Women represent 45% of the entire workforce in the United States, but only comprise 26% of the high-tech industry. Early introduction and interest in video games, contributes to computer literacy and self-confidence in terms of computing skills. Socially pervasive gender stereotypes, found in ubiquitous software, specifically games, factor in the alienation of young girls from active participation in computing. Currently marketed gaming software perpetuate this societal bias in the guise of overly-sexualized game avatars, and fail to adequately address documented female gaming preferences. Gender inclusive design is more a pragmatic approach to ameliorating gender bias, than creating a pink box “girl’s game.” Such games cater solely to stereotypical “female” interests, and are uncomfortably close to the concept of “separate but equal.” In the scope of this research a gender inclusive computer role playing game (CRPG) interface was designed and evaluated. The advantage of a CRPG is that it may be played individually or single player mode, as in the prototypic interface, or allow collaborative game play within a smaller group (2-12) when migrated to a multiplayer online environment. Small groups, involved in CRPG collaborative play, may reduce the incidence of online harassment or intimidation by male players, often encountered by experienced female gamers when engaged in Massively Online Multiplayer games. The Xanthia: A Fae’s Battle CRPG, was designed with the intent of studying key female preferences outlined in this research. The design utilized a stylized “cute” but strong female protagonist, featured a compelling storyline, and a backstory narrative. The game broached real world environmental issues with an underpinning of moral dilemma in the guise of good versus evil. Competitive but not combat-centric play was utilized in the game design, which enabled leveling up without the demise of the central protagonist. Fantasy-themed conflict resulted in transformations of both protagonist and antagonists when a change of state occurred during battle, thus eliminating the violence of gory death scenarios. This formative study endeavored to examine the underlying reasons for female underrepresentation in the high-tech and computing fields. The CRPG used in the study, incorporated key gender inclusive game elements found in current literature, in order to acquire insight into female gaming preferences. Two survey instruments were utilized to gather data from 35 female Barry University students, who had disparate gaming experience, comfort with computers, and academic majors. A pre-game questionnaire pertained to motivations for play, level of gaming expertise, and self-perceived comfort with computing. Additional data were gathered regarding access in early childhood to a gaming console or computer in the participants’ childhood homes and the incidence of tinkering. The female sample pool provided CRPG feedback post-game engagement. Examination of survey responses indicated that identification with the central female protagonist was a key element in positive game engagement for the majority of the study’s participants. In general, experienced gamers were more apt to tinker with the hidden features of the game. Experienced gamers also enjoyed competiveness and challenge more than their inexperienced or non-gamer counterparts. The primary component of positive engagement for this female sample group was “fun.” Social interaction was a key motivator for engagement in video game play for the majority of the participants. Empirical data collected from survey instrumentation suggested that individuals who had the easiest access to video game consoles and computing equipment, participated at greater rate in tinkering in childhood. The participants who tinkered, had a higher self-perception of comfort with computing.

Gamification kan enklast beskrivas som tillämpningen av speldesignselement i en kontext orelaterad till spel. Gamification-mekaniker används inom nätkasinobranschen som ett medel för att engagera slutanvändarna och skapa interaktion mellan användaren och systemet. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur spelmekanikerna inom nätkasinobranschen kan användas utan att vara motstridig till svensk lagstiftning, samt vilka konsekvenser som appliceringen skulle kunna få på användarnas upplevelse. Metoderna för studien var litteraturgenomgång och en fallstudie. Resultatet tyder på att det finns spelmekaniker som inte bryter mot svensk lagstiftning, till exempelvis erfarenhets- och inlösningsbara poäng. Avslutningsvis presenteras förslag på hur de identifierade spelmekanikerna som går emot svensk lagstiftning kan användas och vilka åtgärder spelföretag kan ta för att minimera risker för att spelare, genom diverse spelmekaniker, utvecklar riskfaktorer för problemspelande.

[pt] A complexidade inerente ao desenvolvimento de um jogo digital demanda a formação de equipes interdisciplinares. Para atingir os resultados esperados nessa tarefa, os profissionais envolvidos criam diversos protótipos durante o processo de design, cada um testando um ou mais aspectos do objeto final. Um dos componentes mais importantes a ser avaliado em um game é a mecânica do jogo, porque é principalmente dela que emerge o desafio numa partida. Para que o designer possa avaliá-la adequadamente nos seus diversos estágios de desenvolvimento é preciso que tais protótipos sejam funcionais, o que usualmente se define como protótipos de teste. Diversos tipos de protótipos podem cumprir esta função, desde os mais rudimentares até os digitais de alta fidelidade. Sendo a mecânica do jogo um dos primeiros elementos a serem elaborados em um projeto de design de games, tanto protótipos de papel, quanto os protótipos digitais de baixa fidelidade podem ser utilizados logo no início do processo. No entanto, os estudantes de design nem sempre possuem a capacitação técnica adequada ou mesmo um conhecimento elementar em programação computacional para construir protótipos digitais. Uma alternativa, portanto, é construir protótipos a partir de materiais mais rudimentares, um procedimento que, para este fim, é menos usual na indústria de jogos do que a criação de protótipos digitais. Por meio de um experimento com alunos do curso de Design de Games, esta pesquisa teve por objetivo investigar se a mecânica de jogos de diferentes gêneros pode ser criada e avaliada por meio de protótipos analógicos mais simples, mas que não usam programação computacional. Paralelamente, a pesquisa ainda nos permitiu indagar se, na construção destes protótipos, o aluno de design de games trabalharia apenas intelectualmente na concepção projetual ou se também exerceria, de alguma forma, uma atividade produtiva. Notou-se que, por serem protótipos rápidos, os protótipos analógicos são adaptativos e permitem mudanças instantâneas, possibilitando que os estudantes exercitem a prática do design por meio de um processo iterativo de geração de ideias, construção de protótipos, testes avaliativos e recriações. Deste modo, concluiu-se que tais protótipos não são somente instrumentos de concepção, mas também de produção, propiciando a prática essencial do design, que é fundamentalmente inventiva e experimental. A contribuição deste trabalho é fornecer uma nova alternativa de aprendizagem da prática projetual a estudantes de design de games, já que os resultados da pesquisa demonstraram que tais protótipos – que possuem semelhanças físicas com alguns jogos simples, como os de tabuleiro – também podem ser utilizados para criar e desenvolver games mais complexos. / [en] The intrinsic complexity of the process of developing a digital game turns the formation of multidisciplinary teams inevitable. To meet the planned aims, during the design process the professionals involved create a variety of prototypes, each one testing one or more aspects of the final object. One of the more important components to be evaluated in a game is its mechanics due its key-role in making a match really challenging. In order to be make its mechanics properly appraisable by the designer in the different stages of development, it is necessary that the prototypes were functional, in other words, were reliable prototypes of test. There are many kinds of prototypes capable of fulfilling this condition, ranging from the most rudimentary to the high fidelity digital ones. Since the game s mechanics is one of the first elements to be elaborated in a game design project, either paper prototypes as well as the low fidelity digital prototypes can be used from the very beginning of the design process. Besides that, the students of design frequently do not possess the necessary technical knowledge on computational programming to allow them constructing digital prototypes, even if the necessary knowledge is elementary. An alternative, therefore, is building prototypes from rudimentary materials, which is, however, a less usual proceeding in the game industry that the creation of digital prototypes. The aim of the present research, through an experiment among the students of the discipline of Games Design, was to investigate if the mechanics of different genres of games could be created and evaluated by simpler analogical prototypes, without using computational programming. At the same time, this work has allowed us to inquire if, during the construction of theses prototypes, the game design students work only intellectually on the project conception or if, somehow, they also practice a productive activity. We have found out that, for being quick prototypes, they are very adaptable and permit instant changes, turning possible for the students to practice the design process through an interactive process of generating ideas, prototypes building, evaluative tests and recreations. The conclusion we achieve thus is that theses prototypes not only are conception instruments but also production ones, promoting the essential practice of design, which is basically inventive and experimental. The contribution of the present study is to offer a learning alternative on the project practice for game design students, once the results of the research demonstrated that the prototypes – which present physical similarities to some simple games, as the board games – can also be used in the creation and development of more complex games.

Les travaux de cette thèse en informatique s’inscrivent dans le domaine de l’interaction homme-machine (IHM). Le sujet de ce mémoire concerne l’utilisation d’une nouvelle forme d’ordinateur appelée table interactive. Il s’agit d’une table dont le plateau est à la fois un écran et une surface de détection multi-tactile. Les tables interactives ouvrent de nouveaux usages de l’informatique en permettant des applications multi-utilisateurs en coprésence. Les utilisateurs d’une même table interactive ont naturellement envie d’interagir simultanément sur la surface partagée. Cette simultanéité est toutefois difficile à observer dans un contexte collaboratif et non artificiel. Les études existantes n’ont pas suffisamment analysé les problèmes rencontrés ni cherché comment le système peut aider à gérer les accès simultanés.Notre approche a consisté à étudier les interactions simultanées en nous orientant vers des situations originales où la couche applicative du système exerce une forte pression sur le rythme d’utilisation. Nous justifions ainsi l’utilisation d’un jeu vidéo comme outil d’exploration et d’expérimentation. Ce mémoire retrace la conception et le développement de RealTimeChess, un jeu pour 2 à 4 joueurs, adapté aux caractéristiques des tables interactives, et inspiré des échecs dans une version s’affranchissant du tour par tour. Nous rapportons les résultats d’expériences menées sur des groupes de 2 à 4 participants en situations de coopération et de compétition, qui ont permis de mettre en évidence des problèmes de gênes physiques et d’accessibilité aux objets distants ; de perception des informations importantes en contexte dynamique ; et de contrôle du rythme de l’interaction.Ce mémoire expose en outre les leçons apprises au niveau de l’interaction simultanée de plusieurs utilisateurs, des aspects de territorialité, des comportements collaboratifs et enfin en proposant des recommandations de Game Design pour tables interactives. / This thesis presents our work in computer science in human-computer interaction (HCI). The subject concerns the use of a new kind of computer called the interactive tabletop display. It is a table whose top is both a screen and a multi-touch detection device. Interactive tabletops open up new uses of computer applications by allowing several co-located users to work or play together on the same system. Tabletop’s users naturally want to interact simultaneously on the shared surface. This simultaneity is difficult to observe in a collaborative and not artificial environment. Existing studies have not sufficiently analyzed the problems nor sought how the system can help manage concurrency.Our approach was to exploring simultaneous interactions by studying original situations where the system puts pressure on users. We explain how we used a video game as an exploration and experimentation tool. This thesis traces the design and development of RealTimeChess, a game for 2-4 players, a real-time version of Chess adapted to tabletops. We report the results of experiments on groups of 2 to 4 participants in situations of cooperation and competition, which helped to highlight problems and physical discomfort of access to remote objects, awareness in dynamic context, and control the pace of interaction.This thesis also presents lessons learned on simultaneous interactions of multiple users, territoriality aspects, collaborative behavior, and finally gives tabletop Game Design guidelines.

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Videogame tinkerers, players, and activists of the 21st century are continuing, yet redefining, the avant-garde art and literary movements of the 20th century. Videogames are diverging as a social, cultural, and digital medium. They are used as political instruments, artistic experiments, social catalysts, and personal means of expression. A diverse field of games and technocultural play, such as alternate reality games, griefer attacks, arcade sculptures, and so on, can be compared and contrasted to the avant-garde, such as contemporary tactical media, net art, video art, Fluxus, the Situationists, the work of Pollock or Brecht, Dada, or the Russian Formalists. For example, historical avant-garde painters played with perspectival space (and its traditions), rather than only within those grid-like spaces. This is similar in some ways to how game artists play with flow (and player expectations of it), rather than advancing flow as the popular and academic ideal. Videogames are not only an advanced product of technoculture, but are the space in which technoculture conventionalizes play. This makes them a fascinating site to unwork and rethink the protocols and rituals that rule technoculture. It is the audacity of imagining certain videogames as avant-garde (from the perspective of mainstream consumers and art academics alike) that makes them a good candidate for this critical experiment.

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The task manager Habitica was studied to explain 1) How Habitica motivates by satisfying the psychological needs identified by SDT and 2) Why users keep using Habitica. Based on theories of gamification, motivation and the theoretical framework METUX an interview study was conducted with 10 participants followed by a thematic analysis. Personalization, avatars, responsibility toward party members and different rewards were identified as motivating factors. However, some participants experienced the opposite with some of the factors mentioned. The motivating factors identified by the study could be connected to one or more psychological needs, based on the theoretical framework of the study. More research is necessary to determine if the findings apply to other settings outside of the context of the study. / Uppgiftshanteraren Habitica studerades för att svara på: 1) Hur tjänsten motiverar genom att tillfredsställa psykologiska behov från SDT och 2) Varför användare fortsätter att använda Habitica. Studien utgick från teorier om gamification, motivation och ramverket METUX. En intervjustudie utfördes med tio användare varpå en tematisk analys utfördes. Personlig anpassning, avatarer, socialt ansvar och olika belöningar identifierades som motiverande faktorer. Däremot hade vissa av dessa faktorer motsatt effekt i vissa fall. Motiverande faktorer som identifierats genom studien kunde kopplas till ett eller flera psykologiska behov. Dessa kopplingar gjordes utifrån studiens teoretiska ramverk. Mer forskning behövs för att avgöra om den här studiens fynd gör sig gällande i andra kontexter och i ett större sammanhang.

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Ce mémoire s’intéresse à la notion d’expérimentation en jeu vidéo pour jeter un éclairage conceptuel productif sur le terme vague « jeu vidéo expérimental ». Postulant que le jeu vidéo s’inscrit à la fois dans le domaine des arts (par l’entremise de la création de composantes visuelles, audio ou narratives par exemple), des sciences (notamment parce qu’il dépend de l’avancement des nouvelles technologies numériques) et du design, l’auteur s’inspire des formes variées et parfois distinctes d’expérimentations à travers l’ensemble de ces domaines afin de décrire non pas une méthode expérimentale unique, mais un espace vaste composé de multiples démarches expérimentales. L’auteur montre finalement comment l’on peut réfléchir l’espace expérimental d’un jeu en s’inspirant de la systémique, puis relève quelques formes et figures expérimentales uniques aux domaines ludiques et vidéoludiques. Ce mémoire inclut aussi un compte rendu rétrospectif de création ainsi que quelques réflexions autour d’une oeuvre développée par l’auteur tout au long de sa recherche, l’album musical vidéoludique pour ordinateur Hoverboy. D’abord imaginée comme une oeuvre foncièrement expérimentale, l’auteur revient sur son processus de création et recadre sa démarche en fonction de ses réflexions théoriques autour de la notion d’expérimentation vidéoludique. Cette double démarche de recherche et de création menée en parallèle ouvre des réflexions méthodologiques sur la recherche-création. / This thesis examines the notion of experimentation in video games to shed a productive conceptual light on the vague term “experimental video game”. Postulating that video games are simultaneously part of the arts (through the creation of visual, audio, and narrative components for example), sciences (notably because it relies on technological advancements), and design, the author leans on by the varied and sometimes distinct forms of experimentation across all these fields in order to describe not one singular experimental method, but a vast space which consists of multiple experimental approaches. The author finally shows how we can contemplate the experimental space of a game by drawing inspiration from systems theory, then identifies some unique experimental forms and figures in games and video games. This thesis also includes a retrospective creation report journal as well as some observations on a work developed by the author throughout their research, the computer-based videoludic music album Hoverboy. First imagined as a fundamentally experimental work, the author looks back on their creative process and reframes their approach regarding their theoretical observations around the notion of video game experimentation. This dual approach of research and creation carried out in parallel leads to methodological discussions on research-creation.