An Examination of the Hidden Judging Criteria in the Generative Design in Minecraft Competition

© 2023 IEEE. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1109/TG.2023.3329763Game content has long been created using procedural generation. However, many of these systems are currently designed in an ad-hoc manner, and there is a lack of knowledge around the design criteria that lead to generators producing the most successful results. In this study, we conduct a qualitative examination of the comments left by judges for the 2018--2020 \textit{Generative Design in Minecraft} competition. Using abductive thematic analysis, we identify the core design criteria that contribute to a generator that creates ``good'' content -- here defined as interesting or engaging. By performing this study, we have identified that the core design criteria that create and interesting settlement are usability of the settlement environment, the thematic coherence within the settlement, and an anchoring in real-world simulacra.Peer reviewe

Synthesis of CVs Using a Context-free Grammar

Abstract: Please refer to full text to view abstrac

Design Guidelines for Video Games to Achieve an Understanding of Care

The ability to care is a core aspect of being human. Despite its fundamental value, care has historically been systematically and culturally devalued and neglected as a field of practice. It is only in the past several decades, driven by a new generation of philosophers and studies in the domain of healthcare has care ethics been slowly recognized as an area of opportunity and its complexity worthy of academic discussion. In parallel to this development, the domain of video games has emerged. In particular, a type of video game that provides an immersive, simulated, and open-ended experience for players, where the primary design goals are to promote a believable world with freedom for players to express themselves while subject to the consequences of their actions. While care ethics and video game design may seem quite removed from each other, this research will explore the convergence of care ethics and game design and demonstrate the opportunity in connecting these two domains. Using the method of design patterns, guidelines are proposed that encourage the design of immersive, simulated, and open-ended video games that promote an understanding of care by players

Designing Persuasively using Playful Elements

Alongside productivity and communication, computers are a valuable tool for diversion and amusement. Game Designers leverage the multifaceted world of computing to create applications that can be developed persuasively; designs can be formulated to compel users towards actions and behaviours which range from engaging in the game’s mechanics, micro-transactions, or in more complex manifestations such as encouraging reflection via the evaluation of the moral argument presented in the gameplay narrative. In my dissertation, I explore how to create compelling experiences during playful interactions. Particularly, I explore how design decisions affect users’ behaviours, and evaluations of the gaming experience to learn more about crafting persuasive mechanics in games. First, I present research on calibrating aspects of difficulty and character behaviour in the design of simple games to create more immersive experiences. My work on calibration of game difficulty, and enemy behaviour contribute insight regarding the potential of games to create engaging activities, which inspire prolonged play sessions. Further work in my dissertation explores how players interact with in-game entities they perceive as human and explores the boundaries of acceptable player interaction during co-located gaming situations. My early work gives rise to deeper questions regarding perspectives on co-players during gaming experiences. Specifically, I probe the question of how players perceive human versus computer-controlled teammates during a shared gaming experience. Additionally, I explore how game design factors in the context of a tightly-coupled shared multi-touch large display gaming experience can influence the way that people interact and, in turn, their perspectives on one another to ask: ‘how can games be used persuasively to inspire positive behaviours and social interaction?’. Issues of perspectives are a theme I carry forward in my work by exploring how game dynamics – in particular the use of territoriality – can be used to foster collaborative behaviours. Further, I discuss how my work contributes to the study of persuasive game design, games with purpose, and cement my findings in relation to the games studies and computer science literature. Last, I discuss future work, in which I discuss my ambitions for using persuasive design for social good via Games4Change