The consumers of today have become used to a constant flow of new content. Whether the content being music, film and series, games or other forms of media. This has created a strain on the developers and creators, to create new and original content for an ever demanding audience. Creating original content can be a costly and time consuming process. Today there are tools to help in this process, many that build on the idea of procedurally generated content. But with these tools alone it can be hard for the creator to leave their mark on the content, since most of it will look all the same from the same tool.  We propose CLAPPY, or Collaborative Learning Algorithm for Predicting Personal Yield. The AI colleague that will learn the patterns of the creator, and help them express themselves in their content, regardless of the tool.  Controlled experiments were conducted where subjects were given a content creation tool in the form of a terrain generator for games. The thesis then compares the results of the content creation tool when the subjects used it on their own and with an AI-collaborator.

Software testing is a crucial development technique to capture defects and slow code. When testing 3D graphics, it is hard to create automatic tests that detect errors or slow performance. Finding performance issues in game maps is a complex task that requires much manual work. Gaming companies such as EA DICE could benefit from automating the process of finding these performance issues in their game maps. This thesis tries to solve the problem by creating automatic tests where the camera is placed in a top-down perspective and flies over the in-game map, recording the time it takes to create render and client simulation frames for each map segment. The resulting trace is then visualised as a heatmap, where the mean frame creation times are rendered with pseudo colouring techniques to help pinpoint possible issues for the test engineers. The key findings of this thesis are that a heatmap visualisation of frame creation times saves much time for the developers trying to find these issues; it also lowers the amount of knowledge needed to find performance issues. This tool automates a process that formerly needed considerable manual work to get the same result. Now, artists with low coding experience can find performance issues without the technical knowledge of a Quality Assurance engineer. The thesis also highlights the drawbacks of a top-down perspective of camera trace since this is not how EA DICE games are usually rendered for the player in runtime. With this thesis as a base, other tests could be made with other ways of moving the camera and visualising the trace. / Mjukvarutestning är en viktig programvaruutvecklings teknik för att fånga felaktig eller långsam kod. Det är svårt att skapa automatiska tester för 3D grafik som hittar fel eller dålig prestanda i koden. Att hitta prestandaproblem i spelkartor är en komplex uppgift som kräver mycket manuellt arbete. Spelföretag såsom EA DICE skulle dra fördel av att automatisera processen att hitta dessa prestandaproblem i spelkartor. Denna uppsats försöker lösa detta genom att skapa automatiska tester där kameran placeras i ett uppifrån-och-ned-perspektiv och sedan flyger genom banan i spelet samtidigt som den samlar in data på hur lång tid det tar för renderings-bildrutor och klient-simulerings-bildrutor att skapas för varje ban-segment. Den resulterande datan är därefter visualiserade som ett färgdiagram, där medelvärdet på tiden för att skapa varje bildruta ritas upp med en psuedofärgningsteknik för att markera möjliga problemområden för testingenjörerna. Nyckelupptäckter för denna uppsats är att färgdiagramsvisualiseringen av bildruta-skapande-tider sparar mycket tid för utvecklare som försöker hitta prestandaproblem. Det minskar också kunskapströskeln som behövs för att lokalisera prestandaproblem. Detta verktyg automatiserar en process som tidigare krävde omfattande manuellt arbete för att få samma resultat. Numera kan game artists med låg koderfarenhet hitta dessa prestandaproblem utan den tekniska kunskapen hos en kvalitetskontroll-ingenjör. Den här uppsatsen visar också nackdelar med ett uppifrån-och-ned-perspektiv för kameran då det inte är så EA DICE spel normalt renderas för spelarna. Den här uppsatsen kan användas som utgångspunkt för andra som vill utveckla testverktyg och med fördel ta i beaktning de utvecklingspunkter denna uppsats belyser.

Цель командной работы – создание игры «Симулятор Владельца Продукта». Цель личной работы – разработка игры «Симулятор Владельца Продукта» с использованием современных инструментов разработки. Объект исследования – компьютерные игры. Методы исследования: анализ современных инструментов разработки игр, генерация идей для лучшей реализации игры, программная реализация игры, её тестирование на наличие ошибок, проведение апробации игры на 30 пользователях, сбор и систематизация обратной связи. В результате командной работы создан продукт «‎Симулятор Владельца Продукта» – это компьютерная игра, доступная в браузере. Результатом личной работы является разработанная игра, доступная в браузере, описание реализованных сцен и скриптов. Выпускная квалификационная работа выполнена в текстовом редакторе Microsoft Word. / The goal of teamwork is to create the game “Product Owner Simulator”. The goal of my personal work is to develop the game “Product Owner Simulator” using modern development tools. The object of research is computer games. Research methods: analysis of modern tools, game development, generating ideas for better implementation of games, software implementation of games, testing them for errors, testing the game on 30 users, assembling and systematizing feedback. As a result of the team’s work, the product “Product Owner Simulator” was created - this is a computer game available in the browser. The result of individual work is a developed game, available in the browser, a description of the implemented scenes and scripts. The final qualifying work was completed in the text editor Microsoft Word.

Была выявлена проблема высокого порога вхождения в роль владельца продукта. Поставлена гипотеза, что если разработать механику игры, приближенную к задачам Владельца Продукта в реальной жизни, то в игре можно будет пройти практику в роли Владельца Продукта для приобретения опыта. Общей командной целью было создание игры «Симулятор Владельца Продукта», а цель личной работы – определение направления развития игры как продукта. Результатом личной работы является описание механики игры в виде схем, бэклог продукта в виде пользовательских историй и требований, и статистика обратной связи от пользователей по результатам проведенных опросов. По статистике всего было порядка тысячи игровых сессий и положительная обратная связь от игроков. / The problem of a high threshold for entering the role of product owner was identified. It is hypothesized that if we develop game mechanics that are close to the tasks of a Product Owner in real life, then in the game it will be possible to practice as a Product Owner to gain experience. The overall team goal was to create the “Product Owner Simulator” game, and the goal of personal work was to determine the direction of development of the game as a product. The result of personal work is a description of the game mechanics in the form of diagrams, a product backlog in the form of user stories and requirements, and statistics of feedback from users based on the results of surveys. According to statistics, there were about a thousand gaming sessions and positive feedback from players.

Digitala spel har blivit ett allt vanligare sätt för underhållning, där industrin har sett en stor ökning av användare, vilket har stor sannolikhet att fortsätta även i framtiden. Dessa spel har ökat i komplexitet i takt med den teknologiska utvecklingen från 90-talet tills idag, där Internet har haft stor påverkan och introducerat nya möjligheter. En utav dessa möjligheter är insamlingen av olika datatyper med olika syften och olika användningsområden inom ett spelutvecklingsföretag. Industrin har lockat mycket forskning angående processer och metoder som berör skapandet av dessa komplexa produkter, där förarbetet och själva skapandet av digitala spel tar upp majoriteten av forskning i jämförelse med vidareutvecklingen av dessa digitala spel efter lansering. Syftet med denna rapport är därmed att bidra med kunskap till det mindre utforskade området kring utvecklingsprocessen efter lansering av online multiplayerspel, samt undersökning och insamling av data och dess integrering i vidareutvecklingsprocessen. Första viktiga delen av rapporten är ett teoriavsnitt, skapad genom en litteraturstudie där denna bestod av att identifiera och hitta vetenskapliga artiklar med kunskap kring ämnet, där dessa var viktiga för att skapa en teoretisk grund för denna studie. Detta gjordes huvudsakligen genom vetenskapliga databaser och söktjänster, med hjälp av nyckelord relaterade till viktiga teorier. Den andra viktiga delen är empiriska studier i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer utifrån en intervjuguide med respondenter från olika spelutvecklingsföretag. Företagen som respondenterna jobbade för var Ghost Ship Games, Jagex, samt Bohemia Interactive. Dessa intervjuer har sedan analyserats och viktiga teman har identifierats utifrån respondenternas svar. Respondenterna har nämnt olika datatyper som kan täcka olika delar av företaget, men när det gäller vidareutveckling av spel har tre typer nämnts att ha störst påverkan. Dessa typer var datapunkter över hur spelet används av individer, kvalitetsdata av spelets prestanda samt feedback från användare. Metoderna för att samla in de förenämnda datatyperna består framförallt av enkäter som alla respondenter har nämnt att respektive företag använder för att samla in feedback, rapportering av bugs eller förslag på förbättringsområden. Utöver detta samlas även mer övergripande information genom digitala verktyg eller spelklienten för respektive spel. Där dessa verktyg är skapade inom företaget eller hanteras genom ett separat företag. Ghost Ship Games har nämnt en egen idealbild över hur spelet ska vara balanserat som företaget strävar efter, vilket tas i åtanke vid beslut som tas av utvecklarna som täcker respektive problem. Inom Jagex är det hela team som bestämmer tillsammans angående förändringar eller tillägg i spelet. En intressant aspekt var att för Jagex så är användarna en del av beslutsfattandet genom opinionsundersökningar. Beslutsfattandet inom Bohemia Interactive nämndes att ske huvudsakligen genom avdelningen för kvalitetssäkring, där dessa filtrerar insamlad information och sedan delegerar identifierade problem till rätt utvecklare inom företaget. Vidareutvecklingen inom företagen gjordes framförallt genom balansering med hjälp av spelmotorn för respektive spel. Ghost Ship Games fokuserar även på vidareutveckling av befintliga funktioner, system och verktyg, genom att omarbeta några av föregående delar. Inom Bohemia Interactive angående Arma 3 användes till exempel hotfixes eller helt nytt spelinnehåll genom DLC, liknande sker även inom Jagex i form av hotpatches. Övergripande så är vidareutvecklingsprocessen lik mellan företagen, genom de olika steg som har identifierats i denna rapport. Dessa kan beskrivas som en iterativ process där företag identifierar problem eller förslag för vidareutveckling, samlar in eller undersöker befintlig data för att bekräfta problem eller stödja förslag, implementerar lösning eller förslag, samt samlar in feedback och agerar utifrån feedback. / Digital games have become an increasingly common means of entertainment where the industry has seen a huge increase in users, something that is likely to continue in the future. These games have increased in complexity in line with technological developments from the 1990s to the present day, where the Internet has had a major impact and introduced new possibilities. One of these opportunities is the collection of different types of data with different purposes and different uses within a game development company. The industry has thus attracted a lot of research regarding processes and methods involved in the creation of these complex products, where the pre-processing and actual creation of digital games is in the vast majority of studies compared to the further development of these digital games after launch. The aim of this paper is therefore to contribute knowledge to the less explored area of the post-launch development process of online multiplayer games, as well as the investigation of data collection and its integration into the further development process. The first important part of the report is a theory section, created through literature review where this consisted of identifying and finding scientific articles with knowledge on the topic, where these were important to create a theoretical basis for this study. This was mainly done through scientific databases and search services, using keywords related to important theories. The second important part is empirical studies in the form of semi-structured interviews based on an interview guide with respondents from different game development companies. The companies the respondents worked for were Ghost Ship Games, Jagex, and Bohemia Interactive. These interviews were then analysed and important themes were identified based on the respondents’ answers. Respondents mentioned different types of data that could cover different parts of the company, but when it comes to further game development, three types were mentioned to have the most impact. These types were data points on how the game is used by individuals, quality data of the game's performance, and feedback from users. The methods for collecting the aforementioned data types consist mainly of surveys, which all respondents mentioned that the respective companies use to collect feedback, report bugs or suggest areas for improvement. In addition, more general information is also collected through digital tools or the game client for the respective game. Where these tools are created within the company or managed by a separate company. Ghost Ship Games has an ideal image of how the game should be balanced that the company strives for, which is taken into account when decisions are made by the developers themselves that cover the respective issues. Within Jagex, the whole team decides together on changes or additions to the game. An interesting aspect is that within Jagex, users are a part of the decision making process through opinion polls. Decision-making within Bohemia Interactive is mainly done through the Quality Assurance department, where they filter collected information and then delegate identified problems to the appropriate developers within the company. Further development within the companies is mainly done through balancing using the game engine for each game. Ghost Ship Games may also focus on further development of existing features, systems and tools, by reworking some of the previously mentioned elements. In Bohemia Interactive regarding Arma 3, are hotfixes or completely new game content through DLC used for example. Similar is also done in Jagex in the form of hotpatches. Overall, the further development process is similar between the companies, through the different steps identified in this report. These can be described as an iterative process in which companies identify problems or proposals for further development, collect data or investigate existing data, implement the solution or proposal, collect feedback and act on the feedback.

The purpose of this study is to map the current state of the Swedish gaming industry with regards to its climate impact and negative impact reduction actions. With the organization and the game development pipeline in focus this study set out to explore how game development activities have an impact on the climate, where the industry is focusing its actions to reduce this impact, and how the issue is perceived and handled by industry practitioners. Game development and the gaming industry in general is not commonly recognized for its climate impact because of it being digital in nature. As gaming is becoming more accessible, game devices more powerful, and the world more reliant on data centers and networks, the climate impact of digital products and services must be acknowledged. To understand the full scope of the impact of the gaming industry, it is imperative to identify that there is a problem and to what extent. To do so, there is a need to know where the industry’s climate footprints lie and how to calculate them. Then, strategic actions to reduce the climate impact from the Swedish gaming industry can be taken. This study presents a framework that outlines the product life cycle of a game and its relation to the organization's greenhouse gas emissions. The framework presented in the study can help researchers and practitioners identify where emissions occur and simplify the calculations of their climate footprint. Furthermore, reports and guides presented by some of the active climate initiatives were interpreted and analyzed in relation to the framework to map what emissions the reduction actions are targeting. To understand the Swedish aspect, and the organizational aspect, primary data was collected from sustainability reports published by Swedish gaming companies. These reports were used to identify how they are conducting their climate work, what their climate footprint is, and what actions they are taking to reduce their negative impact. Finally interviews with practitioners in the Swedish gaming industry were conducted to understand how climate change and climate actions affect their day-to-day activities. By triangulating the data collected from initiatives, sustainability reports and interviews, the intersection between initiatives and the industry was identified. The findings in this triangulation in combination with previous research and the presented framework can then be used to map the current state of the Swedish gaming industry with regards to its climate impact and its negative impact reduction action.

Virtual reality tech is new, exciting and full of opportunities.Despite this the gaming section of virtual reality does not grow asfast as it was predicted it would be. Headsets and games areexpensive and perhaps a market model similar to the mobile gamingmarket would do the new tech good. A model that is heavily reliant onadvertisements and low prices.The purpose of this thesis is to show that virtual reality games areas viable an advertising target as mobile games that are a popularadvertisement medium. The study uses 2D billboard advertisements asthey are a non-intrusive advertisement format that can be implementedin a similar fashion on a mobile game and VR game.For this study two games were developed, one that runs on a OculusQuest VR headset and one for mobile Android devices. The games are asclose to each other as possible in terms of objective and settingwith the same advertisements implemented in them, each game featurestwo levels, one level contains advertisements and one does not.Surveys are used to find data regarding how the advertisementsaffected the game experience on both platforms. Interviews were thenconducted to find more qualitative information and to explain theresults as well as to find out what makes an advertisement good ortolerable.

The objective of this project is to understand how information design– specifically informative illustration– can contribute to producing concept sketches for a science-fiction/puzzle game called Sky’s Edge. Through theoretical studies and research methods, I aimed to deepen my understanding of what makes a concept image a good one, and from that, I aimed to determine how informative illustration can help in designing and sketching the ideas that the job requester needed. The conducted theoretical studies indicated that a good concept image is one that contains ideas which are easily understood/communicated, can inspire the team, and in turn generate further discussion. They also revealed the vast advantages of thumbnail sketching– which can lead to the development of stronger ideas and compositions. Refined sketches and drawings are produced thereafter to present these ideas to the development team. The purpose of the resulting collection of concept images was to unify the visual direction of the team responsible for developing the game.

<p>This is a report that describes the implementation of a computer technical examination project at Örebro University. More specifically it is about how two students have developed a computer game as an entry for Swedish Game Awards, a competition for games developed without interaction from commercial companies. The game, titled “Winds of Kahlara”, is written for PC and lets the participants compete against each other over a network in a 3D environment. The graphical theme is fantasy and the players utilize among other things magical attacks to kill their opponents. The development itself has taken more than a year since the complexity of the game has required extensive technical research and graphical designing.</p> / <p>Detta är en rapport som beskriver utförandet av ett datortekniskt examensarbete på Örebro universitet. Mer specifikt handlar den om hur två studenter utvecklat ett datorspel som ett bidrag till Swedish Game Awards, en tävling för spel utvecklade utan inblandning av kommersiella företag. Spelet, titulerat ”Winds of Kahlara”, är skrivet för PC och låter deltagarna spela mot varandra över nätverk i en 3D-värld. Det grafiska temat är fantasy och spelarna använder sig av bland annat magiska attacker för att döda sina motståndare. Själva utvecklingen har tagit mer än ett år då spelets komplexitet har krävt omfattande teknisk efterforskning och grafisk formgivning.</p>

This is a report that describes the implementation of a computer technical examination project at Örebro University. More specifically it is about how two students have developed a computer game as an entry for Swedish Game Awards, a competition for games developed without interaction from commercial companies. The game, titled “Winds of Kahlara”, is written for PC and lets the participants compete against each other over a network in a 3D environment. The graphical theme is fantasy and the players utilize among other things magical attacks to kill their opponents. The development itself has taken more than a year since the complexity of the game has required extensive technical research and graphical designing. / Detta är en rapport som beskriver utförandet av ett datortekniskt examensarbete på Örebro universitet. Mer specifikt handlar den om hur två studenter utvecklat ett datorspel som ett bidrag till Swedish Game Awards, en tävling för spel utvecklade utan inblandning av kommersiella företag. Spelet, titulerat ”Winds of Kahlara”, är skrivet för PC och låter deltagarna spela mot varandra över nätverk i en 3D-värld. Det grafiska temat är fantasy och spelarna använder sig av bland annat magiska attacker för att döda sina motståndare. Själva utvecklingen har tagit mer än ett år då spelets komplexitet har krävt omfattande teknisk efterforskning och grafisk formgivning.