Parameters, strategies and techniques of game analysis1

2002

In this paper, we describe a method to analyse computer games. The analysis method is based on computer games in particular and not some kind of transfer from other fi eld or studies -even though of course it is inspired from other kinds of analysis methods from varying fi elds of studies. The method is based on seven different layers of the computer game: hardware, program code, functionality, game play, meaning, referentiality, and socio-culture. Each of these layers may be analysed individually, but an entire analysis of any computer game must be analysed from every angle. Thereby we are analysing both technical, aesthetic and socio-cultural perspectives.

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN FOR VIDEO GAMES AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL, 2018

This study aim to explore the use of video games in education their advantages and disadvantages. So what is a Video game? But a set of problems in a certain area that needs to be solved in order to advance, for example the game Civilization is a set of problems in history, Fallout 4 is set of problems in survival. All video games have a different set of problems that need solving in order to win or advance. Strategy games are the hardest kind of games, due to their complex design and nature with hundreds of variables and many outcomes. If a kid finishes these games on hard after thirty hours of game play, we do not give them a test to assess their understanding of the game because we trust this complex design of the game (Gee J. P., 2011). We have evolved to design and teach this complex games, so the next step of our evolution is to create a learning experience that immersive, deep, and rich with information.

International Conference on Education and New Developments 2020 , 2020

This article of systematic literature review presents the analysis of a series of methodological proposals, suggested for the design of educational video games. Nine different methodologies are analyzed. As part of the analysis, criteria are defined to describe and compare them, linked with the possibilities they have for the design of serious games. Criteria include: requirements elicitation and specification, pedagogical intention, pedagogical and ludic objectives definition, educational level and target public, roles identification, feedback type, user experiences analysis, objectives and methodologies validation. Main results indicate the following. 1) It is of vital importance, in the initial phase of a methodology design to incorporate the requirements elicitation and specification, as well as to define and assign roles of the different parties involved in the game production, all of this jointly and by consensus. 2) The definition of pedagogical objectives is closely related to the context use and it is important that it be done in the initial stage and then asses the game quality in the final stage. 3) It is important to incorporate the definition of pedagogical elements in the design. They will be helpful to assess the efficiency, learning and the user experience in relation with the interaction with the game. In addition, these pedagogical elements will facilitate the development of a quantitative record of learning to know the process and its quality by the user. It is concluded that the set of methodologies analyzed provide information in regards to the considerations when proposing a methodology for the design of a serious games. As a future work, there will be a methodological proposal, which will facilitate the integration of the aspects identified through the revision of the methodologies analyzed to guide systematically the design process of a serious game, specifically targeted to the teaching of digital competencies.

Design, User Experience, and Usability: Novel User Experiences, 2016

Desbravadores is a 3D game, available for web, which is about History. The game is in first person, with focus on survivor, where the player is a time traveler and needs to save old artifacts, which was lost in our history. To achieve this goal the team proposed an artifact whose interface simulates a time machine, able to take students/players to meaningful moments of different historical periods, immersing it in a realistic environment, initially in 3D and future in "virtual reality ". Both are educational games for awake the interest of Brazilian students and be an interactive tool for teachers in classroom. This study set out to investigate the gameplay and usability of these two games, grounded on the concepts set out by Huizinga, Preece, Rogers and Sharp, and by observation the interactions that users engaged on laboratory tests.

Obra Digital, 2024

In this paper, we present a methodological approach for the study of games, which takes Aarseth’s game analysis (2003) as a starting point. Being in development for over four years, the proposed approach helped shape 32 stu-dent research projects carried out (or still on-going) in the context of a research laboratory in the Brazilian Northeast. The proposed me-thodology was designed for easy adoption and understanding, combining practical gaming ex-perience with structured research techniques, providing a comprehensive and adaptable framework, aiming to help novice researchers while also offering value and structure for more advanced research. Initially, we will discuss the contexts and motivations for proposing a di-dactic methodological approach. Then, we will present and detail the five steps that constitute the core of this game analysis proposition.

2010

Abstract We describe and illustrate the beginnings of a general framework for the design and analysis of educational games. Our students have used it to analyze existing educational games and to create prototype educational games. The framework is built on existing components: a method for precisely specifying educational objectives, a framework for relating a game's mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics, and principles for instructional design grounded in empirical research in the learning sciences.

Proceeding of the 16th International Academic MindTrek Conference on - MindTrek '12, 2012

Despite the common tendency to understand computer games as a medium somewhere between film and traditional software, this paper argues for a more appropriate position amongst literature. This writing explores the opportunities in analogizing digital games not as art, but as literature. Within this framing new opportunities reveal themselves for innovative game design and more manageable archiving of games and their relationships. It should prove useful to media theorists, designers, and game librarians seeking a new way to frame the analysis and production of digital games.

How did games rise to become the central audiovisual form of expression and storytelling in digital culture? How did the practices of their artistic production come into being? How did the academic analysis of the new medium's social effects and cultural meaning develop? Addressing these fundamental questions and aspects of digital game culture in a holistic way for the first time, Gundolf S. Freyermuth's introduction outlines the media-historical development phases of analog and digital games, the history and artistic practices of game design, as well as the history, academic approaches, and most important research topics of game studies.

EAI Endorsed Transactions on Game-Based Learning, 2013

The development of software products in general and educational games in particular is a very demanding process involving costly resources for long periods of time. Evaluating its quality throughout the development lifecycle contributes to the early identification of imperfections and to improved efficiency. In this paper we discuss a set of quality criteria and a method to assess the quality of educational games. These quality criteria are based on the functional requirements of the system and structured into two groups: general and specific. General criteria refer to the set of criteria that are common to all educational games in a given study area. Specific criteria refer to those criteria particularly addressing a specific educational purpose. We also present a quality model that is based on the software engineering paradigms. This model, called Quantitative Evaluation Framework, provides a quantitative measure for the quality of an educational game.

2020

This article of systematic literature review presents the analysis of a series of methodological proposals, suggested for the design of educational video games. Nine different methodologies are analyzed. As part of the analysis, criteria are defined to describe and compare them, linked with the possibilities they have for the design of serious games. Criteria include: requirements elicitation and specification, pedagogical intention, pedagogical and ludic objectives definition, educational level and target public, roles identification, feedback type, user experiences analysis, objectives and methodologies validation. Main results indicate the following. 1) It is of vital importance, in the initial phase of a methodology design to incorporate the requirements elicitation and specification, as well as to define and assign roles of the different parties involved in the game production, all of this jointly and by consensus. 2) The definition of pedagogical objectives is closely related to the context use and it is important that it be done in the initial stage and then asses the game quality in the final stage. 3) It is important to incorporate the definition of pedagogical elements in the design. They will be helpful to assess the efficiency, learning and the user experience in relation with the interaction with the game. In addition, these pedagogical elements will facilitate the development of a quantitative record of learning to know the process and its quality by the user. It is concluded that the set of methodologies analyzed provide information in regards to the considerations when proposing a methodology for the design of a serious games. As a future work, there will be a methodological proposal, which will facilitate the integration of the aspects identified through the revision of the methodologies analyzed to guide systematically the design process of a serious game, specifically targeted to the teaching of digital competencies.