Interweaving story coherence and player creativity through story-making games

In story-making games, players create stories together by using narrative tokens. Often there is a tension between players playing to win using the rules of a story-making game, and collaboratively creating a good story. In this paper, we introduce a competitive story-making game prototype coupled with computational methods intended to be used for both supporting players’ creativity and narrative coherence.peer-reviewe

AI-based game design patterns

This paper proposes a model for designing games around Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI-based games put AI in the foreground of the player experience rather than in a supporting role as is often the case in many commercial games. We analyze the use of AI in a number of existing games and identify design patterns for AI in games. We propose a generative ideation technique to combine a design pattern with an AI technique or capacity to make new AI-based games. Finally, we demonstrate this technique through two examples of AI-based game prototypes created using these patterns

Semi-Autonomous Avatars in Games

Project Constructiv

Semi-Autonomous Avatars in Virtual Game Worlds

This paper is concerned with approaches to semi-autonomous avatars in virtual game worlds, and degrees of autonomy in relation to player-control. Approaches to semi-autonomous avatars can be divided into three groups based on the design goals of using them: relief, expression and impression. Players can be relieved of cognitive and operational load by for example automating the animations of body-language of avatars. Means of expression through body-language, types of actions performed, and reaction tendencies can express the nature of specific avatars to other players in the same world. Character-information available only to avatars' own players and personalised, subjective world-representations create individual impressions of worlds and avatars' parts in them. A shared aim of these approaches is to increase the believability of elements in the game worlds and the sense of presence and immersion for players. In this paper the prototype Pataphysic Institute is used to illustrate how expression and impression can be utilized by consideration of the implementation of possible characterising action potential of avatars.Project Constructiv

Semi-Autonomous Avatars in Virtual Game Worlds

This paper is concerned with approaches to semi-autonomous avatars in virtual game worlds, and degrees of autonomy in relation to player-control. Approaches to semi-autonomous avatars can be divided into three groups based on the design goals of using them: relief, expression and impression. Players can be relieved of cognitive and operational load by for example automating the animations of body-language of avatars. Means of expression through body-language, types of actions performed, and reaction tendencies can express the nature of specific avatars to other players in the same world. Character-information available only to avatars' own players and personalised, subjective world-representations create individual impressions of worlds and avatars' parts in them. A shared aim of these approaches is to increase the believability of elements in the game worlds and the sense of presence and immersion for players. In this paper the prototype Pataphysic Institute is used to illustrate how expression and impression can be utilized by consideration of the implementation of possible characterising action potential of avatars.Project Constructiv

Semi-Autonomous Avatars in Virtual Game Worlds

This paper is concerned with approaches to semi-autonomous avatars in virtual game worlds, and degrees of autonomy in relation to player-control. Approaches to semi-autonomous avatars can be divided into three groups based on the design goals of using them: relief, expression and impression. Players can be relieved of cognitive and operational load by for example automating the animations of body-language of avatars. Means of expression through body-language, types of actions performed, and reaction tendencies can express the nature of specific avatars to other players in the same world. Character-information available only to avatars' own players and personalised, subjective world-representations create individual impressions of worlds and avatars' parts in them. A shared aim of these approaches is to increase the believability of elements in the game worlds and the sense of presence and immersion for players. In this paper the prototype Pataphysic Institute is used to illustrate how expression and impression can be utilized by consideration of the implementation of possible characterising action potential of avatars.Project Constructiv

Rules for Role Play in Virtual Game Worlds Case Study: The Pataphysic Institute

The Pataphysic Institute (PI) is a prototype MMORPG de- veloped in order to experiment with game mechanics en- hancing the playing experience. In this paper aspects of the design the prototype which support players' expression of consistent interesting characters are reported. The design of these features builds upon results of user tests of a pre- vious iteration of the prototype. The game-play in PI is based on the semiautonomous agent-architecture the Mind Module

Constructive Alignment in Teaching Game Research in Game Development Bachelors Programme

This paper presents a case study of a Bachelor level game research methods course (15 ECTS). The course covers observations, interviews, and introduction to statistical analysis. The course set-up follows \textit{constructive alignment} design where the aim is that the learning goals, learning tasks, and evaluation are aligned. During the course, students first learn research design and later design their research based on a set of examples and conduct data gathering and analysis. The evaluation of the pedagogical approach used is based on students' learning diaries where the focus is the methods and applying methods. Qualitative evaluation indicates that students can better describe their research designs and analyses

Zinecraft:zines as companion to games research

Zines are small-circulation magazines that the creators make themselves, often through simple means. Zines and zine creation are linked to marginalised voices and have historically amplified the voices and perspectives of these communities. Their very design is personal, reflective and beginner friendly. Zines have also been used as and alongside research, including interdisciplinary research and games criticism. Though intersections between zines and games have been identified, zines remain largely underutilized in games studies. In this paper, we apply our individual creative practice methods to argue that zines can be created as companions to games research and conferences. We argue that zine creation as a companion to research makes for more personal and relatable outputs, and helps the creator visualize, reflect and make previously unmade connections. Conference zines can be used to capture trends, record proceedings and communicate personal experience. Games studies can benefit from embracing zines and their interdisciplinary potential