Investigating the crucial elements in game tutorials that have a significant impact on users' learning experience is fundamental to understand and improve game tutorials. By examining factors that could influence the players' learning, it's possible to find valuable information to enhance the learning process in gaming tutorials. The primary goal of this study is to improve game developers' understanding of how people interact with entertaining games and gain knowledge from them. This can provide valuable information that can be used for possible improvements in future game developments. The study focuses on the two most popular video game tutorials and tries to identify underlying factors that might promote or hinder learning. The research evaluates how effective these games are in relation to existing theoretical learning frameworks. The study includes interviews and playing simulations with 15 new players and the information is used to analyze their experiences to determine when the games either hindered or contributed positive learning behaviors. The analysis involved the use of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The research concluded that none of the chosen games used a tutorial that was well-designed or optimized. Although one game performed better than the other, both tutorials were too basic and did not allow the user to utilize an effective learning method. To encourage a player to learn more, a tutorial should act as a motivator, inspiring them to discover new ideas, knowledge, given the option to repeat game instructions, utilize different learning styles and guide them into making right decisions through captivating visual illustrations. How effective and informative a game tutorial can be is limited by the tutorial resource requirements for the game. To understand the game in an effective learning way, the constructed tutorial guidance system must understand the users’ weaknesses and direct them towards the best path to learn.

This study explores the phenomenon of toxicity in the multiplayer online battle arenagame, League of Legends, from a player point of view. It also explores how time andspace is experienced through gaming related actions to better understand the contextualfactors. Along with that this study also aims at understanding how toxicity is perceived byplayers and how toxicity affects their everyday life in regards to time and space.A mixed phenomenological framework is applied to explore taken-for-grantedexperiences and most importantly, to understand how toxicity is perceived by the players.Along with this framework the concepts of time and space are used to analyse thepractices of everyday life, gaming practices and routines as well as to gain a betterunderstanding of how toxic behaviours in League of Legends affect everyday life.This study utilises in-depth semi-structured interviews with 13 participants togather data in the form of lived experience to better understand how toxicity is perceivedby regular players of the game. Results from this study indicate that players performpreparatory routine actions which helps establish a gaming space which alters how spaceand time is perceived. Within this space other actions are made to make space ‘feel right’.Other findings indicate that toxicity is perceived to be of different grades of seriousness,where the lowest grade consists of behaviours that are deemed as normalised and part ofthe game and the highest grade invokes feelings of hopelessness and frustration. Thisstudy claims that toxic behaviour in League of Legends does not affect everyday lifeactivities but instead can lead to intense frustration and destruction in the constructedgaming space. Finally, this thesis suggests that, due to the complexity of games, toxicityis studied along with corresponding contextual factors to be successfully explored.

Gaming is still commonly assumed to be a male activity, making gender differences prevalent in many areas of gaming. This research focuses on investigating how gender assumptions affect teammates’ responses in regard to strategic calls in the competitive online multiplayer game League of Legends. In order to explore this topic, A/B testing is utilized through playing highly competitive “ranked” games, alternating the gender of the in-game character played, and making strategic calls and requests to the other players on the team. Our results indicate that the strategic calls made with the female presenting character had a slightly higher follow-rate as compared to the male character. The female character also received a friend request, which was not the case for the male character. These findings are then discussed in relation to the hegemonic masculinity theory and the gender performativity theory, as well as a comparison with previous research.

This thesis aims to investigate toxic remarks in three different ranks in League of Legends, Bronze, Gold, and Diamond. The purpose is to understand how toxic communication between players would change depending on rank. A framework from Neto, Alvino and Becker (2018) was adopted to define and count toxic remarks. The method relied on participant observation to gather data; three different ranks were specified for data collection. Fifteen games were played in each of the ranks; Bronze, Gold, and Diamond. Each game was recorded, transcribed and analyzed by dividing each toxic remark registered into Neto, Alvino and Becker’s predetermined categories. The study concluded that domain language is more often used by players with a higher rank, meaning that high ranked players tend to use toxicity that requires previous game knowledge to understand. On the contrary, low ranked players tend to stick to basic complaints and insults when using toxicity to remark teammates while playing. / Syftet med detta examensarbete är att undersöka förekomsten av toxiska yttranden i tre olika ranger i League of Legends: Brons, Guld och Diamant. Målet är att försöka förstå hur toxiska yttranden spelarna emellan ändras beroende på rang. För att kunna definiera och räkna toxiska yttranden användes ett ramverk som utformats av Neto, Alvino och Becker (2018). Som metod för insamlingen av data från de tre olika rangerna användes deltagarobservationer. Femton matcher spelades i var och en av rangerna Brons, Guld och Diamant. Varje match spelades in, transkriberades och analyserades och de toxiska yttrandena delades upp i Neto och Beckers olika kategorier. Utifrån studien kan slutsatsen dras att domänspråk är oftare använt av spelare i högre ranger och att domänspråk är kopplat till slang inom spel som kräver tidigare kunskap i spelet för att förstå. I motsats till detta använder spelare i lägre ranger mer basala klagomål och förolämpningar när toxiska yttranden riktas mot andra spelare.

This thesis brings attention to communication systems in games and how their development has stagnated. The focus is directed towards visual communication and the question of “Can the Smart Ping system in League of Legends suggest visual communication as a viable solution for in-game communication in multiplayer games, according to the semiotic model of Roland Barthes? ” is presented. Roland Barthes’ two order of signification model is then used to perform an analysis of the visual communication system called Smart Ping in the game League of Legends. The findings suggests that visual systems can be a viable solution as they provide visual techniques in design, tactic use for players while being effective to execute, helps removing language barrier problems and can use cultural aspects to an advantage in design when creating the system, making it easier for players to understand the message created. In-game multiplayer communication, is a vital part of how a game succeeds or falters when providing tools for players to communicate; as it is one of the main areas that creates frustration for the players. An aspect of this importance is that as frustration builds up, the flaws of design are found and questioned, and if not answered, damages the community due to the consequences of not solving the issues within the game. Therefore it is important that designers do not neglect the issues related to the current systems, and instead work to find new solutions, because if they do not, it damages the relationship between consumers and developers. This topic is discussed as frustration for players also bring toxicity into the community of games. To finalize the thesis suggests an approach in connection to visual communication systems and emphasizes experimentation in game design as an important part of development; while as a developer staying open towards feedback helps, as it strengthens the community and can provide new solutions from unexpected sources.

League of Legends is one of the most popular video games in the world, and yet it is also infamously known as being filled with harassment and failure. Why do I continue to play? In this project, a critical autoethnography is used to illustrate what it is like to play in this male-dominated space as a woman. Using feminist and queer game studies as my theoretical framework, this project investigates three distinct, but interconnected concepts: hegemonic masculinity, weaponized failure, and subversive play. In chapter one, I use Raewyn Connell’s theory of hegemonic masculinity to analyze League of Legends. I argue that gameplay elements such as champion selection, communication, and role-play make it difficult to challenge hegemonic masculinity in League of Legends. However, I do acknowledge that it is possible to challenge through playing the role of support properly – by concentrating on teamwork and sacrifice. In chapter two, I use queer video game studies, including key texts by Bonnie Ruberg and Jesper Juul, to consider failure in League of Legends. While queer failure can be fun in single-player video games, I argue that failure in League of Legends can be used as a weapon to intentionally hurt your teammates. Finally, in chapter three I consider my own subversive playstyle. While some academics have argued that woman who play masculine video games using male-coded skills cannot challenge the patriarchy, I argue that embracing my femininity in League of Legends allows me to persevere and push against the patriarchy. I argue that my feminine visibility in the form of my gamertag, SJW Queen, my communication style that emphasizes positivity and mediation, and how I play League of Legends are all examples of subversive gameplay. I bring my femininity into League of Legends uncompromised and I embrace it, rather than try to escape from it.

The video game and esports industry has grown exponentially over the past few years.“During recent years, esports have become one of the most rapidly growing forms ofnew media driven by the growing provenance of online games and onlinebroadcasting technologies” (Hamari and Sjöblom, 2017). Sponsors have identifiedmarketing opportunities in this rapidly growing advertising medium. Brand placementin esports is gaining momentum as a means to target audiences in an indirect andengaging way. In our study we have defined embedded brand placement in the contextof video games and esports as the practice of including a brand name, signage or otherforms of trademark merchandise integrated naturally within the game and in return,visibly featured in the esport broadcast. The aim of this study was to examine howembedded brand placement performed during different spectating scenarios whichpossess different distraction levels and in-game dynamics (audio and visual). Ourstudy explores the effectiveness of embedded brand placement within esports byemploying an eye tracking methodology as well as a brand recall exercise inconnection to participant's prior involvement with the video game, League of Legendsand the respective esports scene. The practical implications from the results of thisstudy hope to assist advertisers in making a better informed decision aboutcollaborating with esport events and uncover a better perception in regards to howthey might expect their advertising messages to perform. Through our study, we havesuccessfully contributed to the foundation of research surrounding embedded brandplacements within esports through our investigation of practical factors affecting towhich extent viewers are able to consume these advertising messages. These factorsbeing prior involvement, how differing spectating scenarios, distractions and in-gamedynamics affect fixations on advertising messages and finally how the above factorscontribute to overall brand recall as well as long-term versus short-term brandrecollection.

Our research is about schadenfreude, deriving pleasure from others suffering, and its presencein the online game League of Legends. Along with its presence we measured different waysplayers can enjoy it, as well as how much the players enjoyed it. What we found was that anoverwhelming majority enjoys it in one way or another. The study was conducted through anonline survey numbering 116 people, all who play League of Legends daily. We hope that thisresearch will open up possibilities for game designers and developers to cater mechanics thatevoke schadenfreude in a positive way where toxicity does not emerge as a result.

Denna studie utforskar vad som motiverar spelare till köp av utsmyckningar i spel. Studien undersöker League of Legends (2009) freemium modell och hur de uppnått sin framgång med säljandet av alternativa utseenden till spelkaraktären. Undersökningen studerar om och hur identifikation, demand through inconvenience och loot boxes påverkar spelarens beslut att köpa en viss spelutsmyckning. Data samlades in genom fokusgrupper och en mindre enkät där deltagarna fick diskutera frågor eller påståenden om ämnet. Målet är att skapa riktlinjer och ge råd till spelutvecklare för hur de uppnår framgång med säljandet av spelutsmyckningar och hur det blir omtyckt av spelare. Studien kommer fram till att spelare motiveras att köpa spelutmyckningar om spelet är underhållande och spelutsmyckningar är av god kvalitet, om spelaren favoriserar en viss karaktär och därmed köper många om inte alla spelutsmyckningar till den karaktären och slutligen väljer spelaren olika typer av spelutsmyckningar beroende på hur tävlingsinriktade de är. Dessutom finner undersökningen att identifikation inte var en drivande faktor till varför de köpte spelutsmyckningar i League of Legends (2009), men att det kan öka favorisering av en viss karaktär. Demand through inconvenience är förekommande i spelet League of Legends(2009) men rekommenderas att inte användas av etiska skäl. Loot boxes är inte värdesatta av League of Legends (2009) spelare men detta kräver ytterligare studier.

League of Legends (Riot Games, 2009) and Valorant (Riot Games, 2020) are both team-based competitive multiplayer games that do not feature any form of story-based game mode, but both feature a large cast of fleshed-out playable characters, each with their own design, backstory, and set of abilities. This study focuses on comparing both games’ approaches to characterization to understand how they incorporate elements of characterization in theircharacter design. This was done with the hope of informing future developers of multiplayer hero games, as well as identifying similarities in their character design despite how different both games are. This study compared two sets of two characters, one from each game, which featured similarities with each other. These similarities served as this study’s starting point to analyze, and then compare both games’ approach to characterization. Many similarities were found between both games in their approach to characterization, despite their core gameplay differences. But it also found many differences, both gameplay-dependent, and dependent on other factors.