This research is examining one of the most dominant managerial methods used in development in the video game industry, Agile development. More particularly, the thesis examines a certain attribute of Agile development, that of iteration. The thesis will set to examine how iteration affects several layers of development during the production of a video game and whether it can be replaced by other managerial technics.As a result, the purpose of this thesis is to raise a different viewpoint against the Agile’s iteration. Furthermore, this thesis aims to contribute to the academic research by concentrating on the video game industry, an industry that is often neglected by the academia.The theoretical framework and literature review concentrate on concepts of Agile development, overworking, development cycle in video games, definitions of project success and project failures and creative process in video game development.The thesis deploys qualitative methodology to address and research its data. The collected data belongs to two categories, data stemming from interviews conducted by the thesis’s author and data stemming from journalistic magazines.The results of both type of data are compared and act supplementary to each other, then they are analyzed to answer the research questions asked by this thesis. The results showcase that iteration has negative effects to video game developers in both a macroscale (company’s resources, annual revenue) and in a microscale (overworking, health issues) level. The results also highlight that Agile is an all-time favorite development methodology of developers in the video game industry.In conclusion, the thesis supports the notion that iteration should be suppressed and proposes a number of solutions for that matter. The suggestions are essentially encouragement towards developers: to seek higher interactivity with customers throughout the duration of all the development stages of a video game, to show more trust to established gameplay mechanics and to place more reliance on a franchise’s profit power and benefits. These measures can be used in a preventive manner in order to limit the appearance of iteration and as a result, to limit its’ negative effects.

Les domaines de la réalité virtuelle et du jeu vidéo convoquent les problématiques émotionnelles dans leurs objectifs respectifs de présence et de flow zone. Cependant, la question des méthodologies d'induction d'émotions dans les environnements virtuels de ces médiums n'a pas été largement questionnée. Après avoir défini ce que sont les émotions dans la littérature philosophique, psychologiste et physiologiste, nous cherchons à montrer les liens supposés existants entre l'émotion et les états extatiques de présence en réalité virtuelle et de flow zone dans les jeux vidéo. Nous commençons donc par montrer combien le niveau de connaissance des médiums peut influencer la sensibilité aux inductions d'émotions dans les environnements virtuels. Puis nous mettons en place une stratégie inductive d'émotions basée sur une gestion itérative des niveaux de challenge en lien avec les niveaux de compétences acquises.Nous avons validé au travers de deux expériences empiriques ayant impliquées 176 participants, une méthodologie d'induction d'émotions basée sur un schéma circomplexe. Ce schéma, construit autour de la valence et le niveau d'activation des émotions, permet d'induire des émotions dans les cinq composantes essentielles de la conception d'environnements virtuels pour la réalité virtuelle ou les jeux vidéo : la chromatique, la luminosité, la vitesse des mouvements, la dimension des espaces et le volume des interactions sociales.Mots clés : réalité virtuelle, jeu vidéo, émotions, présence, flow zone. / The fields of virtual reality and video games summon the emotional issues in their respective goals of presence and flow area. However the question of methodologies for inducing emotions in virtual environments in these mediums has not yet been widely questioned. After defining what emotions are in the philosophical, as in psychologist and physiologist literature, we seek to show existing links between emotion and states of presence in virtual reality and flow zone in video games. We show how the level of knowledge of the mediums may influence susceptibility to induction of emotions in virtual environments. Then we define a way of inducing emotions based on an iterative level management challenge in relation to the skill level.We validated through two empirical experiments that involved 176 participants a methodology for inducing emotions based on a circumplex pattern. This scheme built around the valence and arousal level of emotion, able to induce emotions in the five essential items component of the design of virtual environments for virtual reality and video games: color, brightness, movement speed, size of the space, and the volume of social interactions.Keywords: virtual reality, video games, emotions, presence, flow area.

Media use may have the potential to influence romantic relationships, depending on the context of media use. For example, pathological media use, which includes symptoms of addiction such as relapse, withdrawal, and conflict with family and friends over media use, may be particularly damaging to romantic relationships. Additionally, research shows that pathological video game use can negatively influence factors of mental health, including depression. The current study includes 183 heterosexual couples from the Eastern United States. Both members of each couple completed online surveys answering questions regarding pathological media use, depression, and relationship satisfaction. Results showed that male pathological video game use was not associated with female romantic relationship satisfaction. Additionally, male pathological video game use was associated with increased levels of male depression, and male depression was associated with increased levels of female relationship satisfaction. However, male depression did not mediate the relation between male pathological video game use and female relationship satisfaction. Discussion focuses on the implications of pathological video game use on mental health, as well as problems within the sample, measurement, and short-term longitudinal study design.

This thesis explores the creation of music for a video game level utilizing industry tools for music compositions as well as level design. Music as an element of game design and its resulting impact is also examined.

The overall question this dissertation asks is: what does it mean to teach posthumans? To answer this question, this dissertation turns toward scholarship on the body in order to understand the virtual and material presence that students develop, it looks to online video gaming communities as alternative classrooms providing effective models of learning, and it investigates the circulation of service learning pedagogies within academic institutions as a marker of the persistence of humanistic values within the framework of a posthuman work environment. The American university in general, and the humanities specifically, is struggling to make sense of its place in a culture shaped by fast capitalism, oppositional politics, boutique multiculturalism, social hierarchies, free markets, technological revolution, international conflict, and a host of other phenomena that challenge the university as a site of traditional humanistic inquiry. At the same time, these forces highlight the university's more modern roles in the knowledge economy as a credentialing service, gatekeeper, and commercial incubator. Such conditions represent yet another crisis of humanism. The contemporary posthuman world to which universities are beholden is characterized by transgressed boundaries, flexible identities, radical transparency, ubiquitous technology, networked subjectivity, and a loss of confidence in the universal narratives and notions of essential humanity that provided impetus to Western thinking for millennia. Colleges are struggling, whether they know it or not, to exist in, and prepare students for, this posthuman world. Perhaps the greatest promise of a responsible posthuman education is the potential to produce citizens who are critically technologically literate and able to rethink their relation to political systems, to the environment, to economies, to technologies, to work, and to leisure, without totally abandoning the humanistic values attendant to a liberal education. Part of this education must include enabling students to see social systems as technologies which can be adopted in order to produce different modes of being. Only then can the productive tension between humanism and posthumanism become a part of higher education.

Ces dernières années, le marché du jeu vidéo s’est grandement développé. Il touche des populations larges tant en terme d’âge, qu’en terme de nationalité. Ainsi, ce secteur constitue un poids non négligeable dans l’économie, puisque le chiffre d'affaires mondial issu de la vente de jeux vidéo devrait dépasser les 38 milliards d’euros en 2010. En France, bien que ce secteur génère un chiffre d’affaires de 4 milliards d’euros, avec de grands noms tels que GAMELOFT, ATARI, UNIVERSAL ou UBISOFT, il n’est pas offert aux intervenants du secteur de régime juridique clair ou univoque pour la création etl’exploitation de ce type d’oeuvre. Cette absence est à l’origine d’une perte de compétitivité de la France dans un marchémondialisé, où certains pays comme les Etat Unis offrent une sécurité propice à son développement. Elle entraine la fuite de projet à l’étranger et freine l’investissement. L’analyse amène donc à la proposition d’un régime propre appliqué aux jeux vidéo en matière de droit d’auteur. Certains jeux vidéo rassemblent au sein d’univers virtuels des dizaines de milliersd’utilisateurs, qui interagissent alors qu’ils se situent matériellement dans divers pays. Cette ouverture de l’espace de jeu, au départ individuel, à une communauté de joueurs, a profondément modifié la nature de ces jeux. A ce titre, ils soulèvent des questions relatives à leur régulation. Face au constat d’une autorégulation des univers virtuels, considérée comme despotique à l’aune des rapports déséquilibrés institués par les éditeurs et défaillante dans les rapports entre utilisateurs, il est envisagé de créer un cadre juridique spécifique aux univers virtuels. / Over the last few years, the video game market has grown exponentially. It targets large publics in terms of either age or nationality. Thus, this sector represents a significant part of the economy, because its global sales return should exceed 38 billion Euros by 2010. In France, although this sector generates a 4 billion Euros yearly sales return, with big companies like Gameloft, Atari, Universal or Ubisoft, there is no clear and unequivocal judicial framework for the creation and exploitation of such works. This lack of a clearly established judicial framework causes France to lose competitivenessin a globalized market where some countries like the United States can provide the safeties favorable to its growth. It causes a drain of projects to other countries and hampers investment. According to this analysis, we ought to suggest a new copyright judicial framework for the video game industry. Some video games gather tens of thousands of users in virtual environments where they can interact, in spite of materially being in different countries. This opening of an initiallyindividual playing space to a community of players has radically changed the nature of these games. In that capacity, they raise questions about their regulation. Given the tyrannical self regulation of virtual environments with respect to the unequalrelations between publishers as well as the failure to harmonize relations between users, we need to create a judicial framework pertaining to virtual environments.

<p>In this essay results are developed on two different levels. First, it is shown in demonstration that a phenomenological analysis on the lines of Roman’s Ingarden’s study of works in literature can be applied to Virtual Reality works, such as professional-simulators and video-games. In particular it can then be pointed out that: i) sound is separable from the scene, but using sound VR becomes enriched; ii) the main role in literature is left for the imagination, while in VR we find richness in concretization.</p><p>Second, it is argued in discussion that works in VR can be qualified as works of art. These electronic works may have all the aesthetical qualities (based on the phenomenology of Roman Ingarden) of the works of art in the traditional sense. So, that paper has two objectives: an analysis of VR and the search for the status of VR in art.</p>

The field of education is constantly evolving, and digital technology in the classroom is commonplace and includes the utilization of films, internet, computer aided instruction, educational video games, presentation software, edutainment, digital photography, cinematography, and computer aided drafting. As technology has advanced, so have the opportunities for its use in the classroom. This is particularly the case with serious games.<p> Serious games are generally defined as games whose primary intent is training or learning with definable learning goals, instead of being primarily intended for entertainment (Hartz & Stern, 2008). Closely related to educational video games and often used synonymously, serious games commonly incorporate simulations and role play. The design and focus of serious games are being recognized by a widening array of audiences including educators of primary and secondary education.<p> Much of the past research on serious games has focused largely on supporting the use of digital games in education. Little research has been done not only on why and how the games are effective, but also on how to incorporate the games into the curriculum (Becker, 2007). As the availability of serious games increases, it is important to build studies around specific games, exposing their potential and usability for specific curricular areas.<p> This case study utilizes the serious game <i>Building Homes of Our Own</i>, which has been created to educate students on the processes of planning, building, and selling a house. The study involved 18 Grade eleven students who were enrolled in Practical and Applied Arts (P.A.A.) and were engaged in the construction portion of their course. Three methods of data collection were used to explore four basic research questions: 1) How well does the game teach curriculum objectives? 2) How well does the game facilitate higher-order thinking? 3) What kind of environment is created by serious gaming in teaching construction? and, 4) What do students think about using serious games in the classroom? Research methods included the administration and evaluation of pre- and post-tests, administration and evaluation of critical thinking questions, direct observation of the serious gaming learning environment, and the utilization of a focus group interview.<p> Findings in the study provide important information that serves to answer the main question addressed by this study, namely, what is the potential of serious games for teaching high-school construction technologies? The findings report how effectively the serious game <i>Building Homes of Our Own </i>supports Saskatchewans construction curriculum objectives. Findings also include relevant information on a variety of critical-thinking skills learned as a result of playing this particular serious game. The researcher and his assistant made significant observations of the learning environment created by this serious game, and, finally, the students provided important information regarding the strengths and weaknesses of using <i>Building Homes of Our Own</i> and serious games in general, for learning in the context of P.A.A.

The purpose of this study was to assess the performance, ratings of perceived exertion, metabolic responses, and energy expenditure as individuals participated in interactive video game play. There were 14 participants that participated in the study, whose age was 20.1 ± 1.64 years of age. Participants completed a maximal aerobic test to exhaustion (VO2max test), and then 30 minute testing session on both the Kinect Adventures (K) and Wii Fit Plus game. Data were analyzed using a dependent t-test and one-way ANOVA. Significance was accepted at P ≤ 0.05. Energy expenditure and RPE were significant in both exergames interactive game play P=0.044 and P < 0.05, respectively. In addition, heart rate (P=0.001) and performance during exergame play P=0.00015 were of significance in the Xbox Kinect and Wii Fit Plus. In conclusion, we found that individuals participating on the exergame Xbox Kinect expends more calories and work at a higher intensity than the Wii Fit Plus, thus justifying an alternative way to participate in physical activity via exergames. As an alternative way to exercise, individuals can meet the daily requirements of energy expenditure of moderate intensity, which is 150-400 kcals.

This thesis explores the three campaigns Greenpeace has made towards the video game console producing companies, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Using a qualitative approach I investigate how communication from an environmental organization may affect companies and what challenges Greenpeace face when they develop campaigns in relation to companies. Even though the industry is quickly expanding, almost no one had ever discussed video game consoles in relation to the environment. The situation changed when Greenpeace included Microsoft and Nintendo in their 6th edition of the “Guide to Greener Electronics”. In this guide companies in the consumer electronic industry were ranked based on their environmental communication and Microsoft and Nintendo received a very low score. Greenpeace was critiqued for the way their guide was carried out. The “Clash of the Consoles” campaign was an internet video summarizing the critics towards the game console producing companies from “Guide to Greener Electronics”. The campaign “Playing Dirty” investigated chemicals in the consoles and concluded that the companies followed legislation on regulated chemicals, but on unregulated chemicals high levels was fond in some cases. Greenpeace is usually known for using a direct approach with striking images in their campaigns. But in these cases no striking images have been used which makes it harder for them to gain sympathy for their campaigns. The concept of CSR which is socially constructed has great importance for environmental communication. However CSR has a large number of different interpretations. As shown in the thesis Greenpeace and the three companies focus on different aspects of CSR.