Search results for "game mechanics"
showing 10 items of 23 documents
Telling Stories with Digital Board Games
2009
In the context of computer games, learning is an inherent feature of computer game playing. Computer games can be seen as multimodal texts that connect separate means of expression and require new kinds of literacy skills from the readers. In this chapter, the authors consider how the computer-based learning tool Talarius, which enables students to make their own digital games and play them, lends itself to literacy learning. The learning subject is a children’s novel, and thus it is narrative by its nature. In addition, the learning tool provides the potential to interweave narrative contents into the games made by it. The focus of this chapter is on the relationship between narrativity an…
Mathematics and Non-School Gameplay
2015
This chapter investigates the mathematics in the gameplay of three popular games (Angry Birds, Plants vs. Zombies and The Sims) that are unlikely to be played in mathematics lessons. The three games are different but each has been observed to provide opportunity for mathematical activity in gameplay. After describing each game, and the mathematics that can arise in gameplay, the chapter explores two questions: What kind of mathematics is afforded in these games? Can these games be used in/for school mathematics? Issues considered under the first question include: the nature of mathematics and the difficulty of isolating the mathematics in non-school gameplay; players’ strategic actions as m…
Player performance, satisfaction, and video game enjoyment
2009
An experiment (N = 74) was conducted to investigate the impact of game difficulty and player performance on game enjoyment. Participants played a First Person Shooter game with systematically varied levels of difficulty. Satisfaction with performance and game enjoyment were assessed after playing. Results are not fully in line with predictions derived from flow and attribution theory and suggest players to (1) change their view on their own performance with its implications for enjoyment with increasing game experience and (2) to switch strategically between different sources of fun, thus maintaining a (somewhat) positive experience even when performance-based enjoyment is low.
Novel threat-based AI strategies that incorporate adaptive data structures for multi-player board games
2016
This paper considers the problem of designing novel techniques for multi-player game playing, in a range of board games and configurations. Compared to the well-known case of two-player game playing, multi-player game playing is a more complex problem with unique requirements. To address the unique challenges of this domain, we examine the potential of employing techniques inspired by Adaptive Data Structures (ADSs) to rank opponents based on their relative threats, and using this information to achieve gains in move ordering and tree pruning. We name our new technique the Threat-ADS heuristic. We examine the Threat-ADS’ performance within a range of game models, employing a number of diffe…
Developing Online Collaborative Games for e-Learning Environments
2014
Based on our experience, we believe that games, competition and teamwork offer a pleasant and active way of learning. This is much more efficient when the learner has a smile on his face, when he is astonished and curious about next levels and finds the game sufficiently challenging and fun to try again. Our application proposal has the purpose of implementing an e-Learning platform for improving the teaching and learning process in somewhat abstract domains, such as computer architecture or object oriented programming, with the help of games. These games are time-dependent and are able to support collaboration between groups. To this date there are two learning games implemented: a crosswo…
Subjective Experience and Sociability in a Collaborative Serious Game
2013
The meaning of social dimension of gaming for enjoyable and engaging game experiences is supported by an increasing amount of research. Nonetheless, this issue has rarely been studied in the context of serious games. This study attempts to narrow the knowledge gap in the understanding of collaborative serious game experiences and the relationship between the social dimension of gaming and core game experiences. The aim of this study is to empirically investigate what kinds of game experiences are generated when playing collaborative serious game and how the sense of social presence and the sociability of the environment are connected to the core game experience. Findings reinforce the idea…
Process control in the development of game-based learning environments
2009
This paper examines the development process of digital game-based learning environments (GBLE), focusing on the process control. The aim is to explore the alternatives to process control in GBLE development and provide guidelines for planning and carrying out process control in GBLE projects. This study is a part of the research project Human-Centered Design of Game-Based Learning Environments. The overall aim of the project is to construct a multidisciplinary and user-driven process for the development of digital GBLEs. The study was conducted according to the principles of development research and action research. The action research cycles consisted of four game development projects. The…
Game Mechanics in the Design of a Collaborative 3D Serious Game
2014
Background. This article investigates the potential of utilizing game mechanics in designing 3-D serious games for Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) and attempt to produce new information about designing collaborative serious games. Aim. This article has two aims: first, to clarify how theoretical knowledge of collaborative learning was related to game design in previous studies; and, second, to design a collaborative serious game based on theoretical knowledge of collaborative learning and game design. Results. The reviewed studies revealed the potential of using collaborative games in education. However, they showed that collaborative learning games were typically designed …
How to Raise Different Game Collaboration Activities : The Association Between Game Mechanics, Players' Roles and Collaboration Processes
2018
Background. Designing collaborative three-dimensional (3D) learning games is one way to enhance the quality of learning and respond to the needs of working life. However, there is little research on how to apply different game mechanics to support different educational aims.Aim. This study determines how game mechanics implemented within computer-supported collaboration roles (scripted vs. emergent) are associated with the emergence of collaboration.Method. The research at hand applies both qualitative and quantitative content analysis. The target group consisted of 15 vocational school students. The data were gathered by recording the groups’ discussions and saving the game logs. A total o…
Exploring the experiences concerning leadership communication in online gaming groups
2009
This paper looks at leadership communication in the context of multiplayer computer games and the groups that operate within them. In multiplayer games promoting teamwork and long-term cooperation, issues of management and leadership are prevalent. The paper explores the experiences that members of multiplayer communities have towards leadership communication in multiplayer games by looking at one specific case of organized team play within the framework of a turn-based online strategy game. The data utilized in this study consists of themed player interviews conducted via e-mail. The analysis proposes three central dimensions that emerged from the data. These were labeled: 1) the leader as…