Pacman's canon in C#: a quantum interpretation of video game canon.

The topic of what constitutes canon with a video game is an under-explored topic in critical discussion. We rely, as a field, on largely intuitive and insubstantial parameters for the elements that we choose to analyse. This paper outlines the role of canon in the creation of popular media franchises, and the specific complexities that arise from treating video games as part of the same broad spectrum as more passive media such as books and movies. It puts forward a theory of canonicty that allows for all expression of player agency to be canonical simultaneously for the purposes of analysis and discussion-this is a kind of quantum interpretation. It concludes with an argument as to why what we consider to be viable canonical elements within video games must be tightly constrained if we are to give ourselves the best intellectual base from which to function

A spatially-structured PCG method for content diversity in a Physics-based simulation game

This paper presents a spatially-structured evolutionary algorithm (EA) to procedurally generate game maps of di ferent levels of di ficulty to be solved, in Gravityvolve!, a physics-based simulation videogame that we have implemented and which is inspired by the n- body problem, a classical problem in the fi eld of physics and mathematics. The proposal consists of a steady-state EA whose population is partitioned into three groups according to the di ficulty of the generated content (hard, medium or easy) which can be easily adapted to handle the automatic creation of content of diverse nature in other games. In addition, we present three fitness functions, based on multiple criteria (i.e:, intersections, gravitational acceleration and simulations), that were used experimentally to conduct the search process for creating a database of maps with di ferent di ficulty in Gravityvolve!.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Coextensive space: virtual reality and the developing relationship between the body, the digital and physical space

Virtual Reality (VR) has traditionally required external sensors placed around a designated play space. In contrast, more recent wired and wireless systems, such as the Oculus Rift S (released in March 2019) and the Oculus Quest (released in May 2019) use cameras located on the outside of these devices to monitor their physical position. Users can now mark out a physical space that is then digitally tracked within their display. Once a play space has been established, users are alerted if they come close to breaching this boundary by the visual inclusion of a grid. Should this threshold be breached, the headset display shifts to an image of the surrounding concrete environment. We contend that physical space is increasingly being incorporated into the digital space of VR in a manner that meaningfully differs from older systems. We build our argument in the following way. First, the article explores how theories surrounding VR have implicated only a limited relationship with physical space. Second, the article introduces the concept of coextensive space as a way of understanding the developing relationship between the physical, digital and concrete reality enacted by current VR systems

Author-Driven Approaches to Computational Narrative Design for Games

Accessible Head Mounted Displays (HMD) have provided mass access to Extended Reality (XR) content as never before. One of the key complaints from HMD owners, however, is the lack of substantial high-quality content (Moore 2017). Coupled with the domain-specific topic of presence, which describes a state beyond the concept of immersion instead with the user feeling part of the virtual world. Utilizing traditional production techniques cost and the duration of the resultant product are inextricably linked, although some progress reducing manual hours has been made with the introduction of Procedural Content Generation (PCG); the focus of this shift has been on asset creation rather than narratives (Kapadia et al. 2017). While PCG can reduce the cost of production it does not however directly increase the duration of the game. The current solution from developers has been to implement game mechanics to increase the duration of the game, leading to a rise in arcade-style wave shooters (Anon 2018), however, this solution is not applicable to long-form content such as narrative-based Role Playing Games (RPG), story-based first-person action games and interactive narratives. The intended contribution of this paper is both to describe the challenges to the academic knowledge in procedurally generated content and computational narratives but is also about studying how those approaches can be democratized, enabling wider adoption within the content creation community, with a view to their eventual use within non-entertainment sectors.Final Accepted Versio

Perspectives on the postdigital

The term postdigital has in recent years been applied across a broad range of disciplines, often with contradictory meanings. This article seeks to map the various definitions, deployments and appropriations of the term alongside undertaking a consideration of the underlying issues that the postdigital is argued to gesture towards. These issues, which pertain to contemporary (post)digital technologies and their relationships to discourses and practices surrounding novelty, materiality, embodiment, progress and the construction, comprehension, and control of contemporary urban spaces, are considered through the rhetorics associated with the multifarious manifestations of the postdigital and subsequently contrasted with numerous existing apertures that explore digital technoculture, including digital humanities, software studies, digital studies (following Bernard Stiegler) and media archaeology