Game Development Research Articles

Ubisoft’s Notre-Dame

<p>In 2019, the Notre-Dame de Paris was devastated by a fire. The importance of the Notre-Dame as world heritage was underlined by the countless contributions, donations and solidarity all around the world that pledged to help to rebuild the cathedral. Among all contributions Ubisoft’s idea to offer its game Assassin's Creed: Unity for free to the public was arguably most celebrated as innovative and creative measure to secure heritage in case of its destruction. This case opens up new perspectives and roles of heritage management as also the development and distribution of video games in the twenty first century. The case of Ubisoft’s Notre-Dame is discussed in this paper under a comparative analysis to the game Never Alone and a critical inquiry towards the benefits, consequences and repercussions of the growing importance of synchronising heritage protection with video game production. Also, the perceptive aspect of connecting to heritage as player through a game and its spatial aspects will be explained under Chapman’s concept of narrative gardens.</p>

Participatory Arts-based Game Design: Mela, a Serious Game to Address SGBV in Ethiopia

<p>The emerging body of work on participatory game design (PGD) highlights the significance of working with end-users’ voices as the starting point. This is particularly critical in serious games that seek to impact social change in areas such as sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). This article, which is based on fieldwork with 16 college instructors in four agricultural colleges in rural Ethiopia, draws together concepts of participatory visual methods (particularly cellphilming), PGD and a game universe perspective to offer an engaging and interactive approach to the design of serious games. We refer to this as ‘Participatory Arts-based Game Design’ (PAGD), an approach that was used to create Mela, a serious game to address SGBV in Ethiopian agriculture colleges. Exploring Mela game’s participatory and engaging design process, this article offers a framework for serious game development to address critical social change issues that go beyond the game itself. It has the potential to not only place the end-users at the centre but to recognize the critical role of engagement and immersivity in a field oriented towards impact and sustainability.</p>

A geriatric game to strengthen older adult healthcare delivery and outcomes.

Serious games enhance learner engagement and knowledge, yet few medical education games target older adults' healthcare. Addressing this gap, we developed Geri-POP (Geriatrics Population Health), focusing on the Age-Friendly Health System (AFHS) framework and Geriatric 4Ms. Geri-POP, a healthcare game is aimed at educating health profession learners about the AFHS framework. Geri-POP employs plan-do-study-act cycles of rapid improvement to apply AFHS principles and explore evidence-based geriatric practices within the game environment while garnering points for insight, trust and outcomes. Faculty and medical students were surveyed for feedback on an alpha version of Geri-POP. Players manage patient panels across three age groups (65-74, 75-84, and 85 years and older) while engaging in plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles, applying Geriatric 4Ms (What Matters, Medications, Mentation, and Mobility), and refining strategies based on resource utilization, health outcomes, and real-time feedback. Alpha testing of the game received mixed perceptions on graphics, with faculty endorsing the game for training and integration into the curriculum, while students prioritize academic commitments. Suggestions include enhancing graphics and refining dialogue for a more professional tone. Geri-POP demonstrates the potential of gamifying older adult population health and quality improvement around AFHS. Feedback on a prototype game revealed different attitudes between faculty and students, thus emphasizing the importance of game development as an iterative process that accounts for educator and learner-centric needs. A future consideration is whether the game informs user's clinical practices and changes healthcare outcomes for older adults.

JAVA BASED FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER (FPS) GAME WITH REMASTERED GRAPHICS

Our project aims to accurately examine an old game's assembly source, comprehend its usefulness, and convert it into efficient Java code. Using Java's object-oriented characteristics, the emphasis is on restructuring and organizing code to make it more maintainable and comprehensible. The successful conversion of this game to Java demonstrates how knowledge of low-level assembly programming can supplement skill in high-level Java programming, resulting in a smooth integration of traditional gameplay with current technology. This integration not only heightens perceptions but also makes the game more accessible to modern audiences, providing an immersive gaming experience that combines the game's original character with contemporary software development standards. The enhanced graphics will also include upgrading game elements including textures, models, and special effects. The enhanced graphics will include improved game assets like textures, models, and special effects, as well as advanced lighting and shading effects. In addition, the game's user interface will be updated to increase use and appearance. The project's goal is to demonstrate the integration of classic FPS gameplay with contemporary graphics technology, providing players with an enhanced gaming experience that combines the recollections of old FPS games with the visual quality of modern gaming. Key Words: - Java programming, game development , FPS game, graphics.

An Effective Method for Slicing Triangle Meshes Using a Freeform Curve

Slicing 3D polygonal meshes is a fundamental operation in various applications such as virtual surgery, garment simulation, and game development. Existing methods primarily slice meshes using either a single line or a set of line segments approximating a smooth curve. This paper introduces a novel approach to freely slice a triangle mesh using a freeform curve without discretizing it into line segments. The user draws a stroke on the screen, defining the desired cutting trajectory. Subsequently, a freeform curve approximating this stroke is generated and extended into a ruled surface in the user’s viewing direction. To efficiently compute intersections between the ruled surface and a triangle mesh, the Line–Surface Intersection (LSI) problem is broken down into two subproblems: Plane–Curve Intersection (PCI) followed by Line–Line Intersection (LLI). Intersection points are then connected to form polylines, effectively cutting the mesh into multiple submeshes. To ensure the solidity of the submeshes, cross-sections are generated by trimming the ruled surface along the polylines and merged with the corresponding submeshes. Our method empowers users to slice triangle meshes along arbitrary trajectories encompassing both straight and freely curved paths while preserving efficiency and accuracy. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through experimental results showing various examples of mesh slicing.

Analytics of motivational factors of educational video games: LDA topic modeling and the 6 C’s learning motivation model

AbstractThis research studies the motivational factors used in educational video games through the lens of 6 C’s learning motivation model with text mining of the players’ reviews and comments. This research seeks to offer insight for game producers and educational institutions to investigate the effectiveness of these motivators for increasing player motivations and thus improving the quality of learning. Sentiment analysis and LDA topic modeling were used to analyze reviews of five selected video games on the Steam platform. The 6 C’s Learning Motivation Model guided text mining to analyze the motivational factors used in the games and how they contribute to user learning. The effectiveness of these motivational factors was discussed in conjunction with categorized text mining. Results show that the major motivation factors of educational games are ‘construction meaning’, ‘challenge’, and ‘control’ in the 6 C’s learning motivation model. Among them, users focus on whether the game’s content meets their interests and the construction of the educational meaning of the game. The advantage of control, a high degree of motivational factor in video games, may turn out to be a factor that leads to user churning when the game is not interesting or attractive enough. Previous educational game research seldom involved a large sample size for generalizable findings. In addition, this research extends the application of the 6 C’s learning motivation model to the digital educational gaming arena, providing a novel player-centric perspective. Based on the results, we provide recommendations and design considerations for educational game developers to enhance players’ experience and motivations.

Technology-enhanced learning in Pharmacology through non-linear storytelling

There is a growing body of literature highlighting the potential of game-based learning (GBL) in creating immersive, highly engaging, active learning experiences. Furthermore, advances in digital technology along with the demand for online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has brought digital GBL to the forefront of innovative teaching practice. Here, I share some of the digital GBL strategies we have developed to support our pharmacology teaching. In collab¬oration with our students, we have co-created a series of “choose your own adventure” style games using Twine; an open-source storytelling game engine. Importantly, we have shown that adoption of these GBL approaches is highly effective in promoting student engagement, subject understanding, and learning community. Furthermore, I also dis¬cuss how AI tools can allow educators with little knowledge or experience of game development to create unique and engaging learning experiences for their students.

Development and assessment of a virtual escape-room game for teaching industrial bioprocesses.

This article presents a study on the implementation of a virtual escape-room game as a novel teaching methodology in biochemistry education. The game aimed to engage students in producing monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 while reinforcing theoretical concepts and fostering teamwork. Three versions of the game were tested, incorporating modifications to address student feedback on and improve the overall experience. The study employed a satisfaction survey to gather insights from students regarding their perception of the game. Results showed that the implementation of answer flexibility using RegEx had a significant positive impact on student satisfaction and motivation. The introduction of RegEx allowed for a more realistic and immersive gaming experience, as students could provide varied answers while still being evaluated correctly. Overall, the findings highlight the effectiveness of the game's design, the suitability of the Google Forms platform for distance learning, and the importance of incorporating answer flexibility through RegEx. These results provide valuable guidance for educators seeking to enhance student engagement and satisfaction through the use of escape-room games in biochemistry education.

Using Assassin's Creed: Odyssey to teach Olympia as part of the Classical Civilisation A Level

Abstract This study looks at the effective use of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey to teach Greek Religion at A Level. A focus of this study is to identify good teaching practice in using this tool to improve source recall as well as pupils’ ability to use these sources to support evaluation. A recent blog post on Quinquennium highlighted the potential for this game to be used as a teaching tool (Hinde, 2019), while its educational potential has also been promoted by the developers releasing a Discovery Tour version as a ‘game mode for educational purposes’ which acts as a ‘living museum’ (Ubisoft, 2021). While the development of educational tools for this franchise is fairly recent, the use of video games in education is established, with games like Oregon Trail being used as early as the 1980s (Buday et al., 2012, 259). Moreover, the fundamental ideas behind the use of video games, such as the player engaging in some form of virtual dialogue with the creator, is one which can be traced back to Vygotsky's ideas of learning as a socio-cultural phenomenon (1978). For example, by reacting to stimuli in the game, the player is engaging in a dialogue with the historian or game developer who created the initial stimulus, after which the game responds in turn, thereby engaging with the player's actions. Furthermore, the idea of reward or punishment for certain actions within an educational game is also drawing on behaviourist theories of education, whereby a pupil is conditioned via in-game tokens for recall of knowledge. Indeed, this is one of the ways in which game developers encourage game addiction (Vu, 2017, 1).

Heuristics for Equitable Technical Communication in Remote & Hybrid Game Development

Purpose: This article seeks to provide a set of heuristics for technical communication, addressing the newfound challenges to game developers as a result of the seemingly permanent shift to hybrid and remote work in this industry. In particular, this piece offers developers tangible ways in which they can facilitate productive and equitable means of technical communications that account for the unique needs of this kind of work that now takes place in almost exclusively remote and hybrid working situations. Method: This piece relies on both survey and interview data collected from nearly 300 members of the Independent Game Developers Association (IGDA) and at various games-based conferences (e.g., the Game Developers Conference) over a period of two years through a partnership grant between York University and the IGDA. Results: The results noted two key findings: First, the majority of game developers do not want to or intend to ever return to a fully physical office setting. Second, the results indicate that the shift to remote work more often negatively impacted female and non-binary developers, most likely due to the additional caregiving responsibilities traditionally emplaced on these groups. Conclusion: Technical communication is a central part of the game development process and has become even more pivotal as developers continue to operate under remote and hybrid working conditions. As such, the heuristics developed from this data focus on addressing the needs of these groups so that the remote and hybrid workplaces can operate as equitably as possible in this new industry model.

Benkangen game: Digital media in elementary school Indonesian language

The background of this research is the need for teacher innovation in developing digital-based learning media in Indonesian language learning. The research method used is research and development (RD) with the analysis, design, develop, implement, and evaluate (ADDIE) model, which consists of five research stages: analysis, planning, development, implementation, and evaluation. Data collection techniques are questionnaires, in-depth interviews, observations, and documentation that present the results regarding innovation, features, applications, and the impact of using the benkangen game in learning Indonesian in elementary school. The subjects of this study were 25 teachers from 25 elementary schools, and 66 students from 10 elementary schools in Magelang district and Magelang city. The results showed innovation in the development of game applications based on Magelang local wisdom with game features in the form of puzzles of Magelang culture and local wisdom, Indonesian language learning materials packaged in the form of questions accompanied by the number of points in each answer, and audio that reflects local wisdom in Central Java. The novelty of this research is the development of the benkangen game based on Magelang local wisdom, which still needs to be developed by teachers in Indonesia. Future research needs to explore the innovation of Indonesian language learning games through the latest software.

Pangasinan Scrabble: Mobile-Based Game in Pangasinan’s Mother Tongue

The popularity of educational games for promoting academic success, motivation, and classroom dynamics is increasing. The development of a mobile-based game called Pangasinan Scrabble has the potential to improve users' vocabulary with Pangasinan words. The game's design, development, and deployment were the focus of this study, which employed the Scrum approach and gathered information from various stakeholders, including students, teachers, developers, and android game users. The game's features and functionalities were evaluated using various methods of data analysis. The game provides modules that cater to the requirements of Pangasinan Scrabble and allows players to confirm the authenticity of words and check terms in the dictionary before placing them on the board. Respondents unanimously agreed that the game is highly beneficial in learning more about Pangasinan's mother tongue, particularly for those studying it. This mobile- based game has assisted users and recognized benefits in the enrichment of Pangasinan terms.

A study on the interaction of the elderly with digital games through usability and user experience evaluations

The growing number of the elderly and their potential use of technological products requires understanding the interaction between these users and technology to develop appropriate products that include them. Accordingly, this article focuses on studying the interaction between older people and digital games to provide strategies for digital game developers to create inclusive games for these users. Thus, usability and user experience evaluation sessions were performed to achieve these objectives, and the older generation's acceptance of technology during interaction with digital games was verified. The data collection methods were observation and the application of questionnaires, one before the tests to evaluate the profile of the public and another afterward to assess usability, experience and technology acceptance. The test was applied to 36 people aged 60 and over. The results showed that the elderly prefer mobile devices and use them more often. Despite their lack of experience with digital games, the test participants had a good experience, even with difficulties such as game time management and perception of screen elements.

Developing next-generation educational mobile games in light of technological trends: a study on the "Obstacle Run" game

The focus of this study is directed towards the examination of the design, development, and analysis of user feedback for the hyper-casual game known as "Obstacle Run," with the aim of enhancing mathematical skills. A comprehensive analysis of the game's design, mechanics, and user experience is conducted. The primary objective of the game is to foster the improvement of mathematical skills in an enjoyable manner and to provide support for the learning process through straightforward game mechanics. An in-game mechanism, requiring players to engage in solving mathematical calculations and problems, is presented by the game titled "Obstacle Run." Increasing the character count within the game is envisioned as a means to bolster mathematical proficiency. This study meticulously focuses on the detailed examination of this unique game, where game design, mechanics, and mathematical calculations come together. Additionally, an exploration of the potential of gamification within game development and education is carried out. The results have been derived from the testing of the game prototype and the subsequent analysis of player feedback. This research is also regarded as a step towards comprehending the connection between hyper-casual games and mathematics education, with the aim of presenting a novel perspective in this domain. It is to be noted that this study is intended to serve as a valuable guide for game developers and educators alike. Its findings are poised to serve as a significant resource for future game projects and strategies in mathematics education. In conclusion, this study provides a summary of a significant endeavor aimed at elucidating the potential of hyper-casual games, such as "Obstacle Run," in facilitating the development of mathematical skills and exploring the possibilities of gamification in the realm of education.

Views of Specialist Clinicians and People With Multiple Sclerosis on Upper Limb Impairment and the Potential Role of Virtual Reality in the Rehabilitation of the Upper Limb in Multiple Sclerosis: Focus Group Study.

Finding enjoyable and effective long-term approaches to rehabilitation for improving the upper limb (UL) function of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is challenging. Using virtual reality (VR) could be a solution to this challenge; however, there is a lack of reporting on the views of people with MS and clinicians on VR-based approaches and recommendations for games for rehabilitation. This study aims to identify common UL problems and their related current therapeutic approaches for people with MS, and to explore the opinions of people with MS and specialist clinicians on VR and obtain suggestions for the development and design of VR games. Separate focus groups were conducted with people with MS, recruited through the MS Society UK's research network, and clinicians, recruited through the MS Trust Therapists in MS network. A total of 10 people with MS (2 focus groups) and 8 clinicians (5 physiotherapists, 2 occupational therapists, and 1 MS nurse in 2 focus groups) were involved. The focus groups were recorded and transcriptions were analyzed using theme-based content analysis. People with MS commonly reported that their UL problems interfered with activities of daily living and resulted in the loss of meaningful hobbies such as writing. Many people with MS neglected UL exercise and found strategies for adapting to the UL impairments. Similarly, clinicians stated UL rehabilitation was neglected within their service and that it was challenging to find interesting treatment strategies. VR was suggested by both participant groups as a solution, as it was convenient for people with MS to access and it could provide a more engaging and disguised approach to exercise. There were shared concerns with cybersickness and disengagement with using VR approaches. Both groups agreed games should be meaningful and adaptable for users but suggested different VR activities, with clinicians suggesting games directly reflecting activities of daily living and people with MS suggesting more abstract activities. VR was well received by both people with MS and clinicians for UL rehabilitation. Recommendations were made for the development of VR rehabilitation games which are personalized and customizable for the varying abilities of people with MS.

Vivifying Knee Rehabilitation: SquatEmUp, a Serious Game Utilizing the Wii Fit Balance Board.

Knee injuries are a common concern in orthopedic and sports medicine, often requiring extensive rehabilitation to restore function and alleviate pain. The rehabilitation process can be long and challenging, necessitating innovative approaches to engage and motivate patients effectively. Serious games have emerged as a promising tool in rehabilitation, offering an interactive and enjoyable way to perform therapeutic exercises. In this context, a new serious game that leverages the Wii Fit Balance Board as an input device supported by a keyboard to aid knee rehabilitation was developed. To tailor the game to the specific needs of knee rehabilitation, qualitative content analysis and requirement extraction based on three interviews with therapists were conducted. These insights were then iteratively integrated into the game's development, ensuring that the final game was both clinically relevant and engaging. A therapist subsequently re-evaluated the completed game, confirming its potential to enhance the rehabilitation process. It was also shown that further research is needed to detect squat movements on the Balance Board. But this initial approach, combining the Wii Fit Balance Board with squat exercises, uniquely addresses the challenges of knee rehabilitation, offering a novel video and game solution.

Research of Design and Development of Educational Game

The current social background shows the development trend of a "learning society", and lifelong learning is regarded as an effective way for social individuals to meet the challenges of the rapid growth of knowledge, shortening of information update cycle and accelerating iteration frequency. In this context, educational games, as an innovative form of education, are gradually receiving social attention. Educational games have the characteristics of combining entertainment and education, which can provide a more attractive and interesting learning experience, so as to stimulate learners' learning interest and initiative. This paper mainly studies how educational games are designed and the current situation and prospects of educational games. The purpose of this paper is to explore how to make better educational games nowadays, when educational games are becoming more and more common but the quality is uneven. This paper is mainly through literature analysis and review research. This paper finds that the production of educational games needs to create a learning environment, stimulate learning interest and keep players learning.

Learning to Stabilize Faces

AbstractNowadays, it is possible to scan faces and automatically register them with high quality. However, the resulting face meshes often need further processing: we need to stabilize them to remove unwanted head movement. Stabilization is important for tasks like game development or movie making which require facial expressions to be cleanly separated from rigid head motion. Since manual stabilization is labor‐intensive, there have been attempts to automate it. However, previous methods remain impractical: they either still require some manual input, produce imprecise alignments, rely on dubious heuristics and slow optimization, or assume a temporally ordered input. Instead, we present a new learning‐based approach that is simple and fully automatic. We treat stabilization as a regression problem: given two face meshes, our network directly predicts the rigid transform between them that brings their skulls into alignment. We generate synthetic training data using a 3D Morphable Model (3DMM), exploiting the fact that 3DMM parameters separate skull motion from facial skin motion. Through extensive experiments we show that our approach outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art both quantitatively and qualitatively on the tasks of stabilizing discrete sets of facial expressions as well as dynamic facial performances. Furthermore, we provide an ablation study detailing the design choices and best practices to help others adopt our approach for their own uses.

The Dilemma of China's Basic Education and the Prominence of the Value of Educational Games

This paper focuses on the challenges faced by China's basic education in the era of digital entertainment, especially points out the harm of online game addiction to the healthy growth of teenagers, and reveals the universality of this problem by citing statistical data. With the prosperity of digital entertainment industry, the phenomenon of teenagers' excessive addiction to games is particularly prominent, especially in the context of epidemic situation, which is closely related to mental illness. Therefore, the society calls for the establishment and improvement of the anti-addiction mechanism and mental health intervention measures, and at the same time advocates the transformation of the game industry and develops functional games with educational significance. School education has negative functions in the process of adapting to social development, such as overemphasizing short-term results and regularization, which may lead to the suppression of students' personality and innovative spirit. Educators learn from the intrinsic attributes and values of games, and actively promote the development and application of educational games, with a view to enhancing students' intrinsic motivation through gamification learning, realizing entertaining and promoting their all-round physical and mental development.

IThrive Games: Championing Responsible Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship in Games

This case aims to study the growth, evolution, and social innovation of iThrive Games, a socially minded initiative that aims to create meaningful opportunities using technology for teens to enhance the knowledge, mindsets, and skills they need to thrive through development and across the continuum of mental disorder to wellness. iThrive's focus has been on creating “meaningful games”—that is, games that promote health and well-being of teen players. Founded in 2014 by Dorothy Batten, President of DN Batten Foundation, the organization's mission was to collaborate with game developers, partner with teens across the game development cycle (ideation to testing), and provide resources to foster teen thriving through gameplay. To do so, the organization took a unique social entrepreneurial approach. Drawing on a positive psychology framework and building the brand among key stakeholders including game developers, researchers, funders, youth, educators, and parents, the organization orchestrated a community dedicated to advancing the meaningful games field, and in doing so, have widespread impact.