This bachelor thesis goal is to explore how paganism has expressed itself within the world of digitalgames through three different examples. It builds onto already existing research around videogames and history use as well as my own term paper that touched upon this subject. This thesis willbe done using academic literature concerning digital games, history use and paganism from Russiaas well as Japan.

Kurzfassung: Sport im Sinne eines regelmäßigen körperlichen Trainings sollte aus gesundheitlichen Gründen nach einer Schwangerschaft empfohlen werden. Jedoch müssen an diese Aktivitäten besondere Ansprüche gestellt werden. Die Beanspruchung sollte moderat und mit geringem Risiko sein. Weiters muss die körperliche Aktivität in den Tagesablauf einer jungen Mutter integrierbar sein. Hierzu könnten digitale Spiele mit Ganzkörperaktivitäten sinnvoll eingesetzt werden. Ziel dieser Trainingsstudie war es, möglichen Einsatz und mögliche Wirkung ausgewählter Übungen der Nintendo Wii Fit Plus bei postnatalen Frauen zu überprüfen. Dabei wurden subjektive Eindrücke wie das Spielerleben und wahrgenommene Beanspruchung erhoben. Die Wirkung auf die aerobe Ausdauerleistungsfähigkeit wurde durch eine 6-wöchige Intervention überprüft. An der Studie nahmen 8 Probandinnen (Alter 29,0 ± 4,6 Jahre, Größe 1,7 ± 0,1 m, Body-Mass-Index [BMI] 25,1 ± 3,1 kg/m², postnatal 6,3 ± 1,9 Wochen) teil. Ergebnisse: Die Probandinnen zeigten nach einmaligem Spielen eine hohe bis sehr hohe Motivation, dieses Spiel noch mal zu spielen. Es wurde als nicht stressig mit mittlerer Spielgeschwindigkeit bei einfacher und übersichtlicher Bedienung bewertet. Über den Beobachtungszeitraum nahmen die Frauen eine moderate (etwas anstrengende) Beanspruchung mit hohem Spaßempfinden wahr. Signifikante Gewichtsreduktionen sowie eine Verbesserung der aeroben Leistungsfähigkeit konnten nicht festgestellt werden. Schlussfolgernd bleibt festzuhalten, dass trotz nicht-signifikanter metabolischer und morphologischer Adaptionen eine hohe Motivation zu erwarten ist, was unter gegebenen Übungsvariationen der Nintendo Wii Fit Plus zu regelmäßigem Training führen kann. Da diese Studie nur Pilotcharakter hatte, wäre unter randomisierten kontrollierten Bedingungen eine Untersuchung mit größerem Probandenumfang durchzuführen. / Exercise after pregnancy should be recommended for health reasons. However, special considerations are necessary in the context of physical training. The intensity should be moderate and the activity itself lowrisk. In addition, the exercise has to be capable of being integrated in the daily routine of a young mother. This could also include digital games that involve whole body movements. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible use and the effects of selected exercises of the Nintendo Wii Fit Plus in postnatal women. Data on the subjective impressions of the game experience was collected as well as the perceived exertion during the activity. Furthermore, the effect on the aerobic performance after 6 weeks intervention was investigated. The study involved 8 female subjects (age 29.0 ± 4.6 years, height 1.7 ± 0.1 m, Body Mass Index 25.1 ± 3.1 kg/m², postnatal 6.3 ± 1.9 weeks). Results: The subjects showed a high to very high motivation to play the Wii Fit Plus again after the first game session. The game was assessed as causing no stress at medium speed with a simple and clear operation. During the observation period, the women showed a moderate (somewhat hard physical exertion) with a high sensation of fun. Significant weight reductions and improvements in aerobic capacity could not be proven. Summing up, using the Wii Fit Plus, a high level of motivation can be expected despite any significant metabolic and morphological adaptations, which may lead to a regular participation in exercise activities. Since this study only had pilot-character, it would be advisable to conduct further research using a larger number of subjects under randomized controlled conditions.

Progression of human civilization in fields of technology, culture and media is closely tied to the creation of remains known as a cultural heritage. These artefacts and knowledge are testimonies of human cultures of distant and recent pasts. In last two decades, a trend of creating and living in synthetic worlds has emerged with social media and vast digital games being prime examples of such synthetic worlds. To better understand human culture, a new, yet undeveloped and academically unestablished (even though suggested by texts in past 30 years) interdisciplinar field has emerged: archaogaming. Its mission is researching distant and recent past through cultural heritage in and of digital games, connecting archaeology, game and media studies, using methods and tools inspired by archaeological practice. Among such methods belongs digital ethnography and on-site research, methods used in this Master's thesis' research. Its aim was to describe artefacts used and left in game worlds by gamers of three chosen digital games: GTA Online, Fortnite Battle Royale and Soul Calibur VI. Moreover, other goals of this research were to identify factors influencing such relics and their lifespan. Analysis of data collected during 60 gaming sessions throughout the trio of synthetic worlds suggests that artefacts...

Digital games are a common interest today and research has shown that digital games affect English vocabulary building in a positive way. This study aims to examine the attitudes of teachers in grade four to six towards the use of digital games for vocabulary building in the classroom and how they are used to do that. There is a lack of research about this subject in a Swedish context which is why this study is important. The study used a mixed method approach where online surveys and interviews were conducted with certified English teachers of grade four to six in Sweden. The attitudes of teachers were found to be generally positive towards using digital games to build vocabulary and the most common use of them is to both practice words and phrases the students already know and to teach new words and phrases. However, insufficient time to prepare digital games for use in the classroom seems to be the biggest challenge teachers face when implementing them. The potential digital games have for enhancing vocabulary building and motivating students is why this study is relevant.

In this study we look at character choices in digital games, what causes them and more specifically how big of an impact the character’s clothing has on this choice, and how this differs between genders. Further, we also look at differences in how partially nude characters are perceived versus fully clothed characters, as well as how all of this affects the player's user experience. With this in mind, we also want to know how game designers can use this knowledge in character choices to design for a good user experience. To answer these questions, we conducted qualitative interviews as well as a survey. Based on the results we concluded that the clothing has quite a low impact on the player’s character choice, but that they prefer to play as a fully clothed character if they get to choose. Instead, the character’s abilities are mostly what drives the choice. Furthermore, a partially nude character is most often seen as unrealistic, annoying, and/or uncomfortable for the player. This is especially true for female characters. In order to design for a good user experience in character choices, the game designer should include as many female as male characters, as this benefit both men and women. This is because women tend to play as female characters, whereas men to a greater extent plays with both male and female characters. Beyond this it is also a good idea for the colours of characters to be customizable to tailor to players specific needs, such as colour-blindness.

This quantitative study examined male and female characters in digital games between the years 2015–2020 and a total of 120 games were analyzed where 2108 characters were observed. Quantitative content analysis was used to analyze the characters. The analysis indicates that female characters (n=448) are underrepresented compared to male characters (n=1660). The female characters are significantly more portrayed with sexually revealing clothing, nudity, sexual verbal expressions, sexual behavior and inappropriate clothing for the task they were expected to perform in the narrative than the male characters. The male characters are more often portrayed with unrealistic body proportions than the female characters and overall the male characters are portrayed stereotypically muscular as previous research has shown. The results are compared with previous research and this study observes more female characters in 20 digital games released in 2020 than is noticed in 60 games from 2003. Furthermore, more characters with unrealistic body proportions are found in games from 2020 (n=39) than in games from 2003 (n=24). / Denna kvantitativa studie undersökte manliga och kvinnliga karaktärer i digitala spel mellan åren 2015–2020, totalt analyserades 120 spel där 2108 karaktärer observerades. Karaktärerna i studien analyserades genom en kvantitativ innehållsanalys. Analyserna visar att kvinnliga karaktärer (n=448) är underrepresenterade jämfört med manliga karaktärer (n=1660). Kvinnliga karaktärer porträtteras oftare med sexuellt avslöjande kläder, nakenhet, sexuellt verbala yttringar, sexuellt beteende och opassande kläder till uppgiften de förväntades utföra i narrativet än de manliga karaktärerna. De manliga karaktärerna porträtteras oftare med orealistiska kroppsproportioner än de kvinnliga karaktärerna och övergripande porträtteras de manliga karaktärerna stereotypiskt muskulösa likt tidigare forskning visat. Resultaten jämförs med tidigare forskning och denna studie observerar fler kvinnliga karaktärer i 20 digitala spel släppta år 2020 än vad som uppmärksammas i 60 spel år 2003. Vidare påträffas fler karaktärer med orealistiska kroppsproportioner i spel från år 2020 (n=39) än i spel från år 2003 (n=24).

The possible benefits of digital games for English language learning and teaching have received increasing attention in recent years as more research shows that digital games can affect students’ learning and motivation within formal education. A great deal of the integration of digital games in school contexts depends on the attitude of teachers and students. The aim of this study is to investigate upper-secondary teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward digital games in the English language classroom in a Swedish context. Additionally, this study will also examine teachers’ and students’ views regarding the effects of using digital games for learning English. This is a mixed-method study, where semi-structured interviews and online surveys were conducted by participants from Uppsala, Gävleborg and Dalarna. 106 students and 11 teachers responded to the online survey, and 3 teachers participated in the semi-structured interview. The results found in this study confirm the findings from the majority of previous studies. Teachers and students are generally positive toward digital games in English language learning, and they see potential effects of using games in class. However, teachers find it difficult to implement digital games due to different obstacles, such as preparation time, lack of knowledge, and finding quality games.

This thesis explores physical and social aspects of playing tabletop games physically versus remotely. It also examines the experiences of contemporary players of tabletop games, with focus placed on play during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report begins with an explanation of tabletop games, including social and material aspects as examined in previous work. To explore the thesis’ problem area, several tabletop game players were interviewed, resulting in a number of recurring themes. The interview results suggest that social rituals and material aspects of tabletop games are highly important to players. This has implications for the future of tabletop games, many of which are discussed in the text.

I detta kandidatarbete undersöker vi hur med hjälp av virtuell verklighet (VR) kan gestalta en fabriksmiljö och upplevelse som ökar säkerhetstänket för nyanställda på Volvo i Olofström. Undersökningen utgår ifrån vårt samarbete med Volvo och deras egen fabrik som är i fokus där de har velat ha en säkerhetsutbildning inom VR för deras nyanställda och gångtrafikanter i fabriken. Med hjälp av designperspektivet digital didaktisk design har vi kunnat ställa i centrum på lärandet i görandet, att planera och skapa aktiviteter för någon så att användaren i fråga kan tillägna sig nya kunskaper. Frågeställningen inom denna undersökning är “Hur kan man skapa en fabriksmiljö inom VR som främjar lärande.” Med hjälp av metoderna vi valde för designprocessen kunde vi gestalta en fabrik som simulerar deras och även främja lärandet för säkerhetstänket som var en viktig del att komma till insikt om. Resultatet på undersökningen är att vi skapade en VR-prototyp med hjälp utav spelmotorn Unity. I denna VR-prototyp tar användaren igenom sig en livlig och hektisk fabriksmiljö som speglar det vi själva har fått uppleva genom våra observationer när vi var på besök hos Volvo i Olofström. Genom våra undersökningar inom VR säkerhet har vi upphöjt vår förståelse om vilka möjligheter VR har inom lärandet och att förmedla information. Dem viktiga punkterna för oss var att öka säkerhetstänket hos användaren genom att placera dem i scenarion där deverkligen får uppleva hur det verkligen är att vara inom en livlig fabrik och vad som förväntas av dem. Nyckelord: Virtuell verklighet (VR), säkerhetsträning, fabriksmiljö, Volvo / In this bachelor thesis, we investigate how, with the help of virtual reality (VR), we can create a factory environment and experience that increases the safety thinking for new employees at Volvo in Olofström. The survey is based on our collaboration with Volvo and their own factory, which is in focus where they have wanted a safety training in VR for their new employees and pedestrians in the factory. With the help of the design perspective digital didactic design, we have been able to put the focus on learning in practice, to plan and create activities for someone so that the user in question can acquire new knowledge. The question in this study is "How to create a factory environment within VR that promotes learning." With the help of the methods we chose for the design process, we were able to design a factory that simulates theirs and also promote learning for safety thinking, which was an important part to gain insight into.  The result of our research is that we have created a prototype with the help of the game engine Unity through this process that takes the user through a lively and hectic factory environment that reflects what we ourselves have experienced through our observations when we visited Volvo in Olofström. Through our research in VR security, we have raised our understanding of what opportunities VR has in learning and to convey information. The important points for us were to increase the security thinking of the user by placing them in scenarios where they really get to experience what it really is like to be in a lively factory and what is expected of them Keywords: Virtual reality (VR), safety training, factory environment, Volvo

Depuis de nombreuses années, la recherche dans le domaine du vieillissement s'attache à comprendre ce phénomène complexe et à identifier des solutions aux problématiques médicales, psychologiques, économiques ou sociologiques qui en découlent. Dans ce cadre, le présent travail rend compte des résultats obtenus dans l'identification des facteurs d'utilisation des jeux vidéo comme support de la stimulation cognitive. Afin de répondre à cette question, deux études ont été mises en place : une première expérience s'est attachée à explorer la jouabilité de la console Wii de Nintendo, tandis qu'une seconde visait à déterminer les facteurs d'acceptabilité des jeux vidéo par les seniors. Les travaux portant sur la Wii se sont focalisés sur le critère d'apprenabilité, en s’appuyant sur le cadre théorique de l'utilisabilité dans les Interfaces Homme-Machine. L'objectif était donc d'analyser les données recueillies au terme d'une observation comportementale, afin d'évaluer l'évolution de la maîtrise de l'interaction entre le joueur et le jeu. Les deux jeux retenus étaient le Bowling et le Tennis, auxquels les participants devaient jouer lors de 4 séances comprenant chacune deux parties de chaque jeu. Trois groupes de participants ont été ainsi constitués, comprenant des sujets jeunes, des seniors sans troubles cognitifs, et des seniors souffrant d'un MCI. Trois patients souffrant de la Maladie D'Alzheimer ont également participé à cette étude. Les résultats confirment un effet de l'âge, modéré par l'effet d'apprentissage ; l'effet du profil cognitif s'est avéré plus discret, et l'étude individuelle des trois volontaires souffrant de démence nous encourage à postuler la préservation d'un apprentissage moteur implicite, mais aussi à la présence obligatoire d'un médiateur humain. L'investigation des représentations de nos aînés sur un divertissement « réservé aux jeunes » a été opérationnalisée grâce à la constitution de deux focus groupes. L'objectif était de proposer une prise en main de différents jeux modernes, et d'explorer l'univers des jeux vidéo sous différents aspects, incluant le gameplay, les questions éthiques ou l'investissement financier. Les différentes thématiques étaient abordées de manière à susciter un libre échange entre les participants. Le matériel recueilli a par la suite été soumis à une analyse de contenu thématique : les différents extraits des échanges recueillis lors des deux focus groupes ont été étiquetés au moyen de mots clé, et les étiquettes ainsi obtenues ont permis de construire un arbre thématique. Les résultats de cette étude nous ont permis de mettre en évidence un intérêt très variable pour les jeux vidéo, mais un souci prégnant de préserver ses facultés cognitives. L'amusement est possible mais semble répondre à des critères très hétérogènes ; un consensus sur des jeux impliquant de la réflexion, de la créativité et l'acquisition de nouvelles connaissances s'est néanmoins dégagé. D'un point de vue plus pragmatique, il existe un refus clair d'investir financièrement dans du matériel spécifique (consoles) ou dans les jeux eux-mêmes. Enfin, les jeux de type First Person Shooter, mis en avant pour la sollicitation du réseau visuo-attentionnel, sont massivement rejetés en raison de la violence associée au gameplay. Dans la dernière partie de ce travail, ces résultats sont d'abord mis en relation avec les données de la littérature afin de dégager les apports réalisés et les limites expérimentales des études décrites. Notre réflexion se termine sur une synthèse des recommandations sur l'implémentation du jeu comme support d'entrainement ou de réhabilitation cognitive, mais aussi sur les questions de recherche et les problématiques identifiées au terme de ce cheminement intellectuel et humain. / For many years, research in the field of aging has focused on understanding this complex phenomenon and identifying solutions to medical, economic, psychological or sociological issues linked to it. In this context, the aim of this thesis was to identify factors that facilitate the use of video games as a medium for cognitive stimulation in older adults. To answer this question, two studies were carried out: the first one focused on exploring the gameplay of the Nintendo Wii, and the second one aimed at determining the factors of acceptability for video game in older adults. The work on the Wii was focused on the criterion of learnability, based on the theoretical framework of usability in Human Machine Interfaces. The objective was to analyze the data collected throughout a behavioral experimentation in order to assess the process by which the older adults were able to master the game (either bowling or tennis). Participants had to play four sessions and each session encompassed two sets of each game. Three groups of participants were implemented: younger patients, older adults without cognitive impairment and suffering from Mild Cognitive Impairment respectively. Three patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease also participated in this study. The results confirm an effect of age, which is moderated by the learning effect. The effect of the cognitive profile was more subtle. The analysis of the data for each volunteer with dementia showed that positive results in the games were probably due to the preservation of implicit motor learning, but also required the mandatory presence of a human mediator. The investigation on older adults' representations of entertainments "dedicated to young people" was carried out in two focus groups. The aim was to let older adults play with different modern games, and explore the world of video games from different angles, including gameplay, ethical issues or financial investment. Different themes were brought up in order to encourage free discussion between participants. The collected material was subsequently subjected to thematic content analysis: the different items of material collected during the two focus groups were labeled with key words, and then the tags that we obtained were used to build a theme tree. The results of this study showed that older adults had various interests in video games, but a strong desire to preserve their cognitive functions. For older adults, fun is possible when playing videogames but seems to be linked to very heterogeneous criteria. However, our results showed a consensus among older adults on criteria for appropriate games such as stimulating thinking, creativity and new knowledge. From a more pragmatic point of view, there is a clear refusal to invest in specific equipment for games. Finally, games like First Person Shooter, put forward because of their potential benefit on visual and attentional functions, were rejected because of the violence associated with the gameplay. In the last part of this work, we compared our results with those of the literature in order to identify our contributions as well as the experimental limits of our studies. Then our reflection focused on a summary of guidelines for the implementation of games aiming at supporting cognitive training or rehabilitation. We also analyzed the research questions and issues identified at the end of this intellectual and human process.