End Of Game Research Articles

Within-game uncertainty of outcome and the demand for professional basketball on television

This paper provides one of the first tests of the within-game uncertainty of outcome hypothesis. We examine the relationship between the demand for nationally televised regular season NBA basketball viewing and outcome uncertainty while the games are being played. We use granular television viewing and scoring data and account for the dynamics of television viewing. We find evidence of modest but statistically significant effects of outcome uncertainty on the size of the TV viewing audience which occur largely at the end of the game, supporting the uncertainty of outcome hypothesis. These effects are subject to diminishing marginal returns. We also find evidence of a sizable independent loss of viewers at halftime and the end of games that is unrelated to outcome uncertainty.

On the Constructor–Blocker game

AbstractIn the Constructor–Blocker game, two players, Constructor and Blocker, alternately claim unclaimed edges of the complete graph . For given graphs and , Constructor can only claim edges that leave her graph ‐free, while Blocker has no restrictions. Constructor's goal is to build as many copies of as she can, while Blocker attempts to minimize the number of copies of in Constructor's graph. The game ends once there are no more edges that Constructor can claim. The score of the game is the number of copies of in Constructor's graph at the end of the game when both players play optimally and Constructor plays first. In this paper, we extend results of Patkós, Stojaković and Vizer on to many pairs of and : We determine when and , also when both and are odd cycles, using Szemerédi's Regularity Lemma. We also obtain bounds of when and .

Line game-perfect graphs

The $[X,Y]$-edge colouring game is played with a set of $k$ colours on a graph $G$ with initially uncoloured edges by two players, Alice (A) and Bob (B). The players move alternately. Player $X\in\{A,B\}$ has the first move. $Y\in\{A,B,-\}$. If $Y\in\{A,B\}$, then only player $Y$ may skip any move, otherwise skipping is not allowed for any player. A move consists of colouring an uncoloured edge with one of the $k$ colours such that adjacent edges have distinct colours. When no more moves are possible, the game ends. If every edge is coloured in the end, Alice wins; otherwise, Bob wins. The $[X,Y]$-game chromatic index $\chi_{[X,Y]}'(G)$ is the smallest nonnegative integer $k$ such that Alice has a winning strategy for the $[X,Y]$-edge colouring game played on $G$ with $k$ colours. The graph $G$ is called line $[X,Y]$-perfect if, for any edge-induced subgraph $H$ of $G$, \[\chi_{[X,Y]}'(H)=\omega(L(H)),\] where $\omega(L(H))$ denotes the clique number of the line graph of $H$. For each of the six possibilities $(X,Y)\in\{A,B\}\times\{A,B,-\}$, we characterise line $[X,Y]$-perfect graphs by forbidden (edge-induced) subgraphs and by explicit structural descriptions, respectively.

On the terminal conditions of the two cutters and a fugitive ship differential game with non-zero capture radius and different players’ speed ratio

We study a pursuit-evasion differential game in which three agents move with simple motion on the Euclidean plane. Two of them, the cutters (pursuers), aim to capture a fugitive ship (the evader) as soon as possible. Having an opposite goal, the fugitive ship seeks to avoid capture for as long as possible. The game ends when the distance between the fugitive and at least one of the cutters is smaller than a given value. We have divided the game into two cases: case 1, when all players have the same speed, and case 2, when the evader is faster than the pursuers. Unlike previous work, our main innovations are as follows. For case 1, we present a solution obtained using exclusively differential game techniques. The game of kind is solved by establishing a study of the barrier that defines the winner of the game. In addition, we obtained time-optimal strategies for all players, proving that they do not switch controls. For case 2, we obtain the primary solution and exhibit an example showing the existence of control switches.

Analysis of the implementation of the 11th ASEAN Para Games in Indonesia

This study aimed to analyze the evaluation of the implementation of the 11th ASEAN Para Games in Indonesia, where there was a transfer of hosts, and Indonesia agreed to organize the event following a 2-year hiatus. The research employed an evaluation method within the qualitative research category. Specifically, the study used the CIPP model for evaluation, with data collected through a questionnaire and observation. The CIPP assessment was conducted both during and at the end of the ASEAN Para Games in Indonesia in 2022. The population of this study comprised all Indonesian athletes who participated in the 2022 ASEAN Para Games in Bengawan, Indonesia. The research subjects included the NPC, KEMENPORA, PELATNAS, and the government, totaling 115 people. Based on the analysis, the 11th ASEAN Para Games in Indonesia in 2022, evaluated using the CIPP method, was successful. Content, input, process, and product evaluations all rated in the moderate category, with scores ranging from 66.7% to 93.3% across competition managers, managers and officials, coaches, athletes, and support personnel, indicating satisfactory performance. Overall, the evaluation results reveal that the implementation of the 11th ASEAN Para Games in Indonesia in 2022 was conducted quite well, adhering to the rules and standards for international sports events.

Dynamic bargaining game DEA carbon emissions abatement allocation and the Nash equilibrium

Allocating carbon emissions abatement (CEA) is crucial for reducing carbon footprint of organizations (or decision-making units, DMUs) and mitigating global warming. However, discrepancies often arise among DMUs regarding CEA allocation. This study introduces a dynamic bargaining game approach to address the issue under the nonparametric production frontier analysis framework. Our approach employs an iterative process, allowing each DMU to propose its individual preferred CEA allocation proposal in each iteration. Subsequently, dynamic negotiations among the DMUs occur, leading to the eventual consensus on the CEA allocation result. Our theoretical analysis demonstrates that, at the end of the dynamic bargaining game, all DMUs will converge on the same CEA allocation result, termed as the consensus CEA allocation result. This agreement is reached despite each DMU customizing its individual CEA allocation proposal to suit its own interests. Moreover, we prove that this consensus CEA allocation result represents a Nash equilibrium solution, thereby ensuring its stability and acceptance among all DMUs. Finally, we provide a simple numerical example and a case study of CEA allocation across 27 European Union countries to illustrate the usefulness of our approach and compare it with prior CEA allocation approaches.

Openness to Experience and Player Satisfaction in a Simulation Game

Background Openness to experience (OTE) is one of the Big Five traits that describe the personality of the individual. Player satisfaction (Satisfaction) is composed of the factors of excitement, challenge, learning experience, team victory and self-discovery in a simulation game. OTE and Satisfaction appear to have a symbiotic relationship that feeds on their characteristics and outcomes. This study is undertaken to understand the relationship between OTE and Satisfaction in a simulation game. Objectives of the Study The objectives are to develop a scale of OTE in the context of a simulation game, to identify the factors of OTE and to study the interactive effects of OTE and Satisfaction and their factors. Methods An instrument of 40 statements was administered to 190 post-graduate management students at the end of a brand-related simulation game. It had 12 statements that represented OTE and 28 statements of the Satisfaction scale. The data was purified and processed for factor analysis; the variables and their factors were subjected to correlation and regression. Results Two OTE factors, each of eigenvalue greater than one, were extracted and named search for novelty and passion to know. Discussion The conclusions of this study may be generalisable only to sample profiles that are most similar to the study sample, but not to other contexts due to the ambiguous effect of personality, contexts and cultures on the study variables. The strong positive correlations between OTE, Satisfaction and their factors show their bases in a common platform, i.e. the experience of the simulation game. The search for novelty predicts Satisfaction more powerfully than OTE predicts Satisfaction. Self-discovery, learning experience and excitement affect OTE positively and more powerfully than challenge, team victory or Satisfaction. Further studies of passion, intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy may enhance our understanding of their impact on Satisfaction.

The constructor-blocker game

Given two graphs F and H, Constructor and Blocker alternately claim unclaimed edges of the complete graph Kn. Constructor?s graph must remain F-free, while Blocker claims edges without restrictions. The game ends when Constructor cannot claim further edges or when all edges have been claimed. The score of the game is the number of H?s in Constructor?s graph. Constructor?s aim is to maximize the score, while Blocker tries to minimize it. We study this game for several choices of F and H.

Effect of different forms of strength training on lower limb power and speed of professional soccer players

Research objective: The main research objective is to analyze the effects of different forms of strength training on the lower limb power and speed of professional soccer players. The research involves the application of a variation strategy in strength training based on varying the intensity of training. The work focuses on comparing two strength training varying external loads. Materials and Methods: The study material consisted of a group of 56 soccer players of the first Polish league, representing a similar sports level with a minimum of 4 years of training experience in the league and in the age range of 22 to 28 years. The study was carried out in the macro-cycle of the preparatory phase in the period after the end of the fall round league games. A 4-week training program was used, during which the players studied carried out an experimental training unit twice a week. One group worked with a load of 50-60% of 1RM (GB1), while the other group worked with a load of 70-80% of 1RM (GB2). The use of pneumatic devices the Keiser Leg Press A420 and Keiser Air Squat A300 (Keiser, Fresno, CA, USA) was used to measure the generated power of the lower limb muscles. A straight-line running test was used to measure speed abilities. A Microgate Witty photocell measurement system (Bolzano, Italy) was used to record running speed variables over a distance of 30 meters. Before the start of the training program, as well as after its completion, the level of locomotor speed and lower limb power were measured. Results: Analyzing the levels of lower limb muscular power and locomotor speed during training with an external load of 50-60% 1RM versus training with an external load of 70-80% 1RM, statistically significantly better results were noted during training with an external load of 50-60% 1RM. The GB1 group with training using an external load of 50-60% 1RM achieved significantly better results than the GB2 group with training using an external load of 70-80% 1RM for 9 variables: double-leg bench press, single-leg bench press (right limb), single-leg bench press (left limb), double-leg squat, single-leg squat (right limb), and sprints over distances of 5m, 10m, 20m, 30m. It was also possible to observe a certain increasing trend in the results in the single-leg squat (left limb), while not statistically significant. Conclusions: Training with an external load of 50-60% 1RM during the preparatory period after the fall round league games is more effective in improving muscle power and speed than training with an external load of 70-80% 1RM.

Simulations of Solving a Single-Player Memory Card Game with Several Implementations of a Human-Like Thinking Computer Algorithm

The memory card game is a game that probably everyone played in childhood. The game consists of npairs of playing cards, whereas each card of a pair is identical. At the beginning of the game, the deck of cards is shuffled and laid face down. In every move of the game, the player flips over two cards. If the cards match, the pair of cards is removed from the game; otherwise, the cards are flipped back over. The game ends when all pairs of cards have been found. The game could be played by one, two, or more players. First, this paper shows an optimal algorithm for solving a single-player memory card game. In the algorithm, we defined four steps where the user needed to remember the earlier shown pairs of cards, which cards were already shown, and the locations of the revealed cards. We marked the memories related to these steps as M1, M2, M3, and M4. Next, we made some simulations as we changed the M1, M2, M3, and M4 memories from no user memory (where the player does not remember the cards or pairs of cards at all) to a perfect user memory (where the player remembers every earlier shown card or pair of cards). With every memory setting, we simulated 1000 gameplays. We recorded how manycards or pairs of cards the player would need to remember and how many moves were required to finish the game. Finally, we evaluated the recorded data, illustrated the results on graphs, and drew some conclusions.

4-Total domination game critical graphs

The total domination game is played on a simple graph [Formula: see text] with no isolated vertices by two players, Dominator and Staller, who alternate choosing a vertex in [Formula: see text]. Each chosen vertex totally dominates its neighbors. In this game, each chosen vertex must totally dominates at least one new vertex not totally dominated before. The game ends when all vertices in [Formula: see text] are totally dominated. Dominator’s goal is to finish the game as soon as possible, and Staller’s goal is to prolong it as much as possible. The game total domination number is the number of chosen vertices when both players play optimally, denoted by [Formula: see text] when Dominator starts the game and denoted by [Formula: see text] when Staller starts the game. If a vertex [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text] is declared to be already totally dominated, then we denote this graph by [Formula: see text]. A total domination game critical graph is a graph [Formula: see text] for which [Formula: see text] holds for every vertex [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text]. If [Formula: see text], then [Formula: see text] is called [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]-critical. In this work, we characterize some 4-[Formula: see text]-critical graphs.

Conceptualising community engagement as an infinite game implemented through finite games of 'research', 'community organising'and 'knowledge mobilisation'.

Meaningful community engagement process involves focusing on the community needs, building community capacityand employing culturally tailored and community-specific strategies. In the current practices of community-engaged health and wellness research, generally, community engagement activities commence with the beginning of a particular research project on a specific topic and end with the completion of the project. The outcomes of the community engagement, including the trust, partnershipand contribution of the community to research, thus remain limited to that specific project and are not generally transferred and fostered further to the following project on a different topic. In this viewpoint article, we discussed a philosophical approach to community engagement that proposes to juxtapose community engagement for the specific short-term research project and the overarching long-term programme of research with the finite game and infinite game concepts, respectively. A finite game is a concept of a game where the players are known, rules are fixed and when the agreed-upon goal is achieved, the game ends. On the other hand, in infinite games, the players may be both known and unknown, have no externally fixed rulesand have the objective of continuing the game beyond a particular research project. We believe community engagement needs to be conducted as an infinite game that is, at the programme of research level, where the goal of the respective activities is not to complete a research project but to successfully engage the community itself is the goal. While conducting various research projects, that is, finite games, the researchers need to keep an infinite game mindset throughout, which includes working with the community for a just cause, building trust and community capacity to maximise their contribution to research, prioritising community needsand having the courage to lead the community if need be. Patient or Public Contribution: While preparing this manuscript, we have partnered actively with community champions,activists, community scholarsand citizen researchers at the community level from the very beginning. We had regular interactions with them to get their valuable and insightful inputs in shaping our reflections. Their involvement as coauthors in this paper also provided a learning opportunity for them and facilitated them to gain insight on knowledge engagement. All authors support greater community/citizen/public involvement in research in an equitable manner.

Incidence, a scoring positional game on graphs

Positional games have been introduced by Hales and Jewett in 1963 and have been extensively investigated in the literature since then. These games are played on a hypergraph where two players alternately select an unclaimed vertex of it. In the Maker-Breaker convention, if Maker manages to fully take a hyperedge, she wins, otherwise, Breaker is the winner. In the Maker-Maker convention, the first player to take a hyperedge wins, and if no one manages to do it, the game ends by a draw. In both cases, the game stops as soon as Maker has taken a hyperedge. By definition, this family of games does not handle scores and cannot represent games in which players want to maximize a quantity.In this work, we introduce scoring positional games, that consist in playing on a hypergraph until all the vertices are claimed, and by defining the score as the number of hyperedges a player has fully taken. We focus here on Incidence, a scoring positional game played on a 2-uniform hypergraph, i.e. an undirected graph. In this game, two players alternately claim the vertices of a graph and score the number of edges for which they own both end vertices. In the Maker-Breaker version, Maker aims at maximizing the number of edges she owns, while Breaker aims at minimizing it. In the Maker-Maker version, both players try to take more edges than their opponent.We first give some general results on scoring positional games such that their membership in Milnor's universe and some general bounds on the score. We prove that, surprisingly, computing the score in the Maker-Breaker version of Incidence is PSPACE-complete whereas in the Maker-Maker convention, the relative score can be obtained in polynomial time. In addition, for the Maker-Breaker convention, we give a formula for the score on paths by using some equivalences due to Milnor's universe. This result implies that the score on cycles can also be computed in polynomial time.

Impartial Hypergraph Games

We study two building games and two removing games played on a finite hypergraph. In each game two players take turns selecting vertices of the hypergraph until the set of jointly selected vertices satisfies a condition related to the edges of the hypergraph. The winner is the last player able to move. The building achievement game ends as soon as the set of selected vertices contains an edge. In the building avoidance game the players are not allowed to select a set that contains an edge. The removing achievement game ends as soon as the complement of the set of selected vertices no longer contains an edge. In the removing avoidance game the players are not allowed to select a set whose complement does not contain an edge. We develop some generic tools for finding the nim-value of these games and show that the nim-value can be an arbitrary nonnegative integer. The outcome of many of these games were previously determined for several special cases in algebraic and combinatorial settings. We provide several examples and show how our tools can be used to refine these results by finding nim-values.

The Effects of Surprising Events on Promoting Social Change in Unwinnable Persuasive Games

Surprising events can be beneficial for unwinnable persuasive games, especially since they can evoke players to reflect on their failure to win the game. Despite its presence in some titles, the usage of surprising events still lacks empirical support. This study aims to gain insight into it by comparing the effects of revealing the game’s context from the beginning to delaying it until the game ends. In addition, we also examine the interaction effects with playing duration since it is possible that longer playtime will lead to smaller effects for a game with surprising events, whereas longer playtime will result in greater effects for a game without surprising events. To do so, we conducted a 2 x 2 factorial between-subject experiment with an additional no-treatment control group. The results suggest that delaying the revelation to create a surprising event can promote the same level of donation from players, regardless of their playing time. On the other hand, longer playtime is important if players know the context from the beginning. Additional results about the effect of playing duration on donation and willingness to help were also discussed in this paper.

Searching for the Effects of Momentum in Beach Volleyball

Abstract: The goal of the present study was to investigate whether in a beach volleyball game between teams of equally skilled players, a team is more likely to win a three-set match if it has won the second set than if it has won the first one. Furthermore, we analyzed how many games end after two or after three sets. We compared three models making different predictions: the psychological momentum model (PMM), the strategic effects model (SEM), and the independent probability model (IPM). In line with the PMM and the SEM, the results showed that regardless of how strictly we controlled for ability, there were always significantly more two-set than three-set matches (33 – 44 % three-set matches). In line with the SEM, but not the PMM, the analysis of almost 1,000 three-set matches between equally skilled players suggested that in a third set neither the winner of the first nor the winner of the second set has an advantage in the third set.

The International Olympic Committee Venue Ultrasound Program: A Pilot Study From Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The objective of this pilot investigation was to describe the novel use of venue ultrasound at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Portable laptop ultrasound machines were made available to cover seven Olympic sports at seven venues. The responses by both the National Olympic Committee personnel accompanying the medical room visits and by the examining physicians were recorded. Athletes were followed up until the end of the Olympic Games and the ultrasound diagnostic accuracy was evaluated. Fourteen athletes were evaluated using venue ultrasound and the recorded injuries included seven soft tissue, five osseous, and two nonmusculoskeletal injuries. From these, eight athletes were evaluated further by other imaging modalities, which indicated that the ultrasound provided an accurate diagnosis in all cases. All National Olympics Committee personnel reported increased diagnostic confidence and felt that venue ultrasound should be considered for future sports events. Furthermore, all evaluating physicians felt ultrasound was helpful in refining the diagnosis. The average years of sports ultrasound experience was 8.4 yrs and the average years of clinical sports medicine experience was 9.3 yrs among the physicians. In conclusion, the International Olympic Committee Venue Ultrasound Pilot Program showed promise in improving venue triaging, suggesting its role at future sports events.

Review. The end of the great game in Mongolia

Review. The end of the great game in Mongolia

Children's dynamic use of face- and behavior-based cues in an economic trust game.

Who do children trust? We investigated the extent to which children use face-based versus behavior-based cues when deciding whom to trust in a multiturn economic trust game. Children's (N = 42; aged 8 to 10 years; 31 females; predominantly White) trust decisions were informed by an interaction between face-based and behavior-based cues to trustworthiness, similarly to those of adults (N = 41; aged 17 to 48 years; 23 females; predominantly White). Facial trustworthiness guided children's investment decisions initially, such that they invested highly with trustworthy-looking partners and less with untrustworthy-looking partners. However, by the end of the trust game, after children had experienced game partners' fair or unfair return behavior, they overcame this bias and instead used partners' previous behavior to guide their trust decisions. Using partners' return behavior to guide decisions was the most rational strategy, because partners' facial trustworthiness was not an accurate cue to their actual trustworthiness. This dynamic use of different cues to trustworthiness suggests sophisticated levels of social cognition in children, which may reflect the social importance of trust impressions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

When do games end?

When do games end?