Context Of Games Research Articles

Case Studies in Game-Based Complex Learning

Despite the prevalence of game-based learning (GBL), most applications of GBL focus on teaching routine skills that are easily teachable, drill-able, and testable. Much less work has examined complex cognitive skills such as computational thinking, and even fewer are projects that have demonstrated commercial or critical success with complex learning in game contexts. Yet, recent successes in the games industry have provided examples of success in game-based complex learning. This article represents a series of case studies on those successes. We interviewed game designers Zach Gage and Jack Schlesinger, creators of Good Sudoku, and Zach Barth, creator of Zachtronics games, using reflexive thematic analysis to thematize findings. We additionally conducted a close play of Duolingo following Bizzocchi and Tanenbaum’s adaptation of close reading. Several insights result from these case studies, including the practice of game design as instructional design, the use of constructionist environments, the tensions between formal education and informal learning, and the importance of entrepreneurialism. Specific recommendations for GBL designers are provided.

Preschool children’s behaviours in competitive games: are these games really harmful to social-emotional development?

ABSTRACT This study aims to investigate the behaviors of young children in competitive games. A qualitative research design was used. Participants consisted of 14 children attending a kindergarten. In the process, children were involved in different types of competitive games. Sociometry was applied before the game procedure. The data obtained were analyzed both for the whole group and for the most and least preferred children separately. Results showed that competitive game context was challenging but also developing. Children revealed their emotions in appropriate ways during the moments of winning while during the moments of losing some children showed aggression. For children with low and high social acceptance, it was observed that children with low acceptance have more intense behaviors than children with high acceptance and they were showed aggression from time to time. Also, the whole group developed strategies at different levels to cope with losing and not losing again.

Using Worker Avatars to Improve Microtask Crowdsourcing

The future of crowd work has been identified to depend on worker satisfaction, but we lack a thorough understanding of how worker satisfaction can be increased in microtask crowdsourcing. Prior work has shown that one solution is to build tasks that are engaging. To facilitate engagement, two methods that have received attention in recent HCI literature are the use of video games and conversational interfaces. While these are largely different techniques, they aim for the same goal of reducing worker burden and increasing engagement in a task. On one hand, video games have huge motivation potential and translating game design elements for motivational purposes has shown positive effects. Recent work in games research has shown that the use of player avatars is effective in fostering interest, enjoyment, and other aspects pertaining to intrinsic motivation. On the other hand, conversational interfaces have been argued to have advantages over traditional GUIs due to facilitating a more human-like interaction. Conversational microtasking has recently been proposed to improve worker engagement in microtask marketplaces. The contexts of games and crowd work are underlined by the need to motivate and engage participants, yet the potential of using worker avatars to promote self-identification and improve worker satisfaction in microtask crowdsourcing has remained unexplored. Addressing this knowledge gap, we carried out a between-subject study involving 360 crowd workers. We investigated how worker avatars influence quality related outcomes of workers and their perceived experience, in conventional web and novel conversational interfaces. We equipped workers with the functionality of customizing their avatars, and selecting characterizations for their avatars, to understand whether identifying with an avatar can increase the motivation of workers. We found that using worker avatars with conversational interfaces can effectively reduce cognitive workload and increase worker retention. Our results indicate the occurrence of similarity and wishful avatar identification in crowdsourcing. Our findings have important implications in alleviating workers' perceived workload and on the design of crowdsourcing microtasks.

Fairness norm through social networks: a simulation approach

Recently there has been an increased interest in adopting game-theoretic models to social norms. Most of these approaches are generally lacking a structure linking the local level of the ‘norm’ interaction to its global ‘social’ nature. Although numerous studies examined local-interaction games, where the emphasis is placed on neighborhood relations, regarding social network as a whole unique entity seems to be quite limited. In this paper, we conduct a series of simulation experiments to examine the effects that a network topology could have on the speed of emergence of the social norm. The emphasis is placed on the fairness norm in the ultimatum game context, by considering three network type models (Barabási–Albert, Watts–Strogatz and Erdős–Rényi) and several intrinsic topological properties.

The Puzzle Challenge Analysis Tool. A Tool for Analysing the Cognitive Challenge Level of Puzzles in Video Games

Video games are often designed around puzzles and problem-solving, leading to challenging yet engaging experiences for players. However, it is hard to measure or compare the challenge level of puzzles in video games. This can make designing appropriately challenging puzzles problematic. This study collates previous work to present refined definitions for challenge and difficulty within the context of video games. We present the Puzzle Challenge Analysis tool which can be used to determine the best metrics for analysing the challenge level of puzzles within video games. Previous research has focused on measuring the difficulty of simple action video games, such as Pac-Man, which can be easily modified for research purposes. Existing methods to measure challenge or difficulty include measuring player brain activity, examining game features and player scores. However, some of these approaches cannot be applied to puzzles or puzzle games. For example, approaches relying on game scores will not work for puzzle games with no scoring system, where puzzles are either solved or not. This paper describes the design and development of the Puzzle Challenge Analysis tool using two case studies of commercial video games The Witness and Untitled Goose Game. The tool is also tested for generalisability on a third commercial puzzle video game, Baba Is You. This proposed tool can help game designers and researchers to objectively analyse and compare puzzle challenge and produce more in-depth insights into the player experience. This has implications for designing challenging and engaging games for a range of player abilities.

Under Pressure

Video games frequently invoke high-pressure circumstances in which player performance is crucial. These high-pressure circumstances are incubators for 'choking' and 'clutching'-phenomena that broadly address critical failures and successes in performance, respectively. The eruption of esports into the mainstream has vitalized the need to understand performance in video games, and particularly in competitive games spaces. In this work, we explore the potential mechanisms behind choking and clutching and how they are related to player traits and tendencies. We report the results of multiple regression analyses, finding that the propensity to choke is positively correlated with Reinvestment, Obsessive Passion, and Public Self-Consciousness, as well as Approach and Avoidance coping styles. Likewise, we find that the propensity to clutch is negatively correlated with Social Anxiety, and positively with Private Self-Consciousness and player experience with competitive gaming. We propose that these findings can be utilized to scaffold and support performance in high-pressure gaming spaces, such as esports. This work represents an initial step in the empirical exploration of choking and clutching in competitive video game contexts.

Optimizing Profit by Mitigating Recurrent Churn Labeling Issues: Analysis from the Game Domain

Churn can be interpreted as customer defection and can be considered one of the most critical challenges in the Game Analytics domain because of its impact on the game industry's profit. When predicting churn, the first step is defining what is considered churn, which can change depending on the players' behaviors and approaches. This work studied related works and revealed two recurrent issues in the labeling process: limitations on the adopted labeling approaches (1) and the static definition of churn (2). To mitigate the first issue, an individualized labeling approach was deployed. To address the second one, a novel evaluation method, based on the impact of a change in the churn definition, was proposed. This method allowed the proposition of two new labeling approaches, which were included in the analysis. By comparing the labeling approaches in two games using a profit perspective, it was identified that the new ones present statistically significant benefits compared to the traditional ones. Regarding the evaluation method, its usage can justify when the redefinition of churn and the classifier's retraining should happen to improve profit. The results are valuable for the game context, potentially extended to other contexts by delivering more reliable labels and more validated classification performance.

SquadSmart — Hierarchical Planning and Coordinated Plan Execution for Squads of Characters

This paper presents an application of Hierarchical Task Network (HTN) planning to a squad-based military simulation. The hierarchical planner produces collaborative plans for the whole squad in real time, generating the type of highly coordinated behaviours typical for armed combat situations involving trained professionals. Here, we detail the extensions to HTN planning necessary to provide real-time planning and subsequent collaborative plan execution. To make full hierarchical planning feasible in a game context we employ a planner compilation technique that saves memory allocations and speeds up symbol access. Additionally, our planner can be paused and resumed, making it possible to impose a hard limit on its computation time during any single frame. For collaborative plan execution we describe several synchronization extensions to the HTN framework, allowing agents to participate in several plans at once and to act in parallel or in sequence during single plans. Overall, we demonstrate that HTN planning can be used as an expressive and powerful real-time planning framework for tightly coupled groups of in-game characters.

A Framework for Summarizing Game Experiences as Narratives

Online role playing games may be enjoyed periodically for months or years at a time. Players often log onto the game and play for a short time, and then log off for a long period of time before returning to the game, even though events continue in the persistent game world. Providing a summary of events that have occurred while a player was away from the game would help the player maintain game context. In this paper, we present a computational framework that generates a summary from game log messages.

Dynamic cricket match outcome prediction

To propose a model where match outcome is predicted ball by ball at the start of the second inning. Our methodology not only incorporates the dynamically updating game context as the game progresses, but also includes the relative strength between the two teams playing the match. We used 692 matches from all seasons (2008–2018) to train our model, and we used all 59 matches from the current season (2019) to test its performance. Here we have engineered 11 players and 10 bowlers, and all their metrics are tracked as a function of each ball of each over throughout the match during the second inning, also keeping in the consideration of dynamically changing target score as one of the attributes. Initially, we tried Logistic Regression, Naive Bayes, K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN), Support Vector Machine, Decision Tree, Random Forest, Boosting, Bagging, and Gradient Boosting with an accuracy of 76.47%(+/–3.77%). With deep learning, we tried the various flavours of LSTM and GRU like vanilla, Bidirectional and stacked to train our models and the results found are very impressive with an accuracy of 76.13%(+/–2.59%). All of these flavors were tested using various approaches such as one-to-one sequencing, one-to-many sequencing, many-to-one sequencing, and many-to-many sequencing, which are discussed in this paper. An accurate prediction of how many runs a batsman is likely to score and how many wickets a bowler is likely to take in a match will help the team management select the best players for each match.

Introduction to the Special Issue on GaLA Conf 2020

This special issue of the International Journal of Serious Games offers very valuable extensions to the best papers of the 2020 edition of the GaLA conference.
 The local organization committee was composed of computer scientists of Laval (France), affiliated to Le Mans Université.
 From the 9th to the 10th of December 2020, 500 participants attended to a well-organized conference, through their virtual avatars, and listened to 37 presentations on Serious Games and Gamification. A special session was related to Virtual Reality, in a pedagogical and gaming context. 
 The four extended papers, published in this journal, significantly extend their original work, and were accepted through a regular peer-review process for this special issue.

Cybersecurity educational games: a theoretical framework

PurposeComputer games that teach cybersecurity concepts have been developed to help both individuals and organizations shore up their defence against cybercrimes. Evidence of the effectiveness of these games has been rather weak, however. This paper aims to guide the design and testing of more effective cybersecurity educational games by developing a theoretical framework.Design/methodology/approachA review of the literature is conducted to explore the dependent variable of this research stream, learning outcomes and its relationship with four independent variables, game characteristics, game context, learning theory and user characteristics.FindingsThe dependent variable can be measured by five learning outcomes: information, content, strategic knowledge, eagerness to learn/time spent and behavioral change. Game characteristics refer to features that contribute to a game’s usefulness, interactivity, playfulness or attractiveness. Game context pertains to factors that determine how a game is used, including the target audience, the skill involved and the story. Learning theory explains how learning takes place and can be classified as behaviorism, cognitivism, humanism, social learning or constructivism. User characteristics including gender, age, computer experience, knowledge and perception, are attributes that can impact users’ susceptibility to cybercrimes and hence learning outcomes.Originality/valueThe framework facilitates taking stock of past research and guiding future research. The use of the framework is illustrated in a critique of two research streams. Multiple research directions are discussed for continued research into the design and testing of next-generation cybersecurity computer games.

CONGKLAK APLICATION TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF ROUND NUMBERS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

The purpose of this study was to determine students' understanding of integer concepts through innovative learning media.The method used in this research is Research and Development (R and D) research to produce a product.The Congklak application is designed by incorporating the traditional congklak game. This research was conducted at SD Negeri Sayung 1, Sayung District, Demak Regency. The product is designed through learning integer material using the context of the congklak game. The research stage consists of information gathering, planning, product development and product validation.The results of this study indicate that the Congklak application (Congklak.App) can be used to improve understanding of the integer concept. This is supported by the results of teacher and student responses as well as the results of the validation of experts showing very good criteria and suitable for use in learning integer concepts in elementary schools.

Analysis of the relevance of the information content given to the players during volleyball timeouts with a 3D device

ABSTRACT The timeout in sport is relatively well analysed in the literature. Nevertheless, no study concerns the relevance of the information transmitted to the players. Our study aims to determine the relevance of the content transmitted to the players during volleyball timeouts with a 3D device. We immerged 17 coaches into two sequences of a volleyball game. They had to think aloud during the game and talk directly to the players during the timeouts. Between the sequences, they also had to transcribe and rate all the observations they remembered. By comparing the observations made, the speech during the timeouts and the rating of the coaches’ observations, we obtained some interesting results. Few coaches transmitted all the observations considered as the most important to their players during the timeouts, but this selection of the information seemed better in a negative game context. Another result is that the coaches did not seem to be influenced by the short-term memory as the transmitted content rarely corresponded to the last observations made just before the timeout. This study offers perspectives in coaching analysis and education as the 3D device seems to be a tool allowing the study of aspects difficult to attain with other methods.

Theory and experiments on network games of public goods: inequality aversion and welfare preference

In this paper, we investigate social preferences in network games, where the network structure determines whose action affects the payoff of which player. We develop alternative theories that incorporate inequality aversion and welfare preference into the context of dominant-strategy network games, and test their implications in laboratory experiments. When the economic return is relatively low, we observe that subjects contribute more than the amount that would maximize their monetary profit; moreover, subjects at the central network positions contribute more than those at the periphery. These anomalies suggest that subject behavior is mainly driven by the welfare preference and not as much by either inequality aversion or self-interest, regardless of the network structures considered. In a supplemental experiment with an increased economic return, we find that the advantage of social preferences over self-interest in driving individual activities varies with the underlying network architecture. We also estimate the behavioral parameters and interpret the results in relation to the network topology.

The effect of a scientific board game on improving creative problem solving skills

Game-based learning has been shown to motivate and engage students in the domain of learning, knowledge and thinking skills, such as problem-solving and decision-making. This article reports the design and use of an educational board game for learning chemistry that attempts to improve students’ scientific concepts as well as creative problem solving (CPS) skills. The investigation of a board game as a teaching material was conducted in a field test with 48 high school students. After experiencing gameplay, most students’ CPS skills increased, especially in the construct of solution-finding. Their scientific concepts of chemical techniques and products also improved significantly according to the comparisons of pre- and post-test results, indicating that the game context can help students develop a holistic view of the function of chemistry knowledge. Student interviews revealed the nuances of the improvements in the conceptual dimensions as well as the interactivity to construct creative ideas from different points of view. The recommendation to integrate science-related social issues into the game mechanism to enable students to explicitly experience all stages of the CPS process in each game round is the main outcome of this research.

Maternal and Paternal Teaching in a Naturalistic Home Environment

ABSTRACT Maternal and paternal teaching sequences directed to their preschool children in a naturalistic home environment were investigated. The sample included 37 middle-class sibling dyads, aged four and six, and both their mothers and fathers during ongoing interactions in the home for six 90-minute sessions. Sequences of parent–child teaching were identified and coded for teacher and learner roles, teaching strategies, child response, and context (e.g., games, conflict). Mothers and fathers did not differ in the overall proportion of their teaching. However, fathers taught significantly more in the game context than mothers, whereas mothers taught significantly more during conflicts. Directive teaching strategies were most commonly employed by parents; the only difference in parental teaching strategies was that mothers were more likely to use explanations compared to fathers. Further, parental differences in teaching initiation, sophisticated versus nonsophisticated teaching strategies, and children’s responses were examined. Findings are discussed in light of theory on teaching and learning.

What game we are playing: the psychosocial context of problem gambling, problem gaming and poor well-being among Italian high school students

Gambling and gaming are not infrequent among adolescents and preventing low-risk youth from becoming at-risk appears to be a priority of public health strategies. Greater scrutiny of the risk and protective factors in the relationships and community of young people appears crucial in steering prevention initiatives adequately.This study aimed to explore the role of the qualities of relational networks (i.e. family functioning, perceived social and class support), family and peer approval and view of the social environment in predicting problem gambling, problem gaming and overall well-being among adolescents.High-school students aged 14–18 years (N: 595; female: 68,7%) completed a survey including the target variables. A multivariate multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the role of socio-demographic characteristics and psychosocial predictors on gaming, gambling, and well-being.Multivariate multiple regressions identify a common core underpinning problem gambling, gaming and poor well-being but also the distinct roles of psychosocial variables: being male, with low parental monitoring, and an anomic view of the social environment all predict problem gambling and gaming, which were also found to be associated. Low social support predicts problem gambling but not problem gaming; poor family functioning predicts problem gaming but not problem gambling. All the target psychosocial variables, except approval of gambling, predict poor well-being.On the whole the findings suggest the need to look more closely at the way adolescents, their system of activity and their culture participate in constructing the meaning of gambling and gaming activities and their impact on adolescents’ well-being, so that future studies and strategies can more effectively examine the relational dynamics in which problem gambling and gaming develop.

Exploring probability concepts in a game context

Learning about probability can pose difficulties for students at all levels. Performing probability experiments using games can encourage students to develop understandings of probability grounded in real events. In this reflective paper, we explore the thinking of a group of students and teachers as they reasoned about experimental and theoretical probabilities in a game context. We designed a probability lesson based on the game LuLu (McCoy et al., 2007). In this article we share the activity and describe the kinds of explorations that can be facilitated in any secondary school mathematics classroom. We were particularly interested in investigating whether students could construct a bi-directional link between experimental probability and theoretical probability. Overall, the lesson enabled students to gain hands-on experience in data collection and analysis and better comprehend affordances of culturally diverse games.

La créativité dans l’industrie du jeu vidéo au Québec

En matière de jeu vidéo, la province de Québec est vue comme un pôle de « créativité ». La complexité des phénomènes socioculturels nous pousse à nous interroger sur le sens de ce concept souvent invoqué et valorisé. Qu’entend-on par créativité, qui ou qu’est-ce qui est créatif ? Cet article s’appuie sur une version constructiviste du modèle des 4 P’s (product, process, people, press) pour exposer les limites de la créativité dans l’industrie québécoise du jeu vidéo, en particulier à Montréal. Le modèle adopté ici permet de s’attarder sur différentes dimensions interreliées de la créativité, depuis les politiques économiques gouvernementales jusqu’aux processus de création en passant par les produits créés et les personnes impliquées. Les résultats montrent à première vue une inquiétante absence de créativité. Mais c’est davantage le manque de théorisation et d’opérationnalisation du concept dans le contexte du jeu vidéo québécois qui pose problème. Si l’on souhaite que la province conserve son statut de meneur dans ce secteur, un effort transdisciplinaire de recherche est à entreprendre.