Bakalauro darbe analizuojamos paauglių pomėgio žaisti kompiuterinius žaidimus ir bendravimo su aplinkiniais ypatybės. Darbo tikslas – išanalizuoti ryšį tarp paauglio bendravimo su artimaisiais ir pomėgio žaisti kompiuterinius žaidimus. Tyrime dalyvavo 100 mokinių, kurių amžius nuo 14 iki 17 metų. Tyrimas atliktas Vilkaviškio „Aušros“ gimnazijoje. Uždaro tipo klausimynu tirta paauglių demografinė padėtis, paauglių ryšys su kompiuteriu, internetu bei kompiuteriniais žaidimais. Taip pat tirta, kokie yra paauglių santykiai su tėvais ir draugais. Analizuojant tyrimo duomenis, ieškota ryšio tarp paauglių pomėgio žaisti kompiuterinius žaidimus ir bendravimo su aplinkiniais. Tyrimu nustatyta, kad paauglystės amžiaus tarpsnyje labai svarbu yra, kaip paauglys reaguoja į savo fizinį brendimą. Paauglystės amžiaus tarpsnyje formuojasi paauglio tapatumas bei vertybių sistema. Tai yra patys svarbiausi ypatumai, kurie nulemia tolimesnę paauglio raidą. Mokslinėje literatūroje pateikiami kompiuterinių žaidimų rūšys: imitaciniai, mokomieji, nuotykiniai, vaidmeniniai, sportiniai, strateginiai – koviniai, veiksmo. Išskirta, jog kompiuterinių žaidimų poveikis yra teigiamas ir neigiamas. Gauti tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad dauguma respondentų prie kompiuterinių žaidimų praleidžia vidutiniškai iki valandos, tik nedidelė dalis 9 procentai vaikinų žaidžia kompiuterinius žaidimus nuo 2 iki 4 valandų laiko. Rezultatai atskleidė, kad paaugliai žaidžia įvairius kompiuterinius žaidimus ir neturi vieno... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / My bachelor work analyzes the teenager‘s obsession with computer games and interaction with surounding properties. The following aim of the research was formulated based on the research problem: to analyze the relationship between adolescent communication with family and the love of playing computer games. The study included 100 hundred students, age from 14 to 17 years. The study was conducted at Vilkaviskis “Ausros” gymnasium. Closed-ended questionnaire it was analyzed the demographic situation of the teenagers, the relationship between teenagers and computers, internet, and computer games. It was also examined, what is the relationship between teenagers and their parents and friends. While analyzing the data it was necessary to find out the connection between adolescent obsession with computer games and interaction with others. The study confirmed that at the age of adolescent it is very important to make it clear how the teenager is responding to his or her physical maturity. At the age of adolescent it is time where the formation of his or her identity and the role of his or her values take the most important part. These are the most important characteristics which determine the further development of the adolescent. In scientific literature we can find such types of computer games as these: imitation, educational, adventure, role-play, sport, strategy- fighting, action. It is emphasized that there are negative and positive affect of the video games. The obtained... [to full text]

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This thesis reports on a usability study conducted on the Virtual Learning Spaces (VLS) computerbased educational adventure game. The aim of the game is to improve the acquisition of knowledge through play in an interactive, entertaining and intrinsically motivating computer-based environment. The objective of this study centred on assessing the quality of the VLS game user interface, and determining faults and problems that may hinder implementation Literature on usability of virtual reality educational game systems and related phenomenon of usability of other types of computer application systems was reviewed, including, to a lesser extent, literature on usability of web pages. The major issues of interest included, usability issues concerning principles of good user interface design, factors that influence how a user interface promotes user satisfaction and the objectives of playing the game, from player, game and the game as medium of learning perspectives. These principles provided a set of usability requirements for the VLS game user interface on which the evaluation was based. A series of data collection methods comprising a cognitive walk through, heuristic evaluation, usability testing and post-test questionnaire, were used in this study. Despite some usability problems, results indicate that the VLS user interface design conformed, extensively, to the principles of good user interface design in appearance, interaction and user help. It was also found to be engaging, comprehensible and unbiased (in terms of gender and variable computer skills). / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

This thesis investigates how to train the increasingly large cast of characters in modern commercial computer games. Modern computer games can contain hundreds or sometimes thousands of non-player characters that each should act coherently in complex dynamic worlds, and engage appropriately with other non-player characters and human players. Too often, it is obvious that computer controlled characters are brainless zombies portraying the same repetitive hand-coded behaviour. Commercial computer games would seem a natural domain for reinforcement learning and, as the trend for selling games based on better graphics is peaking with the saturation of game shelves with excellent graphics, it seems that better artificial intelligence is the next big thing. The main contribution of this thesis is a novel style of utility function, group utility functions, for reinforcement learning that could provide automated behaviour specification for large numbers of computer game characters. Group utility functions allow arbitrary functions of the characters’ performance to represent relationships between characters and groups of characters. These qualitative relationships are learned alongside the main quantitative goal of the characters. Group utility functions can be considered a multi-agent extension of the existing programming by reward method and, an extension of the team utility function to be more generic by replacing the sum function with potentially any other function. Hierarchical group utility functions, which are group utility functions arranged in a tree structure, allow character group relationships to be learned. For illustration, the empirical work shown uses the negative standard deviation function to create balanced (or equal performance) behaviours. This balanced behaviour can be learned between characters, groups and also, between groups and single characters. Empirical experiments show that a balancing group utility function can be used to engender an equal performance between characters, groups, and groups and single characters. It is shown that it is possible to trade some amount of quantitatively measured performance for some qualitative behaviour using group utility functions. Further experiments show how the results degrade as expected when the number of characters and groups is increased. Further experimentation shows that using function approximation to approximate the learners’ value functions is one possible way to overcome the issues of scale. All the experiments are undertaken in a commercially available computer game engine. In summary, this thesis contributes a novel type of utility function potentially suitable for training many computer game characters and, empirical work on reinforcement learning used in a modern computer game engine.

This thesis presents a study on how to create a production pipeline using a markerless motion capture system for the creation of animations in computer games. The questions the authors desire to answer are: Is it possible to create a pipeline that uses markerless motion capture for the creation of animations in computer games? And also: Can a markerless motion capture system fit in an animation pipeline for games? This thesis is based on previous work by Kakee Lau (Lau, 2012), a former student of Gotland University College. He describes a pipeline for working with passive optical motion capture for games. To fit the markerless motion capture system, there must be some changes to Lau’s already established pipeline. The method used in this thesis is based on a pipeline described in Lau’s thesis (Lau, 2012). The authors have made some alterations to this pipeline for it to be more suitable for markerless motion capture. The pipeline that the authors propose covers the setup of two Kinect cameras, the calibration, the recording, the cleaning and the preparation for MotionBuilder. Due to some factors that were not taken into consideration during testing, there cannot be any quantitative conclusion in this thesis to which system is the better one. Based on the findings of this study the authors can conclude that a markerless motion capture system is a viable method for game animation creation, yet not giving the same quality of results as a passive optical motion capture system.

Eight Directors of Religious Education (DREs) were randomly chosen in Indiana and asked to participate in this study to assess the media technology used in their religious education programs. DREs directly control the general curriculum for each class and grade level while mentoring teachers' development and execution of lessons. Catholic parochial schools were not included in this study; the sole focus of this study was Catholic religious education programs.The methods for accessing the media technology consisted of a triangulation between observations, interviews, and document analysis. After the DREs agreed to participate, the researcher spent a day shadowing them and conducted an interview. Also, the researcher collected documents in the form of the church's bulletin and web site when applicable. Only the DRE's perspective was assessed, and not the teacher's, student's or parent's. / Department of Telecommunications

This project concerned the development of a computer software system to help students reinforce material previously discussed in the classroom.The software is written in Apple Pilot, a computer language especially designed to help teachers with little or no programming background develop simple computer assisted instruction courseware. The program creates an adventure style game where the student finds treasure, fights monsters, and overcomes obstacles by answering questions related to English comparatives and superlatives.

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the unintentional learning that happens during the use of computer games. With the use of interviews with students in the ages 13-15 who all have played the game series Assassin’s Creed, and then compared them with students who does not play the game, we have been able to identify that some learning is taking place, but that the student’s attitude towards the subject, and their maturity, also is vital for the learning. Even tough, the students who didn’t really enjoy history as a subject showed better knowledge after playing the game, than the students who hadn’t played at all, which indicates that computer games can be a good source for learning. Another purpose was to investigate the students’ attitude towards using computer games in their education. Interestingly all the students we interviewed, even those who are not interested in computer games were positive to the use of computer games in some form in their education, either themselves playing, or the teacher using it as a form of interactive media to show a certain event or person. Our conclusion shows that computer games are a good source of learning, and the use of computer games as a pedagogic tool in the education definitely should be a subject for further research.

Video games are a part of modern culture. As video game spaces begin to enter a new generation’s spatial lexicon, it is important for architects, curators of spatial design, to understand this new medium of space. This thesis aims to introduce two concepts specific to video game design, the magic circle and flow, to architects as a means of understanding the design of video game spaces. First coined by the Dutch historian Johann Huizinga in Homo Ludens, and later adapted by video game designers Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, the magic circle refers to the boundary created by the rules of a game that separate reality from the fantasy of the game. Within the magic circle, the rules of play can transform and give new meaning to spatial organizations that could be considered problematic in real world architectural design. Flow is a psychological concept introduced by Hungarian psychology professor Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. When completing a task, flow occurs when both the skill level of the participant and the challenge level of the task are equally high. When a state of flow is achieved, the task becomes enjoyable and can be carried out indefinitely until the balance is broken. Effective video games spaces are specifically designed to contribute to flow experiences, while ineffective spaces can make a game too easy or too hard, creating a boredom or anxiety for the player. Through a series of explorations and video game case studies, specifically in the first-person and third person shooter genre, this thesis first observes the transformation of implied spatial meanings in the magic circle. It then introduces the unique spatial languages used to generate spaces that support the creation of flow alongside the gameplay and narrative of a video game. This thesis culminates with the design and execution of an original capture the flag map created with the Unreal Engine that tests the concepts of the magic circle and flow in video game spaces. As video games become increasingly ubiquitous, this thesis acts as means of entry for architects to understand the unique properties of an emerging form of spatial design.

The central focus of this study is to look at the legitimacy of using computer games for textual study in subject English and to understand the value that non-traditional forms of narrative text can have in enhancing student learning and enjoyment. This thesis argues that when students are engaged in textual study that is pleasurable, learning outcomes can be enhanced. Narrative computer games are appropriately placed within the realm of popular cultural texts, therefore, this study is also located within a cultural studies field of inquiry. A range of theoretical lenses which are appropriate to this field, such as critical theory, poststructuralism, reader response theories and narratology, are drawn upon in order to provide different perspectives on knowledge, relationships of power, and elements of story. These multiple perspectives are combined to construct a methodological framework for my research that brings a richness to data analysis. In locating my study within this multi-dimensional methodological framework, it is possible to achieve a layering and interpretation of the many different responses to the binaries of “work” versus “play” inherent in my title. The study focuses on a junior secondary English class at a school in South-east Queensland. The students undertook a curriculum unit which used a critical literacy framework to study the narratives and cultural identifications inherent in a number of computer games. The participants’ responses to “play” within the classroom forms one facet of the study; the depth of narrative experience enabled by computer games forms another facet; and the final facet examines the cultural responses to newer forms of literacies. The study concludes that using narrative computer games as a form of text for study in subject English allows for an examination of new forms of literacies that are student-friendly. A hybridised form of communication and pedagogy is also suggested. Narrative computer games allow for pleasure and play in the classroom, albeit in a less traditional way, and a hybridised communication can allow students and teachers access to a dialogue that values the learning experiences associated with this textual medium.