El sector de los videojuegos ha estado en continuo crecimiento desde su aparición. Una muestra de ello es que, por ejemplo, la economía de los EUA tuvo un crecimiento de su PIB entre los años 2001 y 2004 (última época de crecimiento del PIB desde el año 2000) próximo al 3 %, en cambio, el mercado de los videojuegos creció en el mismo periodo cerca del 20%. A principios de milenio, la industria del videojuego tenía unos volúmenes de ingresos, clientes y trabajadores similares a los de la industria del cine y la música. Actualmente, el mercado del videojuego genera más beneficios que la música y el cine. Se ha llegado a una situación donde el videojuego tiene una hegemonía total sobre el resto de competidores de ocio doméstico; muestra de ello, son los datos sobre beneficios de la industria del videojuego, aportados en el año 2002, comprendidos entre 7 y 9 billones de dólares, sobrepasando así, los beneficios de la industria cinematográfica de Hollywood valorada en 8.1 billones. Este hecho ha sido posible debido a que durante los últimos años los videojuegos han ido expandiendo su ámbito de uso, pasando de la práctica en casa, a un modelo de accesibilidad totalmente ubicuo, donde es posible jugar desde cualquier parte haciendo uso de dispositivos móviles conectados a través de redes de datos (Internet, 3G. . . ). Acorde con su naturaleza, estos juegos se conocen como juegos masivos multijugador en red o con su nombre anglosajón MassivelyMultiplayer Online Games (MMOG). Dada la importancia económica y social de los MMOG, en el presente trabajo de tesis nos hemos centrado en estudiar y modelar este tipo de aplicaciones con el fin de mejorar la eficiencia de su ejecución. En la actualidad, la ejecución de este tipo de aplicaciones se lleva a cabo mayoritariamente mediante arquitecturas basadas en el paradigma Cliente-Servidor. Esto comporta que las infraestructuras de servidores y redes de conexión utilizadas para la ejecución de los MMOG sean frecuentemente actualizadas a costa de desembolsar grandes cantidades de dinero. Sin embargo, la afluencia masiva de nuevos usuarios (o jugadores) de este tipo de aplicaciones sigue comprometiendo día a día la escalabilidad de estas infraestructuras. Es por eso que existe una creciente línea de investigación, basada en solucionar estos problemas de escalabilidad presentes en las infraestructuras que dan servicio a los juegos MMOG. Una de las posibles soluciones, en las que se está centrando la comunidad científica, es en la ejecución paralela de los juegos MMOG, con el fin de distribuir la carga computacional que se genera y mejorar, de este modo, la eficiencia en su ejecución. Sin embargo, aplicar técnicas de computación paralela a las aplicaciones tipo MMOG es una tarea compleja, ya que este tipo de aplicaciones tienen un grado de dinamismo muy elevado, hecho que dificulta la generación de un modelo abstracto donde se identifiquen fácilmente la procedencia u orden de tareas. Por tanto, dividir este tipo de aplicaciones en un conjunto de tareas con el fin de asignarlas (o mapearlas) a distintos nodos de procesamiento resulta ser todo un desafío para la comunidad científica. Dentro de este marco, el presente trabajo de tesis se centra en la necesidad de presentar una solución para la ejecución de este tipo de aplicaciones MMOG en un entorno distribuido, donde el sistema sea capaz de crecer acorde con la demanda de servicios, al mismo tiempo que la calidad de servicio no se vea afectada. En este sentido se ha desarrollado una solución que afronta el problema desde una perspectiva global basada en dos fases. En una primera fase se estudia el comportamiento y las necesidades de recursos de cómputo de las aplicaciones MMOG, y se identifican las características diferenciales de los distintos tipos de juegos que existen. En una segunda fase, y a partir del modelo de comportamiento, se propone una arquitectura híbrida, formada por una parte central y una distribuida, que permite la ejecución paralela de juegos MMOG, aportando escalabilidad y eficiencia. Para ello se desarrollan un conjunto de políticas de asignación de tareas de cómputo, para ser ejecutadas concurrentemente, que explotan el sistema paralelo, contemplando a la vez, las características intrínsecas de los juegos en su modo de ejecución.

This thesis explores the idea of how people 'do gender' in their online use of avatars, specifically avatar choice. A secondary question of whether or not a chatterbot can be used as a potential interviewer will also be examined as a tool acquiring large amounts of interview data. Gender is one of the ways in which we structure our society, and is completely omnipresent. We cannot opt out of participating in our gender, as we are constantly performing and reaffirming it. Because of this, gender performance and choice spills over into all domains. This includes entertainment such as massively multiplayer online games, both in how the designers make the game, and what the players bring to the game. Deconstructing how and why people engage in these gendered practices and choices becomes an interesting avenue of research, because it allows researchers to partially separate the mental aspects of gender from physical attributes, as the players' physical bodies are not actually in the game. Through the lens of the popular massively multiplayer online game, World of Warcraft, this thesis will utilize a qualitative user research study to understand how gender affects avatar choices. Prior research identified areas where players brought real world gender norms into the games they played. This research study will extend previous research by having players identify why they made the choices they made for their avatars, and how they feel about those choices. The methodology for this study will also involve using a chatterbot as a way of gathering interviews. In normal person-to-person interview studies, recruiting and organizing meetings for these interviews can often be a difficult task. This thesis brings in the idea of using a chatterbot as a mechanism to gather more interviews in a shorter time span to alleviate the problem of getting these one-on-one interviews in some types of studies.

Traditional 2-D contour models, Physical Models, Computer-Aided Architectural Design (CAD), Virtual Reality models, Google SketchUp, and Building Information Modelling (BIM) have all greatly enhanced the design process by enabling designers to visualise buildings and the space within them prior to their construction. A recent development is Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG) such as Second Life (SL). These offer users the opportunity to interact with other participants in real time, and so offer an excellent opportunity to experience the environment, layout and form of virtual buildings. However, the effectiveness of such applications to some extent depends upon how realistic the interactions of those using virtual spaces are in relation to interactions within the real world. This research examines the potential of this technology for enhancing and informing the early stage building design process. Initially, the tools currently used by architects at early stages of the RIBA Plan of Work were evaluated through interviewing architects. Then, the advantages of using MMOG over current tools at early-stage design were evaluated through interviews in SL. A virtual model was developed to examine how realistic the visualisation and interaction between end-users in an MMOG was. This was used to propose and validate guidance to incorporating MMOG into the early stages of the RIBA Plan of Work. It revealed that the virtual model created, the validated guidance and a successful example combining 2D sketches, Google SketchUp and MMOG at early-stage design can be used to guide architects to manage the complex decision making process in a simple, easy, cost-effective way, while effectively engaging both professional and non-professional stakeholders.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / Human Systems Integration Report / In the past few years, Massive Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG) have gained in popularity in the gaming industry, the public and the Department of Defense. Improvements to computer technology and the increased data transfer rate over networks have caused the potential applications for networked environments to blossom. MMOGs are a product of these improvements, as technological advancements have made it possible for the masses to gain access to virtual environments and participate. The ability to communicate and interact within the virtual environment has the potential to make MMOG technology an ideal tool for evaluating C4I systems. The design and evaluation of C4I systems with MMOGs has the potential to allow for exploration in the areas of warfighter effectiveness, emergent behavior, collective decision making, human systems integration and effective information flow. This thesis strives to illustrate how a C4I system modeled in an MMOG can aid designers in gathering insights on the effectiveness of the system in various combat situations. The insights will be gathered through the interactions of players with the modeled system in the virtual environment. The human interaction with the modeled C4I system provides the ability to capture the effects of the C4I system on the warfighter. The resultant effects of the C4I system on the warfighter directly contribute to the overall combat effectiveness of the deployed military forces. The background of MMOGs and C4I systems, and attributes of MMOGs that are desirable in evaluating C4I systems are introduced and discussed. FORCEnet, a global C4I architecture still in the conceptual phase is then used as an example to illustrate the potential rewards to using MMOGs to evaluate C4I systems. / Lieutenant, United States Navy

Orientador: Carlos Alberto Kamienski. / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do ABC. Programa de Pós-graduação em Engenharia da Informação.

Les jeux vidéo, et de manière très contemporaine les jeux en ligne, sont inscrits au coeur de phénomènes sociaux dont les techniques d'information et de communication transforment l'expression. Ils participent de l'évolution des modes de sociabilité et des espaces de l'activité sociale comme de la transformation des relations entre production et consommation. Les jeux restent pourtant largement traités par le monde académique comme des objets périphériques. Cette thèse s'intéresse aux univers de jeu en ligne, dont l'essor, parallèle à la démocratisation de l'usage d'Internet, a été considérable depuis les années 2000. Ce travail traite de la conception, de la pratique et de l'évolution de ces jeux -- que l'on désigne parfois comme des mondes virtuels. Il fait une analyse de ces objets qui invite à la fois à reconsidérer l'intérêt des outils et concepts de la sociologie pour l'analyse des jeux et la place qui est donnée au jeu dans l'analyse sociologique. La thèse défend le caractère singulier de la forme sociale qu'est le jeu, et souligne l'intérêt qu'elle présente pour les sciences sociales comme forme d'expression humaine d'une part, mais aussi comme espace relativement ouvert à l'observation des modalités de la construction et de la négociation du partage d'un monde. La thèse propose ainsi de regarder les jeux en ligne comme des dispositifs d'engagement et des espaces de formes renouvelées de sociabilité. Elle met également en avant les dynamiques sociales et techniques à l'oeuvre dans l'élaboration et le maintien de ces dispositifs d'engagement, et cela, en s'intéressant tout particulièrement à la question des médiations. Ce sont donc les univers ludiques en ligne comme occurrences singulières du partage d'un monde, agencements uniques de choses et de significations, dont il est question ici. Ces objets sont par ailleurs inscrits dans un ensemble de techniques et d'usages qui est marqué par l'évolution et la diffusion du média Internet et plus largement de l'informatique. La thèse interroge enfin les pratiques et les représentations du jeu comme étant avant tout celles d'un espace médiatique. Le partage de ces mondes de jeu est donc ici questionné dans le contexte d'une massification de l'usage des techniques de communication. L'argument s'appuie principalement sur trois enquêtes originales qui mobilisent des méthodes qualitatives comme quantitatives : une observation participante dans un studio de développement d'un univers de jeux en ligne (Age of Utopia, AoU) complété par des entretiens, et un travail sur archives ; enquête statistique menée auprès des joueurs d'AoU; et enfin une ethnographie en ligne dans l'univers de jeu World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainement). L'argument de la thèse est décliné selon quatre grandes thématiques :

Ce m??moire porte sur les jeux de r??le participatifs en environnement virtuel (JRPEV), un ph??nom??ne qui, dans le champ des game studies, n???a jamais ??t?? d??fini jusqu???ici. Une d??finition est donc apport??e afin d?????tablir leur sp??cificit?? au regard des environnements virtuels, des jeux vid??o, des MMOG et des jeux de r??le traditionnels (sur table et grandeur nature) tout en mettant en lumi??re les dimensions qui en font un hybride mi-jeu vid??o, mi-jeu de r??le. Pour ce faire, les JRPEV seront d??finis en tant que jeux, jeux de r??le, pratiques repr??sentatives de la culture participative (Jenkins 2006) et environnements virtuels. ?? la suite de cette d??finition, un mod??le th??orique flexible sera d??crit qui rendra compte de l???exp??rience vid??oludique des joueurs au sein des JRPEV. Pour ce faire, des alternatives aux notions pol??miques et polys??miques de ??cercle magique?? et ??d???immersion??, tr??s pr??sentes dans la litt??rature scientifique portant sur les jeux de r??le et les jeux vid??o, sont d???abord apport??es : le cadrage de l???exp??rience vid??oludique et l???allocation des ressources attentionnelles. De plus, le mod??le int??gre les styles de jeu et les postures interpr??tatives privil??gi??es par les joueurs sur les ??uvres dont les JRPEV constituent une adaptation vid??oludique ou sur les textes appartenant ?? l???architexte (Genette 1982) de ces JRPEV. En effet, ces styles de jeu et ces postures interpr??tatives contribuent ?? structurer l???exp??rience vid??oludique. Enfin, ce mod??le inclura la dynamique sociale dans laquelle est v??cue l???exp??rience vid??oludique sur les JRPEV en mobilisant le concept de ??communaut?? herm??neutique conflictuelle??. Cette entreprise conjoint les perspectives herm??neutique et sociocritique dans l?????tude de jeux per??us comme une m??diation ludique (Genvo 2011) (Henriot 1989), soit comme la rencontre d???une attitude et d???une structure ludiques. Elle repose ?? la fois sur un travail m??tath??orique et sur l???observation des jeux de r??le gor??ens, des JRPEV organis??s sur Second Life qui illustreront de mani??re concr??te les sp??cificit??s de ce ph??nom??ne vid??oludique.

This thesis explores how massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), as an exemplary new media form, disrupt practices associated with more conventional media. These intensely social games exploit the interactivity and networks afforded by new media technologies in ways that generate new challenges for the organisation, control and regulation of media. The involvement of players in constituting these games - through their production of game-play, derivative works and strong social networks that drive the profitability of the games - disrupts some of the key foundations that underlie other publication media. MMOGs represent a new and hybrid form of media - part publication and part service. As such they sit within a number of sometimes contradictory organising and regulatory regimes. This thesis examines the negotiations and struggles for control between players, developers and publishers as issues of ownership, governance and access arise out of the new configurations. Using an ethnographic approach to gather information and insights into the practices of players, developers and publishers, this project identifies the characteristics of the distributed production network in this experiential medium. It explores structural components of successful interactive applications and analyses how the advent of player agency and the shift in authorship has meant a shift in control of the text and the relations that surround it. The integration of social networks into the textual environment, and into the business model of the media publishers has meant commerce has become entwined with affect in a new way in this medium. Publishers have moved into the role of both property managers, of the intellectual property associated with the game content, and community managers. Intellectual property management is usually associated with the reproduction and distribution of finished media products, and this sits uneasily with the performative and mutable form of this medium. Service provision consists of maintaining the game world environment, community management, providing access for players to other players and to the content generated both by the developers and the other players. Content in an MMOG is identified in this project as both the 'tangible' assets of code and artwork, rules and text, and the 'intangible' or immaterial assets of affective networks. Players are no longer just consumers of media, or even just active interpreters of media. They are co-producing the media as it is developed. This thesis frames that productiveness as unpaid labour, in an attempt to denaturalise the dominant discourse which casts players as consumers. The regulation of this medium is contentious. Conventional forms of media regulation - such as copyright, or content regulation regimes are inadequate for regulating the hybrid service/publication medium. This thesis explores how the use of contracts as the mechanism which constitutes the formal relations between players, publishers and developers creates challenges to some of the regimes of juridical and political rights held by citizens more generally. This thesis examines the productive practices of players and how the discourses of intellectual property and the discourses of the consumer are mobilised to erase the significance of those productive contributions. It also shows, using a Foucauldian analysis of the power negotiations, that players employ many counter-strategies to circumvent the more formal legal structures of the publishers. The dialogic relationship between players, developers and publishers is shown to mobilise various discursive constructions of the role of each. The outcome of these ongoing negotiations may well shape future interactive applications and the extent to which their innovative capacities will be available for all stakeholders to develop.

Previous research has studied toxicity in World of Tanks game with a focus on precursors of toxicity, player performance in the game from the perspective of gender-performance gap or observing the players' major behaviors instigated by various situations within the game. This research focuses on player's behavior in the game chat with an emphasis on toxic behavior by using participant observation ethnography, thematic analysis, content analysis and autoethnography. Contrary to the predicted belief that game mechanics could instigate toxic behavior in the game, results showed that the major forms of toxicity were regarded as gamesplaining, ableism, sarcasm, male preserve concept and fragile masculinity concept.

This thesis investigates designing and implementing a peer-to-peer (P2P) networking frameworkfor Unity, a popular game engine, intending to offer a scalable and efficient solution forconstructing networked multiplayer games. The research covers an analysis of a P2P networkarchitecture, transport layer protocols, challenges in NAT traversal, and peer list management.A framework is proposed, incorporating NAT traversal, remote procedural calls (RPC), synchronization variables (SyncVar), interest management (IM), and a lobby system. The framework’sperformance is evaluated through integration, network, and game performance tests. Resultsdemonstrate the framework’s capacity to accommodate up to 50 players, with a theoreticalmaximum of 200 players, but further optimization techniques could increase this limit. IMsolutions are suggested to improve scalability, rendering the framework a more viable optionfor MMOGs. Additionally, this thesis seeks to contribute to comprehending P2P networkingframework design and implementation for Unity while emphasizing potential directions forfuture research and how they should be optimized / Denna uppsats undersöker design och implementering av ett peer-to-peer (P2P) nätverksramverk för Unity, en populär spelmotor, med målet att erbjuda en skalbar och effektiv lösning för att bygga nätverksbaserade flerspelarspel. Uppsatsen omfattar en analys av P2P-nätverksarkitektur, transportlagerprotokoll, utmaningar vid NAT-Travesering och hantering av peerlistor. Ett ramverk som inkluderar NAT-Travesering, fjärrproceduranrop (RPC), synkroniseringsvariabler (SyncVar), Interest Management (IM) och ett lobby-system föreslås. Ramverkets prestanda utvärderas genom integrationstester, nätverksprestandatester och spel-prestandatester. Resultaten visar att ramverket kan hantera upp till 50 spelare, med en teoretisk maximal kapacitet på 200 spelare, men ytterligare optimiserings tekniker kan öka denna gränsen. IM-lösningar föreslås för att förbättra skalbarheten, vilket gör ramverket till ett bättre alternativ för MMOG. Dessutom syftar denna uppsats till att bidra till förståelsen för design och implementering av P2P-nätverksramverk för Unity, samtidigt som den betonar potentiella riktningar för framtida forskning och hur dessa ska kunna optimeras.