First-person Shooter Research Articles

The Fittest Wins: A Multistage Framework Achieving New SOTA in ViZDoom Competition

This paper offers an integrated solution for First-Person Shooter (FPS) games to train agents with adaptive strategies. Solving such complex decision tasks requires generalization ability and adaptive strategies. We develop a framework using a novel Adaptive Strategic Control (ASC) algorithm combined with advanced techniques like the hindsight experience replay (HER), multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL), and league training. The approach adopts a multi-stage learning scheme, consisting of learning a goal-conditioned navigation policy, then transferring to learn sophisticated shooting skills by playing against a league of players, and finally learning adaptive strategies. Our agent achieves the SOTA result in past ViZDoom AI Competitions, surpassing previous top-ranked agents (never seen during training) by a large margin. We provide comprehensive analysis and experiments to elaborate the effect of each component in affecting the agent performance and demonstrate that the proposed and adopted techniques are essential to achieve superior performance in ViZDoom Competition and potentially valuable for general end-to-end FPS games.

KovaaK's aim trainer as a reliable metrics platform for assessing shooting proficiency in esports players: a pilot study.

Esports research lacks game-based metrics platforms appropriate for adequately capturing esports performance. The aim of this pilot study was to assess the reliability of the KovaaK's first-person shooter (FPS) aim trainer as a metrics platform for assessing shooting proficiency in esports players. Ten FPS esports players completed two identical experimental trials (T) separated by three to five days. Each trial included four rounds (R) of testing, evaluating four shooting tasks: Micro Flicking, Macro Flicking, Strafe Tracking, and Wall Peeking. Reliability of performance outcomes (e.g., accuracy, headshot accuracy, hits per second, and total shots hit) were assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI), and significant differences were identified using repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA). Results indicated excellent, or good to excellent reliability for all outcome variables with the ICC estimates ranging between 0.947-0.995, with lower and upper bound 95% CIs ranging between 0.876-0.988, and 0.984-0.999, respectively. Significant improvements were seen between experimental trials in the Macro Flicking task for accuracy (p = .005) and hits per second (p = .009) only. Significant interactions between trial and round were identified in the Micro Flicking task for accuracy (p = .006), with post hoc analysis showing accuracy was significantly higher in T1R1 compared to T2R1 (87.74 ± 3.13 vs. 85.99 ± 3.05, respectively, p = .02), and in T2R4 compared to T2R2 (87.99 ± 2.89 vs. 84.70 ± 4.25, respectively, p = .049). Significant interactions were also identified in the Strafe Tracking task for headshot accuracy (p = .002), with post hoc analysis showing headshot accuracy was significantly higher in T1R2 compared to T2R2 (78.48 ± 8.15 vs. 76.79 ± 12.16, respectively, p = .003), and in T1R2 compared to T1R1 (78.48 ± 8.15 vs. 73.68 ± 17.94, respectively, p = .023). In summary, this study demonstrates that KovaaK's provides a reliable metrics platform for assessing shooting proficiency in esports, however, some variability in performance was observed.

JAHAN: A framework for procedural generation of game maps from design specifications

Procedural content generation is a field that focuses on creating game assets employing algorithmic procedures. A critical asset in many game genres is the map. Due to the sophistication of the game map development, procedural map generation has been the subject of many studies. Considering the fundamental complexity of the game maps, many of these studies try to engage human designers in the generation process to improve the output of algorithmic procedures. However, these studies have not paid adequate attention to important non-functional requirements such as generality, comprehensiveness, controllability, and adaptability to iterative development.This paper presents a procedural map generation framework that places map designers at the center of a pipeline architecture. This framework allows designers to configure different pipeline modules and specify the characteristics of their desired map. Moreover, this framework has assertion checking features that facilitate map evaluation.We demonstrate the capabilities of this framework through one running example, along with three case studies that generate maps for first-person shooter, real-time strategy, and dungeon crawler games. Furthermore, we present a user study to show the suitability of this framework in iterative development processes and demonstrate how it reduces the labor of human designers.

The application of artificial intelligence in the game field

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, its application in the field of games is increasingly widespread. At present, the application of artificial intelligence in games has become a research hotspot. This article mainly explores the application of AI in various types of games such as first person shooter (FPS), Role playing Games (RPGs), Strategy, and analyzes their advantages and disadvantages based on the category of the game. Specifically, this article explores the application of AI in FPS games, focusing on how AI controls the behavior and strategies of enemies to provide players with challenging and realistic experiences. In the context of RPGs, the paper analyzes AI's impact on intelligent decision-making and interaction with non-playable characters (NPCs). Intelligent NPCs create a more authentic and immersive interaction between players and game characters. In the case of strategy games, AI enhances the strategic and challenging aspects, offering a more layered and dynamic gaming experience, and pushing players' decision-making abilities and strategic thinking. Additionally, the article discusses the limitations and challenges of AI in games. This paper summarizes and prospects the application of AI in the field of games.

High-skilled first-person shooting game players have specific frontal lobe activity: Power spectrum analysis in an electroencephalogram study

First-person shooting (FPS) games are among the most famous video games worldwide. However, cortical activities in environments related to real FPS games have not been studied. This study aimed to determine differences in cortical activity between low- and high-skilled FPS game players using 160-channel electroencephalography. Nine high-skilled FPS game players (official ranks: above the top 10%) and eight low-skilled FPS game players (official ranks: lower than the top 20%) were recruited for the experiment. The task was set for five different conditions using the AimLab program, which was used for the FPS game players’ training. Additionally, we recorded the brain activity in the resting condition before and after the task, in which the participants closed their eyes and relaxed. The reaction time and accuracy (the number of hit-and-miss targets) were calculated to evaluate the task performance. The results showed that high-skilled FPS game players have fast reaction times and high accuracy during tasks. High-skilled FPS game players had higher cortical activity in the frontal cortex than low-skilled FPS game players during each task. In low-skilled players, cortical activity level and performance level were associated. These results suggest that high cortical activity levels were critical to achieving high performance in FPS games.

The application of artificial intelligence in FPS Games

It has been a long time since games and artificial intelligence(AI) influenced each other. However, when it comes to the area of the application of AI in games most people talk about chess games. AI also plays an important role in First-person shooter games. First-person shooter games, also known as FPS games, provide abundant testing environments for developing and testing artificial intelligence algorithms too, and the advances in artificial intelligence have allowed the game industry to produce better FPS games. This essay is a iterature review that summarizes why and how people apply AI in FPS games, in both players aspect and the game industry aspect. This essay briefly introduce the current research status, analyzes current challenges, and predicts future research directions by studying the application of artificial intelligence in FPS games as well as introduce the application of artificial intelligence in FPS games, explore the application of artificial intelligence in the gaming industry and its impact on FPS game development, and provide reference information for relevant research work.

Learning English Literacy through Video Games: A Multimodal Perspective

Multimodal analysis in learning English literacy is meant to be an eye-opener for future research related to video games as didactic tools as they are comparatively less studied, although there has been rapid growth in the multimedia industry in the past decades. The data in the present study were taken from three different video game genres: Role Playing Game (RPG), Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA), and FPS (First Person Shooter), with two different titles for each genre. The data examined in this study were elements of composition and ten student game players. The compositional features in the collected data from the respective footage of the video games were based on a visual grammar by Kress and Leeuwen (2006) This research utilized the interactive model of qualitative data analysis by Miles, Huberman, and Saldana (2014) in analyzing the compositional features. It consists of three parts: data condensation, data display, and drawing and verifying conclusion. After analyzing the composition, the players were interviewed to gather the vocabulary learned through the process of playing the games. This study found that in terms of composition features: 37 elements of information values, 37 saliences, and 36 framings. It can be concluded that these genres own more maximum disconnection framing than maximum connection. However, these students categorized fighting genre and shooting genre elements without centered information value. The implications of the study towards learning the English language are: in the first place, video games can be one the useful media to teach students reading and speaking literacy skills, especially vocabulary and historical knowledge. Secondly, these games help the players acquire the English language subconsciously and make them enjoy the learning process.

Review of artificial neural networks in first-person shooter games

More and more games have entered the market as computer processing power has improved, drawing in a sizable fan base. As a result, the video game industry has seen a rise in both revenue and the breadth of its product offering. Whether or not a game can generate enough revenue is dependent on a number of factors, including the game's ability to attract players, the quality of its gameplay, and the experience it provides to those that play it. This paper through methods of literature review and analysis will review the target detection, image recognition, and other artificial intelligence-related technology used in games, as well as provide suggestions for future development and a summary of the current state of the field.

Productive Word Knowledge Development and Its Relation to Informal Contact with English through Various Leisure Activities

Much of the previous research that has provided evidence for the relationship between engagement in out-of-class activities and vocabulary outcomes has focused on receptive word gains. However, little research has attempted to explore this relationship with productive word knowledge. Additionally, the contribution of various gaming genres to the relationship is particularly underexplored. The present mixed-method study fills these lacunas by employing a productive vocabulary levels test, a questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews to explore the relationship between 35 different leisure activities that English as a foreign language (EFL) learners engage in outside the classroom and their productive vocabulary growth. The study’s findings revealed that although learners frequently engaged in different activities, they spent most of their free time gaming, which contributed the most to productive word knowledge learning. Regression analysis showed that two gaming genres, massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) and first-person shooters, significantly predicted productive knowledge of words. Qualitative analysis demonstrated that, in general, the participants had a positive perception of informal engagement with English activities outside formal learning contexts.

New usage of telemetry for anti-cheating in FPS game

First-person shooter games are experiencing a surge in popularity. As more players join, advanced AI-based cheats have emerged. These cheats simulate human gameplay, sending mouse inputs, making them hard to detect and counter. Therefore, this research presents a novel approach that utilizes telemetry data analysis to identify and counteract cheating in FPS games. The main objective of this study is to develop an innovative anti-cheating system that can effectively detect and prevent players from exploiting AI-based cheats to gain unfair advantages. To achieve this, extensive telemetry data is collected during gameplay. The data contains the real-time cursor position when the player is playing the game. Besides, Machine learning and deep algorithms are applied to analyse the telemetry data and distinguish between human player behaviour and AI-driven cheating patterns. Decision Tree, Random Forest, LSTM, and CNN are applied for this research. And in the final evaluation, CNNs accuracy reached around 80% which proves it is a possible mode to be used for this problem. The significance of this research lies in its contribution against cheating in FPS games, particularly those exploiting AI technologies to gain unfair advantage. The proposed telemetry-based approach offers a solution to safeguard competitive gaming and insight into the game company based on this novel way for further experiments.

Game Theory and Game Mechanics Design

This paper focuses on the significance of game balance in games and explores the application of game theory concepts for designing and analyzing balanced gameplay. When analyzing instances of games, the paper initially presents the renowned prisoner’s dilemma, a prominent problem in game theory, and delves into diverse strategies along with their corresponding advantages, thereby enabling readers to appreciate the captivating essence of game theory. After that, the paper respectively mentions two individual cases from two different forms of games. The well-known game Rock-Paper-Scissors is a simple strategy game. FPS (First Person Shooter) game is a sort of video game that is a complex strategy game. In analyzing this type of game, the paper draws images to show the imbalance in the game. In the end, the article puts forward the prospect that game theory can contribute to game design. The approach adopted in this study integrates existing research in game theory with practical insights from game design, without delving into extensive theoretical derivations or complex formulas.

Missile Strike Simulation in a Video Game Engine

In the field of modern computer gaming (especially within the genre of war-game strategies, realistic first-person shooters and other warfare games) the complexity of virtual naval warfare mechanics and strategies significantly increases. There is a growing demand for advanced simulation tools to provide more immersive experience and more complex gameplay for all players. The goal of this research is to create a model and tool that can accurately predict the impact of anti-ship missiles on ships engaged in different game scenarios, considering a wide range of battle conditions. By encompassing a broad array of missile types, landing strategies, ship classes, aircraft types, reconnaissance options, electronic warfare technologies and various anti-air and missile defense systems, the simulation includes both offensive and defensive maneuvers to make sure that anti-ship missiles are important within the game scenarios. Firstly, the research focuses on enhancing prediction models for calculating the damage inflicted by missile strikes on opposing naval forces. Secondly, it seeks to refine algorithms for determining the required number of missiles to prevent rival player advances, thereby maximizing operational efficiency and effectiveness in defensive missions.

Military Entertainment After 9/11: A Case Study on Call of Duty Modern Warfare Franchise

The Call of Duty franchises are renowned for being the best-selling first-person shooter games globally and boast the highest number of concurrent players worldwide. The franchise has significantly impacted the creation of war narratives, particularly about heroism and values exported from the United States. Notably, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (CoD: MW) was the first series to exhibit the characteristics and iconography of a modern war film. This study examines the narrative themes and structural components of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series since 9/11. The interaction of the 'dangerous frontier' has not been directly discussed in Call of Duty narratives, as a result of the combination of Bush's defense policy, economic globalization, and neoliberalism in the post-9/11 era. The study revealed that the game design and narrative of Call of Duty Modern Warfare relies on a dichotomy of "dangerous borders," where audiovisual technology, storytelling, and cultural symbols are employed to starkly distinguish between advanced attributes within the borders and barbaric mapping outside of them. The game also disseminates values of just war which are based on the American Exceptionalism Theory. Meanwhile, recent research has revealed a stronger correlation between narrative changes within the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare franchise over the past five years and recruitment advertising with war entertainment, and that this dynamic has reduced the impact of narrative styles within the media in the post-9/11 era.

MENTAL HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION AMONG MEXICAN AMERICAN INFORMAL CAREGIVERS FOR PATIENTS WITH ADRD

Abstract Background The number of Latinos with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) is expected to rise to 1.3 million by 2050. Mexican Americans with ADRD rely heavily on unpaid informal care. The use of information communication technology (ICT) among caregivers is associated with significant improvements in mental health and social support. However, current ICT studies focus mainly on White American caregivers. This study fills the gap. Method: From November 2021 to November 2022, we collected 115 surveys, of which 11 were collected from in-person interviews at a clinic and 104 were collected online. The survey included the UCLA Loneliness Scale version 3, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D), and the Online Social Support Scale. Results The participants, aged from 18 to 82 and have cared for their family members with ADRD for two years on average. About 70.4% of them use the internet daily. The results indicated that the more time spent on Instagram, YikYak, and first-person shooter online games, the higher depression the participants had. Also, the more first-person shooter online games they use, the higher is their loneliness. Other social media use is not related to loneliness or depression. Conclusion This study suggests that it is necessary to explore an appropriate internet-based ICT for Mexican American informal caregivers to reduce their loneliness and depression. Future research needs to examine their feelings and reflections on using internet-based ICT and discern how their caregiver’s role and Latino culture affect the utilization of technology.

GAN-Aimbots: Using Machine Learning for Cheating in First Person Shooters

Playing games with cheaters is not fun, and in a multi-billion-dollar video game industry with hundreds of millions of players, game developers aim to improve the security and, consequently, the user experience of their games by preventing cheating. Both traditional software-based methods and statistical systems have been successful in protecting against cheating, but recent advances in the automatic generation of content, such as images or speech, threaten the video game industry; they could be used to generate artificial gameplay indistinguishable from that of legitimate human players. To better understand this threat, we begin by reviewing the current state of multiplayer video game cheating, and then proceed to build a proof-of-concept method, GAN-Aimbot. By gathering data from various players in a first-person shooter game we show that the method improves players' performance while remaining hidden from automatic and manual protection mechanisms. By sharing this work we hope to raise awareness on this issue and encourage further research into protecting the gaming communities.

THE USE OF VISUAL SCRIPTING UNREAL ENGINE 5 IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ANDROID-BASED FPS GAME LEFT BEHIND

The popularity of Android mobile games in Indonesia is very high, but the majority of the games available are from overseas. Therefore, local game developers need to improve the quality of their products in order to compete with games that already exist in the Indonesian market. The purpose of the preparation of this research is to develop a zombie First Person Shooter (FPS) game entitled Left Behind which was developed using the Visual Scripting method and is expected to be an inspiration for developers in pouring their work by making quality games. This Left Behind FPS game was developed using Unreal Engine 5 as a game engine and later the game can be played on an Android smartphone. Unreal Engine 5 is an opensource game engine that was released in 2022 so that it can present high quality graphics. In testing the application, it is proven that the use of high graphics can be run on Android devices smoothly.

Predicting VR cybersickness and its impact on visuomotor performance using head rotations and field (in)dependence

Introduction: This exploratory study aims to participate in the development of the VR framework by focusing on the issue of cybersickness. The main objective is to explore the possibilities of predicting cybersickness using i) field dependence-independence measures and ii) head rotations data through automatic analyses. The second objective is to assess the impact of cybersickness on visuomotor performance.Methods: 40 participants completed a 13.5-min VR immersion in a first-person shooter game. Head rotations were analyzed in both their spatial (coefficients of variations) and temporal dimensions (detrended fluctuations analyses). Exploratory correlations, linear regressions and clusters comparison (unsupervised machine learning) analyses were performed to explain cybersickness and visuomotor performance. Traditional VR human factors (sense of presence, state of flow, video game experience, age) were also integrated.Results: Results suggest that field dependence-independence measured before exposure to VR explain ¼ of the variance of cybersickness, while the Disorientation scale of the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire predicts 16.3% of the visuomotor performance. In addition, automatic analyses of head rotations during immersion revealed two different clusters of participants, one of them reporting more cybersickness than the other.Discussion: These results are discussed in terms of sensory integration and a diminution of head rotations as an avoidance behavior of negative symptoms. This study suggests that measuring field dependence-independence using the (Virtual) Rod and Frame Test before immersion and tracking head rotations using internal sensors during immersion might serve as powerful tools for VR actors.

Physical and/or cognitive warm-up effects on first-person shooter video-games performances

With the growing popularity of eSport and the high level of competition among players, optimizing performance has become crucial. However, players often overlook the importance of a proper warm-up routine, which can significantly impact their game performance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of different warm-up strategies (physical, cognitive, or both) on the performance of experienced gamers in Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). Twenty experienced gamers participated in this counterbalanced study where five conditions were randomly administered seven days apart. Players were either resting or warming-up: physical exercise (PE), cognitive exercise (CE), PE + CE or CE + PE before playing a customized CS:GO task. Gamers’ performance was evaluated in terms of time to complete the task and accuracy. Accuracy is defined as the number of shots taken to eliminate a target. Physical exercise significantly reduced the time to complete the task compared to all other conditions but did not affect accuracy (p = 0.019). Cognitive exercise alone or in combination with physical activity did not improve gamers’ performance. This study suggests that a physical warm-up before playing CS:GO can improve gaming performance by reducing the time to complete the task. The findings of this study can help eSports players to optimize their performance by adopting effective warm-up strategies. Furthermore, we contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting the positive impact of physical exercise on cognition, demonstrating its transferability to first-person action video games.

The Social Accomplishment of Seeing Together in Networked Team Play

Background This article focuses on communication in team-based esports, particularly in the ways that callouts enable players in team-based First-Person Shooters (FPS) to collaboratively link their own perception and awareness of in-game actions to that of their teammates. Callouts are short, community-based utterances that players use to communicate vital details of fast-paced action in competitive games. Aim We provide an empirically-based theorization of why callouts appear to be especially important in team-based FPS games, which, because of the limited fields of vision and split-second decision-making, require players to communicate what is happening to the others in the team as they navigate the game environment. Methods To describe this distributed perception, we borrow from studies on active military settings that term this seeing together as interperceptivity and employ ethnomethodology in our analysis of the minute details of players’ actions in the screen recordings as they extended their team’s collective perception and awareness of in-game activities and events. Results Through this paper, we contribute to the ongoing research on understanding communication and collaboration in team-based games. The callout sequences (and aligning actions) are orienting towards sharing individual perceptions for the (co)construction of an interperceptivity of in-game activities. Hence, callouts form a precondition for coordinated play. Conclusion The introduction of this concept to game studies can help in making sense of a key capability in networked team-based games; that is, how players collectively construct a situational awareness that encompasses teammates’ perception. Also, because of the essential role of callouts and interperceptivity in highly-skilled networked play, we point to some of the cultural contexts in which this practice is accomplished.

Analysis of Consumer Psychology Phenomena in First-person Shooter Games Based on Literature Review and Case Study Method

The study is grounded in the evolving challenges of the FPS (First-Person Shooter) gaming industry, particularly focusing on marketing difficulties and the application of consumer psychology, as demonstrated in the Cyberpunk 2077 case. This study aims to assist first-person shooter (FPS) game production companies or studios in enhancing their marketing strategies to increase their games' appeal to consumers and prevent bankruptcies or break-ups. Through case analysis such as Cyberpunk 2077, The study explores consumer psychology's application in FPS games, including microtransaction systems, scarcity items, community competitions, and lottery mechanics within the games. The study reveals that game companies, in designing and implementing these elements, need to carefully consider consumers' psychological responses and needs to provide products and services that meet their needs. Moreover, game companies need to regularly interact with players to understand their needs, make timely adjustments and updates to the game, and offer professional customer service. By understanding and applying the principles of consumer psychology, game companies can better design and manage their games, meet the needs of players, and increase their satisfaction and loyalty.