MMORPG avatars: Representations of escapism in Chinese society based on semiotics of culture

The development of Internet technology and globalization have boosted the game industry, and among which Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing Games (MMORPGs) provide a space where players could create their own avatar at will, and generate their physical and psychological involvement to participate in the virtual experience of the game context. Through cases with semiotics analysis and cultural phenomenon, the correlation between in-game avatar and escapism in Chinese context would be examined on how do in-game avatars connect with escapism in China. This highly resilient virtual social space provides a malleable field far from reality, for the transition from culture to nature, from reality to illusion, and from self to digital self. By analyzing the correlation and rooted reasons between in-game avatar in MMORPGs and escapism in Chinese social context, this project will contribute to the re-understanding of the symbolic meaning of in-game avatars and realistic meaning in Chinese society

Exploring social gambling: scoping, classification and evidence review

The aim of this report is to speculate on the level of concern we might have regarding consumer risk in relation to ‘social gambling.’ In doing so, this report is intended to help form the basis to initiate debate around a new and under-researched social issue; assist in setting a scientific research agenda; and, where appropriate, highlight concerns about any potential areas that need to be considered in terms of precautionary regulation. This report does not present a set of empirical research findings regarding ‘social gambling’ but rather gathers information to improve stakeholder understanding

Model For The Continuance Use Intention Of Mobile Learning Games

Published ArticleMobile educational applications encompass some of the most valuable learning tools that have ever been developed. Games for learning are most effective when multiple sessions are involved. Previous research on the use of educational games in mathematics education has focused primarily on the learning potential of these games and has not adequately addressed the continuance use intention of these games. The purpose of this paper is to provide a model for the continuance use intention of mobile mathematical learning games. A mixed method research methodology was employed where qualitative and quantitative data was gathered through surveys and interviews. Sixty children, aged 8 to 12, from selected schools in one of South Africa’s provinces, participated in the study. The results indicated that a combination, balance and interplay of the various dimensions of enjoyment and engagement (cognitive, affective and physical) in a mathematical mobile learning game influenced the continuance use intention of learners. The resultant theoretical model could provide educators, parents and educational game designers with an integrated approach that should allow them to design and evaluate specific mathematical mobile learning games for motivational potential

Archaeology of Digital Environments: Tools, Methods, and Approaches

Digital archaeologists use digital tools for conducting archaeological work, but their potential also lies in applying archaeological thinking and methods to understanding digital built environments (i.e., software) as contemporary examples of human settlement, use, and abandonment. This thesis argues for digital spaces as archaeological artifacts, sites, and landscapes that can be investigated in both traditional and non-traditional ways. At the core of my research is the fundamental argument that human-occupied digital spaces can be studied archaeologically with existing and modified theory, tools, and methods to reveal that human occupation and use of synthetic worlds is similar to how people behave in the natural world. Working digitally adds new avenues of investigation into human behavior in relation to the things people make, modify, and inhabit. In order to investigate this argument, the thesis focuses on three video game case studies, each using different kinds of archaeology specifically chosen to help understand the software environments being researched: 1) epigraphy, stylometry, and text analysis for the code-artifact of Colossal Cave Adventure; 2) photogrammetry, 3D printing, GIS mapping, phenomenology, and landscape archaeology within the designed, digital heritage virtual reality game-site of Skyrim VR; 3) actual survey and excavation of 30 heritage sites for a community of displaced human players in the synthetic landscape of No Man’s Sky. My conclusions include a blended approach to conducting future archaeological fieldwork in digital built environments, one that modifies traditional approaches to archaeological sites and material in a post/transhuman landscape. As humanity continues trending towards constant digital engagement, archaeologists need to be prepared to study how digital places are settled, used, and abandoned. This thesis takes a step in that direction using the vernacular of games as a starting point

An exploration of the drivers and indicators of emergence in the offshore wind power industry

The emergence of new industries is a rare but critical part of the development and growth of any economy. Successive governments have attempted to nurture the development of specific new industries with mixed success – some industries emerge only to disappear after a short time. There is a substantial body of literature which looks at specific aspects of the phenomenon of industry emergence from within the evolutionary economics and business management domains. This body of knowledge is focused on mass-manufacturing industry and constrained by a post-hoc nature of empirical studies to date. This is the first research to study an industry during its emergence and in doing so addresses a limitation of the existing research identified by authors in the field. The selected industry, Offshore Wind Power, is a complex product system industry thereby helping to extend the existing knowledge base from its previous mass-manufacture focus. This research seeks to address the applicability of mass manufacture focussed research to a complex product system industry, and to gain additional insights through observing emergence ‘as it happens’. The research is therefore exploratory in nature and is guided by the existing literature on drivers and indicators of emergence. The research shows that certain indicators of emergence (e.g. dominant design, accelerating sales growth) are not applicable in this industry and that some drivers and indicators are linked in causal loops – e.g. growth and legitimacy. This research uses a ‘systems lens’ to synthesise an understanding of how the various single factors previously researched interact. This systems approach leads to a proposed framework for industry interaction to promote both emergence and viability. This framework is tested against a recent counter case of a complex product system industry that has not reached emergence and the utility of the framework demonstrated.The emergence of new industries is a rare but critical part of the development and growth of any economy. Successive governments have attempted to nurture the development of specific new industries with mixed success – some industries emerge only to disappear after a short time. There is a substantial body of literature which looks at specific aspects of the phenomenon of industry emergence from within the evolutionary economics and business management domains. This body of knowledge is focused on mass-manufacturing industry and constrained by a post-hoc nature of empirical studies to date. This is the first research to study an industry during its emergence and in doing so addresses a limitation of the existing research identified by authors in the field. The selected industry, Offshore Wind Power, is a complex product system industry thereby helping to extend the existing knowledge base from its previous mass-manufacture focus. This research seeks to address the applicability of mass manufacture focussed research to a complex product system industry, and to gain additional insights through observing emergence ‘as it happens’. The research is therefore exploratory in nature and is guided by the existing literature on drivers and indicators of emergence. The research shows that certain indicators of emergence (e.g. dominant design, accelerating sales growth) are not applicable in this industry and that some drivers and indicators are linked in causal loops – e.g. growth and legitimacy. This research uses a ‘systems lens’ to synthesise an understanding of how the various single factors previously researched interact. This systems approach leads to a proposed framework for industry interaction to promote both emergence and viability. This framework is tested against a recent counter case of a complex product system industry that has not reached emergence and the utility of the framework demonstrated

Financial Inclusion Gone Wrong: Securities and Cryptoassets Trading for Children

According to studies, money is a major source of anxiety for most Americans. In looking for ways to remedy the source of such anxiety, some believe that increasing children’s financial orientation could help lower their money-related anxiety levels as adults. Identifying this market as a business opportunity—and reassured by research that shows that by age six, children are already veteran consumers of mobile apps—financial technology (fintech), decentralized finance (DeFi), and even traditional financial entities have started offering services and products to children. These services and products include a broad array of financial-related products and services, from enabling children to earn money for doing their chores, to trading stocks and cryptoassets, and even to earning digital assets and currencies while playing video games. The potential of this new market’s clientele is valuable for two reasons. First, having more customers is always a good thing. Second, children will eventually mature into adult customers who presumably will continue using the services and products they like and are familiar with. And, although some legal challenges are associated with children—who are minors—entering financial-based online contracts, this business trend will continue to grow as it becomes socially acceptable to offer financial services to children. Society’s newly adopted paradigms for describing, understanding, and shaping children’s rights, domestic relationships, custodial status, and even digital purchasing power are all supportive of this trend. Moreover, fintech and DeFi apps and games can help teach children about the value of money, the importance of investing, and the risks involved in trading. Yet fintech and DeFi apps and games could also have a disruptive effect on children, both developmentally and behaviorally, similar to that of other consumed digital content. This disruptive effect should be a source of concern to anyone focused on investor and consumer protection, including regulatory agencies like the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which have already expressed concerns over gamification and digital engagement practices. In light of “the financialization of everything,” this Article looks to both legal and ethical reasoning and behavioral economics tools to call for the search for effective financial literacy education for children to be replaced by a search for policies more conducive to good consumer and investor protection outcomes. These policies should guide lawmakers in regulating fintech and DeFi apps and games offered to children in light of the following considerations: (i) the addictiveness of digital gaming; (ii) how gamifying finance makes it feel less serious; (iii) the connection between gamification and gambling; (iv) how children’s financial choices are more susceptible to the influence of outside parties than are those of adults; (v) fintech and DeFi apps and games’ failure to teach children the importance of concepts such as debt, credit, and financial commitments; and (vi) the unrealistic burden on young parents, who are already struggling to constantly supervise their children’s online activities, to monitor their children’s online financial activities in our digital era

Redefining Classical Music Literacy: A Study of Classical Orchestras, Museum Anthropology, and Game Design Theory

The current state of declining audiences for the performing arts in the United States is cause for concern for those musicians and ensembles interested in the continuation of the art forms. The previous model of using audience numbers as the sole or primary measure of an orchestra\u27s success is no longer sufficient in an era of participatory design and interactive experiences. Through observation and analysis of the culture of classical music, this study focuses on the emerging visions of participatory culture and the ways in which museum anthropology and game design theory can be used to redefine classical music literacy and audience development in terms of interaction and participatory design