The topic of this thesis is to analyze the business models currently used in the gaming industry. The aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current economic situation of the industry, distribution channels, used technologies and business practices from the perspective of all market participants. The theoretical part is due to less frequent topic devoted to the description of all entities of gaming industry. It analyzes not only all the actors involved in the development of video games and their subsequent sale but also the technical tools used to play games and also the players themselves. Video games are divided into two main streams (hardcore and casual) which also determine the structure and analysis. The analytical part focuses on capturing the most widely used business models and their combination for the sale of the video games. Models are then categorized into two groups (goods and services) and represent two different approaches to pricing scenarios. For each business model describes the basic principle, its pros and cons, the factors influencing the successful implementation and an example of the use of the model in practice. The analysis also includes the socio-economic profiles of two major market segments. In conclusion, based on the current developments and current trends in the field across the gambling industry the work tries to predict the future development of business models and for video games respectively. the whole industry.

La industria gamer ha llevado a la posibilidad de subsistir económicamente del streaming. Dado que los streamers generan ingresos en relación con su audiencia, mientras mayor sea esta y esté más conectada con ella mayor probabilidad habrá de que genere mayores ingresos. Por ende, surge un nuevo modelo de negocio que requiere de una gestión reputacional para construir esta audiencia. Para ello, se necesita un primer análisis del contexto peruano desde la percepción que mantienen los jugadores de Dota 2 peruanos frente a los streamers peruanos de Dota 2. Por ello, este trabajo utiliza el paradigma naturalista/interpretativo que estudia al público en su contexto natural, es decir los gamers y el Dota 2. El diseño para este sería fenomenológico pues se busca entender la percepción (reputación) del streamer peruano desde el punto de vista de los jugadores de Dota 2 en general. Finalmente, se usa un enfoque cualitativo para obtener las opiniones de los usuarios que juegan Dota 2 sobre los streamers peruanos, con el uso de entrevistas semiestructuradas para alinearlas en los 3 aspectos para medir reputación: sólida dimensión axiológica, comportamiento comprometido y calidad de servicio. / The gaming industry has led to the possibility of economically subsisting on streaming. Since streamers generate income in relation to their audience, the larger their audience and the more connected they are, the greater probability of generating more income will exist. Therefore, a new business model emerges that requires reputational management to build this audience. To do this, a first analysis of the Peruvian context is needed from the perception that Peruvian Dota 2 players maintain compared to Peruvian Dota 2 streamers. That’s why, this work uses the naturalistic paradigm /interpretive that studies the public in its natural context, that is, the gamers in their gameplay and the design for this would be phenomenological because it seeks to understand the perception (reputation) of the Peruvian streamer from the point of view of Dota 2 players in general. Finally, a qualitative approach is used to obtain the opinions of the users who play Dota 2 on the Peruvian streamers, with the use of semi-structured interviews to align them in the 3 aspects to measure reputation: solid axiological dimension, committed behavior and quality of service. / Trabajo de investigación

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.

Purpose: To examine how video-game releases affect the share price, and if video-game reviews have any impact on the share price of gaming corporations.  Method: A quantitative deductive research approach is applied with event study methodology used as basis. The investigated companies were the five largest gaming companies listed on the U.S. NASDAQ exchange. A total of 29 video-game launches and 85 reviews where examined.   Theory: The study is based on The Efficient Market Hypothesis, Agent Theory, Public Relations Theory, Nextopia and previous research. Results: The result contains 114 observations in five companies. The result accounts for the cumulative abnormal return for each video-game. It also accounts for the cumulative average abnormal return for each company ten days after release. Analysis: The hypothesis test accounts for a statistical significant correlation between negative abnormal return and the release. It is also accounted for a cumulative average abnormal return of  -2,29 % of the video-game companies stocks. Conclusion: There is a negative abnormal return for shareholders ten days after a video-game release. The result and the analysis dose confirm a direct correlation between video-game reviews and the abnormal return.

Computer Games as a New Media Phenomenon Jan Rylich 1 1 [ T H E S I S ] Jan Rylich Abstract: This thesis is focused on the development of computer games and video games, evolution of gaming and game technologies and their impact on our society. In addition to an important historical context and practical and theoretical analysis of game genres and potential of games, key chapters of this thesis are devoted to the importance of games and their impact on various aspects of our lives, from economic and demographic factors to influence on our culture and contemporary art. This thesis also aims to introduce computer games and video games in the context of "neglected media" and the theory of "remediation".

Mon mémoire portera sur la musique des jeux vidéo dans le cadre d’un effondrement systémique ou d’une autre forme de décroissance de l’économie. C’est dans ce cadre que j’exposerai mes idées quant aux différentes formes que pourraient prendre l’industrie vidéo-ludique et sa musique dans un contexte qui semble difficile à envisager. Quelles sont les sources de créativité dans un monde où les indicateurs liés aux sociétés modernes auront vraisemblablement changé du tout au tout ? Comment envisager que le jeu vidéo puisse rester attrayant, intéressant et passionnant dans un modèle économique décroissant ? Ce sont les problématiques auxquelles je vais tenter d’apporter des réponses ici. / My thesis consists on confronting video-game music with a case of systemic collapse or economical degrowth. Regarding these environmental and societal problematics, I’ll suggest ideas concerning the way we could look at the future of video-games, by thinking on the form the medium and its music could take in a context that we often fail to contemplate. How can creativity still emerge in a world where common society’s indicators will most likely be totally different from what they are today? Could we find ways for video-games and video-game music to be as interesting and inspiring as it is today in a context of economical degrowth? Those are problematics that I’ll specifically address in my thesis, by trying to find an approach and potential answers that suits a realistic future state of the world.

Denna uppsats syftar till att undersöka hur synen på en 4-dagars arbetsvecka ser ut i samband med upplevelsen av arbetskrav och work-life balance hos anställda inom spelutvecklingsindustrin. Denna industri är unik för sina olika arbetsrelaterade problem, som bland annat återkommande tidsperioder med en extrem överbelastning av arbete, där 4-dagars arbetsveckan har blivit omtalad runtom i världen och anses kunna förbättra många av de utmaningar inom arbetet som spelutvecklingsindustrin i nuläget har. För att samla in data distribuerades en enkät till 120 anställda i ett svenskt spelutvecklingsföretag. Skalor om work-life balance, arbetskrav och synen på 4-dagars arbetsveckan inkluderades i enkäten, samt demografiska frågor och frågor om boendesituation och crunch. Totalt deltog 58 respondenter i undersökningen, där en deskriptiv- och korrelationsanalys gjordes av datan. Resultatet visade på ett statistiskt signifikant samband mellan synen på 4-dagars arbetsveckan och work-life imbalance, samt mellan work-life imbalance och arbetskrav. Uppsatsen har bidragit med skapandet av ett nytt mått för synen på 4-dagars arbetsveckan och diskuterar metodologiska styrkor och begränsningar i samband med resultatet och framtida forskning.

In a fast paced and ever evolving industry where video games have become an important partof consumers' everyday life, game development can be tricky. The process of developmentcontains challenges that can either make or break a game. This study aims to shed some lighton the indie game development process, what challenges it has, how an independent video gamedeveloper would approach this process and to give the reader a greater understanding of whatbusiness models are used within the video game industry.To gather data a semi-structured interview was conducted with indie game developers so thatthey could give their perspective on the process of developing games, the challenges andbusiness models within video game industry. The data was then analyzed using the thematicanalysis approach to find themes and relate the results to what literature had to say about thearea.The conclusion of this study show that indie development usually starts with an idea, which isthen created into an early protype for testing purposes as well as to gather feedback whetherthis idea could become a fully-fledged game. The conclusion also shows that one challengewith using the free-to-play business model is the fact that many game companies have startedusing this specific business model, because of this there is more competition amongst gamesutilizing the business model.