Player Experience

This work will explore the literature on the different ways in which videogames can elicit negative emotions and which game's elements can provoke such reactions in players. Videogame development and research have, in their early years, mostly focused on their fun and pleasant side. In the last two decades, however, research on different emotions evoked by certain videogame titles and essays on how failure is an indivisible part of the playing experience have been successfully illuminating the nuances of what we feel when we play. The tools used to bring out such reactions are many, such as story aspects, visual and audio cues and mechanical elements. Most of these not completely fun games are also pleasant, even though this is not their main characteristic, which implies a certain type of balance between positive and negative meanings, a composition that is similar to the eudaimonia concept of media studies. This research hypothesis is that, although the majority of videogames aim mainly to stimulate pleasure and fun in their players, there is a growing number of games that aim to engender negative emotions. These games, however, do not stimulate only these emotions, but rather, weaving them together with the most commonly used emotions, such as pleasure and fun. This will be done firstly by examining released games that already evoke these emotions, secondly by isolating the elements in the game that could be responsible. This research will be convenient for researchers by providing a snapshot of what is currently known about the relationship between negative emotions and game design elements and also for the game design field by providing designers with extra knowledge and even tools to approach their métier in a different light and crafting richer experiences.

This is a short introduction to the papers presented at the 3rd Workshop on Games-Human Interaction GHItaly19, that was held in connection with CHItaly 2019. This series of workshops focuses on the multifaceted issues related to the design and development of human-game interfaces. This entails multidisciplinary competences and skills, and the nal quality of the User eXperience depends on how consistently and smartly they are exploited. As a matter of fact, users’ engagement and satisfaction rely on the wise design and skilled evaluation of the produced (multidimensional) artifacts. This gains even more critical importance since the application of video games has long overcome the borders of amusement, to spur new possibilities for, e.g., continuous healthcare and education.

This paper attempts to define and describe ar elatively new subgenre of digital literature-appf iction. Id ifferentiateb etween four keycomponents of its poetics: triple reception model, three typesofimmersion, interface, and database. These components, which inform a specific set of media literacy competences necessary for receiving app fiction and conceptualize phenomenological, technological, and haptic dimensions of it, are used in a succinct discussion of three examples: The Pickle Index by Eli Horowitz, Arcadia by Iain Pears, and Belgravia by Julian Fellowes.

Translator is always between the two horns of the dilemma: he needs to make balance between preserving accuracy of meaning, function and style of Source Language (SL) and maintaining acceptability of the translated text with all its potentials in the Target Language (TL) which, sometimes, makes translation so difficult, if not impossible. This study investigated the quality of the translation of the constitution of the Republic of Yemen through House's revised model (2015). This model was found within Hallidayan components of discourse and functions that received acceptability and was used as one of the most common qualitative tools of Translation Quality Assessment (TQM) (El-Farahaty, 2015; Sarcevic, 1997; Varmazyari et al., 2016). The model depends on a three-layer scheme of analysis: lexical, syntactic, and textual. Then, based on the previous analysis, the study compared these discursive components in the target text (English version) to their equivalent in the source text (Arabic version). The study concluded that the translator, partially, succeeded in transferring the potential meaning from Arabic into the English, whereas he, in some other parts of the target text, fell short to render the source text satisfactorily based on House's model (2015) which was appropriate for providing a qualitative account for the translation of the constitution of the Republic of Yemen.

In user experience design, prototypes are an indispensable tool for early diagnosis of usability issues. Designing usability testing to accommodate a prototype's limited interactivity is essential to obtain relevant participant feedback. Hotspot Highlighting is a technique employed by all prominent prototyping tools to allow usability testers to see which areas of the prototype are clickable. The current body of knowledge lacks definite answers on how highlighting impacts usability testing results, compared to scenarios where participants complete tasks fully on their own. Can studies be treated the same, regardless of whether Hotspot Highlighting is enabled? What are the recommendations for how and when Hotspot Highlighting can or should be used? To investigate, we conduct a between-subjects experiment with 80 participants and 240 task completions in which we compare user behavior depending on the presence of Hotspot Highlighting. Its results indicate that Hotspot Highlighting can affect participant behavior before and after a highlight is displayed, leading to potentially different usability findings if left unaccounted for. The guidance of highlights changes the targets of clicks and encourages cognitively efficient finding of solutions by intentionally triggering the highlights. Considering the potential of Hotspot Highlighting to facilitate the usability testing of prototypes with limited interactivity, we discuss potential adaptations of the technique that address its current issues for more methodologically sound usability evaluation.

A game’s power lies in its ability to transcend the player beyond the screen into a game world where their actions and decisions feel genuinely engaging, resulting in the player feeling immersed in the world. Immersion makes gaming a unique medium that defies passive entertainment as it is multifaceted, providing each player with varied experiences and personalised engagement. This essay explores four distinct forms of immersion: perceptual immersion, immersion as transportation, narrative-based immersion, and challenge-based immersion to analyse how they shape player engagement across different game genres. By understanding these immersive mechanics, I will highlight how games not only captivate players but also influence creative design choices, ultimately signifying the responsibility of my desired role as a 3D artist in the gaming industry.

This article describes the interdisciplinary work carried out by teachers and students of the Faculties of Fine Arts and Informatics in La Plata city, to develop a serious game for social networks related with Argentine native peoples. The game presented is a serious video game, innovative for social sciences, which promotes more effective learning processes than traditional methods, adding to social networks the ability to transmit knowledge, besides favoring socialization, cooperation and entertainment. The artists, computer scientists, anthropologists and primary school teachers who are part of the team believe that this game help understand and become aware of the historical and current issues of native peoples, seeking to strengthen the concept of Argentina as a multiethnic and multicultural country. The most important aspect of this serious game, called Raices, is to provide an innovative interactive interface to encourage the interests of school children in learning cultural history of Argentinean aboriginal communities. Also, the paper would be a guidance for other teams who would like to do similar work.

Decision-making is one of the most critical yet often overlooked skills in youth soccer development. While traditional coaching methods focus heavily on technical execution in isolation, the modern game demands much more-especially in the face of rising player quality across all positions. Today's defenders are faster, stronger, and more aggressive; midfielders operate under intense pressure in tighter spaces; and strikers must make splitsecond decisions to exploit increasingly organized defenses. With advancements in sports medicine, recovery methods, and athletic conditioning, players are not only physically better but also return to peak performance faster than ever. As a result, the modern footballer must be quicker not just with the ball, but in the mind. This study explores how small-sided games (SSGs), when designed with cognitive load in mind, can accelerate decision-making in youth players by fostering autonomy and simulating real match conditions. Drawing from sports science, case studies, and practical coaching insights, this paper provides a framework to help young players develop the mental speed and adaptability required for today's game.

This study delves into a critical analysis of Eugene O'Neill's tragic play, "The Emperor Jones," employing perspective of the New Historicist Reading as the major methodology of this current study. This study highlights the cultural aspects, the social circumstances and historical events which affected Eugene O'Neill's entire life and career. In fact, Eugene O'Neill wrote the famous "The Emperor Jones'" play with the goal of illuminating the shocking behaviors of cannibalism and primitivism which are most often associated with the early twentieth century conception of primitive black Africa. This study seeks to examine the play's historical context, revealing its temporal setting, significant events and contemporaneous social concerns in which it was produced. 'The Emperor Jones' play is considered a cultural, social, political commentary on the racism, slavery, injustice, and discrimination which were common in the United States community in 1920. Proudly, Eugene O'Neill is a pioneer of modern American drama in the early 20th century. He was a critic of the whole structure of his contemporary community in 1920. In spite of the playwright's artistry O'Neill in writing his famous tragedy "The Emperor Jones," was influenced by the political, economic and social factors, including particular historical events in the era in which it was written (1920), namely imperialism, colonization, the U.S. occupation of Haiti, the economic boom, spread of capitalism and the civil war of such a period. The main idea of "The Emperor Jones'" play, will lead our attention to the American policy towards the Caribbean islands and the racial discrimination history between the whites and the blacks in American society, and also the internal conflicts among the dissent groups and the dominant authority in America. From this perspective, this study seeks to provide an in-depth interpretation of the play from the standpoint of the New Historicism Reading, with special attention to the events, themes, characters which are both inside and outside of contexts of the tragedy.

This study delves into a critical analysis of Eugene O'Neill's tragic play, "The Emperor Jones," employing perspective of the New Historicist Reading as the major methodology of this current study. This study highlights the cultural aspects, the social circumstances and historical events which affected Eugene O'Neill's entire life and career. In fact, Eugene O'Neill wrote the famous "The Emperor Jones'" play with the goal of illuminating the shocking behaviors of cannibalism and primitivism which are most often associated with the early twentieth century conception of primitive black Africa. This study seeks to examine the play's historical context, revealing its temporal setting, significant events and contemporaneous social concerns in which it was produced. 'The Emperor Jones' play is considered a cultural, social, political commentary on the racism, slavery, injustice, and discrimination which were common in the United States community in 1920. Proudly, Eugene O'Neill is a pioneer of modern American drama in the early 20th century. He was a critic of the whole structure of his contemporary community in 1920. In spite of the playwright's artistry O'Neill in writing his famous tragedy "The Emperor Jones," was influenced by the political, economic and social factors, including particular historical events in the era in which it was written (1920), namely imperialism, colonization, the U.S. occupation of Haiti, the economic boom, spread of capitalism and the civil war of such a period. The main idea of "The Emperor Jones'" play, will lead our attention to the American policy towards the Caribbean islands and the racial discrimination history between the whites and the blacks in American society, and also the internal conflicts among the dissent groups and the dominant authority in America. From this perspective, this study seeks to provide an in-depth interpretation of the play from the standpoint of the New Historicism Reading, with special attention to the events, themes, characters which are both inside and outside of contexts of the tragedy.

Immersion is often a major consideration in game design, and a welldesigned soundtrack should only aid it. This study investigates the relationship of music and immersion in digital games – making sure to focus on music in specific, rather than the game sound as a whole. The experiment uses the 2D platformer Celeste, and uses a subjective measure, in the form of an immersion questionnaire, combined with more objective measures, in the form of perceived time distortion and performance in a post-game task. The results show higher immersion scores on the questionnaire from having music present, but the objective measures do not show any meaningful outcomes. This suggests immersion is more of a personal, reported experience, rather than being easily measured by separate methods. Following on from this study, more work should be done to decipher what objective means can be used to measure immersion levels effectively.

Creativity in game design is not as widely studied as it is in general design discipline. While it may be argued that game design is simply a special case of design, in reality, it is peculiar in many ways and hence needs special attention. We aim to understand the game ideation process through the lens of creativity model. We first develop a theoretical creativity model based on the concepts in the creativity literature. We then study the ideation process of game design students and understand how it fits with the proposed theoretical model. We find that the game ideation discovered through field study broadly follows the theoretical model. Our larger research goal to develop a refined ideation model and build an ideation tool for game designers. This paper discusses the first step towards it.

in Visual Culture) 신체 유기체는 사물에 대한 지각에서 발생하는 -원초적 의미의 네트워크를 통해 세상과 연결된다. 1) 실험영화와 라이트아트 비디오아트의 역사에서 우리가 간과하지 말아야 할 점이 있다면 이 , 예술가들은 매체의 기술적 잠재성 못지않게 실시간으로 움직이는 추상을 만드는 그 회화적 세 계의 가능성에 매료되었다는 점이다 그들은 필름과 빛 비디오 매체의 물질적 기술적 특성과 . , , 그 직접성을 무엇보다 회화의 관점에서 바라보았고 자신들의 작업을 새로운 회화 형식 으로 , ' ' 이해하곤 했다. 2) 이들에게 예술가의 직접적인 손길을 통해 탄생한 실시간으로 생산되고 변형 되는 추상의 이미지는 다빈치 정밀함 와 피카소 자유로움 르누아르 다채로움 와 몬드리안 심오 ( ) ( ) , ( ) ( 함 잭슨 폴록 과격함 과 재스퍼 존스 서정성 의 실천을 잇는 회화의 연장으로 이해되었다 ), ( ) ( ) . 3) 백남준이 자기장을 이용해 음극선관 화면에 실시간의 추상 이미지를 만든 것 역시 실제로 움 직이는 비디오 공간의 전자들을 실시간으로 굴절시켜 이미지를 만드는 그림을 그리는 행위 ' ' 에 다름 아니었다. 4) 일찍이 년대 추상 애니메이션 작업에 음극선 오실로스코프를 이용하기 시작했던 작가 1950 들로부터 5) 백남준과 스티븐 벡 에릭 시겔 같은 이들이 추구했 ( S t e p h e n B e c k ) ,

This paper is a preliminary attemps to serve as a reference of the state of the art of the techniques and tools related to 'Game Design' (GD). We analyze the relationship existing between Game Design and the main subareas related to Artificial and Computational Intelligence in Games. Here, we focus particularly in Techniques and Tools that help in any way to designers involved in game development.

This paper discusses some of the most interesting challenges to which the games research community members may face in the area of the application of arti cial or computational intelligence techniques to the design and creation of video games. The paper focuses on three lines that certainly will in uence signi cantly the industry of game development in the near future, speci cally on the automatic generation of content, the a ective computing applied to video games and the generation of behaviors that manage the decisions of entities not controlled by the human player.

With the incorporation of new media into daily life, traditional media concepts have become inadequate in demonstrating the interaction between audience, player, or reader and media texts, necessitating new concepts to understand this rapid evolution. One of the most significant contributions of new media, digital games, has highlighted the importance of defining the required interaction for understanding these games as narratives. The concept of transmedia storytelling, developed by pioneer Henry Jenkins, has become crucial in this regard. Re-examining each new media text through this concept is essential for generating new meanings and comprehending the texts. In this context, analyzing the narrative universe of the groundbreaking and culturally renowned role-playing game Fallout through one of the seven key concepts of transmedia storytelling, worldbuilding, aids in understanding the game's impact and interaction, as well as the audience's relationship with Fallout's dystopia. This study is an example of a close reading of a cult game as a narrative and another significant and current example of how the transmedia storytelling influences the relationship between the audience/player and the text itself.

The consequence of playing a game affects a player’s thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and behaviours. To measure player experience there are various qualitative and quantitative methods. Iterative game development and play testing sessions enhance and optimize game designs, to determine the impact of functional and psychosocial consequences of gaming in various cultures, a credible scale is required. To be able to measure and analyse player experience, this study aimed at adapting the ‘Player Experience Inventory’ (PXI) scale developed by V. V. Abeele1 to Turkish. The results of test-retest analysis and backand-forth translation demonstrate that linguistic equivalence is not applicable for the Turkish variant. Only one item for functional – audio-visual appeal – and two items from psychosocial – immersion and autonomy – consequence of gaming have a proper factor structure. In this way an adaption study was carried out by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and explanatory factor analysis (EFA) with three items from the scale. The validity and reliability of the scale and relationship of audio-visual appeal of gaming on game enjoyment were tested and this article proposes a model for the functional and psychosocial consequences of gaming.

Con el tema "Fútbol y Estudios Sociales", el evento reunirá a investigadoras(es), activistas, deportistas, estudiantes y amantes del fútbol en una programación intensa y transformadora. Habrá mesas de ponencias, paneles, conferencias y visitas técnicas a estadios. Una experiencia imperdible para quienes piensan y viven el fútbol desde una mirada crítica y apasionada.

El evento está siendo organizado por el INCT Estudios del Fútbol Brasileño (CNPq) y por una red de instituciones de Brasil y Argentina: Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Universidad Nacional de Avellaneda y la Universidade Federal do Piauí.

Son múltiples las variables que se deben tener en cuenta a la hora de recomendar cómo realizar actividad física: tipo, frecuencia, intensidad, duración y densidad. Existen varias guías que se dedican a este tema, pero la situación que se vive en la actualidad producto de la pandemia por COVID 19 generó un gran interés por evitar la aparición de injurias luego de un extenso período de desentrenamiento. El propósito de este trabajo es sugerir la Práctica de Ejercicio Físico (PEF) con el objetivo de informar y promover su ejecución adecuada, estimular su progreso y limitar el riesgo de lesiones

The  hegemony  of  digital  culture  has  imposed  a  shift  in  the  way  of understanding narrative logics, which can no longer ignore a transmedia perspective. The task of comparative literature should be to study the new narrative modes using its own tools –especially  rhetorical  ones –through  to a comparison  between  the different media that takes into account the specificities of each one. The aim of this intervention is therefore to study the rhetoric of the videogame, the figural set suitable for its specific narratives. From the figurality of dispositio, we have different perspective modes through the camera control and the camera angles between first person, third person or isometric. In elocutive figurality, we find direct effects on the level of expression such as photography between the use of light and colors, or the difference between the use of music in a diegetic and extra-diegetic way. Finally, the figurality of the inventiocan be reread according to the intuitions of Northrop Frye in Anatomy of Criticism relating to the degree of stature of the character: based on the freedom offered to the player and his way of interfacing with the physics of the game –intended both as the environment that like the other characters –, the videogame can change its narrative arrangement, now configuring itself according to a mythical mode – the player has full control of the surrounding world as it is totally superior to it, as in Minecraft and in the crafting games –, or romantic mode –the player has more limited control but can still intimately affect the structures, as in the latest Zelda or Portal–or high-mimetic mode –the player has no control over the environment, but is superior to other characters as in most video games centered around the combat system –, and so on.

The rise of videogames in our culture has caused that they are no longer seen as simple games for kids and have spread to all the segments of population. The use of videogames by elderly people can help to improve their quality of life, exercising their mental functions. Inside the field of videogames, the concept of pervasive game appeared with intensity some years ago. This kind of games exceed any of the classic dimensions of games: temporal, spatial or social. In order to achieve this evolution, pervasive games use to take advantage of non-traditional interaction technologies and novel paradigms, such as augmented reality. In this paper we introduce a novel pervasive game oriented towards elderly people that makes use of augmented reality. The game has been developed following a user-centered approach with participative design. In the game, players have to find certain elements in their environment (e.g., in a nursing home) so that they unlock memories that they store in an album and can value. Here, we describe the game in detail and show a first validation that we have carried out in order to test its usefulness. In that validation, users find the game useful and easy to play with. a

This paper describes a method for analysing videogames based on game activities. It examines the impact of these activities on the player experience. The research approach applies heuristic checklists that deconstruct games in terms of cognitive processes that players engage in during gameplay (e.g., addressing goals, interpreting feedback). For this study we examined three puzzle games, Portal 2, I-Fluid and Braid. The Player Experience of Need Satisfaction (PENS) survey is used to measure player experience following gameplay. Cognitive action provided within games is examined in light of reported player experiences to determine the extent to which these activities influence players' feelings of competence, autonomy, intuitive control and presence. Findings indicate that the positive experiences are directly influenced by game activity design. Our study also demonstrates the value of expert review in deconstructing gameplay activity as a means of providing direction for game design that enhances the player experience.

Perkembangan teknologi virtual reality (VR) telah membuka peluang besar dalam industri game edukasi sejarah, termasuk dalam pengembangan game Battle of Riau. Namun, aset 3D dalam game ini masih memiliki beberapa kekurangan, seperti detail rendah, ukuran file besar, dan performa yang belum optimal untuk VR. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melakukan remodelling dan optimasi aset 3D pada game Battle of Riau menggunakan perangkat lunak Blender agar lebih efisien dan kompatibel dengan lingkungan VR. Proses remodelling mencakup peningkatan detail visual, penyusunan ulang topologi, dan pembuatan UV mapping yang efisien, sedangkan optimasi dilakukan melalui teknik baking, pengurangan jumlah poligon, serta texture compression. Hasil akhir diintegrasikan ke dalam game menggunakan Unity dan diuji berdasarkan kriteria visual, ukuran file, dan performa dalam VR. Dengan pendekatan ini, diharapkan game Battle of Riau dapat menyajikan pengalaman edukatif yang imersif tanpa mengorbankan performa teknis.

This dissertation examines how gender and sexuality are depicted in the Dragon Age video game series, focusing on how its stories, characters, and gameplay elements subvert conventional norms and provide inclusive, progressive representations of queer identities. By conducting a detailed textual analysis of Dragon Age: Origins (2009), Dragon Age II (2011), and Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014), the research delves into the portrayal of bisexual, gay, transgender, and asexual characters, with particular attention to individuals like Zevran, Anders, Cole, Dorian, Iron Bull, and Krem. Additionally, the study explores the cultural and political ramifications of these representations within Western media and the author's personal experiences, emphasizing how the franchise promotes emotional connection and self-identification for marginalized players. Utilizing queer theory, game studies, and models of media representation, the dissertation contends that Dragon Age not only carves out a unique space for queer expression in mainstream gaming but also encourages players to rethink concepts of identity, desire, and empathy within interactive storytelling.

Recommended citation: Marcos-Huaman, R.; Gifreu-Castells, A.; Sayan-Casquino, Y. (2024). Players' Perception in Video Games with Horror Narrative: Analysis of the Audiovisual Features in Resident Evil. En P.C. López-López et al.(eds.), Proceedings of the International Conferenceon Communication and Applied Technologies 2024 (ICOMTA2024), Atlantis Highlights in Social Sciences, Education and Humanities 28, 209-219.
https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-596-6_19


--- ABSTRACT: The analysis focuses on the perception of players in horror video games, particularly in Resident Evil (Biohazard in Japan), recognized for its narrative and challenges. It investigates how audiovisual elements, such as setting and music, influence the experience. The results underline the importance of these elements in generating fear and tension. The player's interaction in the perception of terror is highlighted. In conclusion, the study shows the relevance of audiovisual elements and interaction to create a shocking horror experience in Resident Evil and similar games.

This study explores video game localization as a rapidly expanding field with significant potential in Iran's market, focusing on Zula, the Persian localized version of the video game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). The comparison examines various aspects of the games, including loading pages, user interface, settings, game modes, gameplay mechanics, announcements and voices, character adaptation, maps and weapons, monetization strategies, resource systems, items and accessories, as well as bugs. The findings demonstrate that Zula effectively integrates Iranian cultural values through features such as localized maps, Persian-language text, and culturally neutralized characters, fostering a sense of national identity and enhancing the overall user experience. However, the study also identifies shortcomings in the localization process, particularly regarding writing direction and translation inconsistencies, emphasizing the need for improvements in translation practices.

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Oyunlar insanlar var olmadan önce de deneyim ediliyordu. Fakat günümüz dünyasında özellikle "Dijital Oyun" başlığının ön plana çıkmasıyla birlikte iyiden iyiye popüler hale gelen "Oyun Kültürü", bugün milyonlarca kişi tarafından tüketilmektedir. Nitekim bu kültür zaman içerisinde birçok farklı alt kültür topluluğundan beslenmiş ve zaman içerisinde "Gamer" kimliğinin ortaya çıkmasına sebep olmuştur. Bir etiket olarak "Gamer" kimliği birçok oyunsever tarafından benimsenmiş ve oyun kültürü tüketiminde bulunan insanlar tarafından içselleştirilmiştir. Her ne kadar günümüzde "Gamer" etiketi oyun oynayan insanları niteliyor olsa da aslında işaret ettiği şey bundan çok daha fazlasıdır. Makalenin amacı, bir yandan "Oyun Kültürünü" tanımlamaya çalışırken, dolaylı olarak Gamer kimliğini anlamak ve bu kimliğin hem global hem de Türkiye'de ne şekilde bir tüketim içerisinde bulunduğu açıklamaya çalışmaktır.

This study aimed to investigate the concept of translation praxis by assessing practical components of BA Translation Programs at Yemeni Universities and exploring the perspectives of instructors, senior students and alumni. A mixed-methods approach was adopted to collect and analyze relevant data from 61 instructors and 111 students at public and private universities and alumni through questionnaires and a checklist for analyzing BA Program Specification Documents (PSDs). The study instruments were developed and checked for psychometric features. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted to answer the study questions. The results revealed that the practical components total degree of availability in Translation PSDs was Moderate (m=2.01) in favor of public universities. Students' satisfaction overall degree fell within Satisfied (m=3.72). The t-test analysis of alumni and students' responses showed a statistically significant difference P-value=(.041) in favor of alumni. Furthermore, instructors' assessment of the effectiveness of the practical components was placed in the Agree rank (m=3.67). Moreover, ANOVA and Scheffé tests indicated statistically significant differences at the significance level (<0.05) between instructors' responses, attributed to the academic degree in favor of PhD holders compared to MA and BA and in favor of MA compared to BA. Based on the study findings, it is imperative to activate the concept of translation praxis which combines theory with practice, by employing differentiated instruction so as to better prepare students the translation industry.

This paper considers the aesthetics and nostalgic discourses found in the post-apocalyptic gameworlds portrayed by Serbian indie game developer Demagog Studio as well as examines the public performances and interviews of its CEO, Igor Simić, as signs of extra-game communication and meta-communication processes, respectively. Adding to its framework the concepts of Empire and Multitude, as well as drawing on literature on the politics and aesthetics of the post-communist trend known as Yugonostalgia, this paper carries out an aesthetic and narratological close-reading analysis of a direct play of Demagog Studio’s games and of examples of the studio’s promotional content. As a result, this analysis argues that these extra-game and meta-communication processes not only turn the studio’s games into survival manuals—that intend to prepare players to meet the needs of the upcoming apocalypse—but also aim to help players read the signals present in contemporary events and digital culture.

In this paper, we describe a methodology for capturing player experience while interacting with a game and we present a data-driven approach for modeling this interaction. We believe the best way to adapt games to a specific player is to use quantitative models of player experience derived from the in-game interaction. Therefore, we rely on crowd-sourced data collected about game context, players behavior and players self-reports of different affective states. Based on this information, we construct estimators of player experience using neuroevolutionary preference learning. We present the experimental setup and the results obtained from a recent case study where accurate estimators were constructed based on information collected from players playing a firstperson shooter game. The framework presented is part of a bigger picture where the generated models are utilized to tailor content generation to particular player's needs and playing characteristics.

Educational games such as quizzes, quests, puzzles, mazes and logical problems may be modeled as multimedia board games. In the scope of the ADOPTA project1 being under development at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics at Sofia University, a formal model for presentation of such educational board games was invented and elaborated. Educational games can be modeled as special board mini-games, with a board of any form and any types of positions. Over defined positions, figures (objects) with certain properties ...

The gaming Industry has changed significantly. Mobile games have exploded in the last few years ranging from simple puzzle games such as Angry Birds and Candy Crush, to quite complex multiplayer games such as Game of War and Clash of Clans. It presents itself with a few clear advantages. Most people already own a smartphone. Without the need to purchase a gaming rig such as a console or high end PC, it has now become the most popular platform for gaming traffic. The rise of mobile games have attracted new customers to the industry that would not be associated with Gaming at all such as elderly people, teenage girls and the infamous “Candy Crush Housewives”. This part of the industry has taken off so much that successful studios such Irrational Games who released “Bioshock Infinite“ on PC/Xbox 360/ PlayStation 3, to both critical and commercial success stated that they would not be working on a direct sequel. Instead, they would be venturing into mobile games, as it was much more luc...

Dear colleagues, students, family and friends, Ladies and Gentlemen, Inaugural lectures are typically very ritualized acts of communication (Wyatt, 2008). They usually start with people being asked to turn off their cell phones, but this afternoon I am going to break with this tradition by inviting those of you who are on Twitter to turn them on so that you can share your tweets with me, either during or after my lecture. 1 One of the attractions of studying media is the almost perennial clash of opinions about it and its effects. What"s more, the ubiquity of new media has recently been applauded by scholars, journalists, and even a few politicians. Indeed, some are almost euphoric about the impact and possibilities of, for example, social networking via LinkedIn, or the instantaneous communication we see on Twitter. The sense of celebration is particularly felt on behalf of young users. Contemporary adolescents and young adults are seen as a special breed, possessing qualities in communication and information processing that the over 25 demographic lacks. Of course, they owe these special qualities to growing up in a world saturated with new media. Take, for example, video and computer games. The Americans Beck and Wade argue that playing games moulds us into individuals who think quickly, are not put off by uncertain prospects and dare to try, fail, and try again (Beck & Wade, 2004). And, they claim, the mindset of these gamers is reshaping business forever. Wim Veen, professor of educational technology at the TU Delft, takes a wider view, arguing that the socalled Homo Zappiens are experienced multi-taskers, switching almost effortlessly between multiple communication channels (Veen, 2009). They are a cohort of little "Einsteins", who are smarter, faster, and more open to social exchanges than earlier generations (Boschma & Groen, 2006). On the one hand, I welcome this euphoria as a counterbalance to the widespread public concerns about the negative effects of gaming and surfing the Internet. These concerns are justified to a great extent, as research has shown that children and adolescents do

Magdaléna Balážiková focuses her academic interests mainly on the psychological aspects of marketing communication, consumer behaviour and digital games, especially related aspects of cognitive psychology. She is also fond of behavioural economics and neuromarketing as an application of fi ndings and techniques from neuroscience into research on consumers. In 2014 she obtained her doctorate in Mass Media Studies at Constantine the

Video games are currently stigmatized in general culture as a lesser form of entertainment, and much of the current scholarly debate on them is unable to identify those games that also function as works of literature and to perform appropriate critical analysis. This thesis aims to rectify the above through two separate engagements. The first engagement demonstrates that the current scholarly debate over avatars can be redirected into a more productive debate on perspectives: the way in which a player is situated within a game and how this alters how the game story is told. The second engagement is with Espen Aarseth's concept of ergodic literature, and thus demonstrate how this unique property of video games allows for the traversal of a video game's narrative. These two issues when considered together provide a method for determining whether a video game is attempting to also be literature.

In this article, we develop a theory of gameplay labour, acknowledging the paradigm of political economy yet grounded in game design and play, called ‘cultivation play’. In most understandings of game work, theorists traditionally explain digital labour in games as inherently difficult or manipulative. Instead, we propose a theory that explains how gameplay work can be organized around a design heuristic – character progression – that is rewarding, given the objectives and interests of different kinds of players. We explicate our theoretical intervention through an analysis of four games: Stardew Valley, Grand Theft Auto V, The Witcher 2 and The Witcher 3 . We specifically examine upgrade paths, what we call character progression tasks, wherein levelling up, progressing, gaining in-game skills and working towards goals operate to create an environment of gameplay work that players may find engaging.

In this article I explore the ways in which ethnic identity intersects with locality, occupation, and interpersonal relationship in everyday lives of Nepal today. Specifically, I focus on the ethnicity of Sherpa people who are industrially successful in Himalayan mountaineering tourism. In the first part of the paper I examine the geopolitical processes through which early generations of Sherpas began in the sixteenth century migrating to the contemporary Solukhumbu District and later to the northern mountainous area of Sankhuwasabha District, east of Solukhumbu. This observation is followed by a brief discussion of how the essentialist view of Sherpa ethnicity is launched and practiced in the newly colonized setting. In the second part I examine two sheets of paper for expedition preparations used by Seven Summit Treks, a Kathmandu-based expedition organizer. In the sheets, the term Sherpa is employed to refer to multiple meanings, including the last name, the position of climbing guide, and the whole group of primary employees, and this is followed by a discussion of ethnic politics through which members of the Sherpa successfully manage the monopolistic approach to the industry.

Player modeling is a crucial procedure for the user-oriented videogame design. For player modeling to be achieved, modeling domain knowledge is essential. Mastering the semantics of a domain is to learn the "language" of the domain. In the present study, two approaches to representing "words" are considered and analyzed comparatively. The first approach ("grid" representation) is based on the division of the game terrain as a grid, capturing in each cell the content-based information of the action game. The second approach ("holistic" representation) captures the contextual information in which the action takes place (life, score, shield, number of hit asteroids etc.). For the present comparative analysis, we use the action videogame SpaceDebris. We analyze the data using the classification algorithms J48, Naive Bayes, and SMO, as well as the Kmeans clustering and we compare the results in an attempt to identify the approach that represents the semantic space more reliably. The data acquired from the"grid" representation perform better, however the low value of the performance's difference does not allow us to come to rock solid conclusions.

If videogames are played, theories and interpretations of videogames are read and written, which makes them a fruitful site for exploring the stories we create about, with, and around videogames. Writing across blogs, wikis, discussion forums, video essays, and other media platforms, players and fans participate in a metagame in which they puzzle out enigmas, plot hidden connections, build elaborate stories, and participate in the literary movements of videogame criticism. This essay offers a beginner's guide to understanding fan criticism as a multimedia genre of videogame literature that unsettles conventional ideas about reading, writing, authorship, interpretation, and the dialectical relationship between creators and fans. Videogame theories not only transform the literary into the ludic, and vice versa, but surround videogames with an open and neobaroque aesthetic that blurs the line between interpretative performance and popular entertainment. Take Playdead's critically acclaimed Inside (2016). Artfully designed around an enigmatic story, minimalist aesthetics, and a complete lack of dialogue or narration, upon release the game was swarmed by a huddle of online theories. Like its 2010 predecessor, Limbo, the game seems to anticipate fan theories through its narrative design. In the final set piece, for example, the player watches as the unnamed boy, whom they have controlled the entire game, is sucked inside a giant blob of flesh plugged into computers. Inside the fleshy meatball-the Huddle, as fans call it-the player then assumes control of the blob as it breaks free from the lab, smashes through concrete walls, and rolls to a stop on a grassy

El propósito es explorar y debatir el impacto que el tiempo ocupado en entrenamiento de futbol puede tener en las vidas de los jóvenes atletas que están todavía en la escuela. Se realizaron entrevistas tanto estructuradas como semiestructuradas. La muestra fue tomada de 417 jugadores en las divisiones juveniles de la Federación Estatal de Futbol de Rio de Janeiro registrados en 2008 y 2009. Los resultados muestran que: a) los atletas tienen más escolaridad que los brasileños promedio de la misma edad; b) después de los 15 años de edad, de manera incrementada los atletas asisten a la escuela nocturna debido a las demandas del futbol y/o a una historia de bajo desempeño escolar, reduciendo la cantidad de tiempo ocupado en la escuela y; c) la conciliación entre futbol y escuela sugiere que las escuelas han sido flexibles con relación a la asistencia y a la programación de horarios para que los estudiantes puedan cumplir con las demandas deportivas mientras están en la escuela. Palabras clave: educación, escolaridad, futbol, jóvenes, entrenamiento profesional. * Este estudio recibió apoyo financiero de faperj y de cnpq.

What motivates cruelty against video game characters designed to be friendly? Using human-to-NPC interactions within the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons as a case study, this paper seeks to define what aspects of a cozy game contribute towards public displays of aggression or kindness toward the game's characters. An examination of public forums dedicated to discussing villagers deemed ugly reveals the importance of parasocial connections in the utopian community planning aspects of Animal Crossing's gameplay. The resulting online discourse surrounding ethical treatment of villagers becomes part of players' conceptions of their role as social planner in-game, further solidifying which behaviors and objectives will yield them the coziest experience. Paratext, therefore, plays an active role in the conception and socialization of Animal Crossing players' utopian urban projects.