The purpose of this report is to analyze what went wrong with the adventure game project called Fairytale, I started together with 4 of my fellow university students at Gotland University, spring 2007. My ambition with this report is to enlighten problems in game design that arose during the game development process in order to prevent others from making the same mistakes. The problems are analyzed according to game design patterns defined by Björk, S. and Holopainen, J. (2005). Patterns in Game Design. Boston, Massachusetts. Jenifer Niles. The game was exhibited to the public at Gotland Game Awards 2007, Leipzig Game Developers Conference 2007, Tekniska Museet 2007, Almedalsveckan 2008 and Gotland Game Awards 2008. The results of the report show that redesigning already finished game features means a lot of troubles in relation to its dependency on other game elements. The key abilities of the main character were vaguely defined since the beginning of the project which caused problems with earlier designed levels whenever a new item was introduced. The terrain of the prior levels didn’t match the abilities of the new items, which forced changes to be made. The biggest mistake with this project was that finished game elements never were considered final. My role in the project was the solo game programmer and co-designer. I shared the designing tasks together with Annika Fogelgren who also was the producer of our team. Albertina Sparrhult, Emma Johansson and Marie Viberg were our core graphic artists. Together, we created the Fairytale game.

Spelindustrin är gigantisk och kontinuerligt växande, där detta inkluderar spelutveckling samt spelande av spel. Detta medför att en betydande mängd akademiker i sina yrkesliv kommer att beröra ämnesområdet spelutveckling. Trots detta faktum finns det en avsaknad av akademisk litteratur som behandlar ämnesområdet spelutveckling, specifikt med ett IS-perspektiv. För att fylla avsaknaden ämnar denna undersökning utöka det specifika konceptet inom spelutveckling som är “skapande av en 2D-spelmotor med tillhörande spel”. Att spela innebär hedonistiska upplevelser. Gäller denna hedonism också vid spelutveckling? Vilka utmaningar och vilken problematik uppstår vid utveckling av en spelmotor? För att utreda detta används en kvalitativ undersökning med en induktiv metodik via forskning genom design (eng. Research through Design, RtD) tillsammans med kollaborativ autoetnografi (Collaborative Autoethnography, CAE). Detta skapar ett unikt perspektiv som används för att producera välmotiverad vägledning för introduktion till ämnesområdet. Datainsamling utgörs av loggbok och dagbok där dessa används för att reflektera kring problem, utmaningar, framgångsfaktorer samt hedonistiska upplevelser inom processen. Undersökningens bakomliggande teori är baserat på Hedonic-motivation system adoption model (HMSAM) samt kriterier för utvärdering av ett lyckat RtD-projekt. Resultaten visar att spelutveckling är en komplicerad process, där egenskaper av spelutveckling identifierats och som bildat riktlinjer som förbereder akademiker inför framtida forskning och arbete. / The gaming industry is gigantic and continuously growing, which includes game development and gaming. This means that a significant number of academics will touch on the subject area of game development during their professional lives. Despite this fact there is a lack of academic literature which deals with the subject area of game development, specifically with an IS perspective. To fill the gap, this study aims to expand the specific concept in game development that is “creation of a 2D game engine with an associated game”. Gaming involves hedonistic experiences. Is this also associated with game development? What challenges and problems arise when developing a game engine? Answering this involves a qualitative study with an inductive methodology via Research through Design (RtD) together with Collaborative Autoethnography (CAE). This creates a unique perspective that is used to produce well-motivated guidance for introduction to the subject area. Data collection consists of a journal and diary where these are used to reflect on problems, challenges, success factors and hedonistic experiences within the process. The study’s underlying theory is based on the Hedonic-motivation system adoption model (HMSAM) and criterias for evaluating successful RtD projects. The results show that game development is a complicated process, where characteristics of game development have been identified which developed guidelines that prepare academics for future research and work.

This thesis investigates the genre classification of Vampire Survivors-like games, focusing on "Vampire Survivors" by Poncle (2021, poncle). The objective is to define their genre and explore the possibility of a new genre creation. The research comprehensively examines genre origins, classification approaches, and significance from design, marketing, and consumer perspectives. Vampire Survivors and similar games have gained prominence, but their genre remains uncertain. Elements align with Action Roguelike and Bullet Hell, yet definitive classification proves elusive. This study analyzes gameplay mechanics, design elements, and experiences to compare with established genres.The research provides insights for game developers seeking design patterns and helps players find suitable games. It contributes to the understanding of emerging game genres, promoting innovation in the gaming industry. Using a systematic methodology, this thesis establishes a coherent genre framework. Finding scontribute to genre discussions and inspire future research in this evolving field.