Most story-based games today have manually-scripted non-player characters (NPCs) and the scripts are usually simple and repetitive since it is time-consuming for game developers to script each character individually. ScriptEase, a publicly-available author-oriented developer tool, attempts to solve this problem by generating script code from high-level design patterns, for BioWare Corp.'s role-playing game Neverwinter Nights. The ALeRT algorithm uses reinforcement learning (RL) to automatically generate NPC behaviours that change over time as the NPCs learn from the successes or failures of their own actions. This thesis aims to provide a new learning mechanism to game agents so they are capable of adapting to new behaviours based on the actions of other agents. The new on-line RL algorithm, ALeRT-AM, which includes an agent-modeling mechanism, is applied in a series of combat experiments in Neverwinter Nights and integrated into ScriptEase to produce adaptive behaviour patterns for NPCs.

Purpose/Aim: The aim of this paper is to study how guild leaders in World of Warcraft (WOW) and leaders of real life organizations compare in terms of tasks, every-day experiences, environment, responsibilities and motivation. This comparison is used to build a new theory describing leadership in Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs). Material/Method: The paper uses the grounded theory approach to build a new theory. 12 interviews were conducted, six with WOW guild leaders and six with leaders of real life organizations. The Four Capacities Framework and the Leadership Grid were used to analyze and compare the results of the interviews. Main results: Leadership in MMORPGs is as complex and challenging as real life leadership with the difference that it stresses the internal relationships of the organization very much while neglecting outside relations to a big extend. Guild leadership is in many ways similar to real life leadership as both require long term political decisions, policy setting and good work in the field of human resources. However, it stresses the ability to build working social relationships and to motivate using only digital communication. Some aspects of real life leadership like customer orientation and an organizational instance over the leader like an owner or share holders that the leader is responsible to are not existent.

No description available.

This dissertation seeks to formulate guidelines for the construction of a Let's Pretend game in order for a group to create a collaborative narrative through pretend play. A Let's Pretend game would provide a system for a performance event in which players are able to enter an imaginary world, take on roles in such a world and take actions in these roles. For this a Let's Pretend game should have a structured system of play; the structure for narrative in an imaginary environment; the means for participants to collaborate; and the means for participants to direct themselves. The practical component of this research, The Foreshadowing workshop, combines the role-playing game and a devised theatre workshop into one process. In this process the elements of games of make-believe can be identified. Bernard Suits' theory on games of make-believe identifies the prelusory goal, lusory means, constitutive rules, and the lusory attitude as the basic elements of a game. The guidelines for a Let's Pretend game can be derived from the conventions of the role-playing game and devised theatre workshop. These guidelines would address all the requirements of a Let's Pretend game, except self-direction, which is not available in the role-playing game, or devised theatre workshop. For self-direction, guidelines are derived from Bernard Suits' notion of the game as institution through the process of rules clarification. The primary guidelines for constructing a Let's Pretend game then are: that the game structure should foster fidelity to game world specifically through the imaginary roles. The character creation process should allow these roles to be the focus for action resolution. These roles should be able to develop through interactions and these interactions, as dramatic moves, would determine the plot. The structure of the game should further foster collaboration, be easily learnt and transferred, allow for the negotiating of rules and most importantly afford all players access to the directorial function. This dissertation, however, does not attempt the construction of such a Let's Pretend game. This would be the subject of future study. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

From the 1970s onwards Applied Theatre (AT) has become an ever more popular tool for communication in fields as varied as education, development, therapy, social action, business and others (see for example Blatner (ed.), 2007; Prentki & Preston (eds.), 2009). Over the same time period there has been a continuous questioning amongst academics not only of the most effective research methods but increasingly also of the philosophy underlying research efforts (Narayan & Srinivasan, 1994; Parks et al, 2005; Wilkins, 2000). There are therefore more and more researchers who, in their attempts to 'democratise‘ the research process, are beginning to use arts-based inquiry methods (Sanders, 2006). These generally allow a more inclusive, creative and in-depth approach to research, allowing the participants (the researched‘) more control over the process and the issues discussed and often benefiting them by imparting skills through the process (Belliveau, 2006; Peseta, 2007). Applied Theatre based research is part of this relatively new development (Conrad, 2004; Nelson, 2009) and it is at this junction of academic inquiry and AT where this research is situated. The major objective of this dissertation is to investigate the possible usage and value of Applied Theatre techniques as a tool for qualitative research, specifically when working with participants not familiar with drama and theatre exercises over a short period of time (a few hours). In partnership with the student society Students Against Rape And Hate (S.A.R.A.H.), a once-off Applied Theatre workshop was conducted in a UKZN residence in September 2009. The aim of this workshop was to establish some answers to the questions provided by S.A.R.A.H. about students‘ views of relationships in general and in residences specifically and the society‘s possible work there. To be able to compare the outcome of the workshop with the outcome of a more common research tool, a questionnaire asking the same questions was given out among other students in the same residence. Research subjects from both groups as well as S.A.R.A.H. members were later interviewed about their experiences and impressions. Comparing the data obtained through the different research methods described above, this dissertation not only evaluates whether the data collected with AT was useful and whether the process was practical for the researchers, but it also looks at the benefits the process itself had for all stakeholders involved. Indeed, it is this comparison of the 'product outcomes‘ and the 'process outcomes‘ that forms the backbone of the conclusions drawn. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

Environ 15 % des terres émergées mondiales sont protégées d’une manière ou d’une autre. Conflits homme/faune, prédation du bétail, pertes agricoles, braconnages divers, la liste des tensions entre aires protégées Africaines et leurs périphéries est longue. Ceux-ci peuvent être vus comme des « problèmes pernicieux », caractérisés par la présence simultanée de valeurs culturelles divergentes et de nombreuses incertitudes sociales ou scientifiques. L’approche constructiviste des sciences « post normales », aborde la réalité comme le résultats d’une construction sociale, et reconnait donc l’existence d’une pluralité de réalités. La participation d’acteurs locaux dans nos démarches scientifiques permet de prendre en compte ces réalités. Cette thèse est focalisée sur les interactions entre la Foret de Sikumi (FS), une aire protégée Zimbabwéenne, et les communautés rurales vivant à sa périphérie. Nous nous sommes intéressés aux tensions liées aux pratiques de conduite du bétail. Nous retrouvons là les caractéristiques des problèmes pernicieux : difficulté à identifier le problème de manière définitive ; incertitudes scientifiques et sociales ; valeurs culturelles conflictuelles et liens avec d’autres problèmes. Pour comprendre et modéliser les interactions entre acteurs à travers la conduite du bétail, nous avons co-construit un outil de recherche participatif sous la forme d’un Jeu de Rôle (JdR) nous permettant d’étudier les stratégies locales de conduite du bétail. Nos travaux montrent comment l’utilisation d’environnements virtuels permettent aux chercheurs de s’extraire du paradoxe majeur des problèmes pernicieux : toute action modifie le système et donc le problème, sans jamais le régler. La participation d’acteurs locaux nous a permis de redessiner une vision commune des incertitudes sociales et scientifiques au travers de processus de négociation. Nous montrons comment le résultat de notre effort collectif dépasse les ambitions premières et la manière dont le chercheur doit nécessairement perdre en partie le contrôle de l’objet construit au profit des partenaires locaux. Finalement, nous exprimons notre conviction que des approches comme la nôtre sont pertinentes pour la gestion des aires protégées, particulièrement avec l’émergence des parcs transfrontaliers en Afrique australe. / About 15 % of the world’s terrestrial area has some kind of protected status. Human-wildlife conflicts, crops raiding, livestock predation, poaching, illegal natural resources harvesting, the list of issues taking place at the edge of African protected areas is long. These issues are wicked problems, characterized by scientific uncertainties and involve conflictive cultural values and interconnections with other problems. The constructivist approach of post-normal sciences (PNS) assumes that reality is socially constructed. Studying and addressing wicked problems therefore requires insights on local stakeholders’ perspectives. In this PhD we focused on interactions between the Sikumi Forest (SF), a Zimbabwean protected area, and the rural communities living at its periphery. More particularly, we focused on the tensions related to cattle herding practices. The situation shows characteristic of wicked problems: the difficulty to frame a precise problem; high uncertainties about the studied SES; incomplete scientific knowledge; competing cultural values; and the interconnection to other problems. In order to understand cattle-related interactions between rural communities and the protected area, we co-designed a participatory research tool taking the form of a role-playing game (RPG) enabling us to elicit cattle herding strategies. The RPG was used with naïve villagers (villagers who were note involved in the co-design). This PhD thesis shows how the use of virtual worlds allows researchers to cope with the catch-22 of wicked problems, that is that any action transforms the problem and brings us “back to the beginning”. The co-design of the research tool allows to deal with one of the major characteristics of wicked problems: uncertainties. In the participatory design of the RGP, these were collectively reframed through negotiation. Participation led to the appropriation of the co-designed object by local actors, as a result our project went beyond the initial ambitions and produced a multi-dimensional tool of which we necessarily lose control. In a wider perspective, we believe that with the emergence of Transfrontier conservation in Africa, participatory approaches like ours can provide alternative ways to study and manage coexistence between protected areas and their peripheries.

This research has undertaken two key mandates. One was to develop modifications to the African Catchment Game (ACG), a role playing simulation game, in order to simulate rainfall and water management processes representative of the southern African context. The other was to understand what, if any, learning associated with water management issues had taken place as a result of playing the ACG. The modification process took the form of an action research process. The initial modifications were trialed with South African students as part of their undergraduate Geography course offered at Rhodes University, South Africa. Subsequent modifications were implemented over a five month period with three diverse participant groups, namely Finnish, American and South African participants. An interpretive research orientation was employed in order to analyse both the qualitative and quantitative data that was generated. Pre- and Post-Game Questionnaires were used in order to identify the learning and understanding which the participants constructed as a result of playing the ACG. The Chi-Square Test was also applied to each of the pre- and post- questions to establish statistical significance. Subsequent analysis of these questions identified and traced patters and trends associated with learning and understanding across the three game runs. This research study draws on social constructivism and experiential learning as the dominant education theory that underpins it. Results revealed that for all three game runs learning took place. Participants identified dominant themes and environmental dimensions both before and after playing the ACG. The analysis of these responses indicated a deeper awareness of water as a contributing factor for sustainable economic development while the game runs enabled the researcher to adjust the water availability within each game run until rainfall and water management processes representative of a southern African context were successfully simulated in the last game run.

Digital game developers often struggle with creating games that are challenging but inviting towards new audiences. One of these challenges revolves around the complexity of character creation, specifically in Role-Playing Games. Presenting and utilizing statistics that a player can alter is done at a critical moment of play, often before a player has begun playing the main portion of the game. A risk therefore exists of confusing or alienating those who have adopted the game with too much information that has a significant effect on later experiences with said game. This paper sought to determine which player demographics seek or may avoid specific numerical complexity within digital games and suggests which range of decisions they would accept when presented with a new gaming experience, focusing specifically on character attributes (also known as statistics). / Digitala spelutvecklare måste ofta kämpa med att skapa spel som både lockar nya spelare men samtidigt är svåra nog att klara för att vara utmanande. En utmaning kopplad till detta är skapandet av karaktärer, specifikt i rollspel. Presentationen av karaktärsattribut som spelare kan ändra sker vid ett kritiskt moment av spelande (dess början), oftast innan en spelare har börjat spela huvuddelen av ett spel. Det existerar därför en risk av att förvirra eller skrämma bort de som införskaffat spelet, då de överväldigas av för mycket information om spelelement som har markant effekt, speciellt senare i det nämnda spelets delar. Denna uppsats hade därför som uppgift att bedöma vilka grupper av spelare som söker eller undviker viss numerisk komplexitet inom digitala spel. Uppsatsen föreslog även en skala av det antal val som spelare skulle acceptera när de får en ny spelupplevelse presenterad för sig, med fokus specifikt på karaktärsattribut.

A conformação de comunidades dentro do processo de difusão dos sistemas religiosos afro-brasileiros para o Uruguai e a Argentina propicia o surgimento de famílias-de-santo transnacionais, trans-étnicas e trans-territoriais. É o que ocorre na “Casa Africana Reino de Ogum Malé”, com sede em Santana do Livramento (Brasil), um ponto de partida tradicional para a transnacionalização afro-religiosa na fronteira do Brasil com o Uruguai. Suas filiais encontram-se em Montevidéu (Uruguai) e Posadas (Argentina), havendo ainda ramificações em São Miguel de Tucumã (Argentina). Organizados por mãe Chola, membros desse coletivo percorrem, durante o calendário litúrgico, os vários pontos desse território, visitando-se mutuamente, construindo sua religiosidade e reforçando o pertencimento à rede. Busca-se aqui, através do método etnográfico, recompor a ambiência experimentada durante os rituais e, ao mesmo tempo, identificar os momentos em que os atores envolvidos performatizam tensões identitárias, na medida que, ao se relacionar através de uma estrutura ritual compartilhada, acabam por a experienciar a partir de significantes e práticas culturais informadas por outros pertencimentos, sejam étnicos, lingüísticos ou nacionais. / The diffusion of African-Brazilian religions into Uruguay and Argentina leads to the formation of families-in-saint which can be at once transnational, transethnical and transterritorial. Such is the case of the “Casa Africana Reino de Ogum Malé” (“The African House of the Kingdom of Ogum Malé”), whose headquarters lies is Santana do Livramento (Brazil), a traditional departure point for the transnationalization of African-Brazilian religion, on the Brazilian-Uruguayan border. Its has branches in Montevideo (Uruguay) and Posadas (Argentina), and also links in San Miguel de Tucumán (Argentina). Leaded by mother Chola, the members of this collectivity cross the many point of this territory during the liturgical calendar, paying each other visits, building their faith and reinforcing their attachment to this network. This dissertation leans on the ethnographic method to recreate the ritual experience. At the same time it tries to identify moments in which the actors perform their identitary tensions. Although sharing the same ritual structure each actor experiences it from significants and cultural pratiques informed by different attachments, be they ethnical, linguistic or national.

O presente trabalho, fundamentado a partir da Análise da Conversa Etnometodológica (LODER; JUNG, 2008), tem como objetivos 1) descrever os momentos de ensaio, apresentação e fechamento da atividade pedagógica de encenar em grupos, segundo a concepção da abordagem de ensino por tarefas (conforme NUNAN, 1999), e 2) descrever momentos em que os participantes estejam se orientando para a construção de aprendizagem (ABELEDO, 2008) por meio da análise de seqüências de pedidos e ofertas de ajuda (BULLA, 2007). Os dados consistem em uma hora de registros audiovisuais de uma aula de inglês como língua estrangeira em uma escola de línguas. Foram registradas 6 ocorrências de pedidos de ajuda e 3 ocorrências de ofertas de ajuda. A análise de tais ocorrências permitiu observar que, para realizarem a atividade pedagógica de encenar em grupos, os participantes precisaram trabalhar interacionalmente a fim de instaurar a realidade ficcional e mantê-la. Assim, participantes demonstraram não estar simplesmente treinando para que um dia fizessem uma discussão familiar, mas sim estar construindo tal discussão aqui-e-agora. Foi possível descrever a atividade pedagógica de encenar em grupos como constituída em um momento de instruções (em que uma participante dividia os demais em grupos e distribuía os papéis a serem encenados por cada um), dois momentos de prática distintos (o de ensaio, em que os participantes produzem pedidos de ajuda como ações preferidas e ofertas de ajuda como ações despreferidas, e o de apresentação, em que os participantes produzem pedidos e ofertas de ajuda como ações despreferidas e produzem exibições de competência lingüística) e um momento de fechamento (em que os participantes discutem as ações construídas no momento da apresentação da encenação, além de produzirem exibições de competências e avaliações a respeito do desempenho no momento das apresentações). Assim, realizar a atividade pedagógica de encenar em grupos propicia a construção e a manutenção de diversas realidades dentro da sala de aula e a categorização (SCHGLOFF, 2007) dos participantes em categorias além das de aprendiz/professor. / This research is grounded on Ethnomethodological Conversation Analysis (LODER; JUNG, 2008) and is aimed at 1) describing the rehearsal, presentation and accountability (NUNAN, 1999) of the pedagogical activity of role-playing, and 2) describing moments in which participants orient to the construction of learning (ABELEDO, 2008). These objectives are achieved through the analysis of sequences of offers and requests for help (BULLA, 2007). The data consists of about one hour of video recorded interactions in one English class in a language center. I collected 6 sequences of requests for help and 3 sequences of offers of help. The analysis of such sequences enables the observation that, while performing the roleplaying pedagogical activity, participants produce interactional work to establish and maintain a fictional reality. Participants demonstrate that they are not only practicing the use of language for a further use in a different context; they are indeed using language in order to build and maintain a context here-and-now. We can describe the pedagogical activity of roleplaying as organized in a moment of instructions (in which one participant divided the others in groups and distributed the roles to be played), two different moments of practice (the rehearsal, in which participants produce requests for help as preferred actions and offers of help as dispreferred actions, and the presentation, in which participants produce offers and requests for help as dispreferred actions and produce exhibitions of linguistic competence) and an accountability (in which participants discuss the actions built during the presentation of the play, besides producing exhibitions of competence and assessments of the performance of the participants who produced the presentation of the plays). So, the pedagogical activity of role-playing is an opportunity for learners to build and maintain different realities in classroom and produce different actions and activate categories (SCHGLOFF, 2007) beyond learner/teachers.