The purpose of this study is to examine the unsustainable aspects we have identified within the genre of “incremental games”. These games commonly rely on the concept of infinite exponential growth which is inherently unsustainable. We were therefore interested in evaluating the following question: how would one design an incremental game to illuminate this unsustainability and how would that in turn affect the gameplay? In order to design the game we firstly decided to base it on the fishing industry since it gave us a direct connection to man’s effect on the environment. We thereafter connected the player’s fishing activity to a real-world based limit to growth which meant that the more the player expanded his or her fishing fleet, the more the population of fish began to shrink and ultimately collapse. This gave the game a definite ending, which is something we found lacking in other games in the genre since in those games the resources can continue to grow indefinitely. After the design portion of our study we evaluated the game on a number of participants. Our results seem to indicate that the game has good potential since the majority of participants gave positive feedback regarding the game and gameplay. The sustainability aspect of the game was identified as particularly interesting and worth continued exploration. However, some of the participants did not understand the purpose of the game and there are certain areas of improvement that would make the game even more clear in its efforts to illuminate the genre’s inherent unsustainability. / Denna studie undersöker ohållbarheten som vi har identifierat som central för genren “inkrementella spel”. Dessa spel bygger oftast på oändlig exponentiell tillväxt - ett koncept som är fundamentalt ohållbart. Därför var vi intresserade över att undersöka följande fråga: hur skulle man kunna designa ett inkrementellt spel för att belysa denna ohållbarhet och hur skulle det i sådana fall påverka spelupplevelsen? För att designa spelet utgick vi från temat av fiskeindustrin eftersom det gav oss en direkt koppling till människans påverkan på miljön. Sedan kopplade vi spelarens fiskeaktivitet med en verklighetsbaserad gräns till tillväxt, vilket innebar att ju mer spelaren utökade sitt fiskande desto fortare började fiskpopulationen krympa och tillslut kollapsa. Spelet har därmed ett definitivt slut, något som andra spel inom genren ofta saknar i och med att antalet resurser kan fortsätta växa för evigt. Efter designfasen av studien utvärderades spelet med hjälp av ett antal deltagare. Resultatet av denna utvärdering visar att spelet har god potential, då majoriteten av deltagarna gav generellt positiv respons till spelet och spelupplevelsen. Deltagarna identifierade hållbarhetsaspekten med spelet som särskilt intressant och något som bör utforskas vidare. Dock visade det sig att två deltagare inte förstod syftet med spelet och förbättringsområden finns som skulle göra spelet ännu tydligare i att framhäva genrens ohållbarhet.

Frequently in MMORPGs, players will encounter something known to players as farming or grinding. Grinding is a controversial matter in the gaming community, as many do not enjoy it and see it as a sign of lazy and poor game design. However, it is a difficult topic to argue as whatever is a grind, differs for each person. To elevate the discussion about grinds in the gaming community, this paper aims to give a definition of grinds and answer how they are perceived by players and designers alike. Grinds are argued to be dull, tedious and monotonous, but they are ever prevalent in games today.  To find what differentiates between a satisfying or waste of time grinding, this paper also aims to discover what makes a grind enjoyable, and when they are appropriate.  The results of this paper are built upon previous works and media on game design and grinds. Interviews were held with players that grind to get a deeper understanding of what drives players to grind. The results define grinds as the act of doing something repeatedly for one's own gain. Seven sub-grinds that are found in different games were defined, each with varying characteristics. Grinds are not inherently bad, despite the negative connotations. They are like any other aspect of a game, they can be executed well or poorly. The developers' responsibility is to design a well-balanced grind that does not hinder players from doing what they like and deliver a satisfying experience.