One of the many challenges of game development is creating an effective tutorial. Although tutorials can be designed to instruct in numerous different ways, little is known about how they differ in terms of effectiveness. To examine the effectiveness of the three different tutorial types, a first-person puzzle game with three versions was developed. For the purpose of an observational analysis, four participants per version (n = 12) had their gameplay recorded and were then interviewed after their gameplay session concluded. The results show that text instructions were more effective than using NPCs as examples to show the game mechanics. The lack of a tutorial made the participants vary in their understanding of the game’s mechanics, some of which failed completely to learn an important game mechanic. A broad variation like this can make it difficult for developers to balance the later challenges in the game. / En av de många utmaningarna av spelutveckling är att skapa en effektiv tutorial. Även om en tutorial kan bli designad att instruera på flertalet olika sätt, saknas det kunskap om hur de skiljer sig i deras effektivitet. För att undersöka effektiviteten av tre olika typer av tutorials, utvecklades ett pusslespel i förstapersonsperspektiv med tre versioner. För syftet av en observationsanalys spelades spelsessionerna av fyra deltagare per version (n = 12) in, och deltagarna intervjuades direkt efteråt. Resultatet visar att textinstruktioner var mer effektivt än att använda NPCer som exempel för att visa spelmekanikerna. Saknaden av en tutorial gjorde att deltagarna varierade i deras förståelse av spelets mekaniker, varav några misslyckades helt att lära sig en viktig spelmekanik. En sådan bred variation kan göra det svårt för utvecklare att balansera de senare utmaningarna i spelet.

This thesis investigates whether a game world based solely on fluid dynamics could be an interesting alternative to one based on rigid bodies by presenting a prototype to players where they can control the movement of a fluid. The players evaluate the prototype’s responsiveness, intuitiveness, visual appeal, immersion, and how well they think the fluid could represent ghosts, flocks, magic, and a platformer avatar by rating them vocally while playing. The fluid physics engine prototype is a simple grid-based one that utilizes the ideal gas law and pressure gradient force to calculate the flow between its cells. It is unstable and thus cannot handle too large time-steps. Therefore, simulating many cells (more than 10000 for two fluids) at the same is a slow process, and the prototype can only present a pixelated result. If a highresolution game is in general preferred by players, a computationally efficient solution could consist of utilizing shaders for cell blending. In the experiments, all categories except the platform avatar received positive evaluations despite the prototype’s early stage, which according to theories presented within Swink’s Game Feel (Swink, 2009) and the MDA framework (Hunicke et al., 2004) may indicate that a game based on a fluid physics engine like this one could be entertaining. The simulation could possibly be run as a separate system to add game mechanics to a game based on rigid bodies as well.

Climate change might be our time's defining issue and our way of producing and consuming food is a large contributor of global climate change. This thesis investigate the possibility of using serious gaming with the intent of raising awareness for the difference in emissions of distinct food types. With the development of a serious game, this paper aims to raise awareness for these issues among university students. The game was evaluated with nine university students and the results suggests that the use of serious gaming with the intent of raising awareness for the difference in emissions of distinct food types show potential, however it was unclear whether or not the students gained a wider understanding of the issue or only acquired some factual knowledge.

Teknik med spelmekanik används allt mer i sportmiljöer, men både fördelar och utmaningar finns med denna typ av teknik. Nyligen har ett kommersiellt intresse riktats mot golf driving ranges och installation av spelsystem i dessa områden, men lite forskning har utförts om hur dessa installationer påverkar golfare under deras träning och hur spelare interagerar med dem. I denna studie observerades och filmades grupper av golfare medan de interagerade med en uppsättning spel och intervjuades senare om deras upplevelse. Resultaten argumenterar för att spela golfspel i virtuella miljöer kan hjälpa till med att öva på olika strategier och stödja gruppsamarbete. Det är dock viktigt att ta hänsyn till sportens fysiska egenskaper och att tekniken och spelen stödjer olika typer av svingtekniker, korrekt feedback och pricksäkerhetsövning. Studien ger en diskussion kring betydelsen av golfträning och hur spel kan stödja det, varför golfare samarbetar trots att de är varandras motståndare och hur man ska spela på teknikens styrkor. Dessutom ger den direktiv för hur spelmekanik skulle kunna användas i fysiska miljöer och för framtida forskning. / Technology with game mechanics is becoming increasingly used in sports environments, but both benefits and challenges exist with this type of technology. Recently, a commercial interest has been directed towards golf driving ranges and installing game systems in those areas, but little research has been conducted on how these installations affect golfers during their practice and how players interact with them. In this study, three groups of golfers were observed and recorded while they interacted with a set of games and were later interviewed about their experience. The results argue that playing golf games in virtual environments can help with practicing on different strategies and support group collaboration. However, it is essential to take into account the physical characteristics of the sport and that the technology and games support different types of swing techniques, correct feedback and accuracy practice. The study provides a discussion around the meaning of golf practice and how games can support it, why golfers collaborate despite being each others’ opponents, and how to play on the strengths of the technology. In addition, it provides directions both for how game mechanics could be utilized in physical environments and for future research.

This thesis addresses a game design matter with an interaction design perspective, arguing that both are strongly related and can learn from each other. It explores the topic of designing mechanics for asymmetric cooperation in hybrid social co-located games. Co-located social games are games played in a same space, and hybrid games merge analog and digital features. When dealing with asymmetric cooperation mechanics, players work together towards the same goal but with different mechanics (different ability to act or to access to information). Cooperation is more and more popular in the game field and, among with other benefices, asymmetry can strengthen it by making the performances of the players fully complementary. In hybrid games, this kind of mechanics could make people bridge the gap between physical and digital materials through cooperation, by combining actions or sharing information. Following a theoretical investigation on the matter, this paper presents several experiments of asymmetric cooperation mechanics involving digital aspects thanks to a smartphone, and sparking strong social interactions. A discussion is drawn upon them to share the resulting observations on hybrid asymmetric cooperation and on the process of prototyping game mechanics.

I denna uppsats undersöker vi hur principer för spelmekanik påverkar användares benägenhet att bidra med innehåll på interaktiva webbplatser. Genom en empirisk studie av kvalitativ art jämför vi två versioner av en testsajt, med spelmekanik implementerat i den ena versionen.Vi kommer fram till att spelmekanik för att motivera användare att skapa innehåll kan designas utefter tre huvudsakliga delar; regler/struktur, mål och delmål samt vinster. Regler och struktur är vad som är möjligt eller tillåtet att producera samt kvalitetskrav på innehållet. Mål och delmål handlar om att hitta en balansgång mellan lätta och svåra mål för att upprätthålla intresset för det huvudsakliga målet; innehållsproduktionen. Vinster är vad användare kan tjäna eller vinna på att producera innehåll. Vi diskuterar även hur spelmekaniken bör utformas i linje med webbplatsens syfte och anpassas därefter. / In this thesis, we investigate how the principles of game mechanics affect users' tendency to contribute content to interactive websites. Through an empirical study of qualitative nature, we compare two versions of a test site, with game mechanics implemented in one version.We conclude that the game mechanics to motivate users to create content can be designed along three main parts; rules/structure, goals and milestones and incentives. Rules and structure regulate the conditions for content generation, as well as quality control. Goals and milestones control the difficulty level of goals, with particular regard to maintained user interest in producing content. Incentives determine what users can gain from producing content. We also discuss how the game mechanics are to be designed in line with the site's purpose and adjusted thereafter.

När det kommer till brädspel är social interaktion och nöje kopplade. Brädspel och digitala versioner av dem används ofta parallellt och erbjuder därför en unik undersökningsmöjlighet. Automation är ett verktyg som ofta används för skapandet av digitaliserade brädspel, men hur påverkar det socialitet och hur skiljer det sig från fysiska brädspel? Detta är frågan som denna uppsats utforskar genom en observationsstudie av två versioner av brädspelet Ticket to Ride. Både den ursprungliga, fysiska versionen och en digital motsvarighet. Två grupper av spelare blev inspelade medan de spelade båda versionerna av spelet i olika ordning. Under observationen av spelsessionerna har sju olika spelmekaniker använts som infallsvinkel för att avgöra hur skillnader i social interaktion är kopplade till själva spelet. Dessa var turtagning (tid), spelyta (rymd), objekt (tillstånd), handlingar (strategi), regler (automatisering), bokföring och chans men även ej spelrelaterade interaktioner undersöktes. Två av spelmekanikerna visade sig ha störst påverkan på den sociala interaktionen i dem olika versionerna av spelet; regler och turtagning. Dessa två mekaniker var viktiga för inlärning av spelet och för att bibehålla fokus genom spelomgången. / Enjoyment and social interaction are closely connected, and board games can be synonymous with both of these things. Board games and digital versions of those games are often used in parallel, which offers a unique position of inquiry. Automation is a tool commonly used in the creation of digital board games, but how does it affect the sociality and how does it differ from physical board games? This is the question that this paper explores through an observational study of the game Ticket to Ride, both in its original, physical form as well as its digital counterpart. Two groups of players were recorded while playing both versions of the game in a different order. Throughout the observation of these game sessions, seven different game mechanics have been used as the lens to determine how the difference in social interaction is connected to the game itself. These game mechanics were turn-taking (time), game surface (space), object (state), actions (strategy), rules (automation), bookkeeping and chance, but social interactions unrelated to the game were also examined. Two of the seven game mechanics turned out to have the most effect on social interaction in the different versions of the game; rules and turn-taking. These two mechanics were important to the learning of the game and for maintaining focus throughout the game.

Analog games misses a lot of quick games in terms of game time and play time in the FPS genre. This genre often takes more time to play in an analog game. Could the game play become quicker by examining the different game mechanics in order to give the players a smoother game play by a reduction of downtime. Game mechanics that could be found in a digital FPS game such as Doom III, were converted to a prototype. These digital gameplay mechanics were converted so that an analog game could be played simultaneously. These game mechanics decrease the game time and down time in a way that a game using a turn based game order would not. The digital game Doom III was used to create the prototype and eight analog games of different types and genres were examined to collect more unique game mechanics. All were suited for a multiplayer type of gameplay. To get an understanding of what game elements were well liked in both digital and analog games, a questionnaire was created with twelve questions. The participants answered questions on the subjects of their favourite genre, missing game mechanics in both digital and analog games, well liked game mechanics, and also what the participants thought was impossible to create in a game in terms of game mechanics. The results of both the analysis of the eight analog games and the answers from the participants created the base plan for the development of the prototype focusing on low downtime, re-playability, and an average amount of luck. Several game mechanics were discussed and some of them were play tested. This resulted in keeping some game mechanics while others were removed because these game mechanics did not provide a rewarding gameplay. Several game mechanics were nearly impossible to implement without the use of a digital representation. An example on this type of issue was the first person view in the digital game. The perception of skill based game mechanics could be moved to an analog board game but would have to be determined by other game mechanics instead of the player’s physical capabilities. The conclusion lead to a prototype that could be played in an hour, which is a low game time for games in this genre. The FPS gameplay mechanics was converted to an analog game, but all game mechanics could not be transferred to the prototype without a conversion. / Gränsvägen 29 372 37 Ronneby Phone +46(0)708 35 04 45

Gamification är appliceringen av spelmekanismer i icke-spelkontextuella miljöer för att skapa motivation som kan användas för att utföra uppgifter. Denna uppsats avsåg utforska hur det appliceras och utvecklas på djupet, med fokusering på hur spelmekanismer påverkar inre och yttre motivation. I denna studie intervjuades gamification-konsulter för sin erfarenhet inom området och Self-Determination Theory (SDT) användes som analysmodell. Resultaten visar att utvecklandet av ett gamification-system har två oberoende variabler från vilka flera beroende variabler stammar. För att bestämma de mekanismer som bör användas behöver dels tidshorisont bestämmas, dels spelartyp. Således är processen för att bestämma hur eller om gamification ska appliceras lång och komplex, men att bestämma vilken typ av motivation som ska skapas beroende på tidshorisont är ett första steg för att konkretisera gamification-processen. / Gamification is the application of game mechanics in non-game contexts to create motivation to accomplish tasks. This thesis sought to delve deeper into how it is applied and developed, with a focus on how game mechanics affect intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. In the study gamification consultants were interviewed for their experience in the field and a Self-Determination Theory (SDT) view was applied in the analysis of their answers. The results show that the development of a gamification system has two independent variables from which several dependable variables spring. To determine the mechanics that should be used the time horizon has to be determined as well as player type. Thus, the decision of how or if to gamify a situation is long and complex in its application, but the determination of which type of motivation to induce is a first step to concretize how to gamify a system.

In the capitalistic landscape of games today there exists a paradigm where metrics rule over game design which constrains the creativity and diversity of game design. Realistic games have seen a surge in popularity under this paradigm and as an artist I look to the art movement of impressionism for answers. In 19th century France, impressionist painters managed to escape the conventional realism of their time and their work diversified art. I explore how game mechanics could be refined using impressionist painting techniques as inspiration. Existing definitions of game mechanics such as Sicart (2008) which sees mechanics as methods invoked by agents, designed for interaction with the game state and Lundgren et al. (2003) which see mechanics as any part of the rule system that covers one possible kind of interaction that takes place during the game, both definitions fail to recognize the context (game) in which they exist and looks at mechanics in isolation. Using the analogy of a game as a painting, the properties of a brushstroke is translated into six considerations (size, placement, angle, visibility, shape, and overlap) which can be used to explore game mechanics in a novel way. Through three case studies I learned that my approach to game mechanics can be complementary to existing definitions and provides a language to discuss game mechanics. The six considerations proved useful both in research and in practice and enables a designer to quickly explore game mechanics, embracing the context of the game they exist in. / I dagens spels kapitalistiska landskap existerar det ett paradigm där metrik styr över speldesign vilket stryper speldesignens kreativitet och diversitet. Realistiska spel har blivit mer populära under detta paradigm och som en konstnär så letar jag i konströrelsen impressionism för svar. Under 1800-talets Frankrike lyckades impressionistiska konstnärer fly från tidens konventionella realism och deras arbete diversifierade konst. Jag utforskar hur spelmekaniker kan förädlas med användning av impressionistiska målningstekniker som inspiration. Existerande definitioner av spelmekaniker som Sicarts (2008) ser spelmekaniker som metoder åberopade av agenter, designade för interaktioner med spelets tillstånd och Lundgren et al. (2003) som ser spelmekaniker som en del av det regelsystemet som täcker en möjlig interaktion som tar plats under spelets gång, både definitionerna misslyckas med att se på spelmekaniker i deras kontext och kollar på spelmekaniker i isolering.  Med analogin av ett spel som en målning, så översätts ett penseldrags egenskaper till sex överväganden (storlek, placering, vinkel, synlighet, form och överlappning) som används till att utforska spelmekaniker på ett originellt sätt. Genom tre studier har jag lärt mig att mitt tillvägagångssätt bevisar sig vara användbart både för forskning och i praktik samt att det tillåter designern att snabbt utforska spelmekaniker med spelets kontext i åtanke.