The most basic requirement for any computer controlled game agent in a video game is to be able to successfully navigate the game environment. Pathfinding is an essential component of any agent navigation system. Pathfinding is, at the simplest level, a search technique for finding a route between two points in an environment. The real-time multi-agent nature of video games places extremely tight constraints on the pathfinding problem. This study aims to provide the first complete review of the current state of video game pathfinding both in regards to the graph search algorithms employed as well as the implications of pathfinding within dynamic game environments. Furthermore this thesis presents novel work in the form of a domain specific search algorithm for use on grid-based game maps: the spatial grid A* algorithm which is shown to offer significant improvements over A* within the intended domain. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Computer Science / unrestricted

This thesis investigates how the color red can potentially affect the player’s perception of horror game environments. The test was conducted by asking participants to play through a horror level made in Unreal Engine 4 which used realistic-looking assets. The study was performed using a mixed methodology of A/B/C testing with surveys and interviews to gather the data. The A, B, and C versions of the test used the same game-level in all versions however the color of the lighting was different in all of them. Version A used white lights, version B used red lights, and version C used red flickering lights. The results revealed that the players found the version with the white lights to be the scariest and the version with the flickering lights to be the second scariest. This was most likely due to the order in which the players played the levels, the version with white being the first that the players played. The players indicated that the realistic colors in version A added to the sense of immersion, whereas the continuous red lights in version B were perceived by some players as overdone or unnatural and would have been better suited for localized areas associated with supernatural elements. The flickering lights were well received by players and associated with a higher potential for danger and jump scares

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Replayability in games is important to many players as it increases the amount of play time they get out of a game for the price they paid, which is why it is interesting to know how replayability can be promoted in games with simple mechanics. Previous research has categorised what motivates players to play a game again, as aspects of replayability. These aspects and the inherent subjectivity of replayability have been taken into account to define replayability. In this study, a game is designed to be replayable according to those definitions and then iterated on three times. Four different tools and principles for designing for replayability are used and evaluated in the design. All four tools and principles are considered in the initial design, after which one or a few are selected to be used in each game iteration. For each version of the game, the reason for, and the theory behind, design decisions is documented. The game is then released and player data and answers to two questions within the game are gathered to inform reflection. After which the design is reflected on before designing the next iteration. Four different tools and principles were tested as part of the design process. The Periodic Dilemma Generator (Aghekyan, 2021), the Aspects of Replayability (Krall and Menzies, 2012) (Monedero March, 2019), game elements based on randomisation (Bycer, 2018), and a tool to add synergy (Rosewater, 2013). Each of them proved to be useful in different ways. The Aspects of Replayability helped focus the design as goals to work towards. The Periodic Dilemma Generator tool was used throughout the design as both a design tool and a guide for creating meaningful choices. Randomisation was added as part of the game’s initial design and remained the main source of variance throughout all iterations. Designing synergy between game elements then enhanced both the Periodic Dilemma Generator and the randomised variance, making it the tool that provided the most replayability in the game. Using these tools and principles together, they can guide the design to enhance the complexity of a simple game to promote replayability. / Omspelbarhet i spel är viktigt för många spelare då det ökar mängden speltid de får ut av ett spel för det pris de betalade, därför är det intressant att veta hur man kan främja omspelbarhet i spel med enkla mechanics. Tidigare forskning har kategoriserat vad som motiverar spelare att spela ett spel igen. Det kallas aspekter av omspelbarhet. Dessa aspekter och subjektiviteten av omspelbarhet har beaktats för att definiera konceptet. I den här studien designas ett spel för att vara omspelbart enligt de definitionerna och sedan designas tre ytterligare iterationer. Fyra olika verktyg och principer som handlar om att designa för omspelbarhet används och evalueras i designen. Alla fyra verktyg och principer används i den ursprungliga designen, varefter en eller ett fåtal av dem väljs till att användas för att designa varje iteration. För varje version av spelet dokumenteras orsaken till, och teorin bakom, designbeslut. Spelet släpps sedan och spelardata och svar på två frågor inom spelet samlas in för att informera vid reflektion. Varefter designen reflekteras över innan nästa iteration utformas. Fyra olika verktyg och principer testades som en del av designprocessen. Verktyget Periodic Dilemma Generator (Aghekyan, 2021), principen Aspects of Replayability (Krall och Menzies, 2012) (Monedero March, 2019), spelelement baserade på randomisering (Bycer, 2018) och ett verktyg för att lägga till synergi (Rosewater, 2013). De visade sig alla vara användbara på olika sätt. Aspects of Replayability hjälpte till att fokusera designen som genom att agera som mål att arbeta mot. Periodic Dilemma Generator användes genom hela designen som både ett designverktyg och som en guide för att skapa meningsfulla val. Randomisering lades till som en del av spelets ursprungliga design och förblev den huvudsakliga källan till varians genom alla iterationer. Att designa synergi mellan spelelementen förbättrade sedan både Periodic Dilemma Generator och den randomiserade variansen, vilket gjorde det till det verktyg som gav mest omspelbarhet i spelet. Genom att använda dessa verktyg och principer tillsammans kan de vägleda designen för att förbättra komplexiteten i ett enkelt spel och främja omspelbarhet.

Affordable and relatively accurate eye trackers are becoming more accessible for the mainstream user, consequently opening up new opportunities for utilizing eye gaze in interactive real-time applications. When extending gaze data from an eye tracker into real-time rendered 3D virtual environments, there are often techniques applied to correlate the gaze point to a 3D object. Techniques which can be referred to gaze-to-object mapping (GTOM) methods. One featured GTOM method, region-bound Interactors, provided by the eye tracking company Tobii AB, was extended in this thesis by utilizing a custom G-buffer in order to extract accurate shapes of individual objects in screen space. This adapted method was compared against two methods based on ray casting in a controlled 3D test environment consisting of three types of scenarios with varying conditions. Data was collected from a user study with 31 participants to assess if the Interactors method could be viable in 3D virtual environments. The extended method showed some promising result in relation to the other methods, but further work needs to be done to establish whether the method in question is practical for GTOM in 3D. / Relativt precisa eyetrackers med ett lågt pris blir allt mer tillgängliga för den vanlige användaren. Således öppnas nya möjligheter upp för att använda ögonspårning i interaktiva realtidsapplikationer. När man förlänger ögats blickpunkt in till virtuella realtidsrenderade 3D-miljöer, används ofta metoder för att kunna korrelera blicken till ett 3D-objekt. Dessa metoder kan benämnas som så kallade gaze-to-object mapping-metoder (GTOM). En GTOM-metod, regionsbundna Interactors, som tillhandahålls av eyetracking-företaget Tobii AB, kompletterades under detta examensarbete med en specifik G-buffer för att kunna extrahera exakta former av enskilda objekt på skärmen. Denna metod jämfördes med två metoder som var baserade på strålföljning i en kontrollerad testmiljö i 3D som bestod av tre typer av olika scenarier med varierande förhållanden. Information samlades in från en användarstudie med 31 deltagare för att kunna bedöma om Interactors-metoden är lämplig för GTOM i virtuella 3D-miljöer. Den utökade metoden uppvisade en del lovande resultat i förhållande till de andra två metoderna, men ytterligare forskning måste utföras för att kunna fastställa om huruvida den aktuella metoden är praktisk för GTOM i 3D.

Background: Organizations desire to create and maintain a strong and long-lasting relationship with their consumers. Firms enjoy many benefits through the loyalty of customers, such as lower marketing costs, increased revenue, and much more. Our study pinpoints two specific elements within brand loyalty that are in need of research: brand longevity, which describes the duration of a brand’s activeness, and customer loyalty to disliked brands. Furthermore, our study tries to identify how consumers add value during their relationship with the video game franchise FIFA. We identified the video game franchise FIFA as a perfect fit for this study; a criticized franchise that has been successful since 1993. Research Purpose: The purpose of this research is to understand why a disliked brand stays successful despite increasing criticisms from critics and consumers. Research Problem: Our study identified a need for further investigation into the concept of brand longevity, brands with a rich heritage would benefit from understanding their assemblage. Furthermore, qualitative research is needed to address the lack of knowledge of loyalty for disliked brands in other cultural and demographical contexts. Finally, more insights about customer value are needed to better understand how firms can evaluate their customers. Research Question: How is FIFA able to attain such longevity, despite receiving strong critics on their annual products? Method: Ontology through a relativistic scope - Epistemology with a social constructionism view - 20 Semi-structured Interviews - Snowball Sampling for gathering participants - Content Analysis for analyzing and coding the data. Conclusion: Our study managed to identify several drivers that keep consumers loyal to FIFA. We also identified how the community of FIFA perceives the environment of the franchise. Finally, the intensity of the value contribution has been outlined to illustrate how consumer differs from each other. Practical Implications: Emerging from our findings, implications are formulated for franchises, brands, and firms in general, both inside and outside of the gaming industry.

This project is about storytelling, community building & management, and altering preconceived negative notions surrounding video games as a whole. Originally starting off as an idea of creating a game alongside people coming from both gaming and non-gaming backgrounds, the focus was then shifted towards creating with the former to be then exposed to the latter. More specifically, non-gaming individuals exhibiting doubt and criticism on video games and their legitimacy as a creative/entertainment medium, by showcasing the benefits and debunking instigated stereotypes with the games’ story-rich narrative.

The video games industry is rapidly developing as technology allows designers to create increasingly comprehensive worlds for their players to explore. Acknowledging the experience gained by architects designing similar structures for the physical world, this thesis explorescross-disciplinary research. The relationship between architecture and level design is here utilized to further the understanding of architectural space within first-person video games. A textual analysis is performed on Mirror’s Edge Catalyst to investigate ways in which architecture may contribute to the narrative of a game. This reading embodies the aspirations of precedent studies, used by architects to understand and analyse the components within an architectural composition. The thesis is guided by the question “How can architectural space support the narrative in levels of first-person video games?” and manages to uncover multiple layers to the design of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst. The research conveys that the expectedgameplay experience guides the composition of the architecture within the level. Here the horizontal and vertical planes that define space may be utilized to facilitate the narrative throughtheir shape and configuration. The spatial segments are then arranged into linear or centralizedorganizations emphasizing the narrative of the level. Finally, throughout these spatial organizations monumental architecture is applied which provides stages that assist in conveyingthe focal point of the narrative. / Den digitala spelindustrin utvecklas snabbt i samband med teknologiska framsteg. Detta resulterar i förutsättningar för speldesigners att utveckla utförliga virtuella världar för deras spelare att utforska. Genom att erkänna den välutvecklade erfarenheten erhållen av arkitekter i deras arbete att konstruera världens samhällen, antar sig detta kandidatarbete tvärvetenskaplig forskning. Relationen mellan arkitektur och level design används här för att främja förståelsen för arkitektoniskt utrymme inom videospel som utspelar sig i första person. En textanalys är utförd på Mirror’s Edge Catalyst med syftet att undersöka olika möjligheter för arkitektur att bidra till narrativ inom spel. Denna analys aspirerar till att förhålla sig till målet av en prejudikatstudie som tillåter arkitekter att förstå och analysera komponenter inom en arkitektonisk komposition. Kandidatarbetet vägleds av forskningsfrågan ”Hur kan arkitektoniskt utrymme användas för att stödja ett narrativ i banor från första-persons videospel?”. Forskningen visar att den förväntade spelupplevelsen inom en bana styr den arkitektoniska kompositionen. Horisontella och vertikala ytor används för att definiera utrymme medan deras form och sammansättning ger plats åt banans narrativ. Det uppdelade utrymmet placeras sedan in i linjära eller centraliserade organisationer vilket styrker den narrativa upplevelsen som etableras. Under dessa organisationer placeras storslagen arkitektur, vilket ger upphov till scener vars syfte är att underlätta kommunikationen av fokuset inom narrativet.

The focus of this thesis is to investigate whether adding video communication inonline multiplayer video games will affect the game experience. The work uses usercentered design and a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Literaturereview, pre-study questionnaire and semi-structured interviews are used to create aprototype of a video chat overlay that can be used in games. The prototype is thenused in a quasi-experiment to test if adding a video chat will result in better gameexperience. Participants in the experiment play the same online multiplayer videogame without and with video chat overlay and fill out a game experiencequestionnaire after each condition. The GEQ scores after the two conditions arecompared using a Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. Results showed that adding videochat did not improve the game experience significantly. If a video chat would becreated for use in video games, it is important to keep it simple and easy to use.Regarding the effect of video chat on game experience, with the prototype designedfor this work, the null hypothesis could not be rejected since there was no significantdifference in the game experience.

Using ethnographic research methods, I worked with the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) to conduct an exploratory study about developer perspectives on video game preservation. I conducted in-depth interviews with independent developers in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, a hub for Texas game development. These interviews explored developers' knowledge and awareness of game preservation as a topic of concern, archival culture and practices in the industry, and the IGDA's potential role in addressing issues related to preservation work. This research contributes to a growing body of literature on game preservation, urgently needed as many gaming technologies face obsolescence in the near future. I use Ellen Cushman's concept of "perseverance" to examine the difference between simply preserving video games for the future, and the perseverance of game development as a professional trade and artistic craft.