Why Is CryptoKitties (Not) Gambling?

CryptoKitties (Axiom Zen 2017) is a pioneering blockchain-based game that disrupts the ‘classic game model’ (Juul 2003; 2013) in a way that turns it into a gambling web application. As previous research has shown, its mechanics are almost exclusively based on chance (Scholten et al 2019), and the rest is mostly speculation with game assets (Lee, Yoo and Jang 2019). This raises the question whether this game requires any skill, such as strategic planning. In my case study, I revisit the game system and perform a practice of playing it to differentiate between unpredictable (or “aleatory”, as in Johnson 2018) and decision-making points in the game. I argue that mapping the journey of a player should complement analysis of the game system to assess the balance between skill and chance in a better-informed manner.© Alesja Serada. ACM 2020. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive Version of Record was published in FDG '20 : International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games, https://doi.org/10.1145/3402942.3402985.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Živjeti s kompetentnom djecom

Odgojiti kompetentnu djecu znači shvaćati ih ozbiljno i istovremeno brinuti o cijeloj obitelj, kaže Jesper Juul

”Du skal ikke stikke næsen for langt frem”: Et studie af normer for deltagelse og forberedelse blandt førsteårsstuderende

Studerende på videregående uddannelser forventes at deltage aktivt i undervisningen og tage ansvar for egen læring. Alligevel oplever undervisere ofte, at studerende er meget tilbageholdende i timerne. Dette studie undersøger, hvilken roller normer spiller for studenteraktivitet. Tolv studerende blev interviewet to gange i løbet af et semester. Det viste sig, at normer havde en stor adfærdsregulerende rolle, ligesom det viste sig, at der var en betydelig forskel mellem udtalte og uudtalte normer. Den observation, der overraskede os mest, var, at der var meget snævre rammer for legitim delta­gelse på holdtimerne, mens der var meget vide rammer for ikke-del­ta­gel­se. Disse præliminære resultater kalder på en diskussion af, hvordan normen om ansvar for egen læring fortolkes og praktiseres af universitetsstuderende.    The aim of Danish universities is to encourage  students to become active, independent, and responsible learners; yet, university teachers often encounter students that are very reluctant to participate in discussions. This study examines how norms influence student engagement in classes. Twelve students were interviewed twice during their second semester. The study suggests that norms regulate behaviour and furthermore the study uncovered a demarcation between spoken and unspoken norms. To our surprise, we found there to be strict boundaries for legitimate participation in discussion, while there was a high tolerance for non-participation. These results – although preliminary – call for a discussion of how the tenets of independence and responsibility are conceived by students

Power-Ups in Digital Games: The Rewarding Effect of Phantom Game Elementson Player Experience

Power-ups are a type of game reward that allow the player tocustomise their experience by altering gameplay for a shortperiod of time. Despite the wide use of power-ups in videogames, little is known about their effect on gaming experiences.To explore this, we conducted an experimental study that compares the experiences of players depending on their exposureto power-ups in a recreational video game. The results show that players who collected power-ups felt significantly more immersed in the game, experienced more autonomy, but didnot feel more competent or challenged than those who played the game without these collectables. Interestingly, a similareffect was observed for those players who picked up ‘placebo ’power-ups, despite the items having no effect on the gameplay. We provide a discussion of these results and their implications both for games user researchers and game designers