From the abstract: "In
this thesis we present the development of this mobile multi-platform serious game
intended to teach the basic information about asthma to teenagers and young adults. We
review the design of the game and the mobile technologies used to create the game. We
present conclusions based on observations made while interviewees played the game, and
detail the changes made to the game based on these observations. Each interviewee also
provided feedback on the game, and completed several assessments to measure their
knowledge of asthma before and after playing the game. We review the knowledge each
interviewee gained from the interaction with the game, and draw and present conclusions
based on the background each subject comes from"
Abstract: "Adolescent obesity is an increasing challenge, and
pervasive social health games hold much promise for promoting
sustained healthy behaviors.
Researchers and d
esigners of
these
systems
have many potential theories and existing best practices
at their disposal.
Our study, grounded in participatory design,
shows which ones matter
-
both for pervasive social health games
and within the cultural context of a community
we studied over
the course of three years.
We worked with 112 US middle school
students from a lower
-
income community in a series of
participatory design exercises focused on social rewards for
everyday physical activity.
In our analysis, we
discuss
design
implications in four key areas
: social presence, gender effects,
incentives and competition. We show how these themes
manifested in students' designs and why they
were
particularly
important to our participa
nts. We then use
our findings to
suggest
design strategies for youth
-
focused pervasive social health
games."
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
From the abstract: "This paper explores the idea of a gendered narrative in digital
games and
sees whether or not it could lead women to engaging
more with games."
Scheduled for MIT Stratton Student Center
84 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139
Saturday, September 14, 2013 from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM (EDT)
Contributions accepted via Kickstarter
abstract: "Demon Dissension
provides a strategic twist on the traditional fighting game experience
to players and showcases co
mplex game logic, networking, and fighting game design principles.
Built entirely in the Unity engine and programmed in C#,
Demon Dissension
pits two players
against one another in a battle for glory, challenging them to not only fight against the charact
er
in game, but the strategies being
employed by the actual opponent
. A team of two artists and
two programmers took four terms to create a deep multiplayer battle experience." Becker student Breeze Grigas participated in this project.
"07/2012; In proceeding of: The 11th International Conference on Software Engineering Research and Practice (SERP 2012), At Las Vegas, USA ABSTRACT Usability is considered a relevant quality factor in video games. However, usability evaluations are usually performed too late in the game development lifecycle. We present
a usability evaluation strategy that can be used in early stages of
model-driven video game development approaches. The usability
evaluation is based on a Video Game Usability Model, which
extends the usability characteristic of the ISO/IEC 25010
(SQuaRE) standard by incorporating measurable attributes and
measures related to the video game domain. The traceability
established between the models that are produced in a modeldriven
development process and the corresponding source code
allows performing usability evaluations on these models,
facilitating the early detection/correction of usability problems
that may appear in the final video game application. To show the
feasibility of this approach, we have performed an early usability
evaluation of a video game for the XBOX360 platform."
Abstract: "This literature review describes gamification and how it can
be used in a crowdsour
cing context. It relates motivations
for participating in such activity as more intrinsic than
conventional methods, and as such provides numerous
benefits. Such benefits include more accurate work, better
retention rates, and a more cost effective solutio
n.
Elements of gamification are examined, as well as how it
can be applied to existing applications."
Abstract: "Lifespan
is an Interactive Media and Game Development Major Qualifying P
roject developed in
the Unity game engine over the course of one year by six students.
Lifespan
is a first
-
person puzzle game
in which the player affects objects in the environment by using a time
-
manipulation device. Designed
with a unique spin on standar
d puzzle games,
Lifespan
seeks to add realism, science, and nature to the
environment with new and interesting mechanics."
From the introduction: "With the sudden and massive influx of mobile technologies,
the need for efficient agile techniques in the video game de-
velopment industry has amplified further. With relatively short
lifecycles and unique input, size, and performance constraints,
as well as dealing with a wide range of device hardware, the
industrys development process as a whole has had to adapt in
order to survive. We present a subset of these adopted methods
and technologies as they pertain to agile development in the
video game industry."