Denna studie undersöker spelmekaniken permadeath i party-baserade spel då mekaniken tycks vara outforskad för dessa spel samtidigt som forskare på ämnet permadeath efterfrågar mer forskning (Dixons 2008, Copcic, McKenzie och Hobbs 2013, Parker 2017). I studien utforskas hur permadeath påverkar olika aspekter av spelupplevelsen i spelen Darkest Dungeon (2016), XCOM 2 (2016) och Battle Brothers (2017). För att ta reda på detta användes en enkätundersökning som skickades ut på olika internetforum vilket resulterade i 322 svar som användes i undersökningen. Studiens resultat indikerar att antalet karaktärer spelaren har tillgång till är en bidragande faktor till hur spelare upplever permadeath i party-baserade spel. Deltagarna i undersökningen var mycket positiva till permadeaths inverkan på spelupplevelsen vilket motiverades med att de höjda insatserna ökade immersionen, stärkte relationerna till karaktärerna och gjorde att spelens beslut blev meningsfullare. Studien föreslår flera möjliga fortsättningar av studien eller forskning på ämnet.

<p dir="ltr">This dissertation investigates game design elements and their impact on player experience, intrinsic motivation, and learning outcomes. The research encompasses three projects, each delving into essential aspects of educational game design and their impact on student learning. The first project addresses a design gap by creating an educational game, exam- ining its effect on motivation and learning outcomes. The second project investigates player agency’s role in games and its influence on experience and outcomes. Two prototypes are designed that differ in the level of player agency afforded to the students. The study analyzes how this experimental manipulation affects player experience, intrinsic motivation, and learning outcomes. The third project analyzes the relationship between the learning inventory and the puzzle environment. More specifically, I will evaluate why students faced challenges when answering questions that focused on predicting the output and it’s connection with the learning environment. The overall focus of my dissertation is player experience, intrinsic motivation (to learn), and learning outcomes, which are examined through qualitative and quantitative research methods.</p>

<p dir="ltr">This dissertation explored the media features of interactivity (i.e., watching vs. playing) and audio to understand the role they play in shaping media experiences. The study provides additional insights into feelings of presence, levels of empathy, and intentions for continued engagement based on individual media experiences in response to media features. The video game <i>Florence</i> was used as the stimulus for an experimental design investigating media features at multiple levels to better understand how design of those features can potentially improve media experiences for individuals in different contexts, which might increase their desire to continue engaging with the same media or franchise in the future.</p>

This study examines how various game features in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG Corporation, 2017), such as map terrain, resources, safe zone mechanics, teamwork, combat, and weaponry, influence player behavior by promoting aggressive and non-aggressive strategies. By analyzing player decisions across different game phases, the research highlights the need for a sophisticated understanding of game mechanics and acknowledges the impact of environmental elements and player skill levels on strategic adjustments. The game has had a huge impact on industry trends and gaming culture since its 2017 debut thanks to its enormous success. Many people may not have noticed that some system mechanisms in the battle royal game PUBG will subtly create aggressive and non-aggressive strategies, and players will alternate between these two strategies in the game. This is a survival game that is not just about fighting. Are these types of games currently promoting players to be aggressive too much? A deeper understanding of the relationship between aggressive and non-aggressive strategies and game systems will allow developers to create more balanced system mechanisms and help players further understand how to choose more appropriate strategies in different situations. Players can improve their gameplay and strategy by using this insight. This study focuses on players who have engaged with PUBG within the last six months, collecting their strategies and opinions on the game system through surveys, video recordings, and narrative accounts. After analyzing these data sources, we integrate the results to draw meaningful conclusions about how PUBG's gameplay systems promote both aggressive and non-aggressive player strategies.

This paper examines the process of designing a breathing mechanic to enhance player-character alignment in video games. Breathing is closely connected to emotional regulation and could therefore potentially impact a players’ emotions in a similar way to the real thing when implemented into a game as a mechanic. Real life breath control is also a common way to alleviate anxiety through the use of breathing exercises. These factors make breathing an attractive action to adopt into game design in the pursuit of aligning the player with the character they are playing. By iterating on a prototype breathing mechanic in our video game, Still, this study observes that breathing as a game mechanic can align player and character through the synchronisation of action in game with action in real life. Players tend to match their real life breath with the in-game breathing mechanic and this suggests player-character alignment.

Sedan dataspelens begynnelse har spelen innehållit olika former av narrativ. Med tiden har dessa narrativ blivit mer komplicerade, från de tidigaste spelens påmålade teman som bakgrundsberättelser, till moderna spelberättelser vars narrativ kräver signifikant ansträngning från spelarna. Tidigare studier har visat en viss korrelation mellan spelares tillfredsställelse för spelen och deras narrativa komplexitet. Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med mer data till denna hypotes, genom att skapa två versioner av ett kort spel, med olika nivåer av just narrativ komplexitet. Frågeställningen som ämnades besvaras genom att värdera testpersoners upplevelse av de olika varianterna var följande: Kan svårförstådda berättelser göra spel mer tillfredsställande? Resultatet av de speltester som genomfördes visade på liknande resultat som de tidigare nämnda studierna, men artefakternas likhet och den begränsade mängden testdeltagare resulterade i osäkerhet kring testets reliabilitet. Framtida studier inom ämnet skulle gagnas av ett mer iterativt arbete med artefakterna samt betydligt fler speltester. / <p>Det finns övrigt digitalt material (t.ex. film-, bild- eller ljudfiler) eller modeller/artefakter tillhörande examensarbetet som ska skickas till arkivet.</p><p>There are other digital material (eg film, image or audio files) or models/artifacts that belongs to the thesis and need to be archived.</p>

This thesis explores how rule modification in multiplayer board games can affect the occurrence of kingmaking while still maintaining core functionality of the game. Kingmaking describes situations where a player with no chance of winning affects which other player wins. Through formal analysis, this thesis provides insight into how kingmaking is facilitated through design patterns and proposes rule changes that can help mitigate instances of kingmaking. The findings of this thesis are that there is no one solution that fits all games, and that a targeted rule modification is required on a game-by-game basis to mitigate kingmaking. The method allows game designers to strengthen fair gameplay, although its application needs to be adapted for each particular game.

Background: The video game industry thrives on innovation and technology, striving to understand player preferences to maintain a competitive edge. Forecasts indicate significant growth, with the virtual reality (VR) gaming market expected to become a major player, driven by technological advancements and rising consumer interest in immersive experiences. However, the current adoption of the VR gaming rate remains low, indicating a substantial gap between interest and actual usage.  Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to investigate the key game components that influence players’ intention to play VR games while also evaluating the significant role of players' emotions within this context. Additionally, it establishes connections between these game elements and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) constructs, providing a comprehensive understanding of the factors shaping VR game acceptance.  Method: The research is grounded in the positivist paradigm, employing a deductive approach and quantitative methodology. It involves the analysis of 657 observations extracted from 200 reviews of two popular VR games on the Steam platform, using content and sentiment analysis techniques. Subsequently, the Baron and Kenny method is employed to explore potential mediations of TAM constructs between players’ sentiments and their intention to play VR games.  Conclusion: The results indicate that players’ sentiments significantly influence the acceptance of VR games. Among the TAM constructs, perceived enjoyment (PE) plays the most pivotal role and is the sole mediator between sentiments and the intention to play. Game elements linked to PE, such as game content, gameplay, and interactivity, tend to elicit positive emotions from players. Conversely, elements associated with perceived ease of use (PEOU), such as bugs, technical performance, and optimization issues, tend to evoke negative sentiments.

Title: Qualitative analysis of cooperation of back court player and line player on the 9th Men's "18" European Championship in Brno. Objectives: Qualitative analysis of the attacking combinations between back court player and line player on the 9th Men's "18" European Championship 2008 in Brno, finding out the space distribution of these combinations and compare the trend analysis of Men's "18", Men's "20" and Men's European Championship. Methods: Qualitative Analysis of the matches on DVD with using non participating and non structured observing connected with quantitative analysis based on the statistical program Handball Stat. We used own form for recording the observed data. Results: The teams used combination based on passing mostly. The distribution of co-operation probably depended on physical, technical and tactical preparation of the back court players and through that the line player very often co-operated with left and middle back. Key words: handball, combination, co-operation, back court player, line player, qualitative analysis, 9th Men's "18"ECh 2008 Brno

First-person games often support the player’s gradual accretion of knowledge of the game’s rules during gameplay. They thus focus on challenging and developing performative skills, which in turn supports the player in attaining feelings of achievement and skills mastery. However, an alternative disruptive game design approach is proposed as an approach that encourages players to engage in higher-order thinking, in addition to performative challenges. This requires players to cognitively engage with the game at a deeper level. This stems from the player’s expectations of game rules and behaviours being disrupted, rather than supported, requiring players to learn and re-learn the game rules as they play. This disruptive approach to design aims to support players in satiating their needs for not only achievement and mastery at a performative level but also, their needs for problem-solving and creativity. Utilising a Research through Design methodology, a model of game space proposes different stages of a game’s creation, from conceptualisation through to the final player experience. The Ludic Action Model (LAM), developed from existing game studies and cognitive psychological theory, affords an understanding of how the player forms expectations in the game as played. A conceptual framework of game components is then constructed and mapped to the Ludic Action Model, providing a basis for understanding how different components of a game interact with and influence the player’s cognitive and motor processes. The Ludic Action Model and the conceptual framework of game components are used to construct the Disruptive Game Feature Design and Development (DisDev) model, created as a design tool for ‘disruptive’ games. The disruptive game design approach is then applied to the design, development, and publication of a commercial game, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs (The Chinese Room, 2013). This application demonstrated the suitability of the design approach, and the proposed models, for establishing disruptive game features in the game as designed, developing those features in the game as created, to the final resolution in the game as published, which the player will then experience in the game as played. A phenomenological template analysis of online player discussions of the game shows that players tend to evaluate their personal game as played (i.e. their personal play experience) in relation to their a priori game as expected (i.e. the experience that they expected the game to provide). Players reported their play experiences in ways that suggested they had experienced cognitive engagement and higher-order thinking. However, player attitudes towards this type of play experience were highly polarised and seemingly dependent on the correspondence between actual and expected play experiences. The discussion also showed that different methods of disruption have a variable effect on the player experience depending on the primacy of the game feature being disrupted. Primary features are more effectively disrupted when the game’s responses to established player actions are subsequently altered. Secondary game features, only present in some sections, are most effectively disrupted when their initially contextualised behaviour is subsequently altered, or recontextualised. In addition, story-based feature disruption is most effected when the initial encoding stage is ambiguous, thus disrupting players’ attempts to form an initial understanding of them. However, these different methods of disruption may be most effective when used in conjunction with each other.