A recent meta-analysis of Anderson and colleagues (2010) shows that violent behavior in computer games promotes violent behavior in real-life and inhibits prosocial behavior. A couple of studies conducted by Greitemeyer and Osswald (2010) lead to the conclusion that helping behavior in computer games furthers helping behavior in real-life. There exist no studies examining the combined effect of violence and helping in computer games, although this combination is typical for violent video games (Anderson et al., 2010). In violent RPGs, a lot of tasks consist of helping someone by using violence. The present study addresses this issue and bridges the current empirical gap by investigating if violent emergency assistance furthers helping behavior and/or violent behavior in real-life. To accomplish that, the role-playing game “Oblivion” was modified to create four different experimental conditions: (1) violent emergency assistance, (2) killing, (3) helping, and (4) treasure hunting. Comparing these conditions, violent emergency assistance seemingly reduces helping behavior in real-life and at the same time furthers violent behavior. The results are in unison with the moral management model (Hartmann & Vorderer, 2010; Hartmann, in press), which is based on Banduras Theory of Moral Disengagement (Bandura, 2002).

Historically 3D game environments have almost always been immutable. Mutable environments are a technical challenge that will affect performance. For games of the future to continue approaching realism, mutable environments are an essential step. Popularized by the game title Minecraft (2009), the use of voxel engines in games has become increasingly common. However, by the nature of the discrete position of voxels, the method is limited in representing arbitrary polyhedral shapes like angled slopes. It also prohibits smooth mutations including proper movement and rotation of objects within the voxelization. This is generally mitigable with more voxels. However, this paper proposes a more precise solution to the problem. A tetrahedral mesh engine (tetra engine). By altering tetrahedral topology, vertex positions, and material of individual tetrahedrons, tetras are intended to solve the issue of arbitrary polyhedral shapes for voxels. Additionally, the tetrahedral mesh shows other promises such as providing a robust collision detection method and as an acceleration structure for e.g. raycasting. The research question can be summarized as investigating the feasibility of a tetra engine as a mutable game environment. 3 sub-research questions are given: The first regarding performance, the second regarding robustness, and the third different types mutations. The research questions are addressed along with a proof of concept (POC). The POC intends to investigate a proposal for the most efficient robust solution possible for the most basic mutation type known as edits. Because of time constraints, it does not cover all parts of the research questions but works as a bottom-up approach to understand what is required to realize a full-fledged tetra engine. Thus, a large part of the research question is answered theoretically both hypothetically with grounds from the POC and through previous work. The result shows a much more critical robustness consideration than expected and suggests relying on slower but more robust algorithms that are known to work. In conclusion, nothing suggests that a scalable future-proof tetra engine is impossible, but the algorithms required are much less efficient than those for voxels and robustness is an issue to overcome. However, numerous hypothetical advantages particularly regarding deformation and fluid simulation are still recognized and it is not obvious that future mutable environments would not benefit from a tetra engine rather than voxels. / Historiskt sätt har 3D-datorspelmiljöer nästan uteslutande varit oföränderliga. Det finns goda anledningar till detta. Föränderliga miljöer är en teknisk utmaning som påverkar speleffektiviteten. Om man däremot vill fortsätta utveckla mer realistiska datorspel är föränderliga spelmiljöer ett naturligt steg. Spelet Minecraft (2009) populariserade användandet av voxlar i datorspel vars material kan ändras för att förändra miljön. Sedan dess har voxlar i datorspel blivit mer och mer populära. Dock, på grund av voxlars diskreta positioner har de begränsningar i dess förmåga att representera godtyckliga polyedriska former så som arbiträrt vinklade plan. Detta omöjliggör även mjuka rörelser inklusive rörelse och rotering inom voxeliseringen. Det här problemet kan generellt dämpas med hjälp av mindre och fler voxlar. Men, för att lösa problemet ordentligt föreslår den här rapporten en annan lösning, nämligen en tetrahedrisk-mesh-motor (tetramotor). Genom att ändra tetraedrisk topologi, hörn positioner, samt material av individuella tetraedrar ska tetrorna kunna forma arbiträra polyedriska former och lösa problemet med voxlar. Utöver detta visar en tetraedrisk mesh andra intressanta möjligheter likt en metod för robust kollisions hantering och som en accelereringsstruktur för till exempel ray-casting. Forskningsfrågan kan sammanfattas som att utforska tillämpbarheten av en tetramotor för föränderliga datorspelsmiljöer. Tre underfrågor ges: Den första handlar om beräkningseffektivitet, den andra angående robusthet och den tredje oliky typer av mutationer. Forskningsfrågorna angrips med hjälp av en proof of concept lösning (POC). POC:en är menad att utforska ett förslag på en effektiv och robust metod för direkta förändringar. På grund av tidsbegränsningar så täcker inte POC:en alla delar av frågeställningarna men är menad som en botten upp lösning för att inse och förstå kraven för en komplett tetramotor. På grund av detta är en stor del av forskningsfrågorna svarade teoretiskt, både hypotetiskt baserat på insikterna från POC:en och med grund från tidigare forskning. Resultatet visar en mycket mer kritisk hänsyn till robusthet än förväntat och föreslår att man använder sig av långsammare men fungerande existerande lösningar. Slutsatsen är att inget tyder på att en skalbar framtidssäker tetramotor är en omöjlighet, men att algoritmerna är mycket långsammare än de som krävs för voxlar. Däremot finns potentieally fördelar med en tetra motor, främst med hänsyn till deformering och flödessimulering. Det är därför inte självklart att framtida muterbara spelmijöer inte skulle ha fördelar av en tetramotor istället för voxlar.

The overall purpose of this essay, “‘I really hope you guys are enjoying this. Thank you so much for watching!’ - a qualitative and quantitative study of the interaction between YouTubers and their audience", is to study how YouTubers that play and comment video games interact with their audience, what kind of response these YouTubers receive and the interaction between viewers and fans in these YouTubers comment sections. This essay also studies if there is a difference between the response female and male YouTubers receive. The study is based on theories about fan culture, participation culture, collective intelligence, feminism and gender. A quantitative content analysis has been used to analyze 600 comments on six YouTube videos uploaded by six different YouTubers. The purpose of the quantitative analysis was to see what content of the comments most often occur as well as if the comment showed a positive, negative or neutral view of the YouTuber. The result of the quantitative analysis was used as a base for a qualitative critical discourse analysis, which also studied how the YouTubers behaved in the videos. The results of this study showed that the YouTubers mostly received positive comments about their personalities and their YouTube channel. They mostly received negative comments about the way they play the game. The female YouTubers received more negative comments than the male YouTubers, who in turn received more positive comments. The study also showed that YouTubers interact by talking directly to the audience and looking into the camera, by using the word “we” when talking about how they play the game as if they are playing with the audience, by asking the audience questions and by answering comments that the YouTubers have received. The YouTubers engage their audience by using strong expressions and by playing the game during a livestream. The YouTubers’ fans engage and interact by showing appreciation of the YouTubers and defend the YouTubers when they receive negative comments in the comment section of their videos. These ways which YouTubers interact with and engage their audience can be seen as part of a discourse about interaction and engagement online.

The diploma thesis deals with the method of using computer simulations in education, with a focus on medicine. It also presents possible usage of computer simulations in other fields. The thesis presents possible usage of computer simulation to support the education, analyses of effective approaches and possible barriers that may arise during the implementation. Practical research is based on qualitative analysis of current situation of using simulations at medical faculties in the Czech republic. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

This essay investigates what may constitute a hypnotic digital artefact from a design standpoint. This essay is meant to help designers who want to create hypnotic digital artefacts in the shape of a game, or researchers who wants to further this field. With a case study analysing the game Cultist Simulator, this essay observes applications from this essay’s frameworks: NLP, Procedural Rhetorics, Flow, Trance, and Ericksonian Hypnosis. The case study serves to demonstrate how a larger scale reflection of intrinsic cross over points between hypnosis and the video game medium may take place within state-of-the-art discourse. This essay fulfils its design-aid purpose by charting factors that can be put in place to facilitate a trance and a hypnosis in a game, in a design table summarising design methods discussed. The means that may put a player’s mind in abeyance are posited here regarding how this may influence the game experience, including induction techniques, where suggestions are provided in how these might translate to a game format. Through its frameworks and case study, hypnotic content generation is put in focus, where this essay finds that games utilising metaphors and depicting inner spaces carry significance in this pursuit. It also finds that mirroring communication of the unconscious, such as adhering to rules of a dream state, and acknowledging the unconscious’ uses and capacities, has potential in this pursuit. Importantly, the essay includes a discussion on Cultist Simulator’s decadent aesthetics and its role in leading a player towards an alternate state of consciousness.

This paper is a qualitative study of signs and associations that seemingly communicate the influence of film tropes on female character design in video games. It analyzes and correlates the visual attributes and characteristics of the League of Legends character Zeri with the traditional attributes and trends of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (MPDG) film trope, and applies theories within women’s representation and gender to examine the results. The findings suggest that Zeris design and description communicates the traditional characteristics of the MPDG such as quirky, energetic, nostalgic, retro, cute and “twee” and that several of these attributes may reflect an idealized portrayal of the female character rooted in fictive stereotypes. Furthermore the paper highlights the complex interaction between design elements and their ability to communicate (possibly unintended) concepts, and the concepts ability to transcend media formats.  This paper includes a design documentation after page 25 called "Kalasklister i Djurparken", which is the second part of the final exam project(s) at the Visual Communication program at Malmö University. "Kalasklister i Djurparken" is an image bank that aims to update the marketing of Helsingborg's djur- och lekpark (zoo and playground) in order to appeal more to children.