Game Story Research Articles

The Game Weavers

In this paper faculty members from the Game Writing undergraduate program at the University of Skövde offer a new lens for understanding the act of game writing as weaving, and game story as tapestry. We share recent curricular innovations from our Game Writing program that reflect this perspective, which is inspired by core concepts from feminist narratology. We approach the concept of the weaver through reflection on narratological traditions and practices of collaborative authorship, and invite all game education disciplines to consider the weaving way of thinking, in contrast with design thinking.

Exploring Game Features and Reframing: the Construction of a Relationship Model

Background Social learning generates reframing when individual and collective values are reflected. This reframing enables community members to move from personal to collective views and actions, resulting in valuable outcomes that improve the community's functioning. This research aims to enhance the development of reframing with the help of role-playing games (RPG), given that digital games are considered particular communities. Method A relationship model was constructed to identify which game features generate reframing and how much they promote reframing. The model’s validity was tested using experts’ feedback and a game experience test (GET). The factor analysis results interpret that the features tested impact reframing. Results The study proposes that RPGs can promote reframing and identifies reframing associated with particular game features (such as game stories). Conclusion Students, game designers, related teachers and researchers can benefit from using the model to encourage reflection using games or require a model to bridge game features with social learning.

Techniques Used by Primary Teachers when Using English as Medium of Instruction in Rubavu District, Rwanda

Rwanda is an endoglossic country where Kinyarwanda is the first language and mother tongue of Rwandans. Since English was implemented as Medium of instruction (MoI), most teachers with Kinyarwanda and French background get challenges due to teaching in a new language. They had a lower level of proficiency in English and shortage of teaching resources. This study aimed at investigating techniques used by Primary teachers when teaching in English as MoI and its impacts on learners’ academic performance of many other subjects which are taught through English. The study was conducted in Rubavu District, Rwanda. The entire target population was 300 people comprised of teachers and head teachers. The researchers sampled 62 persons. Purposive sampling technique was used to sample 10 primary schools according to their geographical location and 10 head teachers respectively. The selection of teachers used stratified sampling technique for 52 teachers, where two strata were considered namely new teachers and more experienced teachers. In data collection, the researchers used questionnaire for teachers and interview guide for head teachers. Both descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used when analyzing the findings. The key findings of 100% (52) showed that they used teaching aids and oral activities. 13.4% (7) of the respondents strongly disagreed that use of code switching for teachers facilitate them as speakers to change linguistic code that maintain or destroy interpersonal relationships when teachers teach in English. Amongst techniques used by primary teachers were, stories in English, English songs, games, code switching, role play and use of charts, pictures and books as teaching aids. However, the teachers did not use poem recitation, impromptu speech, classroom presentations and group discussions when teaching their subjects in English. The study concluded that teaching techniques are still paramount to facilitate both teacher and learner’s betterment of the academic performance in all subjects that are taught in English as MoI. The researchers drew some recommendations to different educational stakeholders such as policy makers including government, ministry of education and many other Educational stakeholders to intensify the in service-trainings on English proficiency to the teachers as their second language with aim of empowering them to be familiar with English and interact with pupils in English through role plays and dialogues. The policy makers have to offer teachers different facilities including teaching aids and other resources to support them when teaching in English as a MoI.

Livogena: The Ikteros Curse-A Jaundice Narrative Card and Board Game for Medical Students.

Jaundice is a common condition that requires integrating knowledge of biochemistry, physiology, pathology, and general medicine. However, medical students face difficulty in learning with passive teaching methods. To enhance their learning, an educational story game that promotes active learning and assessment with immediate feedback was implemented. This jaundice game was named Livogena: The Ikteros Curse-denoting the liver as the principal organ and jaundice (icterus) as a problem. One hundred fifty first-year medical students were divided into small groups to play using a game board and cards. The players moved ahead on the game board by providing the correct answer and completing the activities. The first team to reach the end was the winner. Perceptions and feedback questionnaires were distributed to students at the end of the game. Individual views about the game were recorded for qualitative analysis. Also, to analyze the effectiveness of this intervention, pre- and posttests on jaundice were conducted. Livogena: The Ikteros Curse resulted in a highly significant improvement in students' knowledge and application skills in jaundice, from 5.5 (SD = 2.4) in the pretest to 11.2 (SD = 7.6) in the posttest for 20 marks (p < .001). Students perceived and rated the game exceptionally positively. This educational game significantly increased learners' understanding of the concepts of jaundice. Highly positive perceptions from students further affirm this to be a creative innovation to enhance their learning and application of knowledge in an active and team-based learning environment.

安吉游戏故事分享中师幼互动的特点和价值探析

安吉游戏故事分享中师幼互动的特点和价值探析

Perspectives on Practice: Language Arts Learning through Digital Game Stories

In this column, the author makes the case for using digital game stories in the language arts classroom, juxtaposing exemplary games with more traditional texts.

Implementation of Finite State Machine Models on the Artificial Intelligence System of Characters in The Game "MMORPG" using RPG Maker

Technological developments are the main drivers of global social, economic, and cultural change, including in the rapidly growing gaming industry. The Role-Playing Game (RPG) genre, in which players portray characters in the game's story, is gaining popularity. The application of FSM Models and AI technology in character development and RPG game interaction not only resulted in exciting entertainment, but also inspired similar uses in various fields. With AI, characters interact dynamically with players and environments, and FSM Models govern complex character behavior, the game experience is even more immersive. RPG Maker, one of the popular engines, simplifies the process of creating RPG games with an easy user interface. The implementation of the FSM Model is done through events and switches, directing storylines and character situations with structured logic. This study analyzes the application of FSM Model in MMORPG RPG games. Through the design, testing, and analysis stages, FSM proved effective in creating games that combine entertainment with learning. This game invites players to look for requirements and challenges to proceed to the next level. The result is an MMORPG game played on a PC with a Windows operating system, providing an educational and entertaining gaming experience.

Playing the “Fantastical Gap”: Embedded Soundscapes in Video Games

Abstract This article surveys the techniques of sound and music design that are used to represent games embedded within other games. Theorizing such recursive media through the literary concept of the mise en abyme, the article focuses on the experimental horror game Stories Untold (2017), arguing that sound is both an object of focus (given the game's conceit of embedding a silent, text-based adventure game within a sounding, three-dimensional world) and the crucial factor that alerts the player to the interactions between the game's nested narratives.

“Anything a Guardian Does Is Canonical”: Player Understanding of Canon in Destiny

The narrative experience of perennial games---ongoing, live games---revolves around the community that plays it. These games serve a fractured form of storytelling, which leaves it to the community to determine what counts as part of the story; or what is considered “canon”. What is canon is a question of who and what the story is allowed to be about, and what is allowed to be in it. Therefore, it is important to understand how players of perennial games understand what is canon and what is not. This paper presents a mixed methods study of an online survey (N=118) and interviews (N=15) of players of the game Destiny 2, with the goal of understanding what events players consider canon and why. The findings indicate that while authorship and conventional game story elements are considered canon, there is still disagreement, especially as the storytelling methods become non-conventional. Players can provide nuanced viewpoints on why an event is or is not canon, and they do not always agree. These results can help designers understand how their decisions influence the community discussions of canonicity, and how properties of their game can help create experiences that lets players see themselves in the work.

Exploring In-Game Scaffolds for Higher-Order Learning in a Case-Based RPG Learning Game

As active learning tools, digital games often focus on including interface and design features to scaffold progression. However, little emphasis on the use of such in-game scaffolds for higher-order learning exists in the literature. We focused this study on the second interaction of a working prototype game called Stories of a GeoFarmer. The study evaluates the importance of in-game scaffolds for engaging learners in higher-order thinking in undergraduate Geography education. Stories of a GeoFarmer is a case-based role-playing game where players take on the role of a farmer in different countries. The game utilizes documented case studies of different environmental issues relating to cultural geography to place players into the role of the individuals impacted by the various situations. The situations are ill-structured presenting interesting arguments for no-win situations meant to engage more thinking about geographic implications. We incorporated several in-game scaffold types that connected to the learning objectives including metacognitive, conceptual, and procedural. We use a mixed methods exploratory design approach consisting of thematic analysis and correlation of post-game survey responses. Our research question asks how does in-game scaffolding in the geography game Stories of GeoFarmer affect the adult learners' experience? Results from 63 undergraduates indicate that students can regularly recall and extrapolate how their in-game actions affect the environment. However, fewer students are able to evaluate why no singular solution exists to the game’s problem despite all the provided in-game scaffolds. Metacognitive scaffolds play the largest role in prompting students to recognize cause and effect but also highlight the necessity of making multiple scaffold types more prominent in order to reach higher-order thinking. This study holds implications for serious game designers to consider how in-game scaffolds can be presented to support high-order learning in adults.

What Are the Morals of Video Game Stories? A Content Analysis of the Most Popular Video Games

ABSTRACT A content analysis of moral content in the most popular video game franchises with stories between 1996 and 2021 was conducted. The results of the study revealed that there were, on average, 19 moral themes per 3-hour gameplay, and more acts followed basic moral principles. Binding morals (with group loyalty) was the most frequently depicted moral domain; individualizing immoral acts received more negative evaluations. Most moral and immoral acts received no consequences. There was a significant increase in all moral domains from 1996 to 2021. The significance of the findings, as well as limitations and future directions, are discussed

The Research on the Relationship between Music and Player Interaction in Video Games: A Case Study of the RPG Genre

With the arrival of the network information age in 2022, people choose more and more ways of entertainment, among which video games have become one of the entertainment ways for many young people. Nowadays, the combination of electronic games and music gives players a higher sense of experience and immersion in the game and also makes game promotion more diversified. Among them, RPG games have "vitality" in the game world, which can bring players different world experiences and give players creativity. Not only that, RPGs can provide players with a sense of visual and auditory impact on game stories, backgrounds and interactions. As the most immersive game type, RPG also requires higher interactivity of game scene music and sound effects. This paper takes video games as the research object, based on Jonathan Kramer's music enlightenment on the new theory of music time, and uses the literature research method to analyze the unique characteristics of music sound effects of RPG games, as well as the interaction between game music and players, including how players control the playing of game music and the difference of game music in different types of games and players' sense of experience. Through research, it is found that game music has the characteristics of variability, guidance and theme. Based on theoretical research, it is found that the most significant new feature of game music is nonlinear, which is also one of the essential properties in that players can freely control the playing of game music.

The Effect of Complete The Story Game towards Students’ Vocabulary Mastery

The research was conducted at SD Negeri 2 Labuhan Ratu, Bandar Lampung in 2022/2023 academic year. In this research the writer used experimental method. It consist of two classes, they were experimental class and control class. The population of this research was the students at the first semester of the fifth grade at SD Negeri 2 Labuhan Ratu, Bandar Lampung. The population consisted of 66 students from three classes. The sample of this research was VA and VB. The writer used cluster random sampling technique. In the data collecting technique the writer used test, kind of the test is multiple choice. To prove the hypothesis that there is positive and significant effect of Complete the Story Game towards students’ vocabulary mastery, the writer used ttest formula. The result of this research showed that the average score of students’ vocabulary mastery in experimental class (71.3) was higher than the students’ vocabulary mastery in control class (50.17). Then, the writer got the result of ttest was higher than ttable with significance level 5% (7.57&gt;1.68). It means that the writer proved the hypothesis that there was significant effect of Complete the Story Game towards students’ vocabulary mastery of the fifth grade at SDN 2 Labuhan Ratu, Bandar Lampung.

Chippin’ In: An Analysis of the Criminological Concepts Within Cyberpunk 2077

The cyberpunk genre dominates much of our popular culture, from how we think of cyber- and white-collar crime, to our understanding of how technology influences the criminal justice system. This article explores the common criminological themes prevalent within the recent video game Cyberpunk 2077 as an example of popular criminology. Specifically, it explores the game's story and environment by examining key characters’ responses to structural inequalities through an anomie theory lens. Key characters and groups within the game exemplify Merton's (1938) different responses to rampant poverty and socioeconomic inequality. This is then extended to the “cyberpsycho” problem within the game, incorporating General Strain Theory to discuss why specific individuals develop the problem within Cyberpunk 2077.

Analysis of Empathic Experiences in Video Games with Microblogging

Empathy refers to what people experience and feel. Experts believed that empathy is an emotional intelligence skill that can be trained and taught. Therefore, it is very important to explore ways to experience and teach emotional empathy. Empathy experiences can be stimulated by reading fiction and other narratives, storytelling, watching movies, and also playing computer games. In this work, our objective is to investigate the effect of video gaming on empathy using a microblogging tool designed to collect user experiences related to empathy. The aim of this research is to contribute by providing a tool to teach, experience, and measure empathy. This research applies quantitative and qualitative methods. We conducted two studies: (1) investigating the correlation between empathic experiences and video games, and (2) a laboratory experiment to evaluate microblogs as a tool for interviews and media to express feelings or opinions related to empathy. Quantitative data were obtained from the IRI questionnaire. We developed and implemented a microblogging tool. Study 1 involved 100 participants, and study 2 involved 43 participants. As a result, we find that during the interventions, mean scores increase more for male than for female participants. The impact of playing the video game toward empathy is to raise players' fantasies. The game's story or narrative has the most important role to affect players' feelings. We also explore the potential of a microblogging tool for acquiring qualitative data related to empathy experiences and the effect of playing games.

Video game and Catholic faith: Qualitative study on ‘That Dragon, Cancer’ among acolyte in Batam City

Video games are a means of entertainment especially among children and adolescent, including acolyte. Several video games use narration as dialogue to convey the story in video games. One of the video games that heavily focused on narrative is the video game That Dragon, Cancer. This video game tells of a family who has a child who has brain cancer. In that video game, it shows struggle of each family member deal with it in a surreal and enigmatic visual presentation. This study aims to prove is it possible to have positive view on Cotholic faith among acolytes by playing the video game That Dragon, Cancer. This study involved 30-acolyte which all of them play the video game without context and then we interviewed them. We found that the video game That Dragon, Cancer could create positive views of Catholic faith through narratives and video game design that show us to accept death and belief in God.

Archetype and Individuation Process in Alan Wake (2010) Video Game

This research purpose aims to demonstrate the individuation process of Alan Wake through the archetypes by finishing the last page of “Departure” manuscript. The research uses interpretative qualitative method in extending the findings. Using interpretation analysis can depict phenomenon of video game from the act, figures, sources (game items; weapons, flashlight, manuscript, etc.), situation, by applying Carl Gustav Jung’s psychoanalytic theory of archetype and individuation process in the video game. In the video game story, Alan Wake is a writer who had had a writer’s block for 2 years and experiences a nightmare. The nightmare happens when Alice Wake has lost at the Cauldron Lake. To find Alice, Alan follow the journey from his nightmare, suddenly discovers something powerful to create and change things influenced by two mythical figures, namely Thomas Zane and Barbara Jagger. Both figures come into Alan’s nightmare following the unwritten manuscript “Departure” plot story, whose Alan is guided to contain several figures to overcome darkness figures and integrate light and darkness to be actualized. The findings show that archetype depictions are associated by mythological images reflected from the collective unconscious in Alan Wake. The forms such as Barbara Jagger, Thomas Zane, Taken, Alan as The Hero, and the Bird Leg cabin are the projected images that Alan created in his dream. Alan starts his nightmare journey, experiences all the archetypes contributed, and realizes how to end the “Departure” manuscript as Alan’s individuation process. In conclusion, Alan Wake's unconscious journey by ending at the point of self-realization and writing the "Departure" script is considered as an individuation process.

Computer Game Scenario Representation: A Systematic Mapping Study

Background: Game scenario is an important factor for achieving player enjoyment; consisting a key business success factor. Additionally, the production of early design artifacts is crucial for the success of the development process. However, representing scenarios is a non-trivial task: (a) multiple aspects of the game need to be visualized; and (b) there is a plethora of representation approaches, out of which the game designer needs to select from. Aim: The goal of this work is to provide a panorama of the current scenario representation approaches, to aid game engineers in selecting the most fitting scenario representation approach and understand the existing designing options. Method: We have performed a Systematic Mapping Study, using 4 digital libraries, since the main goal can be achieved through study classification. By following an established search and filtering process, we have identified 717 articles, and analyzed in detail 95. Results: Diagrams are the most common generic approach to represent scenario; Game story is the most usual part of the scenario being represented; Characters are the most common component; and Transitions are the most usual connectors. Conclusion: Researchers may get useful information for empirically investigating several game engineering aspects; whereas game engineers can efficiently select the most fitting approach.

Pandemi Döneminde Çevrimiçi Yabancı Dil Eğitiminde Dijital Oyunların Konuşma Becerilerine Etkisi: Öğrencilerin Bakış Açıları

This article elaborates the ongoing discussion about whether digital board games can enhance speaking in language courses. The research targets 51 adult L2 Greek students in Istanbul/Turkey addressing if digital board games in on-line classes can enhance speaking in foreign language during COVID-19. The results show that: online lessons meet the learning needs of adults, but they still prefer the face-to-face ones, the digital version of the game Story Cubes motivated students to participate more in the lesson, to collaborate with their classmates and to express themselves freely. The aforementioned game created a positive atmosphere in the classroom and finally it had a positive effect on the students' speaking.

Gamified Mobile Sensing Storytelling Application for Enhancing Remote Cultural Experience and Engagement

Previous studies have highlighted a lack of practical strategies in mobile learning that effectively enhance learners’ agency with mobile technology. The paper aims to engage and interest learners in cultural issues by exploring the capacity of mobile technology. In this paper, we report the design and development of a prototype story game app, The Story of Praya Lane that combines use of mobile sensing, machine learning and augmented reality (AR) to engage users in physical mobile activities as part of a gamified, non-linear storytelling application. We took a multidisciplinary approach to involve cultural heritage stakeholders to preserve and share the cultural stories of the Kristang community in Praya Lane, Malacca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The results of user study show promise in promoting interest and engagement in cultural learning and reflection. From our findings, we recommend design guidelines for future interactive story games to support cultural learning and engagement.