The goal of this thesis was to take a character from concept to creation and animation. A variety of skills in 2D and 3D computer graphics were used in order to design and build the character for a 3D space. The character was taken from flat concept to 3D model, and then rigged with a skeleton in the 3D program Maya so that the character could be animated. The focus of the animation is a walk cycle.

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a commonly diagnosed mental disorder with an estimated global prevalence of 5.29% that exhibit inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive behaviors, many of which can negatively impact an individual’s social, academic, occupational and everyday-life. Studies based on the Delay Aversion Hypothesis have shown that video-games effectively contribute to the neutralization of some of the inattentive symptoms of ADHD, and that games could act as a possible treatment option for individuals with ADHD. Attempts to use video games as a treatment option has previously been tried, however to a limited extent. This study approaches the topic from the game design perspective, and discusses which game mechanics, activities and stimuli contribute to the possible neutralization of the inattentive symptoms of ADHD, in order to lay a foundation for future research within the area. The study found that the participants with ADHD acted in ways that contradicted some of the described symptoms of ADHD in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) when playing video games, which could be attributed to the amount of stimuli available in video games. Additionally, the participants’ level of motivation when playing video games seemed to be strongly correlated to the principles of andragogy, which could indicate that children with ADHD might benefit from an educational system that combines and incorporates principles from both andragogy and pedagogy.

This research focuses on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and how games focused on making the player feel empathy (empathy games) can increase the public’s general knowledge of the disorder. The disorder is currently commonly misunderstood and is not always taken seriously, something that potentially could hurt those with OCD. The stigma surrounding OCD sometimes makes people avoid getting the help they need, making them suffer in silence. The objective of the research was to define several game design principles that suggests what a developer should focus on when making an empathy game about OCD with the purpose to inform the general public. This was done by analyzing several scientific articles discussing either OCD or empathy games, and concluding the most important parts from them into game design principles. Four game design principles were found; target audience, reality, clarity, and includation. These have not been tested in a practical setting, but can possibly serve as guidelines when making an empathy game focusing on OCD.

This thesis shines a light on tools that can be used in order to create persuasive and meaningful video games. This research was designed as an exploration of the game Behind Every Great One, with the purpose to determine if and how the game could attain a persuasive and meaningful representation of a benevolent sexist situation. To achieve this, the research took on three different approaches: an interview with the developer, a textual analysis of the game, and a qualitative survey analysing players' reactions to, and perceptions of, the game. The findings suggest that displaying characters' emotions in ways that transmit them to the players, paired with a realistic, complex representation of the social situation portrayed, are imperative for making the game have a persuasive and meaningful impact on the players. The researcher also suggests the term persuasive meaningful play as an applicable way to refer to games that contain similar characteristics as Behind Every Great One.

<p>This thesis explores the problems and possibilities concerning the interaction between players physically located in different cars during temporary meetings in a gaming situation. The thesis is part of a study set out to investigate how traffic encounters can be used as a resource in a mobile, multiplayer game intended as entertainment for children travelling in the backseat of cars. The multiplayer capabilities are realised by using wireless networks in ad hoc peer- to-peer mode, GPS positioning and a digital compass. </p><p>Designing the interaction for an ad hoc, mobile multiplayer experience introduces several design challenges, such as how to adapt to the temporality of traffic encounters and how to establish a connection between the digital game and the physical context. The nature of traffic encounters inspired us to take a newapproach to the interaction. The interaction is accomplished using a device, which enables direct interaction between players physically located in different cars. A prototype game was constructed within the frames of the project, which this thesis was part of, to test the functionality of the game concept. The prototype has been tested in its real setting, i.e. inside a car. The study and the work on this thesis was initialised and supervised by Liselott Brunnberg and the work was carried out at the Mobility Studio at the Interactive Institute in Stockholm during late spring and summer 2003.</p>

<p>The goal of this bachelor thesis is to explain how computer game graphic artists at the game company Digital Illusions(Dice) has changed during the last six years. To give this question a background the essay describes how the computer game process works and it also describes the working roles for the peoples in the process. Further the thesis describes the changes for the computer game graphic artist and the reasons for this change. When it comes to Digital Illusions the thesis focus on the game Battlefield 1942. The work began with telephone interviews with game artists at the largest game company’s in Sweden, witch gave us indications of the fact that the status and the influence of the production of the game for the game artists had been ascending during the last six years. We therefore wanted to find out the reasons for this change, as well as finding one single game to study. We therefore interviewed three of the responsible computer game artists for the game Battlefield 1942. We also went to the computer game education Playground Squad in Falun for two days of interviews and observations. We concluded that the computer game graphic artists had increased during the last six years primarily caused by the fact that computer game graphics more and more had been used as means of marketing and the fact that the knowledge and the making use of editors among the artists has increased. </p>

The goal of this bachelor thesis is to explain how computer game graphic artists at the game company Digital Illusions(Dice) has changed during the last six years. To give this question a background the essay describes how the computer game process works and it also describes the working roles for the peoples in the process. Further the thesis describes the changes for the computer game graphic artist and the reasons for this change. When it comes to Digital Illusions the thesis focus on the game Battlefield 1942. The work began with telephone interviews with game artists at the largest game company’s in Sweden, witch gave us indications of the fact that the status and the influence of the production of the game for the game artists had been ascending during the last six years. We therefore wanted to find out the reasons for this change, as well as finding one single game to study. We therefore interviewed three of the responsible computer game artists for the game Battlefield 1942. We also went to the computer game education Playground Squad in Falun for two days of interviews and observations. We concluded that the computer game graphic artists had increased during the last six years primarily caused by the fact that computer game graphics more and more had been used as means of marketing and the fact that the knowledge and the making use of editors among the artists has increased.

Game balance can be considerd complex - there are many factors that play a role in the perception of balance. This thesis examines complexity, game theory and intution in an effort to disconver more about the perception of balance. The findings are that tactical and strategical choices that are presented for a player need to be interesting, not to complex and not to obvious. The importance lies in the estimation of the result that the player does when making a choice. / Spelbalansering är komplext – det finns många faktorer som påverkar det som uppfattas som balans. I mitt verk undersöks speciellt komplexitet, spelteori och intuition i jakten på att gräva fram mer ut ämnet. Denna reflexiva rapport tar upp metod och arbetsprocessen runt verket och mitt arbete på ability-systemet på Lockpick Entertainment. Om de taktiska och strategiska val som presenteras för en spelare anses som intressanta beror både på spelaren och svårigheten i valet. Är valet komplext är det svårare att avgöra korrekt, och taktiska och strategiska avvägningar måste göras. Detta är grunden i spelbalansering, att spelaren har flera vettiga, men inte uppenbara, val att välja bland.

Several major design elements that we often take for granted in early coin-op videogames-including rule automation, real-time button play, and fiction as static theme-originated decades prior as innovations within the pinball industry. These similarities occurred on account of a number of key personnel doing leading work in both industries, convergent evolution around the business model shared by both game forms, and an irreversible trend of coin-op games becoming more differentiated and having better contextualized objectives. Although echoes of these qualities exist in more modern videogames, the relatively pure combination of these traits in early coin-op games resulted in a type of game style unfamiliar, or even off-putting, to players whose gameplay experiences are limited primarily to newer games from the past two decades. Because the coin-op gameplay formula achieved high replay value with little content, and required only minimal instruction, aspects of it have been rediscovered within the modern casual games movement and indie mobile games. Patterns from the historical relationship between pinball and coin-op videogames can serve as a lens for gaining another perspective on more recent issues and trends in the game industry, from the inherent issues with motion control to the rapid industry-changing shift toward social games.

Fire emergency responders work in teams where they must communicate and coordinate to save lives and property, yet contemporary emergency response training expends few resources teaching team coordination. The present research investigates re emergency response team coordination practice to develop a zero- delity simulation game to teach team coordination skills. It begins with an ethnographic investigation of re emergency response work practice, develops the concept of nonmimetic simulation with games, iterates game designs, then evaluates game designs with non- re emergency responders and re emergency response students. The present research de nes a new type of simulation, non-mimetic simulation: an operational environment in which participants exercise skills without a re-creation of the concrete environment. In traditional simulation, the goal is to re-create the world as faithfully as possible, as this has clear value for teaching skills. Non-mimetic simulations capture abstract, human-centered aspects of a work environment from a grounding in practice. They provide an alternative, economical, focused environment in which to exercise skills. Constructed as games, they can provide intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to practice and learn. The present work iterates a series of game designs in which players transform and share information with each other while under stress, engaging in processes of team coordination found in re emergency response work practice. We demonstrate how the game successfully teaches participants how to become more e ective at coordinating and communicating through user studies with non- re emergency responders and re emergency response students. Principles for the design of team coordination education, non-mimetic simulation, and cooperative game play are developed.