Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T14:23:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jessica Puga de Moraes.pdf: 1264277 bytes, checksum: 6b9ccda3aea476bc8c5f19bddc1b9c8b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-09-24 / The research examines specific aspects of video games in the context of a contemporary world defined by Vilém Flusser as "codified world". In such a world, the increasingly intense relationship between humans and the "apparatus" - which transmit messages - seems to program reality in an accelerated and disorganized way. However, amid the massive production of cultural industry programs, independent content arise, created generated and shared by individuals of the multitude. "Games of multitude" is a term propounded by Dyer- Witheford and Peuter to describe games that somehow, beyond its status of entertainment - or spectacle - provide the players experiences that address the most varied and complex political and social issues. Through Flusser s philosophy a historic resumption between the human beings relationships and their cultural communication processes is drawn up, pursuing the contextualization of the video games as an expressive media. Nonetheless, with Paolo Virno s thoughts regarding the overlapping of concepts, work, political action and intellect, it is possible to understand the individual from the multitude as someone distressed by their submission to work and lack of expressive possibilities. The multitude, however, although submitted to the sovereignty of capital, attempts to break through. Electronic games, with their features and possibilities, become interesting tools for the expression of the multitude s critical energy. Through the analysis of the works of Dyer- Witheford and Peuter, Steven Johnson, Gonzalo Frasca and Paolo Pedercini, we seek videogames expressive specificities. A detailed analysis of three games of multitude - "How to Build a Better Mouse Trap" "Papers, Please" and "Phone Story" is pursued. Such analysis allows illustrating concepts, and propounding possible categories for forms, practices and potential of game of multitude / A dissertação procura examinar aspectos específicos dos videogames, no contexto de um mundo contemporâneo definido por Vilém Flusser como "mundo codificado". Em tal mundo, a convivência cada vez mais intensa entre seres humanos e "aparelhos" - que transmitem mensagens - parece programar de maneira acelerada e desordenada a realidade. Entretanto, em meio à produção massiva dos programas da indústria cultural, surgem obras independentes, idealizadas, produzidas e compartilhadas por indivíduos da multidão. Jogos de multidão é um termo proposto por Dyer-Witheford e Peuter para descrever games que, de alguma forma, ultrapassam sua condição de entretenimento - ou espetáculo - proporcionando aos jogadores experiências que abordam as mais diversas e complexas questões políticas e sociais. Por meio da filosofia de Flusser, elabora-se uma retomada histórica do relacionamento dos seres humanos e seus processos culturais de comunicação, buscando contextualizar os jogos eletrônicos como mídia expressiva. Já com as reflexões de Paolo Virno quanto à sobreposição dos conceitos de trabalho, ação política e intelecto, é possível compreender o indivíduo da multidão como alguém angustiado pela sua submissão ao trabalho e carência de possibilidades expressivas. A multidão, entretanto, ainda que sujeita à soberania do capital, produz tentativas de ruptura. Os jogos eletrônicos, por suas características e possibilidades, tornam-se ferramentas interessantes para a manifestação da energia crítica da multidão. Através da análise das obras de Dyer-Witheford e Peuter, Steven Johnson, Gonzalo Frasca e Paolo Pedercini, busca-se por tais especificidades expressivas dos games, buscando uma análise detalhada de três jogos de multidão - How to Build a Better Mouse Trap , Papers, Please e Phone Story . Tal análise permite exemplificar conceitos e propor categorias possíveis para as formas, práticas e potencialidades dos jogos de multidão

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T14:23:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Eduardo Yukio Kashiwakura.pdf: 3597583 bytes, checksum: 05c04bb1f4aeeba9181c1cb65c116565 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-08-08 / The dissertation entitled Playing and learning: a parallel between videogames and cognitive skills have as its main goal to do an investigation about the skills developed through the use of videogames. This research will approach the challenges and competencies provided by the games to the players. The cognitive skill is the ability of the human intelligence to deal with situations and problems, itself been a powerful tool to the construction of knowledge. The act of playing and learning is related to the ludic and playful, considering the concepts of game as an element of the culture, as proposed by Huizinga (2001). The method used was the identification of some skills developed by players, such as: visual, coordination, improvement of self-esteem, responsibility, text interpretation, social, leadership, concentration and reasoning. From the presented skills, we analyzed the games Sid Meier´s Civilization IV, Guitar Hero III, Black & White 2 and GATE. As final result, it was possible to draw a parallel between videogames that enable the development by the players of a series of cognitive skills / A dissertação intitulada Jogando e aprendendo: um paralelo entre videogames e habilidades cognitivas tem como principal objetivo efetuar uma investigação sobre as habilidades desenvolvidas através da utilização de videogames. Nesta pesquisa serão abordados os desafios e competências que os games proporcionam aos jogadores. A habilidade cognitiva é a capacidade da inteligência humana de lidar com situações e problemas, sendo uma poderosa ferramenta de construção do conhecimento. O ato de jogar e aprender está relacionado com o lúdico e a brincadeira, considerando-se os conceitos de jogo como elemento da cultura propostos por Huizinga (2001). O método usado foi a identificação de algumas habilidades desenvolvidas por jogadores como: visual, motora, aprimoramento de auto-estima, responsabilidade, interpretação de textos, sociais, liderança, concentração e raciocínio. A partir das habilidades apresentadas, efetuamos a análise de games como Sid Meier´s Civilization IV, Guitar Hero III, Black & White 2 e GATE. Como resultado final foi possível traçar um paralelo entre os videogames que viabilizam o desenvolvimento de uma série de habilidades cognitivas aos jogadores

Bakgrund: Demenssjukdomar är en växande sjukdomsgrupp i samhället. I Sverige beräknas att mellan 130–150 tusen personer lever med en demenssjukdom. Demens går inte att bota utan det går enbart att bromsa upp förloppet med hjälp av läkemedel. Personer som drabbas av demenssjukdomar får oftast många följdsjukdomar som i förlängningen leder till döden. Med hjälp av dator och tv-spelsanvändning kan demenssjukdomen bromsas med kognitiv träning. Syfte: Syftet har varit att undersöka nyttan av dator och tv-spelsanvändningsområden inom demensvården. Metod: Studien genomfördes som en litteraturöversikt där fjorton vetenskapliga artiklar inkluderades. Sökningar har gjordes via databaserna Pubmed, Cinahl och Psycinfo. De inkluderade artiklarna har analyserats där likheter och skillnader har jämförts. Resultat: Resultatet visade att teknologin kan påverka personers kognitiva funktion, fysiska hälsa samt psykiska hälsa. Dator och tv-spelsanvändning har flera positiva effekter så som förbättrad kognitiv förmåga, ökad självständighet och bevarande av egna intressen. Slutsats: Datorer och tv-spel har fördelaktiga effekter hos personer som lider av en demenssjukdom. Bland annat upptäcktes förbättringar i den psykiska, fysiska och kognitiva förmågan i de granskade studierna. Då ämnet är nytt krävs ytterligare forskning inom ämnet. / Background: Dementia is a growing disease in the society. In Sweden there are approximately 130-150 thousand people living with dementia. There is no cure for dementia, and with pharmaceuticals you can only prolong the decease. People who suffer from dementia tend to have other illnesses prior to the main dementia. These complications often lead to death. With the usage of videogames and computergames where the user is utilizing the body and bodymovement as a tool for progress there are beneficial effects to the motor skills and cognitive functions for the elderly living with dementia and cognitive decline. Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the utilization of computers and video games in the dementia care. Method: Done as a literature review where 14 articles was included. Searches have been made through databases Pubmed, Cinahl and Psycinfo. The 14 articles where systematically analyzed and differences and similarities were compared between the articles Results: Four categories were made, physical health, psychological health, cognitive function and usability of technology by the dementia suffers. Conclusions: Computer and videogames utilization have beneficial effects for the people who suffers from dementia. Enhanced physical, psychological and cognitive function were found in the studies. Due to the relatively new subject further research is required in the area.

The video game is, as we know, one of the most popular and quickly growing mediums in the United States and the world in whole. Because of its success, the video game industry has been able to use their resources to advance technology of many kinds. Two very important technologies which have been advanced by the game industry are artificial intelligence and graphic design. With advances in the videogame industry constantly increasing the realism of gaming, those who game are finding themselves rapidly transported into new worlds. The Combination of the elements of narrative transportation, character identification, a videogames ability to enable mediated experience create a situation in which players may be able to rapidly learn very complex concepts. This project begins with a classification of videogame moral systems, both on a theoretical and logistic level. Given this understanding of how videogames themselves define moral involvement, the project then seeks to answer how the players understand their own moral involvement in the game by directly involving player/participants in the conversation. The data produced strongly suggests that videogames have great potential to teach even the most complex concepts of right and wrong to players.

Technology such as television, computers, and video games are often in the line for reasons of why people lack physical activity and tend to gain weight and become obese. In the case of video games, with the advent of the so called “serious games initiative”, a new breed of video games have come into place. Such games are called “exergames” and they are intended to motivate the user to do physical activity. Although there is some evidence that some types of Exergames are more physically demanding than traditional sedentary games, there is also evidence that suggests that such games are not really providing the intensity of exert that is at the recommended levels for a daily exercise. Currently, most exergames have a passive approach. There is no real tracking of the players progress, there is no assessment of his/her level of exert, no contextual information, and there is no adaptability on the game itself to change the conditions of the game and prompt the desired physiological response on the player. In this thesis we present research work done towards the design and development of an architecture and related systems that support a shift in the exertion game paradigm. The contributions of this work are enablers in the design and development of exertion games with a strict serious game approach. Such games should have “exercising” as the primary goal, and a game engine that has been developed under this scheme should be aware of the exertion context of the player. The game should be aware of the level of exertion of the player and adapt the gaming context (in-game variables and exertion interface settings) so that the player can reach a predefined exertion rate as desired. To support such degree of adaptability in a multimedia, multimodal system, we have proposed a system architecture that lays down the general guidelines for the design and development of such systems.

The current study seeks to link traditional forms of empathy induction with new research that suggests videogames can be used as an experiential method of induction. One hundred-nine college students, sixty-four females and forty-six males, were used in a 2x2x2 design, the independent variables being prosocial/neutral videogame, empathic/neutral instructions, and gender. Dependent variables were both questionnaire responses to a fictional story and an opportunity to be realistically altruistic. Participants played either a prosocial or neutral videogame, received either empathic or neutral reading instructions, and then read a vignette depicting a difficult situation faced by the writer. They then rated their reactions on a 7-point Likert scale before being asked to donate time to a local charity. A marginally significant result of gender was found in that females generally responded more strongly than males, and no other results were significant. These finding were different than previous research.

The video game is, as we know, one of the most popular and quickly growing mediums in the United States and the world in whole. Because of its success, the video game industry has been able to use their resources to advance technology of many kinds. Two very important technologies which have been advanced by the game industry are artificial intelligence and graphic design. With advances in the videogame industry constantly increasing the realism of gaming, those who game are finding themselves rapidly transported into new worlds. The Combination of the elements of narrative transportation, character identification, a videogames ability to enable mediated experience create a situation in which players may be able to rapidly learn very complex concepts. This project begins with a classification of videogame moral systems, both on a theoretical and logistic level. Given this understanding of how videogames themselves define moral involvement, the project then seeks to answer how the players understand their own moral involvement in the game by directly involving player/participants in the conversation. The data produced strongly suggests that videogames have great potential to teach even the most complex concepts of right and wrong to players.

In this work, I propose an analytical rubric called the Interpretive Spiral designed to examine the process through which players create meaning in videogames, by examining their composition in three categories, across four levels of interaction. The most familiar of the categories I propose is the Mechanical, which refers to the rules, logic, software and hardware that composes the core of videogames. My second category, which I call the Thematic, is a combination of Arsenault and Perron's Narrative Spiral of gameplay, proposed in their Magic Cycle of Gameplay model (accounting for embedded text, videos, dialog and voiceovers) and Jason Begy's audio-visual level of his Tripartite Model of gameplay (accounting for graphics, sound effects, music and icons), though it also accounts for oft-neglected features such as interface and menu design. The third category, the Affective, refers to the emotional response and metaphorical parallels inspired by the combination of the other two levels. The first level of interaction I explore actually precedes gameplay, as it is common for players to begin interpreting games before playing them, and is called the Pre-Play Level of interpretation. Next I examine the Fundamental Level of interpretation, which entails the learning phase of gameplay. The Secondary Level of gameplay is the longest level of play and describes the shift from learning the game to informed, self-conscious play. The Third and final, elective level of interpretation, is where the player forms connections between his gameplay experience, and other concepts and experiences that exist outside of the game artifact. To put my model through its paces, I apply the model in its entirety to three influential and critically acclaimed videogames, and in part to several other titles.

This project examines the articulation of Mexican identities in digital narratives through a variety of genres, bringing into conversation various disciplines to present more comprehensive studies on the construction of representational paradigms, their consumption and social impact and their association with other cultural and literary texts. Deploying a multidisciplinary approach, this work articulates a theoretical framework that incorporates the fields of semiology, postcolonial theory, visual culture, urban studies, ludology, linguistic anthropology and border studies. This project analyzes the processes through which the identities of Mexican subjects and the depiction of Mexican spaces are articulated in new digital narratives in the form video games as mass culture objects, which are conceived from hegemonic loci of production, are globally consumed and have the potential to transmit deeply rooted social knowledge. Furthermore, the lack of spaces in which represented minorities may counter the stereotypical images projected forecloses dialogic processes. Through the agglomeration of different representational modules (visual units, narrative elements and linguistic portrayals) different genres impose predisposed rhetorical framework and found that the vast majority share a predetermined collection of elements that create a representational mosaic of how "Mexicanness" should be depicted and perceived. Furthermore, said digital subject representations enact cultural ideological frameworks that are imposed onto the audience, influencing meaning-formation processes. This work also analyzes the dynamics between the production, representation and consumption of videogames and traces tangents with the social and historical contexts of earlier visual media in Latin America.

This is a bachelor thesis on the subject of aesthetics in design in the realm of video game art. Our intention is to investigate if basic, geometrical shapes will highlight certain physical attributes or characteristics, triggered by the visual appearance of a designed product in what is essentially an aesthetic response. We test this subject in the realm of videogames, through our own design and production of 3D-models. A survey is then conducted with participants observing these models and answering questions relating to certain attributes that we intended for these models to display through their visual, aesthetic appearance. The survey shows that participant responses and general opinions regarding the design of these models were largely what we expected and set out to achieve. While we can not empirically verify these results as conclusive and the opinions and theories proposed in this thesis are largely dependent on context and personal experience, we believe an attention to aesthetics in design can effectively guide the aesthetic response an observer or user may experience with a product or artefact.