Game Development Research Articles

Examining the role of card game in promoting death awareness in Thailand

ABSTRACT Advance Care Planning (ACP) helps individuals express care preferences in case of future incapacitation and has been part of Thailand's national policy since 2014. However, the awareness and uptake of ACP remains low. Peaceful Death, a community-driven organization, aims to improve ACP awareness through innovative death education with the Life Unlocking Card Game, challenging the institutionalised traditional death and dying education. The culturally appropriate card game empowers people with lived experiences and their families, facilitates the socially constructed experience and tacit knowledge around death and dying. It extends beyond medical preferences, enabling participants to document ACP, making their directives legally binding. This paper highlights the development, implementation, and impact of the card game, focusing on its gamified approach to facilitating conversations around ACP in a non-threatening environment. We showcased the use of the card game as an educational tool to raise death awareness, based on one of our projects. From 2019-2021, 283 participants were trained as facilitators. They subsequently conducted nationwide hybrid training sessions. Out of 26,887 trainees, 9,588 had discussed their ACP and completed their advance directives. This project demonstrates a scalable, innovative approach to death education and ACP which has been implemented in a resource-limited context.

Discussion of “The development and evaluation of an educational board game on basic geotechnical characterization”

Discussion of “The development and evaluation of an educational board game on basic geotechnical characterization”

Navigating Copyright in AI-Enhanced Game Design: Legal Challenges in Multimodal and Dynamic Content Creation

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in video game design has transformed traditional workflows, allowing for the generation of text, images, music, videos, and code at unprecedented scales. However, this advancement presents complex challenges for copyright law, traditionally rooted in human originality and authorship. This article examines recent case law that underscores the evolving legal landscape, exploring landmark cases such as Zarya of the Dawn and Andersen v. Stability AI. These cases reveal the tensions between AI-generated outputs and copyright eligibility, especially in the dynamic, multimodal compositions inherent to video games. The review analyzes how various AI tools are employed across the stages of game development—from design documentation to character modeling, soundtrack composition, and cinematic sequences—and the legal uncertainties surrounding each. Emphasis is placed on the role of human input in determining copyright eligibility, proposing that human-AI co-creation models and enhanced metadata standards may offer pathways to reconcile AI-driven innovation with intellectual property protections. As video games exemplify the unique challenges in AI-generated, temporally interactive works, this study calls for a nuanced copyright framework that acknowledges both technological capabilities and the irreplaceable contribution of human creativity. The findings advocate for policy adaptations that align legal protections with the realities of AI-integrated creative processes, ensuring a balanced approach that supports both innovation and creator rights.

GameScript: a simplified scripting language for video game development

The process of video game development is complex, requiring proficiency in various technologies for design and implementation, including mastery of game engines and associated programming languages. Defining the behaviors of game elements within the necessary subprocesses poses a significant challenge. This challenge arises partly due to the utilization of general-purpose programming languages, which offer a wide range of options and allow tasks to be approached from different angles. This study introduces GameScript, a simplified scripting language designed for video game development. Based on principles of structured programming and inspired by the While language, GameScript focuses on essential game behavior definitions using a limited set of statements, including IF-THEN-ELSE selection and operations related to game elements to create and destroy them, or to modify properties. By using only numeric variables and simple arithmetic and relational operators, GameScript simplifies data handling and allows for the creation of various arcade games with straightforward syntax. Integrated into a multi-agent system game engine, GameScript has been validated through the successful implementation of diverse arcade game mechanics, demonstrating its effectiveness.

Gotta take my avatar shopping: impacts of interactive virtual shopping in esports

PurposeEsports game developers are incorporating interactive virtual shopping (IVS) experiences into their products to facilitate consumer–brand interactions. Despite the potential influence of IVS, existing research lacks an understanding of its impact on consumers’ overall affect– particularly game enjoyment, a critical factor in sustaining engagement with esports products – and on attitudinal change toward brands in the real world.Design/methodology/approachAn experiment was designed to examine the impact of shopping in the virtually interactive esports marketplace on game enjoyment. Mediating effects of positive change in brand attitude, perceived realism and character attachment and the moderating effect of self-avatar gender congruity were investigated using SPSS PROCESS Macro. Additionally, the impact of brand popularity on the relationship between IVS and brand attitude was examined using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).FindingsThere was a positive impact of IVS on game enjoyment, mediated by a positive change in brand attitude, perceived realism and character attachment. Self-avatar gender congruity moderated the mediation effect of perceived realism. Notably, less popular brands exhibited a greater change in brand attitude compared to more popular brands.Originality/valueThe findings add to the body of literature on esports, particularly in investigating the role of IVS within the esports virtual world and advancing research on cognitive appraisal theory. This study informs practitioners in the esports industry about the value of creating interactive virtual marketplaces, as they serve to benefit sponsoring brands and enhance game enjoyment for players.

Designing inclusive tech playful educative solutions for visually impaired learners in STEM education

Education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is essential to achieving continued technological advancement. The most critical years for instilling knowledge are during childhood, and a strategic way to accomplish this is through playful materials. Therefore, there is a need to develop more inclusive solutions to achieve the good inclusion of visually impaired (VI) learners in this learning area. Despite their importance, specific design guidelines are scarce for developing playful, educational solutions for VI learners in STEM. Qualitative research was conducted through interviews and observations of the interactions between VI Learners playing an audio game and tactile 3D printed blocks, which covered an age range of young participants aged 8–18 years and adults aged 30–40 years in Taiwan. Surprisingly, the results showed that the combination of tangible and audio elements for playful purposes opens the way for students to show interest during educational interactions and, at the same time, allows them to understand the concept, especially when presented in different game missions but repeating the same principle/concept. In conclusion, there is a need for more inclusive strategies and approaches for playful STEM tools for VI learners, and one important aspect of achieving this is design guidelines. This study aims to understand the educational context of VI learners and their interactions when playing with educational materials to learn STEM concepts and develop design guidelines for the future development of playful STEM educational games.

A framework to support the development of empathetic games

A framework to support the development of empathetic games

Game-D: Development of an Educational Game Using a Line Follower Robot on Straight Motion Material

Game-D: Development of an Educational Game Using a Line Follower Robot on Straight Motion Material

Development of a functional board game for slow learners and its application in counseling

Development of a functional board game for slow learners and its application in counseling

Development of board game respiratory smart card (restard) in human respiratory system material

The learning outcomes of Biology subjects in the Kurikulum Merdeka lead to mastery of competencies, materials, and process skills. Biological material is more abstract, teachers must be creative when using teaching media to visualize concretely. Learning media developed by researchers is board games with the name RESTARD (Respiratory Smart Card). The objectives of this study is to find out the form of development of the Board Game Respiratory Smart Card (RESTARD) in Human Respiratory System Material that is valid and feasible for biology learning. The method of the research is a Research and Development (R&D) using 4-D instructional design. The population for the practicality test was all class XI of SMAN 6 Madiun, totaling 360 students. The sample for this research was class XB with a total of 72 students. Data collection techniques were carried out using interviews, filling out validation sheets from material and teaching media experts, and filling out practicality questionnaires by students. The result of this research is that the development of the RESTARD board game on respiratory disorders has been successfully carried out. RESTARD consists of 6 main types of cards, namely organ cards, O2 cards, CO2 cards, sneezing cards, breathing cards, and sick/health cards. The validation results from media experts stated that the RESTARD card media received an average score of 93 with the criteria very valid for use. The results of the material expert validation stated that the RESTARD card media received an average score of 91 with criteria very valid for use. The practicality in small class showed that 91 score with very practicality. Result in large class show that the average of score is 94, with very practicality. The conclusion is RESTARD media is declared valid, practical and can be used to support learning of respiratory system material.

User Experience Analysis on Mobile-Based MOBA Games Using UX Curve Method

Nowadays, one of the most commonly used form of entertainment is games. For this reason, every game developer tries to produce the perfect game by providing exciting gameplay, a friendly interface, and gorgeous graphics. Although many developers fail and end up closing their games, there are also some developers who are successful in doing so. One developer who is successful and very active in updating their game is Moonton, with a game called Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Related to this, researchers want to analyze what kind of experience that the users feel when playing this game so that many users in Asia, especially in Indonesia, download it. To achieve this goal, it requires the UX Curve method which can be used to evaluate user experience over a period of months without taking a long time. With this study, the researchers hope to find out the user's point of view and identify the reasons in the form of features that are favored by users as a proof of why this game is popular. The results of this research can serve as information for developers to develop similar games. In addition to information for developers, readers can also gain insight into the implementation of the UX Curve method for MOBA games. After the research is concluded, it turns out that updates to the game greatly affect the improvement of the general user experience over time. This is evidenced by the number of curves that increase has a greater number of 9 curves, while the stable and decreasing curves only amount to 3. In addition to the number of curves or quantitative data, user reasons are also taken into account as semi-quantitative data. The highest number of user positive reasons is related to ease of use, which is 51 reasons. The majority of user reasons were related to the functionality of the game such as the ease of using new characters and adapting to the game changes.

Implementation of Enhanced Re-Engineering on Trivia Game to Improve Immersion

Trivia games are one type of educational game that is in great demand and can be used as a medium of entertainment as well as a learning medium. In order to make a game in the same segment more unique and immersion, software re-engineering techniques are used in the trivia game. In re-engineering the trivia game, three methods are used: Enhanced Re-Engineering as a software re-engineering method; Game Development Life Cycle (GDLC) in the development of the Hidden Object Trivia game; and MEEGA+ as a testing method for the trivia game and the Hidden Object Trivia game to determine the increase in immersion value of the two games. The results of re-engineering the Tech Geek Quiz game led to the successful integration of trivia and hidden object genres, resulting in the creation of the Guess The Tech Tool game. The test results using MEEGA+ with 30 respondents showed an increase in immersion values of 50.26% from 1.89 to 2.84 in the usability factor and 30.29% from 2.08 to 2.71 in the player experience factor. The results were taken from all dimensions of the questions that had been asked.

A Study of Oracle Educational Game Development and Its Educational Impact on the Unity 3D Platform

The purpose of this paper is to explore the feasibility and practical methods of developing a creative game aimed at spreading and popularizing the knowledge of oracle bone script using Unity3D game engine, relying on the elimination game form to dismantle the complex ancient Chinese character culture subject, which is entertaining and unique. It is significantly optimized and improved in terms of interactivity than existing games. Through detailed analysis of game design principles, technical realization paths, and educational value assessment, this paper aims to show how to enable players to master the basic knowledge and cultural connotation of the ancient writing system of oracle bone script through gamified learning in an entertaining way.

Fighting the beat and winning: stereotype threat and White people's rhythmic performance.

A commonly held stereotype about White people in the United States is that they do not have rhythm. Stereotype threat posits that targets in stereotyped domains run the risk of confirming stereotypes in contexts in which they may be evaluated. We examined whether White people experience stereotype threat in domains diagnostic of rhythmic ability. We predicted White people under stereotype threat would perform worse on a rhythm task and have higher domain disengagement relative to White participants in the control condition. White Americans (N =118, 81 women, Mage = 18.81, SD = 1.06) were either told a rhythmic video game task was diagnostic of their rhythmic ability or told the game was to help future game development (i.e. non-diagnostic of ability). We found that White people in the stereotype threat condition performed more poorly on the game than those in the control condition. Furthermore, they also had higher domain disengagement than those in control. Stereotype threat may impede White individuals' ability to perform actions requiring rhythmic ability (e.g. clapping on beat, dancing).

Bisexual Bedroom Imaginaries

Bisexual Bedroom Imaginaries is a three-dimensional collage created for virtual reality using the Community Game Development Toolkit, created by Daniel Lichtman. The work brings together formative queer objects, spaces, drawings, and texts from its author’s personal archive, collected between the ages of seven and twenty years old. The project invites its audience to witness, or perhaps to immersively “step into,” a subjective experience of queerness that has been curated using virtual reality as an emerging archival tool. Its aim is to explore what “queering” archival practices could look like, leveraging virtual reality as an immersive yet transient medium which engages the physical body as it moves between and across abstract representations of space, time, and personal queer ephemera.

Incantations for a Competitive Spirit

Incantations for a Competitive Spirit is an artwork by artist Kristin McWharter that uses the Community Game Development Toolkit (CGDT) and the text-to-image AI models DALLE2 and Adobe Firefly to craft an interactive digital environment of speculative sports arenas. As an extension of the artist’s series sport work, the work poses investigations into interactive gestures that explore and speculate upon competitive spectacle. Within the interactive 3D website, rituals of competitive drive navigate audiences through visually captivating and otherworldly athletic venues, each born from the digital alchemy of competitive spirits and athletic memory. The AI-generated arenas dream through the mythologies and histories of how sport ritual weaves itself into culture.

Exploring Esports game addiction among college students in multiplayer online battle arena: a quantitative model centered on self-control and motivation

PurposeWith the widespread popularity of Esports, Esports game addiction has attracted wide attention. This research explores the causes of Esports game addiction among college students in Mainland China and the influence of specific participation motivation and self-control on college students’ Esports game addiction.Design/methodology/approachThis research applied the organismic integration theory (OIT) instead of the basic psychological needs theory using Honor of Kings, the most popular Esports game in the form of multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) among Chinese college students. A total of 339 completed questionnaires were finally analyzed. SmartPLS 2.0 M3 was used to perform the PLS-SEM analysis on the relationship between self-control, participation motivation and Esports game addiction.FindingsOnly introjected regulation and a motivation positively impacted Esports game addiction, while intrinsic motivation, integrated regulation, identified regulation and external regulation had surprisingly no effect on Esports game addiction.Originality/valueScant studies have explored Esports game addiction in MOBA games, especially in Asia. Results showed that parents, schools and society should consciously strengthen the education and exercise of students’ self-control ability to prevent Esports game addiction. Game developers should appropriately adjust game structures and functions to prevent college students from using them as social tools or games to escape reality.

MENGANALISIS ELEMEN REKA BENTUK PERMAINAN PEMBELAJARAN BAGI PERKEMBANGAN SOSIOEMOSI KANAK-KANAK SELEPAS PANDEMIK COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant changes to daily life, especially for children worldwide who have had to adapt to new norms. After the pandemic, children experienced profound effects, particularly on their social development and emotional well-being. Play is a crucial activity serving as both a medium for learning and development. Educational games designed with appropriate elements can help address these socioemotional challenges. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the design elements of educational games that can support children's socioemotional development. A qualitative approach is used in this study, involving semi-structured interviews with seven selected experts through purposive sampling. The data obtained were analyzed using thematic analysis techniques. The experts proposed nine themes related to the design elements of educational games, including suitable content, active engagement, interactivity, motivation, curriculum integration, cognitive development, emotional development, social development, and parental involvement. Thus, this study has the potential to assist educators and game developers in formulating effective strategies to enhance children's holistic learning experiences, thereby supporting their socioemotional development.

Research on the Development Trends of Open-World Anime Games in the Chinese Market

With the continuous development of digital entertainment, open-world anime-style games have shown a significant growth trend in the Chinese market. This study focuses on analyzing the driving factors behind this phenomenon and its impact on the gaming industry, particularly how anime culture plays a role in game design and meeting player demands. Utilizing methods of literature review and market research, this paper delves into the characteristics of anime culture, the development of open-world games, and how their integration innovates the gaming experience, attracting a large number of players. The research questions concentrate on how this cultural and technological integration can promote innovative game design and explore its specific impact on the Chinese market. The study finds that anime culture not only enhances the narrative and visual presentation of games but also drives market expansion by meeting the needs of young players for gameplay, narrative, and emotional engagement with characters. Ultimately, this research points out that a deep understanding of the interaction between cultural elements and market demands is crucial for developing commercially successful games.

Experiences of Nurse Educators Using Virtual Games in Nursing Education: A Qualitative Study.

Virtual games developed for educational purposes have an important place in the education of nursing students. This study was designed to investigate the experiences of nurse educators regarding the use of virtual games in nursing education. A descriptive qualitative design was used in this research, which was conducted between June and August 2022. The participants included 18 nurse educators, all of whom were working in the nursing department at several universities in Turkey and selected using purposeful sampling. The data were collected using the Educator Information Form and the Semi-Structured Interview Form. The participants were contacted by e-mail. Participant interviews, which took approximately 30-45 minutes to complete, were conducted online via Zoom. The interviews were recorded with participant approval and then transcribed verbatim. Braun and Clarke's method and MAXQDA 2022 software were used to analyze the data. Five themes were identified: (a) opinions of the nurse educators, (b) feedback received by nurse educators from students, (c) nurse educator experiences, (d) nurse educator suggestions for the use of virtual games, and (e) nurse educator suggestions for virtual game developers. The participants expressed support for using virtual games in nursing education; received both positive and negative related feedback from students; reported positive and negative experiences with these games; made suggestions for gaming methods and dissemination; and offered related planning, professional support, and other recommendations to game developers. The use of games in nursing education should be expanded, training programs should be organized for nurse educators considering game development, and similar studies should be conducted on larger study samples. The findings provide important information to nurse educators who are considering developing virtual games. The experiences of nurse educators regarding the use of virtual games are quite interesting, and the number of nurse educators involved in developing these games is quite low.