I denna uppsatsen undersöks det hur den 26 åriga esports-proffset Epitácio "TACO" de Melo representeras på den egna- samt esportsföretaget Godsents Instagram. Analysen har gjorts utifrån Raewyn Connells maskulinitetsperspektiv och vad det kan tänkas göra för avstamp på följarna. Undersökningen har genomförts via en kvalitativ-observerande textanalys. Från vardera Instagramflöde har jag valt ut nio representerande bilder. Bilderna har analyserat genom en mall som skapades utifrån textanalysens principer. Godsent och de Melo har tillsammans skapat en internetpersona som representerar det maskulina idealet som dominerar esportsvärlden. Detta idealet avtecknar sig ur ett ideal som är aggressivt, våldsamt och dominant. Förvisso är inte detta den enda representationen som är synlig men den som ger starkast intryck. Som micro celebrity kultiverar Taco sina fans genom värderingar och budskap och på så sätt bär ett ansvar, framförallt när publiken i esport är så ung. Denna representationen motverkar möjligheten för andra grupper i samhället att ta del av samfundet. / This thesis investigates how the 26-year-old esports professional Epitácio "TACO" de Melo is represented on his own- and the esports company Godsent's Instagram. The analysis has been made from Raewyn Connells masculinity perspective and the possible impact this can generate on his followers. The survey was conducted via a qualitative-observational text analysis. From each Instagram feed I have selected nine representative images for the analysis. The analysis is through a template that was created based on the principles of text analysis. Godsent and Taco have together created an internet persona that represents the masculine ideal that dominates the esports world. This ideal stands out from an ideal that is aggressive, violent and dominant. Certainly this is not the only representation that is visible but the one that gives the strongest impact. As a micro celebrity, Taco cultivates his fans through values and messages and thus bears a responsibility, especially when the audience in esports is so young. This representation counteracts the opportunity for other groups in society to take part in the esports society.

This thesis project focuses on the creation and usage of external light effects to accommodate the needs of competitive gamers. Prior to the creation of these light effects, the function of audio in films and games was analyzed by examining the works of Michel Chion, who is the leading scholar in studying audio-vision: the relationship between the screen and sound. Subsequently, the possible application of these theories onto the lighting domain was discussed, showing the similarities and usefulness of these two different modalities. The goal of the thesis project was to improve the gamers’ perceived and objective performance in first-person shooter games. A counterbalanced within-group study was conducted; each participant played the game Doom 3 for 25 minutes with and without light effects. Four functional and informative light effects were created to accommodate the in-game content in an attempt to improve their performance. The players were given identical instructions on how to play the game. Four Philips Hue Go lights were placed in a rectangular shape around the participant with the TV in front. An additional Philips Hue LED strip was placed behind the TV. After each session, a standardized Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) was used to collect data on the players’ perceived performance. In-game logs were collected to determine how the players fared in combat. A linear checkpoint system was created to judge how far the participants progressed. The GEQ data showed that the light effects improved the players perceived performance. However, the results from the in-game logs and player progression are inconclusive and not statistically significant. The identified potential reasons were the low sample size (n=14), too little practice time, potential differences in player skill and physical light positioning. / Detta examensarbete fokuserar på skapandet och användandet av externa ljuseffekter  för att ackommodera tävlingsinriktade gamers behov. Inför skapandet av dessa  ljuseffekter genomfördes en utforskning av ljudets funktion i film och spel genom att  analysera Michel Chions verk inom audio-vision (eng); det vill säga förhållandet mellan  bild och ljud. Fortsättningsvis diskuterades huruvida dessa teorier kunde appliceras på  domänen ljus, genom att visa på användbarheten samt de likheter som dessa två olika  modaliteter har.    Målet för examensarbetet var att förbättra gamers upplevda och objektiva prestation i  förstapersonsskjutare (eng: First Person Shooter / FPS). En motviktad användarstudie  (within-group) genomfördes. Fyra funktionella och informativa ljuseffekter skapades för  att ackommodera spelets innehåll i ett försök att förbättra spelarnas prestation. Varje  deltagare spelade FPS-spelet ​Doom 3​ i 25 minuter med och utan ljuseffekter. Spelarna fick  identiska instruktioner om spelets grunder. Fyra Philips Hue Go-lampor var utplacerade  rektangulärt runt spelaren med TVn längst fram i mitten. En ytterligare Philips Hue LED  strip var placerad bakom TVn.    Efter varje session användes ett standardiserat Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) för  att insamla data av spelarnas upplevda prestation. Data loggades även inifrån spelet för  att uppmäta hur spelarna presterade i strid. Ett linjärt kontrollstationssystem upprättades  för att avgöra hur långt in i spelet deltagarna nådde.    Datan från GEQ-enkäterna visade att ljuseffekterna förbättrade spelarnas upplevda  prestation. Datan från spelloggarna och kontrollstationssystemet gav ett ofullständigt  resultat och var statistiskt insignifikant. De identifierade potentiella anledningarna var det  låga antalet deltagare (n=14), för lite övningstid, skillnader i spelarfärdighet och fysisk  ljuspositionering.

This study examined the effects of using serious games for training on task performance and declarative knowledge outcomes. The purpose was to determine if serious games are more effective training tools than traditional methods. Self-efficacy, expectations for training, and engagement were considered as moderators of the relationship between type of training and task performance as well as type of training and declarative knowledge. Results of the study offered support for the potential of serious games to be more effective than traditional methods of training when it comes to task performance.

There is some debate about the most effective and least controversial means of sex education in schools. In several states, state law does not require education about Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (STDs and HIV/AIDS.) There is also debate about the effect and pervasiveness of sexual situations in video games and its effect on the healthy sexual development of adolescents. This research therefore aims to try to solve these two problems and answer the following question: Is it possible to represent sex in a more realistic and educational way through a video game while teaching more medically accurate and necessary information? The completion of this study will be able to provide some insights on the feasibility and benefits of widespread implementation of serious video games for health education in the United States and also point to the necessity of future research into this topic.

Syftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka om och hur svenska tv-spelare från olika Facebook-forum har upplevt Game Transfer Phenomena. GTP är ett fenomen där tv-spelens värld påverkar tv-spelarna efter att de slutat spela. Utifrån psykologen Angelica B. Ortiz de Gortaris teori och skala om hur vi kan påverkas har jag beskrivit hur detta fenomen ser ut och och undersökt om tv-spelares upplevelser kan ha  överensstämt med Ortiz de Gortaris begrepp. I denna studie siktade jag även på att undersöka hur spelarnas starkaste GTP-upplevelse kan ha sett ut. Jag skickade ut en enkätundersökning och fick svar från 241 respondenter. Det visade sig att majoriteten av spelarna som deltog i undersökningen hade upplevt detta fenomen. De främsta fenomenen spelarna hade upplevt var att: visualisera bilder från tv-spelen i huvudet eller se bilder från spelet när man blundat när man inte spelar; upplevt att man hört musiken från ett spel; velat eller känt en impuls att göra något i verkliga livet efter att ha sett något som påminner en om tv-spelet; fortfarande har haft samma tankar som när man spelar ett spel efter att man har slutat spela; och har sjungit, ropat eller sagt något ur ett datorspel i verkliga livet utan att ha haft för avsikt att göra det. Datan visade också att de starkaste upplevelserna som spelarna upplevt hade kopplingar till spelet och dess innehåll på många punkter. De spelserier som respondenterna hade haft starkast upplevelse från var World of Warcraft, Zelda och Tetris. Majoriteten av respondenterna svarade att genren RPG (Rollspel), hade givit dem den starkaste upplevelsen.  Därefter följt av den mer specifika genren MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). Även Action-äventy, Förstapersonsskjutare, och pussel var vanliga genrer. Majoriteten av spelarna hade sin starkaste upplevelse på en tv-spelskonsol, följt av dator. De flesta styrde spelet med handkontroll, tangentbord eller mus. Spel med 3D-grafik var den kategori som påverkade spelarna starkast enligt respondenterna. Tredje- och förstapersonsperspektiv var ungefär lika vanliga. Spelet hade mycket interaktivitet, och innehöll stressfulla moment ibland eller ofta. Det var vanligt att det ofta eller hela tiden förekom upprepande moment. Spelet dominerades oftast av mycket narrativ, och var ofta immersivt, men ansågs inte vara särskilt känslosamt. / The purpose of this thesis was to examine if and how Swedish video gamers from various Facebook forums had experienced Game Transfer Phenomena. This is a  phenomenon where the video game world affects the video game players after they have stopped playing. With the psychologist Angelica B. Ortiz de Gortaris theory and scale of how we might be affected, I have described what this phenomena may look like and examined if gamers experiences have aligned with Ortiz de Gortaris concept. In this study I also aimed to discover how the gamers strongest experience might have looked like. I sent out a survey form to various video game groups on Facebook and got answers from 241 respondents. The data showed that the majority of the gamers that participated in the survey had experienced this phenomena. The foremost phenomenas the gamers had experienced was to: visualize pictures from the video game in the head or seeing pictures from the game with the eyes closed, when not playing; experiencing hearing the music from a video game; wanting or feeling an impulse to do something in real life after seeing something that reminds the person of the video game; still having the same thoughts as when the person was playing the video game, after stopped playing; and have sung, shouted or said something from a video game, in real life, without having an intent to do so. The data also showed that the strongest experiences that the gamers had experienced had connections to the game and its content in many parts. The video game series that the gamers had their strongest experience from were World Of Warcraft, Zelda and Tetris. The majority of the respondents answered that the genre RPG (Role Playing Game) had given them the strongest experience. Followed by the more specific genre MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing game). Action-adventure, First-Person Shooter and puzzle were common genres. The majority of the gamers had their strongest experience on a video game console, followed by a computer. Most gamers used to steer with a controller, keyboard or mouse. Games with 3D graphics was the category that affected the gamers the most according to the respondents. Third- and first-person perspective in the games was approximately equally common. The game had a lot of interactivity and had parts that were stressful sometimes or often. It was common that repeating parts occurred often or all the time. The game was usually dominated with a lot of narration and was often immersive, but was not considered having many emotional elements.

When discussing games and the experience of gamers those with disabilities are often overlooked. This has left a gap in our understanding of the experience of players with disabilities in virtual game worlds. However there are examples of players with disabilities being very successful in the virtual world video game World of Warcraft, suggesting that there is an opportunity to study the game for usability insight in creating other virtual world environments. This study surveyed World of Warcraft players with disabilities online for insight into how they used interface addons to manage their experience and identity performance in the game. A rubric was also created to study a selection of addons for evidence of the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The study found that World of Warcraft players with disabilities do not use addons more than able-bodied players, but some of the most popular addons do exhibit many or most of the principles of UDL. UDL principles appear to have emerged organically from addon iterations over time. The study concludes by suggesting that the same approach to user-generated content for the game interface taken by the creators of World of Warcraft, as well as high user investment in the environment, can lead to more accessible virtual world learning environments in the future.

This is an early history of Mixed Martial Arts in America. It focuses primarily on the political campaign to ban the sport in the 1990s and the repercussions that campaign had on MMA itself. Furthermore, it examines the censorship of music and video games in the 1990s. The central argument of this work is that the political campaign to ban Mixed Martial Arts was part of a larger political movement to censor violent entertainment. Connections are shown in the actions and rhetoric of politicians who attacked music, video games and the Ultimate Fighting Championship on the grounds that it glorified violence. The political pressure exerted on the sport is largely responsible for the eventual success and widespread acceptance of MMA. The pressure forced the sport to regulate itself and transformed it into something more acceptable to mainstream America

This research focuses on technology (specifically video games and interactive software games) and their effects on the cognitive development of children ages 4-8. The research will be conducted as a meta-analysis combining research and theory in order to determine if the educational approach to this age group needs to change/adapt to learners who have been affected by this technology. I will focus upon both the physical and mental aspects of their development and present a comprehensive review of current educational theory and practice. By examining current curriculum goals and cross-referencing them to research conducted in fields other than education (i.e. technology, child development, media literacy, etc.) I hope to demonstrate a need for change; and, at the end of my research, be able to make recommendations for curriculum adaptations that will work within the current educational structure. These recommendations will be made with respect to budget and time constraints.

In order for the societal paradigm to shift in favor of climate-conscious practices and behaviors, it is clear that new and radically different perspectives need to be introduced to the public’s perception of climate change and sustainability. Humanity is currently suffering from a crisis of the imagination; the illustrious yet hegemonic worldview that we have exhausted all options available to us in the face of climate change. This locks our future in to a set trajectory, as other options that may be unlikely yet possible and (un)desirable are ignored. Through the use of interactive media, specifically commercial video games, such radically different perspectives on the future can be presented to large audiences on a global scale and with instantaneous distribution. Commercial games are able to, through the interplay between interactivity, narrative intrigue and symbolic/ empathetic resonance, create worldmaking interactions which may in turn lead to escape velocity; a possible way to break free of the crisis of the imagination. The empirical foundation for the thesis was gathered through interviews with gamers from all over the world, in which participants shared their stories about gaming, sustainability and climate change. The thesis found that commercial video games are able to aid in the visualization of potential futures by offering worldmaking interactions. The strongest argument for using commercial video games as a conduit for worldmaking interactions seem to be their ability to appeal to our sense of empathy. Further, the thesis found that in this, commercial games are in some ways superior to serious games, though a joining of aspects from both types of games seem to hold greater potential still. Arguments can be made that commercial games lack transferability of experience, though the empirical results of this thesis seem to at least partially discredit this. Further research is needed to assert this fact more firmly. Keeping the empirical results in mind, the thesis offers a simple framework for developers to use in the development of commercially viable games aimed at worldmaking interactions for sustainability.

The thesis is a meta-narrative discourse regarding the subversion in the representation of late capitalist realism. Through a post-humanist Marxist perspective, it connects three video game industry’s favorites with the ultimate question of capitalism: Cyberpunk 2077, Death Stranding, and Disco Elysium‪‬.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ By looking through the unanimous retrospective paradigm, the thesis starts an exploratory journey analyzing the three games in terms of their narrative and mechanics lineages. Eventually, it wishes to reveal the possibility of genuine alternatives to our late capitalist reality from the late capitalist entertainment industry. By exposing the retrospective and inquisitive obsession of the three games, it reveals the underlying collective political trauma derived from the inability to defeat the late capitalist realism. While the analysis also leads to a potential solution that favors chance and randomness in order to disrupt the insatiable capitalist desire for the assimilation of originality.