Making Text Annotation Fun with a Clicker Game

In this paper we present WordClicker, a clicker game for text annotation. We believe the mechanics of 'Ville type Free-To-Play (F2P) games in general, and clicker games in particular, is particularly suited for GWAPs (Games-With-A-Purpose). WordClicker was developed as one component of a suite of GWAPs meant to cover all aspects of language interpretation, from tokenization to anaphoric interpretation. As such, WordClicker is intended to have a dual function as part of this suite of GWAPs: both for parts-of-speech annotation and for teaching players about parts of speech so that they can go on and play GWAPs for more complex syntactic annotation. Therefore, game-based language learning platforms also had a strong influence on its design

How gamers experience informal digital learning of English within video games and online affinity spaces

Abstract. This study aims to investigate how English language learning occurs within the experiences of playing online video games and interacting in related online affinity spaces. Although there have been past studies that have researched language learning in video games, both in formal and informal contexts, none have specifically explored how players experience language learning in both online video games and online affinity spaces. This study used the concepts of informal learning, implicit learning, informal language learning, informal digital learning of English, affinity spaces, communities of inquiry and communities of practice as a guide for the research process. It also used qualitative content analysis as a method of data analysis. The participants of this study consisted of 6 Finnish males who currently attend upper secondary school in Finland. The data was gathered via semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that most participants experienced English language learning through playing video games incidentally and unconsciously. Essentially, most participants were unaware of language learning occurring while playing video games, and they did not intend to learn English while playing. Moreover, they learned mostly through interacting with the video game space itself while some also learned through playing with others. In regard to online affinity spaces, most participants learned English incidentally. Most participants experienced English language learning through interacting with the content within the online affinity spaces. More, specifically, when inquiring about new knowledge related to gaming, players were able to learn English at the same time. These finding reveal the potential for online video games and online affinity spaces to help gamers learn English. The implications of this study include the potential for educators to utilize online video games and online affinity spaces in formal learning. This study is important to the field of digital language learning research as it presents a glimpse into the specific processes that occur within informal digital language learning

What is a True Gamer? The Male Gamer Stereotype and the Marginalization of Women in Video Game Culture

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this record.Women and men play video games in approximately equal numbers. Despite this similarity, video gaming is still strongly associated with men. A common justification for this stereotype is that, although women might play games, they should not be considered “true” or “hard-core” gamers because they play more casually and less skillfully compared to their male counterparts. In this contribution, we review the existing literature on gender and gaming to investigate the male gamer stereotype in terms of its accuracy, persistence, effects, and future perspective. We conclude that the stereotype varies in accuracy depending on the definition of “gamer.” We further argue that the persistence of this stereotype can be explained by the fact that almost all professional and highly visible figures in gaming culture are male. On the other hand, female players who achieve a moderate level of competence are rendered invisible or are actively marginalized. We argue that the effects of the male gamer stereotype can be harmful to women, precluding them from the positive outcomes of video game play such as enhanced access to fields of science, technology, and engineering

Experience, 60 Frames Per Second: Virtual Embodiment and the Player/Avatar Relationship in Digital Games

From the earliest days of video game studies as a field, and before - with discussions of virtual reality - a debate has endured over the nature of virtual embodiment. From Janet Murray’s Hamlet on the Holodeck in 1997, to Edward Castronova’s foundational examination of the phenomenon of MMOGs, to Valtin, Pietschmann, Liebold, and Ohler’s examination of online social immersion in 2014, the concern over how embodiment is configured in virtual spaces is ongoing. Further, questions of whether such embodiment is possible, and if the experience should be called ‘embodiment’, continue to be omnipresent. Several of the theories put forth about virtual embodiment are, at best, not fully explored or followed through to their logical conclusion. At worst, some of these theories paint a troubling, dehumanizing picture of the perception of virtual embodiment and the player/avatar relationship. The continued focus on the phenomenology of the experience is understandable, however, as the synthesis of player/user and in-game avatar is the locus of most, if not all, video game and virtual environment experiences. Engaging with theories of virtual identity, gender, the player/avatar relationship during gameplay, and the often embattled juxtaposition of narrative and gameplay in video games, this paper explores the ways in which avatars are both characters and embodied experiences. This examination addresses ideas of the avatar as vehicle, the avatar as narrative character, and the avatar as cybernetic embodiment, and strives to find a synthesis between them, in order to come to terms with the unique structure of the player’s interactions with the virtual experience

Player-AI Interaction: What Neural Network Games Reveal About AI as Play

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) bring human-AI interaction to the forefront of HCI research. This paper argues that games are an ideal domain for studying and experimenting with how humans interact with AI. Through a systematic survey of neural network games (n = 38), we identified the dominant interaction metaphors and AI interaction patterns in these games. In addition, we applied existing human-AI interaction guidelines to further shed light on player-AI interaction in the context of AI-infused systems. Our core finding is that AI as play can expand current notions of human-AI interaction, which are predominantly productivity-based. In particular, our work suggests that game and UX designers should consider flow to structure the learning curve of human-AI interaction, incorporate discovery-based learning to play around with the AI and observe the consequences, and offer users an invitation to play to explore new forms of human-AI interaction