Rules Of Game Research Articles

Copyrightability of game rules in the United States and China

Copyrightability of game rules in the United States and China

Bending Rules, Telling Stories: Convivial Game Design Approaches for Engaging With Futures

Games have been used in civic participation (Lerner, 2014) and civic learning (Raphael et al. 2010). Building on the idea of using games for participation, democracy and collaboration, we propose approaching games as tools for convivial learning. First introduced by Illich (1973), the concept of conviviality envisions a society characterised by collaboration and self-determination, underpinned by tools that encourage joyful interaction, creativity and human agency through control over the tools. We believe that games as convivial tools could help bring forth creativity and mutual learning about civic processes and desirable futures. Yet, games’ nature as rigid systems of rules (Salen & Zimmerman, 2010) seems potentially at odds with positioning them as tools promoting agency. We propose to use the tension arising between rigidity and agency as starting point for exploring game design strategies for convivial games through research-through-design. We ask how games for thinking about the future may be designed that allow players to exercise control over their own experience, and to what effect. Inspired by the concept of critical play (Flanagan, 2009; Grace, 2014) and building on the distinction between narrative and mechanics as key constituting game elements, we have designed two distinct games for collaboratively engaging with the future. The first, Narrate, focuses on letting players invent their own narrative, whilst the second game Remix allows for experimentation with game rules and mechanics. We present the design process for each game and contrast the different approaches taken. Each game was tested by two groups and analysed in regards to its capacity to bring forth conviviality, creativity and collaboration. The paper compares and provides a discussion on how suitable the two chosen strategies of experimenting with narrative or mechanics are for (1) facilitating thinking and learning about shared futures, and (2) supporting player agency and bringing forth convivial interactions.

Engagement Strategies in a Peer-quizzing Game: Investigating Student Interactions and Powergaming

Educational games are a popular means of engaging students in learning activities. However, students in game-based learning environments often engage in powergaming to reap undeserved rewards and spoil the experi-ence of their peers. This may happen when the students pretend to engage in game activities or collude with other students, exploiting the game settings and rules to maximize their points. In this explorative study, we investigate powergaming in three settings of an asynchronous online multiplayer peer-quizzing game in a blended learning setting – a first-year programming class in a Canadian university. We designed three experi-mental settings with three versions of an education game which allowed different levels of powergaming. The between-subject study involved three experimental groups: Group 1 used a game version where they received weekly performance feedback and tips on how to improve their performance, Group 2 used a game version with access to an existing resource bank, allowing them to maximize the number if their activities in the game, and Group 3 served as a control group with no additional interventions. The research aimed to investigate 1) the association between the power gamers' activity, their grades and their preference to work alone or in a group, 2) the types of activities (type of quiz questions) most used by power gamers, and 3) which game setting was the most conducive to power gaming. The results show that better grades are not associated with higher activity levels in the game. Students who engaged in more diverse types of game activities had better learning outcomes The control Group 3 had the highest average grades. As we expected, Group 2 engaged in the high-est number of activities, esp. in creating questions, a form of powergaming. The qualitative results showed that contrary to our assumption the powergamers in Group 2 was not harmful, because it created a rich set of re-sources in the game and fostered student engagement in the game.

Masks Down: Diplomacy and Regime Stability in the Post‐Covid‐19 Era

Natural disasters can create peaceful diplomatic interactions between conflicting parties, be they warring states or warring domestic factions. Advocates of “disaster diplomacy” argue that while events such as epidemics, earthquakes, floods, windstorms, and tsunamis result in human tragedies, they also generate opportunities for international cooperation, even between enemies. Conversely, natural disasters can also create rifts between friends and allies. Case studies of individual disasters show that while these events sometimes facilitate diplomatic efforts, they may also emphasize existing differences, creating rifts and exacerbating conflicts. The Covid-19 pandemic represents a unique opportunity to test the disaster diplomacy hypothesis on a rare global health crisis that affected many nations of various regime types and with various relations between them. We argue that pandemics and large-scale emergencies can change the rules of the diplomatic game by exposing states’ genuine interests while disregarding international community norms. As such, the Covid-19 pandemic is tearing off the masks from states’ faces, opening paths to cooperation with unexpected partners while creating rifts between yesterday’s allies. We thus argue that post-Covid-19 diplomacy may be characterized by previously rare tendencies such as “trading with the enemy” on the one hand and abandonment of international agreements on the other. Moreover, on the domestic front, such crises tend to exhibit strong fluctuations in regime type, with a clear shift toward populist parties. Additionally, this article provides two alternative explanations for these phenomena and offers an in-depth analysis of two case studies.

Ecological-Dynamic Approach vs. Traditional Prescriptive Approach in Improving Technical Skills of Young Soccer Players.

Background: This study contributes to expanding the existing literature on learning technical skills in youth soccer by comparing the effectiveness of different training approaches in the development of passing skills. The ecological-dynamic approach, which emphasizes the continuous and adaptive interaction between the athlete and the environment, is analyzed in comparison to the traditional prescriptive approach, which relies on predefined techniques and exercises. The aim of the study is to determine which of the two approaches is more effective in improving the performance of young soccer players. Methods: Thirty players (age 12 ± 1.2 years) were randomly assigned to two groups: the ecological-dynamic group (ECG) and a control group (CON). Both groups underwent an eight-week training program with equal sessions. The ECG group's training focused on adjusting constraints like the learning environment, game rules, and visual restrictions to boost adaptability and problem-solving skills. The CON group followed a traditional prescriptive approach with specific instructions, goal setting, immediate feedback, and structured exercise progression. Passing abilities were evaluated before and after the program using the Loughborough Soccer Passing Test, with a retention test administered five weeks later. Descriptive statistics, including mean values and percentage improvements, were used. A repeated measures ANOVA compared differences between the groups. Results: The analysis revealed a significant Occasion × Group interaction for all performance variables, indicating that the ECG group experienced greater improvements than the CON group. Specifically, the ECG group showed significant reductions in Trial Time (p = 0.001, ηp2 = 0.6), Penalty Time (p = 0.016, ηp2 = 0.4), and Overall Performance (p = 0.011, ηp2 = 0.8) from pre-test to post-test. However, these improvements did not persist into the retention test (p = 0.131, p = 0.792, and p = 0.192, respectively). The CON group also improved significantly in Trial Time (p = 0.003), Penalty Time (p = 0.002), and Overall Performance (p = 0.001) from pre-test to post-test, but with smaller effect sizes and no sustained gains at retention. Conclusions: The ecological-dynamic approach (EDG) has proven to be more effective in enhancing passing skills compared to the traditional prescriptive approach (CON). Although both methods led to performance improvements, the EDG group achieved more significant progress.

Going ‘cold turkey’: Oil addiction and ‘traumatic’ decarbonization in fragile fossil fuel producers

Decarbonization, or the replacement of fossil fuels by renewables or ‘cleaner’ forms of energy, is an essential response to global warming. A gap in the debate on decarbonization is its implications for fragile fossil fuel-producing states (FFFPs). Unable to implement strategies for planned decarbonization, FFFPs face the prospect of rapid, unmanaged ‘traumatic’ decarbonization. This paper examines the political economy of this phenomenon drawing on six countries that have experienced dramatic losses in carbon revenues in the recent past: Ecuador, Iraq, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Venezuela. It also draws on two thematic papers – on peace-making during oil shocks and a review of the literature on energy transition in fragile states. The paper finds that in decarbonizing FFFPs, the rules of the political game tend to be ‘sticky’ and elites react to the loss of oil revenues by looking for alternate sources of rent and turning to coercion. Political settlements including peace agreements are structured around the allocation of oil rents to elites and their future viability is in question. We find only modest evidence for sustainable and democratic paths away from a carbon-based political settlement, despite the efforts of civic movements.

INSTITUTION ANALYSIS OF FARMERS GROUP HOLDERS OF SOCIAL FORESTRY LICENSE IN THE FOREST MANAGEMENT UNIT OF BATUTEGI, INDONESIA

Institutions are the rules of the game that can regulate the activities of Farmers Group members to support Social Forestry activities. The study aimed to analyze the structure, roles, and institutional rules of the Farmers Group of Karya Tani Mandiri and the Farmers Group of Karya Bakti in the Forest Management Unit of Batutegi, Indonesia. Data collection was carried out using interviews, observations, and literature studies. The data that has been collected is then analyzed using a Likert scale. The results showed that Farmers Group of Karya Bakti in terms of structure, roles, and complete game rules compared to Farmers Group Karya Tani Mandiri. This is because the Farmers Group of Karya Tani Mandiri at the time in the field did not have Memorandum of Association/Article of Association, Decree of the Regent, institution’s structure, the role of the structure, but the facts in the field Farmers Group of Karya Bakti violated the rules of the game in the Memorandum of Association/Article of Association, namely cutting down trees for personal gain. In forest areas, the application of the game rules to the institution's performance of the Farmers Group of Karya Tani Mandiri and the Farmers Group of Karya Bakti needs to be improved so that forest management can be sustainable by understanding and obeying the rules of the game that apply.

Revitalising traditional Indian games: inclusive game adaptations for children with cerebral palsy

Background Children with cerebral palsy (CP) present unique challenges to physical activity due to various factors. Despite the benefits of inclusive approaches and adapted physical education, low- and middle-income countries face specific barriers including environmental, equipment, personal, policy, social and professional barriers. Traditional Indian games, with their cultural significance and potential therapeutic benefits, offer a promising avenue for inclusive adaptations. At present we couldn’t find any studies that explore’s the method of adaptation of traditional Indian games for children with cerebral palsy of varying functional levels. Purpose The aim of the study was to explore the adaptation of traditional Indian games for children with CP of varying functional levels. Methods Traditional Indian games were identified through ethnographic qualitative research, and adapted using the Delphi process involving experts from various fields. A total of 10 traditional games were selected based on their health benefits using an operationalised conceptual model. The CHANGE IT model of adapted physical activity was used to systematically adapt each game. Validation of the model was then performed on children with CP [a smaller sample size, n = 10] with different levels of functioning. Results The games varied in playing positions, surfaces and phases. Modifications included changes in game rules, play environment, equipment and time duration. The study validation through informal interview among the parents of CP children revealed that adapted traditional game protocol shown improvements in their children’s activity levels and participation. Conclusions While this is a preliminary exploration, no firm conclusion can be drawn. The model presented in this study lays the foundation for future randomised controlled trials to validate the effects of adapted traditional Indian games on children with cerebral palsy of different functional levels.

Cops and robbers game and applications of its variant

Pursuit-evasion game is a game with a pursuer player and an evader player, it has numerous applications including artificial intelligence, robot motion planning and so on. The cops and robbers game is a type of pursuit-evasion game played on graphs, and its variant is a very fruitful research area in graph theory. The purpose of this paper is to find the specific relations between pursuit-evasion game applications and different types of variants of the cops and robbers game. The research method is to find variants with different game rules and winning strategies and classify them. Then compare these rules and strategies with the applications of pursuit-evasion games to find their relationships. The comparison result shows that there are many differences between the variants and the applications, which lead to their inability to be directly related. The application of the pursuit-evasion game is mainly based on route planning and object distance, and generally contains multiple variant types, which is different from the current research direction of variant.

Cooperative supply game and its revenue allocation method considering location of transportation hub

PurposeThis paper aims to study the establishment of cooperative supply game model considering transportation hub location, and design the profit allocation rule of the cooperative supply coalition.Design/methodology/approachBased on the economic lost-sizing (ELS) game model and considering the location of transportation hub and the topology design of basic traffic network, we build a supply game model to maximize the profit of cooperative supply coalition. Based on the principle of proportion and the method of process allocation, we suppose the procedural proportional solution of the supplier cooperative supply game.FindingsThrough numerical examples, the validity and applicability of the proposed model and the procedural proportional solution were verified by comparing the procedural proportional solution with the weighted Shapley value, the equal division solution and the proportional rule.Originality/valueThis paper constructs a feasible mixed integer programming model for cooperative supply game. We also provide the algorithm of the allocation rule of cooperative supply game and the property analysis of the allocation rule.

Is it personal or is it social? The interaction of knowledge domain and statistical evidence in U.S. and Chinese preschoolers' social generalizations.

Children make inferences about the social world by observing human actions. However, human actions can be ambiguous: They can be sources of information about personal, idiosyncratic characteristics of individuals or socially shared knowledge. In two cross-cultural studies (N = 420; Mage = 4.05 years, SD = 0.77, 47% female), we ask if U.S. and Chinese children's inferences about whether an action is personal or social vary by domain, statistical evidence, and culture. We did this with a generalization method: Preschoolers learn about one agent's actions and then are asked what they think a new agent will do. Low rates of generalization suggest children inferred something unique to an individual, while high rates suggest that children inferred that the action represented socially shared knowledge. In a mixed between- and within-participant design, children observed agents demonstrate sequences of statistically random (or nonrandom, between participants) actions that were verbally framed as relevant to a particular domain (agent's personal preferences, labels, object functions, or game rules). We found that children's social generalizations about actions were on a continuum: with linguistic conventions (e.g., labels) being the most social, preferences being the most personal, and nonlinguistic conventions (i.e., object functions, game rules) falling somewhere in between. Furthermore, the influence of statistical evidence and cultural variation varied for each domain. These findings highlight how children combine knowledge and evidence to infer social meaning from actions and have implications for rational constructivist accounts of cultural learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

When Democracy Is on the Ballot

Abstract: Democratic self-rule is an unending argument about what democracy is. In normal times, democracy reproduces its legitimacy by its routine operation. In times of political crisis, however, the defining issue of an election can become the commitment of adversaries to the rules of the democratic game. At such times, polarization can become lethal to the very system that both sides say they are committed to maintaining. All democracies could use serious institutional reform, but we will not begin unless we abandon the illusion that democracy's problems would be solved if we could just defeat authoritarian populists at the ballot box. It is our institutions, not just the players, that need changing.

GÜNEY AZERBAYCAN VE TÜRKMENİSTAN ÇOCUK OYUNLARI: KÜLTÜREL DEĞERLERİN SÜREKLİLİĞİ VE AKTARIMI

Children's games are one of the elements used by individuals in society to transfer their culture to the future. The child experiences the stages of understanding and recognizing the world they live in while playing games. Through games, the child learns the behavioral patterns of social life and various aspects of culture, perhaps for the first time. Play, which is one of the basic needs of the child, is a duty for him/her. The child who plays with fun learns by practicing rituals that contain cultural elements. Thus, cultural transfer is realized. When studies on children's games in the Turkic world are looked into, it is seen that there is not much difference in terms of practice and rules in games. In this article, the children's games of South Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan Turks will be compared in terms of the creation and transfer of cultural memory, and the survival of national and universal values.

Generation in the Dimension of Growing Responsibility

Purpose. The article is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of generation, which is a necessary condition for the birth of the modern open society, taking into account the risks that accompany this process. Theoretical basis. The research covers a wide range of concepts (K. Mannheim, J. Ortega y Gasset, M. McLuhan, B. Anderson, P. Connerton, etc.), which reveal the temporal aspect of the analysed phenomenon, in particular, the insecurity of its constitution (the risk of a "lost generation") in the horizon of modernity as an unfinished project (J. Habermas), and the growing degree of responsibility associated with the formation of the creative social class. Originality. For the first time in the research literature, the author analyses the connection between the study of the phenomenon of generation and the establishment of a consensus in the modern world on the observance of the rules of win-win games as the value foundation of Western civilization. One of the key points of this process is the processing of the traumas of modernization. The omission of this task in the agenda of the transition society, despite the warnings evident in retrospect, releases the element of resentment, with consequences that can be qualified as an anthropological catastrophe. Conclusions. Ukrainian society, opening up to the world and working through the traumas of modernisation (Chornobyl, the Holodomor, the Fall of Lenin), which has become a kind of hermeneutical cycle of healing the "humanitarian aura of the nation" (L. Kostenko), in the process of which new layers such as the creative class appeared on the public scene, has demonstrated the European identity of the Ukrainian community. In the new horizon after 02/24, when, according to A. Yermolenko, it is no longer possible to talk about the postmodern situation, the Ukrainian agenda irreversibly acquires globality and should be rethought in the dimension of the "big time" and its global responsibility. This affects, in particular, the entire legacy of Russian-Soviet modernisation, to the extent that it has become an integral part of modern Ukrainian identity, including such controversial pages as the "Afghan" trauma.

The Social Cognition Ability Evaluation of LLMs: A Dynamic Gamified Assessment and Hierarchical Social Learning Measurement Approach

Large Language Model(LLM) has shown amazing abilities in reasoning tasks, theory of mind(ToM) has been tested in many studies as part of reasoning tasks, and social learning, which is closely related to theory of mind, are still lack of investigation. However, the test methods and materials make the test results unconvincing. We propose a dynamic gamified assessment(DGA) and hierarchical social learning measurement to test ToM and social learning capacities in LLMs. The test for ToM consists of five parts. First, we extract ToM tasks from ToM experiments and then design game rules to satisfy the ToM task requirement. After that, we design ToM questions to match the game’s rules and use these to generate test materials. Finally, we go through the above steps to test the model. To assess the social learning ability, we introduce a novel set of social rules (three in total). Experiment results demonstrate that, except GPT-4, LLMs performed poorly on the ToM test but showed a certain level of social learning ability in social learning measurement.

Learning from Ludemes: An Inventory of Common Player Actions within Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TTRPGs) to Inform Principled Design of Game-Based Learning Experiences

In this study, the authors investigate role-playing game design through the lens of instructional design practice to probe the ecosystem of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) and their applied use for learning. A qualitative thematic analysis approach is used to systematically catalog and categorize all possible player actions, called ludemes, from the 5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). Through this analysis, the interplay of game mechanics, player actions, and rules of TTRPGs are explored, unveiling their potential to stimulate various psychological, environmental, and behavioral factors that positively influence learning processes. Specifically, this study’s analysis of a game’s ludemes (i.e., player actions) exposes the interrelationships, congruence, and combinations of actions with various learning processes. The identified categories of ludemes in the study pave the way toward a working vocabulary and framework for future research in the application of game-based learning and its potential to catalyze meaningful learning outcomes. From a global instructional standpoint, this study highlights the role of pedagogical affordances, such as collaborative storytelling and problem solving skills, theorizing how TTRPGs can promote cognitive, metacognitive, affective, social, and cultural learning. Toward these goals, the authors posit that role-playing, with its complex dynamics and compelling narratives, offers a robust and natural conduit for learning.

Chess Game Rook‐Icon Movement‐Based Photovoltaic Array Reconfiguration for Higher Shade Dispersion and Improved Global Power Peaks Under Partial Shading Conditions: An Experimental Study

Solar photovoltaic (PV) system generates low power because of nonuniform sun irradiation compared to standard test conditions. Partial shading conditions (PSCs) can arise from various factors, with passing clouds, trees, telecommunication towers, bird droppings, and similar elements being among the most prevalent causes. Under the shading scenario, multiple global and local maxima power points exist on the P–V curves. Herein, the chess game rules for the “Rook” icon are followed to attain the optimal placement of integer numbers (1–9) in the 9 × 9 size game puzzle matrix. The integer number‐based game puzzles such as Su‐Do‐Ku, symmetric matrix, and proposed Rook's movement‐game theory (RMGT) to rearrange the PV modules in arrays are investigated and compared with the standard arrangements such as series‐parallel, total‐cross‐tied during PSCs. The suggested RMGT puzzle‐based arrangement is able to achieve higher power at global maximum power point, performance enhancement, fill factor, and low power loss. As a result, the experimental study proves the superiority of RMGT configuration compared to conventional methodologies under the shading scenarios. The proposed RMGT‐based PV array is tested and obtained the performance higher side as, , , , and compared to existing reconfiguration methodologies.

Rethinking educational strategies through Bourdieu´s “trialectic” of space: insights from the Chilean case

ABSTRACT While educational decisions are considered a key mediator between residential and educational segregation, the role of spatial dimensions in the construction of educational strategies has been only recently studied. This article contributes to linking urban and educational research to examine decisions about schooling, using the case of Santiago, Chile. Empirical research included focus groups with parents and students at public and semi-public schools in four neighbourhoods of Santiago. We take a particular policy conjuncture, a progressive reform of the education system called the Inclusion Law, as a window to observe how educational decisions are anchored to spatial dimensions, and how a change in the “rules of the game” challenges families’ educational strategies. Using Bourdieu´s “trialectic” of space we show that the interplay and dynamic transposition of social, physical and symbolic dimensions of space contributes to the development of three educational strategies spanning across different neighbourhoods. The article contributes to showing the differential role and value of each spatial dimension according to social class in all educational strategies. The resources that agents mobilise in the educational field are influenced by their particular positions in social space, the material conditions of the neighbourhoods they inhabit, as well as the symbolic significance they attribute to both schools and neighbourhoods. Finally, we suggest that the change in the rules of the educational game elicits resistances because the positions that agents occupy in all three spaces remain unaltered by the new regulatory framework.

From Malthusian stagnation to modern economic growth: a swarm-intelligence perspective

The correlation between decentralized decision-making and swarm intelligence has emerged as a significant subject within self-organization phenomena. Here, we demonstrate that, if an exponential probability distribution of income emerges in a decentralized economic system, then the total income of all agents can be represented by an aggregate production function, in which the technology factor precisely aligns with the information content inherent in the event of decentralized decision-making by all agents. In particular, for sufficiently large population sizes, the emergence of this technology factor enables the income per capita to increase with the population size, akin to a manifestation of swarm intelligence. More importantly, we find that an exponential probability distribution of income can be generated within a peer-to-peer economy governed by specific game rules, characterizing a decentralized-decision economic system. Building upon this discovery, we propose a swarm-intelligence explanation to elucidate the transition from thousands of years of Malthusian stagnation to modern economic growth.

Syrian Immigrants in the Malta Bazaar of Istanbul: Changing Rules of the Trade Game and Negotiation between the Capitals

ABSTRACT This article examines the socio-spatial transformations of the Malta Bazaar in Istanbul and the new Syrian shopkeepers as potential game changers. We argue that the transformation of the bazaar cannot be seen solely as a commercial venture, but can also be read as a dynamic playground of understanding and tolerance, as well as emerging social, cultural and economic contrasts and tensions. To test these arguments, we designed a field study with an ethnographic approach. The central theme of our research is to read the role of Syrians in the social reproduction of space through potential changes in the rules of the game in a micro-space. We adopted Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of field and habitus to relate the micro-level experiences of actors in space to broader macro contexts. As a result, we concluded that the change in the rules of the game should be defined as a process of mutual uneasiness. What happens in the field at this stage is an attempt to fit into a single space where negotiation rather than cooperation is more prominent and mutual compromises are inevitably made.