Transnational development cultures:navigating production, market, and cultural difference within European-Chinese game development teams

Discourse on the global games industry draws attention to the growth of China, in terms of both its consumer market and the games publishing landscape. Trade associations and government agencies have sought routes for Western games studios, publishers, and rights holders to connect with similar organisations in China. However, there has been limited focus on how Western and Chinese game developers understand and navigate the challenges of transnational collaboration and creativity in games production. This article presents a case study of five transnational game development teams, all of which were composed predominantly of developers from the UK and China who were tasked with producing game prototypes for both markets. Data gathered during game production included development diaries, interview data, game prototypes, and production documentation. Three themes emerged from analysis of the data: production practices and transnational working, navigating regulations and restrictions, and market and cultural differences. Findings highlight that developers encounter challenges around political and cultural difference that could inhibit production or lead to uncertainties in design decision making, but also that developers can quickly establish routes to collaboration and knowledge sharing that can help to overcome these barriers

Navigating China game publishing::a case study of Steam China

This case study focuses on engagement with publishing platforms in China and involves a collaboration with Steam China. Our goal was to develop a playable game prototype that was both framed and informed by China publishing and market expertise. By developing the game concept and pitch from the ground up with these restrictions and requirements in mind, our hope was that the resulting case study would serve as a useful pathfinder for other UK-based developers who want to learn more about game publishing for China markets

Exploring the opportunities for UK games businesses in China:a case study of two industry-led mobile game prototypes

This case study of game development R&amp;D brought together researchers, developers, and industrial partners to explore co-production of experimental games for UK-China markets. Postgraduate teams comprising British, Chinese and international developers were tasked with responding to industry-led challenges related to UK-China games industry interests. The case study examines issues such as bringing British IP to China, how social play is managed in the Chinese market, and cross cultural representation both within game products and within development teams.The final work comprises two original game prototypes that serve as pathfinders for UK games businesses with interests in the Chinese games market, and a final project video documenting the experiences of industry, academic, and developer experience on the project.<br/

InGAME international pathway to collaboration: Collaboration in Games UK-China

In 2019 the Arts &amp; Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded a series of projects as part of its UK-China Creative Partnerships Programme. Led by Abertay University in partnership with academic and industry partners across the UK and China, InGAME International was funded through this AHRC programme with the aim of studying the potential for UK-China cooperation and collaboration in the computer games sector. The project is linked to the AHRC Creative Industries Cluster, InGAME: Innovation for Games and Media Enterprise, which is also led by Abertay University in partnership with the University of Dundee and University of St Andrews. The games industry is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors in both the UK and the Chinese creative economies. In 2023, China was the largest gaming market globally with revenue forecast at $82.064 billion compared with$7.94 billion in the UK (Statista, 2023). The growth in China’s market has long been the source of appeal for UK game developers and publishers seeking new routes to market. However, the divergence between the UK and China in terms of market profile, consumption patterns, leading companies, technologies, regulation, licensing, management, and business culture has presented ongoing difficulties for any UK based developer interested in engagement in- or with- China. It is from this basis that the current study sought to consolidate industry, legal, and regulatory knowhow with a view to providing a valuable resource to games professionals and researchers who have interests in UK-China collaboration. This Pathway to Collaboration report curates the cumulative knowledge and insight generated during the InGAME International programme, with an intended audience of games industry professionals and researchers interested in UK-China collaboration. At the heart of the research is an unprecedented qualitative study that involved in-depth interviews with 47 leading experts from the UK, China and other territories and with knowledge of games development, business, publishing, marketing, localisation, IP, copyright, regulation, markets, and sales. This report is the first comprehensive qualitative study to investigate the intersection between the UK and China games industries and markets at this scale and depth, providing readers with an invaluable, interactive resource that will support professionals and researchers to initiate new collaborations between the two nations.</p

InGAME international pathway to collaboration: Collaboration in Games UK-China

In 2019 the Arts &amp; Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded a series of projects as part of its UK-China Creative Partnerships Programme. Led by Abertay University in partnership with academic and industry partners across the UK and China, InGAME International was funded through this AHRC programme with the aim of studying the potential for UK-China cooperation and collaboration in the computer games sector. The project is linked to the AHRC Creative Industries Cluster, InGAME: Innovation for Games and Media Enterprise, which is also led by Abertay University in partnership with the University of Dundee and University of St Andrews. The games industry is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors in both the UK and the Chinese creative economies. In 2023, China was the largest gaming market globally with revenue forecast at $82.064 billion compared with$7.94 billion in the UK (Statista, 2023). The growth in China’s market has long been the source of appeal for UK game developers and publishers seeking new routes to market. However, the divergence between the UK and China in terms of market profile, consumption patterns, leading companies, technologies, regulation, licensing, management, and business culture has presented ongoing difficulties for any UK based developer interested in engagement in- or with- China. It is from this basis that the current study sought to consolidate industry, legal, and regulatory knowhow with a view to providing a valuable resource to games professionals and researchers who have interests in UK-China collaboration. This Pathway to Collaboration report curates the cumulative knowledge and insight generated during the InGAME International programme, with an intended audience of games industry professionals and researchers interested in UK-China collaboration. At the heart of the research is an unprecedented qualitative study that involved in-depth interviews with 47 leading experts from the UK, China and other territories and with knowledge of games development, business, publishing, marketing, localisation, IP, copyright, regulation, markets, and sales. This report is the first comprehensive qualitative study to investigate the intersection between the UK and China games industries and markets at this scale and depth, providing readers with an invaluable, interactive resource that will support professionals and researchers to initiate new collaborations between the two nations.</p

Re-starting smoking in the postpartum period after receiving a smoking cessation intervention: a systematic review

Aims: In pregnant smoking cessation trial participants, to estimate (1) among women abstinent at the end of pregnancy, the proportion who re-start smoking at time-points afterwards (primary analysis) and (2) among all trial participants, the proportion smoking at the end of pregnancy and at selected time-points during the postpartum period (secondary analysis). Methods: Trials identified from two Cochrane reviews plus searches of Medline and EMBASE. Twenty-seven trials were included. The included trials were randomized or quasi-randomized trials of within-pregnancy cessation interventions given to smokers who reported abstinence both at end of pregnancy and at one or more defined time-points after birth. Outcomes were validated biochemically and self-reported continuous abstinence from smoking and 7-day point prevalence abstinence. The primary random-effects meta-analysis used longitudinal data to estimate mean pooled proportions of re-starting smoking; a secondary analysis used cross-sectional data to estimate the mean proportions smoking at different postpartum time-points. Subgroup analyses were performed on biochemically validated abstinence. Results: The pooled mean proportion re-starting at 6 months postpartum was 43% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 16–72%, I2 = 96.7%] (11 trials, 571 abstinent women). The pooled mean proportion smoking at the end of pregnancy was 87% (95% CI = 84–90%, I2 = 93.2%) and 94% (95% CI = 92–96%, I2 = 88%) at 6 months postpartum (23 trials, 9262 trial participants). Findings were similar when using biochemically validated abstinence. Conclusions: In clinical trials of smoking cessation interventions during pregnancy only 13% are abstinent at term. Of these, 43% re-start by 6 months postpartum

Comparative genomics of the major parasitic worms

Parasitic nematodes (roundworms) and platyhelminths (flatworms) cause debilitating chronic infections of humans and animals, decimate crop production and are a major impediment to socioeconomic development. Here we report a broad comparative study of 81 genomes of parasitic and non-parasitic worms. We have identified gene family births and hundreds of expanded gene families at key nodes in the phylogeny that are relevant to parasitism. Examples include gene families that modulate host immune responses, enable parasite migration though host tissues or allow the parasite to feed. We reveal extensive lineage-specific differences in core metabolism and protein families historically targeted for drug development. From an in silico screen, we have identified and prioritized new potential drug targets and compounds for testing. This comparative genomics resource provides a much-needed boost for the research community to understand and combat parasitic worms

Multiplayer game research questionnaires

The three questionnaires are Participants Data 1, 2 and 3 (include both pdf and excel files - 6 files in total). This study investigated the process of developing an online multiplayer game within the context of a novice development team, with the help of a generic multiplayer framework. The research aimed to identify the key challenges and issues faced by novice developers when creating an online multiplayer game, and to explore the ways in which a generic multiplayer framework can support the development process and team involved in the development of the multiplayer game. The first questionnaire given to the team before the commencement of development of the game was meant for the collection of initial insight of the knowledge of the team about development of multiplayer games along with general game development and the second questionnaire given to the development team after the completion of the project was meant for the collection of upgraded knowledge and skills of the team about the development of multiplayer games and video games in general as well. Post-production of the turn-based multiplayer game, Land of Morphie and receiving final responses from the members of the team, it was deployed and shared with the testers who played it thoroughly against each other to further provide responses of the questionnaire designed to further understand the adequateness of the multiplayer framework. The testers questionnaire was meant for better understanding the player experience in terms of the basic multiplayer features of the framework utilised for the development of the game