Game Strategy Research Articles

Improving Older Adults’ Technology Adoption on Mobile Map: A Gamification Approach

In the era of digitalization, it is critical to improve older adults’ digital literacy and inclusion by enhancing their technology adoption to create a more accessible and inclusive social environment. However, older adults always exhibit lower levels of technology usage, and there is insufficient support available to meet their specific needs. Gamification, with its potential to motivate people, presents a great opportunity to address the issue of technology adoption among older adults. Despite gamification being predominantly applied to younger generations, this study offers a unique contribution by examining the impact of gamification on supporting older adults’ technology adoption. A case study of tailor-made gamification for Google Maps was constructed based on the game-based learning model and game mechanics. The effectiveness of the proposed gamification strategy has been assessed through interviews and observation. The results revealed a significant positive effect of gamification on enhancing older adults’ technology knowledge and adoption intentions.

Gameful experience and consumers’ intention to continue using running apps: the roles of brand attitude and negative online reviews

PurposeGiven the potential benefits of gamification in running apps, it is necessary to explore the impact of users’ gameful experience on their intention to continue using running apps. This study aims to empirically investigate this relationship along with the roles of brand attitude as a mediator and negative online reviews as a moderator.Design/methodology/approachThe study surveyed 332 running app users in China. The reliability and validity of measures were confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The proposed hypotheses were verified by Process Macro.FindingsThe results show that (1) gameful experience positively impacts intention to continue using running apps, (2) brand attitude mediates the relationship between gameful experience and intention to continue using running apps and (3) negative online reviews moderate the relationship between gameful experience and brand attitude but not the relationship between brand attitude and intention to continue using running apps. Specifically, the effect of gameful experience on brand attitude decreases as users’ perception of negative online reviews increases.Originality/valueThese findings have both theoretical and practical implications for understanding the relationship among users’ gameful experience, brand attitude and intention to continue using running apps, as well as for developing effective gamification strategies to enhance user engagement and retention in running apps.

Meaningful app-work? Exploring meaningful work experiences of food delivery couriers in Poland

PurposeThe rise of app-based work in the gig economy, particularly within the food delivery sector, challenges traditional employment paradigms and raises questions about the potential for achieving meaningful work experiences. This study explores whether such work can be considered meaningful for food delivery couriers in Poland.Design/methodology/approachThis research adopts a qualitative, case-study approach, conducting 30 in-depth interviews with food delivery couriers in Poland. The study investigates how these workers perceive the meaningfulness of their work, focusing on the interplay between subjective and organisational aspects of their work.FindingsThe findings reveal that despite the precarious nature of app-based work, couriers often find meaningful experiences through perceived autonomy, gamified control and the physical demands of their job. The study highlights the dual nature of app work, where the same elements that contribute to worker engagement and a sense of independence also perpetuate exploitation and job insecurity.Research limitations/implicationsThe study’s reliance on a convenience sample of 30 interviews conducted via social media may not represent the broader population of food delivery couriers. Future research should expand the sample size and include a more diverse range of participants to improve generalisability.Practical implicationsThe insights from this study can inform platform designers and policymakers to create more supportive environments for gig workers. Enhancing algorithmic transparency, providing better social protections and implementing fair gamification strategies can help mitigate the negative aspects of gig work and improve job satisfaction.Social implicationsThe study underscores the need for regulatory changes to ensure minimum guaranteed earnings and health and safety provisions for gig workers. By fostering a supportive and transparent work environment, the gig economy can better contribute to worker well-being and social equity.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the limited body of literature on meaningful work within the gig economy, particularly focusing on food delivery couriers in Poland. It provides new insights into how workers create and perceive meaningful work in a highly digitised and algorithmically managed environment.

Statistical Metric xG in Football and Its Impact on Scoring Performance: a review article

Background and purpose Modern football increasingly demands an analytical approach, particularly in terms of enhancing scoring performance. The aim of this article is to analyze the modern statistical indicator of expected goals (xG) in football and its impact on the performance of teams and players according to the data of modern scientific literature. The use of xG allows coaches, analysts, and fans to better evaluate the effectiveness of attacking actions, predict match outcomes, and make informed decisions regarding game strategy. Material and methods Articles were selected using a search tool in the Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. The search was carried out using the keywords "xG", "football", "performance", "football statistics", "football analytics", "shot on goal" The search was conducted as follows: first, the word "football" was entered, 43,706 sources were found, then "football statistics, analytics" was specified, 109 sources were found, among which 5 were selected that most corresponded to the topic of our research. Results It has been found that the probability of converting a shot into a goal depends on the player's position in the finishing zone, the location of the shot, the angle to the goal, the distance to the goal, the part of the body used to take the shot, the preparation for the shot, the number of touches before the shot, the number of players in the ball's path, and the goalkeeper's position. It was also determined that some zones are better suited for preparing a shot or continuing a combination play due to a low xG value. Conclusions The conducted analysis made it possible to study how the metric of expected goals (xG) affects performance. Coaches use xG data to optimize their game plans, focusing on creating high-quality scoring chances rather than simply increasing the number of shots. In addition, xG can inform defensive strategies by highlighting the types of shots most likely to lead to goals, allowing teams to adjust their defensive positioning and pressure tactics accordingly.

Introduction to junior schoolchildren with game strategies at informatics lessons in primary school

Introduction to junior schoolchildren with game strategies at informatics lessons in primary school

Greening by enhancing self-efficacy: a viewpoint on employee-inclusive Octalysis framework

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate how gamification can be utilized to promote Employee Green Behavior (EGB) within organizations thereby enhancing corporate sustainability. The research aims to propose a structured gamification framework that can effectively motivate and engage employees in sustainability initiatives. Design/methodology/approach The viewpoint reviews existing literature on gamification, and its impact on EGB. The authors propose a conceptual model that highlights critical components for Octalysis framework and map this against various player types for various phases of a gamified system. Findings The Octalysis framework, with its eight core drives, is found to be an effective tool for fostering EGB by leveraging both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. The viewpoint demonstrates that categorizing employees into distinct player types and tailoring gamification strategies accordingly can overcome motivational barriers and encourage sustained engagement in green practices. Originality/value This study introduces a novel approach to corporate sustainability by integrating gamification into EGB initiatives. This innovative approach enhances the understanding of EGB and provides practical insights for implementing effective gamification strategies in corporate sustainability efforts.

El Uso de la Gamificación para Mejorar el Idioma Inglés en un Proceso de Enseñanza – Aprendizaje en una Escuela de Chone

The objective of the research was: Analyze how to improve English language learning through gamification at a school in Chone. Updated investigative information was examined that allowed us to identify reasons that limit students learning and that teachers face, which is why the use of recreational activities is considered important to use for a better teaching process, the literary review indicates that songs help students learn faster, enjoy classes, the gamification strategy, which is a technique that uses the game as a mechanism for non-playful contexts, which aims to optimize the stimulation and collaboration of students, to make music learning fun and interactive. The affirmation of the positive of the use of music is because the student becomes emotionally involved and facilitates a notable and explanatory argument for learning. The approach and type of research was quantitative and qualitative, the methodological process was a bibliographic review of specialists on the subject, scientific journals on the Internet, among others, in addition, and the results achieved indicate that 100% of those surveyed consider the use of gamification to be transcendental for the teaching-learning process of English as a second language, which will give students the opportunity to insert themselves into the current interconnected global world, which will be of pedagogical benefit, formative, social and economic.

Stationary Markov Equilibrium Strategies in Asynchronous Stochastic Games: Existence and Computation

We study Asynchronous Dynamic games and show that in games with a finite state space and finite action sets, one can obtain the pure strategy Markov perfect equilibrium by using a simple backward induction method when the time period for the game is finite. The equilibrium strategies for games with an infinite horizon are then obtained as the point-wise limit of the equilibrium strategies of a sequence of finite horizon games, where the finite horizon games are truncated versions of the original game with successively longer time periods. We also show that if the game has a fixed K-period cycle, then there is a stationary Markov equilibrium. Using these results, we derive an algorithm to compute the equilibrium strategies. We test the algorithm in three experiments. The first is a two-player asynchronous game with three states and three actions. In the second experiment, we compute the equilibrium of a cybersecurity game in which there are two players, an attacker and a defender. In the third experiment, we compute the stationary equilibrium of a duopoly game with two firms that choose an output in alternate periods.

Multimodal intervention on perception and quality of life of geriatric clients regarding health promotional outcomes at a selected hospitals, Kolar, Karnataka, India

ABSTRACT Background of Study: Old age is a privilege for a second childhood and a new stage of opportunity and strength. Older adults are the most rapidly growing segment of the population. By 2050, 80% of all older people will live in low- and middle-income countries. Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of multimodal intervention on perception and quality of life among geriatric clients. Methods: Quantitative approach quasi-experimental interventional controlled study with pre-test, post-test design and follow-up for two months, adopted by using purposive sampling technique among 120 geriatric clients who gave consent for participation in the study at two different settings of hospitals from July 2022 to January 2023, Kolar. After obtaining Central Ethics Committee approval, data was obtained using the structured perception questionnaire and WHO Quality of Life questionnaire, and the Multimodal Intervention package consisting of a snake and ladder health promotion strategies game, educational video, and informational pamphlet distributed to the experimental group, whereas routine care was given to the control group followed by post-test group on the 30th and 60th day. Reinforcement was carried out by the investigator on a fortnightly basis reminders through messages. Data were analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics such as repeated measures of ANOVA, independent ‘t’- test, paired ‘t-test, and Chi-square. Results: A perception significant effect was demonstrated in the experimental group with enhanced mean, standard deviation from pre-test to post-test I and Post-test II found to be 35.1 ± 7.9, 46.3 ± 6.1, and 48.3 ± 4.7, respectively, without significant changes in the control group. Concerning quality of life, important variations were demonstrated in the experimental group with enhanced mean, SD from pre-test to post-test I and Post-test II found to be 54.76 ± 10.39, 74.15 ± 6.75 and 77.71 ± 4.99, respectively, without any significant changes in the control group. Conclusion: Geriatric population was the biggest beneficiary, multimodal intervention was proven to be effective and can be implemented in hospitals and community settings in improving the perception and quality of life of senior clients to foster healthy aging. CTRI Trial Reg no: CTRI/2021/07/034632.

Evolutionary Game Analysis of Electric Vehicle Distribution Entities with Shared Charging Facilities

This study investigates the evolutionary game dynamics among electric vehicle distribution entities in the context of shared charging facilities, addressing the critical issue of inadequate charging resources. To understand the behavior of different stakeholders under government incentive policies, we develop an evolutionary game model involving a government department and two logistics enterprises (A and B). Through stability analysis, we explore equilibrium conditions of evolutionarily stable strategies (ESSs) for the tripartite evolutionary game. To ensure the robustness of our findings, we conduct a MATLAB simulation analysis to validate the analytical results. Our findings highlight that government subsidies, the costs incurred by logistics enterprises to share charging facilities, and the additional distribution income derived from this sharing are critical in determining whether the evolutionary game can achieve a stable equilibrium state. This research enables logistics companies to optimize the use of charging resources, lower operating costs, and enhance delivery efficiency. Additionally, government subsidy policies play a crucial role in encouraging logistics enterprises to engage in charging facility sharing, thereby fostering the sustainable development of the entire logistics industry. Based on these insights, the paper offers practical recommendations to further promote the sharing of charging facilities in electric vehicle distribution.

There is no known nonlinear Markov perfect equilibrium strategies for the infinite horizon linear quadratic differential game

We discuss published accounts of nonlinear equilibrium strategies in linear quadratic differential games. The main reference: Tsutsui-Mino 1990, is shown to be misleading.

To promote the cultivation of mathematical thinking skills and strategies in games for the senior class of kindergarten children

With the advancement of quality education and an increase in research into preschool education, early childhood education is becoming more focused on individual physical and mental development, as well as the development of comprehensive quality education. Mathematical thinking ability represents a significant aspect of young children’s cognitive development. Given that young children’s brain development is not yet fixed, so their capacity for “plasticity” is considerable. The period between the ages of three and eight represents a critical phase in developing mathematical thinking ability in young children. Children undergo rapid growth in their mathematical understanding and reasoning abilities during this time. This paper will look at promoting the development of mathematical thinking and strategies in play for the senior class of kindergarten children, based on practice, in order to provide new strategies for preschool education. Through the research on the combination of games and mathematics education, we can provide better ideas and methods for the use of games in mathematics education, help the senior class of kindergarten children to develop their mathematical thinking skills, and help them to recognize, articulate, and generalize the quantitative relationships and spatial forms that exist in their daily lives so that they can be well-prepared for the next step of entering the primary school.

From Gaming Elements to Purchase Intentions: The Influence of Perceived Enjoyment and Promotion Focus in Online Travel Bookings

This study examines the impact of gamification on purchase intentions in Malaysia's online travel booking industry. As traditional platforms like Expedia face declining bookings due to economic challenges and the rise of competitors such as Airbnb, Agoda, and Booking.com, understanding the role of gamification in user engagement becomes crucial. The research employs Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the effects of extrinsic and intrinsic gaming elements, perceived enjoyment, and promotional focus on purchase intention. A total of 141 respondents participated in the survey and the key findings reveal that extrinsic gaming elements, including points and rewards, have a significantly stronger impact on perceived enjoyment than intrinsic elements like membership levels. This heightened enjoyment, in turn, positively influences purchase intention. Additionally, the study finds that promotional focus moderates the relationship between perceived enjoyment and purchase intention, further enhancing the effect. The Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) indicates that while intrinsic gaming elements perform below average, they are less critical than other factors. Managers should prioritize improving aspects of high importance, but currently have, low performance to boost purchase intentions effectively. Overall, the research provides actionable insights for enhancing competitiveness in Malaysia's digital travel marketplace, emphasizing the need for targeted gamification strategies to align with evolving consumer preferences. The findings offer a foundation for developing strategies that can help travel platforms maintain relevance and drive engagement in a competitive landscape.

Consumer-Oriented Marketing Strategy of Chinese Domestic Otome Games: A Case Study of Love and Deepspace

Abstract: Otome games, story-based romance video games targeting women, originated in Japan in the late 1990s and have since gained popularity all around the world. This paper investigates the rise of Chinese domestic otome games, focusing on Love and Deepspace, a burgeoning and competitive title. The study analyzes its marketing strategy using the 4P model and examines the game's reflection on consumer behavior. The findings show that Love and Deepspace has innovated marketing approaches within the otome game industry, leveraging 3D modeling as the core of its product and price strategies and employing consumer-centric promotion strategies globally. As a conclusion, the paper states that understanding target consumers preferences is vital for future market planning. The research uses Love and Deepspaces success as an example to highlight the significant business value of domestic otome games and provide insights for companies to refine their strategies in this growing market.

The Impact of Exercise Load and Intensity on the Performance of China U24 3x3 Women Teams

This study analyzed the exercise load and exercise intensity of the China U24 3x3 women team in multiple games, combined with the performance data of the players in the game, and explored the impact of these factors on exercise performance. The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between load intensity and average heart rate, and high load intensity usually led to a higher average heart rate. In addition, performance data such as scoring and rebounding were also significantly correlated with load intensity and load volume. Players with higher scores often underwent higher load volume and load intensity in the game. This shows that in high-intensity games, players' physical fitness and performance are closely related, and reasonable monitoring and management of load intensity are crucial to improving player performance and reducing the risk of injury. The study also showed that there were significant differences in load volume and load intensity between the U24 Blue Team and the U24 Red Team in different games, further emphasizing the importance of load management in game strategy and physical training. This study provides empirical evidence for basketball teams to formulate scientific training plans and game strategies, and emphasizes the importance of exercise load and intensity management to improve the overall performance of the team and the individual performance of the players.

Thematic representations of economy and environment in Nigerian newspapers’ reports of pipeline vandalism

ABSTRACT Nigeria’s heavy reliance on oil for national survival, the frequency of pipeline vandalism and the attendant losses make the subject of vandalism attractive to newspapers. Reports on this subject become media sites of deep struggle to separate national economy from the ecosystem relationships. Relying on insights from van Dijk’s Theory of Thematic Structure and Stibbe’s notions of salience and erasure, the study examined the reportage of pipeline vandalism and the attendant losses, with a view to exploring how economy and environment are thematically projected. Twenty reports from four newspapers published between 2015 and 2019 were purposively sampled. The thematic projections showed that, while economic loss is foregrounded using the discourse strategies of number game and topicalisation, environmental loss is erased at different levels using the discourse strategies of euphemisation and generalisation. This suggests that there is subtle interest in economic growth to the detriment of the ecological systems which sustain the economy and humanity. Unless there is a deliberate effort to clearly highlight the ecological harm occasioned by pipeline vandalism, the effects of pipeline vandalism may not be obvious to citizens and curtailing the menace may not be prioritised.

Predicting soccer matches with complex networks and machine learning

Abstract Soccer attracts the attention of many researchers and professionals in the sports industry. Therefore, the incorporation of science into the sport is constantly growing, with increasing investments in performance analysis and sports prediction industries. This study aims to (i) highlight the use of complex networks as an alternative tool for predicting soccer match outcomes and (ii) show how the combination of structural analysis of passing networks with match statistical data can provide deeper insights into the game patterns and strategies used by teams. In order to do so, complex network metrics and match statistics were used to build machine learning models that predict the wins and losses of soccer teams in different leagues. The results showed that models based on passing networks were as effective as ‘traditional’ models, which use general match statistics. Another finding was that by combining both approaches, more accurate models were obtained than when they were used separately, demonstrating that the fusion of such approaches can offer a deeper understanding of game patterns, allowing the comprehension of tactics employed by teams relationships between players, their positions and interactions during matches. It is worth mentioning that both network metrics and match statistics were important and impactful for the mixed model. Furthermore, the use of networks with a lower granularity of temporal evolution (such as creating a network for each half of the match) performed better than a single network for the entire game.

BPFNN Based Football Player Value Prediction by Introducing Historic Information

With extensively successful applications of artificial neural networks in many scenarios of classification and prediction, research related to the world most popular sport - football - has undoubtedly attracted researchers to carry out their works with aid of such powerful tools. Despite that most of these works are oriented to predict match results and game strategies, only very a few are designed for player value prediction, which is of great importance with the rapid growth of the football players’ transfer market. In this paper, we propose a BP feedforward neural network framework which integrates both the empirically determined variables and some historical information. Comparative ablation experiments on one dataset FINAL verified the necessity of some factors especially the highest_values which inspired the inclusion of available historical information into the framework. For further verifying the efficiency of integrating historical information, we embedded the value columns of FIFA17 to FIFA21 into the data of FIFA22. Comparative experiments showed an 11% improvement on the precision with the help of historical values, verifying the efficiency of this strategy. Experiments were also conducted for determining the choice of the number of layers, the ratio of the training set and test set, the learning rate, and the process of the missed information.

Evolutionary branching in multi-level selection models.

We study a model of group-structured populations featuring individual-level birth and death events, and group-level fission and extinction events. Individuals play games within their groups, while groups play games against other groups. Payoffs from individual-level games affect birth rates of individuals, and payoffs from group-level games affect group extinction rates. We focus on the evolutionary dynamics of continuous traits with particular emphasis on the phenomenon of evolutionary diversification. Specifically, we consider two-level processes in which individuals and groups play continuous snowdrift or prisoner's dilemma games. Individual game strategies evolve due to selection pressure from both the individual and group level interactions. The resulting evolutionary dynamics turns out to be very complex, including branching and type-diversification at one level or the other. We observe that a weaker selection pressure at the individual level results in more adaptable groups and sometimes group-level branching. Stronger individual-level selection leads to more effective adaptation within each group while preventing the groups from adapting according to the group-level games.

LuckyMera: a modular AI framework for building hybrid NetHack agents

In the last few decades we have witnessed a significant development in Artificial Intelligence (AI) thanks to the availability of a variety of testbeds, mostly based on simulated environments and video games. Among those, roguelike games offer a very good trade-off in terms of complexity of the environment and computational costs, which makes them perfectly suited to test AI agents generalization capabilities. In this work, we present LuckyMera, a flexible, modular, extensible and configurable AI framework built around NetHack, a popular terminal-based, single-player roguelike video game. This library is aimed at simplifying and speeding up the development of AI agents capable of successfully playing the game and offering a high-level interface for designing game strategies. LuckyMera comes with a set of off-the-shelf symbolic and neural modules (called "skills"): these modules can be either hard-coded behaviors, or neural Reinforcement Learning approaches, with the possibility of creating compositional hybrid solutions. Additionally, LuckyMera comes with a set of utility features to save its experiences in the form of trajectories for further analysis and to use them as datasets to train neural modules, with a direct interface to the NetHack Learning Environment and MiniHack. Through an empirical evaluation we validate our skills implementation and propose a strong baseline agent that can reach state-of-the-art performances in the complete NetHack game. LuckyMera is open-source and available at https://github.com/Pervasive-AI-Lab/LuckyMera.