in future studies. Conclusions: We demonstrated that the design and development of a game for PCPs education on insulin is possible with a multidisciplinary team. InsuOnline can be an attractive option for large-scale continuous medical education to help imp

From the abstract: "n the last decade the popularity of MMOGs has exploded. Unfortunately, the demand has far outweighed the resources commercial game providers can provide. Many MMOGs are suffering from scalability issues, resulting in game world partitioni ng, service down time and server crashes. The centralized server architecture of most modern day MMOGs is unable to cope with this increase in the number of participating players. Hence, there is a need for a scalable network architecture which can support these large number of players without affecting the overall gaming experience for each player. In this paper, we provide a review on the existing networking infrastructure solutions for MMOGs. This includes description and comparison of different im plementation techniques for the deployment of massive multiplayer on-line games, which work as a client/server and peer-to-peer paradigms. "

From the introduction: "We introduce the FCO-IM modelling methodology and some of the short comings we perceive. Next we introduce some theories. First we introduce the notion of serious gaming. Then we move on to the Game Design Theory as proposed by Järvinen, augmented by a view on goals for serious gaming. These theories helped us generating the framework for a serious game. Next we introduce the concept of Focused Conceptualisation. This theory helped us shaping the contents of the game. In the final section of this chapter we will discuss some previous attempts by students to design a serious game for FCO-IM and how we want to make a new contribution towards this field. In chapter 3 we unified the theories by creating a first design. We do not exhaustively describe these first designs, but only the genesis and design choices made at the start and during the process. This work culminates into a final design in chapter 4. The final design consists of a global description of the game, a more detailed description and an abbreviated "rulebook". The rulebook can be compared to the rulebook of a board game. It is intended for someone already familiar with the game. The detailed description can be viewed as a thorough reference guide for first time players or players seeking clarification. This final design was subjected three test sessions. We realize this is not a whole lot. But the objective was to see whether the approach is workable. Exhaustive testing was not part of the scope. We gained some valuable insights nonetheless. In chapter 5 we derived a generic conceptual model for dialogue games. We present a framework that can be used to create dialogue games for a number of different purposes. We hand one the basic tools, make one's own game. This can be viewed as a basic game engine as it is found in the video gaming industry. Chapter 6 will recap our design question and discuss if and how this design question has been answered. This includes insights gaine

Abstract: "We present concepts of user experience (UX) research and show application areas where UX can be applied. We categorise assessment methods, and present estimation models and metrics of UX. Especially the relations between UX and bio-physiological responses, as well as observations are in the foreground." Includes a section on gamification and game experience.

"Game design and development programs often include a final project or capstone course as a means of assessing the cumulative theory, processes and techniques learned by students through the program or department's curriculum. While these courses are prevalent in programs around the world, there has yet to be a study of how, why, and to what end these courses are designed and run. We review the literature on capstone courses, discuss the findings of a long-form survey administered in early 2011, and propose a set of framing questions for the design and implementation of capstone courses. Survey findings include common goals of capstone courses, make-up of faculty teaching these courses, the support obtained and desired for the courses, the technologies used to create capstone projects, the methods of project management used in the courses and the expectations of faculty teaching the courses. These results can serve as a baseline for faculty and administrators looking to develop or improve their game design and development curricula."

"more research and development still needs to be done to set game usability testing methods apart from usability methods used for productivity software or web site development. In this paper, I will detail the history of video games and video game usability, including the qualitative and quantitative importance of the subject; some of the current methods being utilized by game developers to test game usability; and some methods being researched and developed now to impact game usability testing in the future."

"One of the emerging fields in the Creative Industry is Serious Gaming. In the Municipality of Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, a small number of (Serious) gaming companies is established. One of the fields of Interest, the Municipality tries to develop, is the health care sector. Despite the foreseen growing demand for Serious game products in this sector, the Gaming segment of the Creative Industry has not developed to an economically sustainable entity yet. In this paper we will describe the efforts that were undertaken to develop the Creative Industry and especially the Serious Gaming segment. This choice was made because of seemingly inconsistent policy decisions of some key stakeholders concerning this emerging field. Following we will present a theoretical framework how a cluster could be formed that will be able to survive without governmental aid. This framework is based on a theoretical review and on two examples of existing clusters in Japan and Germany. The paper will end by raising some questions for future research and discussion."

"The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the historical origins of Serious Games to try to understand where the current wave of "Serious Games" comes from. We first review the origins of the "Serious Games" oxymoron. We will then analyse digital games designed for serious purposes before the 2000's. Such games can be traced back to the beginning of the history of video games. We will use all these elements to discuss how the current wave of "Serious Games" began; and to highlight the differences between "Serious Games" and their ancestors.