Pipeline rings and integrated services rings.

Wong, Po-Choi.Summary in Chinese.Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1989.Bibliography: leaves 156-164

Exploring the dynamics of knowledge sharing in the online affinity apaces of "Let's Play" Youtube Channels

With this dissertation the goal is to analyze the novel medium of video game streaming and more specifically the “Let’s Play” video format as seen on YouTube and other online platforms. The practice has experienced a rapid growth in popularity over the course of the last decade since its emergence, which means many of its intricacies are yet to be accounted for by academic research. The intent is to engage with it from the perspective of learning and knowledge exchange and see whether such processes take place within the channels dedicated to this type of content, and if so to map out their dynamics, and reflect critically on the picture that emerges from the exploration of these virtual spaces.El objetivo de esta tesis es analizar el nuevo medio para retransmisión de videojuegos y, en particular, el formato de vídeo "Let's Play" como el que está en YouTube y otras plataformas en línea. La práctica ha experimentado un rápido crecimiento de popularidad en el transcurso de la última década desde su aparición, lo que significa que muchas de sus complejidades aún deben tenerse en cuenta por la investigación académica. La intención es abordar este formato desde la perspectiva del aprendizaje y el intercambio de conocimientos y ver si tales procesos tienen lugar dentro de los canales dedicados a este tipo de contenido y, en caso de ser así, trazar la dinámica y reflexionar críticamente sobre el panorama que surge de la exploración de estos espacios virtuales.L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és analitzar el nou mitjà de retransmissió de videojocs i, més concretament, el format de vídeo "Let's Play" que es veu a YouTube i altres plataformes en línia. La popularitat d'aquesta pràctica ha crescut ràpidament durant l'última dècada des de la seva aparició, cosa que significa que moltes de les seves complexitats encara no han estat considerades per la investigació acadèmica. La intenció és abordar-lo des de la perspectiva de l'aprenentatge i l'intercanvi de coneixements i veure si aquests processos es desenvolupen dins dels canals dedicats a aquest tipus de continguts i, en cas afirmatiu, establir-ne la dinàmica i reflexionar de manera crítica sobre el panorama que es desprèn de l'exploració d'aquests espais virtuals

Direct and Indirect Impact : Player’s Choices Impact on Music in Beyond: Two Souls

This thesis investigates how the player’s choices in the story-centric game Beyond: Two Souls (Quantic Dream 2013) impact the game’s music. I approach the subject through audiovisual analysis and analytical play. I use terminology that has been established in earlier videogame and film studies. On top of mapping changes and their relationship to the player’s choices I also analyse how these choices reflect the game’s story and its characters. The thesis states that the player can impact the music in two ways: directly and indirectly. Player can have a direct impact on the music when they are offered to choose music accompanying the gameplay or have a chance to interact with an instrument whereas the player impacts the music indirectly through choices that do not indicate changes in music. In other words when the player impacts the music directly, they make what Elizabeth Medina-Gray calls musical choices, whereas indirect impact happens while making non-musical choices. In Beyond: Two Souls the player mainly impacts the music indirectly but there are select opportunities to impact the music directly as well. Direct impact in the game is offered through putting on music on a stereo or by the main character playing guitar. Indirectly the player impacts the music by choosing between executing vengeance or doing nothing as well as choosing from dialogue options at select points in the narrative. The thesis also takes a closer look at the ending of the game and how all the different possible scenarios impact the music the player hears. The intent of this thesis is to add to the earlier videogame research as well as to open up ways to research games that include the player in narrative choices. At the time of the release of this thesis there is not yet much research into how music is incorporated in story-centric games but hopefully this thesis can create academic discussion around the subject.Tutkielmani käsittelee sitä, millainen vaikutus pelaajan päätöksillä on tarina keskeisessä pelissä Beyond: Two Souls (Quantic Dream 2013). Tarina keskeisillä peleillä viitataan työssä peleihin, joissa pelaajalla on keskeinen asema tarinan muodostumisessa. Tällaisissa peleissä pelaajan on mahdollisuus tehdä päätöksiä, joilla on vaikutus siihen, miten tarina etenee ja miten tarinan hahmot toimivat erilaisissa tilanteissa. Nämä päätökset voivat koskea esimerkiksi tarinan dialogia tai hahmojen tekoja. Lähestyn tutkimusaihetta audiovisuaalisen lähiluvun sekä analyyttisen pelaamisen kautta. Käytän tutkimuksessani hyväksi aikaisempaa pelimusiikin tutkimusta ja sen termistöä sekä myös joitain elokuvatutkimuksen käsitteitä. Lähestyn pelin musiikkia varsinkin sen soundtrackilla esiintyvien teemojen kautta. Sen lisäksi, että kartoitan tutkimuksessa musiikin muutoksia, analysoin myös sitä, miten nämä muutokset kuvastavat pelin tarinaa ja sen hahmoja. Pelaaja vaikuttaa pelin musiikkiin kahdella eri tavalla: suorasti ja epäsuorasti. Kun pelaaja vaikuttaa musiikkiin suorasti hän on tietoinen valintojensa vaikutuksesta musiikkiin, kun puolestaan epäsuora vaikutus tapahtuu valinnoin, jotka vaikuttavat ensisijaisesti pelin tarinaan. Pelaaja voi vaikuttaa musiikkiin suorasti soittamalla instrumenttia pelissä tai valitsemalla pelin taustalla soivan musiikin. Pelissä Beyond: Two Souls pelaaja vaikuttaa musiikkiin suorasti soittamalla kitaraa tai valitsemalla peltilanteen tilassa soitettavan musiikkityylin stereoista. Epäsuora vaikutus pelissä tapahtuu esimerkiksi valitsemalla dialogin aiheen tai sävyn sekä valitsemalla kostaa tai olla tekemättä mitään tilanteissa, joissa pelaajalla on mahdollisuus kostaa päähahmoa kohdanneet vääryydet. Tutkielmassa käydään läpi myös pelin lopettava epilogi ja kuinka kaikki sen mahdolliset skenaariot vaikuttavat pelin musiikkiin. Tutkimukseni tarkoitus on lisätä aikaisempaan pelimusiikin sekä tarina keskeisten pelien musiikin tutkimukseen. Tutkimuksen julkaisun aikaan pelien, jotka antavat pelaajan tehdä valintoja pelin tarinaan liittyen, musiikista ei ole juuri tutkimusaineistoa, minkä vuoksi aiheen tutkiminen on tärkeää

Rewilding with AR and VR: Facilitating Care with Photography in Physically Immersive Apps

In this dissertation I analyze two AR apps from Internet of Elephants, Safari Central and Wildeverse, and one VR app from National Geographic, National Geographic: Explore VR. These three apps use photography as the central tool for engagement, attempt to educate users, and prompt them to care about wildlife and wilderness. However, the ethical consideration of design has largely ignored representations of the environment, especially as it may intersect with facilitating care for wilderness and wildlife that is experiencing the effects of habitat destruction and environmental degradation. This project begins developing a critical discussion of how wilderness and wildlife are selectively created through CGI by asking two research questions: What kinds of relationships are facilitated between users and representations of wildlife by designing around photography in AR and VR? and How can these designs be revised or leveraged for more beneficial environmental communication through care ethics? To answer my research questions, I use methods from game studies and a methodological lens informed by care ethics, new materialism, and feminist materialism. My results show that these apps facilitate an underdeveloped researcher/subject and patron/recipient roles. In answering my second research question, I craft three approaches for applying care ethics: 1) designing based on performances, 2) modeling behavior, and 3) engaging in a reflective photographic review process. This dissertation attempts to support the rewilding of media, which helps people reconnect (rewild) with (other) forms of wildlife and wilderness

Play Makes Perfect: An Exploration of Game and Play Elements in Composition and Performance

This dissertation aims to explore the intersection of play and games in Western classical music and define a new category of pieces, “ludic pieces,” which contain play structures and game mechanics within their composition. Starting with surveying perspectives in ludology and ludomusicology, including those by Roger Caillois, Johan Huizinga, Jesper Juul, Katie Salen, and Eric Zimmerman, I will examine various definitions of a “game” and what its qualifying aspects are. I will then turn to music and consider pieces that interact with play and games without containing game structures, including examples of musical humor and pieces which evoke the imagery and activity of games and sports. What follows is a definition and taxonomy of ludic pieces, which I hope will serve as a foundation for understanding and classifying various play interactions, including paidia, structured play, and ludus, competitive games. The pieces discussed range from ruled group improvisation to single-player games versus computer and showcase the range of possibility at this crossroads. I will also acknowledge considerations and issues regarding the rehearsal and performance of ludic pieces from both sides of the stage, reimagining the composer as game designer, performer as player, and audience as spectator. The dissertation will close with three case studies which will examine in depth the play and game potential within musical works

Study of emotion in videogames : understanding presence and behaviour

Only when videogames are released are we able to look at them and analyse them. Nowadays, platforms to share our thoughts and opinions about a videogame, or part of it, are everywhere, with both positive and negative commentaries being shared daily. However, what makes a game be seen as a positive experience and what components satisfy and engage players in it? In this Dissertation, we aim to comprehend how players perceive videogames and what motivates and triggers emotions one has during play. We will take a look at several different concepts that all work together when playing a videogame. We will start by understanding what Interaction is and how humans behave. Afterwards, we will better investigate the widely used topic of Immersion, and its unknown and unrecognized brother Presence. From there, we will divide involvement in game play in two parts, the technological side, which relates to natural interfaces and mastery of controls, and the side of design and implementation of content, more specifically the concept of Agency and how it plays a huge part in making players feel part of the game.Só quando um videojogo é lançado é que o podemos analisar e rever. Atualmente, encontramos plataformas para partilhar a nossa opinião acerca de um videojogo, ou parte dele, em qualquer lado, com comentários positivos e negativos a serem partilhados diariamente. No entanto, o que é que faz um jogo ser visto como uma experiência positiva e quais são os componentes que satisfazem e envolvem jogadores? Nesta Dissertação, pretendemos compreender como é que jogadores percecionam um videojogo e que emoções são despoletadas que os motiva a jogar. Iremos analisar diferentes conceitos que contribuem para o jogar de um videojogo. Começaremos por ver o que é a Interação e como é que o ser humano se comporta e age. Prosseguindo, iremos analisar o já bastante usado conceito de Imersão, e o seu desconhecido e menos reconhecido irmão, Presença. Daí iremos dividir o envolvimento com um videojogo em duas partes, no lado tecnológico, relacionado com interfaces naturais e mestria de controlos, e no lado de design e implementação de conteúdo, mais especificamente no conceito de Agência e a maneira como esta integra os jogadores no jogo

Narrative-Focused Video Games As Situated Learning: Media Literacy Implications of Play, Identity, and Perspective Taking

With the emergence of more narrative-focused video games, this study attempted to better understand how college students construct meaning through these interactive experiences as a means of understanding social and cultural differences and perspectives. This study explored how playing narrative-focused video games may interconnect with college students' lived experiences, their understanding of others through perspective taking, and their sense of identity in reality and in-game through the lens of media literacy. The theoretical framework utilized in this study drew from situated learning theory and Gee's theory of identity and identity stories. Data collection for this study used multiple data sources including college student focus groups, gameplay observations of students playing Gone Home, and individual participant interviews. Qualitative, narrative analysis was utilized to explore the identity stories shared by five college student participants as well as the themes that emerged across the various data sources. The results of this study found that participants situated video game narratives within their lived experiences, assimilating the experiences within the game with their own stories and reflections. Preliminary evidence emerged that participants engaged in perspective taking tendencies while playing narrative-focused games; however, this finding appears to be connected with the participant's level of awareness and attention to detail while playing the game. This study also explored concepts of the real, virtual, and projective identities (Gee, 2007). Results found that participants utilized video games that tell stories as a vehicle for exploring their own identity as they project themselves into the characters they embody within the game. While participants primarily described their real identity in regard to discursively established identity traits, video games allowed them to explore alternative points of view. Through gameplay observations and the stories participants shared, evidence in support for the media literacy concepts of play and performance emerged, while the media literacies of simulation and negotiation were less prominently featured. Implications for education and future research are also discussed.Educatio

Measuring Player Perceptions of Freedom and Control in Modded and Unmodded Versions of Bethesda\u27s Skyrim: A Qualitative Play Study

This interdisciplinary dissertation explores perceptions of control in modded and unmodded versions of Bethesda\u27s sandbox video game Skyrim. Sandbox games are known for greater choice options that suggest greater perceptions of control for gamers. Sandbox games also generally encourage the use of user-generated creations called modifications (mods) that users can download to personalize their games. While we need philosophy to understand and define control as a concept, we also need psychology to understand how users perceive control in media studies. At present, qualitative academic research that measures gamer perceptions of control is non-existent as is research on how users articulate their experiences with mods. Interviews were conducted with twenty-seven individuals who identified as gamers to analyze these perceptions of control in a game like Skyrim. The first chapter is introductory and outlines key terms for the dissertation as well as the play study\u27s methodology. The second chapter examines philosophical and psychological perceptions of control that correspond with negative freedom (freedom from) and positive freedom (freedom to). While no game can promise radical free will because they have been programmed in advance, the information here may be used to demonstrate how perceptions of control might influence game design. The third chapter continues this exploration of perceived control through genre analysis, revealing the relationship between greater perceptions of control and mod support in sandbox video games. The fourth chapter presents the first two findings from the play study that demonstrate how mods influence player perceptions of control. The fifth chapter reveals how gamers of the play study discuss their perceptions of control video games in their own words with an emphasis on positive and negative freedom and generic conventions. The final chapter provides challenges for game design and scholarly qualitative analysis for future research based on findings in the play study

Technologies of Transgression and Musical Play in Video Game Cultures

Developments in video games over the last few decades have opened up many new kinds of musical experiences that pose substantial challenges to traditional understandings of music and musical agency. Virtual spaces grant us opportunities and freedoms to interact with music in manners that might not be prudent, practical, or even possible in the physical world. Players and creators of games have considerable license to play with music – to push the boundaries of music’s signifying and sensational potential within far-reaching narrative, ludic, and social contexts. This dissertation investigates how modern technologies of digital gaming enable and motivate such transgressive modes of musical engagement. Video game players, composers, and designers frequently employ (or otherwise interact with) music, noise, and speech in ways that deliberately or inadvertently violate technical rules, social expectations, cultural conventions, aesthetic norms, and ethical codes. Just as creators of games are constantly surprising gamers with innovative concepts and progressive designs, so gamers often come up with forms of emergent play that creators themselves might not have anticipated or intended. Though gameplay isn’t always explicitly transgressive, I argue here that it can be productively conceptualized as an activity that is largely bound up in potentialities for transgression. Play isn’t simply about make-believe, but additionally about re-making belief – about redrawing the limits of the imagination through accomplishments of acts previously unimaginable (or believed to have been outright impossible). The particular liberties that can be taken with (and in) games may ultimately teach us some profound things about what (we think) music is (and isn’t), how it works, what it’s good for, and why and to whom these questions should matter in broader social, cultural, and intellectual contexts.Musi

Broken World

Broken World is a non-violent, non-competitive MMO set in an expansive post-fuel world with an emphasis on building a community. The art style is drawn from the real world, using low-poly models. The game is built upon a unique peer-to-peer networking model, which allows for a low-resource server. It also features a terrain rendering system that utilizes PNGs to store landscape data efficiently. Along with the game, a suite of custom development tools were built to allow developers to insert game content quickly. Post-development, the game and its related technologies were evaluated for their effectiveness