The subject of computer programming is highly practical and it is crucial that beginners participate in hands-on experimentation as part of the learning process. Unfortunately, many first year engineering students that are new to this discipline are often intimidated by the material and unmotivated to review or practice the concepts on their own. The purpose of this study is to measure the success of using a cooperative and competitive video game as a pedagogical tool in software engineering education. The video game that was developed for this research is called Space Race and it harnesses the power of group discussion to encourage students to share their individual understandings of basic programming concepts. This dissemination of knowledge within groups was able to teach many students new concepts that they did not understand previously.At least 67% of the students stated that the game motivates them to review course material. The game was wellreceived with at least 82% of the students that played Space Race agreeing that they would recommend that others also learn basic programming concepts with this game. Although the game does not directly teach students new concepts, it allows the instructors to identify what concepts students struggle with. Space Race encourages students to ask the instructor questions when they do not understand. In some cases, game participants outperform nonparticipants on course exams. On the final course exam, all of the statistically significant (p<0:05) comparisons (42% of the relevant questions) showed a performance improvement of game participants, with a maximum grade improvement of 41%. The findings also suggest that some students can retain the knowledge obtained from Space Race for at least 7 weeks. The results of this study provide strong evidence that a video game can be a successful pedagogical tool for software engineering education. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Kunskapen om TV- och datorspelmissbruk bland ungdomar är idag väldigt begränsad. Stillasittande/fysisk inaktivitet, som TV- och datorspel ofta innebär och som kan innebära negativa konsekvenser, blir allt vanligare. En semistrukturerad intervjustudie har genomförts på sju män i åldersgruppen 17-29 år i syfte att undersöka drivkrafterna bakom mäns spelbeteende i tonåren. Dessutom har information om spelmissbruk bland ungdomar inhämtats av fyra yrkesverksamma inom spelområdet. Detta samt kopplingar mellan TV- och datorspel och spel om pengar har gjorts p g a bristen på forskning om TV- och datorspel. De före detta spelmissbrukarna har kategoriserats som fritidsspelare och spelproblematiker (som lyckats sluta missbruka spel på egen hand), samt spelberoende, som fått avstå helt från spel för att få ett slut på sitt missbruk, medan övriga än idag kan spela i måttlig och ytterst liten mängd. Verklig och upplevd kontroll över sig själva och omgivningen har varit viktiga determinanter för informanternas spelmissbruk. Anledningarna till att de slutade/minskade på spelandet är att de i huvudsak tappade intresset för spel (dock inte helt), fick andra prioriteringar och/eller inte ville få återfall där de återgår till sitt gamla missbruksbeteende. Spelandet har haft en funktion som flykt från en problematisk livssituation, vilken med tiden endast förvärrats för de spelberoende parallellt med missbruket. Även upplevelsen av direkt, tillfällig tillfredsställelse har varit en stor drivkraft samtidigt som det har lett till spelmissbruket. Det tidsödande fritidsintresset fick konsekvenser på den psykiska och fysiska hälsan och beteendet, utvecklingen, relationer till närstående, familjesituationen, skolgången, den sociala etableringen samt den socioekonomiska situationen, vilket sammanfattningsvis ledde till att informanterna utvecklade en ohälsosam och ofta destruktiv livsstil. / The knowledge of computer- and video game abuse and addiction among young people is very limited today. The sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity that computer- and video games often involve can have negative consequences, and are becoming more common. A semi-structured interview was conducted on seven men between the ages of 17-29 in order to examine the driving forces behind men’s gaming behavior in their adolescence. In addition, information about game abuse among young people was gathered from professionals in the area of computer- and video games. This and links between computer- and video games and gambling have been made due to the lack of research on video and computer games. The former video game addicts have been categorized as recreational players, game problematics (who by themselves managed to stop abusing games) and game addicts, who have completely abstained from gaming to put an end to their addiction, while the others still play moderately and very little today. Actual and perceived control over themselves and their environment has been important determinants for the player’s former addiction. The reason why they stopped/decreased the gaming is essentially because they lost interest in games (not completely though), got other priorities and/or did not want to relapse and return to old problematic behavior. Gaming as an escape from a problematic life situation was a common feature among the addicts. The situation for the game addicts only worsened with time along with their game abuse. Although the experience of direct, incidental satisfaction has been a major driving force, it simultaneously led to game abuse. The time-consuming leisure activity had consequences on the mental and physical health, behavior and social development, as well as on the relationships to relatives, family situation, school attendance, social establishment and socioeconomic situation. To sum up, the informants developed an unhealthy and often destructive lifestyle because of the game habits.

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There are numerous video games that depict mental health conditions, and Hellblade: Senua'sSacrifice (Hellblade) stands out as a remarkable example. This thesis studies the impact thisgame has on players’ own perceived awareness regarding mental health conditions by viewingthe subject through the lens of Transformative Play. Furthermore, the following study can informgame designers and researchers about design choices made to represent mental health conditions.Qualitative data gathered through two sets of semi-structured interviews, was analyzed todetermine whether players’ perceived mental health awareness had changed as a result of playingHellblade, and what transformative experiences arose. The results from this study found theplayers’ perceived awareness of mental health conditions to have changed after playingHellblade. Seen within the context of Transformative Play, this was due to players’ abilities toimmerse themselves into the main protagonist, resulting in the fictional character’s experiencesand perspectives spilling over to the player.

Background: Nowadays nostalgia has become a staple within the marketers’ toolkit on grounds of the plethora of positive effects it has on consumers. It is however solely focused on memories and the individual’s yearning for the past. A new concept, forestalgia, is the direct counterpart to nostalgia, and it focuses on the individual’s yearning for an idealised future. Due to the infancy and limited knowledge of this concept, little is known about the practicality and appeal of this concept for advertisers. This research paper aims to utilise video games as a case to expand upon existing knowledge regarding forestalgia, potentially providing insights that can benefit advertisers.  Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to examine forestalgic experiences of Gen Z using gaming and Counter-Strike 2 as a case to develop in-depth knowledge of this phenomenon, address gaps in the existing literature and develop avenues for future research to be conducted in this area.  Method: Exploratory research has been conducted on this topic with the use of semi-structured interviews, and further analysed using the IPA (Interpretative phenomenological analysis) method. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with Gen Z individuals who have an extent of familiarity with gaming, specifically the Counter-Strike series. The paper was written with interpretivism as the ontology, and interpretivism as the epistemology, and was written with an abductive approach.  Conclusion: The findings explored the experience of forestalgia amongst participants, identifying key themes extracted from the interviews conducted. In addition, the findings displayed potential links between nostalgia and forestalgia, whilst also contesting the claim that individuals under 30 don’t experience personal nostalgia. The findings also highlight potential avenues for further research on forestalgia.

This study examines the relationship between the visual design of characters in thevideo game Genshin Impact and their character background. The study uses formal analysisand data collected on selected characters’ color choices, shapes, movements, facialexpressions, and backstories to analyze if the characters’ visual designs align with theirnarratives. This research is relevant to game designers, players, and game research scholars.Game designers can use the insights gained from this study to create more immersivecharacters that organically convey their backstories. The findings suggest that visual designplays a critical role in conveying character context and personality in the game. Thecharacters of the sample showed a strong visual appearance, effectively conveying theirbackground story and personality characteristics. The findings of this study confirm that thecharacter design in Genshin Impact effectively conveys the character’s background. Theanalysis revealed notable strengths in employing a skillful combination of color, shapes,movements, and facial expressions to evoke specific emotions, accentuate character traits, andenhance the storytelling experience. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of carefullyconsidering and refining visual design choices to align with the intended narrative and engageplayers effectively. Future research could explore other aspects of visual design and its impacton video game character development.

In my thesis I focus on analysing the representations and images in historical digital games. I base my thesis upon methods and works from the game studies field. Those texts research games based on principles of mechanics and rules, narrative, aesthetics, and simulation. All those aspects of games come under my analysis of chosen set of digital games. I connect this methodology with theory of history, which focuses on means of historical representation and ways of construction of the historical image, just as it notes role of historians and history in nowadays society. Further I build upon work of Jean Beadrillard on simulation and simulacra, who takes on the topic of production of images in our culture. I confront my analysis with work of Adam Chapman Digital Games as History, which offers me not only a basic terminology but also serves me as an inspiration for comparison of the games' images with the historians' epistemology. My thesis results in comparison and attempted junction of the methods of game studies with those of historiography on the material of digital games. Apart from deeper analysis of selected games I come to more general conclusions, which could in my opinion, add to further analysis of the past and its digital representations, just as they could help to think through the role...

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This paper aims to examine the various practices employed by libraries in the city ofUmeå in regards to the collection development of their video game selection.In addition to directly examining this process, it will also seek to develop anunderstanding of how different factors impact it, such as technical aspects, ageratings, genres, and game platforms. The study was conducted using both aqualitative and quantitative method, using interviews to gather insights fromlibrarians and a variety of statistical sources to build an image of the contents of thelibrary. The results indicated that the collection development endeavors were bothless frequent and needed compared to the book collections, in great part due to thelimited size of the selection. It was also found that the collections that did exist weregreatly influenced by the library patrons that engaged with them, with the cataloguemostly mirroring the demand in proportion, with the outlier of Nintendo Switchgames. Finally, a potential issue regarding the future of video game acquisition wasraised due to the evolving digital market potentially rendering library servicesobsolete or too expensive. In conclusion, this study found that unless the videogame market drastically shifts course from its digitalization the services librariesprovide in regards to this medium has to adapt to stay relevant to public interests