AJ The aim of this thesis is to introduce and put in to context literary work of Josef Schiffner. In this thesis I made a comparison of legends from Bohuslav Balbín, which is considered as Schiffner's exemplar, legends from Josef Schiffner and legends from Michael Sintzel, whom legends were published in the Czech lands in 1844. In this thesis, I am also trying to recognize influence of the enlightenment on legends.

Soňa Bendíková:Soňa Bendíková:Soňa Bendíková:Soňa Bendíková: Kotas of Blue Mountains: Myths and LegendsKotas of Blue Mountains: Myths and LegendsKotas of Blue Mountains: Myths and LegendsKotas of Blue Mountains: Myths and Legends AbstractAbstractAbstractAbstract The dissertation The Kotas from the Blue Mountains: Myths and Legends deals with the tradition of the Kota tribe living in the Nilgiri mountain range in southern India. The work discusses the oral tradition of the tribe on the background of the regional development in the last two centuries. The Kotas used to live symbiotically with a few other local tribes with whom they developed a unique system of barter trade and services. The microregion remained isolated until new settlers started to arrive from the valley (in the beginning of 19th century). The arrival of the people from the valley and of the English people in the course of the last two hundred years caused a significant change of all aspects of life in the Blue Mountains: economic, social, cultural and ecological. This work has two aims: (i) to interpret the results of my fieldwork and to analyze the recordings of the remnants of the oral heritage of the tribe with approximately 2,000 members, and to do it on the background of the changes in the area; and (ii) to determine whether and how...

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C. Scott Littleton and Ann C. Thomas' assertion that the core of the Arthurian legends is ultimately rooted in a Sarmatian heroic tradition is challenged. It is argued that, at best, the Arthurian legends contain several names and motifs of possible Sarmatian origin that have been borrowed into what Arthurian scholars have long recognized as an inherently Celtic tradition. Several agencies for their introduction into the Arthurian cycle are considered. It is proposed that two names and at least one of the motifs were introduced by Iazyge cataphractarii stationed along Hadrian's Wall in 175 AD. The other motifs, however, are thought to have been introduced at a much later date --possibly by returning members of the crusader population in the East during the twelfth century. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) game is a game genre where players play as two teams, competing against each other team on a battlefield. Toxic behaviors, such as cheating and communication abuse, have been a prevalent phenomenon in MOBA games, and game companies often adopt moderation systems to deal with the toxicity. However, previous studies suggested that players may have different interpretation and player use of the moderation systems, compared to the official explanations of the systems given by the game companies, and players in different MOBA games have different attitudes towards the same moderation system. But, to date, no study has compared the moderation systems in different games or investigate how players interpret the differences between the moderation systems. Therefore, in this thesis, the researcher investigates the similarities and differences between the moderation systems in two popular MOBA games, DOTA2 and League of Legends, and further explores the player perception of these moderation systems. The methods used in this thesis are conceptual modeling and semi-structured interview. The findings show that the two games have similar frameworks of their moderation systems, but the design philosophies behind the moderation systems are different. Players in the two games both report toxic behaviors included in the official taxonomy, but besides this similarity, the two groups of players interpret and use moderation systems in different ways, aligned with the design philosophies behind the moderation systems in their own games. The results also imply possible relationships between the different moderation system design and the difference between player interpretation and player use. Based on the findings, this thesis also gives three suggestions for future moderation system design.

Esports gaming is a new subject within various fields of research. Typically, research explores the relationships between games and its players or the developers. By contrast this thesis examines the highest level of play within gaming, professional players. To do so, it utilizes the example of League of Legends. Created in 2009, League of Legends has rapidly grown to become one of the largest online multiplayer games with a massive Esports scene that matches or exceeds that of traditional sports such as Basketball or Baseball. But what factors contribute to this sudden rise in League of Legends Esports popularity and how have professional players adjusted over the years? This thesis explores these questions and the overall evolution of professional teams and League of Legends over the course of its Esports growth. It finds that League of Legends is unique in its use of the immaterial labour and digital labour of professional players. Through a concept called the “Meta”, League of Legends is able to mimic traditional sports and maintain interest in its game. Further for professional players the existence and evolution of the “Meta” sharply influences the need for organizational restructuring over the years. Players and teams become complex organizations in which players’ transition from gamers to become workers in Esports. Exploring the League of Legends Esports setting uncovers a unique combination of sport and work within a new digital context. / Thesis / Master of Philosophy (MA) / The goal of this work is to explore the lives and labour of League of Legends professional players. Created in 2009, League of Legends rapidly grew to be one of the most played and watched Esport game in the world. Professional players are often heralded as celebrities and their decisions impact the larger League of Legends and Esports community. This work examines the realities of Esports for professional players. It further analyzes the structure and organization of play and work in the League of Legends Esports setting. For the developer, Riot Games, Esports serves a variety of purposes and this thesis explores this and the contributions of Esports professionals to the development of the game.

The professional scene of Esports got its humble start in the 1990’s, when the first tournaments for various games were hosted (McLeod, Xue & Newman, 2022). The number of professional players has increased dramatically until today. How the market for these professional players works as a labour market in today's society is relatively unknown. However, what is known is that this labour market stands out in regard to the small number of female workers it houses (Ratan et al., 2021). This is especially true for the game “League of Legends”, which has a particularly small number of women, even by Esports-standards1. With the purpose of finding the origin of this fact, I have conducted a survey measuring the skill of the players as well as their tendencies towards sexism. The survey results showed that sexism does increase with skill. This measured sexism is on average higher among better players. This could indicate that sexism is acting as a barrier for women to enter the professional scene and that this could be one of the causes of why there is a lack of female players in League of Legends.

This study seeks to understand how horror urban legends undergo changes over time and the possible reasons for their alterations. Past researchers have yet to analyze the shifts that have occurred within the retellings of these dark tales, and through this analysis, light will be shed onto what truly affects the media's storytelling behavior. Building upon meme theory, this study will use narrative and historical context analyses to uncover the objectives, narrative elements and temporal environments surrounding 10 replications of three horror urban legend memes over the past century. This research will uncover how these memes have mutated over time and inform the world as to how context plays a role. A total of 30 horror urban legend artifacts (10 per meme) were analyzed using qualitative research methods in order to uncover the similarities and differences that appeared in the replications of each of the memes. Also, the contemporary thoughts, attitudes and values of the various time periods in which each of the retellings existed were analyzed to understand how historical events and movements may have led to a change in the story. The findings revealed that social movements played a large role in the alteration of horror urban legend memes, particularly in regards to the second wave of Feminism. Additionally, the findings showed that memes that heavily portrayed racism were altered in more recent decades to include leading actors and characters of various ethnic backgrounds. Because of these findings, this research aligns with and expands upon the work completed by Joel Best and Gerald Horiuchi (1985). / Master of Arts / This study looks at how three icon horror urban legends have changed over the past century. Specifically, this study analyzes "Bloody Mary," "Sleepy Hollow" and the "Wendigo" in order to track the changes each tale has gone through, in addition to uncovering what might influence their change. Researchers have yet to understand this occurrence, and this study will serve as a way to answer why the media would be interested in revisiting and reviving older stories. Remakes of movies and TV shows are found in abundance within society, so this research will help assign a reason as to why ancient tales are dug back up from the grave. Using meme theory, this study examines how a story is able to be retold, remade and eventually changed by analyzing 10 remakes per urban legend, with each remake coming from a different decade between the 1920s and the 2010s. The findings reveal that history plays a role in the remaking and altering of previous tales, mainly due to the older versions of horror urban legends no longer being relevant or culturally appropriate. Occasionally, the older adaptation of a story will have material or revolve around a subject matter that is no longer acceptable within a more modern society, such as women being shown only as a damsel in distress. Because of this, in order for the story to not be forgotten, it must be remade and altered to align with where the world is today.

This study was designed to identify recurring themes in Civil War legends that are told in reference to antebellum homes in regions of Southwest Virginia. Existing literature indicates that collecting these legends is an important task because doing so helps others to better understand the community of legend-tellers. Previous research has also indicated that legends form a type of American mythology with reveals the way the legend-tellers perceive the specific subject they describe in the legends. Eight historic homes were visited in six southwestern counties of Virginia. Qualitative data were collected from a purposive sample of 12 participants who lived in these houses, previously lived in an historic house, or worked in an historic house museum. Each house was chosen as a site of inquiry because it has some significance for those interested in the Civil War or because it represents typical houses in similar southwestern Virginian communities during the Civil War era. In-depth interviews were the sole means of data collection and provided detailed and unlimited legends used to identify themes. The data were collected analyzed using a multiple case study approach. The findings from this study indicate that Civil War legends are being told in reference to antebellum homes in Southwest Virginia. Additionally, the tellers of the legends have common thoughts about the Civil War. The three major conclusions made in this study are (1) northern soldiers were aggressors during the Civil War; (2) southerners were strong during the Civil War; and (3) ghosts and ghostly activity serve as reminders of the Civil War. By continuing to share these legends, the tellers indicate their own perspectives of the Civil War as well as the perspectives of those who originate the legends. The legend-tellers also provide insight into the culture of today's southwestern Virginians as well as the Civil War era southwestern Virginians. / Master of Science

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-12-04T11:47:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Guilherme Sousa Vieira.pdf: 3021145 bytes, checksum: 0652b6e7a3dbb42c0bef36ecaeb77a24 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-04T11:47:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Guilherme Sousa Vieira.pdf: 3021145 bytes, checksum: 0652b6e7a3dbb42c0bef36ecaeb77a24 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-10-11 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The present master's thesis had as its objective a research on the League of Legends game, exploring its design philosophies to identify and discuss within the heuristic theme in game design, using as base the heuristic evaluation of the reworking of one of its characters, the champion Xerath. We start by dissolving the game LoL, how it occurs, how it was in its initial form, how to put the philosophy of work of its developer studio and then we go to the description of the game in its technical and playful aspects. In the sequel we delve into the discussion of heuristics, identity & aesthetics in digital games, where we have developed on top of researched authors, especially the texts of Brenda Laurel, Sherry Turkle and James Paul Gee acquiring a basis for the heuristic evaluation of the character. Next, we focus on the contextualization of the character who came to be evaluated, the champion Xerath, his birth, his involvement with the author and his status before and after the reworking. In its final part, this research retakes the discussed points and applies the heuristic evaluation in the changes that occurred in the character, after that, the process of extrapolation of the work begins and final considerations / A presente dissertação de mestrado teve como seu objetivo uma pesquisa sobre o jogo League of Legends, explorando suas filosofias de design para identificar e discutir dentro do tema heurísticas no design de games, utilizando-se como base a avaliação heurística do Retrabalhamento de uma de suas personagens, o Campeão Xerath. Partimos por uma dissecção do jogo LoL, como ocorre seu surgimento, como era em sua forma inicial, como se coloca a filosofia de trabalho de seu estúdio desenvolvedor e depois partimos para a descrição do jogo em seus aspectos técnicos e lúdicos. Em sequência nos aprofundamos na discussão sobre heurísticas, identidade & estética nos jogos digitais, onde desenvolvemos em cima de autores pesquisados, principalmente os textos de Brenda Laurel, Sherry Turkle e James Paul Gee adquirindo uma base para a avaliação heurística da personagem. Em seguida nos dedicamos a contextualização da personagem que veio ser avaliada, o Campeão Xerath, o seu nascimento, o seu envolvimento com o autor e seu estado antes e após o seu Retrabalhamento. Em sua parte final, essa pesquisa retoma os pontos discutidos e aplica a avaliação heurística nas mudanças que ocorreram na personagem, após isso, se inicia o processo de extrapolação do trabalho e considerações finais