Video Game Development in a Rush: A Survey of the Global Game Jam Participants

Video game development is a complex endeavor, often involving complex software, large organizations, and aggressive release deadlines. Several studies have reported that periods of "crunch time" are prevalent in the video game industry, but there are few studies on the effects of time pressure. We conducted a survey with participants of the Global Game Jam (GGJ), a 48-hour hackathon. Based on 198 responses, the results suggest that: (1) iterative brainstorming is the most popular method for conceptualizing initial requirements; (2) continuous integration, minimum viable product, scope management, version control, and stand-up meetings are frequently applied development practices; (3) regular communication, internal playtesting, and dynamic and proactive planning are the most common quality assurance activities; and (4) familiarity with agile development has a weak correlation with perception of success in GGJ. We conclude that GGJ teams rely on ad hoc approaches to development and face-to-face communication, and recommend some complementary practices with limited overhead. Furthermore, as our findings are similar to recommendations for software startups, we posit that game jams and the startup scene share contextual similarities. Finally, we discuss the drawbacks of systemic "crunch time" and argue that game jam organizers are in a good position to problematize the phenomenon.Comment: Accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Game

Mapping for the Masses: Accessing Web 2.0 through Crowdsourcing

The authors describe how we are harnessing the power of web 2.0 technologies to create new approaches to collecting, mapping, and sharing geocoded data. The authors begin with GMapCreator that lets users fashion new maps using Google Maps as a base. The authors then describe MapTube that enables users to archive maps and demonstrate how it can be used in a variety of contexts to share map information, to put existing maps into a form that can be shared, and to create new maps from the bottom-up using a combination of crowdcasting, crowdsourcing, and traditional broadcasting. The authors conclude by arguing that such tools are helping to define a neogeography that is essentially "mapping for the masses,'' while noting that there are many issues of quality, accuracy, copyright, and trust that will influence the impact of these tools on map-based communication

Inflation,Unemployment and Nigerian Families: An empirical investigation

At present, the world economy is at a cross road. The Nigerian economy is therefore undergoing it most severe economic crisis since the Biafra war of the sixties. Currently, she is experiencing a staggering rate of inflation (well up to the double digit) as well as experiencing a severe recession (as the unemployment rate has risen astronomically). Consequently, a basic thesis of this proposal is that stagflation has caused and will continue to cause considerable hardship for many Nigerian families and poses a serious threat to the mental health of a substantial proportion of the population. It is therefore the aim of this research to document in a systematic way how families that have experienced varying degrees of “inflation crunch” have adjusted to or tried to adapt to this pressure. In other words, this phased research project proposes to provide information that will be useful to policy makers (government) who must weigh the costs and benefits of the current inflationary pressures as well as severe recession. Essentially, the result will be an emergence and evolution of corrective policy measures and strategies (as adequate and functional).inflation; unemployment; stagflation; inflationcrunch; nigeria; economy; world; depression; recession; targeting; phillipscurve; monetarypolicy; rationalexpectations; keynesiantheory; newclassicals; wages; prices; NAIRU

Software-Engineering Process Simulation (SEPS) model

The Software Engineering Process Simulation (SEPS) model is described which was developed at JPL. SEPS is a dynamic simulation model of the software project development process. It uses the feedback principles of system dynamics to simulate the dynamic interactions among various software life cycle development activities and management decision making processes. The model is designed to be a planning tool to examine tradeoffs of cost, schedule, and functionality, and to test the implications of different managerial policies on a project's outcome. Furthermore, SEPS will enable software managers to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of software project development and perform postmodern assessments