Game Development Research Articles

The impact of microtransactions on the gamification of digital games

This article explores the impact of microtransactions as a form of monetization of game content and further gamification of digital games and video games. The relationship between gambling and monetized video games is considered, as well as the essence of gamblification of video games as a form of media convergence and the practice of spreading gambling in society. The main subject of the study is the question of whether the use of monetized game content leads to gambling addiction, since, unlike gambling, which under the laws of most countries is allowed to be accessed upon reaching the age of majority, monetized game content does not have age restrictions, and thus can affect not yet formed child (adolescent) psyche. Despite the fact that microtransactions in the gaming industry can provide additional streams to support video game development, research also shows the presence of so-called «predatory» monetization schemes. The article presents experimental studies of simulated gambling (such as social casino games, loot box purchases, etc.) by adolescents and their transition to gambling after reaching adulthood. Emphasis is placed on various approaches to gamification of digital and video games. From the position that microtransactions in video games do not affect later cognitive behavior and do not lead to gambling tendencies, to the fact that microtransactions have a negative effect on video game culture because they not only lead to addiction, but also create an imbalance in the gaming community. The latter is explained by the fact that it often takes several tens of hours to achieve something in a digital game, microtransactions allow you to reduce this time to a minimum for a certain amount of money. In any case, this issue is difficult not only from a social and psychological point of view, but also from a legal and economic point of view, and therefore requires additional research.

Application of Artificial Intelligence in the Design of 2D Escape From Pirates Game with A Star Algorithm Search Method

This research is designed to provide a challenging gaming experience by integrating strategy and problem-solving elements. The A* algorithm was chosen due to its efficient ability to find the shortest path in a complex search space. The implementation of this algorithm allows the main character to dynamically avoid obstacles and pirate threats and reach the destination in an optimal way. The test results show that the A* algorithm not only improves game performance but also provides a more realistic and challenging experience for the player. For testing this application, using obstacles and measured based on the value of nodes on the game map. Based on the test results, the A Star algorithm was successfully applied when comparing the computations in the game and manual calculations in the Escape from Pirates game in the test. Thus, this research contributes to the development of artificial intelligence-based games and opens opportunities for further innovation in interactive game design.

Game Products: Innovative Pathways for Nursing Education and Clinical Training

To excel in their work, nurses must have specialized tools to support their tasks and professional development. Games, as a crucial pathway to achieving nursing education and clinical training goals, demonstrate significant potential and application value, making them an innovative product. Nursing education games come in various forms, including virtual reality, augmented reality, tabletop, and digital, and may be designed as needed for individual, two-player, or team play (Avşar et al., 2023; Bermejo et al., 2023; Tsai et al., 2024). These games, beyond their entertainment value, have clear educational objectives embedded in their design. Through levels, challenging tasks, and reward mechanisms, they stimulate learning enjoyment and promote nursing development. In this column, experts and scholars in the field of nursing engaged in game development share their experiences and achievements. Integrating games into nursing delivers a wealth of tools and resources for nursing education and clinical practice, offering immersive learning experiences, instant feedback, and individualized learning paths. For nursing students, gamified products offer safe and risk-free learning environments in which they can practice critical tasks and make decisions in simulated medical scenarios, increasing their clinical experience and confidence and enhancing their clinical judgment and decision-making skills (Wu et al., 2023). For patients, many therapeutic games have already been designed that use gameplay to improve health by facilitating user engagement in rehabilitation exercises, promoting healthy eating, and fostering social interactivity (Tsai et al., 2024). For nurses, various games are being used to promote continuous professional growth in an interactive and enjoyable learning environment, improving overall quality of care and job satisfaction (Hsieh et al., 2023). In summary, the application of game products in nursing education and clinical training has introduced new learning and training models that provide multifaceted benefits for nurses, nursing students, and patients. We hope that readers will gain a deeper understanding of related game products after reading this column and use games effectively to enhance nursing quality.

Predicting Online Gaming Behaviour Using Machine Learning Techniques

Understanding player behaviour in online gaming is essential for enhancing user engagement and retention. This study utilizes a dataset from Kaggle, capturing a wide range of player demographics and in-game metrics to predict player engagement levels categorized as 'High,' 'Medium,' or 'Low.' The dataset includes features such as age, gender, location, game genre, playtime, in-game purchases, game difficulty, session frequency, session duration, player level, and achievements. The research employs a Gaussian Naive Bayes model, with data pre-processing steps including feature selection, categorical data encoding, and scaling of numerical features. The dataset is split into training (80%) and testing (20%) sets, and a 5-fold cross-validation is used to ensure model robustness. The model's performance is evaluated using accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. The results show consistent performance across different folds, with an average accuracy of 84.27%, precision of 85.59%, recall of 84.27%, and F1-score of 83.98%. These findings indicate that the Gaussian Naive Bayes model can reliably predict player engagement levels, identifying significant predictors such as session frequency and in-game purchases. The study contributes to game analytics by providing a predictive model that can help game developers and marketers design more engaging gaming experiences. Future research should incorporate a broader range of features, including psychological and social factors, and explore other machine learning algorithms to enhance predictive accuracy. This study's insights are valuable for developing strategies to improve player retention and satisfaction in the gaming industry.

Developing educational serious games as a proposal for university training in the area of Child Computer Interaction

Training in the area of CCI has become a current topic of debate. It is necessary to address the specificities related to this target audience in terms of ethical aspects, evaluation techniques and instruments and the appropriate approach to content, forms of interaction, among others. This work focuses on a project-based learning experience that is being developed with students in the area of computer science, who work on the development of educational serious games aimed at children. Different axes related to CCI training and educational game design are approached in a phase-based process and an analysis of cognitive residues that are addressed is also included. The project developed in 2023, related to healthy eating, is presented as an example of the experiences carried out with students. The results indicate that this type of proposals are attractive and motivating for the students involved, who participate in real projects with stakeholders and children.

Using Real-Time Ray Tracing in Game Action-Adventure ANGKARA "The Rise of Asura"

The pressing problems facing the games industry in Indonesia are first, the lack of developers who can meet the needs of the local market and the lack of adaptation of local content in games. Second, how to improve the optimization of the Ray Tracing process? To overcome these challenges, this research aims to design and build an action-adventure game model using Unreal Engine 5. By developing the Real-Time Ray Tracing (RTRT) feature. The game design will also utilize the latest technology such as Ray Tracing, and artificial intelligence to create an immersive and realistic gaming experience. The method used in this research is GDLC (Game Development Life Cycle). The results of research using black box testing with components, character responsiveness, basic attacks, interaction with the environment, defense, enemy behavior, and optimization of Ray Tracing state that it has been validated.

Pengembangan Game Edukasi Interaktif Perhitungan Waris dalam Pendidikan Agama Islam Menggunakan Scratch

This study aims to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of interactive educational games in learning inheritance calculation material in Islamic Religious Education subjects using the Scratch platform. The research method used is Research and Development (R&D) with the ADDIE model. Game development involves the integration of learning content, gamification elements, and adaptive systems. Validation was carried out by media and material experts, while the trial involved 60 high school students. The results showed a very high level of feasibility from media experts (96%) and material experts (97%). The trial on students showed a significant increase in material comprehension (p < 0.001) and learning motivation. Educational games have proven to be effective in improving students' knowledge transfer skills, long-term retention, and critical thinking skills. Qualitative analysis revealed a positive impact on the social-emotional aspects of learning. This research makes a significant contribution to the development of innovative learning media for complex materials in Islamic Religious Education and opens opportunities for further research in the integration of game technology in religious education

Let's Play? A Board Health Game Development and Validation for Children with Atopic Dermatitis.

Objective: Several health games have been developed for pediatric patients in recent years but few for children with atopic dermatitis (AD). As this chronic disease requires changes in daily habits, this study aimed to develop and validate the content of a board health game for children with AD. Material and Methods: This is a content development and validation study of DermatrilhaTM, a board health game about AD. The instrument aims to promote interactions between children with AD and health care providers and offers the exchange of experiences, feelings, and knowledge about the disease in a playful way. The five stages of development of the board game were (a) planning, (b) development, (c) preparation of content validation questionnaires, (d) evaluation by a committee of experts, and (e) pretest with the target audience. Results: The expert committee group consisted of 20 professionals: 5 physicians specialized in pediatric dermatology, 5 psychologists specialized in health psychology, 5 designers with experience in illustration, and 5 early childhood educators. The target audience consisted of 25 children aged 7-12 years with AD. The evaluation of the expert committee found 0.95 in the general content validity index and 0.92 in the target audience, thus exceeding 0.80 in all items. Conclusion: The board health game Dermatrilha has proven to be a psychoeducational tool for the therapeutic education of children with AD, enabling the exchange of experiences, feelings, and knowledge about the disease among peers and health care providers.

Toward next generation mixed reality games: a research through design approach

Mixed reality (MR) games refer to games that integrate physical entities with digitally mediated contents. Currently, it entails game creators to integrate heterogeneous virtual and physical components, which is often time-consuming and labor-intensive, without the support of a coherent technology stack. The underlying technodiversity manifested by the research corpus suggests a complicated, multi-dimensional design space that goes beyond merely technical concerns. In this research, we adopted a research-through-design approach and proposed an MR game technology stack that facilitates flexible, low-code game development. As design grounding, we first surveyed 34 state-of-the-art studies, and results were synergized into three different spectra of technological affordances, respectively activity range, user interface and feedback control, to inform our next design process. We then went through an iterative prototyping phase and implemented an MR game development toolset. A co-design workshop was conducted, where we invited 15 participants to try the prototype tools and co-ideate the potential use scenarios for the proposed technology stack. First-hand user feedback was collected via questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. As a result, four conceptual game designs with three major design implications were generated, which conjointly reflect a broader understanding on MR gameful experience and contribute fresh insights to this emerging research domain.

Maze and navigation algorithms in game development

Maze and navigation algorithms in game development

Comparison of EEVEE and Cycles Rendering Performance in Blender 3.5 in the Context of Interactive Visuals for 3D Animation

This research aims to compare the performance of two rendering engines, namely EEVEE and Cycles, available in Blender 3.5, in the context of developing interactive visual 3D animation. The rendering engine is a key element in 3D animation production, and the right choice between EEVEE and Cycles can have a significant impact on the final animation result. In this research, we conducted a series of experiments and analyzes to evaluate rendering speed, the quality of the resulting images, and the ability to achieve the visual effects desired by the animator. The results of this research provide deep insight into the strengths and limitations of each rendering engine in interactive 3D animation scenarios. These findings can help animators, game developers, and similar creative professionals make more informed choices when choosing a rendering engine that suits their project needs. Thus, this research contributes to the development of rendering techniques in the growing 3D animation industry.

Pengembangan Game Terapi Bagi Anak Autisme Berbasis Motion Capture dengan Metode Optimasi Kalman Filter

Children with autism spectrum disorder often face challenges in developing motor skills and social interaction abilities. This research aimed to develop an interactive motion capture-based therapy game that could assist autistic children in practicing their motor skills through an enjoyable play experience. The Kalman Filter optimization method was employed to enhance the accuracy and quality of motion detection in the motion capture process. The development of this therapy game involved consultations with therapists, psychologists, and relevant experts in designing game activities tailored to the needs of autistic children. Motion capture technology was utilized to capture the children's body movements in real-time, while the Kalman Filter algorithm was implemented to filter and optimize the acquired motion data. The game interface was designed to be simple, featuring attractive visual objects, bright colors, and familiar sounds. The testing results demonstrated that the application of the Kalman Filter method could increase motion detection accuracy up to 90%, ensuring a more responsive and immersive play experience for the children. This therapy game proved effective in improving motor skills, body coordination, as well as motivation and engagement of autistic children in the therapy process. This research contributes to the development of an enjoyable and effective interactive therapy solution to assist autistic children in developing essential skills for daily life

“Coolness” and “joy” in games: factors influencing mobile game players' willingness to make in-game purchases

PurposeThis study aims to deeply explore the factors influencing mobile game players' willingness to make in-game purchases, providing references for game developers and marketers to formulate effective strategies.Design/methodology/approachThis research integrates the coolness factors and hedonic motivation system acceptance model to construct a comprehensive theoretical model analyzing mobile game players' willingness to make in-game purchases. The framework includes multidimensional variables such as joy, coolness, immersion, and game experience. Using data from 392 surveys collected from mobile game forums and social networks, the study employs structural equation modeling to analyze the factors and mechanisms influencing players' willingness to make in-game purchases and to verify the related research hypotheses.FindingsThe findings reveal that coolness factors have a significant positive impact on game experience and immersion, which in turn affect players' willingness to make in-game purchases. Game experience has a significant positive impact on both immersion and purchase willingness. A good game experience not only increases players' immersion but also directly enhances their willingness to make in-game purchases. Immersion plays a mediating role in the influence of coolness factors and joy on purchase willingness.Originality/valueBy integrating coolness theory with the hedonic motivation system acceptance model, this study constructs a comprehensive model to explore mobile game players' willingness to make in-game purchases. The combination of variables, including personal psychological and social psychological factors, provides a thorough analysis of the factors influencing mobile game purchase willingness, enriching existing research.

Serious Games for Cognitive Rehabilitation in Older Adults: A Conceptual Framework

This paper presents a conceptual framework for the development of serious games aimed at cognitive rehabilitation in older adults. Following Jabareen’s methodology, a literature review was conducted to identify concepts and theories that are relevant in this field. The resulting framework comprises the use of virtual reality, integration of physical activity, incorporation of social interaction features, adaptability of difficulty levels, and customization of game content. The interconnections between these concepts and underlying cognitive theories, such as the cognitive reserve hypothesis and the scaffolding theory of aging and cognition, are highlighted. As we are in the early stages of our research, our goal is to introduce and test novel interpretations of current knowledge within this conceptual framework. Additionally, the practical implications of the conceptual framework are discussed, including its strengths and limitations, as well as its relevance for future research and clinical practice in the field of cognitive rehabilitation. It is hoped that this framework will provide a guide for the design and implementation of effective interventions to improve cognitive health and well-being in the older adult population.

SyDRA: An approach to understand game engine architecture

Game engines are tools to facilitate video game development. They provide graphics, sound, and physics simulation features, which would have to be otherwise implemented by developers. Even though essential for modern commercial video game development, game engines are complex and developers often struggle to understand their architecture, leading to maintainability and evolution issues that negatively affect video game productions. In this paper, we present the Subsystem-Dependency Recovery Approach (SyDRA), which helps game engine developers understand game engine architecture and therefore make informed game engine development choices. By applying this approach to 10 open-source game engines, we obtain architectural models that can be used to compare game engine architectures and identify and solve issues of excessive coupling and folder nesting. Through a controlled experiment, we show that the inspection of the architectural models derived from SyDRA enables developers to complete tasks related to architectural understanding and impact analysis in less time and with higher correctness than without these models.

What goes wrong during phishing education? A probe into a game-based assessment with unfavorable results

Context:In recent years, there has been a significant surge in global Social Engineering (phishing) attacks. This upsurge has prompted governmental bodies, organizations, and educational institutions to formulate strategies aimed at mitigating this threat. Objective:The primary objective of this research is to create a game-based solution that educates participants about URLs and evaluates their understanding through multiple-choice questions. Methodology:To attain the aforementioned objectives, a multifaceted approach has been adopted in this study. Firstly, an extensive literature review was conducted to gain insights into the problem and prior research on the subject. This review was instrumental in comprehending the game development framework, developmental tools, and various design models for game design. A digital adaptation of the game has been created utilizing the CONSTRUCT 3 platform. Secondly, an empirical evaluation was executed, involving participants engaging with the game and their learning assessed through survey. A survey method was employed to further gauge participants’ knowledge and to solicit feedback on the game’s design. Results and Conclusion:The survey results indicate a lack of significant outcomes or dependencies on the dependent variable. fun to play, ease to play, and game-based learning did not significantly predict avoidance behavior while the intention to play and phishing knowledge were the significant positive predictors of avoidance behavior, with intention to play showing the biggest contribution in the models 2 and 3. Correspondingly, the negligible difference between the R2 value and △ R2 in models 2 and 3 also confirmed the small variance of model 2 (explained in the paper). Consequently, the research asserts that the assessment of the gaming method has not yielded success and underscores the necessity for enhancements and further evaluation.

Trustworthy High-Performance Multiplayer Games with Trust-but-Verify Protocol Sensor Validation.

Multiplayer online video games are a multibillion-dollar industry, to which widespread cheating presents a significant threat. Game designers compromise on game security to meet demanding performance targets, but reduced security increases the risk of potential malicious exploitation. To mitigate this risk, game developers implement alternative security sensors. The alternative sensors themselves become a liability due to their intrusive and taxing nature. Online multiplayer games with real-time gameplay are known to be difficult to secure due to the cascading exponential nature of many-many relationships among the components involved. Behavior-based security sensor schemes, or referees (a trusted third party), could be a potential solution but require frameworks to obtain the game state information they need. We describe our Trust-Verify Game Protocol (TVGP), which is a sensor protocol intended for low-trust environments and designed to provide game state information to help support behavior-based cheat-sensing detection schemes. We argue TVGP is an effective solution for applying an independent trusted referee capability to trust-lacking subdomains and demands high-performance requirements. Our experimental results validate high efficiency and performance standards for TVGP. We identify and discuss the operational domain assumptions of the TVGP validation testing presented here.

Empirical insights into AI-assisted game development: A case study on the integration of generative AI tools in creative pipelines

<p>This study conducts an empirical exploration of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools across the game development pipeline, from concept art creation to 3D model integration in a game engine. Employing AI generators like Leonardo AI, Scenario AI, Alpha 3D, and Luma AI, the research investigates their application in generating game assets. The process, documented in a diary-like format, ranges from producing concept art using fantasy game prompts to optimizing 3D models in Blender and applying them in Unreal Engine 5. The findings highlight the potential of AI to enhance the conceptualization phase and identify challenges in producing optimized, high-quality 3D models suitable for game development. This study reveals the current limitations and ethical considerations of AI in game design, suggesting that while generative AI tools hold significant promise for transforming game development, their full integration depends on overcoming these hurdles and gaining broader industry acceptance.<strong></strong></p>

The effect of players' ability to resist monsters on immersion and fear in survival horror games

Horror survival games, as a crucial segment of the video game industry, are highly regrded for their ability to evoke excitement, suspense and the challenge of overcoming obstacles and fears through wit and skill. This study delves into the impact of players' ability to confront monsters in horror survival games on their level of immersion and fear, and how these two psychological states mutually enhance the gaming experience. This research applies Python for natural language processing analyses, including sentiment analysis, keyword frequency analysis, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling, and K-Means clustering to uncover the main trends in player feedback, which is based on 5,000 user comments scraped from the Steam platform on two famous horror games, "Resident Evil 7" and "Outlast 2." Additionally, data on players' personal experiences of fear and immersion in the games are collected through surveys. The results show that the sensation of fear and successfully confronting monsters significantly enhances players' immersion of being completely engaged in the game, highlighting the importance of balancing challenge and player's ability to make choices in game design. This study provides valuable insights into understanding the psychological dynamics of players in horror survival games, guiding game designers and developers on how to create more engaging and satisfying gaming experiences that meet players' requirements.

The application of Verilog in the development of casual games

Verilog is a hardware description language (HDL) that is widely used in digital circuit design and simulation. Its development is closely related to computer science and electrical engineering. Verilog gained popularity in the early 1980s as digital circuit designs became increasingly complex, requiring more efficient circuit design and verification tools. At the same time, rapid advances in computer hardware also stimulated the demand for digital circuit design languages. Furthermore, the popularity and adoption of Verilog highlight the growing necessity for digitisation, automation, and intelligence in modern society. As digital technology continues to advance across various industries, the need for effective and dependable digital circuit design languages is also increasing. This paper delves into the complex process of recreating the timeless arcade classic Pac-Man on the Spartan 3E FPGA platform using hardware description and digital circuit techniques and the Verilog programming language. Through a comprehensive review of existing literature and research, this study investigates the fusion of traditional game design principles with state-of-the-art hardware programming methods, demonstrating the seamless integration of software-driven game mechanics with hardware-based implementation. Through careful design and coding strategies, Pac-Man's basic functionality, such as maze traversal, ghost AI, and pellet consumption, is faithfully replicated using Verilog modules customized for the Spartan 3E FPGA board. By bridging the realms of game development and hardware engineering, this paper not only showcases the versatility of Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology in entertainment applications but also underscores the interdisciplinary nature of modern computing endeavours.