Research shows an increased interest in the use of both educational- and commercial games in the classroom. This increased interest in digital games and the potential of game-based learning may not come as a surprise due to the constant digitization in schools. The purpose of this literature study is to analyze scientific literature that covers the use of digital games for teaching purposes and from this identify opportunities and challenges with using digital games in history teaching, as well as to see how teachers integrate digital games in the classroom. For this purpose, data has been gathered and analyzed through systematic search on two different databases: Primo and ERIC (Education Resource Information Center). The study found that the use of digital games in history teaching may enable the development of student’s social skills, an increased understanding of concepts and theories, increased focus and commitment, an increased critical approach to history teaching and an increased interest in the subject. Several potential challenges with the use of digital games in history teaching were also found. The most distinctive challenges were structural limitations, teacher competence, society’s view of digital games, as well as a concern that students have difficulty applying what they learned outside the framework of the game. Furthermore, the study shows the importance of the digital game being integrated into the regular teaching, and not being used as the main knowledge facilitator in the classroom. It is also shown that it is not just one role that teachers need to take on when it comes to using digital games in their classrooms, but a wide range of roles to successfully integrate digital games into their teaching practice. Lastly, the study provides some guidance for teachers who are interested in working with digital games in their teaching practice but who do not know which games to use. It also discusses an alternative way forward for the field, by using streaming platforms as a means to experience game-based learning for students.

Fans of Warhammer games are really dedicated, loud, and loyal. But what is it about all these digital games that are made by all kinds of different developers, that make them rate so highly again and again? The characteristics of these games most likely have something in common and by interviewing said fans about how they feel about the games might be a key to making successful games. Lore, fluff, and over-the-top characters is, according to the results, some of the things that truly tie Warhammer games together.

The main purpose of the survey was to map older generations’ use of computer games, hereafter called gaming, and to highlight positive effects gaming has on the aging person. The goal of the survey is to contribute with deeper understanding and broadened awareness of which possibilities gaming offer to improve the wellbeing of the ageing human being. The collected empirical information was based on these questions: What does gaming look like amongst societies’ persons of the third age? Which factors contribute to encourage the ageing person to play? Can gaming be an important preventive factor for the ageing persons of the future? The gathering of data was carried out, using two different methods. A questionnaire based survey and thematically opens interviews. The selection of participants in the questionnaire based survey consisted of 32 persons. Two interviews were carried out. One with two persons and one with one person. All participants were of the third age, meaning that they are healthy and can manage daily life themselves. The result of the questionnaire based survey indicates thatmost persons of the third age, in spite of being in possession of digital instruments, well suited for gaming, very few of them actually play, and have no interest in it. The results of the interviews indicate that the lack of interest by older adults can partially be caused by the mass medias’ exposure of negative effects gaming can have on people, and partially by a lack of exposure of positive effects it can have to achieve improved wellbeing. Furthermore, the results of the interviews indicate that what could increase older persons interest in gaming, is research confirming the positive effects it can have on older persons, and that games that are both interesting and satisfying are available.

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.

We have not been able to find a lot of research that defines and categorises different kinds of inventory systems. This thesis expands on what makes an inventory system what it is and how different active inventory systems differ from each other. There’s a lack of non-generic language both in research and everyday discussions between friends that we aim to alleviate. We adapt and make use of an existing pattern creation method as well as an immersive-participatory method to play and analyse nine games that all make use of inventory systems in very different ways. Through this method we created three game design patterns that describe the differences in limitation and presentation within active inventory systems; allocated inventories, numerical inventories and spatial inventories.

Representation of gender, culture and at-risk populations has long been a thorny issue across all narrative and creative media: research shows that it affects viewers, altering the way they perceive these concepts, their characteristics and traits, and their roles in different scenarios, but it can also be a powerful instrument to illustrate dynamics and connotations in certain cultures and sub-cultures. The movie industry utilizes the Bechdel test to measure representation, i.e., a set of pass/fail criteria related to the scenario of the movie, while recently one of the largest game producers, Activision/Blizzard, launched a digital version for game designers, which was met with negative responses from those working in the field. In this thesis, we discuss how game designers, developers, producers, and streamers in Greece perceive the concepts of representation and inclusion, whether they have noticed major issues in their work and the steps they take (if any) to make their game suitable for a wider audience. Following this, we analyse a number of commercial games from different genres as an opportunity to unveil biases and connotations, resulting to a guide for game designers aiming to improve representation and inclusion.

Co-play of digital games between parents and their children is a beneficial but underutilized media mediation strategy. Previous research on this topic has resulted in various design recommendations meant to support and encourage co-play. However, many of these design recommendations have not been applied and validated by subsequent research endeavors which created co-play focused games. This project endeavors to address this research gap by following prevalent design recommendations in an attempt to improve the co-play experience of an existing Roblox digital game, Funomena’s Magic Beanstalk. This was accomplished by employing a subset of applicable design recommendations to redesign two of Magic Beanstalk’s mini-games. The redesigned mini-games were evaluated by parent-child dyads in a qualitative evaluation, comparing the co-play experience of the original and redesigned games. The evaluation found that the new mini-games engendered an overall better co-play experience in comparison to the original mini-games. / Co-play i digitala spel mellan förälder och barn är en fördelaktig men underutnyttjad ”media mediation strategy”. Tidigare forskning i ämnet har utmynnat i designrekommendationer avsedda att främja och uppmuntra till co-play. Efterföljande forskning som skapat co-play-fokuserade spel har dock inte tillämpat och validerat många av dessa designrekommendationer. Detta forskningsprojekt strävar efter att åtgärda detta forskningsgap genom att tillämpa rådande designrekommendationer och på så sätt försöka förbättra co-play-upplevelsen av ett befintligt Roblox-spel, Funomenas Magic Beanstalk. Detta åstadkoms genom att använda en undergrupp av tillämpliga designrekommendationer för att designa om två av Magic Beanstalks minispel. De omdesignade minispelen utvärderades av förälder-barn-dyader i en kvalitativ utvärdering, där dyaderna jämförde upplevelsen av de ursprungliga spelen med de som designats om. Utvärderingen visade att de nya minispelen, i jämförelse med de ursprungliga minispelen, gav en övergripande bättre co-play upplevelse.

Design guidelines are an essential part of human computer interac- tion, for they provide an outlines of the requirements and needs of a user on how best to interact with technology devices. Our research project focuses on understanding how the elderly interact with cur- rent technologies (mobile devices and digital games) and how they can benefit from mobile digital games. The goal is to come up with interface design guidelines to be used by developers when designing mobile games for the elderly. The identification of the guidelines is carried out through a literature survey that includes a literature search based on outlined keywords, and a literature review of the selected research. The evaluation process of the guidelines involves user testing of a prototype based on some of the identified guidelines. Even with minor setbacks, the evaluation process indicates that the guidelines are beneficial for the development of mobile games for the elderly.

Education plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of any nation. Researchers, pedagogists, and teachers all over the world are constantly working towards improving the process of teaching at all levels of education in order to help impart knowledge in a more effective way. One of the most fundamental branches of education is mathematics. Unless a strong foundation is laid in childhood, it becomes difficult for adults to apply mathematics to their daily lives. Mathematics is such a field that it is integrated in most of our activities. Fractions, a mathematics topic, pose significant challenges for middle school students Although the students generally understand proper fractions (i.e., the numerator is smaller than the denominator), they find it very difficult to learn improper fractions (i.e., the numerator is greater than the denominator). One cannot do away with parts of mathematics curriculum, just because the concept is hard to grasp. The solution is to come up with alternative methods to teach these concepts, such that they are easier to understand and more fun to learn. This thesis describes a digital game-based solution for teaching fractions to middle school students using iOS mobile devices, i.e., iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. We developed a universal iOS game, called Candy Factory, which runs on all iOS mobile devices. The game assigns the student the role of the owner of a Candy Factory and tasks the student to manufacture a candy bar to match the kind and size of a customer order from a whole candy bar that is retrieved from the warehouse. The game is created to teach fractions based on the concept of partitioning and iterating. The student performs various activities such as partitioning, iterating, and measuring to produce the candy bar to satisfy the customer requirements. The game consists of three levels, which help the student progress smoothly from easier problems to more difficult ones. The Candy Factory game, not only helps students learn the fundamentals of fractions, but also makes the learning process enjoyable. / Master of Science

This dissertation is an exploration of the practice of social digital gaming, using a mixed methods approach with complementary data and analytical methods. The main themes are the prevalence and meaning of gamers’ experiences of social gaming and the underlying structures limiting or assisting social gaming, both material and social. Applying an everyday perspective, focus is on gamers’ day-to-day practices and experiences. Studies I and II enquire into relational aspects of social gaming based on interviews and survey data. Study III investigates the relationship between game design and gamer agency and its importance for social interaction with strangers, using in-game participant observation. Lastly in Study IV, building on interviews, female gamers come to the fore as their gender construction in an online game is examined with the aim of understanding the connection between online and offline. The main result concerns how social gaming takes place in various social relations. How gaming comes to be―what it means―is dependent on the relations between gamers, be they family members, real life friends, Internet friends or strangers. In these interactions, gender and sexual identity are realized; in the relations between gamers, physical proximate or online. Finally, virtuality is shown to be a social accomplishment of the people engaging in games rather than a property of the games themselves. Focus on the relational unveils how gaming comes to be in the process of interaction, a process at the same time dependent on underlying structures, i.e. games as designed platforms with certain affordances for social behaviour. We are able, thus, to reconcile the social constructivist position that (social) gaming is created in the relations between gamers engaging in games with the more formalist approach that games are rule based structures. Games create a foundation for interaction that can further develop into the creation/maintenance of relationships and identity. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Manuscript. Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript.</p>