Thesis (M.S.)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-56).

Six elite wheelchair shooters undertook a simulated competition of 2 hr duration under three different conditions: 1. 24-26 °C and 40% humidity (C), 2. 36 °C and 60% humidity (H), and 3. the H condition whilst using simple head, neck and torso cooling devices (HC). The trials were undertaken at the same time on consecutive days in a counter-balanced, randomised order. Two shooters were removed from the H trial at t=75 and t=105 min, respectively, due to tympanic temperature elevations above 39 °C, but were able to complete the full 2 hr of competition during the C and HC conditions. Heart rates were significantly elevated for the group during the H condition compared to C and HC (106 ± ll, 80 ± 10, 90 ± 7 beats.min-' respectively at t=90 min, p<0.05) as were perceptions of thermal discomfort (6.4 ± 0.7, 3.5 ± 0.4, 4.8 ± 1.0 respectively at t=90 min, p<0.05). These responses were at least partially alleviated by the use of the simple, yet practical, cooling devices. Practically, this may improve performance in shooting competitions as it allows more time to fire a shot between heart beats, and enables shooters to concentrate more easily on the task required of them. Responses to heat exposure were more pronounced in athletes with a higher level of disability (CS versus T4 versus cerebral palsy), and those who wore heavy leather shooting jackets (rifle versus pistol shooters). Although further research is recommended, it would appear that the rules governing shooting attire and prolonging exposure to heat should be reconsidered for events in which wheelchair athletes compete.

Thesis (M.S.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Dept. of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

This research sheds light on how one particular group of young people, Columbiners, use social media to build and maintain a sense of community. Through a content analysis of 200 Instagram posts containing a school shooting fandom hashtag, or #Columbiner, and drawing on both Critical Youth Studies and Sense of Community Theory, this research demonstrates how Columbiners use their hashtag to create a sense of community on Instagram, to explore what it means to be young and cool, and to make sense of the problems that shape their social world, including school shootings. Exploring how this particular group of young people engage with each other on social media provides researchers an opportunity to listen to young people as they develop their understandings of topics as seemingly mundane as homework to those as serious as school shootings.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T14:23:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Carlos Augusto Pinheiro de Sousa.pdf: 807423 bytes, checksum: acb6baf5371f4d9b5d445fff6a41e41b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-10-25 / This research aims to investigate immersion and presence in FPS as qualitative approach. This investigation is done by taking in account the two decades of successes on the FPS genre in the games industry in which has been observed paradigm transformations that include control mappings, depth of interaction, graphic realism, considerable expansion in multi-user environments etc. The methodology has been an heuristic one with such an ontological focus situated between the relations of the specific FPS genre and virtual reality done by an organization of bibliographic references and a discussion with professionals from the international industry. From the selected survey which has been organized and selected as a qualitative approach withing the academic literature in both virtual reality and digital games to establish a synthesis of factors to be observed in case studies and evaluated by invited developers from the FPS games industry. This way, it relates the concepts, situating immersion in the field of the convincing experience of the game and that of being in the game . In parallel, the term virtual reality (as a support), by which multi-form definitions emplaces it between device configurations or setups related to sensorial perception and of psychological experiences provided by this medium, the extra-sensorial reach, reflects the development of a projected immersive reproduction by which users of this medium describe the sense of presence, of being in another place or another world. It is believed that the result of this work should contribute to fulfill of studies in the specific FPS genre field, within the own virtual reality studies and possibly in the aiding of design for the development of the FPS games / A pesquisa investiga os conceitos de imersão e presença nos jogos FPS (First-Person Shooters, Jogos de Tiro em Primeira Pessoa) a partir de uma perspectiva qualitativa. Realiza uma investigação tomando o fenômeno dos jogos FPS em duas décadas de sucesso na indústria dos jogos, dentro da qual observou-se transformações paradigmáticas que incluem mapeamentos de controle, à profundidade de interação, realismo gráfico, expansão considerável de ambientes multi-usuário (multijogador), etc. A metodologia foi heurística com enfoque ontológico, situando-se nas relações entre o específico gênero de jogo FPS e realidade virtual, a partir de uma organização da bibliografia e discussão com profissionais da indústria internacional. A partir dos levantamentos realizados organiza e apresenta uma análise qualitativa através da literatura acadêmica tanto em realidade virtual quanto em jogos digitais para estabelecer uma síntese de fatores a serem observados em estudos de caso e avaliados por desenvolvedores convidados da indústria de jogos FPS. Deste modo, relaciona os conceitos, situando a imersão no campo experiência convincente de jogo e de se estar no jogo . Paralelamente, o termo realidade virtual (como suporte), cuja descrição multiforme situa-o entre configurações de dispositivos relacionados à percepção sensorial e de experiências psicológicas providas por este meio, do alcance extra-sensorial, reflete o desenvolvimento projetado para a reprodução imersiva no qual participantes relatam a sensação de presença, de estarem em outro ambiente ou outro mundo. Acredita-se que o resultado deste trabalho poderá contribuir para suprir uma carência de estudos no campo do genêro FPS, dentro dos atuais estudos sobre realidade virtual e possivelmente no auxílio para design e desenvolvimento de jogos FPS

When player skill levels differ widely in a competitive First-Person Shooter (FPS) game, enjoyment suffers: weaker players become frustrated and stronger players become less engaged. Player balancing techniques attempt to assist the weaker player and make games more competitive, but these techniques have limitations for deployment when skill levels vary substantially. In this thesis, we developed new player balancing schemes to deal with a range of FPS skill difference, and tested these techniques in a series of five studies using a commercial-quality FPS game developed with the UDK engine. Our results showed that our balancing techniques (Combo and Delay) are extremely effective at balancing, even for players with large skill differences. These techniques also led to higher enjoyment of the game by players of all skill levels. Our studies are the first to show that player balancing can work well in realistic FPS games, providing developers with a way to increase the audience for this popular genre. In addition, our results demonstrate the idea that successful balancing is as much about the way the technique is applied as it is about the specific manipulation.

Thesis (M.S. in Operations Research)--Naval Postgraduate School, 2005. / Title from title screen (viewed Jan. 31, 2006). "June 2005." Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-90). Also issued in paper format.

Thesis (M.S. in Operations Research)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2005. / Thesis Advisor(s): Thomas W. Lucas, Richard Spainhour. Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-90). Also available online.

This study aims to understand how games teach the player how to enact agency within them. Agency refers to the ability of the player to actively interact with the world around them, and understand the circumstances and results of those actions. Three games of the shooter sub-genre were selected: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), Cuphead, and Red Dead Redemption 2. These were chosen as they are modern representations of three of the most popular genres within the shooter mantle: First-Person Shooter, Run and Gun, and Third-Person Shooter, respectively. Each game’s first level was analyzed to see how they introduce the selected definition of agency. Each element that was found to convey agency was categorized according to it being diegetic (existing within the story) or non-diegetic (existing outside the story), explicit or implicit, and by the level of agency play it represented, these being Agency Relationship (the relationship between the user agency and system agency), Agency Scope (the impact the player’s actions will have on the narrative), Agency Dynamics (changes in agency through time, or more accurately, in different circumstances) and User Input Direction (what controls can be pressed to perform certain direct actions). These elements and their respective categories have been represented in a cell document, followed by which categories they belong to. Furthermore, for each game, the categories and which elements represent them are displayed as well, for a more identifiable examination of each category’s representation in each game, and to allow for comparison between them. Each level was described in accordance with the elements that conveyed agency, in their order of appearance. The elements or instances were described, and what categories they belong to were noted as well. In addition, explanations for why they belong to those specific categories were expressed if necessary. Conclusively, the games were shown to contain certain similarities among them, such as agency relationship being conveyed through the positioning of certain elements in connection to their environment and the player. However, the differences between the games were more prominent than their similarities. With each game having a particularly noticeable way in which they presented a great deal of the elements. In Modern Warfare, the game tried to use as few non-diegetic and as many diegetic elements as possible. In Cuphead, the game presented agency exclusively through enemy and object placement in relation to the level to teach the player about how certain mechanics functioned. And in Red Dead Redemption 2, the game tries to teach the player about game mechanics by juxtaposing the narrative, non-diegetic explanations, and diegetic instances, to accustom players to a fusion of elements trying to communicate the same message.

How does body armor and posture affect Soldier marksmanship? The Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) has significantly improved Soldier combat survivability, but in what ways does it change rifleman lethality? Moreover, can we model these effects so as to develop better tactics and operational plans? This study quantifies the effects of Soldier equipment on lethality through multi-factor logistic regression using data from range experiments with the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), at Fort Riley, Kansas. The designed experiment of this study estimates the probability of a qualified US rifleman hitting a human target. It uses the rifleman's equipment, posture, Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), and experience along with the target's distance, time exposure and silhouette presentation as input factors. The resulting family of mathematical models provides a Probability of Hit prediction tailored to a shooter-target scenario. The study shows that for targets closer than 150 meters, Soldiers shot better while wearing body armor than they did without. Body armor had a negative effect for targets farther than 200 meters, and this could significantly impact the employment of the Squad Designated Marksman. The study also shows that the kneeling posture is an effective technique and recommends standardized training on this method of firing.