Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / Some digitised pages may appear illegible due to the condition of the original hard copy. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is difficult to dispute the remarkable success that some of the console manufacturers like Sony experienced with the distribution of the Psone and now the Playstation 2 consoles. Nonetheless, the tie ratio (the relationship between the number of games bought per year and the installed base of consoles) is limited on average to only 2.2 games per Psone sold. It is an achievement, though limited considering the 5-year timeframe. The relatively low penetration of games can, amongst other things, be contributed to the retail price of games and the distribution channel in use. On the other hand, the PayTV industry has resolved the concept of content distribution years ago, and has reinvented itself several times along the way, from analogue to digital to personal video recorders. All of these phases had one common feature, some sort of encryption to prevent unauthorised viewing. With the invention of digital data distribution, data transfer speeds in access of 27Mb/s became a standard feature. As a result, it would be fair to say that PayTV perfected the distribution of encrypted data at high speed to devices in consumers' homes. Therefore, it is not inconceivable that a combination of a hard drive and digital subscriber technology, which can communicate to a game console, could create an alternative distribution platform for console games. The combination of the devices could decrease the cost of game distribution, increase the player's choice, decrease <:: the cost to users, and more importantly, create a monthly revenue stream. In this manner, the cost hurdle with respect to games could be reduced, and the penetration and use of game console devices could be increased. The video game industry is a $24 billion business with substantial revenue generated from game distribution. By removing the cost hurdle of game distribution, the penetration of these devices will be accelerated and both parties will benefit. Although the industry is not geared for this type of content delivery, MIHL's knowledge and expertise in signing up exclusive content for their PayTV operation and the group's ability to develop technology solutions will prove valuable in restructuring the games distribution channel. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit is moeilik om die sukses wat sommige videospeletjie platformvervaardigers soos Sony ondervind ten opsigte van verspreiding van die Psone platform en nou die Playstation 2 produk, te weerlê. Nieteenstaande die sukses van platformverspreiding, is die verhouding tussen die hoeveelheid speletjies en platforms wat verkoop is, nog steeds beperk tot 2.2 speletjies per platform. 'n Merkwaardige prestasie op sigself, maar gesien in die lig van die van 'n 5 jaar verspreidingsperiode is dit tog beperk. Die relatiewe lae penetrasie van speletjies kan onder andere toegeskryf word aan die hoë kleinhandelsprys van speletjies en die verspreidingskanaal wat gebruik word. Aan die ander kant het betaaltelevisie die beginsel van inhoudsverspreiding jare gelede onder die knie gekry. Gedurende die periode het die televisie-industrie homself verskeie kere herskep, van analoog programverspreiding tot digitale verspreiding en laastens die persoonlike video opnemers. AI die fases maak gebruik van een gemeenskaplike kenmerk, naamlik enkripsie om ongemagtigde besigtiging te voorkom. Programinhoud versending teen 27 Mega greep per sekonde was algemeen in gebruik met die daarstelling van digitale data verspreiding. Daarom kan dit geregverdig wees om te beweer dat betaaltelevisie die verspreiding van geenkripteerde data, teen hoë spoed, na verbruikers se huise bemeester het. Gevolglik is dit nie ondenkbaar dat In kombinasie van hardeskyf en digitale verbruikerstegnologie, wat met videospeletjiesplatforms kan kommunikeer, 'n , alternatiewe verspreidingsplatform kan vorm nie. Die geïntegreerde platform kan die verspreidingskoste verlaag, die verbruikerskeuse verhoog, die kleinhandelspryse van speletjies verlaag en 'n maandelikse inkomste genereer. Sodoende kan die koste hekkie gebonde aan speletjies verlaag word en gevolglik die penetrasie en verbruik van speletjies verhoog word. Die videospeletjie-industrie is 'n $24 miljard besigheid wat 'n groot gedeelte van die inkomste genereer deur speletjie verspreiding. Deur die koste hekkie van verspreiding te verwyder, kan die penetrasie tempo van die speletjies verhoog word en beide partye kan bevoordeel word. Nieteenstaande die video industrie se onvoorbereid,heid om inhoud elektronies te versprei, kan MIH se kennis en vaardigheid bm eksklusiewe program inhoud vir televisieplatforms te bekom, asook die groep se vermoë om tegnologiese oplossings te ontwikkel, 'n waardevolle instrument wees om die videospeletjie verspreidingskanaal te herstruktureer.

This thesis outlines the changing landscape of moving image archives in light of the emergence of new media. Whereas, in the twentieth century, these archives were once responsible for the preservation of endangered films and television programs, I argue that, in the twenty-first century, moving image archives will redefine their value to society not through preservation but through the decisions they make, which will affect not simply the intellectual community but the culture at large. The ways in which moving image archives situate new media materials and extend cooperation between institutions will determine, in large part, the discourse surrounding moving images throughout the upcoming century. / text

Certain unique sights and sounds of video games from the 1980s and 1990s have been codified as a retro game style, celebrated by collectors, historians, and game developers alike. In this report, I argue that this nostalgic celebration has escaped critical scrutiny and in particular omits the diverse experiences of girls and women who may have been alienated by the tough, intimidating nature of a twentieth-century video-game culture that was primarily created by and for boys. Indeed, attempts to attract girls to gaming, such as the 1990s girls' game movement, are usually criticized in or absent from mainstream video-game histories, and girly video games are rarely viewed with the same nostalgic fondness as games like Super Mario Bros. This condition points to a larger cultural practice of trivializing media for girls and, by extension, girlhood and girls themselves. My critical design response to this condition has been twofold. First, I have recuperated and resituated twentieth-century girly games as collectible, valuable, and nostalgic, thereby subverting conventional historical narratives and suggesting that these games have inherent cultural value. Second, I have created new works that reimagine 8-bit style as an expression of nostalgia for twentieth-century girlhood rather than for twentieth-century boyhood. This report contains documentation of some relevant projects I have undertaken, such as the creation of a video-game museum and an 8-bit video game called Electronic Sweet-N Fun Fortune Teller. In these projects and in future works, I hope to disrupt dominant narratives about video game history and nostalgia that continue to marginalize and trivialize girls' and women's experiences and participation in contemporary game cultures. / text

It is 50 years since the development of the first computer game and digital games now have an unprecedented influence on our culture. An increasingly popular leisure activity, digital games are also permeating other aspects of society. They continue to influence computer technology through graphics, animation and social networking; an influence which is also being felt in other media, in particular film and television. They are a new art form and they are seen to be influential on children s learning and development. However, despite their pervasiveness and apparent importance within our society and culture, they are still largely ignored as part of our cultural heritage. Dismissed as disposable, entertainment products, they have not specifically been addressed in most of the academic literature on digital preservation which represents a serious omission in past research. This was justification for an exploratory study into the preservation of digital games and the aim of this study has been to explore the value of digital games, their significance in our culture, and the current status of their preservation. Investigating the relationship of games to culture; reviewing current preservation activities and drawing conclusions about the value of digital games and the significance of their preservation were the study s objectives. These have been achieved through interviews with key stakeholders the academic community, as potential users of collections; memory institutions, as potential keepers of collections; fan-based game preservation experts; and representatives from the games industry. In addition to this, case studies of key game preservation activities were explored. Through this research, a clearer picture of attitudes towards digital games and opinions on the need for preservation of these cultural products has been established. It has become apparent that there is a need for more coherent and collaborative efforts to ensure the longevity of these important aspects of digital heritage.

Combat arms units (both Marine and Army) often do not have enough people, time and resources to properly train collective tasks at the squad level. Resources are often retained by higher headquarters due to tight deployment schedules, land restrictions, logistics constraints and a myriad of other reasons. Due to the current operational demands of combat arms brigades and regiments, the reality of limited resources is often a contributing factor in poor performance at the squad level. Leaders at all levels will need to look for innovative ways to sustain training levels at the small unit level. The scope of this study examined the collective and leader tasks that are required for successful execution of Infantry squad missions (using the Army Training and Evaluation Plan ARTEP 7-8 Drill), and how those tasks could be trained with the use of commercial off-the-shelf multiplayer gaming software. The end-state of this research study is to provide initial analysis on what collective skills games can be used to train at the Infantry squad level, and develop a training model recommendation for the integration of this tool into existing unit plans.

As video games continue to become larger, more complex, and more costly to produce, research into methods to make game creation easier and faster becomes more valuable. One such research topic is procedural generation, which allows the computer to assist in the creation of content. This dissertation presents a new algorithm for the generation of Sokoban levels. Sokoban is a grid-based transport puzzle which is computational interesting due to being PSPACE-complete. Beyond just generating levels, the question of whether or not the levels created by this algorithm are interesting to human players is explored. A study was carried out comparing player attention while playing hand made levels versus their attention during procedurally generated levels. An auditory Stroop test was used to measure attention without disrupting play.

This thesis aims to explore how video games have become an extremely beneficial tool in regards to education, art, medicine, psychology, economics, and beyond. Chapter 1 focuses on how ubiquitous video games have become in America, and what makes video games such a uniquely enjoyable experience to warrant such popularity. Chapter 2 explores how video games have become instrumental in various fields. Chapter 3 discusses the role that video games now play in the world of education; specifically how we, as educators, must adapt a modern pedagogy best suited to students who have grown up with video games, which have influenced how they learn. This is the thesis’ primary contention and purpose. Chapter 4 dissects the two most studied controversies which surround video games as a medium: video game violence and video game addiction.

Work focuses on representation of opponents in first-person shooter video games. It aims to discover tools, which developers of video games use to choose specific enemies for their games and in which way they present them. First-person shooters are used for this purposes because players have closest visual contact with opponents in this genre. The aim of this work is to describe most typical opponents in video games and to find out why this exact enemies are usualyy the most portrayed. Special attention is paid to video games which used original attitude for creating enemies. Work than focuses on most frequent stereotypes in opponents presentation, mostly racial and national, which are used by developers and what function they have. Than it gives room for critics of such stereotypes and tries to estimate if these critics can result in some changes in the future. Video games which created controversy by representation of specific enemies are subject of next topic. These games often put players in position of moral dilemma. On the base of research from literature and analysis of video games this work focuses on main reasons of representation of concrete enemies and what emotional impact it can have on players.

Glitch is becoming an important topic both in popular culture and academia. In 2012, Disney cast a glitch as a major character in its movie homage to arcade video games Wreck-It Ralph. More and more studies about glitch are emerging across various disciplines, from media studies to aesthetics. So far, researchers were focusing mostly on theoretical and technological aspects of the glitch. This Master's thesis aims to analyze the "everyday" glitch and the roles it plays in the video game culture, conducting a qualitative content analysis of online discussion forums of three recent hit video games: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Mass Effect 3 and Star Wars: The Old Republic. The first part of the thesis reviews the literature connected to the glitch and explains its connection to similar scientific concepts: error, noise and emergence. It also introduces different aspects and roles of the glitch, ranging from cheating and metagaming to humor and aberrant use. The second part consists of the analysis of online discussion forums concerning the player definition of the glitch, the process of finding and sharing the glitch and about the main aspects of the glitch from the viewpoint of active participants in online discussions: glitch as an error or a feature, patching the glitch, cheating, metagaming and humor. As...

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