How can we as architects interact with external practices, such as video games? Are there relevant aspects to be found, and what are the ways in which they could be approached? This project grounds itself in three different personal interests; architecture, digital design tools and video games, or more specifically: ”What kind of architectural expressions and spaces could be created if we design in the borderland between the real and the virtual game?” This is an experimental project that approaches a few aspects of video game design, as well as potential qualities of virtual worlds. It concerns itself with image based digital massing, level design as basis for program or composition on site, as well as being on the border between the real and the virtual. The result of the investigations is a playful collection of objects, arranged according to a loose, narrative sequence idea. The scene is geographically tied to a real location, but floats in a no-man’s-land between reality and game. In its current state, it is not a proposal for the actual, real world site, and at the same time it is not quite a game either. There is an ambivalence to the scene being at the pivot point of these two definitions. The objects have a structural and aesthetic nature that touches on low-polygon shapes as expression, using images for generating a grid-surface based outcome and exploring a transitioning between reality and virtuality through architectural representation.

This paper presents a comprehensive research study that investigates the perspectives of video game preservation from three distinct target groups consisting of game developers, game museums, and video game enthusiasts. Each target group expressed their thoughts and opinions regarding game preservation efforts and the use of emulation as a preservation method. Through a mixed-method approach, including questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, the study collected both quantitative and qualitative data from 148 respondents. By examining the responses, different challenges, obstacles, and possible improvements were identified for each target group. The findings of this study revealed several common themes among the participants. The importance of collaboration and communication between all three target groups can help improve current video game preservation efforts.

The introduction of a game mechanic is an aspect of a game that - when done right - goes almost unnoticed by the player. When it is done incorrectly however, it can become a large point of frustration in the player. The goal of this study is to discover how to introduce a game mechanic that guides the player through the game's musical score. The research question asked was: "Based on player experiences, how should a non-diegetic musical guidance mechanic be introduced in a video game?" This study uses design science as a foundation and uses a survey to gain a broad overview of the general preferences given by participants. Two versions of a prototype were developed which was played by 11 participants who were then asked about their experience. In both versions, the player was tasked with finding the magic flutes scattered across a city by listening to the music. The flute was stereo panned to the left or right speaker, corresponding the direction of the flute in the game world. The versions contained two different methods of introduction and the participant was asked in a semi-structured interview afterwards whether they enjoyed the method they received. One version contained a detailed introduction that described how the guidance mechanic worked, the other version did not. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis to extract common themes in the answers given. The results were varied, but the majority said that they preferred to learn by themselves, without a detail introduction. This method let the player think for themselves and led to a greater sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when figuring out what to do. For a game such as this where the objective is to somehow find something, they believed that it is better to not give the answer away too freely. Not many ethical concerns where found for this study, though the one that was found is important to acknowledge. Players with aural impairments cannot play this game the way it is intended, by listening to the musical score, since they have difficulties with sound. This is a flaw that should be studied and solved or mitigated in future studies.

Работа посвящена определению значимых характеристик видеоигровой локализации, выявлению переводческих трудностей при осуществлении данной деятельности и выработке практических знаний по локализации видеоигр. Материал исследования составили 9 названий видеоигр, 120 текстовых фрагментов интерфейса, 83 названия внутриигровых достижений, 79 имен собственных, 65 реплик и 17 диалогов персонажей. В первой части работы анализируется и систематизируется теоретический материал по вопросам видеоигр, локализации, видов видеоигровой локализации, теории переводческих решений, классификаций переводческих трансформаций. В работе также рассматриваются основные стратегии локализации видеоигр: доместикация (культурная адаптация оригинального текста) и форенизация (культурное и языковое своеобразие текста максимально сохраняются). Во второй части представлен сопоставительный анализ текстов оригинальной и локализованной версий 9 видеоигр. Особое внимание уделялось анализу названий видеоигр, интерфейса, внутриигровых достижений, имен собственных, юмора и обсценной лексики. При анализе выделялись переводческие трансформации, применяемые при локализации игр на русский язык. По результатам сопоставления английских и русских вариантов реплик и диалогов игр были выявлены некоторые трудности, с которыми может встретиться переводчик при локализации игр: отсутствие контекста или перевод юмора. Результаты исследования могут быть использованы в практике локализации видеоигр в качестве методического инструментария. / The work is devoted to determining the significant characteristics of video game localization, identifying translation difficulties in the implementation of this activity and developing practical knowledge on the localization of video games. The research material consisted of 9 video game titles, 120 text fragments of the interface, 83 names of in-game achievements, 79 proper names, 65 replicas and 17 character dialogues. In the first part of the work, theoretical material on video games, localization, types of video game localization, theory of translation solutions, classifications of translation transformations are analyzed and systematized. The paper also discusses the main strategies of localization of video games: domestication (cultural adaptation of the original text) and forenization (cultural and linguistic originality of the text are preserved as much as possible). The second part presents a comparative analysis of the texts of the original and localized versions of 9 video games. Special attention was paid to the analysis of video game titles, interface, in-game achievements, proper names, humor and obscene vocabulary. The analysis highlighted the translation transformations used in the localization of games into Russian. According to the results of comparing the English and Russian versions of the replicas and dialogues of the games, some difficulties that a translator may encounter when localizing games were identified: the lack of context or the translation of humor. The results of the study can be used in the practice of localization of video games as methodological tools.

There are several studies on the video game industry in Iran, and most of them are primarily focused on state-funded organizations which produce politically motivated games to push the geopolitical and domestic goals of the government. However, there is a lot more to the Iranian video game industry, one of which is the dichotomic nature of the private enterprises and their contrast with the mentioned state-funded products. To contextualize, we require the expression of concrete historical and cultural elements while exploring this dichotomic nature alongside many other paradoxical factors that shape the modern video game industry in Iran. The purpose of this paper is to, for the first time, shed light on the history and the current state of the video game industry in the Islamic Republic of Iran. I’ve used an ethnographic approach in my paper by doing numerous interviews to get a clear picture of cultural narratives and cultural responses that correspond and result in creating art. This digital ethnography could be of help to many to seek knowledge on the mentioned topics.

Japanese games have received extensive attention in academic and non-academic research. However, there has been a noticeable lack of study on Japanese adult games, despite their significant presence within the industry. Given the growing popularity of adult games in the Western market in recent years and the increasing incorporation of gender and sex studies in gaming research, it is crucial to investigate this overlooked aspect of gaming.This thesis aims to conduct a comparative study of Japanese adult games, recognizing their unique significance and contrasting presence with the Western gaming landscape, where adult games have not gained the same level of prominence as in Japan. The research will explore the underlying reasons for this disparity and employ an ethnographic approach, incorporating interviews and surveys, to uncover the cultural, economic, and societal factors that have contributed to the existence of this anomaly.

Users sharing their experiences on social media and streaming sites becomes increasingly important for marketing games. Virtual reality has the added challenge that the head movement is sometimes too erratic to capture and present on a flat screen. This paper solves this issue by automatically generating highlight cinematics for virtual reality action games using new camera angles to create easily shareable media focusing on non-players. The problem is solved by first identifying the interest over time, then split it into sequences of coherent action. The most interesting sequences are selected for the highlight reel where each sequence is split into clips tied to a specific camera angle. The highlight cinematics was evaluated using a survey. The results suggest that dynamic cameras are more engaging and interesting than static cameras. The selection of camera angles gave more significant results than the length of the highlight or the intensity of the action, pointing towards the presentation of the highlight cinematic being more important than the actual highlighted material for non-players. / Det blir alltmer viktigt att spelare delar med sig av sina upplevelser på sociala medier som en form av marknadsföring för spel. Denna delning blir svårare från virtuell verklighet till vanliga skärmar då de snabba huvudrörelserna gör det svårt att följa vad som händer. Detta problem kan lösas genom att automatiskt identifiera höjdpunkter i spel och filma in dem med nya kameravinklar för att generera en video som är enkelt delbar. Höjdpunkterna identifieras genom att först analysera intresset över tid i matchen. Därefter delas det upp i olika sekvenser där de mest intressanta sekvenserna gör upp videon. Sekvenserna delas upp i olika klipp där varje klipp är kopplat till en kameravinkel. Programmet utvärderades med en enkät där målgruppen var de som inte spelat spelet tidigare. Resultatet tyder på att dynamiska kameravinklar ses som mer engagerande och intressanta än statiska kameravinklar. Valet av kameravinklar gav mer betydande resultat än längden på videorna och intensiteten i handlingen, vilket tyder på att framläggandet av videorna är viktigare än det underliggande materialet för de som inte spelat spelet tidigare.

Music is commonly applied in art and entertainment to enhance the emotional experience. In video-games and other non-linear mediums this task must be achieved dynamically at run-time, as the timeline of events is unknown in advance. Different techniques have been developed to solve this issue, but most commercial applications still rely on pre-rendered audio. In this study, I investigate using a Computer System for Expressive Music Performance (CSEMP) to dynamically shape a computer performance of a pre-composed track to a small platforming game. A prototype environment utilising the KTH Rule System was built and evaluated through semistructured interviews and observations with 7 participants. The results suggest that changes in the musical performance can successfully reflect smaller changes in the experience such as character movement, and are less effective for sound effects or more dramatic changes, such as when the player is engaging in combat or when the player loses. All participants preferred the interactive soundtrack over a non-interactive version of the same soundtrack. / Musik används ofta som ett komplement i konst och underhållning för att förstärka den känslomässiga upplevelse. I datorspel och andra icke-linjära medier måste musiken ta på sig denna rollen dynamiskt, eftersom det inte går att veta hur händelserna kommer utfalla sig i förväg. För att lösa detta problem har det utvecklats olika tekniker, men dom flesta är fortfarande baserade på digitala inspelningar. I denna studie utforskar jag användningen av ett "Computer Systen for Expressive Musig Performance" (CSEMP) för att dynamiskt forma datorns framträdande av en lineär komposition till ett enkelt plattformsspel. En prototyp baserat på systemet "KTH Rule System" utvecklades och utvärderades genom semistrukturerade intervjuer och observationer med 7 deltagare. Resultaten visar att förändringar i uppspelningen lyckades spegla mindre förändringar i spelet, såsom hur en spelkaraktär rör sig, och var mindre effekt som ljudeffekter och för större förändringar, såsom när spelaren är i fara eller spelet är över. Alla deltagare föredrog det interaktiva ljudspåret över en icke-interaktiv version i det samma ljudspåret.

The use of online courses continues to increase despite the small amount of research that exists on the effectiveness of online educational environments. The little research that has been conducted has focused on evaluating factors taken into consideration during the adoption of online learning environments. One notable benefit often cited is the ability to incorporate multimedia such as video games. Although game researchers and developers are pushing for the use of video games for educational purposes, there is a lack of research on the effectiveness of serious video games. When paring the increasing use of online educational environments, the push to use serious video games, and the lack of research on the effectiveness of online learning environments and video games, there is a clear need for further investigation into the use of serious video games in an online format. Based on current literature, no other known study has conducted an analysis comparing a serious game-based and non-game based online course; making this a unique study. The purpose of this study was to compare student learning experiences and outcomes between a serious game-based and non-game based online American History course. The data sources were data provided from Florida Virtual School (FLVS) and student and teacher interviews. Random samples of 92 students were statistically analyzed. A group of 8 students and 4 teachers were interviewed. FLVS data provided were analyzed using an independent t-test and the Mann-Whitney test and the student and teacher interview were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results of an independent t-test revealed that there was a significant (p > .01) difference in the mean number of days necessary to complete the course (MGB = 145.80, SDGB = 50.64, MNGB = 112.63, SDNGB = 49.60). The Mann-Whitney results indicated a significant difference between course performance and the type of American history course (Z = -5.066, p > .01); students in the serious game-based online course had an A average whereas students in the non-game-based online course had a B average. The thematic analysis of the relationship between student performance and motivation in both courses indicated that students and teachers of the game-based online course provided more reasons for student motivation than the students and teachers in the non-game-based online course. The thematic analysis of what aspects do students perceive as helpful and/or hindering to their learning indicated that students and teachers of the game-based online course provided more desirable, more helpful, less undesirable, and less hindering aspects for their course than the students and teachers in the non-game-based online course. As a result of the unique nature of this study, the findings provide new information for the fields of research on online learning, serious video gaming, and instructional design as well as inform instructional-designers, teachers, education stakeholders, serious video game designers, and education researchers.

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