Interactive Digital Storytelling: Towards a Hybrid Conceptual Approach

1 Introduction In this contribution, Interactive Digital Storytelling is viewed as a hybrid form of game design and cinematic storytelling for the understanding and making of future learning and entertainment applications. The paper shall present formal design models that provide a conceptual bridge between both traditional linear narrative techniques as well as agent-based emergent conversations with virtual characters. In summary, a theoretical classification of thinking models for authors and interactive experiences for users will be presented. The conceptual work is based upon practical experiments within several research projects on edutainment, which employ conversations with virtual characters to convey information and to entertain. By building several prototypes, two different approaches where explored to combine plot-based interactive storytelling with character-based emergent conversations. Visual impressions of the examples are shown in Fig. 1 and will be explained in more detail in the full paper. In both examples, several virtual animated characters converse digitally with each other and with a user who mainly types text with the keyboard, optionally complemented by choice functionality and special hardware interfaces. The resulting conversations differ in their direction of approaching a middle ground between predefined narrative presentations and emergent conversations with a user, by combining emerging chatterbot dialogues with a story structure. The user experiences a semi-autonomous behaviour of interacting agents. This paper is not about the difference between stories and games. The motivation is on the potential of both to offer structures for learning and entertainment. Instead of trying to draw a distinct line between them, conceptual models for authors have to be defined, who are responsible to flesh out a suitable design within a variability of forms. Design elements include aspects of drama and filmmaking, dialogue design, as well as game design and game tuning. The actual challenge for the design of learning applications with conversational agents is the necessity that authors have to take on responsibility concerning the intended outcome and effect. In fact, they have to balance the bias between a pre-structured storyline (and possibly a timeline) which they may have strictly defined, and the agency that users shall experience through the design of the author. However, there is no one-dimensional borderline between both. In the following, the paper presents a model with several levels which shall help to form a more differentiated picture. 2 Conceptual Models for Storytelling and Agency In Fig. 2, a traditional modus operandi is sketched at four abstract levels. The distinction between levels may vary from project to project. The four levels were found to be suitable for the addition of interaction at each of the levels to form a classification of genres. On the top level of highest story abstraction, the overall dramatic outline is sketched. For example, there may be a hero’s journey in 3 acts, or a Propp model. Further, authors break down the story into scenes which are handled at the next level. Each scene will be defined by a scene script. Within a scene, dialogues and interactions between actors are defined, and lead to stage directions. If producing for an animated film, these directions are strictly mapped onto virtual actors by a skilled animator, who defines the way the virtual actors move and behave. When storytelling gets interactive, the user can influence the storytelling. In fact, in games as well as in constructivist scenarios for learning, users need to experience agency within a story. However, there are different levels at which to affect the outcome. In Fig. 3, the first author model (compare Fig. 2) has been extrapolated according to the need of introducing agency at each level. Opposed to the author, a participant is modelled who now may contribute to each level. The first implication for the author is that it’s not enough to just model a database of descriptions, but to add rules and models, which control an autonomous behaviour at each level in reaction to the participants. Then, it is possible to think of gradations of granted agency versus authored determination. Within Fig. 3 this is indicated by the sliders between control and autonomy at each level. The levels rather represent conceptual stages for authoring than elements of software architecture, though there are parallels to architectures of a number of existing systems of game and story engines. Semi-autonomy occurs on the edge between predefined factual information and rules for each level. The more rules on one level, the more agency can be experienced by potentially affecting the respective level. For example: It is imaginable that participants only experience agency on the lowest level, as a feeling of presence in a scenario. In this case, everything is predefined, but avatars would still react with nonverbal cues to the visitor and recognize her, comparable to a virtual cursor that shows a live status. At the conversation level, participants can for example have agency in an entertaining and informative chatbot dialogue with the characters. They may even not be able to affect anything in the story logic, but participate at dialogue level with speech acts. Agency at scene level would mean to have real choices about the outcome of a scene, for example, the story of the game would have to change according to user’s actions. On the top level, players would influence the whole story of the application, if the "agency slider" would be at a 100% to the right. For example, a simulation such as "The Sims" (Electronic Arts) can be put into the classification here. For factual knowledge transfer in a didactic lesson situation, the highest level could stay predefined, while the lower levels allow for conversational interaction, however constrained. If authors only provide a rule base with little pre-scripted structuring, they achieve a conceptual model more like an exploration or gaming experience depending completely on the action of the player. While arranging the bias at each level to various slider positions, several abstract genres of Interactive Digital Storytelling can be rebuilt in the model, which helps to specify exactly what kind of user experience an application shall provide. It is a conceptual model that can be used to classify story-related games, and it particularly supports authors coming from linear media, stepping into interactive storytelling. 3 Further Work In the full paper, I will also tackle related work while comparing with other theoretical models between games and stories, including references of the taxonomies of C. Lindley, M. Leblanc, J. Klabbers, B. Laurel, C. Pearce, and traditional classifications such as of R. Caillois. I will give more examples how existing products of Interactive Storytelling fit into the classification, and raise the question if new genres have to be defined particularly for Interactive Digital Storytelling. Literature Caillois, Roger: Man, Play and Games. (orig.: Les Jeux Et Les Hommes 1958) University of Illinois Press, Reprint (2001) Hunicke, Robin; LeBlanc, Marc; Zubek, Robert: MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research. In: Workshop Proceedings: Challenges in Game AI. 19th National Conference on Artificial Intelligence AAAI (2004) Klabbers, Jan H.G.: The gaming landscape: A taxonomy for classifying games and simulations. In Copier & Raessens (Eds.) Level up: Digital Games Research Conference. Utrecht University (2003) Lindley, Craig: Narrative, Game Play and Alternative Time Structures for Virtual Environments. In: Proc. TIDSE 2004, Technologies for Interactive Digital Storytelling and Entertainment, Darmstadt, Springer LNCS vol. 3105, 2004 Pearce, Celia: Emergent authorship: The next interactive revolution. In: Computers & Graphics 26, p. 21-29 (2002) Spierling, U.: Conceptual Models for Interactive Digital Storytelling in Knowledge Media Applications. In: Proc. TIDSE 2004, Technologies for Interactive Digital Storytelling and Entertainment, Darmstadt, Springer LNCS vol. 3105, 200

Plusminus: Emergenssilähtöinen peliympäristöjen suunnittelu

Emergent gameplay occurs when the rules of a game system interact and create new behavior that is not defined by the rules of the system. It has been a widely discussed topic in the research of games and game design, and it is described as a desirable and beneficial property of a game system that is difficult to design. Emergent gameplay has been described to increase player freedom and creativity, make game worlds more consistent and immersive, increase the depth and strategy in games, and extend the lifespan of a game. However, it may also make designing games more difficult, decrease the creative control of game designers, and enable game-breaking behaviors. Previous research on how to design games for emergence has approached the topic heavily from the perspective of technical implementations of the game rule systems. In this thesis emergent gameplay is approached from the perspective of level design, and the impact of level design on the occurrence of emergence in a game is discussed. The thesis states that designing games for emergence requires considerations in level design of the game, and that level design decisions can significantly increase the emergent properties of a game system. The thesis looks into previous research on emergence and analyzes the definitions of the concept. The findings are then used to form several methods and approaches on level design in order to support and encourage emergent gameplay which are used to design levels for an action-puzzle game Plusminus. Finally, the thesis discusses the methods and approaches formed and evaluates the results of the attempts to increase emergent gameplay through level design. The conclusions of this thesis suggest that how levels are designed can introduce constraints in emergent gameplay and that the occurrence of emergence and use of emergent strategies in games can be improved with level design solutions.Emergenssi viittaa pelitutkimuksessa pelijärjestelmän toimintaan, kun järjestelmän säännöt ovat vuorovaikutuksessa ja luovat uudenlaista käyttäytymistä, joka ei ole järjestelmän sääntöjen määrittelemää. Aihetta on tutkittu paljon pelitutkimuksessa ja -suunnittelussa, ja se mielletään usein toivottavaksi pelijärjestelmän ominaisuudeksi, jota on vaikea suunnitella. Emergenssin on väitetty lisäävän pelaajan vapautta ja luovuutta, tekevän pelimaailmoista todentuntuisempia ja immersiivisempiä, lisäävän peliin syvyyttä ja strategisuutta sekä pidentävän pelin käyttöikää. Se voi kuitenkin tehdä pelien suunnittelusta vaikeampaa, vähentää pelinkehittäjän kontrollia pelaajan pelikokemuksesta ja mahdollistaa peliä rikkovia toimintoja. Aiempi tutkimus pelien suunnittelusta emergenssille on lähestynyt aihetta usein näkökulmista, jotka ovat painottuneet vahvasti pelijärjestelmän sääntöjen tekniseen toteutukseen. Tämä tutkimus lähestyy emergenssiä peliympäristöjen suunnittelun näkökulmasta ja analysoi ympäristösuunnittelun vaikutusta emergenssiin. Tutkimus esittää, että pelien suunnittelussa emergenssiä varten on emergenssi huomioitava myös pelien ympäristöjen suunnittelussa ja että pelien ympäristöjen suunnittelulla emergenssin esiintymistä voidaan lisätä merkittävästi. Emergenssiä lähestytään aiheena analysoimalla aiemman tutkimuksen sille antamia määritelmiä, minkä pohjalta luodaan peliympäristöjen suunnittelumalleja emergenssin lisäämiseksi toimintapeliin Plusminukseen. Lopuksi käytettyjen suunnittelumallien käyttöä ja vaikutusta emergenssin esiintymiseen arvioidaan. Työn tuloksista voidaan nähdä, että pelien ympäristöjen suunnittelu voi luoda rajoitteita pelaamiselle, mikä voi myös vaikuttaa emergenssin esiintymiseen. Tulokset myös viittaavat siihen, että emergenssilähtöinen peliympäristöjen suunnittelu, ainakin Plusminuksen kaltaisessa pelissä, voi lisät mahdollisuuksia emergenssin esiintymiseen

Mobilspelet Magis i undervisningen : En fenomenologisk fallstudie om klasslärares upplevelser

Temat för avhandlingen är mobilspelet Magis – En berättelse om Runlunden. Spelet är utarbetat i samarbete mellan Mieli psykisk hälsa Österbotten och Institutionen för psykologi vid Jyväskylä universitet, och arbetsgruppen bakom spelet är tvärvetenskaplig. Spelet är riktat till elever i årskurs 1–3 och det övergripande syftet med spelet är att stödja barns må bra -färdigheter. Syftet med denna avhandling är att undersöka klasslärares upplevelser av användning av Magis i undervisningen. Vidare är syftet att undersöka klasslärares upplevelser av spel som pedagogiskt verktyg i arbete kring socioemotionella färdigheter, samt lärares roll under spellektionerna. Utgående från syftet har följande forskningsfrågor formulerats: 1. Hur upplever klasslärare användning av Magis i undervisningen? 2. Hur upplever klasslärare spel som pedagogiskt verktyg i arbete kring socioemotionella färdigheter? 3. Hur upplever lärare sin egen roll under speltillfällena? Avhandlingen är en kvalitativ fallstudie med en fenomenologisk forskningsansats. Som datainsamlingsmetoder har använts semistrukturerade intervjuer och systematisk observation. Två lärare deltog i studien, och båda lärarna intervjuades två gånger. Utöver detta gjordes två observationer i båda klassrummen. Materialet analyserades med kvalitativ dataanalys, och resultaten framställdes enligt forskningsfrågorna. Resultatet visar att respondenterna upplever att Magis är ett användbart verktyg i undervisningen, även om de också anser att för att kunna stödja utvecklingen av socioemotionella färdigheter behövs kontinuerligt arbete och mångsidiga arbetssätt. Respondenterna upplever att spelet för det mesta fungerar innehållsmässigt, och att spelet är tydligt uppbyggt och användbarheten är bra. Resultatet visar att respondenterna upplever spel som ett lämpligt pedagogiskt verktyg med många fördelar, såsom möjlighet till samarbete mellan eleverna. En ytterligare fördel med spel är att många elever har ett naturligt intresse för spel. Angående lärares roll under speltillfällena visar resultatet att respondenterna hade två huvudsakliga roller, facilitator och observatör. Respondenternas roll varierade under de olika skedena av spelprocessen

Future Intelligent Systems and Networks 2019

In this Special Issue, we present current developments and future directions of future intelligent systems and networks. This is the second Special Issue regarding the future of the Internet. This subject remains of interest for firms applying technological possibilities to promote more innovative business models. This Special Issue widens the application of intelligent systems and networks to firms so that they can evolve to more innovative models. The five contributions highlight useful applications, business models, or innovative practices based on intelligent systems and networks. We hope our findings become an inspiration for firms operating in various industries

Android Based Chatbot and Mobile Application for Tour and Travel Company

Mobile Applications are rapidly growing segment of global mobile market. This paper involves an application for the android base operating system for a travel agent which will conduct booking transactions for train tickets, airline tickets, hotel, theme park, and tour. This application is integrated with a chatbot, an instant messaging applications. Chatbot is a computer program that can communicate with users. The purpose of chatbot is to support and scale business teams in their relations with customers. This chatbot can be placed in Facebook Messenger, telegram and own website, so it gives the potential to reach a bigger audience. Customers do not need to install new applications. The customer just simply adds chatbot as a friend and starts transacting with a conversation, without needing to understand the intended user interface in an application. By using chatbot, the company can also shorten sales transactions. Company can also broadcast information directly to customers easily. In this paper, we first discuss about chatbot and mobile application system design. Finally we will discuss about the system implementation

Aspekty funkcjonowania gier cyfrowych we współczesnej kulturze: studia przypadków

Zbiór studiów poświęconych zarówno teoretycznemu, jak i praktycznemu wymiarowi badania gier cyfrowych. Autorzy położyli nacisk na dwa obszary tych badań. Pierwszym z nich, będącym jednocześnie głównym celem tej publikacji, jest uporządkowanie terminologii związanej z grami, wyjaśnienie niejasności w tłumaczeniu i stosowaniu terminów w międzynarodowym dyskursie groznawczym, a także opisanie cech właściwych grom cyfrowym. Z kolei drugi obszar badawczy obejmuje rozmaite zjawiska związane z grami cyfrowymi, zbliżające do siebie graczy i twórców oraz sprzyjające łączeniu się graczy w grupy, tworzeniu społeczności i kreowaniu tożsamości. Książka skierowana jest do badaczy gier, a także do osób dopiero zapoznających się z tą tematyką

Gender roles in Agriculture and natural resources management in upper east region, Ghana

The Upper East region is one of the poorest regions in Ghana with an estimated 90% of the people living in rural areas being peasant farmers. In many instances, farmers use their land unsustainably thus worsening the already poor soil condition. Women in the region contribute substantially to food production. However, the lack of access to land and other farm inputs are major challenges that reduce their potential production levels. Climate change is another challenge which is expected to worsen the already food insecure situation of the region. Management decisions and choice of management practices have implications for the natural resource base. The study sought to investigate the livelihood typologies and the factors that differentiate household types and determine the gender specific agricultural roles in the upper east region of Ghana. Similarly, gender differentials in the adoption of inorganic fertilizer and factors that influence gender-specific adaptation strategies to climate change and variability were studied. Finally, role-playing games were used to guide management of natural resources from a gender perspective. A household survey was conducted from August to December 2014 using a pre-tested questionnaire where 150 males and 150 female farmers were randomly sampled from 14 communities within the Bolgatanga Municipality and Bongo district. Subsequently, a total of 44 grazing games comprising 22 games for male headed household (HH) and 22 games for female HH were played. Results show that male farmers have access to and cultivate larger land areas than females in the study area due to the patrilineal system of inheritance. In addition, male farmers cultivate cash crops such as legume compared to women who kept a higher percentage of their lands under the cultivation of traditional cereal crops to improve household food security. Furthermore, male HH generate relatively higher income from the sale of their farm produce than their female counterparts. Women generally have limited access to land. Women are involved in all stages of farming activities and more particularly in physically demanding activities such as planting crops, weeding, planting trees, fertilizer application, watering, tree and crop harvesting and hauling of farm produce. The only role women play in the financial administration of the farm is selling of crops. Men on the other hand are engaged in land preparation, feeding of livestock, seedling production and pruning of trees. They are the main actors in the financial administration such as purchasing of farm inputs, farm financing and maintenance of farm records. The study also shows that male headed households are more likely to adopt fertilizer application than female HH. The factors that significantly influenced male HH adoption of inorganic fertilizer were household size, marital status, area of land allocated for maize and rice production and perceptions about fertility status of the soil. Factors that influence adoption of inorganic fertilizer for female headed HH were, farming experience, household size and dependency ratio, farm area for maize and rice and family remittance. A majority of both gender groups perceived an increase in temperature, a decrease precipitation and an increase in drought spells. However only 49% male and 40% female HH have adopted strategies to cope with increasing temperatures while 56% male and 49% female have adapted to decreasing precipitation. Similarly, 62% male and 60% female HH have adapted to increasing drought spells. The main difference between the two groups are that males prefer to migrate and seek employment in other parts of the country whereas females prefer to engage in off-farm jobs such as trading, basketry and shea-butter processing. The age of farmers, access to extension services, access to credit facility, farming experience between 11- 21 years, and perceived loss of soil fertility, among other factors, are more likely to lead to the adoption of practices that reduce the impact of decreasing and erratic precipitation. In the games, males produced higher numbers of cows but created the largest desert patches. Females were identified as better managers of natural resources as they created fewer desert patches. Strategies such as reducing the number of cows to allow for re-growth of vegetation in periods of feed scarcity, ploughing for each other using bulls, and family support using income from the sale of livestock were employed by both gender groups. Policies which target maize and rice producers will be relevant to increase fertilizer adoption. In addition, policies that target experienced farmers, farmers with large household size among female-headed households will be relevant for adoption of fertilizer. To promote climate change adaptation, policy should target farmers who have access to credit, extension services, land and access to weather information. The involvement of female farmers in decision-making is crucial to improve natural resource management.Geschlechterrollen in der Landwirtschaft und im Management natürlicher Ressourcen in der Upper East Region Ghanas Die Upper East Region ist eine der ärmsten Regionen Ghanas. Dort sind schätzungsweise 90 % der Landbevölkerung Kleinbauern. In vielen Fällen nutzen die Bauern ihr Land nicht nachhaltig und verschlechtern so den ohnehin bereits schlechten Zustand des Bodens. Die Frauen in der Region leisten einen erheblichen Beitrag zur Nahrungsmittelproduktion. Jedoch ist der fehlende Zugang zu Land und zu anderen landwirtschaftlichen Produktionsmitteln eine große Herausforderung, die das Produktionspotential der Frauen verringert. Der Klimawandel wird voraussichtlich die Notlage der Nahrungsmittelsicherung verschärfen. Die Entscheidungen und Praktiken mit den Folgen des Klimawandels umzugehen haben Auswirkungen auf die natürlichen Ressourcen. Zum einen hat diese Studie das Ziel die Lebensgrundlagen und die Faktoren zu bestimmen, welche die unterschiedlichen Haushalte ausmachen. Zum anderen geht es darum, die geschlechterspezifischen Rollen in der Landwirtschaft der Upper East Region in Ghana zu ermitteln. Ebenfalls untersucht werden die Geschlechterunterschiede in der Einführung von anorganischem Dünger und die Faktoren, welche den geschlechterspezifischen Anpassungsstrategien an den Klimawandel beeinflussen. Dabei wurden Rollenspiele eingesetzt, um den Umgang mit natürlichen Ressourcen aus geschlechtsspezifischer Sicht zu ermitteln. Von August bis Dezember 2014 wurde eine Haushaltsumfrage mit einem vorab getesteten Fragebogen durchgeführt, bei der 150 Bauern und 150 Bäuerinnen aus 14 Gemeinden des Bolgatanga Municipal District und des Bongo District nach dem Zufallsprinzip befragt wurden. Anschließend wurden insgesamt 44 sogenannte grazing games durchgeführt, 22 in von Männern geleiteten Haushalten (HH) und 22 in weiblichen geleiteten Haushalten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Männer im Untersuchungsgebiet aufgrund des patrilinearen Vererbungssystems Zugang zu größeren Landflächen haben als Frauen. Darüber hinaus bauen Männer Cash Crops wie Hülsenfrüchte an, Frauen hingegen nutzen einen höheren Prozentsatz ihrer Anbauflächen für traditionellen Getreideanbau, um die Ernährungssicherheit ihrer Haushalte zu verbessern. Männliche HH erzielten daher ein höheres Einkommen aus dem Verkauf ihrer landwirtschaftlichen Erzeugnisse als ihre weiblichen Kollegen. Frauen haben in der Regel nur begrenzten Zugang zu Land. Frauen sind in allen Bereichen der Landwirtschaft tätig und verrichten insbesondere harte körperliche Arbeit wie das Pflanzen von Nutzpflanzen und Bäumen, Jäten, Düngen, Bewässern, Ernten und das Tragen der Ernte. Die einzige Rolle, die Frauen in der Verwaltung der Finanzen spielen, ist der Verkauf der Ernte. Die Männer hingegen beschäftigen sich mit der Bodenbearbeitung, der Fütterung von Vieh, der Produktion von Setzlingen und dem Beschneiden von Bäumen. Sie sind die Hauptakteure in der Verwaltung der Finanzen und kümmern sich um den Kauf von Produktionsmitteln, um die Finanzierung und um die Buchführung. Die Studie zeigt auch, dass von Männern geführte Haushalte eher auf Düngemittel zurückgreifen als weibliche HH. Die Faktoren, welche die Einführung von anorganischem Dünger bei Männern maßgeblich beeinflussen, sind die Haushaltsgröße, der Familienstand, die für die Mais- und Reisproduktion zugewiesene Fläche und die Beurteilung der Fruchtbarkeit des Bodens. Faktoren, welche die Einführung von anorganischem Dünger bei von Frauen geführten HH beeinflussen, sind landwirtschaftliche Erfahrung, Haushaltsgröße und Abhängigkeitsgrad, landwirtschaftliche Nutzfläche für Mais und Reis und Rücküberweisung von Familienmitgliedern. Die Mehrheit beider Geschlechtergruppen konnte einen Temperaturanstieg, sowie einen Rückgang der Niederschläge und einen Anstieg der Dürreperioden beobachten. Allerdings haben nur 49% der männlichen und 40% der weiblichen HH Strategien entwickelt, um mit den steigenden Temperaturen umzugehen. An die abnehmenden Niederschläge haben sich 56% der Männer und 49% der Frauen angepasst. Zudem haben sich 62% der männlichen und 60% der weiblichen HH auf die zunehmenden Dürreperioden eingestellt. Der Hauptunterschied zwischen den beiden Gruppen besteht darin, dass Männer es vorziehen, in andere Teile des Landes zu migrieren und eine Beschäftigung zu suchen, während Frauen es bevorzugen, Tätigkeiten außerhalb der Landwirtschaft auszuüben wie Handeln, das Herstellen von Korbwaren und die Verarbeitung von Shaebutter. Faktoren für die Einführung von Praktiken, welche die Auswirkungen abnehmender und unregelmäßiger Niederschläge verringern, sind: das Alter der Bauern, der Zugang zu Beratung und Krediten, landwirtschaftliche Erfahrung im Alter von über 10 Jahren und den augenscheinliche Fruchtbarkeit des Bodens. In den Spielen produzierten die Männer eine höhere Anzahl von Kühen, aber auch die größten Wüstenflächen. Frauen wurden als bessere Verwalter von natürlichen Ressourcen ausgemacht, da sie weniger Wüstenflächen schufen. Beide Gruppen setzten die folgenden Strategien ein: sie reduzierten die Anzahl der Kühe, damit sich die Vegetation in Zeiten der Futterknappheit erholen kann; sie unterstützen sich gegenseitig beim Pflügen der Felder mit Bullen; und nutzten familiäre Netzwerke für den Verkauf von Vieh. Politische Maßnahmen, die sich an Mais- und Reisproduzenten richten, werden relevant sein, um die Nutzung von Düngemitteln zu erhöhen. Ebenfalls relevant für die Einführung von Düngemitteln sind Richtlinien die sich an erfahrene Bauern richten, sowie an große von Frauen geführte Haushalte. Um die Anpassung an den Klimawandel zu fördern, sollte die Politik auf Bauern ausgerichtet sein, die Zugang zu Krediten und Beratungsdiensten, sowie zu Land- und Wetterinformationen haben. Die Einbeziehung von Bäuerinnen in den Entscheidungsprozess ist ausschlaggebend für eine bessere Bewirtschaftung von natürlichen Ressourcen

Games and rules: game mechanics for the "Magic Circle"

Why do we play games and why do we play them on computers? The contributors of "Games and Rules" take a closer look at the core of each game and the motivational system that is the game mechanics. Games are control circuits that organize the game world with their (joint) players and establish motivations in a dedicated space, a "Magic Circle", whereas game mechanics are constructs of rules designed for interactions that provide gameplay. Those rules form the base for all the excitement and frustration we experience in games. This anthology contains individual essays by experts and authors with backgrounds in Game Design and Game Studies, who lead the discourse to get to the bottom of game mechanics in video games and the real world - among them Miguel Sicart and Carlo Fabricatore

Games and Rules

Why do we play games and why do we play them on computers? The contributors of »Games and Rules« take a closer look at the core of each game and the motivational system that is the game mechanics. Games are control circuits that organize the game world with their (joint) players and establish motivations in a dedicated space, a »Magic Circle«, whereas game mechanics are constructs of rules designed for interactions that provide gameplay. Those rules form the base for all the excitement and frustration we experience in games. This anthology contains individual essays by authors with backgrounds in Game Design and Game Studies, who lead the discourse to get to the bottom of game mechanics in video games and the real world