1,378 research outputs found

    An analysis of persistent non-player characters in the first-person gaming genre 1998-2007: a case for the fusion of mechanics and diegetics

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    This paper describes the results of an analysis of persistent non-player characters (PNPCs) in the first-person gaming genre 1998-2007. Assessing the role, function, gameplay significance and representational characteristics of these critical important gameplay objects from over 34 major releases provides an important set of baseline data within which to situate further research. This kind of extensive, genre-wide analysis is under-represented in game studies, yet it represents a hugely important process in forming clear and robust illustrations of the medium to support understanding. Thus, I offer a fragment of this illustration, demonstrating that many of the cultural and diegetic qualities of PNPCs are a product of a self-assembling set of archetypes formed from gameplay requirements

    Not all the bots are created equal:the Ordering Turing Test for the labelling of bots in MMORPGs

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    This article contributes to the research on bots in Social Media. It takes as its starting point an emerging perspective which proposes that we should abandon the investigation of the Turing Test and the functional aspects of bots in favor of studying the authentic and cooperative relationship between humans and bots. Contrary to this view, this article argues that Turing Tests are one of the ways in which authentic relationships between humans and bots take place. To understand this, this article introduces the concept of Ordering Turing Tests: these are sort of Turing Tests proposed by social actors for purposes of achieving social order when bots produce deviant behavior. An Ordering Turing Test is method for labeling deviance, whereby social actors can use this test to tell apart rule-abiding humans and rule-breaking bots. Using examples from Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, this article illustrates how Ordering Turing Tests are proposed and justified by players and service providers. Data for the research comes from scientific literature on Machine Learning proposed for the identification of bots and from game forums and other player produced paratexts from the case study of the game Runescape

    Theorizing Affordance Actualization in Digital Innovation from a Socio-Technical Perspective: The case of the video game industry

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    Digital technology provides opportunities for new product development and innovation through affordances. However, in digital innovation, human actors are constrained by the design of technology and its interaction with different aspects of the socio-technical context. In this article, we investigate the relationship between digital technology and developers in a video game development company and its role in supporting and hindering digital innovation. We build on theory of affordances and constraints in answering the research question: How does the actualization of affordances in video game development influence the innovation process and outcome? Based on empirical analysis, we identify four affordances: Tool development, prototyping, user testing, and patching. We theorize affordance actualization and distinguish between innovation outcome and process innovation affordances. Furthermore, we theorize the dependencies between human actors, the organization, and technology in the affordance actualization process and mechanism

    Mood Management Theory in Videogames: Investigating the Relationship Between Game Selection, Game Switching, In-game Choices, and Mood Repair

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    Maintaining a healthy balance between positive and negative moods is important for mental health. One of the primary benefits of playing videogames is its capacity for mood regulation. Recent studies investigating the psychological effect of playing videogames have shown that videogames exhibit greater potential for improving mood and attenuating negative affect, including boredom, stress, and depression, compared to traditional non-interactive media. In addition to the role of media content consumption for repairing mood, it is also known that an individual’s mood affects their choice of media content, an effect known as “selective exposure theory” (SET). SET centralizes on the individual’s tendency to consume certain media content that reduces their negative affective states and promotes positive moods. The effect of SET has been demonstrated for traditional media (e.g., books, movies, music, television) in both manipulated studies and in the wild. For example, bored TV viewers reduce boredom by watching exciting programs, and elevated stress was associated with increased consumption of comedy and decreased consumption of news. Recently, patterns predicted by SET were shown in videogame consumption in a laboratory setting: participants showed different preferences for task demand level in a game in response to induced stress and induced boredom. However, how selective exposure for mood repair occurs in vivo has not been explored. Do players actively choose different games to accommodate different mood states or do they play the same game but choose different game modes to tailor their experience to their present mood? What do players do in the game to cope with negative emotions in real life? Without this knowledge, designers and researchers cannot optimize the design of games and game features for mood repair. To understand the motivations of players in terms of selecting and switching gaming content, specifically what in-game choices or strategies players employ to cope with negative emotions, and subsequently how these choices facilitate their mood management processes, we conducted a study by surveying 194 US players on how their mood influences their gaming behaviors. We used quantitative analysis to find correlations and patterns among participants’ media consumption, gaming habits and demographic data, and used conceptual thematic analysis to look deeper into retrospective reflection of how participants’ gaming experiences affected their mood states, and to generate insights behind players’ daily gaming experience. Our results suggest that “Mood” is the primary reason for players to be actively playing multiple games within the same period of time, and “Mood” is also the primary determinant of game selection and game switching. Besides choosing different games, players also choose different game modes or choose different playstyles to tailor their gaming experience for their moods. Our findings might help game designers to understand how players make gaming decisions based on their mood states and design games with greater affordance for mood repair

    Getting the forest for the trees: Situation transcending is massively multiplayer online games

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    There seems to be a dearth in the literature concerning how resources in MMOGs can be appropriated by language learners and the implications appropriation of resources has on their learning both in and outside of the virtual environment. Some work examining MMOGs in terms of their multimodal resources and affordances (Rama, Black, Van Es, & Warschauer, 2012; Zheng, Newgarden, & Young, 2012) has found that the design of these game environments can promote communicative activities and provide opportunities for learning that cannot be easily replicated in a classroom. In a separate study, Zheng (2012) argues that MMOGs can “provide learners with social, historical, and cultural materials to augment action and interaction across space and time” (p. 557). This study differs in that it seeks to examine vocabulary learning in these environments and to answer how language learners appropriate resources in World of Warcraft (WOW)

    Understanding massively multiplayer online role-playing game addiction : a hedonic management perspective.

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    Massively multiplayer online role‐playing game (MMORPG) addiction presents a serious issue worldwide and has attracted increasing attention from academic and other public communities. This article addresses this critical issue and fills research gaps by proposing and testing a research model of MMORPG addiction. Building on the conceptual foundation of the hedonic management model of addiction and the technology affordance perspective, we develop a research model explaining how MMORPG affordances (ie, achievement, social and immersion affordances) are associated with the duality of hedonic effects (ie, perceived positive mood enhancement and perceived negative mood reduction) and the extent of MMORPG addiction. Using structural equation modelling, we empirically test our research model with 406 MMORPG players. The results show that both perceived positive mood enhancement and perceived negative mood reduction positively correlate with the extent of MMORPG addiction. Furthermore, achievement and immersion affordances are positively associated with the duality of hedonic effects, whereas social affordance is not. Our study contributes to the growing body of technology addiction literature by revealing the relationships between the two hedonic effects and the extent of MMORPG addiction, and by offering a contextualised explanation of the role of MMORPG affordances in these relationships. We offer an alternative perspective on the far‐reaching, unintended relationships between technological affordances and addictive technology use. Our study provides game developers and policymakers with insights into preventing MMORPG addiction to create an entertaining, healthy virtual playground
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