Thesis (M.Sc.)--York University, 2008. Graduate Programme in Kinesiology and Health Science. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-81). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR51534

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2005. Graduate Programme in Communication and Culture. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-103). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url%5Fver=Z39.88-2004&res%5Fdat=xri:pqdiss &rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR11755

The problem that this study addressed is the rise of internet gaming disorder (IGD) globally, including within the United States and countries such as China—and, the resultant need for more data on the prevalence of adult men and women meeting criteria for a diagnosis of IGD, as well as data on related comorbidities and psychosocial issues. A global sample (N=231) met the study inclusion criteria (i.e., play video games at least once a week at a minimum, consider themselves involved in Internet gaming, and have been gaming for the past six months—while of interest were findings with an English Speaking (ES) sample, and a Chinese Mandarin Speaking (CMS) sample. The study sample of convenience recruited via a social media campaign was 62.4% (n=63) male in the ES sample, and 55.4% (n=72) male in the CMS sample. The ES sample had a mean age of 29.34 (SD=8.396, Min=18, Max=52), and the CMS sample had mean age of 25.65 (SD=7.514, Min=18, Max=57). While the CMS sample indicated they were Asian (99.2%, n=129), the ES sample was diverse: 58% White (n=59), 17.8% (n=59) Asian, and 11.9% (n=12) Black. The main study findings reveal a prevalence of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD of 0% (n=101) for the ES sample, and .8% (n=1) for the CMS sample. As another main study finding, for the CMS sample, participants met more DSM-5 criteria for IGD (out of the 9 total criteria), when they were male, experienced anxiety in the past year, and were engaged in more violence due to gaming. For the ES sample, study participants met more DSM-5 criteria for IGD (out of the 9 total criteria), when they did not have a partner, had a higher income, were engaged in more violence due to gaming, engaged in a higher level of help seeking for personal/emotional support, and had a lower level of perceived social support. In essence, this constitutes the provision of risk profiles and descriptions of those most vulnerable to IGD. This study contributes to those efforts to conduct research on the DSM-5 criteria for IGD (APA, 2013).

In a time of 'Big Data,' 'Personal Informatics' and 'Infographics' the definitions of data visualization and data analytics are splintering rapidly. When one compares how Fortune 500 companies are using analytics to optimize their supply chains and lone individuals are visualizing their Twitter messages, we can see how multipurpose these areas are becoming. Visualization and analytics are frequently exhibited as tools for increasing efficiency and informing future decisions. At the same time, they are used to produce artworks that alter our perspectives of how data is represented and analyzed. During this time of turbulent reflection within the fields of data visualization and analytics, digital games have been going through a similar period of data metamorphosis as players are increasingly being connected and tracked through various platform systems and social networks. The amount of game-related data collected and shared today greatly exceeds that of previous gaming eras and, by utilizing the domains of data visualization and analytics, this increased access to data is poised to reshape, and continue to reshape, how players experience games. This dissertation examines how visualization, analytics and games intersect into a domain with a fluctuating identity but has the overall goal to analyze game-related data. At this intersection exists play analytics, a blend of digital systems and data analysis methods connecting players, games and their data. Play analytic systems surround the experience of playing a game, visualizing data collected from players and act as external online hubs where players congregate. As part of this dissertation's examination of play analytics, over eighty systems are analyzed and discussed. Additionally, a user study was conducted to test the effects play analytic systems have on a player's gameplay behavior. Both studies are used to highlight how play analytic systems function and are experienced by players. With millions of players already using play analytics systems, this dissertation provides a chronicle of the current state of play analytics, how the design of play analytics systems may shift in the future and what it means to play with data.

Thesis (M.A.)--Bowling Green State University, 2009. / Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 90 p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.I.S.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-56). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.A.)--Georgia State University, 2009. / Title from title page (Digital Archive@GSU, viewed July 20, 2010) Ted Friedman, committee chair; Alisa Perren, Greg Smith, committee members. Includes bibliographical references (p. 156-169).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-97).

This study is a comparative analysis of the personality characteristics of a sample of World of Warcraft players (n = 147) and a large normative sample (n = 20,993). The 120-item International Personality Item Pool, based on the five factor model, is used. Independent t-tests were conducted and statistical significance was found for some factors; however, the effect sizes were small, indicating a limited practical difference between the two groups.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Waikato, 2009. / Title from PDF cover (viewed October 2, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 137-146)