Global Game Research Articles

Strategic Ambiguity in Global Games

Strategic Ambiguity in Global Games

"I'm a Solo Developer but AI is My New Ill-Informed Co-Worker": Envisioning and Designing Generative AI to Support Indie Game Development

Indie game developers are often defined as game developers who are typically not employed by or affiliated with tech giants or large gaming companies/publishers. Although people may decide to "go indie" for various purposes, indie game development has become a crucial part of the global gaming culture. However, this community is now facing unprecedented tensions as generative AI technologies are shifting how games can be designed, produced, and experienced. Through a qualitative analysis of 3,091 online posts and comments from subreddits and Facebook groups for indie game developers, we offer an in-depth investigation of how indie game developers perceive and envision the multifaceted role of generative AI in their creative practices. Our empirical investigation reveals that generative AI both promotes and harms indie game developers' endeavors to innovate the traditional game production model, which further influences the nature and workflow of creativity in game development. We also propose three principles for designing future generative AI technologies to improve indie developers' work while mitigating potential risks, harm, and negative impacts of AI. We hope that this study can help design and develop future generative AI technologies to foster and sustain more democratic and inclusive practices in game development rather than replacing human creators.

A Data-Driven Approach for Game Evaluation Using Latent Dirichlet Allocation Method Based on Players’ Reviews

Garena is a global game developer and publisher. Garena provides users with access to popular and engaging online games for mobile and PC, developed, curated, and localized for each market. The Battle Royale genre is relatively new, and this research will evaluate Free Fire, one of the games in this genre made by Garena. Analyzing end-user reviews is considered important for evaluating software quality. Researchers need to understand which aspects need to be evaluated based on player reviews on Google Play and how the model's performance is generated using feedback from players who have played Free Fire. In this study, researchers use the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) method to model topics and generate clusters in discussions for each topic. LDA is a generative probabilistic model of a corpus. This research on topic modeling using Google Play reviews and LDA has identified the topics users are most concerned with. The research shows three main aspects: bugs, graphics and performance, and game rules/punishment policy, as aspects that need to be evaluated based on player reviews on Google Play.

Market‐Triggered Contingent Capital with Incomplete Information

AbstractWe analyze the equilibria of market‐triggered contingent capital if a bank's asset value is not common knowledge. Using a global game setup with private signals, we characterize the unique equilibrium for the conversion of the market‐triggered contingent capital. The conversion likelihood increases with higher bank leverage, a higher face value of contingent capital, and a greater dilution for incumbent shareholders. We further show that the existence of both a private and a public signal constrains the optimal design of contingent capital for which a unique equilibrium exists.

Barriers to playing digital games: Why do some people choose not to play digital games?

While the global gaming industry has become a significant economic force, surpassing the film and music industries in market size, it has not achieved the same level of universality as its entertainment counterparts. Previous literature has mainly focused on gaming motivation, addiction, and regulation, ignoring non-game players and their barriers. Therefore, this study explores why people are hesitant to play digital games and investigates the factors that contribute to this resistance. The current study incorporates Crawford and Godbey’s (1987) leisure barriers into Innovation Resistance Theory. Of the seven barriers identified, this study categorizes four as intrapersonal, two as interpersonal, and one as a structural barrier. Further, it explores the differences between non-game players by categorizing them into those without any digital gaming experience (NG-N) and those with previous digital gaming experience (NG-F). The findings of this study suggest that perceived incompetence and negative social perception are the main barriers to playing digital games. As for the group analysis, there is a statistically significant difference between NG-N and NG-F players. These results provide valuable insights for both gaming industry, and regulatory bodies to create a better environment for the gaming ecosystem and expand its potential user base.

Artificial Intelligence in MOBA Games: A Multivocal Literature Mapping

Esports - games played competitively - comprise a major sector of the global games industry. Esports has been used as a testbed for game AI and game analytics for two decades. This article presents a multivocal literature mapping of available research that focuses strictly on the use of artificial intelligence approaches in Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games, one of the most popular esports genres and the one most widely used for game AI and game analytics research. A mapping is performed on relevant publications published between 2011 and 2022 and systematically examines them to extract similarities, gaps, and main findings. We analyzed 124 publications to identify the most studied topics, the most commonly used techniques, and the most commonly applied evaluation methods. The results show that League of Legends and DOTA are the most studied games, with outcome prediction being the most popular research topic. Finally, we provide an analysis of the potential future flagship areas for research in the domain, considering the gaps found in the white and grey literature.

Research on the Development Strategy of Chinese Second-Dimensional Mobile Games - A Case Study Based on Genshin Impact

With the rapid development of technology and the continuous growth of people's entertainment needs, second-dimensional mobile games have become an undeniable force in the global gaming market, with limitless prospects and business opportunities. However, to stand out in this fiercely competitive market, it is still necessary to carefully explore the development strategies and make judgments and decisions that fit the times. This paper takes the development of Genshin Impact, a leading Chinese second-dimensional game, as a specific case, and uses the SWOT analysis method to explore its advantages, disadvantages, opportunities, and threats in development, thereby studying the current state of the second-dimensional mobile gaming industry. The research results show that Genshin Impact has the advantages of a large second-dimensional user base with strong spending power and significant resource investment by its developer, miHoYo; but also faces the disadvantage of a significant reduction in player numbers; at the same time, it encounters opportunities with the increase in residents' income and the rapid development of cloud gaming platforms; as well as threats from intense market competition and strict game regulatory policies in China. Furthermore, based on the results of the SWOT analysis, this paper provides suggestions for strengthening innovation and cooperation, increasing game publicity efforts, improving regulatory response capabilities, and expanding revenue channels, pointing the way for the future development of Genshin Impact and the second-dimensional mobile gaming industry.

Two families of values for global cooperative games

AbstractA global (cooperative) game describes the utility that the whole set of players generates depending on the coalition structure they form. These games were introduced by Gilboa and Lehrer (Int J Game Theory 20:129–147, 1991) who proposed and characterized a generalization of the Shapley value. We introduce two families of point valued solutions that contain the Gilboa–Lehrer value. We characterize each family by means of reasonable properties, which are related to the ones used by Gilboa and Lehrer.

Entry under placement uncertainty

We present a model of firm entry in an industry that operates under an aggregate production quota or cap-and-trade (CAT) regulation. Firms are heterogeneous in their own productivity; each knows its costs of production but is uncertain about where its costs rank among an entrant population. We show the existence of a unique, symmetric, dominance solvable, Bayesian Nash equilibrium in switching strategies in a parameterized game with a continuum of players. Our main result is that uncertainty over one's productivity rank is sufficient to cause socially inefficient over-entry when the average cost in the population of potential entrants is low. We find socially inefficient under-entry when the opposite conditions hold. Within both the class of models on global games with strategic substitutes and the class of models on firm entry, our model offers innovative insights into inefficient over-entry, under-entry, and introduces a novel underlying mechanism that drives entry bias.

Spiritual opium and the spiritual opium war: a cultural history of arcade games and console games in 1990s China

In the 1990s, in China, arcade and console games were called “spiritual opium.” Why were video games labeled spiritual drugs, specifically opium, as opposed to other types of drugs? How did the mainstream media gradually depict video games as spiritual opium? The term “spiritual opium” carries profound historical and political connotations and is skillfully employed by media entities to disparage video games, fostering adverse perceptions among the populace. This scholarly inquiry delves into the cultural history of arcade and console games during this era. Historical and cultural methods were used to meticulously trace the genesis and evolution of the “spiritual opium” metaphor in the 1990s, scrutinizing the process through which video games were ensnared by this pejorative label. In addition, the paper also elucidates the “spiritual opium war,” a series of government-led campaigns against arcade and console games, including investigations, crackdowns on arcades, and reminiscent of Mao-era mobilizations. By doing so, this research fills a critical gap in the historiography of Chinese gaming, thereby enriching studies of the regional game industry and contributing to a broader understanding of the global gaming landscape. This article also shows how postsocialist states such as China navigate the challenges posed by the influx of video games and their perceived political threats and provides a nuanced understanding of state–media dynamics and cultural policy in postsocialist contexts.

Video gaming industry in the US

Generations after generations, the entertainment industry evolved multiple folds, be it music, be it movies, be it sports, be it video games. Each industry doesn’t only set trends each decade but also changes peoples’ lifestyle. Video games are something which is involved almost in every person’s life. Some people play them when they’re young, some play in their teens, some play after they come home from office and some play after they retire. The video games were simply designed simulations that was started in 1950’s and 1960’s by computer scientists on the early computers. In 1952, British professor A.S. Douglas created OXO, also known as noughts and crosses or tic-tac-toe, as part of his doctoral dissertation at the University of Cambridge. In 1958, physicist William Higinbotham developed “Tennis for Two” on a large analog computer and connected oscilloscope screen. In 1962, Steve Russell at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) invented Spacewar! a computer-based space combat video game. It ran on the Programmed Data Processor-1 (PDP-1), a cutting-edge computer primarily found at universities. Spacewar! was the first video game that could be played on multiple computer installations. In 1967, Ralph Baer and his team at Sanders Associates, Inc., created a prototype multiplayer, multi-program video game system that could be played on a television. Known as “The Brown Box,” this invention led to the release of the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972, the first video game home console. In 1977, Atari launched the Atari 2600 (also known as the Video Computer System). This home console featured joysticks and interchangeable game cartridges, marking the beginning of the second generation of video game consoles. In 2023, the gaming industry reportedly earns more than film industry and music industry combined which is around $249.60 billion. According to a report by SuperData Research, the global gaming market was valued at $159.3 billion in 2020 and is estimated to reach $268.8 billion by 2025. This is already over three times the revenue of music industry and film industry combined. [2] The 2024 global video game market's projected value of $179.1 billion, with a healthy 6.4% CAGR, bodes well for the US industry. As a key player, the US drives this growth through successful titles like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto. A mobile gaming market experiencing significant growth and innovation, led by companies like Zynga, strengthens its longstanding dominance in the international arena. This success attracts international investment and talent, promoting innovation and pushing the industry forward.

Human factors in game design: The importance of accessibility

As the global gaming industry continues to grow, so does the need for game design to be accessible to people with different physical and cognitive abilities. Therefore, it is necessary to take accessibility design into consideration when developing a game. By using the interactive model of accessibility game design, this review explains why players with disabilities are unable to fully enjoy playing video games while playing. It then analyzes challenges and solutions related to visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive accessibility to gain a comprehensive understanding of how these elements interact in the game environment. Using case studies, this article lists a few games with accessibility in mind and illustrates the usability techniques they use. However, the process of achieving accessible gaming comes with its own challenges. This article analyzes the technical, economic, and creative barriers that developers often encounter, and provides a series of recommendations for game developers to address these challenges. By championing accessibility, the gaming industry can ensure that everyone, regardless of ability, can actively participate in video games.

Bank runs, prudential tools and social welfare in a global game general equilibrium model

Basel III features requirements on bank capital and liquidity along with disclosure requirements. I study these prudential tools by developing a general equilibrium model with bank runs in a global game framework, where leverage, liquidity, interest rates, and the probability of a banking crisis are all determined endogenously. With timely disclosure about bank assets, the unregulated economy has efficient liquidity but excessive leverage due to a pecuniary externality, warranting a leverage restriction. Delayed disclosure gives rise to bank risk shifting, making leverage even more excessive and liquidity insufficient, which warrants joint requirements on leverage and liquidity. Empirical predictions and policy implications are derived and discussed.

태권도 품새의 발전과 향후 과제

This study examined the development of Taekwondo Poomsae, which is currently developed rapidly, divided into sports for all and elite sports, and considered future tasks. The delvelopment of Poomsae as a Sports for All led to the study of delicate teaching methods for poomsae training, adding to the fun of training, but various poomsae development and change in teaching methods are required according to the change of the training population. The development of Pooomsae as an Elite sport has led to an increase in the number of poomsae trainees around the world, which is developed into as a global game, but securing its position as an Elite game in Korea is insufficient. Therefore, Future tasks will require efforts from Taekwondo leaders, Associations, and the related organizations.

Investigation of the moderation effect of gender and study level on the acceptance and use of generative AI by higher education students: Comparative evidence from Poland and Egypt

AbstractThis study delves into the implications of incorporating AI tools, specifically ChatGPT, in higher education contexts. With a primary focus on understanding the acceptance and utilization of ChatGPT among university students, the research utilizes the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) as the guiding framework. The investigation probes into four crucial constructs of UTAUT—performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions—to understand their impact on the intent and actual use behaviour of students. The study relies on data collected from six universities in two countries and assessed through descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling techniques, and also takes into account participants' gender and study level. The key findings show that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence significantly influence behavioural intention. Furthermore, behavioural intention, when considered alongside facilitating conditions, influences actual use behaviour. This research also explores the moderating impact of gender and study level on the relationships among these variables. The results not only augment our comprehension of technology acceptance in the context of AI tools but also provide valuable input for formulating strategies that promote effective incorporation of ChatGPT in higher education. The study underscores the need for effective awareness initiatives, bespoke training programmes, and intuitive tool designs to bolster students' perceptions and foster the wider adoption of AI tools in education.Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic ChatGPT is a tool that is quickly gaining worldwide recognition. ChatGPT helps with writing essays and solving assignments. ChatGPT raises ethical concerns about authorship, plagiarism and ethics. What this paper adds This study explores students' acceptance of ChatGPT as an aid in their education, which has not been studied previously. We used the extended Unified Technology Acceptance and Use of Technology theory to test what factors mostly influence the use of ChatGPT by students. We conducted a multiple study in Poland and Egypt based on sampling strategy from six universities. Implications for practice and/or policy ChatGPT is a global game changer and should be incorporated into study programmes. The limitations of ChatGPT should be well explained and known since it is prone to making mistakes. Higher education teachers should be aware of ChatGPT's capabilities.

Global Games Education Now

Global Games Education Now

Discuss the Motivations and Risks Behind Microsofts Acquisition of Activision Blizzard

With the rapid growth of the gaming sector and advancements in technology, the global gaming market has reached unprecedented heights, capturing the attention of millions worldwide. Simultaneously, the concept of metaverse has become a topic of intense discussion, holding the promise of transforming virtual experiences. This paper study thoroughly examines Microsoft's strategic move to acquire Activision Blizzard, scrutinizing its multifaceted impact from various perspectives. Motivated by the pursuit of synergy effects, market expansion, and preparation for the metaverse, Microsoft aims to harness the potential of Activision Blizzard's intellectual properties and fortify its gaming portfolio, potentially positioning itself ahead of Sony in the fiercely competitive gaming console market. Nevertheless, the integration of diverse corporate cultures and the ever-present specter of antitrust scrutiny pose significant challenges on the horizon. This compelling case study offers invaluable insights into the decision-making processes of major corporations, shedding light on the intricacies of the dynamic gaming industry and the unfolding metaverse landscape. As the gaming realm and technology continue to thrive, this landmark acquisition becomes a pivotal example in understanding and navigating strategic business decisions in the rapidly evolving digital era.

Intervention with Screening in Panic‐Based Runs

ABSTRACTPolicymakers frequently use guarantees to mitigate panic‐based runs in the financial system. We analyze a binary‐action coordination game under the global games framework and propose a novel intervention program that screens investors based on their heterogeneous beliefs about the system's stability. The program only attracts investors who are at the margin of running, and their participation boosts all investors' confidence in the financial system. Compared with government guarantee programs, our proposed program is as effective at mitigating runs but features two advantages: it costs less to implement and it is robust to moral hazard.

Should Gig Platforms Decentralize Dispute Resolution?

Problem definition: Disputes on online labor platforms have traditionally been mediated by the platform itself, which is often viewed as unhelpful or biased. However, there are emerging platforms that promise to resolve disputes with a novel tribunal system and relegate dispute resolution to individual platform users through a voting mechanism. We aim to examine the dispute resolution systems used by traditional platforms (i.e., the centralized dispute system) and emerging platforms (i.e., the decentralized dispute system) in order to assess whether the latter has an advantage over the former. Methodology/results: We use game theory to analyze both the centralized and decentralized dispute systems, and we model the tribunal’s voting game using the global games framework. Our findings indicate that in order to achieve a fair voting outcome, it is crucial to have sufficient heterogeneity in the assessments of tribunal members. Moreover, the decentralized dispute system outperforms the centralized dispute system only when the freelancer’s skill level is sufficiently high. Lastly, the decentralized dispute system has the potential to induce a more socially optimal quality level from the freelancer. Managerial implications: Our findings provide insights on the optimal adoption and implementation of the decentralized dispute system. The decentralized dispute system is more effective for tasks that involve subjective evaluations, and platforms should avoid strategies that homogenize the assessments of tribunal members. Moreover, platforms should consider switching to the decentralized dispute system only if they are able to verify the skill level of freelancers through certification or other means. Lastly, the decentralized dispute system may be more appealing to policy makers because of its potential to induce a more socially optimal outcome. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.0398 .

Microsofts Prospect in Gaming Industry: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats in Acquisition of Activision Blizzard

In January 2022, Microsoft stunned the public by announcing that it would acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, a move that would radically change the gaming market. Through SWOT analysis, this paper analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of Microsoft and Blizzard, as well as the opportunities and threats brought by the acquisition. The study found that while Microsoft has mastered core technologies in cloud computing, it is in a weak position to compete for the top spot in the global gaming market, with xbox selling far fewer games and exclusives than its rivals SONY and Nintendo. Activision Blizzard is a leading game manufacturer with a mature game production studio and a large player community, which maintains efficient and high-quality game output all year round. The combination of Activision Blizzard and Microsoft will bring more game choices to Xbox players. This acquisition is conducive to the integration of the metacomverse industry chain and brings Microsoft a huge profit opportunity, but at the same time it faces the liquidity risk caused by the failure to complete the acquisition.