Shaped : exploring wellbeing through play, virtual reality, and abstraction : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design, Massey University, Wellington

Figures 5, 6, 14, 15, 16 & 17 are reused under the "fair dealing" principle for purposes of criticism or review.Happiness and wellbeing are of increasing value in today’s society. Maintaining balance in personal wellbeing is an ongoing challenge as there are many causes to unbalance the scales. These range from an increase in the focus society places on personal responsibility that is pushed by modern liberal humanist culture, to the rise in use of social media, social isolation and global challenges such as COVID-19 and climate change. Young people aged 18-25 are especially vulnerable as they are still forming crucial components of mental capital, or capability to deal with challenges in life, and their abilities to maintain high levels of wellbeing (Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project, 2008; Kvalsvig, 2018; Marks et al., 2021). Happiness and wellbeing are growing areas of importance for governments and researchers alike (World Happiness Report 2022). There is a need for innovative wellbeing initiatives that appeal to younger people. These need to avoid the typical conventions and connotations of “treatment,” and approach wellbeing as a fluid state. Video games, a popular pastime, is currently a promising area through which to increase young people’s investment in wellbeing. By exploring the positive psychological elements of game design and utilising the immersive and intuitive interaction capabilities of virtual reality, this project aims to combine elements of wellbeing in game design into an approachable experience

A comparative study of the effect of collaborative problem solving in a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) on individual achievement

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Understanding computer game culture: the cultural shaping of a new medium

In the past few decades, video games have developed from a marginal technological experiment into a mainstream medium. During this period they have gone through several transformations, from arcade machines offering a few minutes of solitary fun for a quarter to monthly subscription-based online MMOs in which thousands of players spend hundreds or even thousands of hours and lead a significant part of their social life as a fantasy character. But what is it that has driven video games? development? Is it technology? Indeed, with every new generation of hardware, game designers were given a broader set of tools for evoking exhilarating experiences. But is not culture at least as important? What would games look like if Tolkien never had written Lord of the Rings, or if Nintendo had not brought Japanese manga drawing styles to the new medium? This book looks at the theoretical challenges and foundations on which to base a cultural shaping approach towards the evolution of video games and proposes a set of concepts for analyzing and describing this process

Adventures in the Classroom Creating Role-Playing Games Based on Traditional Stories for the High School Curriculum

The goal of this thesis is to develop a template for turning traditional stories into role-playing games for the high school curriculum. By developing 3 sample games based on Greek mythology, Arthurian legends, and a widespread folktale type, I explored the process of creating games that fit the limits of secondary classrooms and can be used to address specific educational standards. The sample games were tested with groups of high school and college students, and the results of the testing sessions evaluated in a narrative case study format. Feedback from the testing sessions was incorporated in the template, the final product of the thesis project. By exploring tabletop role-playing as a form of emergent interactive storytelling, a connection has been created between traditional storytelling and popular culture with the hope of reaching out to new audiences and introducing a stronger interactive element into storytelling in secondary education

Autonomous characters in virtual environments: The technologies involved in artificial life and their affects on perceived intelligence and playability of computer games

Computer games are viewed by academics as un֊grounded hack and patch experiments. "The industry lacks the formalism and requirement for a "perfect" solution often necessary in the academic world " [Woob]. Academic Artifical Intelligence (AI) is often viewed as un-implementable and narrow minded by the majority of ทon-AI programmer. "Historically, AI tended to be focused, containing detailed problems and domain-specific techniques. This focus makes for easier study - or engineering - of particular solutions. " [СһаОЗ .By implementing several well known AI techniques into the same gaming environment and judging users reactions this project aims to make links between the academic nature of AI, as well as investigate the nature of practical implementation in a gaming environment. An online Java implemented version of the 1970'ร classic Space Invaders has been developed and tested, with the Aliens being controlled by 6 different approaches to modelling AI functions. In total information from 334 individuals games was recorded. Different types of games AI can create highly varied gaming experience as highlighted by the range of values and high standard deviation values seen in the results. The link between complex behaviour, complex control systems and perceived intelligence was not supported. A positive correlation identified between how fun the users found the game and how intelligent they perceived the Aliens to be, would seem to be logical. As games get visually more and more impressive, the need for intelligent characters cannot be denied because it is one of the few way in which games can set themselves apart from the competition. Conclusions identified that computer games must remain focussed on their end- goal, that of producing a fun game. Whilst complex and clever AI can help to achieve it, the AI itself can never overshadow the end result

Contemporary Fiction and Climate Uncertainty

This open access book argues that storytelling is an important resource in coming to terms with the loss of the feeling of living a grounded existence where the future remains relatively stable and predictable. Faced with the specter of climate catastrophe, we lose confidence in the future—a well-documented response in the environmental movement, for example. Yet stories, and in particular sophisticated fictional stories, can help us negotiate that uncertainty: they offer affective and imaginative tools that channel the instability of our climate future and invite audiences to accept its fundamental uncertainty. In all, this book represents a serious contribution to the environmental humanities that brings a flexible formal approach to bear on central questions of our time. Its commentary on contemporary works of prose and digital narrative is an aid for navigating climate uncertainty and appreciating the more-than-human scale—but also the tragic ramifications—of the ecological crisis. The eBook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by The European Research Council and the University of Ghent

Contemporary Fiction and Climate Uncertainty

This open access book argues that storytelling is an important resource in coming to terms with the loss of the feeling of living a grounded existence where the future remains relatively stable and predictable. Faced with the specter of climate catastrophe, we lose confidence in the future—a well-documented response in the environmental movement, for example. Yet stories, and in particular sophisticated fictional stories, can help us negotiate that uncertainty: they offer affective and imaginative tools that channel the instability of our climate future and invite audiences to accept its fundamental uncertainty. In all, this book represents a serious contribution to the environmental humanities that brings a flexible formal approach to bear on central questions of our time. Its commentary on contemporary works of prose and digital narrative is an aid for navigating climate uncertainty and appreciating the more-than-human scale—but also the tragic ramifications—of the ecological crisis. The eBook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by The European Research Council and the University of Ghent

The role of the writer in creating narrative-driven digital educational games

&nbsp;The two interlocking studies within this inquiry were undertaken to discover how the writers of narrative-driven digital educational games can improve these games&rsquo; potential effectiveness, using action and textual elements. This was achieved by conducting a critical analysis of the literature, analysing best practice games and interviewing their writers.<br /

Fictional Practices of Spirituality I: Interactive Media

"Fictional Practices of Spirituality" provides critical insight into the implementation of belief, mysticism, religion, and spirituality into worlds of fiction, be it interactive or non-interactive. This first volume focuses on interactive, virtual worlds - may that be the digital realms of video games and VR applications or the imaginary spaces of life action role-playing and soul-searching practices. It features analyses of spirituality as gameplay facilitator, sacred spaces and architecture in video game geography, religion in video games and spiritual acts and their dramaturgic function in video games, tabletop, or LARP, among other topics. The contributors offer a first-time ever comprehensive overview of play-rites as spiritual incentives and playful spirituality in various medial incarnations