249,060 research outputs found

    Game theory for computer games design

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    Designing and developing computer games can be a complex activity that may involve professionals from a variety of disciplines. In this article, we examine the use of game theory for supporting the design of game play within the different sections of a computer game, and demonstrate its application in practice via adapted high-level decision trees for modelling the flow in game play and payoff matrices for modelling skill or challenge levels

    The effect of Visual Design Quality on Player Experience Components in Tablet Games

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    Research in the field of Human Computer Interaction Design indicates that there is a need to develop further methods, tools, and frameworks for the design and evaluation of digital game interfaces. This thesis aims to design, develop, and evaluate two different types of tablet games with varying visual design quality interfaces to examine users’ perceptions of hedonic quality, visual design, emotions, and game enjoyment in different channels of experience. The design-oriented approach was adopted to combine both creative practice and scientific inquiry in the game design process and empirical evaluation. Hypotheses were formulated to explore the significance of visual design quality in relation to the components of player experience. The study entailed two phases. In the first phase, participatory design methods were employed to design and develop the tablet games encompassing mind-mapping techniques, focus groups, iterative prototyping with multiple cycles of usability testing of user interfaces. In the second phase, survey instruments were applied to collect and analyze data from 111 participants using tablet games as stimuli in a controlled experimental condition. The main contribution of this research is creation of a player experience model, validated in the domain of tablet gaming, to serve as a new theory. This research will allow for game researchers and practitioners to obtain a deeper understanding of the significance of the player experience framework components to create optimal player experience in tablet games. The finding shows that highly attractive game user interfaces were perceived to have higher utility and ease of use. Participants exhibited higher levels of arousal and valence in the high visual design quality interfaces mediated by hedonic quality. Participants who were highly sensitive to visual design did not necessarily derive the highest level of game enjoyment. Participants derived a heightened level of engagement in the arousal channel of experience and the highest level of enjoyment in the flow state. The use of 2.5D graphics and analogous color schemes created a spatial illusion that captivated users' attention. Practitioners are encouraged to design game artifacts with feature sets and mechanics capable of transporting players into the state of flow, as this is the stage where they experience game control, excitement and relaxation in addition to game immersion in the state of arousal

    Classification of Affective Data to Evaluate the Level Design in a Role-Playing Videogame

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    This paper presents a novel approach to evaluate game level design strategies, applied to role playing games. Following a set of well defined guidelines, two game levels were designed for Neverwinter Nights 2 to manipulate particular emotions like boredom or flow, and tested by 13 subjects wearing a brain computer interface helmet. A set of features was extracted from the affective data logs and used to classify different parts of the gaming sessions, to verify the correspondence of the original level aims and the effective results on people emotions. The very interesting correlations observed, suggest that the technique is extensible to other similar evaluation tasks

    A conceptual framework to implement gamification on online courses of computer programming learning: implementation

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    Piteira, M., Costa, C. J., & Aparicio, M. (2017). A conceptual framework to implement gamification on online courses of computer programming learning: implementation . In 10th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI2017) (pp. 7022-7031). (ICERI2015 Proceedings). IATED Academy.On the last years, gamification has studient in variuous contexts, such as marketing, health, sports and education. According to literature, gamification integrates "elements of game design in non-game context", with the objective of increasing users' engagement in certain activities. Therefore gamification integration on information systems should follow a formal and clear design process. However, these gamification design processes for specific contexts are not still defined. Thus, based on a literature review the authors proposed in a previously conducted study a framework for the implementation of gamification in online courses of computer programming learning. The framework is composed of the following dimensions: target audience, general goals, learning outcomes, topics, contents, gamification, cognitive absorption, flow, and personality. In the scope of this paper, authors present and describe the implementation of the conceptual framework. In order to achieve the objective, an online course of fundamentals of programming was designed and implemented, based on the previously proposed framework having then been launched a questionnaire to the students who attended the online course. The student's attitudes towards game elements have been identified.authorsversionpublishe

    The Influence of Cortisol, Flow, and Anxiety on Performance in E-Sports: A Field Study

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    Background and Objectives. Most performance theories were tested under controlled laboratory settings and offer therefore only limited transferability to real-life situations. E-sport competitions offer a relatively controllable while at the same time competitive setting, and our aim was to examine different influencing factors on competitive performance. Design and Methods. Salivary cortisol was measured immediately before, after, and 30 minutes after a game of 23 computer players during e-sport tournaments. The players answered the Flow Short Scale, which consists of the two subdimensions “flow experience” and “anxiety” subsequent to their game. The performance was assessed by the result of each player’s game (win or loss). Results. Mean cortisol levels increased significantly during the game but response patterns were inconsistent. Winners and losers differed significantly in anxiety with winners showing higher anxiety levels. After dividing the sample into three groups of different cortisol response patterns, significant differences in performance and anxiety were found, with low to moderate levels of cortisol being associated with the highest performance and anxiety. Conclusions. A low to moderate physiological arousal and a simultaneously high level of anxiety represent a favorable state for achieving optimal performance during e-sports. Anxiety seems to exert a stronger influence on performance than physiological arousal

    Flow in games: Aural condition

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    Thesis submitted to the Department of Computer Science, Ashesi University College, in partial fulfillment of Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, April 2012This thesis discusses the potential the aural condition of games have with respect to creating and sustaining flow for all player types. It goes further to discuss the components of flow, existing methods of flow creation and sustenance with regards to game design and also suggests new flow creation and sustenance methods that leverage the properties of sound, music and the overall the aural condition of games.Ashesi University Colleg

    Impact of violent video game realism on the self-concept of aggressiveness assessed with explicit and implicit measures

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    We compared the standard 2D representation of a recent violent computer game to its 3D representation realized by shutter-goggles in a lab experiment. Assuming that the higher degree of realism of media violence would impact stronger on players in a pretest–posttest design, we analyzed the influence of violent video game exposure on implicit and explicit measures of aggressiveness. According to an explicit questionnaire on aggressiveness, participants reported having becoming more peaceful, whereas an Implicit Association Test on aggressiveness (Agg-IAT) indicated that the association between self and aggressive behavior became stronger after violence exposure, confirming the unique utility of Agg-IATs in media research. The 3D visualization mode, however, did not further strengthen this association, and a mediation model of increases in aggressiveness by participants’ flow experiences was not supported. When inspecting flow experiences, an interaction effect between gender and visualization mode was evident: Male participants were more likely to have flow experiences in the high-realism (3D) format, whereas female participants were more likely to experience flow in the standard (2D) mode. We discuss the findings in the context of automatic information processing in aggression, and we contend possible changes in automatic behavioral precursors due to media influence

    Code Adventure: An Educational Game for Learning JAVA Programming

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    The purpose of this project is to (1) develop an educational game for learning in a JAVA programming course for undergraduate students, (2) compare the learning achievements of educational games and lectures, and (3) assess learner game acceptance with learning through games. The sample used in this research were 50 first-year undergraduate students in the field of management information systems from the Department of Information Science, S University in Thailand. In game design and development, The researcher developed the game based on the concept of game flow elements, such as challenges, story, fun, beauty, and so on, in order to inspire learners to be engaged in learning through games. The tools used in the research were (1) educational game performance evaluation forms, (2) an educational game for learning JAVA programming concepts, (3) a learning achievement test, and (4) student satisfaction assessment forms. The research results showed that (1) the learning efficiency of the educational game was very good, (2) the academic achievement of learning by the educational game was higher than that of learning by lecture, and (3) the acceptance of learning with computer games by the students was excellent. Additionally, learning through games made it easier for students to absorb the subject and learn more effectively. It has been discovered that learning through games improves learning results for students

    Effective Affective User Interface Design in Games

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    It is proposed that games, which are designed to generate positive affect, are most successful when they facilitate flow (Csikszentmihalyi 1992). Flow is a state of concentration, deep enjoyment, and total absorption in an activity. The study of games, and a resulting understanding of flow in games can inform the design of nonleisure software for positive affect. The paper considers the ways in which computer games contravene Nielsen’s guidelines for heuristic evaluation (Nielsen and Molich 1990) and how these contraventions impact on flow. The paper also explores the implications for research that stem from the differences between games played on a personal computer and games played on a dedicated console. This research takes important initial steps towards defining how flow in computer games can inform affective design

    Malicious User Experience Design Research for Cybersecurity

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    This paper explores the factors and theory behind the user-centered research that is necessary to create a successful game-like prototype, and user experience, for malicious users in a cybersecurity context. We explore what is known about successful addictive design in the fields of video games and gambling to understand the allure of breaking into a system, and the joy of thwarting the security to reach a goal or a reward of data. Based on the malicious user research, game user research, and using the GameFlow framework, we propose a novel malicious user experience design approac
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