Game Portal Research Articles

Slantwise Moves: Games, Literature, and Social Invention in Nineteenth-Century AmericaRespawn: Gamers, Hackers, and Technogenic Life

Slantwise Moves: Games, Literature, and Social Invention in Nineteenth-Century AmericaRespawn: Gamers, Hackers, and Technogenic Life

Aprendizaje de francés a través de videojuegos cooperativos: Portal 2

Partimos de una experiencia didáctica centrada en el uso del videojuego cooperativo Portal 2 y hemos descrito la experiencia de nuestro alumnado en cuanto al aprendizaje de FLE a nivel universitario mediante un cuestionario de elaboración propia. En él se han analizado las diferencias estadísticas significativas siguiendo un método descriptivo y cuantitativo. Los resultados consideran las cuatro dimensiones obtenidas en el análisis factorial exploratorio y se presentan las relaciones entre los cuatro factores, así como el establecimiento de un modelo predictor de la valoración de la experiencia. Las conclusiones revelan que la incorporación de un videojuego cooperativo y la inclusión de sesiones didácticas ha llevado a una consideración bastante positiva del alumnado con respecto a la dinámica de aprendizaje planteada.

Modelo experimental de recombinação de repertórios em humanos em um ambiente virtual

A recombinação de repertórios é um processo comportamental relacionado a criatividade, estudado majoritariamente em animais não humanos. O presente estudo tem como objetivo replicar os modelos experimentais de recombinação em humanos em um ambiente virtual, via o uso da ferramenta “puzzle creator” do jogo comercial Portal 2®. Uma situação problema foi criada no ambiente do jogo, e os participantes então controlaram um personagem no ambiente virtual tridimensional, na perspectiva em primeira pessoa. A amostra foi composta por 5 sujeitos e nenhum deles resolveu a situação problema em um pré-teste. Entretanto, após o treino de repertórios pré-requisitos para a solução da tarefa, realizado no próprio jogo, em mapas específicos para treino, 4 dos 5 participantes resolveram a tarefa final. Diante destes dados, o jogo Portal 2 se mostra como uma ferramenta econômica e versátil para o estudo da recombinação de repertórios em humanos.

Estudio de la orientación y la percepción espacial en alumnado del Grado de Educación Infantil a través de portal 2

El videojuego es una herramienta cuya expansión y arraigo cultural en la sociedad actual permite su inclusión como elemento didáctico para trabajar con el alumnado. El estudio se ha dirigido al alumnado del 2º curso del grado de Educación Infantil de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación de la Universidad de Cádiz. Hemos empleado el videojuego Portal 2 para trabajar con nuestros estudiantes conceptos como la orientación y la percepción espacial. Conceptos de gran importancia en la etapa de Educación Infantil, etapa en la que los niños tienen su primer contacto con el colegio. De tal forma que los futuros maestros deberán aportar las herramientas suficientes a su futuro alumnado para relacionarse con el espacio que les rodea. La metodología empleada en esta experiencia ha sido de carácter cuantitativo con un número total de estudiantes de 170. Se ha realizado un estudio exploratorio en 6 grupos. El procedimiento se ha llevado a cabo en tres fases diferenciadas: (a) Introducción sobre conceptos básicos del videojuego Portal 2. (b) Sesión de juego libre y guiado y (c) realización de un cuestionario. Los resultados obtenidos, señalan que el alumnado adquiere ciertas destrezas relacionadas con la orientación y la percepción espacial y otros conocimientos relacionados con el campo matemático, tales como la toma de decisiones, tras el uso del videojuego Portal 2. Como conclusión, se puede señalar que el alumnado percibe al juego como un elemento de interés en el aula, aunque no necesariamente en el contexto educativo de la Educación infantil; sino que lo orientan a contextos educativos superiores como Educación Primaria y Secundaria. No obstante, consideran que su inclusión mejoraría la capacidad de abstracción, interpretación y percepción espacial.

Variations on a Theme by a Rogue A.I.: Music, Gameplay, and Storytelling in Portal 2 (Part 2 of 2)

This two-video series explores how the scoring to the video game Portal 2, published by Valve Corporation, not only helps tell the game’s story, but also comments on the game developers’ philosophy of puzzle design. The first video explores how the game’s title theme 9999999, including its texture, voice leadings, and chord qualities, musically enacts dual aspects of the character of the game’s central antagonist GlaDOS: once human, her personality was uploaded into a computer mainframe where she has become a sociopathic, homicidal artificial intelligence who takes delight in subjecting humans to hazardous scientific experimentation. The second video demonstrates that 9999999 serves as the theme for a set of double variations in the game’s middle act. Since Valve’s philosophy of player training centers on iterative puzzle-design that systematically increase in complexity, and the musical accompaniments for these puzzles feature coordinated developments in musical complexity, the scoring here lets us parse the puzzle design into a kind of set of gameplay theme-and-variations.

Variations on a Theme by a Rogue A.I.: Music, Gameplay, and Storytelling in Portal 2 (Part 1 of 2)

This two-video series explores how the scoring to the video game Portal 2, published by Valve Corporation, not only helps tell the game’s story, but also comments on the game developers’ philosophy of puzzle design. The first video explores how the game’s title theme 9999999, including its texture, voice leadings, and chord qualities, musically enacts dual aspects of the character of the game’s central antagonist GlaDOS: once human, her personality was uploaded into a computer mainframe where she has become a sociopathic, homicidal artificial intelligence who takes delight in subjecting humans to hazardous scientific experimentation. The second video demonstrates that 9999999 serves as the theme for a set of double variations in the game’s middle act. Since Valve’s philosophy of player training centers on iterative puzzle-design that systematically increase in complexity, and the musical accompaniments for these puzzles feature coordinated developments in musical complexity, the scoring here lets us parse the puzzle design into a kind of set of gameplay theme-and-variations.

Can we create a measure of fluid intelligence using Puzzle Creator within Portal 2?

Researchers have suggested that video games can be used to measure cognitive abilities (e.g., Boot, 2015). To that end, we wanted to test the feasibility of developing a measure of fluid intelligence within a commercially-available video game. We created a 15 chamber (i.e., problems to be solved) test called the “Portal 2 Test Battery” using the Puzzle Creator within the popular problem-solving video game Portal 2. In study 1, 35 video game players (VGPs) who had experience playing Portal 2 completed this test and Ravens Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM), a validated measure of fluid intelligence, revealing a strong relationship (r=.65) between the two. In study 2, 100 participants, both VGPs and non-video game players (nVGPs) completed the Portal 2 Test Battery, RAPM, and the Bochumer Matrices Test (BOMAT), another validated measure of fluid intelligence. Structure equation modeling revealed a strong relationship between the latent variables fluid intelligence and portal ability (r=.78). Additionally, the reliability of our test was acceptable in both studies (α=.80 and α=.76). These results provide the first evidence that it may be feasible to create a measure of fluid intelligence using the Puzzle Creator within Portal 2.

Evaluating the Cognitive Consequences of Playing Portal for a Short Duration

Learning physics often requires overcoming common misconceptions based on naïve interpretations of observations in the everyday world. One proposed way to help learners build appropriate physics intuitions is to expose them to computer simulations in which motion is based on Newtonian principles. In addition, playing video games that require spatial processing may also facilitate the development of spatial skills that have been associated with learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics areas. Two studies were conducted to examine whether playing the first-person perspective puzzle game Portal causes improvements in physics intuitions and spatial cognition skills. In Experiment 1, college students played Portal, the two-dimensional puzzle game Tetris, or the anagram game TextTwist for 75 minutes. There were no significant differences on measures of naïve physics reasoning (selected from the Force Concept Inventory) or measures of spatial cognition (mental rotation and perspective taking). To determine whether Portal could influence formal physics learning, in Experiment 2 participants viewed a brief lesson on Newton’s laws of motion after playing one of the three games for 1 hour. The groups did not differ on subsequent tests of physics learning. This study shows that Portal was not successful in priming intuitions about motion or spatial abilities related to physics learning.

Taylor Swift – od skromnej „dziewczyny z sąsiedztwa” do bohaterki postfeministycznego świata

Gromkowska-Melosik Agnieszka, Taylor Swift - od skromnej dziewczyny z sąsiedztwa do bohaterki postfeministycznego świata (Taylor Swift: From a Modest Girl Next Door to the Heroine of Post-Feminist World). Studia Edukacyjne nr 36, 2015, Poznan 2015, pp. 131-142. Adam Mickiewicz University Press. ISBN 978-83-232-2958-2. ISSN 1233-6688. DOI: 10.14746/se.2015.36.8 In the pop-culture studies one can find different categories and classifications of heroes and idols. The most come concept of an idol refers to a person which undertakes a role of frame of reference for the young people's thinking about themselves. The idols are important factors in the shaping of identity of contemporary youth, forming patterns of identity and body. This article is devoted to the Taylor Swift, who achieved unprecedented popularity among young people, which is confirmed by the fact that on the American site, What To Do With The Kids (a popular game portal, games and creative activities for children), in the competition for the identity pattern for children (which is amazing - elected in a vote parents) for the year 2013 she took first place in the category best per- sonal model for girls. In the first part of her career she has embodied ideal of modest but self- conscious girl next door; but in the second part - the sexually explicit women of power and ex- citement. One must add that she is accused for moving the dreams and aspirations of young women: from education to the scene and from the search for the meanings of life for the pleasure of consum- ing the pop culture. Also, is criticised for promoting values and lifestyle oriented primarily towards beautiful body and consumption.

Teaching With Portals: the Intersection of Video Games and Physics Education

The author, a high school physics teacher, describes the process of teaching with the commercial video game Portal 2. He gives his story from inception, through setbacks, to eventually teaching a semester of laboratories using the Portal 2 Puzzle Maker, a tool which allows for the easy conception and construction of levels. He describes how his students used the Puzzle Maker as a laboratory tool to build and analyze virtual experiments that followed real-world laws of physics. Finally, he concludes with a discussion on the current and future status of video games in education.

The Identification of the Potential of Game-based Learning in Vocational Education within the Context of the Project "Play the Learning Game"

Game based-learning exploits the potential of ICT and games engage learners. The objectives of the European project â??Play the Learning Gameâ? are to spread and update the results of the â??Learning Game Portal â? to vocational education teachers and trainers. The 10 transnational partners develop and execute trainings, intend to disseminate the project contents as broadly as possible and promote a transnational discussion among teachers and trainers focusing on the exploitation of the educational potential of multimedia and videogames. 
 Blended learning workshops addressed to Austrian vocational education teachers and trainers are organised to make use of the Learning Game Portal and simultaneously test and describe the usefulness of the contents for their own teaching or training.

Managing Experience Design for an Internet Company

NHN is Korea's premier Internet company, operating the country's leading search engine and its top online game portal. Its huge new design center has unprecedented authority and is run by the company's design director. No wonder NHN has gone into user experience design in such a big way.

다중 플랫폼을 지원하는 네트워크 게임 포털 사이트 구성

본 논문에서는 다중 플랫폼을 지원하는 네트워크 게임 포털 사이트를 구성하기 위하여 Game Omphalos 혹은 단순히 Gamphalos라 명명한 시스템을 제안하였다. 일반적으로 게임 포털사이트는 단순하게 서로 다른 여러 게임을 모아서 각각 개별적으로 실행할 수 있도록 해준다. 그러나 Gamphalos 시스템은 여기에 연결된 다양한 게임들을 사용할 수 있을 뿐만 아니라 상호 연동될 수 있도록 여러 게임의 데이터를 통합하였다. 이를 위하여 Gamphalos 시스템은 통합 아이디 관리와 통합 게임 데이터 처리를 위한 통합 게임 콘트롤 센터(LGCC)와 각 게임의 서버역할을 담당하는 로컬 게임 콘트롤 센터(LGCC) 등 2가지 주요 부분으로 구성된다. Gamphalos System에 가입한 사용자는 서로 다른 게임을 수행하면서 생성되는 게임자료들이 한곳으로 통합, 누적되므로 더욱 많은 점수를 획득하며 이문에 보다 짧은 시간 동안에 캐릭터를 많이 성장시킬 수 있다. This study suggests the configuration of network game portal site supporting multi-platform that indicates different types of games so called Game Omphalos or simply Gamphalos. In general, the existing game Portal site only put the different games together and operates each game separately. But, not only the Gamphalos system can play the various games in a portal site but also integrates the data of different games for inter-working among them. To do this, the Gamphalos System consists of two main parts. The one is Global Game Control Center (GGCC) for integrated management of n and game data. And the other part it Local Game Control Center (LGCC) that serves as a game server for each game. The game user who becomes a member of the Gamphalos System can get more Points and grow rapidly than others because all the game data can be integrated and accumulated in a Gamphalos system.