This thesis presents the Knowledge Management Information Tool (KM-IT) Vendor Management Web Service and its reliability features. KM-IT is a web-based knowledge management information tool for the deactivation and decommissioning (D&D) user community. The Vendor Management (VM) module provides a directory service for searching D&D vendors. Clients have an increasing need to integrate and display the vendor information in their own applications. As such, this study proposes Web Services technology to provide VM access to clients. Moreover, when clients access information, particularly via mobile applications, they can encounter different failures that may occur on the network or the server. Such problems require fault tolerance in the VM Service. This study examines various reliability standards and selects the WS-ReliableMessaging standard as the best-suited approach to implement the reliability features for the VM Service. Implementation evaluation confirms that the KM-IT VM Service can effectively tolerate different types of failures.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is an essential area of development for adolescents. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) presents a well-researched, broad, conceptual framework for systemic social and emotional learning (CASEL, 2020), which has been used to guide the development and implementation of the proposed pilot. It identifies five competencies of SEL: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships skills, and responsible decision-making. The CASEL framework also emphasizes the importance of coordinating SEL across key settings and contexts—classroom, schools, families, and communities. Lack of SEL can have suboptimal effects during adolescence and later in life, consequently, impacting occupational engagement. A literature review on SEL found that appropriate SEL programming results in positive outcomes, such as improved school-related attitudes and behaviors, increased academic performance, decreased negative behaviors, and less reports of emotional distress (Durlak et al., 2010, 2011). Additionally, various school-related professions address SEL, however, there is limited evidence of occupational therapy practitioners’ involvement in the literature. Thus, adolescents’ occupational needs relating to SEL may not be being addressed. Play’s significance in developing adolescents’ skills is rooted in SEL. Play “develop[s] physical coordination, emotional maturity, social skills to interact with other children, and self-confidence to try new experiences and explore new environments” (AOTA, 2012, p.1). Dungeons & Dragons® (D&D) is a popular table-top role-playing game, which draws interest from many adolescents and adults. A second literature review found that play interventions for adolescents, and research using D&D appears to be limited. Role for SEL is a play-based intervention group using D&D (5th ed.) developed to promote SEL. In the pilot program, three to five middle-school students will participate in 90-minute after-school sessions, for 10 weeks. Participants will learn how to play D&D, receive explicit instruction on two SEL competencies (self-management and relationship skills) and engage in D&D scenarios and campaigns designed to support development in the relevant SEL areas. The author’s proposed pilot program has the potential to improve adolescents’ SEL and occupational engagement. This doctoral project discusses the case for the proposed pilot program, and presents a detailed overview of Role for SEL.

No description available.

Dragonlord Campaign Setting, which is a book of 250 pages, is an accessory to the role playing game Dungeons and Dragons, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. It describes the game world Saviat that largely is like an ordinary fantasy world, with its fantastic elves and dwarfs, its magic, and supernatural monsters and events. What sets this world apart from all the other worlds that players can place their game in, is the complex and unique caste system in society, as well as the fact the it is real dragons that rule as feudal kings and nobles over the lands on the continent. In the book, the different nations’ geography, culture, history, and society are described, and also places and people that can be interesting for a player or Dungeon Master to know about. It also contains tips and tools that can be used by gamers playing in the world, so that their play in the world of Saviat becomes more interesting and connected to the world. The book directs itself mostly towards people who play D&D, and then mainly to the Dungeon Master. The book is available to be ordered from the Internet, and it is printed with a case-wrap hard cover. / Dragonlord Campaign Setting, som är en bok på 250 sidor, är en tilläggsbok till rollspelssystemet Dungeons and Dragons, publicerat av Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Den beskriver spelvärlden Saviat som i mångt och mycket är en vanlig fantasyvärld, med sina fantastiska alver och dvärgar, sin magi och övernaturliga händelser och varelser. Vad som skiljer denna värld från alla de andra fantasyvärldar som rollspelare kan spela i, är det komplexa och unika kastsystemet i samhället, och det faktum att det är verkliga drakar som styr som feodala kungar och adelsmän över kontinentens länder. I boken beskrivs de olika ländernas geografi, kultur, historia och samhälle, och även platser och personligheter som kan vara intressant för en som spelar rollspel att känna till. Den innehåller även tips och verktyg som kan användas av en grupp som spelar i världen för att deras spel skall bli mer intressant och kopplat till världen. Boken riktar sig främst till spelargrupper som spelar D&D, och då främst till spelledaren. Boken finns tillgänglig att köpa av alla på Internet, i form av en tryckt bok med hårdpärm. / Detta är en reflektionsdel till en digital medieproduktion.

This thesis examines the RPG game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) and its players in the Czech Republic. Although, D&D is primarily a game that uses physical components such as paper character sheets or dice, technology has also found its way to it, which is no surprise because current world is full of new technologies. The aim of this work is to examine the motivation of players to play, what role mediation plays, what technologies are used in playing and what are the main differences players perceive in the case of face-to-face session and in the case of online session. Many different technologies are used in both cases. Research questions dealing with these topics are answered through semi-structured interviews with a total of eight players and two participant observations of a player group's session. The most important reasons to play are the social and creative aspects of the game - players play with others, with whom they often form long-term friendships, and enjoy creating and using their imagination to create unique characters, narratives and worlds. D&D is also a source of inspiration for them. The main differences in offline and online game are especially in sociality and opportunities for communication, which is related to the atmosphere and experience, which in the case of face-to-face game...

Rollspel är en form av sällskapsspel som går ut på att deltagarna tillsammans berättar en historia, som ofta utspelar sig i fiktiva världar och utgår från perspektivet av den enskilda spelarens skapade rollperson. En av deltagarna är spelledare och är den som skildrar spelets miljöer och karaktärer. I studien diskuteras rollspelens identitetsskapande och sociala funktion samt rollspel som kunskaps- och färdighetsfrämjande, med utgångspunkt i tanken att rollspel kan skapa ett intresse för och främja bearbetandet av existentiella frågor. En enkät utdelad till trettio rollspelare samt fem mer djupgående intervjuer av erfarna spelare visar att rollspelsdeltagare genom spelet utforskar och behandlar existentiella frågor, samt att spelare själva rapporterar om rollspelandets positiva inflytande på det individuella och sociala livet samt spelandets kunskaps-, färdighets- och intressefrämjande förmåga.

With the new and rising popularity of Baldur’s Gate 3, an exploratory qualitative research comparing it to its tabletop predecessor: Dungeons and Dragons 5E, is necessary to gather new data about player experience within these different formats.  This research explores the difference in immersion into character between Dungeons and Dragons 5E and Baldur’s Gate 3. This is done through a mixed methods approach, combining interviews and digital ethnography. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 6 interviewees from varying backgrounds who had played both games for a significant amount of time. For the digital ethnography, relevant selected posts from Reddit users in r/DnD and r/BaldursGate3 were filtered and selected using the software Communalytic.  The themes correlated to immersion into character were transformative play, social play, and creative agenda. Through these themes, it was concluded that the main difference between these two games were related to transformative potential, as well as the social aspect 2 of both games, where in-person D&D and co-op BG3 seemed to help players get immersed into their characters more easily than in online D&D and solo mode BG3.