Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games have properties that make them suitable for research in artificial and computational intelligence. MOBA games are generally played team vs team meaning planning and organizing the team is one of the most important aspects. This makes it suitable for research in artificial intelligence agent cooperation. This paper presents a literature review performed in the area of artificial and computational intelligence regarding MOBA games. The findings are that there is little or no research made in the area. The research found concerning MOBA games is in the context of player behaviour and toxic behaviour in the MOBA game league of legends. What is found is encouragement on developing frameworks supporting 5v5 matches in MOBA games which this paper also presents, a 5v5 framework for bot-matchmaking in DotA 2 making it possible for users to develop bots to be run versus the in-game AI.

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Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:43:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Adriana Kei Ohashi Sato.pdf: 1422574 bytes, checksum: 540e2341a2b34d4eca47c4af926c8a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-09-14 / This work intends to analyze design as the object that generates answers to the user's (gamer's) expectations based on the collective imaginarium. In turn, this imaginarium originates in a specific social-cultural context. Considering men as symbolic beings, they look for the reason of their existence by attribuing meaning to objects. Those meanings are interpreted by society, creating values, behaviors and cultural references. This work presents fundamental concepts about design and its presence in the social-cultural context, being design the language that interprets and re-signify the electronic game based on the collective imaginarium. / A presente pesquisa procura analisar o design como objeto gerador de respostas às expectativas do usuário (jogador) a partir do imaginário coletivo. Por sua vez, este imaginário, tem a sua origem em um determinado contexto sócio-cultural. Considerando o homem como um ser simbólico, este busca o sentido para sua existência por meio da atribuição de significados aos objetos. Tais significados são interpretados pela sociedade criando seus valores, comportamentos e referenciais culturais. Ao longo deste trabalho são apresentados conceitos fundamentais sobre o design e sua presença no contexto sócio-cultural, sendo o design, a linguagem que interpreta e resignifica, a partir do imaginário coletivo, um jogo eletrônico.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-18T21:39:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 Lia Carrari Rodrigues1.pdf: 2007869 bytes, checksum: 5127705a8183cb3056356f8cba16af6a (MD5) Lia Carrari Rodrigues2.pdf: 1875473 bytes, checksum: 48cfbdbc52e6db38b63fd8d1622c69ed (MD5) Lia Carrari Rodrigues3.pdf: 2987315 bytes, checksum: 7dacd97c56a6b31303f12c62c9657e92 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-02-11 / Fundo Mackenzie de Pesquisa / The current worldwide popularity of on-line games has resulted in the formation of virtual communities with hundreds of people. This is due to the daily interaction of people in games called Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). These communities are culturally diverse and permeated by social ties estabilished through different ways in the game s virtual world. The present research held a study on the communities found in World of Warcraft through social network analysis. The goal of this approach was to define a typology of social ties and study the behavioural patterns related to the structure of these networks. This involved the construction of an efficient data collecting system, as well as analysis tools. That particular methodology verified that this kind of organization can be characterized as an emergent adaptive complex system. To that end, different theories were utilized, such as graph theory, Kohonen networks algebra and software engineering. / Atualmente a popularidade mundial de jogos on-line tem resultado na formação de comunidades virtuais com centenas de pessoas. Isso se deve à interação diária das pessoas em jogos chamados Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). Estas comunidades são culturalmente diversificadas e permeadas por laços sociais estabelecidos de diferentes maneiras no ambiente virtual do jogo. A presente pesquisa realizou um estudo de comunidades do jogo World of Warcraft por meio da abordagem da análise de redes sociais. O intuito desta abordagem foi definir uma tipologia de laços sociais e estudar padrões de comportamento vinculados à estrutura destas. Isso envolveu a construção de um sistema de coleta de dados eficiente desta rede, assim como ferramentas de análise. Com esta metodologia, verificou-se que este tipo de organização pode ser caracterizada como um sistema complexo adaptativo emergente. Para isso, foram utilizadas diferentes teorias, como a teoria dos grafos, redes de Kohonen, álgebra e engenharia de software.

The thesis is dedicated to the proper virtual economy setup of Massive Multiplayer Online Game to make the game competitive in this area to other products on the market. In addition to setting the economy on the example thesis includes a market analysis of computer and console games, comparison of virtual economy with real and comparison of the selected virtual economies based on defined criteria. The primary goal is to make a procedure for setting up the virtual economy and its verification. Another goals are the analysis of the games market, comparison of the games market economies and a demonstration of web game making. Game making is depended on its feasibility analysis, which is also included in the thesis. The work also verify the correctness of the settings according to the defined criteria.

vii, 124 p. / Despite the rise in participation and economic importance of online games as a media phenomenon, ever-growing virtual worlds that seemingly exist as "third places" for social interaction and relationship formation, there is little research on the experiences of gamers with harassment, discrimination, and hate speech. Though changes in the industry serve as evidence of shifting attitudes about female, GLBTQ, and non-white gamers, harassment and use of hate speech based on sex and sexual orientation continue to flourish unchecked in online games. This study explores the prevalence of homophobia and sexism in online games as expressed through "griefing" behavior used to police competitive spaces traditionally dominated by white, heterosexual men. This thesis employs qualitative research methods to illuminate the persisting homophobia, sexism, and racism as experienced by gamers in online console and PC games. / Committee in charge: Carol Stabile, Chair; Pat Curtin, Member; Gabriella Martinez, Member

<p>Purpose/Aim: The aim of the paper is to find out if there is a correlation between playing MMORPGs and having better skills in using multi-channel communication.</p><p>Material/Method: A media-skill test was conducted in the internet testing the participants’ ability to respond to targets in three different channels and media at the same time. The results of the study where used for statistical comparisons of the different groups of participants sorted according to their media use.</p><p>Main results: People who use the internet more and who play computer games, especially MMORPGs, have a better Multi-Media Multi-Channel Communication Literacy. There is fast learning visible for people with a use of the respective medium of up to five hours a week. Playing makes you better, not playing a lot.</p>

Purpose/Aim: The aim of the paper is to find out if there is a correlation between playing MMORPGs and having better skills in using multi-channel communication. Material/Method: A media-skill test was conducted in the internet testing the participants’ ability to respond to targets in three different channels and media at the same time. The results of the study where used for statistical comparisons of the different groups of participants sorted according to their media use. Main results: People who use the internet more and who play computer games, especially MMORPGs, have a better Multi-Media Multi-Channel Communication Literacy. There is fast learning visible for people with a use of the respective medium of up to five hours a week. Playing makes you better, not playing a lot.

To adolescents, online game provides a rich playground for developing competence in leadership, coordination, teamwork, and cooperation. Adopting the perspective of positive psychology and social cognitive theory, this research investigates how factors such as personal and social factors may impact adolescents' learning outcomes and subjective will-being. The results show that game efficacy, adolescents' game attitudes, and social influences are important factors that influence adolescents' online game behavior. Moreover, playing online games may improve adolescents' psychological affects and learning, which in turn enhance players' subjective well-being. These results provide a new perspective to game researchers, teachers and parents and can help game manufactures and government in designing games and making policies.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Recently, there has been significant research focus on Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Massively Multi-user Virtual Environments (MMVEs). A number of architectures have been presented in the literature to implement the P2P approach. One aspect that has not received sufficient attention in these architectures is state management and state persistency in P2P MMVEs. This work presents and simulates a novel state management and persistency architecture, called Pithos. In order to design the architecture, an investigation is performed into state consistency architectures, into which the state management and persistency architecture should fit. A novel generic state consistency model is proposed that encapsulated all state consistency models reviewed. The requirements for state management and persistency architectures, identified during the review of state consistency models, are used to review state management and persistency architectures currently receiving research attention. Identifying some deficiencies present in current designs, such as lack of fairness, responsiveness and scalability, a novel state management and persistency architecture, called Pithos, is designed. Pithos is a reliable, responsive, secure, fair and scalable distributed storage system, ideally suited to P2P MMVEs. Pithos is implemented in Oversim, which runs on the Omnet++ network simulator. An evaluation of Pithos is performed to verify that it satisfies the identified requirements. It is found that the reliability of Pithos depends heavily on object lifetimes. If an object lives longer on average, retrieval requests are more reliable. An investigation is performed into the factors influencing object lifetime. A novel Markov chain model is proposed which allows for the prediction of objects lifetimes in any finite sized network, for a given amount of redundancy, node lifetime characteristics and object repair rate. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Onlangs is daar ’n beduidende navorsingsfokus op Eweknie Massiewe Multi-gebruiker Virtuele Omgewings (MMVOs). ’n Aantal argitekture is in die literatuur beskikbaar wat die eweknie benadering voorstel. Een aspek wat nie voldoende aandag ontvang in hierdie argitekture nie is toestandsbestuur en toestandsvolharding in eweknie MMVOs. Hierdie werk ontwerp en simuleer ’n nuwe toestandsbestuur- en toestandsvolhardingargitektuur genaamd Pithos. Ten einde die argitektuur te ontwerp is ’n ondersoek uitgevoer in toestandskonsekwentheidargitekture, waarin die toestandsbestuur- en toestandsvolhardingargitektuur moet pas. ’n Nuwe generiese toestandskonsekwentheidargitektuur word voorgestel wat alle hersiene toestandskonsekwentheid argitekture vervat. Die vereistes vir die toestandsbestuur- en toestandsvolhardingargitekture, geidentifiseer tydens die hersiening van die toestandskonsekwentheidargitekture, word gebruik om toestandsbestuuren toestandsvolhardingargitekture te hersien wat tans navorsingsaandag geniet. Identifisering van sekere leemtes teenwoordig in die huidige ontwerpe, soos ’n gebrek aan regverdigheid, responsiwiteit en skaleerbaarheid, lei tot die ontwerp van ’n nuwe toestandsbestuur- en toestandsvolhardingargitektuur wat Pithos genoem word. Pithos is ’n betroubare, responsiewe, veilige, regverdige en skaleerbare verspreide stoorstelsel, ideaal geskik is vir eweknie MMVOs. Pithos word geïmplementeer in Oversim, wat loop op die Omnet++ netwerk simulator. ’n Evaluering van Pithos word uitgevoer om te verifieer dat dit voldoen aan die geïdentifiseerde behoeftes. Daar is gevind dat die betroubaarheid van Pithos afhang van die objek leeftyd. As ’n objek gemiddeld langer leef, dan is herwinning versoeke meer betroubaar. ’n Ondersoek word uitgevoer na die faktore wat die objek leeftyd beïnvloed. ’n Nuwe Markov ketting model word voorgestel wat voorsiening maak vir die voorspelling van objek leeftye in eindige grootte netwerke, vir gegewe hoeveelhede van oortolligheid, nodus leeftyd eienskappe en objek herstelkoers.