In this thesis, an improved framework is proposed for categorizing existing gamified systems. Related works and real world examples of gamification are discussed and some areas where insufficient research exists. In order to address the identified research problems, an experimental gamified system was designed and implemented for sharing articles related to different aspects of life. The participants of the study were recruited among the users of an existing Iranian lifestyle site for female users. Therefore, the gender of the users was considered in the design. A wide range of gamification elements were implemented in the system to test the effectiveness of specific design features and gamification elements’ parameters in increasing user motivation, for example, the contingency of rewards and the use of sound and animation in badges. A detailed questionnaire was used to answer the research questions. The results suggest specific combinations of gamification elements and their parameters that can be successfully applied by designers of social sites for similar audience.

This paper studies how new players approach first-person games using a controller. By observingthe behaviour of five mostly inexperienced individuals as they play through the first few levelsof the game Portal 2 , the following patterns for barriers to entry can be observed:The game presumes common knowledge of its player that new players lack.Uninitiated have a hard time using buttons and sticks simultaneously for complicatedmaneuvers.New players primarily use the buttons that they can see with a casual glance, causingsome buttons to be less used.Misunderstanding due to not clearly have been shown possibilities in the gameworld.New players are unaware of the Options menu.Players find navigation and orientation difficult when lacking all the senses of a physicalbody.The fear of not being good enough causes distress.Players find it a waste of time to redo previously conquered challenges or not makingprogress fast enough.The paper then discusses possible solutions to these problems. / Denna rapport studerar hur nya spelare närmar sig förstapersonsspel som kontrolleras medhandkontroll. Genom att observera beteendet hos fem till mestadels oerfarna individer medan despelar igenom några av de första få banorna i spelet Portal 2 kan följande mönster som hindrardem från att börja spela urskiljas:Spelet förutsätter att dess spelare har en gemensam allmän kunskap. Kunskap som nyaspelare saknar.Oinvigda har svårt att använda både knappar och spakar simultant för att utförakomplicerade manövrar.Nya spelare använder primärt knapparna som de kan se vid en flyktig blick, vilketorsakar att vissa knappar blir mindre frekvent använda än andra.Missförstånd på grund av att icke klart och tydligt blivit meddelade spelvärldenmöjligheter.Nya spelare är omedvetna om Options-menyn.Spelare finner att röra sig i spelvärlden är svårt när de inte har tillgång till alla sinnen enfysisk kropp har.Rädslan för att inte vara bra nog orsakar oro.Spelare finner att det är slöseri med tid att göra om tidigare erövrade utmaningar eller attinte göra framsteg i tillräckligt hög fart.Denna rapport diskuterar möjliga lösningar på dessa problem.

Digital media are moldable spaces where an image is simultaneously a thought. This instance and flexibility enables digital existences to be malleable, transformative, situational, and unstable. They are plastic images. Video games generate digital bodies that are a fusion of subjectivities and cybernetic simulations, in a perceivable and ambiguous process. Such bodies are extensions of ourselves, being girlish, imperfect, unfinished and happening—digesting and emitting clusters of feelings, regardless of our biological gender and age. The performative experience of play is progressively departing from spectacle, gambling and competition, and increasingly shifting towards an emotional journey of alternate realities, spreading subjectivities into the visible and invisible areas of screens. Such experience, and our plastic identities that reside within, marks a collaborative attempt between designers and audience to establish a new protocol of liquid perspectives functioning within and beyond digital space. Digital plasticity itself is a practice, as well as an inextricable process of understanding and deploying identities in the contemporary media-saturated pluralistic environment.

Cette thèse aborde la problématique de la création d’intelligences artificielles (IA) contrôlant la prise de décision haut-niveau dans les jeux de stratégie. Ce type de jeux propose des environnements complexes nécessitant de manipuler de nombreuses ressources en faisant des choix d’actions dépendant d’objectifs à long terme. La conception de ces IA n’est pas simple car il s’agit de fournir une expérience pour le joueur qui soit divertissante et intéressante à jouer. Ainsi, le but n’est pas d’obtenir des comportements d’IA imbattables, mais plutôt de refléter différents traits de personnalités permettant au joueur d’être confronté à des adversaires diversifiés. Leur conception fait intervenir des game designers qui vont définir les différentes stratégies en fonction de l’expérience qu’ils souhaitent créer pour le joueur, et des développeurs qui programment et intègrent ces stratégies au jeu. La collaboration entre eux nécessite de nombreux échanges et itérations de développement pour obtenir un résultat qui correspond aux attentes des designers. L’objectif de cette thèse est de proposer une solution de modélisation de stratégies accessible aux game designers en vue d’améliorer et de simplifier la création de comportements stratégiques. Notre proposition prend la forme d’un moteur stratégique choisissant des objectifs à long terme et vient se placer au dessus d’un module tactique qui gère l’application concrète de ces objectifs. La solution proposée n’impose pas de méthode pour résoudre ces objectifs et laisse libre le fonctionnement du module tactique. Le moteur est couplé à un modèle de stratégie permettant à l’utilisateur d’exprimer des règles permettant au moteur de choisir les objectifs et de leur allouer des ressources. Ces règles permettent d’exprimer le choix d’objectifs en fonction du contexte, mais également d’en choisir plusieurs en parallèle et de leur donner des importances relatives afin d’influencer la répartition des ressources. Pour améliorer l’intelligibilité nous utilisons un modèle graphique inspiré des machines à états finis et des behavior trees. Les stratégies créées à l’aide de notre modèle sont ensuite exécutées par le moteur de stratégie pour produire des directives qui sont données au module tactique. Ces directives se présentent sous la forme d’objectifs stratégiques et de ressources qui leur sont allouées en fonction de leurs besoins et de l’importance relative qui leur a été donnée. Le module stratégique permet donc de rendre accessible la conception du niveau stratégique d’une IA contrôlant un adversaire dans un jeu de stratégie. / This PhD thesis addresses the topic of creating artificial intelligence (AI) to control high-level decision-making in strategy games. This kind of game offers complex environments that require the manipulation of a large number of resources by choosing actions depending on long-term goals. This AI design is not simple because it is about providing to the player a playful and interesting experience. Hence, the aim is not to create unbeatable behaviors, but rather to display several personality traits allowing the player to face diverse opponents. Its creation involves game designers who are responsible of defining several strategies according to the experience they want to provide to the player, and game developers who implement those strategies to put them into the game. The collaboration between them requires many exchanges and development iterations to obtain a result corresponding to game designers’ expectations. The objective of this PhD thesis is to improve and simplify the creation of strategical behaviors by proposing a strategy model intelligible to game designers and that can be interfaced easily with developers’ work. For game designers, a strategy model has been created to allow them to express rules guiding the choice of goals and their allocated resources. These rules make it possible for game designers to express which goal to choose according to the context but also to choose several of them and give them relative importance in order to influence the resource distribution. To improve intelligibility we use a graphical model inspired from finite state machines and behavior trees. Our proposition also includes a strategy engine which executes the strategies created with the model. This execution produces directives that are represented by a list of selected strategical goals and the resources that have been allocated according to the importance and needs of each goal. These directives are intended for a tactical module in charge of their application. The developers are then responsible for the implementation of this tactical module. Our solution enables game designers to directly design the strategical level of an AI and therefore facilitates their cooperation with game developers and simplifies the entire creation process of the AI.

Med detta kandidatarbete så prövar samt undersöker vi möjligheterna till en “praxisgemenskap” inom Games for Change genom digitala spel med tekniken virtuell verklighet (VR). Genom prövningen i sig så testar sig denna undersökningen fram med en stark analysmetod från spelbranschen. Detta för att kunna definiera hur man kan skapa ett spel som får spelaren att tänka kring ett fåtal utvalda diskussionsämnen som baseras på i den digitala gestaltningen om vad som är GROW’em. Vår frågeställning är: “Hur kan man med hjälp av digitala spel inom VR förmedla diskussion samt tankar kring hortikultur?”, och vi har valt att gestalta detta genom att utveckla ett spel vid namn GROW’em. Nyfikenhet kring detta ämne väcktes inombords efter att vi undersökt närmare inom spelupplevelsen som GROW’em är baserad på. Men vad vi vet, efter att ha genomgått en lång sökhistorik, så finns det inte någon upplevelse som liknar den erfarenhet och område såsom hortikultur vilket vi vill komma åt. För att testa denna undersökning så gav vi diverse individer chansen att testspela igenom gestaltningens demo som varade mellan 10-15 minuter, dessa individer fick sedan besvara på ett frågeformulär kring deras spelupplevelse. Undersökningen resulterade i ett digitalt spel i samband med den fysiska hårdvaran av VR. Med resultat som ger till följd av nya synvinklar på en framtida planering av projektet. Dessa resultat gav även en indikation på hur rimlig vår undersökning är i mån av frågeställningen som vi ställer / With this bachelor thesis, we try and explore the possibilities of a "practice community" within Games for change through digital games with the technology of virtual reality (VR). Through the work itself, this study tests itself with a strong analysis method from the gaming industry. This is to be able to define how one can create a game that causes the player to think about a few selected discussion topics based on the digital design of what GROW’em is. Our question is: "How can one with the help of VR convey discussions and thoughts about horticulture?", which we have chosen to create this by developing a game called GROW’em. Curiosity about this subject was brought onto us after we examined in more detail within the gaming experience of what GROW'em is based on. But what we know, after having gone through a long search history, is that there’s no immersion that resembles the experience and areas as a horticultural culture that we want to access. To test this study, we gave different individuals the chance to try a demo that lasted between 10-15 minutes. These individuals then had to answer a questionnaire about their experience. The investigation resulted in a digital game in conjunction with the physical hardware of VR. With results that puts things in a new perspective on a future planning of the project. These answers also provided an indication of how reasonable our inquiry is, to the extent of the framing of a question that we ask.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T14:23:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Hernando Tamon Tsutsumi.pdf: 8646972 bytes, checksum: 8725337b261b002758e60656c2529ba8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-04-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This research proposes a digital educational game focused on the learning of Japanese kanji. Its fundamentals are culturally based in the Japanese immigration to Brazil and, combined with the concepts and theories of transculturalism and topophilia, lead to a reflection of cultural appreciation and its hybridization. Such approaches fall within the overall context of combinations and adaptations, covering digital productions structured in accordance to concepts and theories from several areas of knowledge. The methodology is to conceive a game based on the difficulties of learning the Japanese language identified in students of non‐Japanese origin and provided by studies from other authors. It is also based on educational, psychological, philosophical and entertainment methodological assumptions organizing themselves in a position to produce an educational game, entertaining above all, that suits the needs of this generation used to challenges and reward systems. Based on such studies, some of the games found on the Internet and in the market were analyzed. It is discussed the transposition among medias, with an approach of the new media, focusing on the indication of the gaming platforms, according to the content. The process of designing and producing the game is optimized by the association of ideas and creation of an structured and elaborate game design documentation. The project creation is guided by the work process flow of a game, in which are demonstrated the steps and interactions between the teams involved in that production. The procedural and technical problems of the participants are reported by the teaching experience in the classroom, better placing and clarifying the title of this research / A presente pesquisa propõe um jogo digital educacional voltada para o aprendizado dos ideogramas japoneses. Seus fundamentos fincam‐se culturalmente na imigração japonesa no Brasil, que conjugados aos conceitos teóricos de transculturalismo e topofilia conduzem a uma reflexão de valorização das culturas e hibridização das mesmas. Tais abordagens se inserem no contexto global de mesclas e adaptações, que abarcam produções digitais estruturados em conceitos e teorias provenientes de diversos campos do conhecimento. Metodologicamente concebe um jogo, a partir de dificuldades de aprendizagem da língua japonesa detectadas em alunos não descendentes japoneses, providas por estudos de outros autores. Alicerça‐se também em pressupostos metodológicos educacionais, psicológico, filosófico e lúdico, organizando‐se na condição de produzir um jogo educativo, acima de tudo divertido, que se adequa aos anseios dessa geração acostumada a desafios e sistema de recompensas. Tomando como base tais estudos, analisa alguns jogos encontrados na internet e no mercado. Discute a transposição entre os meios, com abordagem das novas mídias, incidindo no apontamento das plataformas de games, conforme conteúdo. O processo de concepção e produção do game, é otimizado pela associação de ideias, e elaboração estruturada da documentação de design de game. A construção do projeto é norteada pelo fluxo de processo de trabalho de um game, em que se demonstram as etapas e interações entre as equipes envolvidas nesta produção. Os problemas técnicos e procedimentais dos participantes são relatados na experiência didática ocorrida em sala de aula, situando e compreendendo melhor o título deste trabalho de pesquisa

EverQuest is a multiplayer online role playing game that serves as a practical incarnation of life as a cyborg in a posthuman community. Using cultural materialsim, this thesis demonstrates how the words of EverQuest interactants - from message boards, interviews, and player in-game communications - construct the world of EverQuest and the roles of the interactants as its citizens. More specifically, this thesis will argue that the EverQuest world serves to reify the ideas of consumer capitalism that informs the "real" world, even as EverQuest itself promises an escape from that world.

The purpose of this project on game design and development is to experiment with actual technology tools used in computer games and get experience in three deminsional game development using 3D Studio Max and Microsoft XNA.

<p>Reklamspel är ett verktyg inom reklambranschen, en bransch som undergått stor förändring under senare års digitala utveckling. Denna förändring uppmanar ständigt till bredare kunskap och högre förståelse hos både skapare och användare.</p><p>Syftet med uppsatsen var att påbörja ett ramverk för skapandet av “bra” reklamspel. För det krävdes att ordet “bra” definierades och kunde förstås så att även diskussionen kring spel och reklam förbättrades.</p><p>Det material som uppsatsen grundats i kommer från en två månader lång praktik där ett reklamspel producerades och från det designdokument som digitalbyrån North Kingdom lämnade efter sitt reklamspel, The Coke Zero Game.</p><p>Med kvalitativa metoder samlades resultat in och jämfördes mot en teoretiskgrund byggd på kunskap inom marknadsföring, interaktions- och speldesign, användbarhet och uttryck ofta använda i spelsammanhang. Detta ledde efter analys tillslutsatser i form av ett ramverk på egenskaper som reklamspel bör sträva efter.</p> / <p>An advergame is a tool for the business of advertisment, a business which has during the past years of digital evolution gone through a lot of change. This change demands greater knowledge and a better understanding amongst both the creators and users of the games.</p><p>The purpose of the thesis was to initiate a framework for the creation of “good” advergames. For this the word “good” needed to be defined and understood so that also the discussion regarding games and advertising could improve.</p><p>The material which the thesis was based on originated from an advergame created during a two month long internship and from the design document that the digital agency North Kingdom released after their advergame, The Coke Zero Game.</p><p>With qualitative methods, results were collected and later on examined against a theoretic base of knowledge surrounding marketing, interaction- and game design, useability and common expressions used in the context of games. After the analysis the conclusions narrowed down into a framework of qualities that an advergame should strive for.</p>

<p>Inlevelse i den digitala spelvärlden är ett utspritt begrepp bland spelare och spelutvecklare, men har termen samma innebörd för alla. Detta forskningsarbete tar upp tidigare forskning inom ämnet inlevelse i digitala spel men också vad spelare idag anser om termen och vilka faktorer de anser är viktiga att fokusera på när man vill skapa ett inlevelserikt spel i genren first-person shooter. Genom en litteraturundersökning av tidigare forskning samt en enkätundersökning framgår det att inlevelse kan delas in i tre olika nivåer: involvering, försjunkning och total inlevelse. Forskningsarbetet bekräftar tidigare forskning på området och för ämnet om inlevelse i first-person shooter genren vidare, där inlevelsen styrs av spelelementens fyra pelare: estetik, spelmekanik, story och teknik men är också högst beroende av en spelares personlighet, mentalitet och inställning till det spel denne spelar. Enkätundersökningen pekar också på ytterligare faktorer som kan stärka respektive hämma inlevelsen i FPS.</p> / <p>The term immersion is widely used in the video game industry, but there is still a lack of signs on what immersion really is, or if people are using the term with the same meaning behind it. This paper describes previous research relating to the subject but also what gamers think about immersion, and what different factors that they deem important to focus on when creating an immersive digital video game in the first-person-shooter genre. With research of previous work in the field and a survey on immersion showed that immersion can be seen in three different levels: engagement, engrossment and total immersion. This research paper confirms previous research in the field and moves the research of immersion in first-person shooters forward, where immersion is governed by the four pillars of game elements: aesthetics, game mechanics, story and technology but is also highly influenced by the gamers personality, mentality and attitude towards the game the gamer is playing. The research paper also indicates other elements which can enhance or limit the feeling of immersion in FPS.</p>