Theses 2005

TITLE: What do we learn when we change the way we play? : augmenting the computer gameplay experience

Year:	2005
Country:	Thesis:Canada	Candidate:
Degree:	M.A.
Institution:	York University
Department:	Communication and Culture
URL:

Abstract: STUDENT ABSTRACT: Non-portable video games are conventionally played on one of two technological platforms: the console and the personal computer. Yet, the latter invites us to change the hardware and software elements of the platform, granting the ability to change the way that we experience and know the games we play and effectively permitting a reconstruction of the narrative that players develop about their gameplay experiences. Through the use of pilot focus group research, this paper inquires as to what a player learns by interfacing with the computer one is playing a game on via the use and mandatory and voluntary manipulation of a computer's hardware, software and other interstitial elements; effectively looking at video game research from a functional perspective that has yet to be dealt with at length in current ludological research.

TITLE: Video game playing : effects of an audience and player personality

Year:	2005
Country:	Thesis:Canada	Candidate:
Degree:	M.Sc.
Institution:	University of Calgary
Department:	Department of Psychology
URL:

Abstract: The two purposes of this study were to determine (a) whether the presence of another while playing (audience) affects how a person plays a video game, and (b) whether player personality characteristics influence play in the presence or absence of an audience. Players' personality and baseline of playing (playing alone) were assessed in the first session. Changes in play due to the presence or absence of an audience were assessed in a second session. As predicted by social facilitation theory, the presence of an audience increased the dominant responses of the game, i.e., the number of enemies killed for both male and female players and the number of innocent people killed for male players only. Trait aggression significantly interacted with the audience effect; extraversion did not. The dominant behaviors in a video game and potential mechanisms of audience effects were discussed.

TITLE: The design, development and assessment of an educational sports-action video game: implicitly changing player behaviour

Year:	2005
Country:	Thesis:Canada	Candidate:
Degree:	M.Sc.
Institution:	Simon Fraser University
Department:	School of Interactive Arts & Technology
URL:

Abstract: Concussion education and prevention for youth hockey players has been an issue of recent concern amongst sport medicine practitioners and hockey's administrative bodies. This thesis details the design, implementation and assessment of a sports-action hockey video game that aims to reduce the aggressive and negligent behaviours that can lead to concussions. The game, termed ' Heads Up Hockey', was designed to modify game playing behaviour by embedding an implicit teaching mechanism within the gameplay. Educational games often suffer from the problem of indirection, that is, the content the learner is intended to learn is indirectly related to the gameplay. With ' Heads Up Hockey', participants were expected to learn by simply playing to win, in contrast to playing to learn. The 21 participants in the experimental learning group significantly improved their mean score on a composite behaviour indicator (p = 0.0002) compared with no significant change amongst the 21 control group participants.

TITLE: Modeling user emotion in interactive play environments : a fuzzy physiological approach

Year:	2005
Country:	Thesis:Canada	Candidate:
Degree:	Ph.D.
Institution:	Simon Fraser University
Department:	Computing Science
URL:

Abstract: Researchers are integrating emerging technologies into interactive play environments, and established game markets continue to expand, yet evaluating play environments is challenging. While task performance metrics are commonly used to objectively and quantitatively analyse productivity systems; with play systems, the 'quality of the experience', not the 'performance of the participant' is important. This research presents three experiments that examine users' physiological signals to continuously model user emotion during interaction with play technologies. Modeled emotions are powerful because they capture usability and playability, account for user emotion, are quantitative and objective, and can be represented continuously. In Experiment One we explored how physiological signals respond to interaction with play technologies. We collected a variety of physiological measures while observing participants playing a computer game in four difficulty conditions, providing a basis for experimental exploration of this domain. In Experiment Two we investigated how physiological signals differ between play conditions, and how physiological signals co-vary with subjective reports. A different physiological response was observed when playing a computer game against a co-located friend versus a computer. When normalized, the physiological results mirrored subjective reports. In Experiment Three we developed a method for modeling emotion using physiological data. A fuzzy logic model transformed four physiological signals into arousal and valence. A second fuzzy logic model transformed arousal and valence into five emotions: boredom, challenge, excitement, frustration, and fun. The modeled emotions' means were evaluated with test data, and exhibited the same trends as the reported emotions for fun, boredom, and excitement, but modeled emotions revealed differences between three play conditions, while differences between reported emotions were not significant. Mean emotion modeled from physiological data fills a knowledge gap for objective and quantitative evaluation of entertainment technologies. Using our technique, user emotion can be analyzed over an entire experience, revealing variance within and between conditions. This continuous representation has a high evaluative bandwidth, and is important because the 'process ', not the 'outcome' of playing determines success. The continuous representation of modeled emotion is a powerful evaluative tool, that when combined with other approaches, forms a robust method for evaluating user interaction with play technologies.

TITLE: Network software architectures for real-time massively-multiplayer online games

Year:	2005
Country:	Thesis:Canada	Candidate:
Degree:	M.Sc.
Institution:	McGill University
Department:	School of Computer Science
URL:	http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/QMM/TC-QMM-18200.pdf, http://digitool.library.mcgill.ca:8881/thesisfile18200.pdf

Abstract: A real-time massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) is a networked computer or video game in which tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of consumers may interact with one another in real-time in a shared environment, even though these users may be separated by vast geographic distances. Game industry analysis highlights trends indicating that online game usage and market penetration will grow significantly over the next five to ten years. As such, game developers and entertainment companies seek to offer subscription based mass-market online games. However, the risks, costs and complexity involved in the successful development and operation of a scalable online game service are high, in part due to lack of well established and understood models for the network software architecture of such a product. This thesis explores the literature and research regarding distributed military simulation, academic networked virtual environments, and commercial online gaming in search of patterns for network software architectures which are applicable to massively multiplayer online games. It is the hope of the author to contribute to this cross pollination of ideas by providing a thorough review of the techniques and approaches for the design and implementation of large scale distributed systems having properties similar to those found in a massively multiplayer online game system. In this way, perhaps the cost, complexity, and risk involved in building a massively multiplayer online game service can be reduced.

TITLE: Cultural Influences On Video Games [electronic resource] : players' preferences in narrative and game-play

Year:	2005
Country:	Thesis:Canada	Candidate:
Degree:	Master of Applied Science
Institution:	University of Waterloo
Department:	Management Sciences
URL:	http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/O, http://etd.uwaterloo.ca/etd/acyngai2005.pdfWTU/TC-OWTU-638.pdf

Abstract: As an entertainment media, video games provide pleasure and enjoyment through interactions with various game elements. Some games are more successful in one part of the world than others, which sales data have clearly shown over the years. Games designed in various parts of the world often have distinct differences, as developers implicitly or subconsciously convey their values and culture in their creations. Thus, in examining ?what is fun,? one must move beyond technical aspects of game design and look into immersion and emotional experiences. In this paper, sales data for 2004 were first examined, followed by a case study to investigate any differences between Japan and the US, where major game console manufacturers and game developers reside. Although they indicated differences in popularity of genres and design approaches, results from the survey were not able to verify conclusively major statistical difference between the two groups of respondents. The survey was constructed

TITLE: Semi-automated gameplay analysis for role-playing games

Year:	2005
Country:	Thesis:Canada	Candidate:
Degree:	M.Sc.
Institution:	University of Alberta
Department:	Department of Computing Science
URL:

Abstract: This thesis presents a tool, the Game Analyzer, which tests video games rapidly and provides useful feedback about the game's behavior to the game developer, who can then make adjustments to the game as desired. With the help of user-defined abstract states and actions, the Game Analyzer builds a state-transition model for a user-defined scenario within the game. This state-transition model defines the set of possible policies (gameplay strategies). The Game Analyzer then evaluates a large sample of the policies. These results can then be manipulated and visualized to help the game developer fine tune the scenarios played in the game and the game engine itself. This research was applied mainly to Role-Playing Games but could be applied to other domains.

TITLE: Cognition and Learning in Massively Multiplayer Online Games: a critical approach

Year:	2005
Country:	Thesis:USA	Candidate:USA
Degree:	PhD.
Institution:	University of Wisconsin – Madison
Department:	Curriculum and Instruction
URL:	http://website.education.wisc.edu/steinkuehler/thesis.html

Abstract:

TITLE: Pervasive learning : always on education

Year:	2005
Country:	Thesis:Canada	Candidate:
Degree:	M.A.
Institution:	University of Calgary
Department:	Graduate Division of Educational Research
URL:

Abstract: This study seeks to generate a theoretical understanding of pervasive and ubiquitous learning by presenting and then analyzing a model of pervasive and ubiquitous learning. The study discusses challenges faced while designing and developing a pervasive learning game and attempts not only to answer the question of whether a pervasive learning game can engage students in politics and economics, but what and how players learn while playing such games.

TITLE: Adolescents and video games: What I discovered about authentic learning and video games

Year:	2005
Country:	Thesis:USA	Candidate:
Degree:	EdD.
Institution:	University of Delaware
URL:	http://gradworks.umi.com/31/81/3181865.html

Abstract: