Game Characters Research Articles

INCREASING STUDENT’S MOTIVATION FOR PERFORMING CREATIVE TASKS THROUGH THE APPLICATION USAGE OF MODERN TEACHING METHODS

In the Bachelor’s degree curriculum of the new specialty Pedagogy of Fine Arts and Graphic Design, the main place is occupied by creative tasks. In order to increase the desire and creative charge, a non-standard method with a game character was applied in the process of teaching the new content and its reflection in practical activity was also observed. The purpose of this publication is to reveal whether such game methods are effective in working with students of creative disciplines. Does a non-standard approach in presenting new learning content will increase the students‘ motivation for learning and creative thinking? What is the place of visual intelligence as a key factor in the competencies required in the acquisition of knowledge in the field of Graphic Design. The method of Аttributive Analysis was chosen as a way of self-evaluation of the conducted activity. This activity analysis is an interesting, significant method, due to its applicability in various spheres of human activity, including pedagogical. Through the scheme created by Vladimir Belich of Attributive Analysis, which begins with Motivation and ends with the Result, an answer is given to the question: “Is the need for self-improvement, learning, training, creativity, realization, etc.has satisfied or not.” The pedagogical activity conducted and analyzed through this method is an experiment that represents the use of a competitive game-book in the process of passing new knowledge on the students of the topic of Pictogram. The aim of the game is to provide the students with a puzzle of pictographic images. It must be assembled and guessed by decoding the content that the individual images represent. The use of this type of analysis visually traces and makes sense – Is the didactic path to a task with increased difficulty correct.

MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF ASSESSMENT OF QUALITATIVE CHANGES IN EXECUTION OF TEAM ACTIONS BASED ON THE WILCOXON T-TEST

Volleyball has become one of the fastest, strongest and most exciting sports in our time. The game focuses on speed, power of attacks and productive long rallies, where competent defensive technique is important. The use of statistics in this sport plays a key role in objective analysis of various parameters of the game. Coaches use this data to identify players’ strengths and weaknesses and develop new training methods to improve various aspects of volleyball. The purpose of the study was to mathematically determine the result of performing certain actions during a certain period of time and to conclude the effectiveness of these actions reflected in the statistical data. In the interval between the two measurements, a special training volume was performed on the ”Serve” game action. According to the obtained results and their processing, with the use of the Wilcoxon T-test for connected samples, hypotheses were proposed and confirmed regarding two characteristics of the game action ”serve”: the number of serves aces and the number of errors. As a result, the hypothesis regarding the significant improvement in the number of servings aces as a result of the experiment and the null hypothesis regarding serving errors, that no significant changes occurred, were confirmed. Conclusions. Thanks to this study, we obtained a mechanism for evaluating changes within the studied mathematical model of the game. This evaluation criterion can be used to evaluate changes in other game qualities that will be used in the mathematical model. The issue of equal distribution depending on the strength of opponents and the selection of appropriate coefficients for conducting such studies remains problematic.

Гендерные особенности идентификации младших подростков с персонажами онлайн-игр

The development of information technology, technological progress and the processes of globalization set the task of rapid and continuous self-improvement. New trends that have arisen in people’s lives place increased demands on their personal and social identity, communicative qualities and the ability to regulate their own behavior. The massive spread of online games among children and adolescents has turned them into the main form of leisure, the phenomenon of a new, virtual identity of the individual has been formed. At the stage of formation of life values, a child with computer addiction, limiting the circle of communication with virtual games, becomes attached to a non-existent reality, this reality becomes more important than family, school, communication with peers. Often formed Internet addiction leads to the development of destructive and socially dangerous forms of deviant behavior in the future. In the modern world, digital games offer role models whose behavior players can imitate and identify with. We conduct a continuous empirical survey of 170 younger adolescents to identify gender-specific identification of adolescents with online game characters. The gender specificity and risks of the formation of dependent behavior in two groups of adolescents in the form of identification with the characters of online games are shown. It is proposed to use the results of the study when conducting planned psychological preventive examinations of adolescent.

Fighting/Fat: Fighting Game Characters and the Emptiness of Video Game Fatness

The fatness of fat characters in screen media, video games included, is well understood on an aesthetic level. However, this research asks: Is there a mechanical dimension to the fatness of these characters? Fighting games, with their need for common toolsets among playable characters, offer a useful ground to explore that question. While the characters in this study did not exhibit a “mechanical fatness,” they do reveal that certain combinations of aesthetic fatness with gameplay mechanics may offer a potential site of resistance to the pervasive fatphobic tropes present in video games.

СПОСОБЫ МЕДИАТИЗАЦИИ ФОЛЬКЛОРНЫХ ПЕРСОНАЖЕЙ В ВИДЕОИГРАХ НА ПРИМЕРЕ ИГРЫ YAGA

The article is devoted to the mediatization of mythological characters of Slavic folklore by means of an example of the video game “Yaga”, created by Breadcrumbs Interactive studio in 2019. The mediatization of folklore allows us to see how traditional ideas are transformed when they get into the media environment and how folklore is “translated” into the language of the media. In this case, a computer game is considered as a text consisting of various (visual, verbal, etc.) signs. The author undertook structuralsemiotic analysis of the character system of video games that is used both in folklore and game studies to identify functions and plot roles, as well as visual, auditory, and other methods of media representation of game images borrowed from folklore. The article attempts to answer the following questions: are the functions of game characters similar to the functions of their folklore prototypes? Are there any similar stories in bylichki, or in this case we are dealing with completely fictional stories by the authors of games, which are only trying to be similar to folklore ones? Here it will be difficult to simply make a comparative scheme by comparing video game and folklore images, since the game does not have a full-fledged bestiary (a separate tab in the game menu where we could see full information about the character). In addition, all folklore characters can be conditionally divided into full-fledged opponents, who will have no other line of behavior besides the attack, and neutral to the hero, who can attack or make contact. In one case, we can talk exclusively about the external similarity, in the other we can focus on the plots of quests in which the character appears.

Students Perceived Quality of a Self-Created Mathematics Game-Based Materials

This study determined the quality of games students perceived for the game-based materials they develop after they experience playing a mathematics gameboard. The participants in this study were 88 students in 11th-grade Senior High School composed of 40 students in Sohoton General Academic Strand and 48 students in Kanlanuk Technical-Vocational Livelihood, selected through convenience non-random sampling. Through created games by students, it removed the presence of boredom that improved their performance. It impaired other competencies such as retention and automaticity of information from long-term memory. Moreover, students have developed the competitive, cooperative, and meaningful characteristics of the games, which was considered helpful in improving their knowledge based on how they perceived its' characteristics are important to contain in the game, and their confidence to participate in the lessons. Results from the classical item and test analysis spreadsheet revealed that the prior knowledge of the students increased after the interventions were made and implemented. The characteristics of the game were considered helpful to improve students’ knowledge and confidence in the lessons. These results have implications for in-depth study and analysis to have conclusive results regarding the influence of the intervention in enhancing students’ creativity.

Creating Climate Conscious Players: Final Fantasy VII’s Ecoactivist Fan Communities

This paper examines the ecocritical message espoused by characters in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Remake and uses affect theory to better understand fan response to these beliefs. From there, I note the publishing company, Square-Enix, recently declared interest in pursuing NFT technology as a potential revenue stream despite the environmental concerns this technology brings, which resembles the villainous organization Shinra in these games. Fan response Square-Enix’s NFT projects indicates how fans may identify with and absorb the ideologies of characters in video games, even when that ideology sets the fans in opposition with the companies behind the original game(s).

Powerpoint-based educational games on flat face three dimensional objects combined volume learning

Students are weak in visualization skills, so it is difficult to interpret geometric shapes. Therefore, learning media is needed that can help students learn flat side shapes, one of which is by using PowerPoint as an educational game. This research aims to describe the quality of PowerPoint-based educational games on the combined volume of flat side shapes in the eighth grade of junior high school. The development is carried out using the ADDIE model. The research subjects were 60 grade eight students of SMPIT Al-Uswah Banyuwangi. Data collection was carried out using interviews, observation, questionnaires, tests, and documentation. Data analysis with combined methods (quantitative and qualitative). The results showed that educational games were valid with an average score of 4.39, practical with an average score of 4.67 and the student responses were in a fairly good category with an average value of 3.94 and were not effective according to the analysis of test results which shows . So that the quality of the results of the development of PowerPoint-based educational games on the combined volume material for flat side shapes is not good and needs to be improved. Improvements can be made, especially in terms of sound so that it can be heard more clearly.

Investigation of Primary School Teachers' Opinions on Physical Activity Cards Used in Physical Education and Play Lessons

Physical Education and Play lesson covers all education and training processes that can contribute to students in grades 1-4 of primary school to participate in physical activities, play games and develop their mental, physical, social, emotional and personal skills while doing so. The lesson is planned in such a way that students play games and participate in activities in accordance with their physical characteristics and age. In primary and secondary school, cards with different descriptions that aim to develop children's sports-related and specialized skills are called Physical Activity Cards. These cards consist of a yellow and a purple group. These cards, which are sent to teachers by the Ministry of National Education, include various games and activities that can be used in Physical Education and Play lessons. The aim of this study is to examine the opinions of Primary school teachers about the Physical Activity Cards used in Physical Education and Play lessons. While examining the opinions of the teachers, case study approach, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The research was carried out by interviewing thirteen primary school teachers working in a public school in the province of Elazığ. Data were collected from the Primary school teachers using a semi-structured interview form. As a result of the research, it was stated that Primary school teachers benefit from Physical Activity Cards in Physical Education and Play lessons, but these cards have some deficiencies. In addition, the teachers who participated in the interview in the study made suggestions such as the need to increase the quality of games that will improve children's skills, traditional games can be updated in Physical Activity Cards, and a ground should be created for Physical Activity Cards in schools.

AN ANALYSIS OF MAXIM FLOUTING IN TV SERIES GAME OF THRONES SEASON 1

This research aims to analyze the types of maxims that are flouted in Game of Thrones Season 1. The descriptive qualitative method is employed in this research. The data of this research are in the form of utterances from the characters in Game of Thrones that contain maxim flouting. The source of the data is the Game of ThronesTV series and its script. The data are collected through watching the TV series, reading the script, and taking notes of utterances where the maxims are flouted. The results show that all the four types of maxims are flouted by the characters of the TV series with the occurrence of 19 times. The type of maxim that is flouted the most by the characters is the maxim of relation. The characters flout the maxim of relation on nine different occasions. Then, the maxim of quality is ranked second with the frequency of six times. After that, the following maxim of quality is maxim of quantity with three cases. Finally, the least flouted maxim of all four is maxim of manner which only appears one time.

European Men's Club Football in the Eyes of Consumers: The Determinants of Television Broadcast Demand

Using stated preferences, this study estimates the determinants of television broadcast demand for current European men's club football competitions and a hypothetical European Super League. The results suggest that demand increases for most competitions with the consumer's level of interest, the accessibility to the matches, and the consumer being fan of a club playing in that competition. No support to the uncertainty-of-outcome hypothesis is found, as perceived competitive balance does not increase demand for most competitions. Conversely, the perception of quality of game played tends to be a more important driver of demand, influencing more competitions and having a larger impact.

A Location–Time-Aware Factorization Machine Based on Fuzzy Set Theory for Game Perception

Game user perception is of great significance for game developers and network operators for improving service quality and operational efficiency. At present, the most common approach is to use the linear model that considers only the impact of network factors evaluation on user perception. The interpretation process is complex and useful, but invisible feature interaction data are not taken into account. As a result, user perception evaluation can only be interpreted by experienced experts, which is both time-consuming and laborious. In this paper, aiming at the shortcomings of existing algorithms, a location–time-aware factorization machine model (LTFM) is proposed by exploiting the location projection and time projection of users and services and fuzzy set theory. Our proposed LTFM can be decomposed into two parts: first, an original game quality of experience (QoE) dataset is extended. LTFM uses location and time information to map to latent vectors, which increases the number of records in each game data, involving no additional information. Then, LTFM utilizes fuzzy set theory to strengthen the positive feature interactions and reduce the negative feature interactions. The factorization machine is used to mine a number of potential features in the user’s invoking service behavior. The multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game perception dataset is obtained with reference to the ITU-T standard to verify the advanced nature of the proposed model. Experimental results show that LTFM outperforms existing algorithms in terms of prediction accuracy and model interpretability. Not only can accurate user experience quality categories be produced, but also the impact of individual characteristics and their feature interactions can be explained, which helps operators to make better optimization decisions.

The competence of a coach in sports: How does it correlate with athlete motivation?

Sports coaches hold integral roles in sports organizations. As important figures for athletes, coaches are responsible for maintaining athletes’ motivation which will drive their performances in matches. To motivate athletes, coaches must possess good competence which reflect their quality as coaches. This study analyzes the effect of coach competency on athlete motivation. Coach competency in this study is represented by four indicators: Motivation Competency, Game-strategy Competency, Technique Competency, and Character-building Competency. Each and every indicator’s effect on athlete motivation was investigated. The instrument in this study used a questionnaire with 42 question items. This study is an explanatory research conducted on 114 student basketball athletes in Indonesia as respondents. Data analysis was conducted using SEM-PLS on the WARP-PLS 7 software. The results of this research show that overall, motivation competency, technique competency, character building competency, and game-strategy competency which represents the coach competency variable have a positive effect on athlete motivation (p<0.05), while motivation competency has no effect on athlete motivation (p>0.05). Game strategy competency, technique competency, and character building competency has positive effects on athlete motivation (p<0.05). This research contributes to increasing scientific knowledge among coaches and athletes about the importance of competence for the motivational aspect. The limitation in this study is that the sample used only comes from basketball athletes so it is not yet known whether there is a similar relationship between the competence and motivation of other sports coaches. Therefore, future research can examine the relationship between the competence and motivation of coaches in sports such as football, volleyball, and handball.

For LGBTQ+ Individuals, Video Games Offer Community, Escape

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Clinical & ResearchFull AccessFor LGBTQ+ Individuals, Video Games Offer Community, EscapeNick ZagorskiNick ZagorskiSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:24 Nov 2022https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2022.12.12.38AbstractDiscussing gaming habits and reactions to LGBTQ+ characters in video games may help mental health professionals uncover important information about their patients.Asking patients about their video game or video game–related social media habits is not a routine part of a clinical discussion, but it might be a worthwhile topic, especially for LGBTQ+ individuals, said Chadden Noureddine, M.D., a psychiatry resident at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.Her comments came during a session on the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters in video games at this year’s Mental Health Services Conference. Noureddine hosted the session with fellow Mount Sinai psychiatry resident Jamie Parkerson, M.D. The session was moderated by APA President-elect Petros Levounis, M.D., a professor and chair of psychiatry at Rutgers University Medical School.The Square Enix game series “Life is Strange” allows the female protagonist to develop a romantic relationship with her female friend Chloe.Square EnixThough video gaming has been growing in popularity for decades, the pandemic kicked video game play into overdrive, Parkerson said. She noted that video game sales increased by over 60% between March 16 and March 22, 2020 (a period when U.S. states were just beginning to issue stay-at-home orders), as video gaming became a coping strategy for children and adults alike.The gaming community includes members of many sexual and gender minorities. A 2021 survey from Nielsen found that 10% of U.S. adults who play video games identify as LGBTQ+ compared with 5% to 6% of the general population. This demographic also spends more on video games monthly.In part, this might be due to the ability of today’s online games to function as social hubs in addition to entertainment breaks. “If you look internationally, there are still many countries where homosexuality is punishable by law, and games are one way LGBTQ+ people can safely find people like themselves and have conversations,” Levounis said during the discussion portion of the session. “I think that is a tremendous positive of internet gaming.”However, unlike straight gamers, LGBTQ+ gamers historically have experienced very little representation of their community in the games they play. Just as in movies or television, gay, lesbian, or transgender characters or stories were almost nonexistent in gaming until the past decade or so, noted Parkerson. When LBGTQ+ characters were present, she noted, they tended to be the villain or cloaked in caricature.Significant strides in the number and accuracy of portrayals of LGBTQ+ characters in video games have been made in recent years, though there is still a way to go. She noted that there are ongoing concerns that the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters in video games is predominantly to attract users, with less regard for creating a different game experience from a LGBTQ+ perspective.Video games are likely having both positive and negative mental health impacts on today’s LGBTQ+ gamers, Noureddine said, so it is important to know how and why they game. She suggested that mental health professionals ask patients who identify as LGBTQ+ about the genre of the games they most enjoy, whether they choose to play queer or straight characters in games, or whether they even care about LGBTQ+ representation in games. In addition to building a therapeutic bond, such questions can help professionals see how gamers see themselves.It is also important to assess how frequent patients are gaming and engaged in other gaming-related activities, such as streaming other gamers on channels like Twitch or spending time in online gaming forums.Video games have the potential to become addictive, as evidenced by the inclusion of internet gaming disorder in DSM-5 (under Conditions for Further Study). Some surveys suggest that adults who identify as sexual and gender minorities may be more vulnerable to gaming addiction than others.Levounis cautioned that gaming disorder is not just about frequency; an individual needs to experience significant distress in several aspects of their life due to excess gaming.“Maybe 5% of gamers or less will develop a medical problem,” he said. “For the rest, whether they are playing too much is a psychological and sociological debate.” ■ ISSUES NewArchived

Изобразительные источники образов мифологических существ в видеоигре Nioh

The purpose of this article is to review the characters in the two-part Japanese video game series Nioh so as to identify their origins and artistic relationships with the visual arts. Based on the names and appearance of the characters created in the game, the author attempts to perform a comparative analysis of the images in the game and those known in Japanese art. The subject of the research is identifying and studying the connection between the art of the past and modern video game character design on the example of the Nioh video game series, using the methods of art analysis. Modern researchers consider video games to be one of the forms of interaction between modern culture and cultural heritage. Therefore, this study is relevant as it reveals the cultural significance of video games and demonstrates the method of working with the artistic heritage in building game worlds. The article provides a comparative analysis of the characters yoki and one-eyed oni, kappa and kamaitachi and the pictorial sources of the 8th–12th and 17th–19th centuries. The author comes to the conclusion that the video game Nioh is a modern catalogue of Japanese demonology, based on well-known pictorial and written sources.

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Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based iTrain Serious Game for Caregivers Dealing with Post-Stroke Patients

This paper describes a serious game based on a knowledge transfer model using deep reinforcement learning, with an aim to improve the caretakers’ knowledge and abilities in post-stroke care. The iTrain game was designed to improve caregiver knowledge and abilities by providing non-traditional training to formal and informal caregivers who deal with stroke survivors. The methodologies utilized professional medical experiences and real-life evidence data gathered during the duration of the iTrain project to create the scenarios for the game’s deep reinforcement caregiver behavior improvement model, as well as the design of game mechanics, game images and game characters, and gameplay implementation. Furthermore, the results of the game’s direct impact on caregivers (n = 25) and stroke survivors (n = 21) in Lithuania using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and user experience questionnaire (UEQ) are presented. Both surveys had favorable outcomes, showing the effectiveness of the approach. The GDS scale (score 10) revealed a low number of 28% of individuals depressed, and the UEQ received a very favorable grade of +0.8.

Application of Virtual Reality Technology in the Development of Game Industry

Virtual reality technology will accelerate the development of gaming and bring a new gaming experience to users. One of the main benefits of virtual reality technology is that it can swiftly capture the information that a game needs to send in the game and provide consumers an immersive and realistic sense, improving the realism of the game scene. Players may interact with game characters and scenes by using virtual reality technology in game creation. Gaming wearable devices, which enable users to play games using their head, hands, feet, and even the complete body, are one of the most significant applications of virtual reality technology in the game business. In the future, humans will have holographic displays that can be viewed with only the naked eye, as well as holographic technology that is ideal for regular viewing and gaming environments. Virtual reality games can also be incorporated into Hollywood blockbuster-level film and television special effects once the technology is further developed and perfected, giving spectators an even more stunning experience. The development of virtual reality technologies is now underway. By adhering to the idea of designing technology with people in mind, we can encourage the development of virtual reality games in the near future.

Narrative and Behavioral Engagement as Indicators for the Effectiveness of Intentionally Designed Virtual Simulations of Interpersonal Interactions

Interventions involving simulated interactions aimed at mimicking real situations must be engaging to maximize their effectiveness. This study aimed to assess how a sample of middle school girls displayed behavioral and cognitive indicators of engagement when interacting with avatars representing game characters that were controlled by a human digital puppeteer. The simulation game, DRAMA-RAMA, is a component of an intervention intended to reduce at-risk girls’ sexual and other risky behaviors. We used verbal/nonverbal behaviors and surveys to assess the game players’ cognitive and behavioral involvement (N = 131). Participants perceived the game scenarios and interactions as realistic and the characters as similar to people in real life. Participants’ behavior indicated their involvement and interest in interacting with the game characters. Finally, participants tended to be appropriate but not effective when attempting to advise/support the characters. These findings have implications for assessing successful operationalization of communication designs in interactive virtual learning environments.

Empathy in game design - Exploring a human-centric approach in designing engaging video game experiences

The link between engagement and player emotions has been extensively explored by researchers in recent years. Empathy, which is the innate ability to accurately perceive another person’s current feelings and meanings can be broadly categorized into two main human-centric design approaches - cognitive empathy and affective empathy. Certain forms of media especially time-based media have been proven to better exploit viewers’ empathy and provide a more engaging experience when a human-centric design approach is applied. The aim of this research paper is to explore if a human-centric design approach can provide the same level if not more immersive engagement when designing video game experiences. The initial research into a human-centric design approach in video games will be obtained through an exploratory research design involving six tertiary-level students in the field of game design between the ages of 20 to 24 over a period of two weeks. The exploratory research encompassing of a semi-structured interview process with eight key questions relating to the respondent’s experience with empathy in games determined the advantages of planning and designing a game using a human-centric game design approach. The research determined that human-centric game design focusing on affective empathy provides a high possibility of a more engaging game experience that is strengthened by in-game narrative elements resulting in increased time spent in-game. This can be attributed to two main factors – firstly, a stronger player connection through direct empathy to their virtual avatars or in-game characters, regardless of the player’s moral standings and principles. Secondly, an immersive narrative structure produces a deeper player attachment toward game characters and game worlds.