Thesis (M.A.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, Digital Arts, 2013 / This research report investigates the representations of femininity in the 2012 videogame Mass Effect 3. Using the work of Antony Giddens, Espen Aarseth, Judith Butler, Tracy Dietz, Henry Jenkins, Maja Mikula and Janet Murray, it sets out a theoretical framework of constructions of gender and proceeds to analyse the game in the light of these. The research focuses on the female protagonist and the way in which an alternate representation of femininity is constructed through her. The research takes into account both the narratological and ludological elements in the game and their impact on her performance of gender. In conclusion, the research suggests that due to interactive properties, videogames offer fertile ground for re-examinations of gender.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master Arts in Digital Animation, March 2017 / XL2018

Digital games offer a unique perspectives as they allow the consumer to interact and affect the media; some digital games have constructed gameplay mechanics around the manipulation of time, allowing the player to directly affect the passage of time within the game world. [No abstract provided. Information taken from introduction]. / GR2018

This thesis analyzes the ideological functions of gameplay mechanics in five mobile and online girl games. The subjects of close reading in this study are Tampon Run, Wonder City, Barbie Fashionistas, Style Studio, and Central Park Wedding Prep. First, a review of the literature is presented. Video game studies and ludology, identity in game studies, and performativity and game studies are examined as the central areas of literature from which the thesis draws. The thesis then explores the historical context of the problem, investigating politics and ideology in gaming spaces and considering the activist and educational games Tampon Run and Wonder City. Finally, the thesis analyzes three traditional girl games: Barbie Fashionistas, Style Studio, and Central Park Wedding Prep. This study argues that activist games rely on limiting mechanics to convey feminist ideologies, while traditional games rely on the perceived mechanics-based empowerment of their players to convey patriarchal ideologies.

Context. Procedurally generated content is a common way for companiesto save time and resources when creating modern video games.However, with generation of content there is often many variables controllingthe outcome that is tricky to get right. Objectives. The aim of this thesis is to research how people perceivethe branch density of trees used in video games. This will be done bycreating a foliage generation tool that is based on the functionality ofan L-system. The tool will be used to generate 12 trees with differentbranch densities which will be used for the questionnaire in the userexperiment. Method. A foliage generation tool has been created to be able togenerate trees with different branch and twig densities. The trees generatedwith the tool have been used in a user experiment in order tocome to a conclusion on how people perceive different branch densityin virtual trees. Result. Trees with higher branch and twig densities were rated higherthan trees with lower ones. The best rated tree in all regards was atree in the group with the second most main branches and had 0.6 intwig density. Conclusions. The results show that trees with a higher branch densitymade participants rate it as better looking in the user experiment.Although, trees with a high number of main branches and low twigdensity got the lowest score.

Usando o quadro teórico de diversas disciplinas, como a Semiótica Francesa (GREIMAS; FONTANILLE, 1991; ZILBERBERG; FONTANILLE, 2001; FONTANILLE, 2011; ZILBERBERG, 2011), a Ludologia (SALEN; ZIMMERMAN, 2004; JUUL, 2005; RANHEL, 2009) e os Estudos de Mídia (MURRAY, 1995; SANTAELLA, 2004), esta dissertação tem por objetivo analisar a relação complexa entre a estrutura procedural (as regras e possibilidades) e o enredo no jogo Final Fantasy XIII; a organização narrativa da paixão \"vingança\" foi escolhida como objeto principal de nossa análise devido a sua estruturação complexa e sua popularidade na cultura ocidental. Essa relação concerne muito mais a uma experiência do que a uma contemplação, tendo em vista que o jogador não meramente observa o que personagens vivem e fazem, mas tem uma experiência de vivenciar de fato o conteúdo narrativo ao engajar-se em uma atividade estruturada de modo procedural; cada atributo procedural tem aspecto e ritmo particulares, os quais moldam a experiência e, por extensão, a história contada. Para conferir a maior clareza possível a esta análise, dividimos a dissertação em quatro capítulos, os quais abordam o problema sob pontos de vista diferentes porém complementares. No primeiro, o conceito de \"jogo\" será discutido de modo a evitar especulação, senso comum e interpretação errônea das ideias aqui presentes; com a ajuda da Semiótica Francesa, no segundo capítulo analisaremos mais profundamente os resultados do Capítulo 1, e, ao fazê-lo, chegaremos a uma definição Semiótica do ato de jogar; o terceiro capítulo será dedicado a uma visão geral da relação complexa entre enredo e jogo títulos como Super Metroid, Resident Evil e Silent Hill serão comparados; por fim, no Capítulo 4 usaremos os resultados obtidos nos capítulos anteriores para analisar Final Fantasy XIII e sua organização da vingança. / Based on the theoretical framework of a number of disciplines such as French Semiotics (GREIMAS; FONTANILLE, 1991; ZILBERBERG; FONTANILLE, 2001; FONTANILLE, 2011; ZILBERBERG. 2011), Ludology (SALEN; ZIMMERMAN, 2004; JUUL, 2005; RANHEL, 2009) and Media Studies (MURRAY, 1995; SANTAELLA, 2004), this thesis aims to analyze the complex relation between procedural structure (the rules and possibilities) and storytelling in the game Final Fantasy XIII; the narrative organization of the passion \'vengeance\' has been chosen as the main subject of our analysis due to its complexity and popularity in Western culture. This relation is one of experience rather than portrayal, since the player does not simply learn about what the characters do and live, but has an actual experience of living the narrative content by engaging in a procedurally structured activity; each procedural feature has a particular aspect and rhythm which shapes the experience and, by extension, the story itself. To make this analysis as clear as possible, this thesis has been divided in four chapters, each tackling the problem from different but complementary angles. In the first one, the concept of \'game\' will be discussed to avoid common sense speculation and misinterpreting of the ideas presented herein; with the aid of French Semiotics, in the second chapter we analyze the results of Chapter One more thoroughly and, by doing so, we arrive at a semiotic definition of gaming; the third chapter features an overview of the complex relation between storytelling and gaming titles such as Super Metroid, Resident Evil and Silent Hill are compared therein; finally, in Chapter Four we use the results of the previous chapters to analyze Final Fantasy XIII and its organization of vengeance.

Playing video games are meant to be a fun experience but something that has been proven to ruin the experience are cheaters, maybe even more so in events such as tournaments where money is involved. Even if anti-cheating software exists there also exists a research gap in the subject of cheat detection. And regarding cheat detection the question that matters the most is: how do you even detect a player that is using 3rd-party software to gain an unfair advantage in online video games? To find a solution for this problem a systematic literature review was made were data was extracted from articles relevant for the subject and summarised into results. From the results, a few elementary concepts regarding cheat detection are introduced and analysed with comparisons to the problem statement. Finally, five different types of cheat detection are shown that work by analysing objects such as behaviour, game state or memory.

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences. / Department of Psychology

Submitted by Caroline Xavier (caroline.xavier@pucrs.br) on 2017-06-30T17:30:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DIS_MATEUS_CEZAR_STRUGULSKI_COMPLETO.pdf: 885108 bytes, checksum: 6be385c0ed7cd9f9f9c57b471dd4bf52 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-30T17:30:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DIS_MATEUS_CEZAR_STRUGULSKI_COMPLETO.pdf: 885108 bytes, checksum: 6be385c0ed7cd9f9f9c57b471dd4bf52 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-29 / This dissertation aims to critically identify the elements of the doctrines defended by the esotericism and that are present in the literature, in the music and, in particular, in video games. The esoteric current chosen as the object of study is Theosophy. Through the theological confrontation, the dissertation discusses how Theosophy and Christianity defend totally different and incompatible doctrinal concepts. It will be demonstrated that video games are not devoid of religious ideology, even those who apparently use Christian symbols but actually have in themselves a different cloaked religious message that is harder to discover at first time. / A presente disserta??o tem como objetivo identificar criticamente os elementos das doutrinas defendidas pelo esoterismo presentes na literatura, na m?sica e, de modo particular, em video games. A corrente esot?rica escolhida como objeto de estudo ? a teosofia. Por meio do confronto teol?gico, a disserta??o discute como a teosofia e o cristianismo defendem conceitos doutrin?rios totalmente diferentes e incompat?veis. Demonstrar-se-? que os jogos de video game n?o est?o desprovidos de ideologia religiosa, mesmo aqueles que, aparentemente, utilizam s?mbolos crist?os, mas que, na verdade, t?m em si uma diferente mensagem religiosa camuflada e mais dif?cil de ser descoberta em primeiro momento.

Video games are played by more than 1.8 billion people and are a pervasive force in society, but despite decades of research there has been little consensus on their effects. Before we are able to model complex outcomes such as excessive engagement, we must first understand how and why people play video games. This dissertation integrates latent factor models with techniques from machine learning and network analysis to develop a holistic picture of gaming style, motivations, and individual differences. It employs diverse sources of data across several studies and a total of 2,143 participants, combining online questionnaires with qualitative analysis of participant responses and objective information about gaming behaviour from the API of the popular gaming network "Steam", and finds that stress relief is a primary motivation for engaging in the immersive worlds of video games. Previous research has indicated three underlying factors of Immersion, Achievement and Socialising which replicated across three comprehensive studies of 480 adults, 106 adults and children with an Autism Spectrum Condition, and 961 adults and adolescents. Gamers experiencing more stress in their daily lives were more likely to have Immersion rather than Social or Achievement play styles. Achievement-oriented gamers tended to be lower in stress, higher in conscientiousness and emotional stability, and played more than Immersion-focused gamers. A qualitative analysis of 54 gamers' descriptions of why they recently chose to play a game was used to develop the "Reasons for Playing Video Games" items (RPVG), which were administered to independent samples of 243, 299 and 961 gamers. The qgraph R package was used to perform network analyses of the RPVG items and gameplay style factors, employing the machine learning-based adaptive LASSO technique to estimate a partial correlation matrix from a set of variables as a Pairwise Markov Random Field. Gamers higher in Immersion tended to play for escapism, distraction, and fantasy, while social gamers played for excitement, energy, and self-expression. Network analysis and graph theory illustrate the central role of stress relief in the network of Reasons for Playing Video Games and shows that playing when feeling stressed is strongly linked with Immersion.