Online games are becoming more and more popular nowadays. Interacting with others in games has also become a channel for establishing or developing social relationships. In this article, the author conducted an online survey (N=165) to study the relationship between types of in-game relationships, social capital, and psychological well-being. In-game relationships mainly include two types: playing games with friends and playing games with strangers. The author used the framework of social capital, which includes bonding and bridging. Regarding psychological well-being, the author selected two indicators related to social aspects, namely loneliness and relatedness. The author constructs a structural equation model. The results show that playing with friends will enable bonding and bridging while playing with strangers will enable bridging. Second, two different social capitals can both increase players’ feelings of relatedness and reduce players’ feelings of loneliness. This shows that social relationships in online games have a certain impact on people's psychological well-being. This research also provides some information for game design and understanding of social relationships in games.

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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.

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.

玩大型多人角色扮演線上遊戲(MMORPGs)的行為在國內日漸普遍，但是許多人玩線上遊戲的現象卻經常被社會大眾和媒體報導認為是一種負面社會問題，並將玩遊戲與遊戲成癮作直接的連結。許多成癮研究也強化了「持續玩線上遊戲的行為，最終容易導致病態行為成癮的結果」之因果邏輯。但是，事實上許多玩家經常自行決定進入、持續玩，和退出一款線上遊戲，並非最終都會走向遊戲成癮的宿命。因此，本研究的主要目的即在於透過遊戲玩家的個人線上遊戲生命歷程，重新檢視遊戲「成癮」以及「玩線上遊戲便注定導致病態成癮」的邏輯。 運用深度訪談和參與觀察方法，描繪出線上遊戲玩家的長期線上遊戲生命歷程，再試圖詮釋他們離開、持續玩、退出遊戲這些投入程度的變化是受到哪些因素影響，以及在什麼脈絡之下做出的決定。本研究發現許多玩家曾經意識到自己「成癮」於玩線上遊戲，但是只是階段性的反常狀態，甚至是可以接受的一種生活方式。玩家們不只是受到線上遊戲設計的被動牽引而長時間持續投入大量心力玩遊戲，他們在玩遊戲的過程中，受到遊戲設計、玩家社群、生活脈絡和個人對於這些因素的價值判斷等多元因素的影響，持續調整和監控自己的遊戲行為和投入程度，從中協調出最能夠滿足他們的多元愉悅感。另外，當他們對於自己玩遊戲的投入程度感到疑惑時，傾向於尋求玩家社群的協助。因此，本研究認為玩線上遊戲導致病態成癮的論述須要被重新檢視，因為許多被認定為病態成癮的現象只是線上遊戲玩家生命過程中的片段現象。 / Playing massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) has become a popular activity in Taiwan, but it has often been regarded as a social problem, linking to game addiction, by the mass media and the public. Many addiction researches have also enforced the logic that “pathological game addiction is the most likely result of continuous online gaming activity”. However, many gamers in fact often begin, continue, and quit playing an online game according to their own will, instead of ending up as a pathologic game addict. Therefore, the main purpose of this research is to re-approach game “addiction” and the logic of “online gamers are destined to be addicted” through gamers' online gaming life story. Using methods of depth interview and participant observation to depict gamers’ long-term online gaming life story, this research tries to interpret under what social context and influencing factors, do gamers change their attitude and effort to playing online games. Findings of this research tells us that many online gamers claim to have been “addicted” to online gaming some time in the past, but the “addiction” is only a certain stage in their long-term gaming life, and even regarded as a life-style by some. Online gamers do not continuously put a lot of effort to playing games just because they are attracted by the features of online game design. During the course of game play, they are persistently influenced by game design, gaming community, social context, and their own judgment of values. Also, they often self-monitor and re-adjust their gaming styles and effort, in order to meet their needs of multiple pleasures. Moreover, when gamers become confused of how they should re-adjust their gaming activities, they tend to search for assistance from the gaming community. Therefore, this research believes that the problematic logic of pathological game addiction being the final destined result of gaming should be reconsidered and understood from other perspectives, because many phenomenon currently considered pathologic addiction, may only be a short period or segment of gamers’ normal long-term online gaming life.

本研究旨在探討臺北市國小高年級學童的線上遊戲玩家行為，期望能分析線上遊戲玩家行為與學童之人際關係、自我概念的關係，綜合歸納之後，提供教育主管機關、學校行政及老師、家長、學生等教育相關人員的參考。 本研究以九十七學年度就讀於臺北市公立國民小學之高年級國小學童為研究對象，採分層隨機叢集取樣，依照臺北市十二行政區，每區甲、乙組學校規模取樣，共計 48班，回收率80.6％。而本研究使用之研究工具為「國小高年級學童線上遊戲玩家行為及基本資料之調查」及「真實與網路人際互動問卷」、「兒童自我概念量表」，並根據調查結果採用敘述統計分析、卡方考驗、t考驗、單因子變異數分析等統計方法，得到如下之研究發現： 一、國小高年級學童線上遊戲玩家行為以「成就行為」最多，「對戰行為」最少。其中在線上遊戲玩家行為的偏好上，不同性別的高年級學童表現有顯著差異：在「社交行為」上女生高於男生，在「對戰行為」上，男生高於女生。 二、國小高年級女生在真實人際關係表現較男生更為良好，而性別的不同並未在網路人際關係及自我概念上有顯著差異。 三、父母對學童參與線上遊戲態度不同，對學童在線上遊戲玩家行為上沒有影響，但在真實與網路的人際關係有顯著的影響，其對學童的整體自我概念的影響不顯著，但對「心理自我」的自我概念層面上會有顯著的影響。 四、不同線上遊戲玩家行為的國小高年級學童在真實人際關係上有顯著差異，其中「成就行為」、「探險行為」及「社交行為」者，較「對戰行為」者的真實人際關係更為良好；在網路人際關係上亦有顯著差異，其中「社交行為」者，較「成就行為」、「探險行為」及「對戰行為」者的網路人際關係更為良好。 五、國小高年級學童的整體自我概念並未因為線上遊戲玩家行為之不同而有顯著差異，但自我概念在「能力自我」層面上，線上遊戲玩家行為是「成就行為」者，較「對戰行為」者的能力自我概念更為良好。 六、國小高年級學童的真實人際關係並未因為是否參與線上遊戲而有顯著差異，但有參與線上遊戲之國小高年級學童，其網路人際關係較未參與線上遊戲者更為良好，同時整體自我概念亦未因是否參與線上遊戲而有顯著差異。 依據本研究所得之主要發現，提出以下建議： 一、對教育主管機關之建議： （一）制訂並嚴格執行線上遊戲分級制度，避免不當的線上遊戲內容影響學童的自我概念發展與人際關係。 （二）結合線上遊戲之概念，研發結合各學習領域之數位遊戲式學習(Digital Game-Based Learning)線上自學教材。 二、對學校行政及教師之建議： （一）充實學務處、輔導室及教師線上遊戲相關資訊科技安全及輔導知能，在生活與課程中輔導學生認識線上遊戲、瞭解自我。 （二）多元面向的推廣親職教育，鼓勵家長充實線上遊戲安全相關知能。 （三）教師透過教學及活動，輔導學生認識自我，發展多元人際關係。 三、對家長及學生之建議： （一）家長應用正向的態度，指導學童進行線上遊戲。 （二）家長應具備基礎的線上遊戲安全常識，指導學童正確的進行線上遊戲。 （三）學生應多接觸線上遊戲之外的休閒活動，拓展生活經驗與人際關係。 / The purpose of the research is to investigate online game behavior of high grades elementary school students in Taipei city and to examine the relations among online game behavior, interpersonal relation, and self-concept. Personal variables such as sex , grade and Parents’ attitude of disciplining to the online game to the students to research the relations among online game behavior, and interpersonal relation, self-concept. There are 806 samples chosen from elementary school students in Taipei city area in the study. That adapt questionnaires are used in this research. The data obtained is analyzed with frequency distribution, percentage, mean, standard deviation , t-test , and one-way ANOVA, glm. The main findings of this research are as follows： 1. The most of online game behaviors of the high grades students of elementary school is “achievers”, and the fewest is “killers”. The partiality of online game behaviors differs from male and female students. Female is higher than male in the scores of “socilizers”; male is higher than female in in the scores of “ killers”. 2. The true interpersonal relation of high grades female students is better than male students. The internet interpersonal relation and self-concept have no difference of showing because of sex. 3. Different parents’ attitudes of disciplining to the online game to the high grades students has no effect on online game behavior, but do have obvious effect on true and internet interpersonal relation. And parents’ attitudes don’t have obvious effect on mass self-concept, but do have effect on psychological self-concept. 4. Different online game behaviors have obvious effect on true and internet interpersonal relations of the high grades students of elementary school ,the true interpersonal relation of “ achievers”, “explorers” and “socializers” is better than that of “killers”; the internet interpersonal relation of “socializers” is better than that of the others. 5. The mass self-concept of the high grades students of elementary school do not have difference of showing because of different online game behaviors, but do have effect on able self-concept, especially, the able self-concept of “achievers” is better than that of “ killers”. 6. The true interpersonal relation and the mass self-concept of the students of elementary school have no difference of showing because of whether the high grades students attends online game or not. But the students who attends online game has better internet interpersonal relation than those who doesn’t attend online game, at mean time. According to above findings, suggestions are offered for school guide and advanced researches.

This thesis explores how massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), as an exemplary new media form, disrupt practices associated with more conventional media. These intensely social games exploit the interactivity and networks afforded by new media technologies in ways that generate new challenges for the organisation, control and regulation of media. The involvement of players in constituting these games - through their production of game-play, derivative works and strong social networks that drive the profitability of the games - disrupts some of the key foundations that underlie other publication media. MMOGs represent a new and hybrid form of media - part publication and part service. As such they sit within a number of sometimes contradictory organising and regulatory regimes. This thesis examines the negotiations and struggles for control between players, developers and publishers as issues of ownership, governance and access arise out of the new configurations. Using an ethnographic approach to gather information and insights into the practices of players, developers and publishers, this project identifies the characteristics of the distributed production network in this experiential medium. It explores structural components of successful interactive applications and analyses how the advent of player agency and the shift in authorship has meant a shift in control of the text and the relations that surround it. The integration of social networks into the textual environment, and into the business model of the media publishers has meant commerce has become entwined with affect in a new way in this medium. Publishers have moved into the role of both property managers, of the intellectual property associated with the game content, and community managers. Intellectual property management is usually associated with the reproduction and distribution of finished media products, and this sits uneasily with the performative and mutable form of this medium. Service provision consists of maintaining the game world environment, community management, providing access for players to other players and to the content generated both by the developers and the other players. Content in an MMOG is identified in this project as both the 'tangible' assets of code and artwork, rules and text, and the 'intangible' or immaterial assets of affective networks. Players are no longer just consumers of media, or even just active interpreters of media. They are co-producing the media as it is developed. This thesis frames that productiveness as unpaid labour, in an attempt to denaturalise the dominant discourse which casts players as consumers. The regulation of this medium is contentious. Conventional forms of media regulation - such as copyright, or content regulation regimes are inadequate for regulating the hybrid service/publication medium. This thesis explores how the use of contracts as the mechanism which constitutes the formal relations between players, publishers and developers creates challenges to some of the regimes of juridical and political rights held by citizens more generally. This thesis examines the productive practices of players and how the discourses of intellectual property and the discourses of the consumer are mobilised to erase the significance of those productive contributions. It also shows, using a Foucauldian analysis of the power negotiations, that players employ many counter-strategies to circumvent the more formal legal structures of the publishers. The dialogic relationship between players, developers and publishers is shown to mobilise various discursive constructions of the role of each. The outcome of these ongoing negotiations may well shape future interactive applications and the extent to which their innovative capacities will be available for all stakeholders to develop.

Since the Covid19 pandemic there has been a rise in the use of digital platforms such as online-game based learning platforms (OGBLPs) to diversify the learning experiences of students. This paper investigates the implementation, challenges, and benefits of online game-based learning platforms for English learning of students with English as a second language (ESL) in Sweden’s upper secondary schools. We aimed to explore teachers’ experiences of students’ vocabulary acquisition and whether it is facilitated by employing OGBLPs. We also examined the benefits and challenges of using OGBLPs for vocabulary acquisition. For this purpose we employed a qualitative approach where five upper secondary school English teachers were interviewed. All data was later transcribed, where responses from the interviews were used to highlight how teachers used OGBLPs, and what they considered challenges and benefits. Overall, teachers reported positive attitudes towards the use of OGBLPs as it influences elements such as student engagement and leads to increased motivation. However, all participants of this study also claim that OGBLPs ought to be used in combination with a theme or presentation connected to curriculum content as they doubt the effectiveness of OGBLPs in vocabulary acquisition when used in isolation, as a single learning activity.

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As a result of the global pandemic COVID-19, Bachelor’s game design education at Uppsala University was moved to an online space. Multiple literary sources give insights into as to how students were affected by the pandemic, however, little research specifically explaining the connection between game design students and game production in online environments could be found to inform this study. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the effects remote work has on students’ game production and to explore how these factors connect to the fields of Scrum, flow, as well as burnout. For the purpose of researching this, eight semi-structured interviews have been conducted with third-year game design students who previously had experience with both online and on-campus education and the resulting data was then further examined in the form of a thematic analysis. Overall it was found that the remote environment enabled students to become more independent and increased their work efficiency. However, any aspects related to social factors such as communication, collaboration, as well as other social interaction were perceived negatively by the students. Furthermore, the general online environment as well as students’ motivation and energy levels were found to not significantly impact game production in any particularly positive or negative way. / Som ett resultat av den globala pandemin COVID-19, flyttades kandidatutbildningen i speldesign vid Uppsala Universitet till online. Flera litterära källor ger insikter om hur elever påverkas av pandemin, men lite forskning som specifikt förklarar sambandet mellan speldesign studenter och spelproduktion i online miljöer kunde hittas som inledning till denna studie. Syftet med den här artikeln är att utveckla effekterna av distansarbete på elevernas spelproduktion och att utforska hur dessa faktorer ansluter till områdena Scrum, arbetsflöde och utbrändhet. I syfte att undersöka detta har åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med tredje års speldesign studenter som tidigare haft erfarenhet av både online- och campusutbildning och den resulterande datan undersöktes sedan ytterligare i form av en tematisk analys. Generellt visade det sig att den avlägsna miljön gjorde det möjligt för eleverna att bli mer självständiga och ökade deras arbetseffektivitet. Alla aspekter relaterade till sociala faktorer som samarbete, kommunikation samt annan social interaktion uppfattades dock negativt av eleverna. Dessutom visade det sig att den allmänna online miljön, såväl som elevernas motivation och energinivåer inte nämnvärt påverka spel produktionen på något särskilt positivt eller negativt sätt.