Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2016-04-12T13:20:23Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação_Paula_Lins.pdf: 3016371 bytes, checksum: 08c66d69326a38e3820667fdada12e43 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-12T13:20:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação_Paula_Lins.pdf: 3016371 bytes, checksum: 08c66d69326a38e3820667fdada12e43 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-07-29 / CAPEs / O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar de forma empírica a possibilidade de jogos digitais do tipo casual para tablets Android, serem utilizados para reabilitação da destreza fina das mãos, com enfoque nas atividades da vida diária, em pacientes que sofreram lesões nos membros superiores. Observando-se o atual mercado brasileiro de dispositivos digitais, o tablet ocupa posição de destaque, tornando-se líder em inclusão digital no país. Em contrapartida, uma realidade que assombra a população nacional, o alto índice de acidentes de motocicleta, produzindo vítimas que carregam sequelas pelo resto de suas vidas. Profissionais da área de fisioterapia e terapia ocupacional têm feito uso de vídeo games com sensores de movimento, para auxiliar na reabilitação de pacientes, por meio de exergames. Contudo estes aparelhos são pouco acessíveis às classes populares, além de focarem em movimentos de ombro, enquanto o tablet, utiliza extensa gama de movimentos dos dedos e pulso. Logo, representando um recurso relevante na relação entre pacientes e profissionais da saúde, promovendo motivação e beneficiando ambos. Portanto, foram selecionados e instalados quatro jogos da loja de apps Android no dispositivo Samsung galaxy tab pro 10.1 (SM-T520), em seguida, foram observadas suas mecânicas, comparando com exercícios para reabilitação das mãos. Os resultados apontam para uma viável reprodução dos exercícios, onde o movimento de toque, mais comum aos jogos, envolve flexão e extensão, dos dedos e pulso, entre outros estímulos aos músculos, ligamentos e tendões. Mimetizando os exercícios planejados por profissionais para serem realizados pelo paciente em sua casa. Demonstrando real possibilidade de utilizar tablets como instrumento para a prática de exercício, por meio de jogos casuais, em pacientes que necessitam reabilitar suas funções por meio exercícios efetuados no ambiente doméstico. / This study aims to examine empirically the possibility of causal digital games for Android tablets, be used for rehabilitation of the hand’s fine dexterity, focusing on activities of daily living in patients who have suffered injuries in the upper limbs. Observing the current Brazilian market of digital devices, the tablet has an outstanding position, becoming a leader in digital inclusion in the country. In contrast, a reality that haunts the national population, the high rate of motorcycle accidents, producing victims that carry consequences for the rest of their lives. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy professionals have been making use of video games with motion sensors, to assist in the rehabilitation of patients through exergames. However, these devices are not easily accessible to the working classes, and focus mainly on shoulder movements, while the tablet, uses extensive range of finger and wrist movements. Therefore, representing an important feature in the relationship between patients and health professionals, promoting motivation and benefiting both. Thus, four games were selected and installed from Android apps store the device Samsung galaxy tab 10.1 pro (SM-T520), then its mechanics were observed, compared to exercises for rehabilitation of the hands. The results point to a viable reproduction of exercises where the movement of touch, the most common between the games, involves flexion and extension of the fingers and wrist, among other stimuli to muscles, ligaments and tendons. Mimicking the exercises planned by professionals to be performed by the patient in their home. Demonstrating real possibility to use tablets as a tool to practice exercise, through casual games, in patients who need to rehabilitate their functions through exercises fulfilled in their home.

How can activists and scholars design serious game projects that attract and engage people, that are inviting for many types of players, and that empower players to create positive change? My hypothesis was that the Activist-Casual Game Design Framework I published in 2021 could facilitate this work. I took a design-based research approach to answer my research question by way of demonstration and self-reflection through a creative case study of the production of an activist-casual game called Climate Somnia. Chapter 1 explains the literature review and synthesis behind the creation of the original framework, and Chapter 2 reviews the first four major iterations of my prototype and the lessons I learned from the experience of making them. Chapter 3 details additional theoretical research that went deeper than my original review and synthesis, providing me with nuanced understandings of the meaning and importance of player agency, inclusivity, and optimism in the context of activist game design. That chapter then proceeds to describe the design and development of the "core game loop" prototype for my game, and the learnings from that experience informed the subsequent design of Climate Somnia version 0.6, the creative case study at the heart of my design-based research method and the subject of Chapter 4. Chapter 5 begins by revisiting the framework I published in 2021 to critique the text of its ten hybrid design principles in light of the experience I gained in the years since. After that critique, I present my revision — the Activist-Casual Framework for Game Design, Planning, and Development — and explain its reorganized design principles as well as the "descent-ascent" planning model that goes with it. I also propose a direction for future research, in light of the revolutionary advances in publicly available artificial intelligence tools that have happened during my dissertation work.

A complexidade do fenômeno comunicacional desafia estudiosos do campo na atualidade, principalmente no âmbito dos ambientes sociais. O processo de interação mediada, por exemplo, ganhou grandes proporções na virada do século XXI com o advento das Tecnologias de Informação e de Comunicação (TIC). Os suportes tecnológicos eletrônicos ou computacionais passaram a nortear grande parte do entretenimento e da comunicação. Nesse caminho esta pesquisa analisa novas práticas de comunicação na atualidade e aponta como os jogos eletrônicos, ou também chamados games, vêm se conjugando nos processos de mediação nessas práticas. O trabalho envolve os jogos para computador, mais especificamente os chamados jogos casuais. O objeto de estudo são os tipos de interação social em jogos casuais online e o corpus de análise é o EcoCity, um jogo de simulação com final aberto que funciona nos sites de serviço de rede social. A abordagem da construção de cidades sustentáveis no game traz fatores ambientais à cena. A hipótese é que a socialização em torno desses fatores podem de alguma forma agregar valor nos usos e apropriações que os indivíduos fazem dos jogos casuais durante os processos comunicativos e interativos. / The complexity of the communicational phenomenon challenges scholars of our times, mainly concerning social environments. Mediated interactions, for instance, have gained major proportions at the turn of the XXI century with the creation of the Communication and Information Technology (CIT). The electronic or computational technological supports have guided much of the entertainment and communications. This way this research analyses todays new communication practices of current times and shows how electronic games have been combining with mediation procedures related to these practices. The present work involves computer games, more specifically the ones called casual games. The study exams the kinds of social interaction in online casual games, and the corpus for analysis is the EcoCity, an open-ended simulation game which runs at social network websites. The approach of building sustainable cities in the game brings environmental issues into play. The hypothesis is that socialization around these factors may somehow add value to the uses and appropriation of individuals towards casual games during communicational and interaction processes.

A complexidade do fenômeno comunicacional desafia estudiosos do campo na atualidade, principalmente no âmbito dos ambientes sociais. O processo de interação mediada, por exemplo, ganhou grandes proporções na virada do século XXI com o advento das Tecnologias de Informação e de Comunicação (TIC). Os suportes tecnológicos eletrônicos ou computacionais passaram a nortear grande parte do entretenimento e da comunicação. Nesse caminho esta pesquisa analisa novas práticas de comunicação na atualidade e aponta como os jogos eletrônicos, ou também chamados games, vêm se conjugando nos processos de mediação nessas práticas. O trabalho envolve os jogos para computador, mais especificamente os chamados jogos casuais. O objeto de estudo são os tipos de interação social em jogos casuais online e o corpus de análise é o EcoCity, um jogo de simulação com final aberto que funciona nos sites de serviço de rede social. A abordagem da construção de cidades sustentáveis no game traz fatores ambientais à cena. A hipótese é que a socialização em torno desses fatores podem de alguma forma agregar valor nos usos e apropriações que os indivíduos fazem dos jogos casuais durante os processos comunicativos e interativos. / The complexity of the communicational phenomenon challenges scholars of our times, mainly concerning social environments. Mediated interactions, for instance, have gained major proportions at the turn of the XXI century with the creation of the Communication and Information Technology (CIT). The electronic or computational technological supports have guided much of the entertainment and communications. This way this research analyses todays new communication practices of current times and shows how electronic games have been combining with mediation procedures related to these practices. The present work involves computer games, more specifically the ones called casual games. The study exams the kinds of social interaction in online casual games, and the corpus for analysis is the EcoCity, an open-ended simulation game which runs at social network websites. The approach of building sustainable cities in the game brings environmental issues into play. The hypothesis is that socialization around these factors may somehow add value to the uses and appropriation of individuals towards casual games during communicational and interaction processes.

Intertextualitet är begreppet som beskriver hur alla texter är sammankopplade, och om Mieke Bal definierar en text till en sluten samling av språkliga tecken är allt som någonsin skapats sammankopplat. Detta arbete har utförts för att undersöka möjligheterna intertextuella referenser har för att utveckla skrivmetoder för narrativt drivna Casual Games. En undersökning gjordes genom att en kopia av ett etablerat Casual spel fylldes med referenser som sedan spelades av två grupper med respondenter. Deltagarna fick besvara en enkät innan de spelade artefakten och fick delta i en intervju efteråt. Resultatet av undersökningen visade att spelare är fullt kapabla att uppfatta ett brett spektrum av olika former av referenser. Den visade dessutom att spelare med bred kunskap om andra texter har en större tendens att skapa kopplingar mellan två berättelser som delar på ett händelseförlopp. Undersökningen visade dessutom att inga spelare kunde uppfatta en komplett tolkning av två parallella historier. För att svara på hur detta kan uppnås måste mer ingående och långdragen forskning ta plats som kan påverka, många fler, spelare under en längre tid.

Many mobile games use a user interface designed to get their players to spend more time, money or social engagement within their application. This is done by deliberately misleading or otherwise confusing the user by, for example, making the player lose track of time when playing or by giving rewards to players who spend money or invite their friends into the game. This can be taken to the extent that it strongly affects players negatively both financially and socially. This type of game elements is also known as dark patterns, which are not only used in games but also on websites, social media and other digital applications. Dark patterns have been discussed more in recent years since consumers and users have become more aware of how deceptive digital design affects behavior. This study examines the game design of Candy Crush Saga with a focus on dark patterns, and how these affect the game as a whole as well as the users who play it. The study focuses on three categories that characterize dark patterns, namely temporal, monetary and social. Based on these categories, they have subcategories that describe specific design elements with examples. The study that has been done consists of two parts: a heuristic evaluation and a survey where a number of active players have been asked to answer questions about their gaming habits in the game Candy Crush Saga. The study finds that the game contains several dark patterns, which in varying degrees affects the players’ experience in the game. The study also discusses how cumulative dark patterns enhance each other and can therefore be perceived as particularly problematic. / Många mobilspel använder sig av ett användargränssnitt utformat för att få sina spelare att spendera mer tid, pengar eller socialt engagemang inom deras applikation. Detta genom att medvetet vilseleda eller på annat sätt förvirra användaren genom att till exempel få spelaren att förlora uppfattningen av hur mycket tid de har spenderat i spelet eller genom att ge belöningar till spelare som spenderar pengar eller bjuder in sina vänner i spelet. Detta kan tas till den grad att det starkt påverkar spelarna negativt både ekonomiskt och socialt. Denna typ av spelelement kallas även dark patterns, som förutom i spel även används på webbsidor, sociala medier och andra digitala applikationer. Dark patterns har diskuterats mer under senare år då konsumenter och användare har blivit mer medvetna om hur vilseledande digital design påverkar beteenden. I denna studie har spelet Candy Crush Sagas speldesign undersökts med fokus på dark patterns, och hur dessa påverkar spelet i sin helhet och användarna som spelar. Studien har fokuserat på de tre kategorier som kännetecknar dark patterns, nämligen de temporala, monetära och sociala. Utifrån dessa kategorier har de underkategorier som beskriver specifika designelement med exempel. Studien som har gjorts består av två delar där det dels är en heuristisk utvärdering som har gjorts, samt en enkätstudie där en andel aktiva spelare har fått svara på frågor angående deras spelvanor i spelet Candy Crush Saga. Studien konstaterar att spelet innehåller flera dark patterns, som i varierande grad påverkar spelarnas upplevelse i spelet. Studien diskuterar även hur kumulativa dark patterns förhöjer varandra och därav kan upplevas som särskilt problematiska.

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2016-04-12T13:09:12Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação Veronica Vargas.pdf: 5204634 bytes, checksum: 3ec7586f5e6c9ba277e9039225fe71a9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-12T13:09:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação Veronica Vargas.pdf: 5204634 bytes, checksum: 3ec7586f5e6c9ba277e9039225fe71a9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-07-24 / CAPEs / Pesquisas recentes com empresas desenvolvedoras de jogos no Brasil mostram a dificuldade que elas enfrentam no que se refere à captação de recursos para financiar seus empreendimentos. Isso mostra a deficiência dos gestores em matéria de modelos de negócios. No aspecto acadêmico, os estudos da área de jogos, em sua maioria, também estão relacionados apenas ao artefato em si, carecendo de estudos sobre a forma como eles são inseridos no mercado de forma rentável e sustentável economicamente. Tratando aqui os jogos como um produto com foco no segmento dos casuais sociais mobile voltados para o mercado de entretenimento, entende-se que o desafio dos Game Designers vai além da configuração. A partir da ferramenta de concepção de jogos "Game Design Canvas" e com auxílio de Metodologias de Design, a apresentação de um novo Canvas é o objeto de estudo deste trabalho, com o intuito de auxiliar a concepção não apenas de jogos, mas a definição de sua cadeia de valor. Para tanto, são explorados os conceitos de: modelos de negócios, Metodologias de Design, jogos e um retrospecto sobre a evolução das estratégias de comercialização de jogos. Finalmente, para demonstrar a aplicação da extensão do Design Thinking Canvas, um exemplo prático do jogo Bubble Witch Saga 2 é apresentado. Como resultado deste trabalho, foi desenvolvida uma ferramenta com aplicação prática para construção de modelos de negócios de jogos. / Recent researches with companies developers of games in Brazil show the difficulty they face in relation to fund-raising to finance their ventures. This shows the deficiency of managers on business models. In the academic field, studies of the games area, mostly, are also related only to the artifact itself, lacking studies about how they are inserted into the market of an economically profitable and sustainable way. Considering here the games as a product with focus on the segment of social casual mobile facing the entertainment market, it is understood that the challenge of Game Designers goes beyond setting. From the design tool of games "Game Design Canvas" and with the help of Design Methodologies, the presentation of a new Canvas is the object of study of this work, in order to help the conception not only of games, but the definition of its value chain. For this, the concepts explored are: business models, Methodologies of Design, games and a retrospect about the evolution of marketing strategies of games. Finally to demonstrate the application of the extension of the Design Thinking Canvas, a practical example of Bubble Witch Saga 2 game is shown. As result of this work, a tool with practical application for building of game business models was developed.

This study examines engagement regarding casual mobile games. It does so by studying elements of user experience and user interface and how these elements either facilitate or discourage engagement. Self-Determination Theory, flow state and absorption act as the theoretical framework in conjunction with the Game Engagement Questionnaire developed by Brockmyer et al. (2009). The theoretical framework is the base upon which the data collection model was developed as well as how the collected data was analyzed. The results suggest that elements with a negative impact on UI and UX negatively affect player engagement. The data implies that usability, autonomy, skill-level balance are all related to the players ability to enter a flow state, in which the player engagement is high. The results also suggest that fiction is an important factor to the player, as the participants displayed dissatisfaction with the games that contained (to them) unappealing fiction.

Crowdsourcing has been used in the cultural heritage domain for a variety of tasks. One of them is generation of descriptive metadata for digital archives. Gamification offers citizens a more entertaining way to interact with digital collections and generate useful metadata as a side effect of gameplay. The rise of social gaming on Facebook in recent years opens new horizons for cultural heritage institutions to leverage the capabilities of social networking platforms and to gain immediate access to millions of potential contributors. In this work, we explore the integration of social networks with crowdsourcing games for generating archival metadata. We studied crowdsourcing, gamification and social dynamics from the perspective of cultural heritage and combine their features in a metadata game prototype on the Facebook platform. We tested our prototype and evaluate its results by analysing participation, contribution and player feedback. The two-week testing phase showed promising results in terms of user engagement and produced metadata: almost 3000 tags were added, 90% of which were valid dictionary terms. We conclude that deploying metadata games on social networking platforms is a feasible method for digital archives to harness human intelligence from large shared spaces.

Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit Tod in digitalen Spielen und geht der Frage nach, über welche Routen und Netzwerke der Tod ins digitale Spiel kommt. Ziel war es herauszufinden, wie Tod in digitalen Spielen repräsentiert wird, welche Praktiken im Zusammenhang mit Tod in digitalen Spielen erkennbar sind und welche soziokulturellen Aspekte und Konzepte von Tod in digitalen Spielen ausgehandelt und konstruiert werden. Im Mittelpunkt steht das Spielgenre der Casual Games, wobei der Untersuchungsfokus insbesondere auf den sog. Wimmelbildspielen oder Hidden Objekt Games liegt. In diesen Spielen dreht sich alles um das Sammeln, Kombinieren und Suchen von Gegenständen in dichten, mit Objekten überfüllten Wimmelbildszenen sowie um das Lösen von Rätseln und Puzzles. Zur Bearbeitung des Themas wurden im Rahmen einer ethnografischen Untersuchung verschiedene Methoden miteinander kombiniert (visuelle, textuelle und inhaltliche Analysen, Close Playing, ethnografische Gespräche und Dichte Beschreibung). Auf Basis vielfältigen Materials (digitale Wimmelbildspiele, Webseiten, Foren- und Bewertungsbeiträge, Let’s Plays, Berichte und Interviews, literarische Texte, Filme, Transkripte von Spielsessions) werden vier Beziehungsnetze herausgearbeitet, über die der Tod ins Spiel kommt. Das erste Beziehungsnetz beschreibt transmediale Zusammenhänge und durchzieht verschiedene Medien, wobei der Tod über alte, weitgereiste Stoffe, Motive und kulturelle Topoi ins Spiel kommt, die den Zwecken und Möglichkeiten des digitalen Mediums angepasst werden. Die drei anderen Beziehungsnetze werden unter dem Begriff der Ökonomie zusammengefasst: Anhand der Ökonomie der Aufmerksamkeit wird gezeigt, wie der Tod über kulturell und visuell etablierte Aufmerksamkeitsregimes, Todessymboliken und -motive ins Spiel kommt. Dass Tod auch Teil der Spielpraktiken selbst ist, weil er die Spielhandlungen initiiert und strukturiert, wird anhand der Ökonomie des Accomplishments dargelegt. Die Ausführungen zur Ökonomie des Wertes machen deutlich, wie Spielebewertungen sowie soziale Todes- und Sterbeerfahrungen die Beziehung zwischen Spieler, Spiel und Spieleproduzent mitbestimmen können. In der Arbeit wird somit nicht nur dargelegt, dass dem Thema Tod eine zentrale Rolle beim Spielen von digitalen Spielen zukommt, sondern auch, dass Tod die Gestaltung und Vermarktung dieser Spiele maßgeblich beeinflusst und somit ebenfalls Bestandteil alltäglicher digitaler Kommunikationsformen ist.