Play the MRI Game

Science.gov (United States)

... Teachers' Questionnaire MRI Play MRI the Magnetic Miracle Game About the game In the MRI imaging technique, strong magnets and ... last will in Paris. Play the Blood Typing Game Try to save some patients and learn about ...

Play the Electrocardiogram Game

Science.gov (United States)

... and Work Teachers' Questionnaire Electrocardiogram Play the ECG Game About the game ECG is used for diagnosing heart conditions by ... last will in Paris. Play the Blood Typing Game Try to save some patients and learn about ...

Effect of increase in allotted time on game playing performance: Case study of an online word game

OpenAIRE

Putthiwanit, Chutinon; Kincart, Andrew

2011-01-01

Online game players tend to differ in the duration of time they play. However, no matter whether the time on playing an online game is spent positively or negatively, we may assume that when the duration of each online-game round is increased, players tend to engage in more interaction with their opponents. Though there are a significant number of research studies on time usage in computer games, there is no research exploring the direct effect of time on online game playing performance. As a...

Agents, games and evolution strategies at work and play

CERN Document Server

Kimbrough, Steven Orla

2011-01-01

StartersContexts of Strategic InteractionGames in the Wild and the Problems of PlayMixed MotivesPlaying Prisoner's DilemmaFanning Out: 2x2 Games and ModelsStag HuntPareto versus NashAffording CooperationMarkets and ApplicationsCompetitive MarketsMonopoly StoriesOligopoly: Cournot CompetitionOligopoly: Bertrand CompetitionSupply Curve BiddingTwo-Sided MatchingIDS GamesOrganizational AmbidexterityBargainingTopics in Strategic AnalysisLying and Related AbusesEvolutionary ModelsBackward InductionSumming UpAppendicesGame ConceptsUseful Mathematical ResultsFurther Arguments on the Surprise ExamResources on the WebBibliographyIndex.

Playing and gaming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karoff, Helle Skovbjerg; Ejsing-Duun, Stine; Hanghøj, Thorkild

2013-01-01

The paper develops an approach of playing and gaming activities through the perspective of both activities as mood activities . The point of departure is that a game - is a tool with which we, through our practices, achieve different moods. This based on an empirical study of children's everyday...... lives, where the differences emerge through actual practices, i.e. through the creation of meaning in the specific situations. The overall argument is that it is not that important whether it is a playing or a gaming activity - it is however crucial to be aware of how moods occur and what their optimal...... dimensions: practices and moods. Practice is the concept of all the doing in the activities. Moods are the particular concept of sense and feeling of being, which is what we are drawn to when we are playing or gaming....

Psychiatrists' Perceptions of Role-Playing Games.

Science.gov (United States)

Lis, Eric; Chiniara, Carl; Biskin, Robert; Montoro, Richard

2015-09-01

The literature has seen a surge in research on the mental health impacts of technologies such as Facebook, video games, and massively-multiplayer online role-playing games such as World of Warcraft, but little is known regarding the mental health impact of non-video role-playing games, such as Dungeons & Dragons. The present study examines how psychiatrists' perceive role-playing games and whether they play them. Psychiatrists at a tertiary care centre in Canada completed a questionnaire assessing history of playing role-playing games and whether they associate them with psychopathology. Forty-eight psychiatrists responded. Twenty-three percent have played a role-playing game over their lifetimes. Twenty-two percent believed there was an association between psychopathology and role-playing games. A majority of psychiatrists who responded do not associate role-playing games with psychopathology. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

The role of structural characteristics in problem video game playing: a review

OpenAIRE

King, DL; Delfabbro, PH; Griffiths, MD

2010-01-01

The structural characteristics of video games may play an important role in explaining why some people play video games to excess. This paper provides a review of the literature on structural features of video games and the psychological experience of playing video games. The dominant view of the appeal of video games is based on operant conditioning theory and the notion that video games satisfy various needs for social interaction and belonging. However, there is a lack of experimental and ...

Play the Tuberculosis Game

Science.gov (United States)

... Questionnaire Tuberculosis Play Tuberculosis Experiments & Discoveries About the game Discover and experience some of the classic methods ... last will in Paris. Play the Blood Typing Game Try to save some patients and learn about ...

Problematic Game Play: The Diagnostic Value of Playing Motives, Passion, and Playing Time in Men

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia Kneer

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Internet gaming disorder is currently listed in the DSM—not in order to diagnose such a disorder but to encourage research to investigate this phenomenon. Even whether it is still questionable if Internet Gaming Disorder exists and can be judged as a form of addiction, problematic game play is already very well researched to cause problems in daily life. Approaches trying to predict problematic tendencies in digital game play have mainly focused on playing time as a diagnostic criterion. However, motives to engage in digital game play and obsessive passion for game play have also been found to predict problematic game play but have not yet been investigated together. The present study aims at (1 analyzing if obsessive passion can be distinguished from problematic game play as separate concepts, and (2 testing motives of game play, passion, and playing time for their predictive values for problematic tendencies. We found (N = 99 males, Age: M = 22.80, SD = 3.81 that obsessive passion can be conceptually separated from problematic game play. In addition, the results suggest that compared to solely playing time immersion as playing motive and obsessive passion have added predictive value for problematic game play. The implications focus on broadening the criteria in order to diagnose problematic playing.

Problematic game play: the diagnostic value of playing motives, passion, and playing time in men.

Science.gov (United States)

Kneer, Julia; Rieger, Diana

2015-04-30

Internet gaming disorder is currently listed in the DSM-not in order to diagnose such a disorder but to encourage research to investigate this phenomenon. Even whether it is still questionable if Internet Gaming Disorder exists and can be judged as a form of addiction, problematic game play is already very well researched to cause problems in daily life. Approaches trying to predict problematic tendencies in digital game play have mainly focused on playing time as a diagnostic criterion. However, motives to engage in digital game play and obsessive passion for game play have also been found to predict problematic game play but have not yet been investigated together. The present study aims at (1) analyzing if obsessive passion can be distinguished from problematic game play as separate concepts, and (2) testing motives of game play, passion, and playing time for their predictive values for problematic tendencies. We found (N = 99 males, Age: M = 22.80, SD = 3.81) that obsessive passion can be conceptually separated from problematic game play. In addition, the results suggest that compared to solely playing time immersion as playing motive and obsessive passion have added predictive value for problematic game play. The implications focus on broadening the criteria in order to diagnose problematic playing.

The Relationships between Online Game Player Biogenetic Traits, Playing Time, and the Genre of the Game Being Played

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jun Won; Park, Doo Byung; Min, Kyung Joon; Na, Churl; Won, Su Kyung; Park, Ga Na

2010-01-01

Objective Psychobiological traits may be associated with excessive Internet use. This study assessed the relationships between biogenetic traits, the amount of time spent in online game playing, and the genre of the online game being played. Methods Five hundred sixty five students who enjoyed one of the four types of games included in this study were recruited. The types of games examined included role playing games (RPG), real-time strategy games (RTS), first person shooting games (FPS), and sports games. Behavioral patterns of game play, academic performance, and player biogenetic characteristics were assessed. Results The amount of time that the participants spent playing online games was significantly greater on weekends than on weekdays. On weekends, the types of games with the largest numbers of participants who played games for more than three hours were ranked as follows: RPG and FPS, RTS, and sports games. The Young's Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS)score for the RPG group was the highest among the groups of the four types of game players. The time that participants spent playing games on weekdays was negatively associated with academic performance, especially for the RPG and FPS groups. Compared with the other groups, the RPG and RTS groups had higher novelty seeking (NS) scores and self-directedness (SD) scores, respectively. Additionally, the sports game group had higher reward dependency scores than the other groups. Conclusion These results suggest that RPGs may have specific factors that are attractive to latent game addicts with higher NS scores. Additionally, excessive playing of online games is related to impaired academic performance. PMID:20396428

The Relationships between Online Game Player Biogenetic Traits, Playing Time, and the Genre of the Game Being Played.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jun Won; Han, Doug Hyun; Park, Doo Byung; Min, Kyung Joon; Na, Churl; Won, Su Kyung; Park, Ga Na

2010-03-01

Psychobiological traits may be associated with excessive Internet use. This study assessed the relationships between biogenetic traits, the amount of time spent in online game playing, and the genre of the online game being played. Five hundred sixty five students who enjoyed one of the four types of games included in this study were recruited. The types of games examined included role playing games (RPG), real-time strategy games (RTS), first person shooting games (FPS), and sports games. Behavioral patterns of game play, academic performance, and player biogenetic characteristics were assessed. The amount of time that the participants spent playing online games was significantly greater on weekends than on weekdays. On weekends, the types of games with the largest numbers of participants who played games for more than three hours were ranked as follows: RPG and FPS, RTS, and sports games. The Young's Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS)score for the RPG group was the highest among the groups of the four types of game players. The time that participants spent playing games on weekdays was negatively associated with academic performance, especially for the RPG and FPS groups. Compared with the other groups, the RPG and RTS groups had higher novelty seeking (NS) scores and self-directedness (SD) scores, respectively. Additionally, the sports game group had higher reward dependency scores than the other groups. These results suggest that RPGs may have specific factors that are attractive to latent game addicts with higher NS scores. Additionally, excessive playing of online games is related to impaired academic performance.

Designing for social play in co-located mobile games

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Goddard, William; Garner, Jayden; Jensen, Mads Møller

2016-01-01

In this paper we explore how mobile devices and co-location in mobile contexts contribute social play in game design, addressing the limited understanding of social interactivity in mobile games. Using the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics (MDA) framework, we code four games illustrating effective use...... of mobile, social, and colocated elements. Subsequently, we analyse and discuss this data to identify generalisability in these games. In our discussion we identify how these findings address game design problems of designing collaborative games. Furthermore, we contribute to theory of designing for social...

From online to offline game/play

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Thea Juhl Roloff

2015-01-01

and teachers face. It can be a challenge for the digital immigrants to see the meanings of digital games, and why children (digital natives) should be introduced to digital games in such a young age. However, it is a fact that digital games are a part of children's everyday lives. If Digital Immigrants must......Children love to play digital games. But how should we relate to children's use of digital games. When children play they use signs from online games into offline games. There will in the paper be pointed out, media pedagogy weaknesses and strengths. And the media didactic challenges that pedagogs...... be able to motivate digital natives for play and learning, it is important to know the rules of the game/play...

Correlations among Social Anxiety, Self-Esteem, Impulsivity, and Game Genre in Patients with Problematic Online Game Playing

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jeong Ha; Han, Doug Hyun; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Cheong, Jae Hoon

2016-01-01

Objective Recent studies of online game addiction have suggested that social interaction and impulsivity are critical factors for the etiology and progress of online game addiction. We hypothesized that the genre of the online game is associated with impulsivity and sociality in individuals with online game addictions. Methods In total, 212 patients with problematic online game playing were divided into four groups by game genre: 1) massive multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG), 2) real-time strategy (RTS), 3) first-person shooter (FPS), and 4) other. Their symptoms and characteristics were assessed using 8 scales and 2 tests to estimate self-esteem, impulsiveness, comorbidity, social interaction status, and cognitive function. Results The mean social anxiety score was highest in the MMORPG group and lowest in the FPS group. The mean self-esteem score was highest in the RTS group. Social anxiety score was positively correlated with Internet addiction score in the MMORPG group, and the self-esteem score was positively correlated with Internet addiction score in the RTS group. Conclusion The genre of online game was not associated with impulsivity, but social anxiety status varied significantly with game genre, and differences in social anxiety were especially pronounced in patients playing the MMORPG (highest social anxiety) and FPS (lowest social anxiety) game genres. In addition, self-esteem was highest in the RTS game genre. PMID:27247595

Correlations among Social Anxiety, Self-Esteem, Impulsivity, and Game Genre in Patients with Problematic Online Game Playing.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jeong Ha; Han, Doug Hyun; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Cheong, Jae Hoon; Lee, Young-Sik

2016-05-01

Recent studies of online game addiction have suggested that social interaction and impulsivity are critical factors for the etiology and progress of online game addiction. We hypothesized that the genre of the online game is associated with impulsivity and sociality in individuals with online game addictions. In total, 212 patients with problematic online game playing were divided into four groups by game genre: 1) massive multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG), 2) real-time strategy (RTS), 3) first-person shooter (FPS), and 4) other. Their symptoms and characteristics were assessed using 8 scales and 2 tests to estimate self-esteem, impulsiveness, comorbidity, social interaction status, and cognitive function. The mean social anxiety score was highest in the MMORPG group and lowest in the FPS group. The mean self-esteem score was highest in the RTS group. Social anxiety score was positively correlated with Internet addiction score in the MMORPG group, and the self-esteem score was positively correlated with Internet addiction score in the RTS group. The genre of online game was not associated with impulsivity, but social anxiety status varied significantly with game genre, and differences in social anxiety were especially pronounced in patients playing the MMORPG (highest social anxiety) and FPS (lowest social anxiety) game genres. In addition, self-esteem was highest in the RTS game genre.

Beyond self-selection in video game play: an experimental examination of the consequences of massively multiplayer online role-playing game play.

Science.gov (United States)

Smyth, Joshua M

2007-10-01

There is burgeoning interest in the study of video games. Existing work is limited by the use of correlational designs and is thus unable to make causal inferences or remove self-selection biases from observed results. The recent development of online, socially integrated video games (massively multiplayer online role-playing games [MMORPGs]) has created a new experience for gamers. This randomized, longitudinal study examined the effects of being assigned to play different video game types on game usage, health, well-being, sleep, socializing, and academics. One hundred 18- to 20-year-old participants (73% male; 68% Caucasian) were randomly assigned to play arcade, console, solo computer, or MMORPG games for 1 month. The MMORPG group differed significantly from other groups after 1 month, reporting more hours spent playing, worse health, worse sleep quality, and greater interference in "real-life" socializing and academic work. In contrast, this group also reported greater enjoyment in playing, greater interest in continuing to play, and greater acquisition of new friendships. MMORPGs represent a different gaming experience with different consequences than other types of video games and appear to pose both unique risks and benefits from their use.

The relationships into the video games massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alvaro Alfonso Acevedo

2016-11-01

Full Text Available This paper is about the relationships dynamics in the virtuality of the gamers into the massively multiplayer online role-playing game “Perfect World” in the not ocifial latinamerican server “Comunidad Zero”. The main objective of this study is to describe the dynamics of the relationships, analyzing them from the context of the game using the virtual ethnography, understanding the emotional interactions between couples, through a case study. During the development of research, were found several categories related to affective interactions of pre-attachment, manifested in virtual environments of the game and that ultimately manage to simulate the engagement dynamics of the physical contexts.

Online gaming addiction? Motives predict addictive play behavior in massively multiplayer online role-playing games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuss, D.J.; Louws, J.; Wiers, R.W.

2012-01-01

Recently, there have been growing concerns about excessive online gaming. Playing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) appears to be particularly problematic, because these games require a high degree of commitment and time investment from the players to the detriment of

Online gaming addiction? Motives predict addictive play behavior in massively multiplayer online role-playing games

OpenAIRE

Kuss, DJ; Louws, J; Wiers, RW

2012-01-01

Recently, there have been growing concerns about excessive online gaming. Playing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) appears to be particularly problematic, because these games require a high degree of commitment and time investment from the players to the detriment of occupational, social, and other recreational activities and relations. A number of gaming motives have been linked to excessive online gaming in adolescents and young adults. We assessed 175 current MMORP...

Analysis of context dependence in social interaction networks of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Seokshin; Kang, Ah Reum; Kim, Hyun-chul; Kwon, Taekyoung; Park, Juyong; Kim, Huy Kang

2012-01-01

Rapid advances in modern computing and information technology have enabled millions of people to interact online via various social network and gaming services. The widespread adoption of such online services have made possible analysis of large-scale archival data containing detailed human interactions, presenting a very promising opportunity to understand the rich and complex human behavior. In collaboration with a leading global provider of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs), here we present a network science-based analysis of the interplay between distinct types of user interaction networks in the virtual world. We find that their properties depend critically on the nature of the context-interdependence of the interactions, highlighting the complex and multilayered nature of human interactions, a robust understanding of which we believe may prove instrumental in the designing of more realistic future virtual arenas as well as provide novel insights to the science of collective human behavior.

Play with Me! Gender-Typed Social Play Behavior Analysis in Interactive Tag Games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moreno, Alejandro; Poppe, R.W.; Heylen, Dirk K J

2016-01-01

Promoting social behavior is one of the key goals in interactive games. In this paper, we present an experimental study in the Interactive Tag Playground (ITP) to investigate whether social behaviors reported in literature can also be observed through automated analysis. We do this by analyzing

Play with Me! Gender-Typed Social Play Behavior Analysis in Interactive Tag Games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moreno Celleri, Alejandro Manuel; Poppe, Ronald Walter; Heylen, Dirk K.J.

Promoting social behavior is one of the key goals in interactive games. In this paper, we present an experimental study in the Interactive Tag Playground (ITP) to investigate whether social behaviors reported in literature can also be observed through automated analysis. We do this by analyzing

Domain-specific knowledge as playful interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Valente, Andrea; Marchetti, Emanuela

2015-01-01

Starting from reflections on designing games for learning, aimed at providing a tangible grounding to abstract knowledge, we designed Prime Slaughter, a game to support learning of factorisation and prime numbers, targeted to primary and early secondary school children. This new study draws upon ...... on activity theory, aimed at facilitating the transposition of abstract knowledge into playful interactions, so to develop new learning games of this kind, also keeping into account children’s individual needs regarding play.......Starting from reflections on designing games for learning, aimed at providing a tangible grounding to abstract knowledge, we designed Prime Slaughter, a game to support learning of factorisation and prime numbers, targeted to primary and early secondary school children. This new study draws upon...

Active Gaming: The Future of Play?

Science.gov (United States)

Witherspoon, Lisa; Manning, John P.

2012-01-01

The authors examine technology-driven games--especially active gaming--as an evolving form of children's play. They offer an overview of play and its developmental benefits, describe the literature on the emergence of technology-driven play, and reflect on the diminishment of physical play in contemporary culture. They suggest that active gaming,…

The Relationships between Online Game Player Biogenetic Traits, Playing Time, and the Genre of the Game Being Played

OpenAIRE

Kim, Jun Won; Han, Doug Hyun; Park, Doo Byung; Min, Kyung Joon; Na, Churl; Won, Su Kyung; Park, Ga Na

2010-01-01

Objective Psychobiological traits may be associated with excessive Internet use. This study assessed the relationships between biogenetic traits, the amount of time spent in online game playing, and the genre of the online game being played. Methods Five hundred sixty five students who enjoyed one of the four types of games included in this study were recruited. The types of games examined included role playing games (RPG), real-time strategy games (RTS), first person shooting games (FPS), an...

Recent Advances in General Game Playing

OpenAIRE

Świechowski, Maciej; Park, HyunSoo; Mańdziuk, Jacek; Kim, Kyung-Joong

2015-01-01

The goal of General Game Playing (GGP) has been to develop computer programs that can perform well across various game types. It is natural for human game players to transfer knowledge from games they already know how to play to other similar games. GGP research attempts to design systems that work well across different game types, including unknown new games. In this review, we present a survey of recent advances (2011 to 2014) in GGP for both traditional games and video games. It is notable...

Analysis of Context Dependence in Social Interaction Networks of a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Seokshin; Kang, Ah Reum; Kim, Hyun-chul; Kwon, Taekyoung; Park, Juyong; Kim, Huy Kang

2012-01-01

Rapid advances in modern computing and information technology have enabled millions of people to interact online via various social network and gaming services. The widespread adoption of such online services have made possible analysis of large-scale archival data containing detailed human interactions, presenting a very promising opportunity to understand the rich and complex human behavior. In collaboration with a leading global provider of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs), here we present a network science-based analysis of the interplay between distinct types of user interaction networks in the virtual world. We find that their properties depend critically on the nature of the context-interdependence of the interactions, highlighting the complex and multilayered nature of human interactions, a robust understanding of which we believe may prove instrumental in the designing of more realistic future virtual arenas as well as provide novel insights to the science of collective human behavior. PMID:22496771

Analysis of context dependence in social interaction networks of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seokshin Son

Full Text Available Rapid advances in modern computing and information technology have enabled millions of people to interact online via various social network and gaming services. The widespread adoption of such online services have made possible analysis of large-scale archival data containing detailed human interactions, presenting a very promising opportunity to understand the rich and complex human behavior. In collaboration with a leading global provider of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs, here we present a network science-based analysis of the interplay between distinct types of user interaction networks in the virtual world. We find that their properties depend critically on the nature of the context-interdependence of the interactions, highlighting the complex and multilayered nature of human interactions, a robust understanding of which we believe may prove instrumental in the designing of more realistic future virtual arenas as well as provide novel insights to the science of collective human behavior.

Would you like to play together? Adults' attachment and the mirror game.

Science.gov (United States)

Feniger-Schaal, Rinat; Noy, Lior; Hart, Yuval; Koren-Karie, Nina; Mayo, Avraham E; Alon, Uri

2016-01-01

Why is it easy for some people to play together and difficult for others? In this interdisciplinary pilot study, we looked at dyadic interaction in motion as a paradigm to explore the expression of attachment in adulthood. We used a device that gives simple, quantitative and automated indicators for the quality of interaction while playing the mirror game. Forty-seven participants played the mirror game with the same gender-matched expert players. In addition, participants were interviewed on the Adult Attachment Interview to assess their quality of attachment. Using high resolution kinematic measures, we found that secure attachment was correlated with high complexity of the game and low synchrony compared to insecure attachment. The findings suggest that security of attachment is related to a more exploratory and less rigid game than insecure-dismissing attachment. These preliminary findings imply that high resolution analysis of simple movement interaction could carry information about attachment behavior.

Do aggressive people play violent computer games in a more aggressive way? Individual difference and idiosyncratic game-playing experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Wei; Liu, Ming; Mou, Yi

2008-04-01

ABSTRACT This study investigates whether individual difference influences idiosyncratic experience of game playing. In particular, we examine the relationship between the game player's physical-aggressive personality and the aggressiveness of the player's game playing in violence-oriented video games. Screen video stream of 40 individual participants' game playing was captured and content analyzed. Participants' physical aggression was measured before the game play. The results suggest that people with more physical-aggressive personality engage in a more aggressive style of playing, after controlling the differences of gender and previous gaming experience. Implications of these findings and direction for future studies are discussed.

Meta matters in interactive storytelling and serious gaming (a play on worlds)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Linssen, Johannes Maria

2017-01-01

In this dissertation, I investigate the use of storytelling techniques in the domains of interactive storytelling and serious gaming. The field of interactive storytelling attempts to create and analyse systems that allow users to influence the plots of stories. Serious games provide experiences not

Recent Advances in General Game Playing

Science.gov (United States)

Świechowski, Maciej; Park, HyunSoo; Mańdziuk, Jacek; Kim, Kyung-Joong

2015-01-01

The goal of General Game Playing (GGP) has been to develop computer programs that can perform well across various game types. It is natural for human game players to transfer knowledge from games they already know how to play to other similar games. GGP research attempts to design systems that work well across different game types, including unknown new games. In this review, we present a survey of recent advances (2011 to 2014) in GGP for both traditional games and video games. It is notable that research on GGP has been expanding into modern video games. Monte-Carlo Tree Search and its enhancements have been the most influential techniques in GGP for both research domains. Additionally, international competitions have become important events that promote and increase GGP research. Recently, a video GGP competition was launched. In this survey, we review recent progress in the most challenging research areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI) related to universal game playing. PMID:26380375

Recent Advances in General Game Playing.

Science.gov (United States)

Świechowski, Maciej; Park, HyunSoo; Mańdziuk, Jacek; Kim, Kyung-Joong

2015-01-01

The goal of General Game Playing (GGP) has been to develop computer programs that can perform well across various game types. It is natural for human game players to transfer knowledge from games they already know how to play to other similar games. GGP research attempts to design systems that work well across different game types, including unknown new games. In this review, we present a survey of recent advances (2011 to 2014) in GGP for both traditional games and video games. It is notable that research on GGP has been expanding into modern video games. Monte-Carlo Tree Search and its enhancements have been the most influential techniques in GGP for both research domains. Additionally, international competitions have become important events that promote and increase GGP research. Recently, a video GGP competition was launched. In this survey, we review recent progress in the most challenging research areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI) related to universal game playing.

Recent Advances in General Game Playing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maciej Świechowski

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The goal of General Game Playing (GGP has been to develop computer programs that can perform well across various game types. It is natural for human game players to transfer knowledge from games they already know how to play to other similar games. GGP research attempts to design systems that work well across different game types, including unknown new games. In this review, we present a survey of recent advances (2011 to 2014 in GGP for both traditional games and video games. It is notable that research on GGP has been expanding into modern video games. Monte-Carlo Tree Search and its enhancements have been the most influential techniques in GGP for both research domains. Additionally, international competitions have become important events that promote and increase GGP research. Recently, a video GGP competition was launched. In this survey, we review recent progress in the most challenging research areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI related to universal game playing.

Triadic and collaborative play by gorillas in social games with objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanner, Joanne E; Byrne, Richard W

2010-07-01

Interaction with others over objects has until recently been thought lacking in the social play of non-human great apes, in contrast to that of children; even now, only bonobos have been observed to engage in social play involving objects. Human children's triadic interactions with objects involve joint attention, showing and giving, communication that maintains interaction, and sharing of emotions and experiences. We question assertions that chimpanzees, and non-human great apes in general, lack the key characteristics of children's collaborative play. Here, we show that zoo gorillas play games that are both triadic and collaborative. These games were videotaped at the San Francisco Zoo in five different years and involved five different pairings of gorillas. The context was in most cases playfully competitive, involving objects such as balls, bags and leather pieces as foci of joint attention; the ostensible goal in most games was to gain or keep possession of a particular object. In some episodes, roles as possessor or pursuer of an object were exchanged many times; in others, one gorilla retained possession of an object but encouraged pursuit from a partner. Through gaze and gesture, gorillas invited others to: share interest in and attention to objects; share patterns of play; and re-engage after breaks in play. Sometimes, gorillas would assist others in their efforts to engage in collaborative play: older gorillas encouraged younger partners by 'self-handicapping' their own actions. Collaborative games may occur later in the ontogeny of gorillas than in humans, and depend on the challenges and artifacts available in a particular group's habitat.

Social interactions in massively multiplayer online role-playing gamers.

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Helena; Griffiths, Mark D

2007-08-01

To date, most research into massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) has examined the demographics of play. This study explored the social interactions that occur both within and outside of MMORPGs. The sample consisted of 912 self-selected MMORPG players from 45 countries. MMORPGs were found to be highly socially interactive environments providing the opportunity to create strong friendships and emotional relationships. The study demonstrated that the social interactions in online gaming form a considerable element in the enjoyment of playing. The study showed MMORPGs can be extremely social games, with high percentages of gamers making life-long friends and partners. It was concluded that virtual gaming may allow players to express themselves in ways they may not feel comfortable doing in real life because of their appearance, gender, sexuality, and/or age. MMORPGs also offer a place where teamwork, encouragement, and fun can be experienced.

Online gaming addiction? Motives predict addictive play behavior in massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuss, Daria J; Louws, Jorik; Wiers, Reinout W

2012-09-01

Recently, there have been growing concerns about excessive online gaming. Playing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) appears to be particularly problematic, because these games require a high degree of commitment and time investment from the players to the detriment of occupational, social, and other recreational activities and relations. A number of gaming motives have been linked to excessive online gaming in adolescents and young adults. We assessed 175 current MMORPG players and 90 nonplayers using a Web-based questionnaire regarding their gaming behavior, problems as consequences of gaming, and game motivations and tested their statistical associations. Results indicated that (a) MMORPG players are significantly more likely to experience gaming-related problems relative to nonplayers, and that (b) the gaming motivations escapism and mechanics significantly predicted excessive gaming and appeared as stronger predictors than time investment in game. The findings support the necessity of using measures that distinguish between different types of online games. In addition, this study proves useful regarding the current discussion on establishing (online) gaming addiction as a diagnosis in future categorizations of psychopathology.

Character Play – The use of game characters in multi- player Role Playing Games across platforms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tychsen, Anders; Hitchens, M.; Brolund, T.

2008-01-01

histories of game characters. This article presents results from a comprehensive empirical study of the way complex game characters are utilized by players in multiplayer role-playing games across two different media platforms. The results indicate that adult players are capable of comprehending...... and utilizing game characters with well-defined personalities and backgrounds, as well as rules-based components. Furthermore, that the game format plays a significant role in the pattern of usage of the character elements. This pattern appears directly linked with variations in the way that the different game...

Play the Immune System Defender Game

Science.gov (United States)

... Questionnaire The Immune System Play the Immune System Game About the game Granulocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells are immune cells ... last will in Paris. Play the Blood Typing Game Try to save some patients and learn about ...

Strategic interactions: Games of the Ju|'hoan.

Science.gov (United States)

de Voogt, Alex

2017-12-01

Three strategic games played by the Ju|'hoan-a board, a card, and a gesture game-complicate the rhetorics that suggest an evolutionary or psychological significance of play. They are mostly played by adults, although every individual adult does not necessarily engage in each game. The Ju|'hoan card and board game practices were transmitted through contact across large parts of Botswana and Namibia, while the gesture game n!àì has been known in other San communities. It suggests that the significance of strategic games is more likely found in its potential for social interaction (i.e., allowing to overcome cultural divides) than in evolution and psychology. Within the anthropological literature, strategy games were thought to be absent in egalitarian societies, such as that of the Ju|'hoan. Here, the roles of power, competition, and winning were thought to be disruptive and unwanted. A closer examination of the details behind the Ju|'hoan games shows that not only were strategy games adopted and adapted from neighboring societies but that the game of n!àì was developed by the Ju|'hoan into a competitive one. The evolutionary or psychological significance of play is informed by studies on individual play, children's play, and games with informal rules. When considering strategic games throughout history, it is their role of facilitator rather than the playing practice itself that makes games relevant across languages, cultural divides, and sociopolitical boundaries.

Institutional games played by confined juveniles.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartollas, C; Sieverdes, C M

1983-01-01

This study examined the games played by 561 juvenile offenders confined in six coeducational correctional facilities in one state. The types of games these residents used against staff and peers within the confines of the institution varied considerably. The study documented nineteen games used by males and females, twelve to deal with staff and seven to deal with peers. The games were defined as therapeutic games, material games, psychological games, and physical games. Peer-oriented games included attention-seeking activities and a variety of dominance games. Additionally, these games were described and tabulated according to the sex and race of the residents. The conclusion was that game-playing behavior was no less frequent in coeducational institutions than it was in single-sex institutions.

Deep Learning for Video Game Playing

OpenAIRE

Justesen, Niels; Bontrager, Philip; Togelius, Julian; Risi, Sebastian

2017-01-01

In this article, we review recent Deep Learning advances in the context of how they have been applied to play different types of video games such as first-person shooters, arcade games, and real-time strategy games. We analyze the unique requirements that different game genres pose to a deep learning system and highlight important open challenges in the context of applying these machine learning methods to video games, such as general game playing, dealing with extremely large decision spaces...

Free time, play and game

OpenAIRE

Božović Ratko R.

2008-01-01

Free time and play are mutually dependent categories that are always realized together. We either play because we have free time or we have free time because we play (E. Fink). Play, no matter whether it is children's or artistic play or a spontaneous sports game (excluding professional sports) most fully complements human existence and thereby realizes free time as a time in freedom and freedom of time. Therefore, free time exists and is most prominent in play. Moreover, one game releases it...

Activity and energy expenditure in older people playing active video games.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Lynne M; Maddison, Ralph; Pfaeffli, Leila A; Rawstorn, Jonathan C; Gant, Nicholas; Kerse, Ngaire M

2012-12-01

Tayl To quantify energy expenditure in older adults playing interactive video games while standing and seated, and secondarily to determine whether participants' balance status influenced the energy cost associated with active video game play. Cross-sectional study. University research center. Community-dwelling adults (N=19) aged 70.7±6.4 years. Participants played 9 active video games, each for 5 minutes, in random order. Two games (boxing and bowling) were played in both seated and standing positions. Energy expenditure was assessed using indirect calorimetry while at rest and during game play. Energy expenditure was expressed in kilojoules per minute and metabolic equivalents (METs). Balance was assessed using the mini-BESTest, the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale, and the Timed Up and Go (TUG). Mean ± SD energy expenditure was significantly greater for all game conditions compared with rest (all P≤.01) and ranged from 1.46±.41 METs to 2.97±1.16 METs. There was no significant difference in energy expenditure, activity counts, or perceived exertion between equivalent games played while standing and seated. No significant correlations were observed between energy expenditure or activity counts and balance status. Active video games provide light-intensity exercise in community-dwelling older people, whether played while seated or standing. People who are unable to stand may derive equivalent benefits from active video games played while seated. Further research is required to determine whether sustained use of active video games alters physical activity levels in community settings for this population. Copyright © 2012 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Play to Learn, Learn to Play: Language Learning through Gaming Culture

Science.gov (United States)

Ryu, Dongwan

2013-01-01

Many researchers have investigated learning through playing games. However, after playing games, players often go online to establish and participate in the online community where they enrich their game experiences, discuss game-related issues, and create fan-fictions, screenshots, or scenarios. Although these emerging activities are an essential…

The Many Faces of Role-Playing Games

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hitchens, Michael; Drachen, Anders

2009-01-01

Role-playing games have grown and evolved into a large number of forms in the last thirty years, spanning digital as well as non-digital media. They demonstrate a wide variety in the number of participants, style of play and the formal and informal systems that govern them. Despite this diversity...... players at least seem to think they know when something is a role-playing game. Yet there is no commonly accepted definition which both captures games generally accepted as role-playing games and distinguishes them from other, similar, games which begs the question, whether roleplaying games are united...... by anything more than a colloquial name. Additionally, research involving these games is hampered by lack of a widely accepted definition of what constitutes a roleplaying game, as it is then not even possible to clearly delineate the subject of such research. In this paper various example of role-playing...

We're in Math Class Playing Games, Not Playing Games in Math Class

Science.gov (United States)

McFeetors, P. Janelle; Palfy, Kylie

2017-01-01

Early experiences of reasoning while playing games of strategy are foundational for future proofs that students will be expected to build using conventionally structured arguments. But how did game playing in school occur? How can educators be sure that mathematical reasoning is going on? The authors investigated these questions to understand how…

The perception of video games : from visual power to immersive interaction

OpenAIRE

Glashüttner, Robert

2008-01-01

This paper highlights the different ways of perceiving video games and video game content, incorporating interactive and non-interactive methods. It examines varying cognitive and emotive reactions by persons who are used to play video games as well as persons who are unfamiliar with the aesthetics and the most basic game play rules incorporated within video games. Additionally, the principle of “Flow” serves as a theoretical and philosophical foundation. A small case-study featuring two game...

Play the Blood Typing Game

Science.gov (United States)

... Nobel's Life and Work Teachers' Questionnaire The Blood Typing Game What happens if you get a blood ... learn about human blood types! Play the Blood Typing Game 28 September 2017 The mission based game ...

Social Interactions in Online Gaming

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, Mark; Hussain, Zaheer; Grüsser, Sabine M.; Thalemann, Ralf; Cole, Helena; Davies, Mark N. O.; Chappell, Darren

2011-01-01

This paper briefly overviews five studies examining massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). The first study surveyed 540 gamers and showed that the social aspects of the game were the most important factor for many gamers. The second study explored the social interactions of 912 MMORPG players and showed they created strong…

Using Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games for Online Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Childress, Marcus D.; Braswell, Ray

2006-01-01

This article addresses the use of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) to foster communication and interaction and to facilitate cooperative learning in an online course. The authors delineate the definition and history of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), and describe current uses of MMORPGs in education, including…

Virtual Playgrounds? Assessing the Playfulness of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Kerrie Lewis

2010-01-01

Millions of children and adults devote much of their leisure time to playing massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). Most observers commonly categorize computer games as a play activity, but this article asks whether MMORPGs contain activities that might not be play. The author examines the phenomenon of online gaming and…

Playful user interfaces interfaces that invite social and physical interaction

CERN Document Server

2014-01-01

The book is about user interfaces to applications that have been designed for social and physical interaction. The interfaces are ‘playful’, that is, users feel challenged to engage in social and physical interaction because that will be fun. The topics that will be present in this book are interactive playgrounds, urban games using mobiles, sensor-equipped environments for playing, child-computer interaction, tangible game interfaces, interactive tabletop technology and applications, full-body interaction, exertion games, persuasion, engagement, evaluation, and user experience. Readers of the book will not only get a survey of state-of-the-art research in these areas, but the chapters in this book will also provide a vision of the future where playful interfaces will be ubiquitous, that is, present and integrated in home, office, recreational, sports and urban environments, emphasizing that in the future in these environments game elements will be integrated and welcomed.

Understanding Games as Played

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leino, Olli Tapio

2009-01-01

Researchers interested in player’s experience would assumedly, across disciplines, agree that the goal behind enquiries into player’s experience is to understand the how games’ features end up affecting the player’s experience. Much of the contemporary interdisciplinary research into player......’s experience leans toward the empirical-scientific, in the forms (neuro)psychology, sociology and cognitive science, to name a few. In such approaches, for example demonstrating correlation between physiological symptoms and an in-game event may amount to ‘understanding’. However, the experience of computer...... game play is a viable topic also for computer game studies within the general tradition of humanities. In such context, the idea of ‘understanding an experience’ invites an approach focusing on the experienced significance of events and objects within computer game play. This focus, in turn, suggests...

A cross-genre study of online gaming: player demographics, motivation for play, and social interactions among players

OpenAIRE

Ghuman, D; Griffiths, MD

2012-01-01

One key limitation with the contemporary online gaming research literature is that much of the published research has tended to examine only one genre of games (i.e., Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). Three relatively little studied online games are First Person Shooter (FPS) Games, Role Play Games (RPG) and Real Time Strategy (RTS) Games. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine player behaviour and characteristics in these three different online gaming genres. More spec...

Games Con Men Play: The Semiosis of Deceptive Interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Hankiss, Agnes

1980-01-01

Analyzes some of the most frequent deceptive interactions as rendered through case histories of male con artists and their victims taken from police records. Discusses the recurrent elements in both the con-games strategies and victims' way of interpreting those strategies. (JMF)

Appeal of playing online First Person Shooter Games.

Science.gov (United States)

Jansz, Jeroen; Tanis, Martin

2007-02-01

First Person Shooter Games (FPSG) such as Counter Strike are often the subject of public concern. Surprisingly, there is no published research available about playing these games. We conducted an exploratory Internet survey (n 5 751) in order to gather information about who the players of online first person shooters are, and why they spend time on playing this particular kind of video game. The results of our survey on the one hand confirmed the stereotype of the gamer as it is often presented in popular media: the players of online FPS were indeed almost exclusively young men (mean age about 18 years) who spend a lot of their leisure time on gaming (about 2.6 h per day). We also found that the most committed gamers, that is, the ones who were members of a (semi)professional clan, scored highest on motives with respect to competition, and challenge in comparison with members of amateur clans and online gamers who had not joined a clan. On the other hand, our results cast doubt on the accuracy of the stereotype. This study showed clearly that online FPSG are not played in isolation. More than 80% of our respondents were member of a clan. Also, the regression analysis showed that the social interaction motive was the strongest predictor of the time actually spend on gaming.

The Effect Playing Online GamesOn The Players

OpenAIRE

Christopher Akami J.S

2014-01-01

Online game is a game that requires internet connection to play and while playing a lot of individuals do not care about a lot of things. Games can also influence the gamers to have bad behavior. However, playing online games can be exciting although only playing for a moment.

Negative correlates of computer game play in adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Colwell, J; Payne, J

2000-08-01

There is some concern that playing computer games may be associated with social isolation, lowered self-esteem, and aggression among adolescents. Measures of these variables were included in a questionnaire completed by 204 year eight students at a North London comprehensive school. Principal components analysis of a scale to assess needs fulfilled by game play provided some support for the notion of 'electronic friendship' among boys, but there was no evidence that game play leads to social isolation. Play was not linked to self-esteem in girls, but a negative relationship was obtained between self-esteem and frequency of play in boys. However, self-esteem was not associated with total exposure to game play. Aggression scores were not related to the number of games with aggressive content named among three favourite games, but they were positively correlated with total exposure to game play. A multiple regression analysis revealed that sex and total game play exposure each accounted for a significant but small amount of the variance in aggression scores. The positive correlation between playing computer games and aggression provides some justification for further investigation of the causal hypothesis, and possible methodologies are discussed.

The Association Between Video Game Play and Cognitive Function: Does Gaming Platform Matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Vivian; Young, Michaelia; Fiocco, Alexandra J

2017-11-01

Despite consumer growth, few studies have evaluated the cognitive effects of gaming using mobile devices. This study examined the association between video game play platform and cognitive performance. Furthermore, the differential effect of video game genre (action versus nonaction) was explored. Sixty undergraduate students completed a video game experience questionnaire, and we divided them into three groups: mobile video game players (MVGPs), console/computer video game players (CVGPs), and nonvideo game players (NVGPs). Participants completed a cognitive battery to assess executive function, and learning and memory. Controlling for sex and ethnicity, analyses showed that frequent video game play is associated with enhanced executive function, but not learning and memory. MVGPs were significantly more accurate on working memory performances than NVGPs. Both MVGPs and CVGPs were similarly associated with enhanced cognitive function, suggesting that platform does not significantly determine the benefits of frequent video game play. Video game platform was found to differentially associate with preference for action video game genre and motivation for gaming. Exploratory analyses show that sex significantly effects frequent video game play, platform and genre preference, and cognitive function. This study represents a novel exploration of the relationship between mobile video game play and cognition and adds support to the cognitive benefits of frequent video game play.

Unhappy families: using tabletop games as a technology to understand play in education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Lean

2018-05-01

Full Text Available In this article, we argue that tabletop games provide a helpful means of rethinking the affordances of digital games in pedagogy. We argue that tabletop games offer a distinctive technology from digital games in exploring the idea of play as experience, providing a sociable, accessible and tactile platform that can easily be adapted by players to suit their needs. At a workshop session at an international conference on play in education, we used tabletop games to enable discussion and observation of play. This workshop suggested that, rather than a singular definition, tabletop play means different things to different people, and what is ‘counted as’ play depends upon both individual and group interactions. Building upon this discussion, in this article, we return to both tabletop and digital games to discuss the idea of play as experience, especially with regard to the use of technology in educational settings, and how games might be seen as less ‘predictable’ than other technologies. We hope that this discussion provides future inspiration to other scholars who are considering the use of tabletop games in both pedagogical and technological research.

The playful and reflective game designer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Majgaard, Gunver

2014-01-01

Abstract: A group of first-semester engineering students participated in a game design course. The aim of the course was to learn how to design computer games and programming skills by creating their own games, thereby applying their game-playing experiences to gain knowledge about game design....... The aim was for students to develop a more critically reflective perspective on video games and game design. In applying their game experiences, they developed their own digital prototypes and participated in reflective discussions on the concept of games: what makes them interesting and how...... they are constructed. The students used the GameMaker programming tool, which can be used without any prior programming knowledge. The tool allows for the easy development of 2D game prototypes.The didactic approach was based on play as a lever for the design process, and on constructionistic and reflective learning...

The Effect Playing Online GamesOn The Players

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher Akami J.S

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Online game is a game that requires internet connection to play and while playing a lot of individuals do not care about a lot of things. Games can also influence the gamers to have bad behavior. However, playing online games can be exciting although only playing for a moment.

Middle school children's game playing preferences: Case studies of children's experiences playing and critiquing science-related educational games

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph, Dolly Rebecca Doran

The playing of computer games is one of the most popular non-school activities of children, particularly boys, and is often the entry point to greater facility with and use of other computer applications. Children are learning skills as they play, but what they learn often does not generalize beyond application to that and other similar games. Nevertheless, games have the potential to develop in students the knowledge and skills described by national and state educational standards. This study focuses upon middle-school aged children, and how they react to and respond to computer games designed for entertainment and educational purposes, within the context of science learning. Through qualitative, case study methodology, the game play, evaluation, and modification experiences of four diverse middle-school-aged students in summer camps are analyzed. The inquiry focused on determining the attributes of computer games that appeal to middle school students, the aspects of science that appeal to middle school children, and ultimately, how science games might be designed to appeal to middle school children. Qualitative data analysis led to the development of a method for describing players' activity modes during game play, rather than the conventional methods that describe game characteristics. These activity modes are used to describe the game design preferences of the participants. Recommendations are also made in the areas of functional, aesthetic, and character design and for the design of educational games. Middle school students may find the topical areas of forensics, medicine, and the environment to be of most interest; designing games in and across these topic areas has the potential for encouraging voluntary science-related play. Finally, when including children in game evaluation and game design activities, results suggest the value of providing multiple types of activities in order to encourage the full participation of all children.

Gender Differences in Students' Mathematics Game Playing

Science.gov (United States)

Lowrie, Tom; Jorgensen, Robyn

2011-01-01

The investigation monitored the digital game-playing behaviours of 428 primary-aged students (aged 10-12 years). Chi-square analysis revealed that boys tend to spend more time playing digital games than girls while boys and girls play quite different game genres. Subsequent analysis revealed statistically significant gender differences in terms of…

Energy expenditure and enjoyment during video game play: differences by game type.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyons, Elizabeth J; Tate, Deborah F; Ward, Dianne S; Bowling, J Michael; Ribisl, Kurt M; Kalyararaman, Sriram

2011-10-01

Play of physically active video games may be a way to increase physical activity and/or decrease sedentary behavior, but games are not universally active or enjoyable. Active games may differ from traditional games on important attributes, which may affect frequency and intensity of play. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in energy expenditure and enjoyment across four game types: shooter (played with traditional controllers), band simulation (guitar or drum controller), dance simulation (dance mat controller), and fitness (balance board controller). Energy expenditure (METs) and enjoyment were measured across 10 games in 100 young adults age 18-35 yr (50 women). All games except shooter games significantly increased energy expenditure over rest (P games increased energy expenditure by 322% (mean ± SD = 3.10 ± 0.89 METs) and 298% (2.91 ± 0.87 METs), which was greater than that produced by band simulation (73%, 1.28 ± 0.28 METs) and shooter games (23%, 0.91 ± 0.16 METs). However, enjoyment was higher in band simulation games than in other types (P game types (P games can significantly increase energy expended during screen time, but these games are less enjoyable than other more sedentary games, suggesting that they may be less likely to be played over time. Less active but more enjoyable video games may be a promising method for decreasing sedentary behavior.

INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFECT OF USER'S EXPERIENCE TO MOTIVATE PLAYING ONLINE GAMES

OpenAIRE

RYAN RANDY SURYONO; APOL PRIBADI SUBRIADI

2016-01-01

Internet technology has been growing and become one of the options for people to interact with others. Now days, one of the most famous usage of the internet was as an entertainment. Online game was a sample. For this reason, therefore the online business games also growth among the public. As someone frequently play the online games, interaction with other users could increase, which would lead for more users to join the game�s community. In this community, users might perform specific roles...

"Prey Play": Learning about Predators and Prey through an Interactive, Role-Play Game

Science.gov (United States)

Deaton, Cynthia C. M.; Dodd, Kristen; Drennon, Katherine; Nagle, Jack

2012-01-01

"Prey Play" is an interactive role-play activity that provides fifth-grade students with opportunities to examine predator-prey interactions. This four-part, role-play activity allows students to take on the role of a predator and prey as they reflect on the behaviors animals exhibit as they collect food and interact with one another, as well as…

Energy Expenditure and Enjoyment during Video Game Play: Differences by Game Type

Science.gov (United States)

Lyons, Elizabeth J.; Tate, Deborah F.; Ward, Dianne S.; Bowling, J. Michael; Ribisl, Kurt M.; Kalyararaman, Sriram

2012-01-01

Purpose Play of physically active video games may be a way to increase physical activity and/or decrease sedentary behavior, but games are not universally active or enjoyable. Active games may differ from traditional games on important attributes, which may affect frequency and intensity of play. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in energy expenditure and enjoyment across four game types: shooter (played with traditional controllers), band simulation (guitar or drum controller), dance simulation (dance mat controller), and fitness (balance board controller). Methods Energy expenditure (metabolic equivalents [METs]) and enjoyment were measured across ten games in 100 young adults aged 18 to 35 (50 females). Results All games except shooter games significantly increased energy expenditure over rest (P games increased energy expenditure by 322 (mean [SD] 3.10 [0.89] METs) and 298 (2.91 [0.87] METs) percent, which was greater than that produced by band simulation (73%, 1.28 [0.28] METs) and shooter games (23%, 0.91 [0.16] METs). However, enjoyment was higher in band simulation games than in other types (P game types (P games can significantly increase energy expended during screen time, but these games are less enjoyable than other more sedentary games, suggesting that they may be less likely to be played over time. Less active but more enjoyable video games may be a promising method for decreasing sedentary behavior. PMID:21364477

Why people continue to play online games: in search of critical design factors to increase customer loyalty to online contents.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Dongseong; Kim, Jinwoo

2004-02-01

As people increasingly play online games, numerous new features have been proposed to increase players' log-on time at online gaming sites. However, few studies have investigated why people continue to play certain online games or which design features are most closely related to the amount of time spent by players at particular online gaming sites. This study proposes a theoretical model using the concepts of customer loyalty, flow, personal interaction, and social interaction to explain why people continue to play online network games. The study then conducts a large-scale survey to validate the model. Finally, it analyzes current online games to identify design features that are closely related to the theoretical concepts. The results indicate that people continue to play online games if they have optimal experiences while playing the games. This optimal experience can be attained if the player has effective personal interaction with the system or pleasant social interactions with other people connected to the Internet. Personal interaction can be facilitated by providing appropriate goals, operators and feedback; social interaction can be facilitated through appropriate communication places and tools. This paper ends with the implications of applying the study results to other domains such as e-commerce and cyber communities.

Exploring the enjoyment of playing browser games.

Science.gov (United States)

Klimmt, Christoph; Schmid, Hannah; Orthmann, Julia

2009-04-01

Browser games--mostly persistent game worlds that can be used without client software and monetary cost with a Web browser--belong to the understudied digital game types, although they attract large player communities and motivate sustained play. The present work reports findings from an online survey of 8,203 players of a German strategy browser game ("Travian"). Results suggest that multiplayer browser games are enjoyed primarily because of the social relationships involved in game play and the specific time and flexibility characteristics ("easy-in, easy-out"). Competition, in contrast, seems to be less important for browser gamers than for users of other game types. Findings are discussed in terms of video game enjoyment and game addiction.

The motivation of children to play an active video game.

Science.gov (United States)

Chin A Paw, Marijke J M; Jacobs, Wietske M; Vaessen, Ellen P G; Titze, Sylvia; van Mechelen, Willem

2008-04-01

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effect of a weekly multiplayer class on the motivation of children aged 9-12 years to play an interactive dance simulation video game (IDSVG) at home over a period of 12 weeks. A sample of 27 children was randomly assigned to (1) a home group instructed to play the IDSVG at home; (2) a multiplayer group instructed to play the IDSVG at home and to participate in a weekly IDSVG multiplayer class. Participants were asked to play the IDSVG as often as they liked and report the playing time daily on a calendar for a 12-week period. Motivation to play was assessed by the playing duration of IDSVG in minutes and the dropout during the study. Mean age of the 16 children who completed the study was 10.6+/-0.8 years. During the 12-week intervention period, the multiplayer group played approximately twice as many minutes (901min) as the home group (376min, p=0.13). Dropout was significantly (p=0.02) lower in the multiplayer group (15%) than in the home group (64%). Our findings suggest that multiplayer classes may increase children's motivation to play interactive dance simulation video games.

The benefits of playing video games.

Science.gov (United States)

Granic, Isabela; Lobel, Adam; Engels, Rutger C M E

2014-01-01

Video games are a ubiquitous part of almost all children's and adolescents' lives, with 97% playing for at least one hour per day in the United States. The vast majority of research by psychologists on the effects of "gaming" has been on its negative impact: the potential harm related to violence, addiction, and depression. We recognize the value of that research; however, we argue that a more balanced perspective is needed, one that considers not only the possible negative effects but also the benefits of playing these games. Considering these potential benefits is important, in part, because the nature of these games has changed dramatically in the last decade, becoming increasingly complex, diverse, realistic, and social in nature. A small but significant body of research has begun to emerge, mostly in the last five years, documenting these benefits. In this article, we summarize the research on the positive effects of playing video games, focusing on four main domains: cognitive, motivational, emotional, and social. By integrating insights from developmental, positive, and social psychology, as well as media psychology, we propose some candidate mechanisms by which playing video games may foster real-world psychosocial benefits. Our aim is to provide strong enough evidence and a theoretical rationale to inspire new programs of research on the largely unexplored mental health benefits of gaming. Finally, we end with a call to intervention researchers and practitioners to test the positive uses of video games, and we suggest several promising directions for doing so. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Games people play the psychology of human relationships

CERN Document Server

Berne, Eric

2010-01-01

The bestselling Games People Play is the book that has helped millions of people understand the dynamics of relationships, by psychiatrist Eric Berne.We all play games. In every encounter with other people we are doing so. The nature of these games depends both on the situation and on who we meet.Eric Berne's classic Games People Play is the most accessible and insightful book ever written about the games we play: those patterns of behaviour that reveal hidden feelings and emotions. Wise and witty, it shows the underlying motivations behind our relationships and explores the roles that we try to play - and are forced to play.Games People Play gives you the keys to unlock the psychology of others - and yourself. You'll become more honest, more effective, and a true team player.'A brilliant, amusing, and clear catalogue of the psychological theatricals that human beings play over and over again' Kurt VonnegutEric Berne was a prominent psychiatrist and bestselling author.After inventing his groundbreaking Transa...

Playing Action Video Games Improves Visuomotor Control.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Li; Chen, Rongrong; Chen, Jing

2016-08-01

Can playing action video games improve visuomotor control? If so, can these games be used in training people to perform daily visuomotor-control tasks, such as driving? We found that action gamers have better lane-keeping and visuomotor-control skills than do non-action gamers. We then trained non-action gamers with action or nonaction video games. After they played a driving or first-person-shooter video game for 5 or 10 hr, their visuomotor control improved significantly. In contrast, non-action gamers showed no such improvement after they played a nonaction video game. Our model-driven analysis revealed that although different action video games have different effects on the sensorimotor system underlying visuomotor control, action gaming in general improves the responsiveness of the sensorimotor system to input error signals. The findings support a causal link between action gaming (for as little as 5 hr) and enhancement in visuomotor control, and suggest that action video games can be beneficial training tools for driving. © The Author(s) 2016.

Playing violent video games increases intergroup bias.

Science.gov (United States)

Greitemeyer, Tobias

2014-01-01

Previous research has shown how, why, and for whom violent video game play is related to aggression and aggression-related variables. In contrast, less is known about whether some individuals are more likely than others to be the target of increased aggression after violent video game play. The present research examined the idea that the effects of violent video game play are stronger when the target is a member of an outgroup rather than an ingroup. In fact, a correlational study revealed that violent video game exposure was positively related to ethnocentrism. This relation remained significant when controlling for trait aggression. Providing causal evidence, an experimental study showed that playing a violent video game increased aggressive behavior, and that this effect was more pronounced when the target was an outgroup rather than an ingroup member. Possible mediating mechanisms are discussed.

Design sensitivities for interactive sport-training games

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Mads Møller; Rasmussen, Majken Kirkegård; Grønbæk, Kaj

2014-01-01

and reflected upon. Based on the experiences gained from the design and development process, as well as examples from the existing field and skill acquisition theory, we present three areas of interest to consider for interactive sport-training game designers: Context Characteristics, Movement Patterns...... and Perceptual Reaction. From a discussion of these areas, we derive eight design sensitivities that emphasize issues, challenges and opportunities, important for the design, development and analysis of interactive sport-training games in general.......This paper presents the design and development process of an interactive football-training game that aims to improve players' ball-handling skills, and their ability to simultaneously survey the playing field. A small-scale experiment was conducted to test the game, and the results are presented...

Adaptive play stabilizes cooperation in continuous public goods games

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Te; Wang, Long

2018-04-01

We construct a model to study the effects of repeated interaction on the evolution of cooperation in continuous public goods games. Instead of preassigning the duration of repeatedness, the likelihood of group entering next round interaction is positively dependent on the group's current cooperativeness. Meanwhile, when the disturbance happens, the interaction terminates. Under rare mutations, we show that such adaptive play can lead to the dominance of full cooperative state for weak disturbance. For fairly strong disturbance, all-or-none cooperative states share higher fractions of time in the long run, results similar to the ones reported in the study (Pinheiro et al., 2014) while differing from the ones reported in another relevant study (Van Segbroeck et al., 2012), although only strategy space and way determining next round vary. Our results remain valid when groups enter next round with a given probability independent of groups' cooperativeness. In the synergic public goods games, the positive effects of repeated interactions on promoting cooperation is further strengthened. In the discounted public goods game, only very weak disturbance can lead to the dominance of full cooperative state while fairly strong disturbance can favor both full cooperative state and a partially cooperative state. Our study thus enriches the literature on the evolution of cooperation in repeated public goods games.

Creative Classrooms through Game-Based Role-Play Scenarios

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gjedde, Lisa

2014-01-01

studies a framework that anchors the curriculum in game-based role-play scenarios and offers affordances for the learners to immerse themselves in the multiple perspectives of the roles. In this way of introducing problem based learning in immersive narrative environments, the learners are provided......-based role-play scenarios as a learning tool that can integrate the curriculum in meaningful context, and how it has impacted on the interaction and creative learning experiences in the class....

Playful participation in social games

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Markussen, Thomas; Knutz, Eva

2018-01-01

genres, notably serious games and health games. To further increase knowledge of social games we introduce a typology of playful participation in social games. The typology is build up by using formal concepts from theories of participatory art. Its range of application is then demonstrated through......In this paper we introduce social games as a new terrain for studies in participatory culture. Social games defy easy classification and cannot be appropriately understood from existing research perspectives. Initially, we therefore attempt to define social games by comparing it with related game...... an empirical analysis of eight social game prototypes that are designed as part of an on-going 3-year research project called Social Games against Crime. The purpose of this project is to develop socialgames that can help children build resilience towards many of the personal and social problems...

Role-Playing and Real-Time Strategy Games Associated with Greater Probability of Internet Gaming Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Eichenbaum, Adam; Kattner, Florian; Bradford, Daniel; Gentile, Douglas A; Green, C Shawn

2015-08-01

Research indicates that a small subset of those who routinely play video games show signs of pathological habits, with side effects ranging from mild (e.g., being late) to quite severe (e.g., losing a job). However, it is still not clear whether individual types, or genres, of games are most strongly associated with Internet gaming disorder (IGD). A sample of 4,744 University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduates (Mage=18.9 years; SD=1.9 years; 60.5% female) completed questionnaires on general video game playing habits and on symptoms of IGD. Consistent with previous reports: 5.9-10.8% (depending on classification criteria) of individuals who played video games show signs of pathological play. Furthermore, real-time strategy and role-playing video games were more strongly associated with pathological play, compared with action and other games (e.g., phone games). The current investigation adds support to the idea that not all video games are equal. Instead, certain genres of video games, specifically real-time strategy and role-playing/fantasy games, are disproportionately associated with IGD symptoms.

Why do People Stop Playing On-Line Games?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sudzina, Frantisek; Razmerita, Liana

2012-01-01

The recent initial public offering of shares of Zynga, probably the most important on-line game provider, drew interest of potential investors but also of general public to their business model. What the most interested people learned so far is that if Zynga had not changed their accounting...... practice, they would be in red numbers for several months already. This is most likely caused by people stopping to play their games. This paper provides an estimate of what proportion of people, who played on-line games, already stopped playing them. Additionally, it analyzed the reasons why people...... stopped playing on-line games. It also compares Facebook and other on-line games....

Cats and Portals: Video Games, Learning, and Play

Science.gov (United States)

Gee, James Paul

2008-01-01

The author builds on arguments he has made elsewhere that good commercial video games foster deep learning and problem solving and that such games in fact promote mastery as a form of play. Here he maintains that some good video games engage players with an important type of play, namely of play as discovery, of play as surmising new possibilities…

Smooth leader or sharp follower? Playing the mirror game with a robot.

Science.gov (United States)

Kashi, Shir; Levy-Tzedek, Shelly

2018-01-01

The increasing number of opportunities for human-robot interactions in various settings, from industry through home use to rehabilitation, creates a need to understand how to best personalize human-robot interactions to fit both the user and the task at hand. In the current experiment, we explored a human-robot collaborative task of joint movement, in the context of an interactive game. We set out to test people's preferences when interacting with a robotic arm, playing a leader-follower imitation game (the mirror game). Twenty two young participants played the mirror game with the robotic arm, where one player (person or robot) followed the movements of the other. Each partner (person and robot) was leading part of the time, and following part of the time. When the robotic arm was leading the joint movement, it performed movements that were either sharp or smooth, which participants were later asked to rate. The greatest preference was given to smooth movements. Half of the participants preferred to lead, and half preferred to follow. Importantly, we found that the movements of the robotic arm primed the subsequent movements performed by the participants. The priming effect by the robot on the movements of the human should be considered when designing interactions with robots. Our results demonstrate individual differences in preferences regarding the role of the human and the joint motion path of the robot and the human when performing the mirror game collaborative task, and highlight the importance of personalized human-robot interactions.

Direct observation of children's preferences and activity levels during interactive and online electronic games.

Science.gov (United States)

Sit, Cindy H P; Lam, Jessica W K; McKenzie, Thomas L

2010-07-01

Interactive electronic games have recently been popularized and are believed to help promote children's physical activity (PA). The purpose of the study was to examine preferences and PA levels during interactive and online electronic games among overweight and nonoverweight boys and girls. Using a modification of the SOFIT, we systematically observed 70 Hong Kong Chinese children (35 boys, 35 girls; 50 nonoverweight, 20 overweight), age 9 to 12 years, during 2 60-minute recreation sessions and recorded their game mode choices and PA levels. During Session One children could play either an interactive or an online electronic bowling game and during Session Two they could play an interactive or an online electronic running game. Children chose to play the games during 94% of session time and split this time between interactive (52%) and online (48%) versions. They engaged in significantly more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during interactive games than their online electronic versions (70% vs. 2% of game time). Boys and nonoverweight children expended relatively more energy during the interactive games than girls and overweight children, respectively. New-generation interactive games can facilitate physical activity in children, and given the opportunity children may select them over sedentary versions.

Work for Play: Careers in Video Game Development

Science.gov (United States)

Liming, Drew; Vilorio, Dennis

2011-01-01

Video games are not only for play; they also provide work. Making video games is a serious--and big--business. Creating these games is complex and requires the collaboration of many developers, who perform a variety of tasks, from production to programming. They work for both small and large game studios to create games that can be played on many…

Game-as-Teacher: Modification by Adaptation in Learning through Game-Play

Science.gov (United States)

Hopper, Tim

2011-01-01

This paper will explore how game-play in video games as well as game centered approaches in physical education (PE) such as Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) can draw on complexity thinking to inform the learning process in physical education. Using the video game concept of game-as-teacher (Gee, 2007), ideas such as enabling constraints…

The Correlation of Playing Role-playing Games and Students' Reading Comprehension of Narrative Text

OpenAIRE

Putra, Praditya

2014-01-01

This research investigates the correlation of playing Role-Playing Games and students' reading comprehension of narrative text. Thirty (30) ninth grade students who play Role-Playing Games participated in this study. Their frequency in playing Role-Playing Games and their ability in reading comprehension of narrative text are analyzed by using correlation research design. Correlation research design was used in this study in order to find out the tendency of relation between students' frequen...

Energy expenditure in adolescents playing new generation computer games.

Science.gov (United States)

Graves, Lee; Stratton, Gareth; Ridgers, N D; Cable, N T

2008-07-01

To compare the energy expenditure of adolescents when playing sedentary and new generation active computer games. Cross sectional comparison of four computer games. Setting Research laboratories. Six boys and five girls aged 13-15 years. Participants were fitted with a monitoring device validated to predict energy expenditure. They played four computer games for 15 minutes each. One of the games was sedentary (XBOX 360) and the other three were active (Wii Sports). Predicted energy expenditure, compared using repeated measures analysis of variance. Mean (standard deviation) predicted energy expenditure when playing Wii Sports bowling (190.6 (22.2) kl/kg/min), tennis (202.5 (31.5) kl/kg/min), and boxing (198.1 (33.9) kl/kg/min) was significantly greater than when playing sedentary games (125.5 (13.7) kl/kg/min) (Pgames. Playing new generation active computer games uses significantly more energy than playing sedentary computer games but not as much energy as playing the sport itself. The energy used when playing active Wii Sports games was not of high enough intensity to contribute towards the recommended daily amount of exercise in children.

Toys and games in play therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Meschiany, A; Krontal, S

1998-01-01

The present article discusses the difference between play therapy with toys and play therapy with games from a psychodynamic point of view. Toys are regarded as offering the child an opportunity to develop a variety of transference reactions, while games, because of their inherent competitive characteristic, restrain the scope of possible transference reactions. The authors claim that therapists should consider these eventualities when choosing which games or toys are to be available in the therapy room. This choice might determine, in advance, the initial characteristics of the patient's transference.

Seductive play in digital games

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Ida Kathrine Hammeleff

2015-01-01

play. It is important here to point towards Baudrillard’s distinction between rules and the law. Rules are upheld by a pact between seducer and seduced or between player and game whereas the law relies on an idea of an end that can be transgressed. Rules on the other hand cannot be transgressed...... they can only be observed. If a player fails to observe the rules the pact between the player and the game is void and no game takes place (Baudrillard, 1990 [1979], p 140). This is in stark contrast to Sicart’s description of the rules of digital games as non-negotiable and ultimately upheld...... by the computer (Sicart, 2009, p. 27). This paper argues that this is exactly what distinguishes a game like I don't even game from more conventional digital games. I don't even game is completely empty of significance, and there are no non-negotiable rules governed by the system. As such the game only exists...

Playing a violent television game affects heart rate variability.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivarsson, Malena; Anderson, Martin; Akerstedt, Torbjörn; Lindblad, Frank

2009-01-01

To investigate how playing a violent/nonviolent television game during the evening affects sympathetic and parasympathetic reactions during and after playing as well as sleep quality during the night after playing. In total, 19 boys, 12-15 years of age, played television games on two occasions in their homes and participated once without gaming. Heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV) and physical activity were measured during gaming/participating and the night to follow using a portable combined heart rate and movement sensor. A sleep diary and questionnaires about gaming experiences and session-specific experiences were filled in. Criteria for Selection of Games: Violent game involves/rewards direct physical violence (no handguns) against another person, and nonviolent game involves/rewards no violence; same game design ('third-person game'); conducted in the same manner; no differences concerning motor activity; similar sound and light effects; no sexual content, violence against women or racial overtones. During violent (vs. nonviolent) gaming, there was significantly higher activity of the very low frequency component of the HRV and total power. During the night after playing, very low frequency, low frequency and high frequency components were significantly higher during the violent (vs. nonviolent) condition, just as total power. There were no significant differences between the three conditions (violent/nonviolent/no gaming) with respect to an index reflecting subjectively perceived sleep difficulties. Nor was there any difference between violent and nonviolent condition for any single sleep item. Violent gaming induces different autonomic responses in boys compared to nonviolent gaming--during playing and during the following night--suggesting different emotional responses. Subjectively perceived sleep quality is not influenced after a single gaming experience. Future studies should address the development of the autonomic balance after gaming over longer

Play, game, sport – and democratic self-determination

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eichberg, Henning

2015-01-01

degree contradictory? Several languages use “play” and “game” in a differentiated way: Animals play, but do not engage in games – and the Olympic Games are not Olympic Play. Beneath this dualism, the relation becomes more complex and less dualistic, as Danish, Basque, and Korean languages show. We have......Sport as a sort of game receives its almost religious, sacral undertones from its kinship with play. This is what we learn from educational idealism as well as from Olympic ideology. At a closer glimpse, the phenomena of play, game, and sport are, however, much more differentiated – and to some...... to listen to the deeper knowledge of languages. Maybe, etymology and the anonymous folk speaking through language can tell us something important. Something which is more substantial than the sacral and normative constructions of sport idealism. The differentiation between play, game, and sport has...

Game Analytics for Game User Research, Part 1

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seif El-Nasr, Magy; Desurvire, Heather; Aghabeigi, Bardia

2013-01-01

The emerging field of game user research (GUR) investigates interaction between players and games and the surrounding context of play. Game user researchers have explored methods from, for example, human-computer interaction, psychology, interaction design......The emerging field of game user research (GUR) investigates interaction between players and games and the surrounding context of play. Game user researchers have explored methods from, for example, human-computer interaction, psychology, interaction design...

What Older People Like to Play: Genre Preferences and Acceptance of Casual Games

Science.gov (United States)

Chesham, Alvin; Wyss, Patric; Müri, René Martin

2017-01-01

Background In recent computerized cognitive training studies, video games have emerged as a promising tool that can benefit cognitive function and well-being. Whereas most video game training studies have used first-person shooter (FPS) action video games, subsequent studies found that older adults dislike this type of game and generally prefer casual video games (CVGs), which are a subtype of video games that are easy to learn and use simple rules and interfaces. Like other video games, CVGs are organized into genres (eg, puzzle games) based on the rule-directed interaction with the game. Importantly, game genre not only influences the ease of interaction and cognitive abilities CVGs demand, but also affects whether older adults are willing to play any particular genre. To date, studies looking at how different CVG genres resonate with older adults are lacking. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate how much older adults enjoy different CVG genres and how favorably their CVG characteristics are rated. Methods A total of 16 healthy adults aged 65 years and above playtested 7 CVGs from 4 genres: casual action, puzzle, simulation, and strategy video games. Thereafter, they rated casual game preference and acceptance of casual game characteristics using 4 scales from the Core Elements of the Gaming Experience Questionnaire (CEGEQ). For this, participants rated how much they liked the game (enjoyment), understood the rules of the game (game-play), learned to manipulate the game (control), and make the game their own (ownership). Results Overall, enjoyment and acceptance of casual game characteristics was high and significantly above the midpoint of the rating scale for all CVG genres. Mixed model analyses revealed that ratings of enjoyment and casual game characteristics were significantly influenced by CVG genre. Participants’ mean enjoyment of casual puzzle games (mean 0.95 out of 1.00) was significantly higher than that for casual simulation games

Marketing analytics for Free-to-Play Games

OpenAIRE

Kuokka, Ari

2013-01-01

This thesis deals with free to play marketing analytics in the light of mobile iOS games. Other platforms will be also discussed as well as mobile marketing aspects such as user acquisition, big data and metrics. The case company is a Finnish game startup which is about to release their first game The Supernauts. The objective of this thesis was to research what kind of analytics and metrics are needed in the marketing of free-to-play games as well as to examine what are the best practices...

PERSONALITY AND CHARACTER PREFERENCE IN ROLE-PLAYING GAMES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro José Ramos-Villagrasa

2010-11-01

Full Text Available In role-playing games players perform participative and episodic stories. Personality is a psychological construct associated with decision processes in many aspects of life. In this study, we analyzed if Big Five Personality Factors were related to game character preferences in the role-playing game “Dungeons & Dragons”. Results show that Personality is related only in the decision of character’s class. We also study the relationship between Personality and plots in role-playing games (action, intrigue, mystery, and personal relationships. Finally, recommendations to further investigation were given.

Helping Hands: Designing Video Games with Interpersonal Touch Interaction

OpenAIRE

Watts , Cody; Sharlin , Ehud; Woytiuk , Peter

2010-01-01

International audience; Increasingly, the movements of players' physical bodies are being used as a method of controlling and playing video games. This trend is evidenced by the recent development of interpersonal touch-based games; multiplayer games which players control by physically touching their partners. Although a small number of interpersonal touch-based games have recently been designed, the best practices for creating video games based on this unconventional interaction technique re...

Playing Muller Games in a Hurry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Fearnley

2010-06-01

Full Text Available This work studies the following question: can plays in a Muller game be stopped after a finite number of moves and a winner be declared. A criterion to do this is sound if Player 0 wins an infinite-duration Muller game if and only if she wins the finite-duration version. A sound criterion is presented that stops a play after at most 3^n moves, where n is the size of the arena. This improves the bound (n!+1^n obtained by McNaughton and the bound n!+1 derived from a reduction to parity games.

Playing Muller Games in a Hurry

OpenAIRE

Fearnley, John; Zimmermann, Martin

2010-01-01

This work studies the following question: can plays in a Muller game be stopped after a finite number of moves and a winner be declared. A criterion to do this is sound if Player 0 wins an infinite-duration Muller game if and only if she wins the finite-duration version. A sound criterion is presented that stops a play after at most 3^n moves, where n is the size of the arena. This improves the bound (n!+1)^n obtained by McNaughton and the bound n!+1 derived from a reduction to parity games.

Playing Violent Video and Computer Games and Adolescent Self-Concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Funk, Jeanne B.; Buchman, Debra D.

1996-01-01

Documents current adolescent electronic game-playing habits, exploring associations among preference for violent games, frequency and location of play, and self-concept. Identifies marked gender differences in game-playing habits and in scores on a self-perception profile. Finds that for girls, more time playing video or computer games is…

Physiological Responses and Hedonics During Prolonged Physically Interactive Videogame Play.

Science.gov (United States)

Santo, Antonio S; Barkley, Jacob E; Hafen, Paul S; Navalta, James

2016-04-01

This study was designed to assess physiologic responses and hedonics (i.e., liking) during prolonged physically interactive videogame play. Participants (n = 24) completed three 30-minute videogame conditions on separate days in a random order. During two of the conditions participants played physically interactive videogames (Nintendo of America, Inc. [Redmond, WA] "Wii™ Fit" "Basic Run" and "Basic Step"). During the third condition participants played a traditional/sedentary game ("Tanks!"), which required minimal physical movement for gameplay. Oxygen consumption (VO2) was assessed using indirect calorimetry throughout each condition and averaged every 5 minutes. Liking was assessed via visual analog scale at the 15- and 30-minute time points during each condition. Mean VO2 was significantly (P videogame (5.39 ± 1.0 mL/kg/minute, 1.5 ± 0.1 METs). "Basic Step" was also greater (P videogame conditions. Furthermore, because liking was similar across all gaming conditions, participants may be willing to substitute the physically interactive videogames in place of the traditional/sedentary game.

Game on… girls: associations between co-playing video games and adolescent behavioral and family outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Coyne, Sarah M; Padilla-Walker, Laura M; Stockdale, Laura; Day, Randal D

2011-08-01

Video game use has been associated with several behavioral and health outcomes for adolescents. The aim of the current study was to assess the relationship between parental co-play of video games and behavioral and family outcomes. Participants consisted of 287 adolescents and their parents who completed a number of video game-, behavioral-, and family-related questionnaires as part of a wider study. Most constructs included child, mother, and father reports. At the bivariate level, time spent playing video games was associated with several negative outcomes, including heightened internalizing and aggressive behavior and lowered prosocial behavior. However, co-playing video games with parents was associated with decreased levels of internalizing and aggressive behaviors, and heightened prosocial behavior for girls only. Co-playing video games was also marginally related to parent-child connectedness for girls, even after controlling for age-inappropriate games played with parents. This is the first study to show positive associations for co-playing video games between girls and their parents. Copyright © 2011 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Video Game Play in British and Japanese Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Colwell, John; Kato, Makiko

2005-01-01

Results from research into negative correlates of computer/video game play in the United Kingdom and in Japan are presented, with new analyses across cultures. Patterns of play are similar, although Japanese adolescents have been playing for longer, they play fewer aggressive games, and there is greater perceived concern by Japanese parents.…

What Older People Like to Play: Genre Preferences and Acceptance of Casual Games.

Science.gov (United States)

Chesham, Alvin; Wyss, Patric; Müri, René Martin; Mosimann, Urs Peter; Nef, Tobias

2017-04-18

In recent computerized cognitive training studies, video games have emerged as a promising tool that can benefit cognitive function and well-being. Whereas most video game training studies have used first-person shooter (FPS) action video games, subsequent studies found that older adults dislike this type of game and generally prefer casual video games (CVGs), which are a subtype of video games that are easy to learn and use simple rules and interfaces. Like other video games, CVGs are organized into genres (eg, puzzle games) based on the rule-directed interaction with the game. Importantly, game genre not only influences the ease of interaction and cognitive abilities CVGs demand, but also affects whether older adults are willing to play any particular genre. To date, studies looking at how different CVG genres resonate with older adults are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate how much older adults enjoy different CVG genres and how favorably their CVG characteristics are rated. A total of 16 healthy adults aged 65 years and above playtested 7 CVGs from 4 genres: casual action, puzzle, simulation, and strategy video games. Thereafter, they rated casual game preference and acceptance of casual game characteristics using 4 scales from the Core Elements of the Gaming Experience Questionnaire (CEGEQ). For this, participants rated how much they liked the game (enjoyment), understood the rules of the game (game-play), learned to manipulate the game (control), and make the game their own (ownership). Overall, enjoyment and acceptance of casual game characteristics was high and significantly above the midpoint of the rating scale for all CVG genres. Mixed model analyses revealed that ratings of enjoyment and casual game characteristics were significantly influenced by CVG genre. Participants' mean enjoyment of casual puzzle games (mean 0.95 out of 1.00) was significantly higher than that for casual simulation games (mean 0.75 and 0.73). For casual game

Online-offline activities and game-playing behaviors of avatars in a massive multiplayer online role-playing game

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Zhi-Qiang; Zhou, Wei-Xing; Tan, Qun-Zhao

2009-11-01

Massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are very popular in China, which provides a potential platform for scientific research. We study the online-offline activities of avatars in an MMORPG to understand their game-playing behavior. The statistical analysis unveils that the active avatars can be classified into three types. The avatars of the first type are owned by game cheaters who go online and offline in preset time intervals with the online duration distributions dominated by pulses. The second type of avatars is characterized by a Weibull distribution in the online durations, which is confirmed by statistical tests. The distributions of online durations of the remaining individual avatars differ from the above two types and cannot be described by a simple form. These findings have potential applications in the game industry.

Effect of computer game playing on baseline laparoscopic simulator skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Halvorsen, Fredrik H; Cvancarova, Milada; Fosse, Erik; Mjåland, Odd

2013-08-01

Studies examining the possible association between computer game playing and laparoscopic performance in general have yielded conflicting results and neither has a relationship between computer game playing and baseline performance on laparoscopic simulators been established. The aim of this study was to examine the possible association between previous and present computer game playing and baseline performance on a virtual reality laparoscopic performance in a sample of potential future medical students. The participating students completed a questionnaire covering the weekly amount and type of computer game playing activity during the previous year and 3 years ago. They then performed 2 repetitions of 2 tasks ("gallbladder dissection" and "traverse tube") on a virtual reality laparoscopic simulator. Performance on the simulator were then analyzed for association to their computer game experience. Local high school, Norway. Forty-eight students from 2 high school classes volunteered to participate in the study. No association between prior and present computer game playing and baseline performance was found. The results were similar both for prior and present action game playing and prior and present computer game playing in general. Our results indicate that prior and present computer game playing may not affect baseline performance in a virtual reality simulator.

Game Transfer Phenomena in video game playing: a qualitative interview study

OpenAIRE

Ortiz de Gortari, AB; Aronsson, K; Griffiths, MD

2011-01-01

Video game playing is a popular activity and its enjoyment among frequent players has been associated with absorption and immersion experiences. This paper examines how immersion in the video game environment can influence the player during the game and afterwards (including fantasies, thoughts, and actions). This is what we describe as Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP). GTP occurs when video game elements are associated with real life elements triggering subsequent thoughts, sensations and/or pl...

Longer you play, the more hostile you feel: examination of first person shooter video games and aggression during video game play.

Science.gov (United States)

Barlett, Christopher P; Harris, Richard J; Baldassaro, Ross

2007-01-01

This study investigated the effects of video game play on aggression. Using the General Aggression Model, as applied to video games by Anderson and Bushman, [2002] this study measured physiological arousal, state hostility, and how aggressively participants would respond to three hypothetical scenarios. In addition, this study measured each of these variables multiple times to gauge how aggression would change with increased video game play. Results showed a significant increase from baseline in hostility and aggression (based on two of the three story stems), which is consistent with the General Aggression Model. This study adds to the existing literature on video games and aggression by showing that increased play of a violent first person shooter video game can significantly increase aggression from baseline. 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Motivation and Learning Engagement through Playing Math Video Games

Science.gov (United States)

Barreto, Daisyane; Vasconcelos, Lucas; Orey, Michael

2017-01-01

Purpose: With video games being a source of leisure and learning, educators and researchers alike are interested in understanding children's motivation for playing video games as a way to learn. This study explores student motivation and engagement levels in playing two math video games in the game "Club Penguin." Method: This is a…

Modern Warfare: Video Game Playing and Posttraumatic Symptoms in Veterans.

Science.gov (United States)

Etter, Darryl; Kamen, Charles; Etter, Kelly; Gore-Felton, Cheryl

2017-04-01

Many of the current generation of veterans grew up with video games, including military first-person shooter (MFPS) video games. In MFPS games, players take the role of soldiers engaged in combat in environments modeled on real-life warzones. Exposure to trauma-congruent game content may either serve to exacerbate or to ameliorate posttraumatic symptoms. The current study examined the relationship between MFPS and other shooter video game playing and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among current and former members of the military (N = 111). Results indicated that video game play was very common, and 41.4% of participants reported playing MFPS or other shooter games (shooter players group). The shooter players group reported higher levels of PTSD symptoms than participants who did not play any video or shooter games (nonshooter/nonplayers group; d = 0.44); however, playing shooter games was not predictive of PTSD symptoms after accounting for personality, combat exposure, and social support variables. This may indicate that the same psychosocial factors predict both PTSD and shooter video game play. Although veterans may benefit from the development and use of clinical applications of video games in PTSD treatment, clinical attention should continue to focus on established psychosocial predictors of PTSD symptoms. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

INTERVALS OF ACTIVE PLAY AND BREAK IN BASKETBALL GAMES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavle Rubin

2010-09-01

Full Text Available The problem of the research comes from the need for decomposition of a basketball game. The aim was to determine the intervals of active game (“live ball” - term defined by rules and break (“dead ball” - term defined by rules, by analyzing basketball games. In order to obtain the relevant information, basketball games from five different competitions (top level of quality were analyzed. The sample consists of seven games played in the 2006/2007 season: NCAA Play - Off Final game, Adriatic League finals, ULEB Cup final game, Euroleague (2 games and the NBA league (2 games. The most important information gained by this research is that the average interval of active play lasts approximately 47 seconds, while the average break interval lasts approximately 57 seconds. This information is significant for coaches and should be used in planning the training process.

Why and When ‘Laughing out Loud’ in Game Playing

OpenAIRE

Unknown, [Unknown; Nijholt, A.; Nijholt, Antinus

2012-01-01

Playing games is fun. Being visible to others and knowing about others in social media is fun. Obviously, other factors are involved. We want to play games to escape from daily life, and we want to play games in order to satisfy our needs to compete and win, with other words, to prove ourselves in game situations where we are confronted with challenges that we think we can master. There are video games where a single player has to deal with the game challenges. There are games where individua...

Positive Emotions Associated with "Counter-Strike" Game Playing.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Mirim; Heard, Rob; Suo, Chao; Chow, Chin Moi

2012-10-01

Digital game playing engages people for long periods of time. The pleasure offered by digital games may explain the players' consumption of this activity. Games may elicit both positive and negative emotions, which can be measured by encephalography (EEG). The EEG alpha asymmetry index (AI) is different in positive and negative emotions and so may be used to distinguish positive from negative emotions that occur during gaming. We hypothesized that the "Counter-Strike" (CS) game (Valve Software, Bellevue, WA) is pleasurable and demonstrable with a positive EEG AI. Twelve male participants ages 18-30 years underwent EEG recordings continuously during and postgame. EEG was also recorded pregame for control conditions of baseline (sitting on a chair staring at a blank wall), movement (moving fingers on the computer keyboard with a blank screen), sound (listening to the sound of the CS game with a blank screen), and screen (watching the CS game without playing). Self-ratings of emotional responses were completed at pre-, during, and postgame. A significant decrease in the EEG AI was observed under the screen condition compared with baseline, whereas an increase was observed postgame compared with the screen condition. The participants demonstrated a positive EEG AI following the "shoot" events (shoot opponents) and negative emotions after the "being shot" events. Subjective ratings of emotional response indicated happiness during and postgame, but anger and arousal were reported only during the game. The overall results are consistent with the hypothesis that predominantly positive emotional reactions are elicited from playing the CS game and concur with positive subjective ratings of happiness. Future studies may explore the relationship of game pleasure and obsessive game play.

Computer Programming: An Activity as Compelling as Game Play

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tom Goulding

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Game motif programming exercises (GM-Games were developed to help novices develop complex client server game systems within their freshman year. GM-Games foster a strong work ethic in as much as they reproduce the challenges and excitement associated with game play; yet their purpose is the development of advanced programming skills. We have found that young people are just as interested in mastering programming skills as they are in mastering the shooting, racing or strategy skills required in many entertainment games. We describe in this paper how GM-Games imitate many of the aspects of game play.

Pleasure to play, arousal to stay: the effect of player emotions on digital game preferences and playing time.

Science.gov (United States)

Poels, Karolien; van den Hoogen, Wouter; Ijsselsteijn, Wijnand; de Kort, Yvonne

2012-01-01

This study investigated how player emotions during game-play, measured through self-report and physiological recordings, predict playing time and game preferences. We distinguished between short-term (immediately after game-play) and long-term (after 3 weeks) playing time and game preferences. While pleasure was most predictive for short-term playing time and game preferences, arousal, particularly for game preferences, was most predictive on the longer term. This result was found through both self-report and physiological emotion measures. This study initiates theorizing about digital gaming as a hedonic consumer product and sketches future research endeavors of this topic.

Failure to demonstrate that playing violent video games diminishes prosocial behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Tear, Morgan J; Nielsen, Mark

2013-01-01

Past research has found that playing a classic prosocial video game resulted in heightened prosocial behavior when compared to a control group, whereas playing a classic violent video game had no effect. Given purported links between violent video games and poor social behavior, this result is surprising. Here our aim was to assess whether this finding may be due to the specific games used. That is, modern games are experienced differently from classic games (more immersion in virtual environments, more connection with characters, etc.) and it may be that playing violent video games impacts prosocial behavior only when contemporary versions are used. Experiments 1 and 2 explored the effects of playing contemporary violent, non-violent, and prosocial video games on prosocial behavior, as measured by the pen-drop task. We found that slight contextual changes in the delivery of the pen-drop task led to different rates of helping but that the type of game played had little effect. Experiment 3 explored this further by using classic games. Again, we found no effect. We failed to find evidence that playing video games affects prosocial behavior. Research on the effects of video game play is of significant public interest. It is therefore important that speculation be rigorously tested and findings replicated. Here we fail to substantiate conjecture that playing contemporary violent video games will lead to diminished prosocial behavior.

Games To Play with Babies. (Revised and Expanded).

Science.gov (United States)

Silberg, Jackie

Aimed at parents with infants, this book is a collection of 250 simple, fun-filled games that can be played with children up to the age of 1. The games have been categorized into the following eight types: (1) growing and learning games; (2) special bonding games; (3) kitchen games; (4) laughing and having fun games; (5) art and singing games; (6)…

Table-Top Role Playing Game and Creativity

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Tsui-shan

2013-01-01

The current study aims to observe whether individuals who engaged in table-top role playing game (TRPG) were more creative. Participants total 170 (52 TRPG players, 54 electronic role playing game (ERPG) players and 64 Non-players) aged from 19 to 63. In the current study, an online questionnaire is used, adopting the verbal subtests of…

Playing in "Trelis Weyr": Investigating Collaborative Practices in a "Dragons of Pern" Role-Play-Game Forum

Science.gov (United States)

Alley, Kathleen M.

2013-01-01

This descriptive case study examined adolescents' and emerging adults' literate and social practices within the context of a role-play-game (RPG) forum, investigating the ways participants read and collaboratively composed within this space. As a researcher, I was interested in how this space functioned and how the interactions between…

Social Interaction in a Cooperative Brain-computer Interface Game

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Obbink, Michel; Gürkök, Hayrettin; Plass - Oude Bos, D.; Hakvoort, Gido; Poel, Mannes; Nijholt, Antinus; Camurri, Antonio; Costa, Cristina

Does using a brain-computer interface (BCI) influence the social interaction between people when playing a cooperative game? By measuring the amount of speech, utterances, instrumental gestures and empathic gestures during a cooperative game where two participants had to reach a certain goal, and

The function of game and role playing in adult education

OpenAIRE

Žáková, Zuzana

2009-01-01

The subjects of this work are game, role and role playing in upbringing, education and training, and in personnel practice. The work uses knowledge of pedagogy, psychology and sociology, and focuses on social interaction and personality development. It introduces basic educational, training and therapeutic methods and procedures, including methods in the field of adult education, where the core of these methods lies in playing roles. It presents brief characteristics of individual methods, in...

Analyzing Motives, Preferences, and Experiences in Video Game Play

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donald Loffredo

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the results of analyzing motives, preferences, and experiences in video game play. A sample of 112 (64 male and 48 female students completed online the Gaming Attitudes, Motives, and Experiences Scales (GAMES. Separate one-way independent-measures multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs were used to determine if there were statistically significant differences by gender, age category, hours of videogame play, and ethnicity on the nine Factor Subscales of the GAMES. The results supported two of the proposed hypotheses. There were statistically differences by gender and hours of videogame play on some of the Factor Subscales of the GAMES.

Correlates of video games playing among adolescents in an Islamic country

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

Background No study has ever explored the prevalence and correlates of video game playing among children in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This study describes patterns and correlates of excessive video game use in a random sample of middle-school students in Iran. Specifically, we examine the relationship between video game playing and psychological well-being, aggressive behaviors, and adolescents' perceived threat of video-computer game playing. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed with a random sample of 444 adolescents recruited from eight middle schools. A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire covered socio-demographics, video gaming behaviors, mental health status, self-reported aggressive behaviors, and perceived side effects of video game playing. Results Overall, participants spent an average of 6.3 hours per week playing video games. Moreover, 47% of participants reported that they had played one or more intensely violent games. Non-gamers reported suffering poorer mental health compared to excessive gamers. Both non-gamers and excessive gamers overall reported suffering poorer mental health compared to low or moderate players. Participants who initiated gaming at younger ages were more likely to score poorer in mental health measures. Participants' self-reported aggressive behaviors were associated with length of gaming. Boys, but not girls, who reported playing video games excessively showed more aggressive behaviors. A multiple binary logistic regression shows that when controlling for other variables, older students, those who perceived less serious side effects of video gaming, and those who have personal computers, were more likely to report that they had played video games excessively. Conclusion Our data show a curvilinear relationship between video game playing and mental health outcomes, with "moderate" gamers faring best and "excessive" gamers showing mild increases in problematic behaviors. Interestingly, "non-gamers" clearly

Correlates of video games playing among adolescents in an Islamic country.

Science.gov (United States)

Allahverdipour, Hamid; Bazargan, Mohsen; Farhadinasab, Abdollah; Moeini, Babak

2010-05-27

No study has ever explored the prevalence and correlates of video game playing among children in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This study describes patterns and correlates of excessive video game use in a random sample of middle-school students in Iran. Specifically, we examine the relationship between video game playing and psychological well-being, aggressive behaviors, and adolescents' perceived threat of video-computer game playing. This cross-sectional study was performed with a random sample of 444 adolescents recruited from eight middle schools. A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire covered socio-demographics, video gaming behaviors, mental health status, self-reported aggressive behaviors, and perceived side effects of video game playing. Overall, participants spent an average of 6.3 hours per week playing video games. Moreover, 47% of participants reported that they had played one or more intensely violent games. Non-gamers reported suffering poorer mental health compared to excessive gamers. Both non-gamers and excessive gamers overall reported suffering poorer mental health compared to low or moderate players. Participants who initiated gaming at younger ages were more likely to score poorer in mental health measures. Participants' self-reported aggressive behaviors were associated with length of gaming. Boys, but not girls, who reported playing video games excessively showed more aggressive behaviors. A multiple binary logistic regression shows that when controlling for other variables, older students, those who perceived less serious side effects of video gaming, and those who have personal computers, were more likely to report that they had played video games excessively. Our data show a curvilinear relationship between video game playing and mental health outcomes, with "moderate" gamers faring best and "excessive" gamers showing mild increases in problematic behaviors. Interestingly, "non-gamers" clearly show the worst outcomes. Therefore

Failure to demonstrate that playing violent video games diminishes prosocial behavior.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Morgan J Tear

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Past research has found that playing a classic prosocial video game resulted in heightened prosocial behavior when compared to a control group, whereas playing a classic violent video game had no effect. Given purported links between violent video games and poor social behavior, this result is surprising. Here our aim was to assess whether this finding may be due to the specific games used. That is, modern games are experienced differently from classic games (more immersion in virtual environments, more connection with characters, etc. and it may be that playing violent video games impacts prosocial behavior only when contemporary versions are used. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Experiments 1 and 2 explored the effects of playing contemporary violent, non-violent, and prosocial video games on prosocial behavior, as measured by the pen-drop task. We found that slight contextual changes in the delivery of the pen-drop task led to different rates of helping but that the type of game played had little effect. Experiment 3 explored this further by using classic games. Again, we found no effect. CONCLUSIONS: We failed to find evidence that playing video games affects prosocial behavior. Research on the effects of video game play is of significant public interest. It is therefore important that speculation be rigorously tested and findings replicated. Here we fail to substantiate conjecture that playing contemporary violent video games will lead to diminished prosocial behavior.

Failure to Demonstrate That Playing Violent Video Games Diminishes Prosocial Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Tear, Morgan J.; Nielsen, Mark

2013-01-01

Background Past research has found that playing a classic prosocial video game resulted in heightened prosocial behavior when compared to a control group, whereas playing a classic violent video game had no effect. Given purported links between violent video games and poor social behavior, this result is surprising. Here our aim was to assess whether this finding may be due to the specific games used. That is, modern games are experienced differently from classic games (more immersion in virtual environments, more connection with characters, etc.) and it may be that playing violent video games impacts prosocial behavior only when contemporary versions are used. Methods and Findings Experiments 1 and 2 explored the effects of playing contemporary violent, non-violent, and prosocial video games on prosocial behavior, as measured by the pen-drop task. We found that slight contextual changes in the delivery of the pen-drop task led to different rates of helping but that the type of game played had little effect. Experiment 3 explored this further by using classic games. Again, we found no effect. Conclusions We failed to find evidence that playing video games affects prosocial behavior. Research on the effects of video game play is of significant public interest. It is therefore important that speculation be rigorously tested and findings replicated. Here we fail to substantiate conjecture that playing contemporary violent video games will lead to diminished prosocial behavior. PMID:23844191

Investigating MCTS Modifications in General Video Game Playing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frydenberg, Frederik; Andersen, Kasper; Risi, Sebastian

2015-01-01

-style video games. This paper investigates of how well these modifications perform in general video game playing using the general video game AI (GVG-AI) framework and introduces a new MCTS modification called UCT reverse penalty that penalizes the MCTS controller for exploring recently visited children......While Monte Carlo tree search (MCTS) methods have shown promise in a variety of different board games, more complex video games still present significant challenges. Recently, several modifications to the core MCTS algorithm have been proposed with the hope to increase its effectiveness on arcade....... The results of our experiments show that a combination of two MCTS modifications can improve the performance of the vanilla MCTS controller, but the effectiveness of the modifications highly depends on the particular game being played....

Learning about water resource sharing through game play

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Ewen

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Games are an optimal way to teach about water resource sharing, as they allow real-world scenarios to be enacted. Both students and professionals learning about water resource management can benefit from playing games, through the process of understanding both the complexity of sharing of resources between different groups and decision outcomes. Here we address how games can be used to teach about water resource sharing, through both playing and developing water games. An evaluation of using the web-based game Irrigania in the classroom setting, supported by feedback from several educators who have used Irrigania to teach about the sustainable use of water resources, and decision making, at university and high school levels, finds Irrigania to be an effective and easy tool to incorporate into a curriculum. The development of two water games in a course for masters students in geography is also presented as a way to teach and communicate about water resource sharing. Through game development, students learned soft skills, including critical thinking, problem solving, team work, and time management, and overall the process was found to be an effective way to learn about water resource decision outcomes. This paper concludes with a discussion of learning outcomes from both playing and developing water games.

Learning about water resource sharing through game play

Science.gov (United States)

Ewen, Tracy; Seibert, Jan

2016-10-01

Games are an optimal way to teach about water resource sharing, as they allow real-world scenarios to be enacted. Both students and professionals learning about water resource management can benefit from playing games, through the process of understanding both the complexity of sharing of resources between different groups and decision outcomes. Here we address how games can be used to teach about water resource sharing, through both playing and developing water games. An evaluation of using the web-based game Irrigania in the classroom setting, supported by feedback from several educators who have used Irrigania to teach about the sustainable use of water resources, and decision making, at university and high school levels, finds Irrigania to be an effective and easy tool to incorporate into a curriculum. The development of two water games in a course for masters students in geography is also presented as a way to teach and communicate about water resource sharing. Through game development, students learned soft skills, including critical thinking, problem solving, team work, and time management, and overall the process was found to be an effective way to learn about water resource decision outcomes. This paper concludes with a discussion of learning outcomes from both playing and developing water games.

Fictitious play in extensive form games

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hendon, Ebbe; Whitta-Jacobsen, Hans Jørgen; Sloth, Birgitte

1996-01-01

This article analyzes the fictitious play process originally proposed for strategic form games by Brown (1951) and Robinson (1951). We interpret the process as a model of preplay thinking performed by players before acting in a one-shot game. This model is one of bounded rationality. We discuss how...

The motivation of children to play an active video game

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chin A Paw, M.J.M.; Jacobs, W.M.; Vaessen, E.P.G.; Titze, S.; van Mechelen, W.

2008-01-01

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effect of a weekly multiplayer class on the motivation of children aged 9-12 years to play an interactive dance simulation video game (IDSVG) at home over a period of 12 weeks. A sample of 27 children was randomly assigned to (1) a home group

Playing the Tune: Video Game Music, Gamers, and Genre

OpenAIRE

Summers, Tim

2011-01-01

This article proposes a particular approach to video game music, advocating the usefulness of genre-based enquiry. Two generic levels are active in video game music: ‘interactive genre’ (the type of game/interactive mechanism) and ‘environmental genre’ (the ‘setting’ of the game). The interaction between these levels produces the game’s music. By examining games within the same interactive genre, even if the environmental genre is markedly different, we can begin to uncover similar concerns, ...

Insights from Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games to Enhance Gamification in Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alireza Tavakkoli

2014-08-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the results of the study of a cohort of college graduate and undergraduate students who participated in playing a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG as a gameplay rich with social interaction as well as intellectual and aesthetic features. Statistically significant differences among our participants' perception, sensation seeking, and satisfaction in relation to gameplay features are investigated. Our primary objective in this investigation was to look for certain aspects of game playing and sensation seeking that attracts a group of students to engage in long term gameplay online. Results support the majority of pre-planned hypotheses and show potential important considerations to take into account when developing gamified content for educational applications. Furthermore, the limitation of the data used in this study is presented and future directions to remove the current limitation and proliferate results through qualitative research into players' in-game social interactions. We suggest that finding similarities and underlying patterns of attraction among a diverse group of students could be beneficial in designing gameplay features to enhance student participation in the learning experience and improve learning performance.

Correlates of video games playing among adolescents in an Islamic country

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moeini Babak

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background No study has ever explored the prevalence and correlates of video game playing among children in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This study describes patterns and correlates of excessive video game use in a random sample of middle-school students in Iran. Specifically, we examine the relationship between video game playing and psychological well-being, aggressive behaviors, and adolescents' perceived threat of video-computer game playing. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed with a random sample of 444 adolescents recruited from eight middle schools. A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire covered socio-demographics, video gaming behaviors, mental health status, self-reported aggressive behaviors, and perceived side effects of video game playing. Results Overall, participants spent an average of 6.3 hours per week playing video games. Moreover, 47% of participants reported that they had played one or more intensely violent games. Non-gamers reported suffering poorer mental health compared to excessive gamers. Both non-gamers and excessive gamers overall reported suffering poorer mental health compared to low or moderate players. Participants who initiated gaming at younger ages were more likely to score poorer in mental health measures. Participants' self-reported aggressive behaviors were associated with length of gaming. Boys, but not girls, who reported playing video games excessively showed more aggressive behaviors. A multiple binary logistic regression shows that when controlling for other variables, older students, those who perceived less serious side effects of video gaming, and those who have personal computers, were more likely to report that they had played video games excessively. Conclusion Our data show a curvilinear relationship between video game playing and mental health outcomes, with "moderate" gamers faring best and "excessive" gamers showing mild increases in problematic behaviors

Playing a first-person shooter video game induces neuroplastic change.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Sijing; Cheng, Cho Kin; Feng, Jing; D'Angelo, Lisa; Alain, Claude; Spence, Ian

2012-06-01

Playing a first-person shooter (FPS) video game alters the neural processes that support spatial selective attention. Our experiment establishes a causal relationship between playing an FPS game and neuroplastic change. Twenty-five participants completed an attentional visual field task while we measured ERPs before and after playing an FPS video game for a cumulative total of 10 hr. Early visual ERPs sensitive to bottom-up attentional processes were little affected by video game playing for only 10 hr. However, participants who played the FPS video game and also showed the greatest improvement on the attentional visual field task displayed increased amplitudes in the later visual ERPs. These potentials are thought to index top-down enhancement of spatial selective attention via increased inhibition of distractors. Individual variations in learning were observed, and these differences show that not all video game players benefit equally, either behaviorally or in terms of neural change.

Health-risk correlates of video-game playing among adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Weaver, James B; Mays, Darren; Sargent Weaver, Stephanie; Kannenberg, Wendi; Hopkins, Gary L; Eroğlu, Doğan; Bernhardt, Jay M

2009-10-01

Although considerable research suggests that health-risk factors vary as a function of video-game playing among young people, direct evidence of such linkages among adults is lacking. The goal of this study was to distinguish adult video-game players from nonplayers on the basis of personal and environmental factors. It was hypothesized that adults who play video games, compared to nonplayers, would evidence poorer perceptions of their health, greater reliance on Internet-facilitated social support, more extensive media use, and higher BMI. It was further hypothesized that different patterns of linkages between video-game playing and health-risk factors would emerge by gender. A cross-sectional, Internet-based survey was conducted in 2006 with a sample of adults from the Seattle-Tacoma area (n=562), examining health risks; media use behaviors and perceptions, including those related to video-game playing; and demographics. Statistical analyses conducted in 2008 to compare video-game players and nonplayers included bivariate descriptive statistics, stepwise discriminant analysis, and ANOVA. A total of 45.1% of respondents reported playing video games. Female video-game players reported greater depression (M=1.57) and poorer health status (M=3.90) than female nonplayers (depression, M=1.13; health status, M=3.57). Male video-game players reported higher BMI (M=5.31) and more Internet use time (M=2.55) than male nonplayers (BMI, M=5.19; Internet use, M=2.36). The only determinant common to female and male video-game players was greater reliance on the Internet for social support. A number of determinants distinguished video-game players from nonplayers, and these factors differed substantially between men and women. The data illustrate the need for further research among adults to clarify how to use digital opportunities more effectively to promote health and prevent disease.

Who Pays to Play Freemium Games? The Profiles and Motivations of Players Who Make Purchases Within Social Casino Games.

Science.gov (United States)

Gainsbury, Sally M; King, Daniel L; Russell, Alex M T; Delfabbro, Paul

2016-06-01

Background and aims Social casino games (SCGs) feature gambling themes and are typically free to download and play with optional in-game purchases. Although few players spend money, this is sufficient to make them profitable for game developers. Little is known about the profile and motivations of paying players as compared to non-paying players. Methods This study compared the characteristics of 521 paying and non-paying Australian social casino game players who completed an online survey. Results Paying players were more likely to be younger, male, speak a non-English language, and have a university education than non-payers. Paying players were more likely to be more highly involved in SCG in terms of play frequency and engagement with games and emphasized social interaction more strongly as a motivation for playing. A cluster analysis revealed distinct subgroups of paying players; these included more frequent moderate spenders who made purchases to avoid waiting for credits and to give gifts to friends as well as less frequent high spenders who made purchases to increase the entertainment value of the game. Discussion These findings suggest that paying players have some fundamental differences from non-paying players and high spenders are trying to maximize their enjoyment, while non-spenders are content with the game content they access. Conclusions Given the structural similarities between SCG and online gambling, understanding subgroups of players may have broader implications, including identifying characteristics of gamers who may also engage in gambling and players who may develop problems related to excessive online gaming.

Evaluation of vision training using 3D play game

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jung-Ho; Kwon, Soon-Chul; Son, Kwang-Chul; Lee, Seung-Hyun

2015-03-01

The present study aimed to examine the effect of the vision training, which is a benefit of watching 3D video images (3D video shooting game in this study), focusing on its accommodative facility and vergence facility. Both facilities, which are the scales used to measure human visual performance, are very important factors for man in leading comfortable and easy life. This study was conducted on 30 participants in their 20s through 30s (19 males and 11 females at 24.53 ± 2.94 years), who can watch 3D video images and play 3D game. Their accommodative and vergence facility were measured before and after they watched 2D and 3D game. It turned out that their accommodative facility improved after they played both 2D and 3D games and more improved right after they played 3D game than 2D game. Likewise, their vergence facility was proved to improve after they played both 2D and 3D games and more improved soon after they played 3D game than 2D game. In addition, it was demonstrated that their accommodative facility improved to greater extent than their vergence facility. While studies have been so far conducted on the adverse effects of 3D contents, from the perspective of human factor, on the imbalance of visual accommodation and convergence, the present study is expected to broaden the applicable scope of 3D contents by utilizing the visual benefit of 3D contents for vision training.

An exploratory study of the association between online gaming addiction and enjoyment motivations for playing massively multiplayer online role-playing games

OpenAIRE

Hussain, Z; Williams, GA; Griffiths, MD

2015-01-01

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are a popular form of entertainment used by millions of gamers worldwide. Potential problems relating to MMORPG play have emerged, particularly in relation to being addicted to playing in such virtual environments. In the present study, factors relating to online gaming addiction and motivations for playing in MMORPGs were examined to establish whether they were associated with addiction. A sample comprised 1,167 gamers who were survey...

Games Superheroes Play: Teaching Game Theory with Comic Book Favorites

Science.gov (United States)

O'Roark, Brian; Grant, William

2018-01-01

The valuable insights of game theory sometimes remain out of reach for students who are overwhelmed by the subject's complexity. Comic book applications of game theory, with superheroes as players, can facilitate enthusiasm and classroom interaction to enhance the learning of game theory. Drawing from content in superhero movies and books, the…

Consumer behavior of electronic games' players: a study on the intentions to play and to pay

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucas Lopes Ferreira de Souza

Full Text Available Abstract The electronic games market is one of the most profitable in the leisure segment, having surpassed the film industry. In terms of profitability, it is ranked as eleventh in the world and first in Latin America. Despite its relevance, there is little information about the reasons that lead consumers to play. This paper examined which attributes of the games influence consumers to play and pay for them. The methodology was a field research survey conducted with 600 electronic games' players, and structural equation modeling was used to test the model. The results indicate that the constructs challenge, diversion, fun, fantasy and social interaction influence the intention to play and pay for games, while the construct competition has a negative effect on the intention to play. No significant causalities were found, regarding the constructs time flexibility and arousal, on the intention to play. Furthermore, we also observed that motivations that had the highest impact were fun, challenge and fantasy, attributes that should be considered by game developers and industry.

The Contribution of Game Genre and other Use Patterns to Problem Video Game Play among Adult Video Gamers.

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, Luther; Ream, Geoffrey; McGinsky, Elizabeth; Dunlap, Eloise

2012-12-01

AIMS: To assess the contribution of patterns of video game play, including game genre, involvement, and time spent gaming, to problem use symptomatology. DESIGN: Nationally representative survey. SETTING: Online. PARTICIPANTS: Large sample (n=3,380) of adult video gamers in the US. MEASUREMENTS: Problem video game play (PVGP) scale, video game genre typology, use patterns (gaming days in the past month and hours on days used), enjoyment, consumer involvement, and background variables. FINDINGS: Study confirms game genre's contribution to problem use as well as demographic variation in play patterns that underlie problem video game play vulnerability. CONCLUSIONS: Identification of a small group of game types positively correlated with problem use suggests new directions for research into the specific design elements and reward mechanics of "addictive" video games. Unique vulnerabilities to problem use among certain groups demonstrate the need for ongoing investigation of health disparities related to contextual dimensions of video game play.

The Contribution of Game Genre and other Use Patterns to Problem Video Game Play among Adult Video Gamers

Science.gov (United States)

Ream, Geoffrey; McGinsky, Elizabeth; Dunlap, Eloise

2012-01-01

Aims To assess the contribution of patterns of video game play, including game genre, involvement, and time spent gaming, to problem use symptomatology. Design Nationally representative survey. Setting Online. Participants Large sample (n=3,380) of adult video gamers in the US. Measurements Problem video game play (PVGP) scale, video game genre typology, use patterns (gaming days in the past month and hours on days used), enjoyment, consumer involvement, and background variables. Findings Study confirms game genre's contribution to problem use as well as demographic variation in play patterns that underlie problem video game play vulnerability. Conclusions Identification of a small group of game types positively correlated with problem use suggests new directions for research into the specific design elements and reward mechanics of “addictive” video games. Unique vulnerabilities to problem use among certain groups demonstrate the need for ongoing investigation of health disparities related to contextual dimensions of video game play. PMID:23284310

Why and When ‘Laughing out Loud’ in Game Playing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Unknown, [Unknown; Nijholt, A.; Nijholt, Antinus

2012-01-01

Playing games is fun. Being visible to others and knowing about others in social media is fun. Obviously, other factors are involved. We want to play games to escape from daily life, and we want to play games in order to satisfy our needs to compete and win, with other words, to prove ourselves in

Color blindness and interracial interaction: playing the political correctness game.

Science.gov (United States)

Norton, Michael I; Sommers, Samuel R; Apfelbaum, Evan P; Pura, Natassia; Ariely, Dan

2006-11-01

Two experiments explored the ramifications of endorsing color blindness as a strategy for appearing unprejudiced. In Study 1, Whites proved adept at categorizing faces on the basis of race, but understated their ability to do so. In Study 2, Whites playing the Political Correctness Game--a matching task that requires describing other individuals--were less likely to use race as a descriptor when paired with a Black partner than when paired with a White partner, a strategy that impaired communication and performance. In addition, avoidance of race was associated with Whites making less eye contact with and appearing less friendly toward Black partners.

"Yes! We Are Playing a Game, and It's Going to Be Fun!"

Science.gov (United States)

Barrett, Kelly

2012-01-01

Games are for playing, more often than not playing a game is a social experience, it is fun, and we all enjoy playing games. Play and playing are ways in which we learn, so how often are games part of the normal activity of the mathematics classroom? The answer, in most cases, has to be--not often. Is it that games just don't seem to fulfil the…

Playing active video games increases energy expenditure in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Graf, Diana L; Pratt, Lauren V; Hester, Casey N; Short, Kevin R

2009-08-01

To compare energy expenditure rates in children playing the physically active video games, Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) and Nintendo's Wii Sports in relation to treadmill walking. Energy expenditure, heart rate, step rate, and perceived exertion were measured in 14 boys and 9 girls (ages 10-13 years; BMI at 3-98th percentile for age and gender) while watching television at rest, playing DDR at 2 skill levels, playing Wii bowling and boxing, and walking at 2.6, 4.2, and 5.7 km/h. Arterial elasticity was measured at rest and immediately after gaming. Compared with watching television, energy expenditure while gaming or walking increased 2- to 3-fold. Similarly, high rates of energy expenditure, heart rate, and perceived exertion were elicited from playing Wii boxing, DDR level 2, or walking at 5.7 km/h. This occurred despite variations in step rate among activities, reflecting greater use of upper body during Wii play (lowest step rate) than during walking (highest step rate) or DDR play. Wii bowling and beginner level DDR elicited a 2-fold increase in energy expenditure compared to television watching. Large-artery elasticity declined immediately after both DDR and Wii. The change was inversely related to the increment in energy expenditure above rest achieved during the activity. Energy expenditure during active video game play is comparable to moderate-intensity walking. Thus, for children who spend considerable time playing electronic screen games for entertainment, physically active games seem to be a safe, fun, and valuable means of promoting energy expenditure.

Do those who play together stay together? The World of Warcraft community between play, practice and game design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ioana Cărtărescu-Petrică

2015-06-01

Full Text Available In a time when video games are commonly blamed for anything from antisocial behavior, to the isolation and alienation of their users Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games have developed to provide one of the ultimate online social experiences. Based on cooperation, coordination and communication among players, these games do more than simply provide entertainment: they foster communities, not only allowing trust and friendship to be born, but actively encouraging it. In fact, one of the main secret behind the success of this kind of game appears to be its capacity to stimulate interaction and bonding around a common goal for its players. This paper focuses on one of the world’s most popular MMORPGs, World of Warcraft, specifically on studying the characteristics of the community of play and practice built around it and on the influence the game architecture has on the survival potential of said WoW community. In order to achieve these goals, I have conducted a qualitative research at the height of the game’s popularity (2011 , conducting interviews with experienced, mostly hard-core and pro players and followed up with half of the original respondents four years later (in 2015, to see how their views on the gaming experience have evolved and to try to understand why the once flourishing WoW community seems to have started its decline.

Hypersexualism in video games as determinant or deterrent of game play

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reinhard, CarrieLynn D.

A long held, and research supported, contention about video and computer games purports that men play more games, more often, and of a wider variety, than women. Reasons for this gendered gap range from socialization to cognitive capacity. The hypothesized reason explored in this study focuses...... on the sexualized portrayal of female game characters. Portraying women as sexual objects may dissuade women from identifying and wanting to engage with them while enticing men to engage with them. In a 2x3 between-subjects experimental design, this study investigated how men and women perceive and react to female...... avatars that embody the hypersexualism body shape of big breasts, thin waist, and long, thin limbs, making the portrayal the composite of more naturally voluptuous and thin body shapes. Contrary to industry and academic arguments, it was found that men indicated more engagement with the game when playing...

Strengthening Parent-Child Relationships through Co-Playing Video Games

Science.gov (United States)

Sheffield, Anneliese; Lin, Lin

2013-01-01

Parent-child relationships may be strengthened when parents and children play video games together. Literature is limited in addressing the impact of co-playing video games on parent-child relationships. Family systems theory, in particular, parental mediation through co-play, may provide insights into parent-child relationships. Parents who…

Changes in cue-induced, prefrontal cortex activity with video-game play.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Doug Hyun; Kim, Yang Soo; Lee, Yong Sik; Min, Kyung Joon; Renshaw, Perry F

2010-12-01

Brain responses, particularly within the orbitofrontal and cingulate cortices, to Internet video-game cues in college students are similar to those observed in patients with substance dependence in response to the substance-related cues. In this study, we report changes in brain activity between baseline and following 6 weeks of Internet video-game play. We hypothesized that subjects with high levels of self-reported craving for Internet video-game play would be associated with increased activity in the prefrontal cortex, particularly the orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortex. Twenty-one healthy university students were recruited. At baseline and after a 6-week period of Internet video-game play, brain activity during presentation of video-game cues was assessed using 3T blood oxygen level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging. Craving for Internet video-game play was assessed by self-report on a 7-point visual analogue scale following cue presentation. During a standardized 6-week video-game play period, brain activity in the anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortex of the excessive Internet game-playing group (EIGP) increased in response to Internet video-game cues. In contrast, activity observed in the general player group (GP) was not changed or decreased. In addition, the change of craving for Internet video games was positively correlated with the change in activity of the anterior cingulate in all subjects. These changes in frontal-lobe activity with extended video-game play may be similar to those observed during the early stages of addiction.

Freud on play, games, and sports fanaticism.

Science.gov (United States)

Holowchak, M Andrew

2011-01-01

Much has been written in the secondary literature on Freud's aggression-release perspective vis-à-vis competitive sports. Very little has been written, however, on Freud's own explicit contribution to play, games, and sport. That is likely the result of Freud's reluctance to take up them--especially from the gamesman's and sportsman's points of view. One can, however, tease out the development of Freud's thoughts on games, play, and sport through a careful examination of his corpus over time. In doing so, one finds an early view of play and games, where the drives behind those activities are self- and other-preservative, and a later view, where Freud introduces his death drive. The article ends with some notions on what Freud might have said on the fanaticism that accompanies competitive sport, had he expressly taken up the issue.

Problem video game playing is related to emotional distress in adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzálvez, María T; Espada, José P; Tejeiro, Ricardo

2017-06-28

Problem use of video games is an increasing risk behaviour. High exposure of adolescents to video games has been linked to a variety of disorders, but the relationship between problem video game playing and emotional welfare is unknown. The aim of the study is to analyse problem video game playing in a sample of adolescents and to determine whether there are differences between online and offline players, in addition to examining its relationship with anxiety and depressive symptomatology. A sample of adolescents (N = 380) completed self-reports measuring video game use and symptoms of anxiety and depression. We found that 7.4% of females and 30% of males can be considered as playing at problem levels. Online players were almost 12 times more likely to play at high frequency than offline players (χ2 (1, 267) = 72.72, p < .001, OR = 11.63, 95% CI [6.31, 21.43]). Males play more frequently, and play more online (χ2 (1, 267) = 50.85, p < .001, OR = 6.74, 95% CI [3.90, 11.64]), with a clear relationship between problem video game playing and anxiety (r = .24; p < .001). In females, there is a relationship between problem video game playing and depression (r = .19; p < .05). Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the psychological variables involved in problem video game playing. The implementation of strategies is suggested in order to prevent pathological gaming and associated problems.

Churn prediction of mobile and online casual games using play log data.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Seungwook; Choi, Daeyoung; Lee, Eunjung; Rhee, Wonjong

2017-01-01

Internet-connected devices, especially mobile devices such as smartphones, have become widely accessible in the past decade. Interaction with such devices has evolved into frequent and short-duration usage, and this phenomenon has resulted in a pervasive popularity of casual games in the game sector. On the other hand, development of casual games has become easier than ever as a result of the advancement of development tools. With the resulting fierce competition, now both acquisition and retention of users are the prime concerns in the field. In this study, we focus on churn prediction of mobile and online casual games. While churn prediction and analysis can provide important insights and action cues on retention, its application using play log data has been primitive or very limited in the casual game area. Most of the existing methods cannot be applied to casual games because casual game players tend to churn very quickly and they do not pay periodic subscription fees. Therefore, we focus on the new players and formally define churn using observation period (OP) and churn prediction period (CP). Using the definition, we develop a standard churn analysis process for casual games. We cover essential topics such as pre-processing of raw data, feature engineering including feature analysis, churn prediction modeling using traditional machine learning algorithms (logistic regression, gradient boosting, and random forests) and two deep learning algorithms (CNN and LSTM), and sensitivity analysis for OP and CP. Play log data of three different casual games are considered by analyzing a total of 193,443 unique player records and 10,874,958 play log records. While the analysis results provide useful insights, the overall results indicate that a small number of well-chosen features used as performance metrics might be sufficient for making important action decisions and that OP and CP should be properly chosen depending on the analysis goal.

Exploring children's movement characteristics during virtual reality video game play.

Science.gov (United States)

Levac, Danielle; Pierrynowski, Michael R; Canestraro, Melissa; Gurr, Lindsay; Leonard, Laurean; Neeley, Christyann

2010-12-01

There is increasing interest in the use of commercially-available virtual reality video gaming systems within pediatric rehabilitation, yet little is known about the movement characteristics of game play. This study describes quantity and quality of movement during Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit game play, explores differences in these movement characteristics between games and between novice and experienced players, and investigates whether motivation to succeed at the game impacts movement characteristics. Thirty-eight children (aged 7-12) with and without previous game experience played Wii (boxing and tennis) and Wii Fit (ski slalom and soccer heading) games. Force plate data provided center of pressure displacement (quantity) and processed pelvis motion indicated smoothness of pelvic movement (quality). Children rated their motivation to succeed at each game. Movement quantity and quality differed between games (pgames demonstrated greater movement quantity during Wii Fit game play (p<.001); quality of movement did not differ between groups. Motivation to succeed did not influence the relationship between experience and outcomes. Findings enhance clinical understanding of this technology and inform the development of research questions to explore its potential to improve movement skills in children with motor impairments. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Indigenous games and play behaviour of children in Gauteng ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Indigenous games and play behaviour of children in Gauteng Province, South Africa. ... Research on play behaviour and games within the South African context has over the years been ad hoc, guided by ... AJOL African Journals Online.

Excessive computer game playing: evidence for addiction and aggression?

Science.gov (United States)

Grüsser, S M; Thalemann, R; Griffiths, M D

2007-04-01

Computer games have become an ever-increasing part of many adolescents' day-to-day lives. Coupled with this phenomenon, reports of excessive gaming (computer game playing) denominated as "computer/video game addiction" have been discussed in the popular press as well as in recent scientific research. The aim of the present study was the investigation of the addictive potential of gaming as well as the relationship between excessive gaming and aggressive attitudes and behavior. A sample comprising of 7069 gamers answered two questionnaires online. Data revealed that 11.9% of participants (840 gamers) fulfilled diagnostic criteria of addiction concerning their gaming behavior, while there is only weak evidence for the assumption that aggressive behavior is interrelated with excessive gaming in general. Results of this study contribute to the assumption that also playing games without monetary reward meets criteria of addiction. Hence, an addictive potential of gaming should be taken into consideration regarding prevention and intervention.

A Neuroevolution Approach to General Atari Game Playing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hausknecht, Matthew; Lehman, Joel; Miikkulainen, Risto

2014-01-01

This article addresses the challenge of learning to play many dierent video games with little domain- specic knowledge. Specically, it introduces a neuro-evolution approach to general Atari 2600 game playing. Four neuro-evolution algorithms were paired with three dierent state representations...... representations while indirect-encoding methods (i.e. HyperNEAT) allow scaling to higher-dimensional representations (i.e. the raw game screen). Previous approaches based on temporal- dierence learning had trouble dealing with the large state spaces and sparse reward gradients often found in Atari games. Neuro...... and evaluated on a set of 61 Atari games. The neuro-evolution agents represent dierent points along the spectrum of algorithmic sophistication - including weight evolution on topologically xed neural net- works (Conventional Neuro-evolution), Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES), evolution...

(Not Playing Games: Player-Produced Walkthroughs as Archival Documents of Digital Gameplay

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Newman

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The subject of digital game preservation is one that has moved up the research agenda in recent years with a number of international projects, such as KEEP and Preserving Virtual Worlds, highlighting and seeking to address the impact of media decay, hardware and software obsolescence through different strategies including code emulation, for instance. Similarly, and reflecting a popular interest in the histories of digital games, exhibitions such as Game On (Barbican, UK and GameCity (Nottingham, UK experiment with ways of presenting games to a general audience. This article focuses on the UK’s National Videogame Archive (NVA which, since its foundation in 2008, has developed approaches that both dovetail with and critique existing strategies to game preservation, exhibition and display.The article begins by noting the NVA’s interest in preserving not only the code or text of the game, but also the experience of using it – that is, the preservation of gameplay as well as games. This approach is born of a conceptualisation of digital games as what Moulthrop (2004 has called “configurative performances” that are made through the interaction of code, systems, rules and, essentially, the actions of players at play. The analysis develops by problematising technical solutions to game preservation by exploring the way seemingly minute differences in code execution greatly impact on this user experience.Given these issues, the article demonstrates how the NVA returns to first principles and questions the taken-for-granted assumption that the playable game is the most effective tool for interpretation. It also encourages a consideration of the uses of non-interactive audiovisual and (paratextual materials in game preservation activity. In particular, the focus falls upon player-produced walkthrough texts, which are presented as archetypical archival documents of gameplay. The article concludes by provocatively positing that these non

Digital Gaming Perspectives of Older Adults: Content vs. Interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Marston, Hannah R.

2013-01-01

There were two objectives to this study: (a) to establish flow and (2) to establish whether computer game interaction or content was important to the older adult, using the Nintendo Wii and the Sony PlayStation 2 consoles. An earlier study had identified the sports genre as a preference, and three games (golf, tennis, and boxing) were selected…

Excessive computer game playing among Norwegian adults: self-reported consequences of playing and association with mental health problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Wenzel, H G; Bakken, I J; Johansson, A; Götestam, K G; Øren, Anita

2009-12-01

Computer games are the most advanced form of gaming. For most people, the playing is an uncomplicated leisure activity; however, for a minority the gaming becomes excessive and is associated with negative consequences. The aim of the present study was to investigate computer game-playing behaviour in the general adult Norwegian population, and to explore mental health problems and self-reported consequences of playing. The survey includes 3,405 adults 16 to 74 years old (Norway 2007, response rate 35.3%). Overall, 65.5% of the respondents reported having ever played computer games (16-29 years, 93.9%; 30-39 years, 85.0%; 40-59 years, 56.2%; 60-74 years, 25.7%). Among 2,170 players, 89.8% reported playing less than 1 hr. as a daily average over the last month, 5.0% played 1-2 hr. daily, 3.1% played 2-4 hr. daily, and 2.2% reported playing > 4 hr. daily. The strongest risk factor for playing > 4 hr. daily was being an online player, followed by male gender, and single marital status. Reported negative consequences of computer game playing increased strongly with average daily playing time. Furthermore, prevalence of self-reported sleeping problems, depression, suicide ideations, anxiety, obsessions/ compulsions, and alcohol/substance abuse increased with increasing playing time. This study showed that adult populations should also be included in research on computer game-playing behaviour and its consequences.

Involving consumers in product design through collaboration: the case of online role-playing games.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, Shu-Yu

2010-12-01

The release of software attributes to users by software designers for the creation of user-designed forms is regarded as a producer-consumer collaboration, leading consumers to expend significant effort on a specific product. This article identifies such software/product attributes within online role-playing games and then explores how consumers' prior experience affects the evaluation of such attributes. In this article, product attributes comprise customized, content, and interactive externality-sensitive and complementary externality-sensitive attributes, with the value of each attribute being greater for experts than for novices. In Study 1, data were collected and analyzed for the purpose of identifying such features in online role-playing games. The results can also be generalized to convergent products, such as TV games that have been redesigned as online games or mobile games found in Study 2. For the introduction of a convergent product to be successful, our research suggests that the potential market-segment focus should be on knowledgeable consumers who accept such products more readily.

Simplify Volleying through Modified Game Play

Science.gov (United States)

Beaudet, Bob; Grube, Dan

2005-01-01

Volleyball, by its very nature, is a difficult game to play. Players at all ages have a hard time hitting the ball to their intended targets, resulting in rallies that rarely last more than one or two hits. The resulting game, then, is slow paced and boring, with a lot of standing around and little activity time. In an attempt to ease the…

Perceptual learning during action video game playing.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, C Shawn; Li, Renjie; Bavelier, Daphne

2010-04-01

Action video games have been shown to enhance behavioral performance on a wide variety of perceptual tasks, from those that require effective allocation of attentional resources across the visual scene, to those that demand the successful identification of fleetingly presented stimuli. Importantly, these effects have not only been shown in expert action video game players, but a causative link has been established between action video game play and enhanced processing through training studies. Although an account based solely on attention fails to capture the variety of enhancements observed after action game playing, a number of models of perceptual learning are consistent with the observed results, with behavioral modeling favoring the hypothesis that avid video game players are better able to form templates for, or extract the relevant statistics of, the task at hand. This may suggest that the neural site of learning is in areas where information is integrated and actions are selected; yet changes in low-level sensory areas cannot be ruled out. Copyright © 2009 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

What Role do Metaphors Play in Game-based Learning Processes?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, Thomas Duus

2015-01-01

This chapter explores the role played by metaphors in learning games and game-based learning processes. The aim is to contribute better understanding of the mechanisms of how such games contribute to learning and learning transfer. On the basis of an analytical strategy that emphasises metaphors...... as storylines, actors, acts and movement, three learning games are analysed in order to understand how learningemerges in association to game-embedded metaphors.As shown in this chapter, metaphorsseem to play a profound role in game-based learning, both by providing participantswith a suitcase containing...

What Role do Metaphors Play in Game-Based Learning Processes?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, Thomas Duus

2014-01-01

This chapter explores the role played by metaphors in learning games and game-based learning processes. The aim is to contribute better understanding of the mechanisms of how such games contribute to learning and learning transfer. On the basis of an analytical strategy that emphasises metaphors...... as storylines, actors, acts and movement, three learning games are analysed in order to understand how learning emerges in association to game-embedded metaphors. As shown in this chapter, metaphors seem to play a profound role in game-based learning, both by providing participants with a suitcase containing...

Playful empowerment, the role of game design innovation in participatory citizenship.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schouten, B.A.M.; Marsh, T.

2016-01-01

In this talk I will address a changing perspective on design, one in which users are defined as social and economical actors who co-create products and services. We will see that the role of play in its contemporary and digital form for instance through games, apps, interactive toys is essential in

Trends in Video Game Play through Childhood, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood.

Science.gov (United States)

Ream, Geoffrey L; Elliott, Luther C; Dunlap, Eloise

2013-01-01

This study explored the relationship between video gaming and age during childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. It also examined whether "role incompatibility," the theory that normative levels of substance use decrease through young adulthood as newly acquired adult roles create competing demands, generalizes to video gaming. Emerging adult video gamers (n = 702) recruited from video gaming contexts in New York City completed a computer-assisted personal interview and life-history calendar. All four video gaming indicators-days/week played, school/work day play, nonschool/work day play, and problem play-had significant curvilinear relationships with age. The "shape" of video gaming's relationship with age is, therefore, similar to that of substance use, but video gaming appears to peak earlier in life than substance use, that is, in late adolescence rather than emerging adulthood. Of the four video gaming indicators, role incompatibility only significantly affected school/work day play, the dimension with the clearest potential to interfere with life obligations.

Relationships between electronic game play, obesity, and psychosocial functioning in young men.

Science.gov (United States)

Wack, Elizabeth; Tantleff-Dunn, Stacey

2009-04-01

Most estimates suggest that American youth are spending a large amount of time playing video and computer games, spurring researchers to examine the impact this media has on various aspects of health and psychosocial functioning. The current study investigated relationships between frequency of electronic game play and obesity, the social/emotional context of electronic game play, and academic performance among 219 college-aged males. Current game players reported a weekly average of 9.73 hours of game play, with almost 10% of current players reporting an average of 35 hours of play per week. Results indicated that frequency of play was not significantly related to body mass index or grade point average. However, there was a significant positive correlation between frequency of play and self-reported frequency of playing when bored, lonely, or stressed. As opposed to the general conception of electronic gaming as detrimental to functioning, the results suggest that gaming among college-aged men may provide a healthy source of socialization, relaxation, and coping.

Theoretical aspects of business role-playing game for senior students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Faychuk Olena Leonidivna

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The article deals with some theoretically grounded features of the business role-playing game determined to improve the learning process of senior students (specialization «Social work». The authors give the classification of business role-playing games, benefits and effective application of the rules of role-plays, and possibilities of using them in the learning process. Business role-playing games provide students’ initiative, emotional saturation of the learning process and help to assimilate the basic theoretical knowledge.

Problematic Video Game Play and ADHD Traits in an Adult Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Panagiotidi, Maria

2017-05-01

This study examined the relationship between problematic video game play (PVGP), video game usage, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits in an adult population. A sample of 205 healthy adult volunteers completed the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), a video game usage questionnaire, and the Problem Video Game Playing Test (PVGT). A significant positive correlation was found between the ASRS and the PVGT. More specifically, inattention symptoms and time spent playing video games were the best predictors of PVGP. No relationship was found between frequency and duration of play and ADHD traits. Hyperactivity symptoms were not associated with PVGP. Our results suggest that there is a positive relationship between ADHD traits and problematic video game play. In particular, adults with higher level of self-reported inattention symptoms could be at higher risk of PVGP.

Sequential interactions-in which one player plays first and another responds-promote cooperation in evolutionary-dynamical simulations of single-shot Prisoner's Dilemma and Snowdrift games.

Science.gov (United States)

Laird, Robert A

2018-05-21

Cooperation is a central topic in evolutionary biology because (a) it is difficult to reconcile why individuals would act in a way that benefits others if such action is costly to themselves, and (b) it underpins many of the 'major transitions of evolution', making it essential for explaining the origins of successively higher levels of biological organization. Within evolutionary game theory, the Prisoner's Dilemma and Snowdrift games are the main theoretical constructs used to study the evolution of cooperation in dyadic interactions. In single-shot versions of these games, wherein individuals play each other only once, players typically act simultaneously rather than sequentially. Allowing one player to respond to the actions of its co-player-in the absence of any possibility of the responder being rewarded for cooperation or punished for defection, as in simultaneous or sequential iterated games-may seem to invite more incentive for exploitation and retaliation in single-shot games, compared to when interactions occur simultaneously, thereby reducing the likelihood that cooperative strategies can thrive. To the contrary, I use lattice-based, evolutionary-dynamical simulation models of single-shot games to demonstrate that under many conditions, sequential interactions have the potential to enhance unilaterally or mutually cooperative outcomes and increase the average payoff of populations, relative to simultaneous interactions-benefits that are especially prevalent in a spatially explicit context. This surprising result is attributable to the presence of conditional strategies that emerge in sequential games that can't occur in the corresponding simultaneous versions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

“HOW DO YOU FEEL?”: EMOTIONS EXHIBITED WHILE PLAYING COMPUTER GAMES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO GAMING BEHAVIORS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rex P. Bringula

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This descriptive study utilized a validated questionnaire to determine the emotions exhibited by computer gamers in cyber cafés. We determined that gamers exhibited both positive and negative emotions while playing games. We observed that gamers were inclined to be more anxious about being defeated in a game as gaming became frequent and length of years spent playing games increased. They also had the tendency to become more stressed when length of years spent playing games increased. On the other hand, other gaming behaviors were not significantly related to other emotions. We concluded that not all emotions exhibited by gamers while playing computer games could be attributed to their gaming behaviors. We recommend that other emotions such as anger, frustration, boredom, amusement, etc. be included in future research.

Daily violent video game playing and depression in preadolescent youth.

Science.gov (United States)

Tortolero, Susan R; Peskin, Melissa F; Baumler, Elizabeth R; Cuccaro, Paula M; Elliott, Marc N; Davies, Susan L; Lewis, Terri H; Banspach, Stephen W; Kanouse, David E; Schuster, Mark A

2014-09-01

Most studies on the impact of playing violent video games on mental health have focused on aggression. Relatively few studies have examined the relationship between playing violent video games and depression, especially among preadolescent youth. In this study, we investigated whether daily violent video game playing over the past year is associated with a greater number of depressive symptoms among preadolescent youth, after controlling for several well-known correlates of depression among youth. We analyzed cross-sectional data collected from 5,147 fifth-grade students and their primary caregivers who participated in Wave I (2004-2006) of Healthy Passages, a community-based longitudinal study conducted in three U.S. cities. Linear regression was conducted to determine the association between violent video game exposure and number of depressive symptoms, while controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, peer victimization, witnessing violence, being threatened with violence, aggression, family structure, and household income level. We found that students who reported playing high-violence video games for ≥2 hours per day had significantly more depressive symptoms than those who reported playing low-violence video games for video games and number of depressive symptoms among preadolescent youth. More research is needed to examine this association and, if confirmed, to investigate its causality, persistence over time, underlying mechanisms, and clinical implications.

Effects of playing video games on perceptions of one's humanity.

Science.gov (United States)

Greitemeyer, Tobias

2013-01-01

According to self-perception theory, individuals infer their characteristics by observing their own behavior. In the present research, the hypothesis is examined whether helping behavior increases perceptions of one's own humanity even when help is given that does not benefit a real person. In fact, two studies revealed that playing a prosocial video game (where the goal is to help and care for other game characters) led to increased perceptions of the player's own humanity (in particular, for positive humanity traits). Results also revealed that playing a violent, relative to a neutral, video game decreased perceptions of humanity on positive humanity traits and increased perceptions of humanity on negative humanity traits. Taken together, it appears that being helpful while playing video games leads to the perception of being more human, whereas being harmful while playing video games leads players to perceive themselves negatively.

Cross-format analysis of the gaming experience in multi-player role playing games

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tychsen, Anders; Newman, K.; Brolund, T.

2007-01-01

Forming one of the major genres of games, Role Playing Games (RPGs) have proven an extremely portable concept, and the games are situated across various cultural and format-related boundaries. The effect of porting RPGs between formats is however a subject of which very little is known. This paper...

Video game playing increases food intake in adolescents: a randomized crossover study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaput, Jean-Philippe; Visby, Trine; Nyby, Signe; Klingenberg, Lars; Gregersen, Nikolaj T; Tremblay, Angelo; Astrup, Arne; Sjödin, Anders

2011-06-01

Video game playing has been linked to obesity in many observational studies. However, the influence of this sedentary activity on food intake is unknown. The objective was to examine the acute effects of sedentary video game play on various components of energy balance. With the use of a randomized crossover design, 22 healthy, normal-weight, male adolescents (mean ± SD age: 16.7 ± 1.1 y) completed two 1-h experimental conditions, namely video game play and rest in a sitting position, followed by an ad libitum lunch. The endpoints were spontaneous food intake, energy expenditure, stress markers, appetite sensations, and profiles of appetite-related hormones. Heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, sympathetic tone, and mental workload were significantly higher during the video game play condition than during the resting condition (P video game play than during rest (mean increase over resting: 89 kJ; P video game play exceeded that measured after rest by 335 kJ (P video game play condition. The increase in food intake associated with video game play was observed without increased sensations of hunger and was not compensated for during the rest of the day. Finally, the profiles of glucose, insulin, cortisol, and ghrelin did not suggest an up-regulation of appetite during the video game play condition. A single session of video game play in healthy male adolescents is associated with an increased food intake, regardless of appetite sensations. The trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01013246.

Correlates of video games playing among adolescents in an Islamic country

OpenAIRE

Allahverdipour, Hamid; Bazargan, Mohsen; Farhadinasab, Abdollah; Moeini, Babak

2010-01-01

Abstract Background No study has ever explored the prevalence and correlates of video game playing among children in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This study describes patterns and correlates of excessive video game use in a random sample of middle-school students in Iran. Specifically, we examine the relationship between video game playing and psychological well-being, aggressive behaviors, and adolescents' perceived threat of video-computer game playing. Methods This cross-sectional study w...

The influence of playing computer games on pupil's development

OpenAIRE

Pospíšilová, Lenka

2008-01-01

This thesis is about the effects of playing computer games on pupils and students behavior. It is divided into a theoretical and an investigative part. The theoretical part is dedicated to historical development of technologies and principals of game systems in relationship to technical progress. It adverts to psychological, social and biological effects of long time, intensive playing of games. It shows positive and negative effects ofthis activity. The work analyses typical pathological eve...

Reading Games: Close Viewing and Guided Playing of Multimedia Texts

Science.gov (United States)

Kozdras, Deborah; Joseph, Christine; Schneider, Jenifer Jasinski

2015-01-01

In this article, we describe how literacy strategies can be adapted for playing (and reading) video games--games that embed disciplinary content in multimedia texts. Using close viewing and guided playing strategies with online games and simulations, we share ideas for helping students navigate and comprehend multimedia texts in order to learn…

Game Analysis, Validation, and Potential Application of EyeToy Play and Play 2 to Upper-Extremity Rehabilitation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-ping Chen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. To describe and analyze the potential use of games in the commercially available EyeToy Play and EyeToy Play 2 on required/targeted training skills and feedback provided for clinical application. Methods. A summary table including all games was created. Two movement experts naïve to the software validated required/targeted training skills and feedback for 10 randomly selected games. Ten healthy school-aged children played to further validate the required/targeted training skills. Results. All but two (muscular and cardiovascular endurance had excellent agreement in required/targeted training skills, and there was 100% agreement on feedback. Children’s performance in required/targeted training skills (number of unilateral reaches and bilateral reaches, speed, muscular endurance, and cardiovascular endurance significantly differed between games (P<.05. Conclusion. EyeToy Play games could be used to train children’s arm function. However, a careful evaluation of the games is needed since performance might not be consistent between players and therapists’ interpretation.

Failure to Demonstrate That Playing Violent Video Games Diminishes Prosocial Behavior

OpenAIRE

Tear, Morgan J.; Nielsen, Mark

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Past research has found that playing a classic prosocial video game resulted in heightened prosocial behavior when compared to a control group, whereas playing a classic violent video game had no effect. Given purported links between violent video games and poor social behavior, this result is surprising. Here our aim was to assess whether this finding may be due to the specific games used. That is, modern games are experienced differently from classic games (more immersion in vir...

Video Games and Aggression: the effects of violent game play on self-reported and peer-observed anger

OpenAIRE

Nelson, Andrew R

2009-01-01

The continued upsurge in the popularity of video games has lead to persistent debate over the effects of play, particularly the use of violent video games. The present experimental study aimed to replicate the results of numerous research groups who found that playing violent video games lead to an increase in aggression and to examine peer-observer perceptions of violent game play. Two experiments were carried out; the first used 24 participants in a within-subjects design being filmed while...

The Contribution of Game Genre and Other Use Patterns to Problem Video Game Play among Adult Video Gamers

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, Luther; Ream, Geoffrey; McGinsky, Elizabeth; Dunlap, Eloise

2012-01-01

A nationally representative online survey (n = 3,380) was used to assess the contribution of patterns of video game play to problem video game play (PVGP) symptomatology. Game genre, enjoyment, consumer involvement, time spent gaming (gaming days in the past month and hours on days used), and demographic variables were all examined. The study…

Exploring the links between personality traits and motivations to play online games.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jowon; Song, Yosep; Teng, Ching-I

2011-12-01

The present study explores the links between personality traits and motivations to play online games. We identified the underlying dimensions of motivations to play online games, examined how personality traits predict motivation, and investigated how personality traits predict online gaming behavior (i.e., playing time and preference for game genres). Factor analyses identified five motivational factors: relationships, adventure, escapism, relaxation, and achievement. The regression analyses indicated that two personality traits, extraversion and agreeableness, predicted various motivations; however, personality traits did not affect the playing time and game genre preference.

Games Children Play: An Exercise Illustrating Agents of Socialization.

Science.gov (United States)

Glasberg, Davita Silfen; Maatita, Florence; Nangle, Barbara; Schauer, Tracy

1998-01-01

Argues that children's toys and games contribute to representing and reinforcing dominant conceptions of appropriate social identities. Invites students to play a number of children's games in order to experience the "hidden agendas" concerning race, class, gender, and political socialization conveyed to them while they are playing. (DSK)

Game theory and experimental games the study of strategic interaction

CERN Document Server

Colman, Andrew M

1982-01-01

Game Theory and Experimental Games: The Study of Strategic Interaction is a critical survey of the essential ideas of game theory and the findings of empirical research on strategic interaction. Some experiments using lifelike simulations of familiar kinds of strategic interactions are presented, and applications of game theory to the study of voting, the theory of evolution, and moral philosophy are discussed.Comprised of 13 chapters, this volume begins with an informal definition of game theory and an outline of the types of social situations to which it applies. Games of skill, games of cha

Churn prediction of mobile and online casual games using play log data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seungwook Kim

Full Text Available Internet-connected devices, especially mobile devices such as smartphones, have become widely accessible in the past decade. Interaction with such devices has evolved into frequent and short-duration usage, and this phenomenon has resulted in a pervasive popularity of casual games in the game sector. On the other hand, development of casual games has become easier than ever as a result of the advancement of development tools. With the resulting fierce competition, now both acquisition and retention of users are the prime concerns in the field. In this study, we focus on churn prediction of mobile and online casual games. While churn prediction and analysis can provide important insights and action cues on retention, its application using play log data has been primitive or very limited in the casual game area. Most of the existing methods cannot be applied to casual games because casual game players tend to churn very quickly and they do not pay periodic subscription fees. Therefore, we focus on the new players and formally define churn using observation period (OP and churn prediction period (CP. Using the definition, we develop a standard churn analysis process for casual games. We cover essential topics such as pre-processing of raw data, feature engineering including feature analysis, churn prediction modeling using traditional machine learning algorithms (logistic regression, gradient boosting, and random forests and two deep learning algorithms (CNN and LSTM, and sensitivity analysis for OP and CP. Play log data of three different casual games are considered by analyzing a total of 193,443 unique player records and 10,874,958 play log records. While the analysis results provide useful insights, the overall results indicate that a small number of well-chosen features used as performance metrics might be sufficient for making important action decisions and that OP and CP should be properly chosen depending on the analysis goal.

Churn prediction of mobile and online casual games using play log data

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Seungwook; Choi, Daeyoung; Lee, Eunjung

2017-01-01

Internet-connected devices, especially mobile devices such as smartphones, have become widely accessible in the past decade. Interaction with such devices has evolved into frequent and short-duration usage, and this phenomenon has resulted in a pervasive popularity of casual games in the game sector. On the other hand, development of casual games has become easier than ever as a result of the advancement of development tools. With the resulting fierce competition, now both acquisition and retention of users are the prime concerns in the field. In this study, we focus on churn prediction of mobile and online casual games. While churn prediction and analysis can provide important insights and action cues on retention, its application using play log data has been primitive or very limited in the casual game area. Most of the existing methods cannot be applied to casual games because casual game players tend to churn very quickly and they do not pay periodic subscription fees. Therefore, we focus on the new players and formally define churn using observation period (OP) and churn prediction period (CP). Using the definition, we develop a standard churn analysis process for casual games. We cover essential topics such as pre-processing of raw data, feature engineering including feature analysis, churn prediction modeling using traditional machine learning algorithms (logistic regression, gradient boosting, and random forests) and two deep learning algorithms (CNN and LSTM), and sensitivity analysis for OP and CP. Play log data of three different casual games are considered by analyzing a total of 193,443 unique player records and 10,874,958 play log records. While the analysis results provide useful insights, the overall results indicate that a small number of well-chosen features used as performance metrics might be sufficient for making important action decisions and that OP and CP should be properly chosen depending on the analysis goal. PMID:28678880

The Politics of Labor and Play in Popcultural Industry of On-Line Video Games

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mateusz Felczak

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the functioning of the on-line AAAgames in capitalist market circulation, with games understood as productssubject to trade exchange. The author analyzes the method of capitalizationof players’ productivity, such as the use of unpaid digital laborof fans, arguing that the game mechanics are often adjusted to the playbourparadigm. The mechanisms of modeling the reception and distributionof games are listed and described based on the example of Steamand methods of exploitation of the Real-Money Auction House in DiabloIII. Automating the process of the game is considered to be the mostefficient model of play, displacing traditionally understood explorationand interaction with other players.

Understanding How to Support Intergenerational Play through Educational Video Games

Science.gov (United States)

Siyahhan, Sinem

2011-01-01

The limited number of studies on intergenerational play suggests that not many parents play video games with their children (Lenhart, Jones, & Macgill, 2008). However, when intentionally designed to support intergenerational play, video game could provide an opportunity for parents and children to connect in new and powerful ways, especially…

Cultural dimensions of children's games and play behaviour in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Cultural dimensions of children's games and play behaviour in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa. ... The socio-cultural analysis of games and play behaviour is an integral exponent of anthropological ... AJOL African Journals Online.

Feasibility of an Exoskeleton-Based Interactive Video Game System for Upper Extremity Burn Contractures.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Jeffrey C; Ozsecen, Muzaffer Y; Muraoka, Nicholas K; Mancinelli, Chiara; Della Croce, Ugo; Ryan, Colleen M; Bonato, Paolo

2016-05-01

Burn contractures are common and difficult to treat. Measuring continuous joint motion would inform the assessment of contracture interventions; however, it is not standard clinical practice. This study examines use of an interactive gaming system to measure continuous joint motion data. To assess the usability of an exoskeleton-based interactive gaming system in the rehabilitation of upper extremity burn contractures. Feasibility study. Eight subjects with a history of burn injury and upper extremity contractures were recruited from the outpatient clinic of a regional inpatient rehabilitation facility. Subjects used an exoskeleton-based interactive gaming system to play 4 different video games. Continuous joint motion data were collected at the shoulder and elbow during game play. Visual analog scale for engagement, difficulty and comfort. Angular range of motion by subject, joint, and game. The study population had an age of 43 ± 16 (mean ± standard deviation) years and total body surface area burned range of 10%-90%. Subjects reported satisfactory levels of enjoyment, comfort, and difficulty. Continuous joint motion data demonstrated variable characteristics by subject, plane of motion, and game. This study demonstrates the feasibility of use of an exoskeleton-based interactive gaming system in the burn population. Future studies are needed that examine the efficacy of tailoring interactive video games to the specific joint impairments of burn survivors. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brain activity and desire for Internet video game play.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Doug Hyun; Bolo, Nicolas; Daniels, Melissa A; Arenella, Lynn; Lyoo, In Kyoon; Renshaw, Perry F

2011-01-01

Recent studies have suggested that the brain circuitry mediating cue-induced desire for video games is similar to that elicited by cues related to drugs and alcohol. We hypothesized that desire for Internet video games during cue presentation would activate similar brain regions to those that have been linked with craving for drugs or pathologic gambling. This study involved the acquisition of diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 19 healthy male adults (age, 18-23 years) following training and a standardized 10-day period of game play with a specified novel Internet video game, "War Rock" (K2 Network, Irvine, CA). Using segments of videotape consisting of 5 contiguous 90-second segments of alternating resting, matched control, and video game-related scenes, desire to play the game was assessed using a 7-point visual analogue scale before and after presentation of the videotape. In responding to Internet video game stimuli, compared with neutral control stimuli, significantly greater activity was identified in left inferior frontal gyrus, left parahippocampal gyrus, right and left parietal lobe, right and left thalamus, and right cerebellum (false discovery rate Internet video game showed significantly greater activity in right medial frontal lobe, right and left frontal precentral gyrus, right parietal postcentral gyrus, right parahippocampal gyrus, and left parietal precuneus gyrus. Controlling for total game time, reported desire for the Internet video game in the subjects who played more Internet video game was positively correlated with activation in right medial frontal lobe and right parahippocampal gyrus. The present findings suggest that cue-induced activation to Internet video game stimuli may be similar to that observed during cue presentation in persons with substance dependence or pathologic gambling. In particular, cues appear to commonly elicit activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal, orbitofrontal

The effect of presleep video-game playing on adolescent sleep.

Science.gov (United States)

Weaver, Edward; Gradisar, Michael; Dohnt, Hayley; Lovato, Nicole; Douglas, Paul

2010-04-15

Video-game use before bedtime has been linked with poor sleep outcomes for adolescents; however, experimental evidence to support this link is sparse. The present study investigated the capacity of presleep video-game playing to extend sleep latency and reduce subjective feelings of sleepiness in adolescents. The arousing psychophysiologic mechanisms involved and the impact of presleep video-game playing on sleep architecture were also explored. Thirteen male adolescent "evening types" (mean age = 16.6 years, SD = 1.1) participated in a counterbalanced, within-subjects design with experimental (active video gaming) and control (passive DVD watching) conditions. The experiment was conducted in the Flinders University Sleep Research Laboratory. Relative to the control condition, presleep video-game playing increased sleep-onset latency (Z= 2.45, p= .01) and reduced subjective sleepiness (Z = 2.36, p = .02)-but only slightly. Video gaming was related to changes in cognitive alertness (as measured by a power: p 0.05). Contrary to previous findings, sleep architecture was unaffected (both rapid eye movement and slow wave sleep: p > 0.05). Results suggest the direct effect of presleep video-game playing on adolescent sleep may be more modest than previously thought, suggesting that surveys linking stimulating presleep activities to poor sleep need substantiating with empirical evidence.

Playing prosocial video games increases the accessibility of prosocial thoughts.

Science.gov (United States)

Greitemeyer, Tobias; Osswald, Silvia

2011-01-01

Past research has provided abundant evidence that playing violent video games increases aggressive tendencies. In contrast, evidence on possible positive effects of video game exposure on prosocial tendencies has been relatively sparse. The present research tested and found support for the hypothesis that exposure to prosocial video games increases the accessibility of prosocial thoughts. These results provide support to the predictive validity of the General Learning Model (Buckley & Anderson, 2006) for the effects of exposure to prosocial media on social tendencies. Thus, depending on the content of the video game, playing video games can harm but may also benefit social relations.

Playful Collaboration (or Not): Using a Game to Grasp the Social Dynamics of Open Innovation in Innovation and Business Education

Science.gov (United States)

Bogers, Marcel; Sproedt, Henrik

2012-01-01

This article explores how playing games can be used to teach intangible social interaction across boundaries, in particular within open collaborative innovation. We present an exploratory case study of how students learned from playing a board game in a graduate course of the international and interdisciplinary Innovation and Business master's…

Effect of playing violent video games cooperatively or competitively on subsequent cooperative behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Ewoldsen, David R; Eno, Cassie A; Okdie, Bradley M; Velez, John A; Guadagno, Rosanna E; DeCoster, Jamie

2012-05-01

Research on video games has yielded consistent findings that violent video games increase aggression and decrease prosocial behavior. However, these studies typically examined single-player games. Of interest is the effect of cooperative play in a violent video game on subsequent cooperative or competitive behavior. Participants played Halo II (a first-person shooter game) cooperatively or competitively and then completed a modified prisoner's dilemma task to assess competitive and cooperative behavior. Compared with the competitive play conditions, players in the cooperative condition engaged in more tit-for-tat behaviors-a pattern of behavior that typically precedes cooperative behavior. The social context of game play influenced subsequent behavior more than the content of the game that was played.

Love Games that Insects Play

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 3; Issue 1. Love Games that Insects Play - The Evolution of Sexual Behaviours in Insects ... Author Affiliations. K N Ganeshaiah1. Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK Bangalore 560 065, India ...

Role-Playing and Religion: Using Games to Educate Millennials

Science.gov (United States)

Porter, Adam L.

2008-01-01

I have been experimenting with using role-playing and games in my religion classes for several years and have found that students respond well to these pedagogical tools and methods. After reviewing my experiences, I explore the reasons for students' positive response. I argue that role-playing games capitalize on our students' educational…

Teaching Teachers to Play and Teach Games

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Steven; McNeill, Michael; Fry, Joan; Wang, John

2005-01-01

This study was designed to determine the extent to which a technical and a tactical approach to teaching a basketball unit to physical education teacher education (PETE) students would each affect their games playing abilities, perceived ability to teach, and approach preference for teaching the game. Pre- and post-unit data were collected through…

Engagement, enjoyment, and energy expenditure during active video game play.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyons, Elizabeth J; Tate, Deborah F; Ward, Dianne S; Ribisl, Kurt M; Bowling, J Michael; Kalyanaraman, Sriram

2014-02-01

Playing active video games can produce moderate levels of physical activity, but little is known about how these games motivate players to be active. Several psychological predictors, such as perceptions of competence, control, and engagement, may be associated with enjoyment of a game, which has in turn been hypothesized to predict energy expended during play. However, these relationships have yet to be tested in active video games. Young adults aged 18-35 (N = 97, 50 female) game for 13 minutes while energy expenditure was measured using indirect calorimetry. Self-reported measures of engagement, perceived competence, perceived control, and enjoyment were taken immediately afterward. Mediation was analyzed using path analysis. A path model in which enjoyment mediated the effects of engagement, perceived competence, and perceived control on energy expenditure and BMI directly affected energy expenditure was an adequate fit to the data, χ(2)(1, N = 97) = .199, p = .655; CFI = 1.00; RMSEA video game play. Games that are more enjoyable and engaging may produce greater intensity activity. Developers, practitioners, and researchers should consider characteristics that influence these predictors when creating or recommending active video games. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Excessive computer game playing : evidence for addiction and aggression?

OpenAIRE

Grüsser, SM; Thalemann, R; Griffiths, MD

2007-01-01

Computer games have become an ever-increasing part of many adolescents’ day-to-day lives. Coupled with this phenomenon, reports of excessive gaming (computer game playing) denominated as “computer/video game addiction” have been discussed in the popular press as well as in recent scientific research. The aim of the present study was the investigation of the addictive potential of gaming as well as the relationship between excessive gaming and aggressive attitudes and behavior. A sample compri...

Media and human capital development: Can video game playing make you smarter?

Science.gov (United States)

Suziedelyte, Agne

2015-04-01

According to the literature, video game playing can improve such cognitive skills as problem solving, abstract reasoning, and spatial logic. I test this hypothesis using The Child Development Supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. The endogeneity of video game playing is addressed by using panel data methods and controlling for an extensive list of child and family characteristics. To address the measurement error in video game playing, I instrument children's weekday time use with their weekend time use. After taking into account the endogeneity and measurement error, video game playing is found to positively affect children's problem solving ability. The effect of video game playing on problem solving ability is comparable to the effect of educational activities.

The Classification of the Real-Time Interaction-Based Behavior of Online Game Addiction in Children and Early Adolescents in Thailand

OpenAIRE

Kongkarn Vachirapanang; Sakoontip Tuisima; Sukree Sinthupinyo; Puntip Sirivunnabood

2012-01-01

This paper aims to study actual behaviors of Thai children and early adolescents with different levels of game addiction while playing online games from an angle of the interaction between a user and computer. Real-time interaction-based behavior data from a program agent installed in personal computers in 20 sample houses were screened along with consent given by children and their parents. Collection of data about game-playing periods, frequency, game-playing times, text-based chatting, mou...

Short-term effects of playing computer games on attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Tahiroglu, Aysegul Yolga; Celik, Gonca Gul; Avci, Ayse; Seydaoglu, Gulsah; Uzel, Mehtap; Altunbas, Handan

2010-05-01

The main aim of the present study is to investigate the short-term cognitive effects of computer games in children with different psychiatric disorders and normal controls. One hundred one children are recruited for the study (aged between 9 and 12 years). All participants played a motor-racing game on the computer for 1 hour. The TBAG form of the Stroop task was administered to all participants twice, before playing and immediately after playing the game. Participants with improved posttest scores, compared to their pretest scores, used the computer on average 0.67 +/- 1.1 hr/day, while the average administered was measured at 1.6 +/- 1.4 hr/day and 1.3 +/- 0.9 hr/day computer use for participants with worse or unaltered scores, respectively. According to the regression model, male gender, younger ages, duration of daily computer use, and ADHD inattention type were found to be independent risk factors for worsened posttest scores. Time spent playing computer games can exert a short-term effect on attention as measured by the Stroop test.

Teaching Children with Autism to Play a Video Game Using Activity Schedules and Game-Embedded Simultaneous Video Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Blum-Dimaya, Alyssa; Reeve, Sharon A.; Reeve, Kenneth F.; Hoch, Hannah

2010-01-01

Children with autism have severe and pervasive impairments in social interactions and communication that impact most areas of daily living and often limit independent engagement in leisure activities. We taught four children with autism to engage in an age-appropriate leisure skill, playing the video game Guitar Hero II[TM], through the use of (a)…

The Effects of Playing Educational Video Games on Kindergarten Achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Din, Feng S.; Calao, Josephine

2001-01-01

Investigated whether kindergarten students who played Sony PlayStation educational video games for 40 minutes daily for 11 weeks learned better than peers who did not play such games. Found that the experimental group gained significantly more than the control group in spelling and decoding on the Wide Range Achievement Test-R3. Found no…

Sketch for a model of four epistemological positions toward computer game play

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leino, Olli

2008-01-01

The paper attempts to sketch out four distinct epistemological positions toward the player, who is understood as derived from play and game. To map out the problem field, two equally challenged positions toward computer game play are observed, emerging from inadequate treatment of the differences...... of playing a game is seen as independent of what goes on in the player’s mind (actually, the player might not even be the true subject of the game). Similar polarities are postulated regarding a game; from an exclusive viewpoint .game. is a signifying shorthand for objects, which, when observed from...

Trends in Video Game Play through Childhood, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geoffrey L. Ream

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This study explored the relationship between video gaming and age during childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. It also examined whether “role incompatibility,” the theory that normative levels of substance use decrease through young adulthood as newly acquired adult roles create competing demands, generalizes to video gaming. Emerging adult video gamers (n=702 recruited from video gaming contexts in New York City completed a computer-assisted personal interview and life-history calendar. All four video gaming indicators—days/week played, school/work day play, nonschool/work day play, and problem play—had significant curvilinear relationships with age. The “shape” of video gaming’s relationship with age is, therefore, similar to that of substance use, but video gaming appears to peak earlier in life than substance use, that is, in late adolescence rather than emerging adulthood. Of the four video gaming indicators, role incompatibility only significantly affected school/work day play, the dimension with the clearest potential to interfere with life obligations.

Assessing Approaches to Teaching Systems Thinking: Reading Article vs. Game Play

Science.gov (United States)

Pfirman, S. L.; O'Garra, T.; Lee, J.; Bachrach, E.; Bachman, G.; Orlove, B. S.

2016-12-01

Problem-solving in the complex domain of climate change requires consideration of the dynamics of systems as wholes. The long time frame, coupled with multiple interacting elements is challenging to teach through traditionally linear approaches, such as lectures or reading. On the other hand some have claimed that games are potentially useful in teaching system skills, due to their iterative, interacting, and problem solving character. In this experiment, we evaluated the impact of the EcoChains: Arctic Crisis card game on participants' mental models using a `fuzzy cognitive mapping' approach. The study population included 41 participants randomly assigned to the treatment/game play n=21 and the control/reading illustrated article: n=20. To obtain cognitive maps from participants, the first step was explaining how to draw a map, using an unrelated map as an example. Following the explanation, participants were handed large sheets of paper and asked to write down all the concepts they could think of related to: Arctic marine & sea-ice ecosystems, including the species & inhabitants of these ecosystems, all the different factors that negatively affect the health of Arctic marine & sea-ice ecosystems, its species & inhabitants, all the different factors that positively affect the health of Arctic marine & sea-ice ecosystems, its species & inhabitants. Once participants had drafted their list of concepts, they were asked to construct maps with the concepts in the center followed by arrows drawn between them to represent the direction of relationships between concepts. After the intervention - either playing the EcoChains card game or reading the illustrated article - participants were handed back their maps, together with a different colored pencil from the one they used previously, and asked to adjust the maps based on what they had learned from playing Ecochains/reading the article. Results indicate that both playing EcoChains and reading an illustrated article with

The impact of recreational video game play on children's and adolescents' cognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Blumberg, Fran C; Altschuler, Elizabeth A; Almonte, Debby E; Mileaf, Maxwell I

2013-01-01

Current empirical findings show linkages between recreational video game play and enhanced cognitive skills, primarily among young adults. However, consideration of this linkage among children and adolescents is sparse. Thus, discussions about facilitating transfer of cognitive skills from video game play to academic tasks among children and adolescents remains largely uninformed by research. To inform this discussion, we review available research concerning the cognitive benefits of video game play among children and adolescents and their impressions of video games as learning tools as these impressions may impact their application of cognitive skills used during game play to academic tasks. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

Inclusive Competitive Game Play Through Balanced Sensory Feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Westin, Thomas; Söderström, David; Karlsson, Olov; Peiris, Ranil

2017-01-01

While game accessibility has improved significantly the last few years, there are still barriers for equal participation and multiplayer issues have been less researched. Game balance is here about making the game fair in a player versus player competitive game. One difficult design task is to balance the game to be fair regardless of visual or hearing capabilities, with clearly different requirements. This paper explores a tentative design method for enabling inclusive competitive game-play without individual adaptations of game rules that could spoil the game. The method involved applying a unified design method to design an unbalanced game, then modifying visual feedback as a hypothetical balanced design, and testing the game with totally 52 people with and without visual or hearing disabilities in three workshops. Game balance was evaluated based on score differences and less structured qualitative data, and a redesign of the game was made. Conclusions are a tentative method for balancing a multiplayer, competitive game without changing game rules and how the method can be applied.

The Role of Structural Characteristics in Problematic Video Game Play: An Empirical Study

Science.gov (United States)

King, Daniel L.; Delfabbro, Paul H.; Griffiths, Mark D.

2011-01-01

The research literature suggests that the structural characteristics of video games may play a considerable role in the initiation, development and maintenance of problematic video game playing. The present study investigated the role of structural characteristics in video game playing behaviour within a sample of 421 video game players aged…

Science Teachers' Perceptions of the Relationship Between Game Play and Inquiry Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Mezei, Jessica M.

The implementation of inquiry learning in American science classrooms remains a challenge. Teachers' perceptions of inquiry learning are predicated on their past educational experiences, which means outdated methods of learning may influence teachers' instructional approaches. In order to enhance their understanding and ultimately their implementation of inquiry learning, teachers need new and more relevant models. This study takes a preliminary step exploring the potential of game play as a valuable experience for science teachers. It has been proposed that game play and inquiry experiences can embody constructivist processes of learning, however there has been little work done with science teachers to systematically explore the relationship between the two. Game play may be an effective new model for teacher education and it is important to understand if and how teachers relate game playing experience and knowledge to inquiry. This study examined science teachers' game playing experiences and their perceptions of inquiry experiences and evaluated teacher's recognition of learning in both contexts. Data was collected through an online survey (N=246) and a series of follow-up interviews (N=29). Research questions guiding the study were: (1) What is the nature of the relationship between science teachers' game experience and their perceptions of inquiry? (2) How do teachers describe learning in and from game playing as compared with inquiry science learning? and (3) What is the range of similarities and differences teachers articulate between game play and inquiry experiences?. Results showed weak quantitative links between science teachers' game experiences and their perceptions of inquiry, but identified promising game variables such as belief in games as learning tools, game experiences, and playing a diverse set of games for future study. The qualitative data suggests that teachers made broad linkages in terms of parallels of both teaching and learning. Teachers

Game and Digital Culture: A Study on Hay Day Game

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mia Angeline

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Digital games are a commercial product developed and distributed by media companies and often uses characters or scenarios of movies, books, and comics. The digital game play comes from individual media consumption patterns. Playing digital games also offer experience and satisfaction based on interactive communication technologies and immersive gameplay. In this digital age, digital games became more social-based, which means they implement the need to invite friends on social media to come into play and help each other in the game. The problems of this study was to determine what factors make Hay Day popular among the players and to find out how Hay Day changing the social patterns interaction of the players. This study aims to look at the functions of digital games in the context of communication with relations in social media and why certain games can achieve very high popularity, while other games failed miserably. This research focuses on Hay Day. The method used is descriptive qualitative approach with case study method. Data collection is using interviews with players active in the game, as well as observation and literature studies. The results showed that a game may gain popularity if someone has a social media environment prior to play. Interactive concept, simulation, and fantasy game technology are also the reason Hay Day became very popular. The perception that the digital game player who formerly regarded as anti-social experience has shifted in the concept of digital game-based social bookmark. Players who have a lot of friends in games are seen as someone who has a lot of friends and a high social level. This is in line with the functions of a traditional game in Indonesian culture, where the region has a wide variety of games to be played together and motivate positive social interaction. Function of digital games also increased, other than playing the game as entertainment, but also now the game became one of the effective

How Players Lose Interest in Playing a Game

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bauckhage, Christian; Kersting, Kristian; Sifa, Rafet

2012-01-01

introduce methods from random process theory into game data mining in order to draw inferences about player engagement. Given large samples (over 250,000 players) of behavioral telemetry data from five different action-adventure and shooter games, we extract information as to how long individual players......Analyzing telemetry data of player behavior in computer games is a topic of increasing interest for industry and research, alike. When applied to game telemetry data, pattern recognition and statistical analysis provide valuable business intelligence tools for game development. An important problem...... in this area is to characterize how player engagement in a game evolves over time. Reliable models are of pivotal interest since they allow for assessing the long-term success of game products and can provide estimates of how long players may be expected to keep actively playing a game. In this paper, we...

Exploring sociality and engagement in play through game-control distribution

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rozendaal, M.C.; Braat, B.A.L.; Wensveen, S.A.G.

2010-01-01

This study explores how distributing the controls of a video game among multiple players affects the sociality and engagement experienced in game play. A video game was developed in which the distribution of game controls among the players could be varied, thereby affecting the abilities of the

Is basic personality related to violent and non-violent video game play and preferences?

Science.gov (United States)

Chory, Rebecca M; Goodboy, Alan K

2011-04-01

Based on the uses and gratifications perspective, personality was expected to relate to violent video game play frequency and game preferences. Participants completed measures of personality and frequency of violent video game play, and identified their most frequently played video games. Results indicate that individuals higher in openness but lower in agreeableness played violent video games more frequently. In addition, more open and extroverted but less agreeable and neurotic individuals generally preferred to play video games that are more violent. Results suggest personality may be more predictive of violent video game use than traditional media use, though the predictive personality dimensions may be consistent across media types.

Cancer Survivors Who Play Recreational Computer Games: Motivations for Playing and Associations with Beneficial Psychological Outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Comello, Maria Leonora G; Francis, Diane B; Marshall, Laura Heisner; Puglia, Deanna R

2016-08-01

Playing recreational videogames is a common activity, yet little is known about its role in the lives of people who are coping with serious illness. These individuals may experience depression and isolation and may turn to games to help alleviate negative experiences and support well-being. We explored these possibilities in the context of cancer survivors. The study aimed to discover motivations underlying game play and the extent to which motivations are associated with psychological health and well-being. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey of survivors who play recreational games (N = 794). Key variables were motivations and indicators of psychological health, including self-efficacy in cancer communications, resilient coping, and beliefs that one is living a fulfilling and meaningful life (flourishing). Participants were most likely to be motivated to play for stimulation and a sense of accomplishment (intrinsic rewards), followed by development of self, sense of community, and personal affirmation. Multiple regression analyses revealed positive associations between playing for intrinsic rewards and all three psychological health outcomes. Playing for a sense of community was also positively associated with coping and flourishing. Playing recreational videogames, particularly to receive intrinsic rewards and to connect with others, may play a supportive role in the psychological health of survivors. Findings suggest future areas for research and implications for development of serious games.

Character selecting advisor for a role-playing game

Science.gov (United States)

Redfield, Carol L.; Berlanga, Felicia

1994-01-01

Role-playing games have been a source of much pleasure and merriment for people of all ages. The process of developing a character for a role-playing game is usually very, very time consuming, delaying what many players consider the most entertaining part of the game. An expert system has been written to assist a player in creating a character by guiding the player through a series of questions. This paper discusses the selection of this topic, the knowledge engineering, the software development, and the resulting program that cuts the time of character development from about 4 hours to 30 minutes. The program was written on a PC and an Apollo in CLIPS 4.3 and currently runs on the Apollo.

Video games playing: A substitute for cultural consumptions?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borowiecki, Karol Jan; Prieto-Rodriguez, Juan

2015-01-01

This article provides an applied investigation of video game usage. Using data for Spain, we estimate zero-inflated ordered probit models to control for an excess of zeros in our ordinal dependent variable. We find that the probability of game playing increases with the consumption of other...

Lets Play: Why School Librarians Should Embrace Gaming in the Library

Science.gov (United States)

Elkins, Aaron J.

2015-01-01

This author encourages librarians to play some video games to get ready for the upcoming school year. Games aren't just for young males--they have tremendous potential to enhance 21st-century literacies, including critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Playing games will not only help librarians see how these skills can be developed, but…

One-Dimensional Creativity: A Marcusean Critique of Work and Play in the Video Game Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ergin Bulut

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Creativity is at the heart of the video game industry. Industry professionals, especially those producing blockbuster games for the triple-A market, speak fondly of their creative labour practices, flexible work schedules, and playful workplaces. However, a cursory glance at major triple-A franchises reveals the persistence of sequel game production and a homogeneity in genres and narratives. Herbert Marcuse’s critique of one-dimensionality may help to account for this discrepancy between the workers’ creative aspirations and the dominant homogeneity in game aesthetics. What I call ‘one-dimensional creativity’ defines the essence of triple-A game production. In the name of extolling the pleasure principle at work, one-dimensional creativity eliminates the reality principle, but only superficially. One-dimensional creativity gives game developers the opportunity to express themselves, but it is still framed by a particular technological rationality that prioritises profits over experimental art. One-dimensional creativity negates potential forms of creativity that might emerge outside the industry’s hit-driven logics. Conceptually, ‘one-dimensional creativity’ renders visible the instrumentalisation of play and the conservative design principles of triple-A game production – a production that is heavily structured with technological performance, better graphics, interactivity, and speed. Multi-dimensional video game production and aesthetics, the opposite of one-dimensional creativity, is emerging from the DIY game production scene, which is more invested in game narratives and aesthetics outside the dominant logics of one-dimensionality in triple-A game production.

Daily Violent Video Game Playing and Depression in Preadolescent Youth

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Peskin, Melissa F.; Baumler, Elizabeth R.; Cuccaro, Paula M.; Elliott, Marc N.; Davies, Susan L.; Lewis, Terri H.; Banspach, Stephen W.; Kanouse, David E.; Schuster, Mark A.

2014-01-01

Abstract Most studies on the impact of playing violent video games on mental health have focused on aggression. Relatively few studies have examined the relationship between playing violent video games and depression, especially among preadolescent youth. In this study, we investigated whether daily violent video game playing over the past year is associated with a greater number of depressive symptoms among preadolescent youth, after controlling for several well-known correlates of depression among youth. We analyzed cross-sectional data collected from 5,147 fifth-grade students and their primary caregivers who participated in Wave I (2004–2006) of Healthy Passages, a community-based longitudinal study conducted in three U.S. cities. Linear regression was conducted to determine the association between violent video game exposure and number of depressive symptoms, while controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, peer victimization, witnessing violence, being threatened with violence, aggression, family structure, and household income level. We found that students who reported playing high-violence video games for ≥2 hours per day had significantly more depressive symptoms than those who reported playing low-violence video games for <2 hours per day (p<0.001). The magnitude of this association was small (Cohen's d=0.16), but this association was consistent across all racial/ethnic subgroups and among boys (Cohen's d values ranged from 0.12 to 0.25). Our findings indicate that there is an association between daily exposure to violent video games and number of depressive symptoms among preadolescent youth. More research is needed to examine this association and, if confirmed, to investigate its causality, persistence over time, underlying mechanisms, and clinical implications. PMID:25007237

Playing video games while using or feeling the effects of substances: associations with substance use problems.

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Ream, Geoffrey L; Elliott, Luther C; Dunlap, Eloise

2011-10-01

This study tested the hypothesis that playing video games while using or feeling the effects of a substance--referred to herein as "concurrent use"-is related to substance use problems after controlling for substance use frequency, video gaming as an enthusiastic hobby, and demographic factors. Data were drawn from a nationally representative online survey of adult video gamers conducted by Knowledge Networks, valid n = 2,885. Problem video game playing behavior was operationalized using Tejeiro Salguero and Bersabé Morán's 2002 problem video game play (PVP) measure, and measures for substance use problems were taken from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Separate structural equation modeling analyses were conducted for users of caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana. In all four models, concurrent use was directly associated with substance use problems, but not with PVP. Video gaming as an enthusiastic hobby was associated with substance use problems via two indirect paths: through PVP for all substances, and through concurrent use for caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol only. Results illustrate the potential for "drug interaction" between self-reinforcing behaviors and addictive substances, with implications for the development of problem use.

Computer analysis and comparison of chess players' game-playing styles

OpenAIRE

Krevs, Urša

2015-01-01

Today's computer chess programs are very good at evaluating chess positions. Research has shown that we can rank chess players by the quality of their game play, using a computer chess program. In the master's thesis Computer analysis and comparison of chess players' game-playing styles, we focus on the content analysis of chess games using a computer chess program's evaluation and attributes we determined for each individual position. We defined meaningful attributes that can be used for com...

Stereogame: An Interactive Computer Game That Engages Students in Reviewing Stereochemistry Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, Jose´ Nunes, Jr.; Lima, Mary Anne Sousa; Moreira, Joao Victor Xerez; Alexandre, Francisco Serra Oliveira; de Almeida, Diego Macedo; de Oliveira, Maria da Conceicao Ferreira; Leite, Antonio Jose´ Melo, Jr.

2017-01-01

This report provides information about an interactive computer game that allows undergraduate students to review individually stereochemistry topics in an engaging way by responding to 230 novel questions distributed at three difficulty levels. Responses from students and instructors who have played the game have been quite positive. Stereogame is…

Addictive Online Games: Examining the Relationship Between Game Genres and Internet Gaming Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Lemmens, Jeroen S; Hendriks, Stefan J F

2016-04-01

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is the most recent term used to describe problematic or pathological involvement with computer or video games. This study examined whether this disorder is more likely to involve pathological involvement with online (i.e., Internet) games as opposed to offline games. We also explored the addictive potential of nine video game genres by examining the relationship between IGD and 2,720 games played by a sample of 13- to 40-year olds (N = 2,442). Although time spent playing both online and offline games was related to IGD, online games showed much stronger correlations. This tendency is also reflected within various genres. Disordered gamers spent more than four times as much time playing online role-playing games than nondisordered gamers and more than thrice as much time playing online shooters, whereas no significant differences for offline games from these genres were found. Results are discussed within the frame of social interaction and competition provided by online games.

Active and non-active video gaming among Dutch adolescents: who plays and how much?

Science.gov (United States)

Simons, Monique; de Vet, Emely; Brug, Johannes; Seidell, Jaap; Chinapaw, Mai J M

2014-11-01

The aim of study was to determine prevalence and identify demographic correlates of active and non-active gaming among adolescents. Cross-sectional. A survey, assessing game behavior and correlates, was conducted among adolescents (12-16 years, n = 373), recruited via schools. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine demographic correlates of active gaming (≥ 1 h per week) and non-active gaming (>7h per week). Of all participants (n=373), 3% reported to play exclusively active games, 40% active games and non-active games, 40% exclusively non-active games, and 17% not playing video games at all. Active gaming adolescents played active games on average on 1.5 (sd = 1.2) days per school week for 36 (sd = 32.9)min and 1 (sd = 0.54) day per weekend for 42 (sd = 36.5)min. Non-active gaming adolescents played on average on 3.3 (sd = 1.6) days per school week for 65 (sd = 46.0)min and 1.4 (sd = 0.65) days per weekend for 80 (sd = 50.8)min. Adolescents attending lower levels of education were more likely to play active games ≥ 1 h per week than adolescents attending higher educational levels. Boys and older adolescents were more likely to play non-active games >7h per week, than girls or younger adolescents. Many adolescents play active games, especially those following a lower educational level, but time spent in this activity is relatively low compared to non-active gaming. To be feasible as a public health strategy, active gaming interventions should achieve more time is spent on active gaming at the expense of non-active gaming. Copyright © 2013 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Discoverability Problem of Free-to-Play Mobile Games

OpenAIRE

Koivisto, Maija

2015-01-01

Gaining visibility is crucial to a mobile game’s success. The competitive forces in mobile games market are strong, which pose challenges for game discovery. Low barriers to entry, minimal capital requirements and equal access to distribution platforms are some of the reasons the market is now flooded with staggering amounts of invisible, undifferentiated mobile games desperate for downloads. The thesis will give a holistic view of the current discovery landscape of free-to-play mobil...

A longitudinal study of the association between violent video game play and aggression among adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Willoughby, Teena; Adachi, Paul J C; Good, Marie

2012-07-01

In the past 2 decades, correlational and experimental studies have found a positive association between violent video game play and aggression. There is less evidence, however, to support a long-term relation between these behaviors. This study examined sustained violent video game play and adolescent aggressive behavior across the high school years and directly assessed the socialization (violent video game play predicts aggression over time) versus selection hypotheses (aggression predicts violent video game play over time). Adolescents (N = 1,492, 50.8% female) were surveyed annually from Grade 9 to Grade 12 about their video game play and aggressive behaviors. Nonviolent video game play, frequency of overall video game play, and a comprehensive set of potential 3rd variables were included as covariates in each analysis. Sustained violent video game play was significantly related to steeper increases in adolescents' trajectory of aggressive behavior over time. Moreover, greater violent video game play predicted higher levels of aggression over time, after controlling for previous levels of aggression, supporting the socialization hypothesis. In contrast, no support was found for the selection hypothesis. Nonviolent video game play also did not predict higher levels of aggressive behavior over time. Our findings, and the fact that many adolescents play video games for several hours every day, underscore the need for a greater understanding of the long-term relation between violent video games and aggression, as well as the specific game characteristics (e.g., violent content, competition, pace of action) that may be responsible for this association.

An Overview of Structural Characteristics in Problematic Video Game Playing.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, Mark D; Nuyens, Filip

2017-01-01

There are many different factors involved in how and why people develop problems with video game playing. One such set of factors concerns the structural characteristics of video games (i.e., the structure, elements, and components of the video games themselves). Much of the research examining the structural characteristics of video games was initially based on research and theorizing from the gambling studies field. The present review briefly overviews the key papers in the field to date. The paper examines a number of areas including (i) similarities in structural characteristics of gambling and video gaming, (ii) structural characteristics in video games, (iii) narrative and flow in video games, (iv) structural characteristic taxonomies for video games, and (v) video game structural characteristics and game design ethics. Many of the studies carried out to date are small-scale, and comprise self-selected convenience samples (typically using self-report surveys or non-ecologically valid laboratory experiments). Based on the small amount of empirical data, it appears that structural features that take a long time to achieve in-game are the ones most associated with problematic video game play (e.g., earning experience points, managing in-game resources, mastering the video game, getting 100% in-game). The study of video games from a structural characteristic perspective is of benefit to many different stakeholders including academic researchers, video game players, and video game designers, as well as those interested in prevention and policymaking by making the games more socially responsible. It is important that researchers understand and recognize the psycho-social effects and impacts that the structural characteristics of video games can have on players, both positive and negative.

The correlation between playing violent video games and bullying among adolescents in Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jevtić Ana

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of playing video games among Serbian adolescents, the video game violence and the quality of parental control. We wanted to relate the frequency of playing, the video game violence, the bullying behaviour in schools, and GPA. The study involved boys and girls (N = 578 from four age groups (12, 14, 16, 18 years. Research results have shown that most participants play video games (75.1%. There are significantly more boys than girls among them, as well as more older than younger participants. Parental control is weak; a very small percentage of the sample (4.4% reported that their parents had forbidden them to play a game because of its content. The parents mostly never check which games their children play (50.2 %, and the majority (40.6 % do not even talk with the children about the games they play. GPA is negatively correlated with the frequency of playing (r = -0.228, p<.01 and the frequency remains a significant predictor of GPA even when controlling for age and gender. Those who play more violent games display more bullying behaviour (r=0.403, p<.01. This effect remains significant even when controlling for gender, age, the amount of TV violence and frequency of watching TV. The amount of violence in video games as a predictor has a unique contribution to the explanation of individual differences in bullying; the factor has a small but significant contribution to the explanation of this form of aggressive behaviour.

Media and human capital development: Can video game playing make you smarter?1

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Suziedelyte, Agne

2015-01-01

According to the literature, video game playing can improve such cognitive skills as problem solving, abstract reasoning, and spatial logic. I test this hypothesis using The Child Development Supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. The endogeneity of video game playing is addressed by using panel data methods and controlling for an extensive list of child and family characteristics. To address the measurement error in video game playing, I instrument children's weekday time use with their weekend time use. After taking into account the endogeneity and measurement error, video game playing is found to positively affect children's problem solving ability. The effect of video game playing on problem solving ability is comparable to the effect of educational activities. PMID:25705064

Effects of passion for massively multiplayer online role-playing games on interpersonal relationships

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Utz, S.; Jonas, K.J.; Tonkens, E.

2012-01-01

Game research suffers from using a variety of concepts to predict the (often negative) effects of playing games. These concepts often overlap (e.g., addiction or pathological gaming), include negative consequences in their definition, or are very game-specific (e.g., collective play). We argue that

Head Up Games : the games of the future will look more like the games of the past

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Soute, I.A.C.; Markopoulos, P.; Baranauskas, C.; Palanque, P.

2008-01-01

With the emergence of pervasive technology, pervasive games came into existence. Most are location-aware applications, played with a PDA or mobile phone. We argue that the interaction paradigm these games support, limits outdoor play that often involves spontaneous social interaction. This paper

Measures of behavioral function predict duration of video game play: Utilization of the Video Game Functional Assessment - Revised.

Science.gov (United States)

Buono, Frank D; Griffiths, Mark D; Sprong, Matthew E; Lloyd, Daniel P; Sullivan, Ryan M; Upton, Thomas D

2017-12-01

Background Internet gaming disorder (IGD) was introduced in the DSM-5 as a way of identifying and diagnosing problematic video game play. However, the use of the diagnosis is constrained, as it shares criteria with other addictive orders (e.g., pathological gambling). Aims Further work is required to better understand IGD. One potential avenue of investigation is IGD's relationship to the primary reinforcing behavioral functions. This study explores the relationship between duration of video game play and the reinforcing behavioral functions that may motivate or maintain video gaming. Methods A total of 499 video game players began the online survey, with complete data from 453 participants (85% white and 28% female), were analyzed. Individuals were placed into five groups based on self-reported hours of video gaming per week, and completed the Video Game Functional Assessment - Revised (VGFA-R). Results The results demonstrated the escape and social attention function were significant in predicting duration of video game play, whereas sensory and tangible were not significant. Conclusion Future implications of the VGFA-R and behaviorally based research are discussed.

The Influence of Competitive and Cooperative Group Game Play on State Hostility

Science.gov (United States)

Eastin, Matthew S.

2007-01-01

Most research on violent video game play suggests a positive relationship with aggression-related outcomes. Expanding this research, the current study examines the impact group size, game motivation, in-game behavior, and verbal aggression have on postgame play hostility. Consistent with previous research, group size and verbal aggression both…

Supramodal Enhancement of Auditory Perceptual and Cognitive Learning by Video Game Playing.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yu-Xuan; Tang, Ding-Lan; Moore, David R; Amitay, Sygal

2017-01-01

Medical rehabilitation involving behavioral training can produce highly successful outcomes, but those successes are obtained at the cost of long periods of often tedious training, reducing compliance. By contrast, arcade-style video games can be entertaining and highly motivating. We examine here the impact of video game play on contiguous perceptual training. We alternated several periods of auditory pure-tone frequency discrimination (FD) with the popular spatial visual-motor game Tetris played in silence. Tetris play alone did not produce any auditory or cognitive benefits. However, when alternated with FD training it enhanced learning of FD and auditory working memory. The learning-enhancing effects of Tetris play cannot be explained simply by the visual-spatial training involved, as the effects were gone when Tetris play was replaced with another visual-spatial task using Tetris-like stimuli but not incorporated into a game environment. The results indicate that game play enhances learning and transfer of the contiguous auditory experiences, pointing to a promising approach for increasing the efficiency and applicability of rehabilitative training.

Supramodal Enhancement of Auditory Perceptual and Cognitive Learning by Video Game Playing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Xuan Zhang

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Medical rehabilitation involving behavioral training can produce highly successful outcomes, but those successes are obtained at the cost of long periods of often tedious training, reducing compliance. By contrast, arcade-style video games can be entertaining and highly motivating. We examine here the impact of video game play on contiguous perceptual training. We alternated several periods of auditory pure-tone frequency discrimination (FD with the popular spatial visual-motor game Tetris played in silence. Tetris play alone did not produce any auditory or cognitive benefits. However, when alternated with FD training it enhanced learning of FD and auditory working memory. The learning-enhancing effects of Tetris play cannot be explained simply by the visual-spatial training involved, as the effects were gone when Tetris play was replaced with another visual-spatial task using Tetris-like stimuli but not incorporated into a game environment. The results indicate that game play enhances learning and transfer of the contiguous auditory experiences, pointing to a promising approach for increasing the efficiency and applicability of rehabilitative training.

The effects of video game playing on attention, memory, and executive control.

Science.gov (United States)

Boot, Walter R; Kramer, Arthur F; Simons, Daniel J; Fabiani, Monica; Gratton, Gabriele

2008-11-01

Expert video game players often outperform non-players on measures of basic attention and performance. Such differences might result from exposure to video games or they might reflect other group differences between those people who do or do not play video games. Recent research has suggested a causal relationship between playing action video games and improvements in a variety of visual and attentional skills (e.g., [Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2003). Action video game modifies visual selective attention. Nature, 423, 534-537]). The current research sought to replicate and extend these results by examining both expert/non-gamer differences and the effects of video game playing on tasks tapping a wider range of cognitive abilities, including attention, memory, and executive control. Non-gamers played 20+ h of an action video game, a puzzle game, or a real-time strategy game. Expert gamers and non-gamers differed on a number of basic cognitive skills: experts could track objects moving at greater speeds, better detected changes to objects stored in visual short-term memory, switched more quickly from one task to another, and mentally rotated objects more efficiently. Strikingly, extensive video game practice did not substantially enhance performance for non-gamers on most cognitive tasks, although they did improve somewhat in mental rotation performance. Our results suggest that at least some differences between video game experts and non-gamers in basic cognitive performance result either from far more extensive video game experience or from pre-existing group differences in abilities that result in a self-selection effect.

Playing Active Video Games may not develop movement skills: An intervention trial

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, Lisa M.; Ridgers, Nicola D.; Reynolds, John; Hanna, Lisa; Salmon, Jo

2015-01-01

Background: To investigate the impact of playing sports Active Video Games on children's actual and perceived object control skills. Methods: Intervention children played Active Video Games for 6 weeks (1 h/week) in 2012. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 assessed object control skill. The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence assessed perceived object control skill. Repeated measurements of object control and perceived object control were analysed for the whole sample, using linear mixed models, which included fixed effects for group (intervention or control) and time (pre and post) and their interaction. The first model adjusted for sex only and the second model also adjusted for age, and prior ball sports experience (yes/no). Seven mixed-gender focus discussions were conducted with intervention children after programme completion. Results: Ninety-five Australian children (55% girls; 43% intervention group) aged 4 to 8 years (M 6.2, SD 0.95) participated. Object control skill improved over time (p = 0.006) but there was no significant difference (p = 0.913) between groups in improvement (predicted means: control 31.80 to 33.53, SED = 0.748; intervention 30.33 to 31.83, SED = 0.835). A similar result held for the second model. Similarly the intervention did not change perceived object control in Model 1 (predicted means: control: 19.08 to 18.68, SED = 0.362; intervention 18.67 to 18.88, SED = 0.406) or Model 2. Children found the intervention enjoyable, but most did not perceive direct equivalence between Active Video Games and ‘real life’ activities. Conclusions: Whilst Active Video Game play may help introduce children to sport, this amount of time playing is unlikely to build skill. PMID:26844136

Playing Active Video Games may not develop movement skills: An intervention trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lisa M. Barnett

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: To investigate the impact of playing sports Active Video Games on children's actual and perceived object control skills. Methods: Intervention children played Active Video Games for 6 weeks (1 h/week in 2012. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 assessed object control skill. The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence assessed perceived object control skill. Repeated measurements of object control and perceived object control were analysed for the whole sample, using linear mixed models, which included fixed effects for group (intervention or control and time (pre and post and their interaction. The first model adjusted for sex only and the second model also adjusted for age, and prior ball sports experience (yes/no. Seven mixed-gender focus discussions were conducted with intervention children after programme completion. Results: Ninety-five Australian children (55% girls; 43% intervention group aged 4 to 8 years (M 6.2, SD 0.95 participated. Object control skill improved over time (p = 0.006 but there was no significant difference (p = 0.913 between groups in improvement (predicted means: control 31.80 to 33.53, SED = 0.748; intervention 30.33 to 31.83, SED = 0.835. A similar result held for the second model. Similarly the intervention did not change perceived object control in Model 1 (predicted means: control: 19.08 to 18.68, SED = 0.362; intervention 18.67 to 18.88, SED = 0.406 or Model 2. Children found the intervention enjoyable, but most did not perceive direct equivalence between Active Video Games and ‘real life’ activities. Conclusions: Whilst Active Video Game play may help introduce children to sport, this amount of time playing is unlikely to build skill.

Playing Active Video Games may not develop movement skills: An intervention trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, Lisa M; Ridgers, Nicola D; Reynolds, John; Hanna, Lisa; Salmon, Jo

2015-01-01

To investigate the impact of playing sports Active Video Games on children's actual and perceived object control skills. Intervention children played Active Video Games for 6 weeks (1 h/week) in 2012. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 assessed object control skill. The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence assessed perceived object control skill. Repeated measurements of object control and perceived object control were analysed for the whole sample, using linear mixed models, which included fixed effects for group (intervention or control) and time (pre and post) and their interaction. The first model adjusted for sex only and the second model also adjusted for age, and prior ball sports experience (yes/no). Seven mixed-gender focus discussions were conducted with intervention children after programme completion. Ninety-five Australian children (55% girls; 43% intervention group) aged 4 to 8 years (M 6.2, SD 0.95) participated. Object control skill improved over time (p = 0.006) but there was no significant difference (p = 0.913) between groups in improvement (predicted means: control 31.80 to 33.53, SED = 0.748; intervention 30.33 to 31.83, SED = 0.835). A similar result held for the second model. Similarly the intervention did not change perceived object control in Model 1 (predicted means: control: 19.08 to 18.68, SED = 0.362; intervention 18.67 to 18.88, SED = 0.406) or Model 2. Children found the intervention enjoyable, but most did not perceive direct equivalence between Active Video Games and 'real life' activities. Whilst Active Video Game play may help introduce children to sport, this amount of time playing is unlikely to build skill.

Video game playing as a risk factor in adolescence?

OpenAIRE

Lysý, Jan

2013-01-01

Diploma thesis "Video game playing as a risk factor in adolescence?" deals with actuality of risks for children and youth linked to video games. This topic is currently intensively disscused because of cases of high school shootings. There are concerns that violence in video games is connected to rising of children and youth violence. Another risks refered to video games are addiction and obesity. This diploma thesis deals with these risk too. Goal of this thesis is find out if these risks ar...

Explaining How to Play Real-Time Strategy Games

Science.gov (United States)

Metoyer, Ronald; Stumpf, Simone; Neumann, Christoph; Dodge, Jonathan; Cao, Jill; Schnabel, Aaron

Real-time strategy games share many aspects with real situations in domains such as battle planning, air traffic control, and emergency response team management which makes them appealing test-beds for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning. End user annotations could help to provide supplemental information for learning algorithms, especially when training data is sparse. This paper presents a formative study to uncover how experienced users explain game play in real-time strategy games. We report the results of our analysis of explanations and discuss their characteristics that could support the design of systems for use by experienced real-time strategy game users in specifying or annotating strategy-oriented behavior.

Social Interactions and Games

Science.gov (United States)

Uz, Cigdem; Cagiltay, Kursat

2015-01-01

Digital games have become popular due to great technological improvements in recent years. They have been increasingly transformed from co-located experiences into multi-played, socially oriented platforms (Herodotou, 2009). Multi-User Online Games provide the opportunity to create a social environment for friendships and strengthen the…

Mobile augmented games in playable cities : Humorous interaction with Pokémon Go

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Andujar, Marvin; Nijholt, Anton; Gilbert, Juan E.

2017-01-01

Mobile Augmented Reality (AR) games are changing the way players interact with other players and in cities in the real world. The game’s content influences players’ decision to explore the outside world (whole body movement outside the house) instead of staying inside playing stationary games (not

Cyber sexy: electronic game play and perceptions of attractiveness among college-aged men.

Science.gov (United States)

Wack, Elizabeth R; Tantleff-Dunn, Stacey

2008-12-01

The current study was conducted to determine if electronic gaming among males is related to body image, formation of body ideals, and appraisals of female attractiveness. A sample of 219 college-aged men (age 18-32) completed a variety of measures that assessed their game play habits, their perceptions of their own attractiveness, and perceptions of women's attractiveness. Results indicated that participants' ratings of women's attractiveness varied across the genres of game most frequently played but was not related to age of commencement or frequency of electronic game play. Additionally, frequency of play and age of commencement of game play were not related to self-perceptions of physical attractiveness, the association of positive attributes with muscularity, or the drive to become more muscular. Men's appearance satisfaction and valuation of muscularity was related to the extent to which they compare their own appearance to that of the characters featured in their electronic games. The results indicate that, unlike other forms of media, electronic gaming may have a weaker relationship to decreased appearance satisfaction or the formation of unrealistic standards of attractiveness.

Designing Role-Playing Video Games for Ethical Thinking

Science.gov (United States)

Schrier, Karen

2017-01-01

How can we better design games, such as role-playing video games (RPGs), to support the practice of ethical thinking? Ethical thinking is a critical component of twenty-first century citizenship and we need to design ways to creatively support its practice. This study investigates how male participants, ages 18-34, make ethical decisions in three…

A Playful Multitude? Mobilising and Counter-Mobilising Immaterial Game Labour

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nick Dyer-Witheford

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Using the conceptual grid of "immaterial labour" in the age of Empire, this article is a preliminary portrait of work in the video and computer game development industry, a sector of creative, cognitive labour that exemplifies the allure but also the peril of new media work. Drawing on interviews we conducted with game developers in Canada , we examine the conditions of labour in game studios, this cultural industry's "work as play" ethos, the pleasures and potentialities of game production, the blemishes that mar this attractive vista, and the new infractions these tensions provoke. Confirming that Empire sets in motion potentialities it cannot fully control, we also observe an emergent counter-mobilisation of game labour, whose manifestations range from digital piracy to dissident games produced in the context of activism. These experiments of a playful multitude flow into the wider currents of tactical media, hacktivism, open-source software, and distributed computing that are generating tumults throughout the circuits of Empire.

Computer games may be good for your health: shifting healthcare behavior via interactive drama videogames.

Science.gov (United States)

Silverman, Barry G; Mosley, Josh; Johns, Michael; Weaver, Ransom; Green, Melanie; Holmes, John; Kimmel, Stephen; Holmes, William

2003-01-01

There is increasing evidence that interactive learning systems have an important role in reducing health risks and improving general health status. This theater style demonstration is aimed at harnessing people's passions for videogames and the movies, and a major purpose of this research is to explore alternative ways for a game generator to help authors to introduce entertainment and free play as well as learning by teaching into role playing games and interactive dramas that are behavioral interventions in disguise.

Psychological needs, purpose in life, and problem video game playing among Chinese young adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Anise M S; Lei, Lamis L M; Ku, Lisbeth

2013-01-01

The negative impacts of excessive and problematic video game playing on both children and adults are attracting increasing concern. Based on self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2000), this study hypothesized that the three basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness are positively associated with purpose in life, which in turn acts as a protective factor against problem video game playing among Chinese young adult players. Through a questionnaire survey with a sample of 165 Chinese adults aged between 18 and 30 years (mean age = 22.7 years), we found that perceived autonomy, competence, relatedness, and purpose in life were all negatively correlated with problem game playing. The demographic and psychological factors explained 38% of the variances of problem game playing. Specifically, gender, perceived relatedness, and purpose in life emerged as the three most salient predictors of problem game playing among the Chinese young adults. The mediating role of purpose in life was evidenced and it was found that purpose in life mediated the influences of the psychological needs proposed by SDT on problem game playing. Moreover, young men were significantly more susceptible to problem game playing than their female counterparts. To conclude, psychological needs and purpose in life influenced Chinese young adults' vulnerability to problem game playing directly or indirectly. Intervention programs that encourage social involvement and voluntary work, as well as counseling service that helps clients to search for life purpose, are suggested for intervening in problem game playing among Chinese young adults.

Player-Character Dynamics in Multi- Player Role Playing Games

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tychsen, Anders; McIlwain, D.; Brolund, T.

2007-01-01

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive empirical study of the impact of integrating complex game characters in multi-player Role Playing Games across tabletop and digital formats. Players were provided with characters that had detailed background history, personality and goals. Player...

Comparison of cortical activation during Mahjong game play in a video game setting and a real-life setting

OpenAIRE

Fujimori, Satomi; Terasawa, Koji; Murata, Yuki; Ogawa, Kishiko; Tabuchi, Hisaaki; Yanagisawa, Hiroki; Terasawa, Saiki; Shinohara, Kikunori; Yanagisawa, Akitaka

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the hemodynamic changes that occur during Mahjong game play in virtual and real-life settings. Fourteen healthy right-handed men (average age ± standard deviation; 36.7 ± 14.9 years) played: 1) a Mahjong solitaire game on a video console against virtual rivals; 2) a Mahjong game against human opponents without conversation; and 3) a Mahjong game against human opponents with conversation. We measured oxygenated hemoglobin concentration at 44 locations o...

Incidental Lexicon Acquisition through Playful Interaction

OpenAIRE

Lukas Wilhelm Ansteeg

2015-01-01

This paper presents an educational game which aids learners with foreign lexicon acquisition while entertaining them at the same time. An overview over existing language learning tools is given, and a general platform for educational games for second language acquisition (SLA) is described. It introduces a specific prototype video game which teaches Italian vocabulary to the user. The application puts learning at the core of its game mechanics and combines it with a narrative and role-playing...

Re-Examining Gender Differences in Video Game Play: Time Spent and Feelings of Success

Science.gov (United States)

Hamlen, Karla R.

2010-01-01

Research has shown that, among children, boys tend to play video games more than girls do. There are several theories addressing this phenomenon, including that stereotypes and lack of opportunity leave girls feeling inadequate with certain types of technology. No research has yet examined the interactive relationships between time spent playing…

Not Just a Game … When We Play Together, We Learn Together: Interactive Virtual Environments and Gaming Engines for Geospatial Visualization

Science.gov (United States)

Shipman, J. S.; Anderson, J. W.

2017-12-01

An ideal tool for ecologists and land managers to investigate the impacts of both projected environmental changes and policy alternatives is the creation of immersive, interactive, virtual landscapes. As a new frontier in visualizing and understanding geospatial data, virtual landscapes require a new toolbox for data visualization that includes traditional GIS tools and uncommon tools such as the Unity3d game engine. Game engines provide capabilities to not only explore data but to build and interact with dynamic models collaboratively. These virtual worlds can be used to display and illustrate data that is often more understandable and plausible to both stakeholders and policy makers than is achieved using traditional maps.Within this context we will present funded research that has been developed utilizing virtual landscapes for geographic visualization and decision support among varied stakeholders. We will highlight the challenges and lessons learned when developing interactive virtual environments that require large multidisciplinary team efforts with varied competences. The results will emphasize the importance of visualization and interactive virtual environments and the link with emerging research disciplines within Visual Analytics.

Does playing violent video games cause aggression? A longitudinal intervention study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kühn, Simone; Kugler, Dimitrij Tycho; Schmalen, Katharina; Weichenberger, Markus; Witt, Charlotte; Gallinat, Jürgen

2018-03-13

It is a widespread concern that violent video games promote aggression, reduce pro-social behaviour, increase impulsivity and interfere with cognition as well as mood in its players. Previous experimental studies have focussed on short-term effects of violent video gameplay on aggression, yet there are reasons to believe that these effects are mostly the result of priming. In contrast, the present study is the first to investigate the effects of long-term violent video gameplay using a large battery of tests spanning questionnaires, behavioural measures of aggression, sexist attitudes, empathy and interpersonal competencies, impulsivity-related constructs (such as sensation seeking, boredom proneness, risk taking, delay discounting), mental health (depressivity, anxiety) as well as executive control functions, before and after 2 months of gameplay. Our participants played the violent video game Grand Theft Auto V, the non-violent video game The Sims 3 or no game at all for 2 months on a daily basis. No significant changes were observed, neither when comparing the group playing a violent video game to a group playing a non-violent game, nor to a passive control group. Also, no effects were observed between baseline and posttest directly after the intervention, nor between baseline and a follow-up assessment 2 months after the intervention period had ended. The present results thus provide strong evidence against the frequently debated negative effects of playing violent video games in adults and will therefore help to communicate a more realistic scientific perspective on the effects of violent video gaming.

Media and human capital development: Can video game playing make you smarter?

OpenAIRE

Suziedelyte, A.

2015-01-01

According to the literature, video game playing can improve such cognitive skills as problem solving, abstract reasoning, and spatial logic. I test this hypothesis using the data from the Child Development Supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. The endogeneity of video game playing is addressed by using panel data methods and controlling for an extensive list of child and family characteristics. To address the measurement error in video game playing, I instrument children's weekday...

Playing Around in the Solar System: Mini-games for Many Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, D. K.; Leon, N.; Fitzpatrick, A. J.; Wessen, A.

2010-12-01

Several NASA solar system missions will have major milestones during 2011, the Year of the Solar System. These events include launches, encounters, and orbit insertions. Other missions will continue the explorations already underway. The “Year of the Solar System Game” on The Space Place website (http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/solar-system) brings all these efforts together in the context of the whole solar system. The game helps to build awareness of the characteristics of our solar system and some of the missions that are continuing to advance our knowledge and understanding. It is one of many educational tools being developed and deployed for the Year of the Solar System. The game is a “super-game” that encompasses a number of mission-related “mini-games.” The mini-games can be played individually, and they all contribute toward achievements in the super-game. The enveloping interface for all the games is an animated solar system. The player clicks on a planet or a moon, sees a close-up image, and reads a short paragraph about the object. If the object has been endowed with a mission mini-game, player can click on the tiny spacecraft, read about the mission, then play the game—or, if impatient, just immediately play the game (and read about the mission later, we hope). A score “page” keeps track of the player’s achievements and scores. Players earn achievements by reading about the planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and missions and by playing the mission mini-games. The game targets upper elementary age children, as does the entire Space Place website. Each mini-game, although simple, incorporates elements of the spacecrafts’ missions and their target objects. For example, in Cassini Commander, the player must navigate the Cassini spacecraft through gaps in Saturn’s rings and around Saturn’s moons. The super-game is designed to accommodate any number of mission mini-games, so we are hoping to continue to add missions and increase

playing games with rules in early child care and beyond

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Winther-Lindqvist, Ditte Alexandra

2017-01-01

’s) play is undecided and debated in the literature, and often reflects whether gaming with rules is seen as a version of a universal play-phenomenon or considered a play-form of its own. Very often the discussion also revolves around whether all playing is considered to be involving rules or whether rules...... are only regarded relevant to some forms of play - scholars arguing for the former; they think of rules in broader terms, more like a sort of social norms, whereas those who argue that rules are only prominent in games think of formal and explicit rules. Rather than discussing whether or not rules...

[The influences of interaction during online gaming on sociability and aggression in real life].

Science.gov (United States)

Fuji, Kei; Yoshida, Fujio

2010-02-01

This study examined the influences of online gaming on sociability and aggression in real life. It was hypothesized that the effects of online gaming would differ depending on the interaction style of the online-gamers. Online-gamers in Japan (n = 1 477) were asked to respond to questionnaires that measured interaction style during online gaming, the effects of sociability and aggression, as well as social and individual orientation in real life. Factor analysis of the scores for interaction style extracted five factors. Covariance structure analysis indicated that sociable interactions such as "Broadening relations" and "Feeling of belonging" promoted sociability in real life. In addition, "Release from daily hassles" promoted sociability and decreased aggression. In contrast, non-sociable and aggressive interactions decreased sociability and increased aggression. The results also suggested that a social orientation in real life promoted sociable interactions during game playing, while an individual orientation promoted non-sociable and aggressive interactions. These results supported the hypotheses and suggested that online gaming resulted in positive outcomes for those who are socially, but negative outcomes for those who are not.

How people learn while playing serious games: A computational modelling approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Westera, Wim

2017-01-01

This paper proposes a computational modelling approach for investigating the interplay of learning and playing in serious games. A formal model is introduced that allows for studying the details of playing a serious game under diverse conditions. The dynamics of player action and motivation is based

Video game playing and its relations with aggressive and prosocial behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiegman, O; van Schie, E G

1998-09-01

In this study of 278 children from the seventh and eighth grade of five elementary schools in Enschede, The Netherlands, the relationship between the amount of time children spent on playing video games and aggressive as well as prosocial behaviour was investigated. In addition, the relationship between the preference for aggressive video games and aggressive and prosocial behaviour was studied. No significant relationship was found between video game use in general and aggressive behaviour, but a significant negative relationship with prosocial behaviour was supported. However, separate analyses for boys and girls did not reveal this relationship. More consistent results were found for the preference for aggressive video games: children, especially boys, who preferred aggressive video games were more aggressive and showed less prosocial behaviour than those with a low preference for these games. Further analyses showed that children who preferred playing aggressive video games tended to be less intelligent.

Social Psychological Aspects of Addiction to Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marinova T.Y.

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The paper addresses the issue of how massively multiplayer online role¬playing games (MMORPG affect the behavior of players. Basing on a series of research, the paper analyzes how massively multiplayer online role¬playing games are created and highlights their specifics that possibly contribute to the development of psychological addiction to such games. The authors describe the outcomes of their own research on motivation in persons with gaming addiction aged 18 and up, with over 1 year of gaming experience. These out-comes suggest that current traditional criteria developed for assessing gaming addiction cannot be applied to this particular form of addictive behavior.

Unreal Interactive Puppet Game Development Using Leap Motion

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, An-Pin; Huang, Fay; Jhu, Jing-Siang

2018-04-01

This paper proposed a novel puppet play method utilizing recent technology. An interactive puppet game has been developed based on the theme of a famous Chinese classical novel. This project was implemented using Unreal Engine, which is a leading software of integrated tools for developers to design and build games. On the other hand, Leap Motion Controller is a sensor device for recognizing hand movements and gestures. It is commonly used in systems which require close-range finger-based user interaction. In order to manipulate puppets’ movements, the developed program employs the Leap Motion SDK, which provides a friendly way to add motion-controlled 3D hands to an Unreal game. The novelty of our project is to replace 3D model of rigged hands by two 3D humanoid rigged characters. The challenges of this task are two folds. First, the skeleton structure of a human hand and a humanoid character (i.e., puppets) are totally different. Making the puppets to follow the hand poses of the user and yet ensuring reasonable puppets’ movements has not been discussed in the literatures nor in the developer forums. Second, there are only a limited number of built-in recognizable hand gestures. More recognizable hand gestures need to be created for the interactive game. This paper reports the proposed solutions to these challenges.

Brain activity and desire for internet video game play

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Doug Hyun; Bolo, Nicolas; Daniels, Melissa A.; Arenella, Lynn; Lyoo, In Kyoon; Renshaw, Perry F.

2010-01-01

Objective Recent studies have suggested that the brain circuitry mediating cue induced desire for video games is similar to that elicited by cues related to drugs and alcohol. We hypothesized that desire for internet video games during cue presentation would activate similar brain regions to those which have been linked with craving for drugs or pathological gambling. Methods This study involved the acquisition of diagnostic MRI and fMRI data from 19 healthy male adults (ages 18–23 years) following training and a standardized 10-day period of game play with a specified novel internet video game, “War Rock” (K-network®). Using segments of videotape consisting of five contiguous 90-second segments of alternating resting, matched control and video game-related scenes, desire to play the game was assessed using a seven point visual analogue scale before and after presentation of the videotape. Results In responding to internet video game stimuli, compared to neutral control stimuli, significantly greater activity was identified in left inferior frontal gyrus, left parahippocampal gyrus, right and left parietal lobe, right and left thalamus, and right cerebellum (FDR video game (MIGP) cohort showed significantly greater activity in right medial frontal lobe, right and left frontal pre-central gyrus, right parietal post-central gyrus, right parahippocampal gyrus, and left parietal precuneus gyrus. Controlling for total game time, reported desire for the internet video game in the MIGP cohort was positively correlated with activation in right medial frontal lobe and right parahippocampal gyrus. Discussion The present findings suggest that cue-induced activation to internet video game stimuli may be similar to that observed during cue presentation in persons with substance dependence or pathological gambling. In particular, cues appear to commonly elicit activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal, orbitofrontal cortex, parahippocampal gyrus, and thalamus. PMID:21220070

Using Game Play to Diagnose and Remediate Students’ Misconceptions in Solving Equations

Science.gov (United States)

2015-07-21

status, skill with video games , and number of hours per week spent playing games . Participants were also asked about their interest in math and math ...skill with video games , and number of hours per week spent playing games . Participants were also asked about their interest in math and math self...the math department at CSUSB, the game development and assessment expertise of CRESST, and the expertise on motivational issues (particularly with the

Bridging the Gap in Volleyball. From Basic Instruction to Game Play.

Science.gov (United States)

Dawson, Linda; Polvino, Geri

1982-01-01

Using volleyball "mini games," which emphasize, one at a time, skills needed to play volleyball, helps students to develop skills needed to play. Mini games described are: (1) forearm pass; (2) overhand pass; (3) overhand pass; (4) overhand serve; (5) mini volleyball; and (6) alternate court set-up. (CJ)

Support robots for playing games : the role of player-actor relationship

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feijs, L.M.G.; Graaf, de M.J.; Faulkner, X.; Finlay, J.; Détienne, F.

2002-01-01

The impact of simple support robots on computer game play is studied. Two physical agents, outside the computer screen, provide additional feedback to the user. The study incorporates an analysis of the game play in terms of rewards and punishment. Concepts and a realisation of the agents (hardware

The appeal of playing online first person shooter games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jansz, J.; Tanis, M.A.

2007-01-01

First Person Shooter Games (FPSG) such as Counter Strike are often the subject of public concern. Surprisingly, there is no published research available about playing these games. We conducted an exploratory Internet survey (n 5 751) in order to gather information about who the players of online

Neural contributions to flow experience during video game playing.

Science.gov (United States)

Klasen, Martin; Weber, René; Kircher, Tilo T J; Mathiak, Krystyna A; Mathiak, Klaus

2012-04-01

Video games are an exciting part of new media. Although game play has been intensively studied, the underlying neurobiology is still poorly understood. Flow theory is a well-established model developed to describe subjective game experience. In 13 healthy male subjects, we acquired fMRI data during free play of a video game and analyzed brain activity based on the game content. In accordance with flow theory, we extracted the following factors from the game content: (i) balance between ability and challenge; (ii) concentration and focus; (iii) direct feedback of action results; (iv) clear goals; and (v) control over the situation/activity. We suggest that flow is characterized by specific neural activation patterns and that the latter can be assessed-at least partially-by content factors contributing to the emergence of flow. Each of the content factors was characterized by specific and distinguishable brain activation patterns, encompassing reward-related midbrain structures, as well as cognitive and sensorimotor networks. The activation of sensory and motor networks in the conjunction analyses underpinned the central role of simulation for flow experience. Flow factors can be validated with functional brain imaging which can improve the understanding of human emotions and motivational processes during media entertainment.

The correlation between playing violent video games and bullying among adolescents in Serbia

OpenAIRE

Jevtić Ana; Savić Milomirka

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of playing video games among Serbian adolescents, the video game violence and the quality of parental control. We wanted to relate the frequency of playing, the video game violence, the bullying behaviour in schools, and GPA. The study involved boys and girls (N = 578) from four age groups (12, 14, 16, 18 years). Research results have shown that most participants play video games (75.1%). There are significantly more boys than girls among t...

Learn English or die: The effects of digital games on interaction and willingness to communicate in a foreign language

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hayo Reinders

2011-04-01

Full Text Available In recent years there has been a lot of interest in the potential role of digital games in language education. Playing digital games is said to be motivating to students and to benefit the development of social skills, such as collaboration, and metacognitive skills such as planning and organisation. An important potential benefit is also that digital games encourage the use of the target language in a non-threatening environment. Willingness to communicate has been shown to affect second language acquisition in a number of ways and it is therefore important to investigate if there is a connection between playing games and learners’ interaction in the target language. In this article we report on the results of a pilot study that investigated the effects of playing an online multiplayer game on the quantity and quality of second language interaction in the game and on participants’ willingness to communicate in the target language. We will show that digital games can indeed affect second language interaction patterns and contribute to second language acquisition, but that this depends, like in all other teaching and learning environments, on careful pedagogic planning of the activity.

Playful Interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2003-01-01

The video Playful Interaction describes a future architectural office, and envisions ideas and concepts for playful interactions between people, materials and appliances in a pervasive and augmented working environment. The video both describes existing developments, technologies and designs...... as well as ideas not yet implemented such as playful modes of interaction with an augmented ball. Playful Interaction has been used as a hybrid of a vision video and a video prototype (1). Externally the video has been used to visualising our new ideas, and internally the video has also worked to inspire...

Is time spent playing video games associated with mental health, cognitive and social skills in young children?

Science.gov (United States)

Kovess-Masfety, Viviane; Keyes, Katherine; Hamilton, Ava; Hanson, Gregory; Bitfoi, Adina; Golitz, Dietmar; Koç, Ceren; Kuijpers, Rowella; Lesinskiene, Sigita; Mihova, Zlatka; Otten, Roy; Fermanian, Christophe; Pez, Ondine

2016-01-01

Background Video games are one of the favourite leisure activities of children; the influence on child health is usually perceived to be negative. The present study assessed the association between the amount of time spent playing video games and children mental health as well as cognitive and social skills. Methods Data were drawn from the School Children Mental Health Europe project conducted in six European Union countries (youth ages 6–11, n = 3195). Child mental health was assessed by parents and teachers using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and by children themselves with the Dominic Interactive. Child video game usage was reported by the parents. Teachers evaluated academic functioning. Multivariable logistic regressions were used. Results 20 % of the children played video games more than 5 h per week. Factors associated with time spent playing video games included being a boy, being older, and belonging to a medium size family. Having a less educated, single, inactive, or psychologically distressed mother decreased time spent playing video games. Children living in Western European countries were significantly less likely to have high video game usage (9.66 vs 20.49 %) though this was not homogenous. Once adjusted for child age and gender, number of children, mothers age, marital status, education, employment status, psychological distress, and region, high usage was associated with 1.75 times the odds of high intellectual functioning (95 % CI 1.31–2.33), and 1.88 times the odds of high overall school competence (95 % CI 1.44–2.47). Once controlled for high usage predictors, there were no significant associations with any child self-reported or mother- or teacher-reported mental health problems. High usage was associated with decreases in peer relationship problems [OR 0.41 (0.2–0.86) and in prosocial deficits (0.23 (0.07, 0.81)]. Conclusions Playing video games may have positive effects on young children. Understanding the mechanisms

Is time spent playing video games associated with mental health, cognitive and social skills in young children?

Science.gov (United States)

Kovess-Masfety, Viviane; Keyes, Katherine; Hamilton, Ava; Hanson, Gregory; Bitfoi, Adina; Golitz, Dietmar; Koç, Ceren; Kuijpers, Rowella; Lesinskiene, Sigita; Mihova, Zlatka; Otten, Roy; Fermanian, Christophe; Pez, Ondine

2016-03-01

Video games are one of the favourite leisure activities of children; the influence on child health is usually perceived to be negative. The present study assessed the association between the amount of time spent playing video games and children mental health as well as cognitive and social skills. Data were drawn from the School Children Mental Health Europe project conducted in six European Union countries (youth ages 6-11, n = 3195). Child mental health was assessed by parents and teachers using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and by children themselves with the Dominic Interactive. Child video game usage was reported by the parents. Teachers evaluated academic functioning. Multivariable logistic regressions were used. 20 % of the children played video games more than 5 h per week. Factors associated with time spent playing video games included being a boy, being older, and belonging to a medium size family. Having a less educated, single, inactive, or psychologically distressed mother decreased time spent playing video games. Children living in Western European countries were significantly less likely to have high video game usage (9.66 vs 20.49 %) though this was not homogenous. Once adjusted for child age and gender, number of children, mothers age, marital status, education, employment status, psychological distress, and region, high usage was associated with 1.75 times the odds of high intellectual functioning (95 % CI 1.31-2.33), and 1.88 times the odds of high overall school competence (95 % CI 1.44-2.47). Once controlled for high usage predictors, there were no significant associations with any child self-reported or mother- or teacher-reported mental health problems. High usage was associated with decreases in peer relationship problems [OR 0.41 (0.2-0.86) and in prosocial deficits (0.23 (0.07, 0.81)]. Playing video games may have positive effects on young children. Understanding the mechanisms through which video game use may stimulate

Games for Health 2014 : Proceedings of the 4th conference on gaming and playful interaction in healthcare

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schouten, B.A.M.; Fedtke, S.; Schijven, M.; Vosmeer, M.; Gekker, A.

2014-01-01

Founded in 2004, the Games for Health Project supports community, knowledge and business development efforts to use cutting-edge games and game technologies to improve health and health care. The Games for Health Conference brings together researchers, medical professionals and game developers to

Problematic usage among highly-engaged players of massively multiplayer online role playing games.

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Christopher S; Malesky, L Alvin

2008-08-01

One popular facet of Internet gaming is the massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). Some individuals spend so much time playing these games that it creates problems in their lives. This study focused on players of World of Warcraft. Factor analysis revealed one factor related to problematic usage, which was correlated with amount of time played, and personality characteristics of agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and extraversion.

Authoring of digital games via card games

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Valente, Andrea; Marchetti, Emanuela

2014-01-01

Literature and previous studies show that creative play is easy to emerge when children interact with tangible, low-tech toys and games than with digital games. This paradoxical situation is linked to the long-standing problem of end-users (or players) authoring of digital contents and systems. We...... are to show how card games can represent digital games, how playful play can emerge in card games and digital games, and to begin defining a new way to express game behavior without the use of universal programming languages....... propose a new scenario in which trading card games help making sense and re-design computer games, to support players express themselves aesthetically and in a highly creative way. Our aim is to look for a middle ground between players becoming programmers and simply editing levels. The main contributions...

Identifying Onboarding Heuristics for Free-to-Play Mobile Games: A Mixed Methods Approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Line Ebdrup; Weigert Petersen, Falko; Mirza-Babaei, Pejman

2016-01-01

The onboarding phase of Free-to-Play mobile games, covering the first few minutes of play, typically sees a substantial retention rate amongst players. It is therefore crucial to the success of these games that the onboarding phase promotes engagement to the widest degree possible. In this paper ...... of puzzle games, base builders and arcade games, and utilize different onboarding phase design approaches. Results showcase how heuristics can be used to design engaging onboarding phases in mobile games....

A Survey of Educational Games as Interaction Design Tools for Affective Learning: Thematic Analysis Taxonomy

Science.gov (United States)

Yusoff, Zarwina; Kamsin, Amirrudin; Shamshirband, Shahaboddin; Chronopoulos, Anthony T.

2018-01-01

A Computer game is the new platform in generating learning experiences for educational purposes. There are many educational games that have been used as an interaction design tool in a learning environment to enhance students learning outcomes. However, research also claims that playing video games can have a negative impact on student behavior,…

Versatility and addiction in gaming: the number of video-game genres played is associated with pathological gaming in male adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Donati, Maria Anna; Chiesi, Francesca; Ammannato, Giulio; Primi, Caterina

2015-02-01

This study tested the predictive power of gaming versatility (i.e., the number of video game genres engaged in) on game addiction in male adolescents, controlling for time spent on gaming. Participants were 701 male adolescents attending high school (Mage=15.6 years). Analyses showed that pathological gaming was predicted not only by higher time spent on gaming, but also by participation in a greater number of video game genres. Specifically, the wider the array of video game genres played, the higher were the negative consequences caused by gaming. Findings show that versatility can be considered as one of the behavioral risk factors related to gaming addiction, which may be characterized by a composite and diversified experience with video games. This study suggests that educational efforts designed to prevent gaming addiction among youth may also be focused on adolescents' engagement in different video games.

Moving between virtual and real worlds: second language learning through massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs)

OpenAIRE

Kongmee, Isara; Strachan, Rebecca; Pickard, Alison; Montgomery, Catherine

2011-01-01

Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) bring players together in a large virtual community. This type of online gaming can serve many purposes such as entertainment, social interaction, information exchange and education and is now an integral part of many people's lives particularly the younger generation. This research study investigates the use of openly available MMORPGs to supplement second language teaching for higher education students. MMORPGs provide informal virtu...

Effects of video game playing on cerebral blood flow in young adults: a SPECT study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, Yuan-Hwa; Yang, Bang-Hung; Hsu, Ju-Wei; Wang, Shyh-Jen; Lin, Chun-Lung; Huang, Kai-Lin; Chien Chang, Alice; Lee, Shin-Min

2013-04-30

To study the impact of video game playing on the human brain, the effects of two video games playing on cerebral blood flow (CBF) in young adults were determined. Thirty healthy subjects comprising 18 males and 12 females who were familiar with video game playing were recruited. Each subject underwent three sessions of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with a bolus injection of 20 mCi (99m)Tc ECD IV to measure their CBF. The first measurement was performed as baseline, the second and third measurements were performed after playing two different video games for 30 min, respectively. Statistic parametric mapping (SPM2) with Matlab 6.5 implemented on a personal computer was used for image analysis. CBF was significantly decreased in the prefrontal cortex and significantly increased in the temporal and occipital cortices after both video games playing. Furthermore, decreased CBF in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) which was significantly correlated with the number of killed characters was found after the violent game playing. The major finding of hypo-perfusion in prefrontal regions after video game playing is consistent with a previous study showing reduced or abnormal prefrontal cortex functions after video game playing. The second finding of decreased CBF in the ACC after playing the violent video game provides support for a previous hypothesis that the ACC might play a role in regulating violent behavior. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The benefits of playing video games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Granic, I.; Lobel, A.M.; Engels, R.C.M.E.

2014-01-01

Video games are a ubiquitous part of almost all children’s and adolescents’ lives, with 97% playing for at least one hour per day in the United States. The vast majority of research by psychologists on the effects of “gaming” has been on its negative impact: the potential harm related to violence,

Effects of playing video games on pain response during a cold pressor task.

Science.gov (United States)

Raudenbush, Bryan; Koon, Jerrod; Cessna, Trevor; McCombs, Kristin

2009-04-01

Two studies assessed whether playing video games would significantly distract participants from painful stimulation via a cold pressor test. In Study 1, participants (8 men, 22 women, M age = 18.5 yr., SD = 1.3) in an action-oriented game condition tolerated pain for a longer time period and reported lower pain intensity ratings than those in a nonaction-oriented game or a nongame control condition. No differences were found on scores of aggressiveness, competitiveness, or prior video game experience, suggesting that these factors play little role. In Study 2, participants (14 men, 13 women, M age = 19.7 yr., SD = 1.3) engaged in six video game conditions (action, fighting, puzzle, sports, arcade, and boxing) and a nongame control condition. Video game play produced an increase in pulse, which was greatest during the action, fighting, sports, and boxing games. Pain tolerance was greatest during the sports and fighting games. Thus, certain games produce greater distraction, which may have implications for the medical field as an adjunct to pain management.

Enhance Learning on Software Project Management through a Role-Play Game in a Virtual World

Science.gov (United States)

Maratou, Vicky; Chatzidaki, Eleni; Xenos, Michalis

2016-01-01

This article presents a role-play game for software project management (SPM) in a three-dimensional online multiuser virtual world. The Opensimulator platform is used for the creation of an immersive virtual environment that facilitates students' collaboration and realistic interaction, in order to manage unexpected events occurring during the…

Effect of opponent type on moral emotions and responses to video game play.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shu-Fang

2011-11-01

This study suggests that fighting against different types of opponents in video games (e.g., human opponents vs. monster opponents) may lead to different emotional responses and moral judgments toward game characters. Based on Bandura's moral disengagement theory, this study proposes that shooting at monster opponents makes game players feel less guilty and judge the player-controlled character as more morally justified. An experiment was conducted in which participants played shooting games with either human opponents or monster opponents. The results show that when playing against monster opponents, participants felt both less ashamed and less guilty, reported enjoying the game more, and judged their character as more justified than participants who played against human opponents.

A failure of suppression within the default mode network in depressed adolescents with compulsive internet game play.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Doug Hyun; Kim, Sun Mi; Bae, Sujin; Renshaw, Perry F; Anderson, Jeffrey S

2016-04-01

Individuals who are chronic, compulsive video game players experience an elevated incidence of major depression. Excessive or problematic game play can interact with depression clinically, and may magnify impulsive behavior associated with video gaming. Functional brain imaging was performed during a Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) task in 42 healthy control and 95 volunteers seeking treatment for compulsive video game playing, including 60 participants without major depression (pure internet gaming disorder, pure IGD) and 35 participants comorbid with major depression (IGD+MDD). In response to the WCST in contrast to fixation, activation was observed in canonical brain attentional networks including bilateral intraparietal sulcus, frontal eye fields, and middle temporal cortical regions as well as dorsolateral prefrontal, inferior parietal and anterior insula, anterior cingulate cortex in all participants. For WCST>Fixation contrasts, the IGD+MDD group exhibited greater relative activation within the left hippocampus, compared to healthy control participants. For WCST>Fixation contrasts, the IGD+MDD group exhibited greater relative activation within the left hippocampus and the right parahippocampal gyrus immediately posterior to the hippocampus, compared to the pure IGD group. In cohorts of individuals with a history of compulsive internet game play, individuals with depression showed failure to suppress default mode network activity during an attentionally demanding task, compared to individuals without depression, including comparison groups with and without a history of compulsive video gaming. This reduced suppression of the brain regions within the default mode network may be a consequence of depressive neurophysiology or represent a predisposition for depression within compulsive game players. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An overview of structural characteristics in problematic video game playing

OpenAIRE

Griffiths, MD; Nuyens, F

2017-01-01

Purpose of Review: There are many different factors involved in how and why people develop problems with video game playing. One such set of factors concerns the structural characteristics of video games (i.e., the structure, elements, and components of the video games themselves). Much of the research examining the structural characteristics of video games was initially based on research and theorizing from the gambling studies field. The present review briefly overviews the key papers in th...

Age matters: The effect of onset age of video game play on task-switching abilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartanto, Andree; Toh, Wei Xing; Yang, Hwajin

2016-05-01

Although prior research suggests that playing video games can improve cognitive abilities, recent empirical studies cast doubt on such findings (Unsworth et al., 2015). To reconcile these inconsistent findings, we focused on the link between video games and task switching. Furthermore, we conceptualized video-game expertise as the onset age of active video-game play rather than the frequency of recent gameplay, as it captures both how long a person has played video games and whether the individual began playing during periods of high cognitive plasticity. We found that the age of active onset better predicted switch and mixing costs than did frequency of recent gameplay; specifically, players who commenced playing video games at an earlier age reaped greater benefits in terms of task switching than did those who started at a later age. Moreover, improving switch costs required a more extensive period of video-game experience than did mixing costs; this finding suggests that certain cognitive abilities benefit from different amounts of video game experience.

Yamove! A Movement Synchrony Game That Choreographs Social Interaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine Isbister

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a design case study of Yamove!, a well-received dance battle game. The primary aim for the project was to design a mobile-based play experience that enhanced in-person social interaction and connection. The game emphasized the pleasures of mutual, improvised amateur movement choreography at the center of the experience, achieved through a core mechanic of synchronized movement. The project team engaged techniques from the independent ("indie" game development community that proved valuable in tempering the constraints to which technologically driven design can sometimes fall prey. Contributions of this work include (a presentation and discussion of a polished digital game that embodies design knowledge about engaging players in mutual physical improvisation that is socially supported by technology, and (b a case study of a design process influenced by indie game development that may help others interested in creating technologies that choreograph pleasurable intentional human movement in social contexts.

Keeping up with video game technology: objective analysis of Xbox Kinect™ and PlayStation 3 Move™ for use in burn rehabilitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Parry, Ingrid; Carbullido, Clarissa; Kawada, Jason; Bagley, Anita; Sen, Soman; Greenhalgh, David; Palmieri, Tina

2014-08-01

Commercially available interactive video games are commonly used in rehabilitation to aide in physical recovery from a variety of conditions and injuries, including burns. Most video games were not originally designed for rehabilitation purposes and although some games have shown therapeutic potential in burn rehabilitation, the physical demands of more recently released video games, such as Microsoft Xbox Kinect™ (Kinect) and Sony PlayStation 3 Move™ (PS Move), have not been objectively evaluated. Video game technology is constantly evolving and demonstrating different immersive qualities and interactive demands that may or may not have therapeutic potential for patients recovering from burns. This study analyzed the upper extremity motion demands of Kinect and PS Move using three-dimensional motion analysis to determine their applicability in burn rehabilitation. Thirty normal children played each video game while real-time movement of their upper extremities was measured to determine maximal excursion and amount of elevation time. Maximal shoulder flexion, shoulder abduction and elbow flexion range of motion were significantly greater while playing Kinect than the PS Move (p≤0.01). Elevation time of the arms above 120° was also significantly longer with Kinect (p<0.05). The physical demands for shoulder and elbow range of motion while playing the Kinect, and to a lesser extent PS Move, are comparable to functional motion needed for daily tasks such as eating with a utensil and hair combing. Therefore, these more recently released commercially available video games show therapeutic potential in burn rehabilitation. Objectively quantifying the physical demands of video games commonly used in rehabilitation aides clinicians in the integration of them into practice and lays the framework for further research on their efficacy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Games people play: How video games improve probabilistic learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Sabrina; Lech, Robert K; Suchan, Boris

2017-09-29

Recent research suggests that video game playing is associated with many cognitive benefits. However, little is known about the neural mechanisms mediating such effects, especially with regard to probabilistic categorization learning, which is a widely unexplored area in gaming research. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the neural correlates of probabilistic classification learning in video gamers in comparison to non-gamers. Subjects were scanned in a 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner while performing a modified version of the weather prediction task. Behavioral data yielded evidence for better categorization performance of video gamers, particularly under conditions characterized by stronger uncertainty. Furthermore, a post-experimental questionnaire showed that video gamers had acquired higher declarative knowledge about the card combinations and the related weather outcomes. Functional imaging data revealed for video gamers stronger activation clusters in the hippocampus, the precuneus, the cingulate gyrus and the middle temporal gyrus as well as in occipital visual areas and in areas related to attentional processes. All these areas are connected with each other and represent critical nodes for semantic memory, visual imagery and cognitive control. Apart from this, and in line with previous studies, both groups showed activation in brain areas that are related to attention and executive functions as well as in the basal ganglia and in memory-associated regions of the medial temporal lobe. These results suggest that playing video games might enhance the usage of declarative knowledge as well as hippocampal involvement and enhances overall learning performance during probabilistic learning. In contrast to non-gamers, video gamers showed better categorization performance, independently of the uncertainty of the condition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preliminary Validation of a New Clinical Tool for Identifying Problem Video Game Playing

Science.gov (United States)

King, Daniel Luke; Delfabbro, Paul H.; Zajac, Ian T.

2011-01-01

Research has estimated that between 6 to 13% of individuals who play video games do so excessively. However, the methods and definitions used to identify "problem" video game players often vary considerably. This research presents preliminary validation data for a new measure of problematic video game play called the Problem Video Game…

Dramatic pretend play games uniquely improve emotional control in young children.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldstein, Thalia R; Lerner, Matthew D

2017-09-15

Pretense is a naturally occurring, apparently universal activity for typically developing children. Yet its function and effects remain unclear. One theorized possibility is that pretense activities, such as dramatic pretend play games, are a possible causal path to improve children's emotional development. Social and emotional skills, particularly emotional control, are critically important for social development, as well as academic performance and later life success. However, the study of such approaches has been criticized for potential bias and lack of rigor, precluding the ability to make strong causal claims. We conducted a randomized, component control (dismantling) trial of dramatic pretend play games with a low-SES group of 4-year-old children (N = 97) to test whether such practice yields generalized improvements in multiple social and emotional outcomes. We found specific effects of dramatic play games only on emotional self-control. Results suggest that dramatic pretend play games involving physicalizing emotional states and traits, pretending to be animals and human characters, and engaging in pretend scenarios in a small group may improve children's emotional control. These findings have implications for the function of pretense and design of interventions to improve emotional control in typical and atypical populations. Further, they provide support for the unique role of dramatic pretend play games for young children, particularly those from low-income backgrounds. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/2GVNcWKRHPk. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Does playing a sports active video game improve object control skills of children with autism spectrum disorder?

OpenAIRE

Edwards, Jacqueline; Jeffrey, Sarah; May, Tamara; Rinehart, Nicole J.; Barnett, Lisa M.

2017-01-01

Background: Active video games (AVGs) encourage whole body movements to interact or control the gaming system, allowing the opportunity for skill development. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show decreased fundamental movement skills in comparison with their typically developing (TD) peers and might benefit from this approach. This pilot study investigates whether playing sports AVGs can increase the actual and perceived object control (OC) skills of 11 children with ASD aged 6–1...

Prefrontal cerebral blood volume patterns while playing video games--a near-infrared spectroscopy study.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagamitsu, Shinichiro; Nagano, Miki; Yamashita, Yushiro; Takashima, Sachio; Matsuishi, Toyojiro

2006-06-01

Video game playing is an attractive form of entertainment among school-age children. Although this activity reportedly has many adverse effects on child development, these effects remain controversial. To investigate the effect of video game playing on regional cerebral blood volume, we measured cerebral hemoglobin concentrations using near-infrared spectroscopy in 12 normal volunteers consisting of six children and six adults. A Hitachi Optical Topography system was used to measure hemoglobin changes. For all subjects, the video game Donkey Kong was played on a Game Boy device. After spectroscopic probes were positioned on the scalp near the target brain regions, the participants were asked to play the game for nine periods of 15s each, with 15-s rest intervals between these task periods. Significant increases in bilateral prefrontal total-hemoglobin concentrations were observed in four of the adults during video game playing. On the other hand, significant decreases in bilateral prefrontal total-hemoglobin concentrations were seen in two of the children. A significant positive correlation between mean oxy-hemoglobin changes in the prefrontal region and those in the bilateral motor cortex area was seen in adults. Playing video games gave rise to dynamic changes in cerebral blood volume in both age groups, while the difference in the prefrontal oxygenation patterns suggested an age-dependent utilization of different neural circuits during video game tasks.

A Child's Power in Game-Play

Science.gov (United States)

McLeod, Julie; Lin, Lin

2010-01-01

This paper is the first of its series that studies the power children have in game-play and examines its implications for teaching and learning. As a start, the paper describes a framework of power based on a synthesis of various types of power underlined in literature. The paper then looks into the power issue through observation and interviews…

Playing with Game Time: Auto-Saves and Undoing Despite the ‘Magic Circle’

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chuk Moran

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Typically the time of games played on computer systems is considered as linear and progressive. Those studying games talk this way and often linear time is the idiom by which players make sense of their experiences at play. This article focuses on some recent games that explicitly engage players with time, a practice that I argue highlights the complicated relationship between the player, game time, and clock time. It is common to treat videogames as exception from the world, bounded in a kind of “magic circle” (Huizinga, 1938/1955. This can be seen in the most ready explanation of time; the basically uninterrupted arrow of player progress through the space of the game, made canonical by Jesper Juul (2005. However, there are many other kinds of time in games, and how players use these times says something significant about a game. There is something more to the magic circle than a condition of pure interiority. The magic circle is play that situates a game and it hosts a special intensity opening to larger forces. This is often ignored in the contemporary use of the term in scholarly discussions of computer-based games. The overly respectful attitude that games are distinct from regular life results in the construction of a “pure” zone strictly internal to games, and time in this zone appears as a line. This article argues that such a vision is incomplete. Time in videogames need not be understood as a single line, or any diagram of lines at all. The complex and overlapping rhythms that crosscut everyday life do not stop at a magical barrier that contains and protects the game; these varied rhythms both influence how games are played, and describe the variety of times that games contain. By attending to other times than a line, we can recognize other patterns in gaming. I suggest that the act of undoing highlights this particular temporal intensity of videogames. In this paper, I argue that undoing is not simply the restoration of a

Playing Games with Timed Games

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

David, Alexandre; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Chatain, Thomas

2009-01-01

In this paper we focus on property-preserving preorders between timed game automata and their application to control of partially observable systems. Following the example of timed simulation between timed automata, we define timed alternating simulation as a preorder between timed game automata......, which preserves controllability. We define a method to reduce the timed alternating simulation problem to a safety game. We show how timed alternating simulation can be used to control efficiently a partially observable system. This method is illustrated by a generic case study....

Short-Term Effects of Playing Computer Games on Attention

Science.gov (United States)

Tahiroglu, Aysegul Yolga; Celik, Gonca Gul; Avci, Ayse; Seydaoglu, Gulsah; Uzel, Mehtap; Altunbas, Handan

2010-01-01

Objective: The main aim of the present study is to investigate the short-term cognitive effects of computer games in children with different psychiatric disorders and normal controls. Method: One hundred one children are recruited for the study (aged between 9 and 12 years). All participants played a motor-racing game on the computer for 1 hour.…

Girls Creating Games: Challenging Existing Assumptions about Game Content

OpenAIRE

Denner, Jill

2005-01-01

In a reinforcing cycle, few females create games, and fewer girls than boys play games. According to the Interactive Digital Software Association’s 2003 survey, 72% of all video game players are male. This is unfortunate, as early game playing not only fosters specific cognitive and motor skills (Subrahmanyam, Kraut, Greenfield, & Gross, 2000), it is also a gateway to shaping the future of technology. How can we better attract, engage, and sustain the interests of girls in gaming? One str...

Relationship between passion and motivation for gaming in players of massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuster, Héctor; Chamarro, Andrés; Carbonell, Xavier; Vallerand, Robert J

2014-05-01

Passion represents one of the factors involved in online video gaming. However, it remains unclear how passion affects the way gamers are involved in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). The objective of the present study was to analyze the relationships between passions and motivations for online game playing. A total of 410 MMORPG players completed an online questionnaire including motives for gaming and the Passion Scale. Results indicated that passionate gamers were interested in relating with others through the game and exhibited a high degree of interest in discovery of the game, gaining leadership and prestige but little interest in escape from reality. However, some differences were observed with respect to the role of the two types of passion in the different types of motivation. Specifically, harmonious passion (HP) predicted higher levels of exploration, socialization, and achievement, in that order, while obsessive passion (OP) predicted higher levels of dissociation, achievement, and socialization. The present findings suggest that HP and OP predict different ways of engaging in MMORPGs and confirm that passion is a useful construct to help understand different motivational patterns demonstrated by MMORPG players.

Association between duration of playing video games and bone mineral density in Chinese adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Haiyu; Xu, Shaonan; Zhang, Jun; Zheng, Jiayin; Chen, Jinping; Huang, Yazeng; Ru, Bin; Jin, Yongming; Zhang, Qi; Ying, Qifeng

2015-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the association between duration of playing video games and bone mineral density (BMD) in Chinese adolescents. Three hundred eighty-four Chinese adolescents aged 14-18 yr (148 males and 236 females) were analyzed. Anthropometric measurements were obtained using standard procedures. Total body and regional BMD were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Duration of playing video games, defined as hours per day, was measured by a self-report questionnaire. We examined the association between duration of playing video games and BMD using multiple linear regression analysis. After adjustment for age, sex, pubertal stage, parental education, body mass index, adolescents with longer video game duration were more likely to have lower legs, trunk, pelvic, spine, and total BMD (p video game was negatively associated with BMD in Chinese adolescents. These findings provide support for reducing duration of playing video games as a possible means to increase BMD in adolescents. Future research is needed to elucidate the underlined mechanisms linking playing video games and osteoporosis. Copyright © 2015 The International Society for Clinical Densitometry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Incidental Lexicon Acquisition through Playful Interaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lukas Wilhelm Ansteeg

2015-02-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an educational game which aids learners with foreign lexicon acquisition while entertaining them at the same time. An overview over existing language learning tools is given, and a general platform for educational games for second language acquisition (SLA is described. It introduces a specific prototype video game which teaches Italian vocabulary to the user. The application puts learning at the core of its game mechanics and combines it with a narrative and role-playing elements. In a user study, the game is compared to two other learning methods with focus on long term retention of vocabulary and enjoyment of the exercise. The game is found to perform within 10% of the efficiency of pure vocabulary learning exercises, while being considerably more enjoyable to the user.

The Impact of Recreational Video Game Play on Children's and Adolescents' Cognition

Science.gov (United States)

Blumberg, Fran C.; Altschuler, Elizabeth A.; Almonte, Debby E.; Mileaf, Maxwell I.

2013-01-01

Current empirical findings show linkages between recreational video game play and enhanced cognitive skills, primarily among young adults. However, consideration of this linkage among children and adolescents is sparse. Thus, discussions about facilitating transfer of cognitive skills from video game play to academic tasks among children and…

Video games do affect social outcomes: a meta-analytic review of the effects of violent and prosocial video game play.

Science.gov (United States)

Greitemeyer, Tobias; Mügge, Dirk O

2014-05-01

Whether video game play affects social behavior is a topic of debate. Many argue that aggression and helping are affected by video game play, whereas this stance is disputed by others. The present research provides a meta-analytical test of the idea that depending on their content, video games do affect social outcomes. Data from 98 independent studies with 36,965 participants revealed that for both violent video games and prosocial video games, there was a significant association with social outcomes. Whereas violent video games increase aggression and aggression-related variables and decrease prosocial outcomes, prosocial video games have the opposite effects. These effects were reliable across experimental, correlational, and longitudinal studies, indicating that video game exposure causally affects social outcomes and that there are both short- and long-term effects.

Does Digital Game Interactivity Always Promote Self-Efficacy?

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yu-Hao

2015-11-01

Interactive digital games can promote self-efficacy by engaging players in enactive and observational learning. However, interactivity does not always lead to greater self-efficacy. Important constructs in social cognitive theory, such as performance outcome and perceived similarity, are often not accounted for in studies that have tested the effect of digital game interactivity on self-efficacy. This study assessed the effects of interactive digital games compared with passive digital games based on video comparison, a common experimental design used to test the effect of digital game interactivity on self-efficacy. In addition, this study also evaluated player performance and measured perceived similarity to the observed player. Findings suggested that in general, digital game interactivity predicted higher self-efficacy compared with noninteractive passive games. However, in the noninteractive conditions, the effects of performance on self-efficacy were moderated by perceived similarity between the observer and the observed player. When the observed player was perceived to be similar to the observer, the effects of performance on self-efficacy were comparable to the interactive game, but when the observed player was perceived as dissimilar to the observer, observing the dissimilar player failed to increase observer self-efficacy. Implications for interactivity manipulations and game developers are discussed.

Action video game play facilitates the development of better perceptual templates

Science.gov (United States)

Bejjanki, Vikranth R.; Zhang, Ruyuan; Li, Renjie; Pouget, Alexandre; Green, C. Shawn; Lu, Zhong-Lin; Bavelier, Daphne

2014-01-01

The field of perceptual learning has identified changes in perceptual templates as a powerful mechanism mediating the learning of statistical regularities in our environment. By measuring threshold-vs.-contrast curves using an orientation identification task under varying levels of external noise, the perceptual template model (PTM) allows one to disentangle various sources of signal-to-noise changes that can alter performance. We use the PTM approach to elucidate the mechanism that underlies the wide range of improvements noted after action video game play. We show that action video game players make use of improved perceptual templates compared with nonvideo game players, and we confirm a causal role for action video game play in inducing such improvements through a 50-h training study. Then, by adapting a recent neural model to this task, we demonstrate how such improved perceptual templates can arise from reweighting the connectivity between visual areas. Finally, we establish that action gamers do not enter the perceptual task with improved perceptual templates. Instead, although performance in action gamers is initially indistinguishable from that of nongamers, action gamers more rapidly learn the proper template as they experience the task. Taken together, our results establish for the first time to our knowledge the development of enhanced perceptual templates following action game play. Because such an improvement can facilitate the inference of the proper generative model for the task at hand, unlike perceptual learning that is quite specific, it thus elucidates a general learning mechanism that can account for the various behavioral benefits noted after action game play. PMID:25385590

Action video game play facilitates the development of better perceptual templates.

Science.gov (United States)

Bejjanki, Vikranth R; Zhang, Ruyuan; Li, Renjie; Pouget, Alexandre; Green, C Shawn; Lu, Zhong-Lin; Bavelier, Daphne

2014-11-25

The field of perceptual learning has identified changes in perceptual templates as a powerful mechanism mediating the learning of statistical regularities in our environment. By measuring threshold-vs.-contrast curves using an orientation identification task under varying levels of external noise, the perceptual template model (PTM) allows one to disentangle various sources of signal-to-noise changes that can alter performance. We use the PTM approach to elucidate the mechanism that underlies the wide range of improvements noted after action video game play. We show that action video game players make use of improved perceptual templates compared with nonvideo game players, and we confirm a causal role for action video game play in inducing such improvements through a 50-h training study. Then, by adapting a recent neural model to this task, we demonstrate how such improved perceptual templates can arise from reweighting the connectivity between visual areas. Finally, we establish that action gamers do not enter the perceptual task with improved perceptual templates. Instead, although performance in action gamers is initially indistinguishable from that of nongamers, action gamers more rapidly learn the proper template as they experience the task. Taken together, our results establish for the first time to our knowledge the development of enhanced perceptual templates following action game play. Because such an improvement can facilitate the inference of the proper generative model for the task at hand, unlike perceptual learning that is quite specific, it thus elucidates a general learning mechanism that can account for the various behavioral benefits noted after action game play.

Experimental study of the differential effects of playing versus watching violent video games on children's aggressive behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Polman, Hanneke; de Castro, Bram Orobio; van Aken, Marcel A G

2008-01-01

There is great concern about the effects of playing violent video games on aggressive behavior. The present experimental study was aimed at investigating the differential effects of actively playing vs. passively watching the same violent video game on subsequent aggressive behavior. Fifty-seven children aged 10-13 either played a violent video game (active violent condition), watched the same violent video game (passive violent condition), or played a non-violent video game (active non-violent condition). Aggression was measured through peer nominations of real-life aggressive incidents during a free play session at school. After the active participation of actually playing the violent video game, boys behaved more aggressively than did the boys in the passive game condition. For girls, game condition was not related to aggression. These findings indicate that, specifically for boys, playing a violent video game should lead to more aggression than watching television violence. Copyright 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The Success of Free to Play Games and Possibilities of Audio Monetization

OpenAIRE

Hahl, Kalle

2014-01-01

Video games are a huge business – nearly four times greater than film and music business combined. Free to play is the fastest growing category in video gaming. Game audio is part of the development of every game having a direct correlation between the growth of gaming industry and the growth of gaming audio industry. Games have inherently different goals for the players and the developers. Players are consumers seeking for entertainment. Developers are content producers trying to moneti...

Expert Behavior in Children's Video Game Play.

Science.gov (United States)

VanDeventer, Stephanie S.; White, James A.

2002-01-01

Investigates the display of expert behavior by seven outstanding video game-playing children ages 10 and 11. Analyzes observation and debriefing transcripts for evidence of self-monitoring, pattern recognition, principled decision making, qualitative thinking, and superior memory, and discusses implications for educators regarding the development…

Towards a Game-Chatbot: Extending the Interaction in Serious Games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Rosmalen, Peter; Eikelboom, Johan; Bloemers, Erik; Van Winzum, Kees; Spronck, Pieter

2012-01-01

Van Rosmalen, P., Eikelboom, J., Bloemers, E., Van Winzum, K., & Spronck, P. (2012, 4-5 October). Towards a Game-Chatbot: Extending the Interaction in Serious Games. Presentation at the 6th European Conference on Games Based Learning, Cork, Ireland.

We're not just playing games: Into aging--an aging simulation game.

Science.gov (United States)

Dillon, Deborah; Ailor, Diane; Amato, Shelly

2009-01-01

The elderly represent the largest-growing segment of the population. Specialized training in geriatrics is essential for healthcare professionals to provide optimal health care. As part of an ongoing education program on geriatrics, the game Into Aging: Understanding Issues Affecting the Later Stages of Life, 2nd ed. (1991) was provided to staff members of a facility to help healthcare providers develop personal insight into the aging process through role play. This game has provided the staff members with a better understanding of the issues patients experience as they deal with declines in health.

Evaluation of cardiovascular demands of game play and practice in women's ice hockey.

Science.gov (United States)

Spiering, Barry A; Wilson, Meredith H; Judelson, Daniel A; Rundell, Kenneth W

2003-05-01

Preparation for the physical demands of competition often involves game simulation during practice. This paradigm is thought to promote physiological adaptations that enhance maximal performance. However, a mismatch between practice intensity and actual competition intensity may not provide adequate training to achieve optimal game-play fitness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of practice in meeting the cardiovascular demands of a women's ice hockey game. Heart rate (HR) data from 11 U.S. National Women's Ice Hockey team members were collected (5-second intervals) during a game and a typical practice session. Data was normalized to individual HRmax determined during Vo(2)max testing. Working time was defined as a game shift or practice-working interval. Mean working HR was greater during the game than the practice, 90 +/- 2% and 76 +/- 3% of HRmax, respectively (p game or practice) >90% HRmax was also longer during the game than the practice, 10.5 +/- 4.1% and 5.6 +/- 3.5% (p 80% HRmax, and mean resting HR were not different between game and practice (68 +/- 7% vs. 69 +/- 5%, 23.2 +/- 5.3% vs. 26.1 +/- 9.2%, and 59 +/- 8% vs. 56 +/- 5%, respectively). Elite women hockey players experience significantly greater cardiovascular load during game play than during practice. This mismatch in cardiovascular demand may prevent players from achieving "game shape," thus affecting competition play.

Entrapment and near Miss: A Comparative Analysis of Psycho-Structural Elements in Gambling Games and Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

Science.gov (United States)

Karlsen, Faltin

2011-01-01

While massively multiplayer online role-playing games like World of Warcraft are often accused of leading to excessive and harmful playing, the only gaming activity that is internationally recognized as a pathological disorder is excessive gambling. The present article seeks to establish empirical data on potential harmful online gaming through a…

Games for health : Proceedings of the 3rd european conference on gaming and playful interaction in health care

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schouten, B.A.M.; Fedtke, S.; Bekker, M.M.; Schijven, M.; Gekker, A.

2013-01-01

Founded in 2004, the Games for Health Project supports community, knowledge and business development efforts to use cutting-edge games and game technologies to improve health and health care. The Games for Health Conference brings together researchers, medical professionals and game developers to

PlayPhysics: An Emotional Games Learning Environment for Teaching Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Muñoz, Karla; Kevitt, Paul Mc; Lunney, Tom; Noguez, Julieta; Neri, Luis

To ensure learning, game-based learning environments must incorporate assessment mechanisms, e.g. Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs). ITSs are focused on recognising and influencing the learner's emotional or motivational states. This research focuses on designing and implementing an affective student model for intelligent gaming, which reasons about the learner's emotional state from cognitive and motivational variables using observable behaviour. A Probabilistic Relational Models (PRMs) approach is employed to derive Dynamic Bayesian Networks (DBNs). The model uses the Control-Value theory of 'achievement emotions' as a basis. A preliminary test was conducted to recognise the students' prospective-outcome emotions with results presented and discussed. PlayPhysics is an emotional games learning environment for teaching Physics. Once the affective student model proves effective it will be incorporated into PlayPhysics' architecture. The design, evaluation and postevaluation of PlayPhysics are also discussed. Future work will focus on evaluating the affective student model with a larger population of students, and on providing affective feedback.

Playing prosocial video games increases empathy and decreases schadenfreude.

Science.gov (United States)

Greitemeyer, Tobias; Osswald, Silvia; Brauer, Markus

2010-12-01

Past research provided abundant evidence that exposure to violent video games increases aggressive tendencies and decreases prosocial tendencies. In contrast, research on the effects of exposure to prosocial video games has been relatively sparse. The present research found support for the hypothesis that exposure to prosocial video games is positively related to prosocial affect and negatively related to antisocial affect. More specifically, two studies revealed that playing a prosocial (relative to a neutral) video game increased interpersonal empathy and decreased reported pleasure at another's misfortune (i.e., schadenfreude). These results lend further credence to the predictive validity of the General Learning Model (Buckley & Anderson, 2006) for the effects of media exposure on social tendencies.

Digital gaming and second language development: Japanese learners interactions in a MMORPG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark Peterson

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs are identified as valuable arenas for language learning, as they provide access to contexts and types of interaction that are held to be beneficial in second language acquisition research. This paper will describe the development and key features of these games, and explore claims made regarding their value as environments for language learning. The discussion will then examine current research. This is followed by an analysis of the findings from an experimental qualitative study that investigates the interaction and attitudes of Japanese English as a foreign language learners who participated in MMORPG-based game play. The analysis draws attention to the challenging nature of the communication environment and the need for learner training. The findings indicate that system management issues, proficiency levels, the operation of affective factors, and prior gaming experiences appeared to influence participation. The data shows that for the intermediate learners who were novice users, the interplay of these factors appeared to restrict opportunities to engage in beneficial forms of interaction. In a positive finding, it was found that the intermediate and advanced level participants effectively utilized both adaptive and transfer discourse management strategies. Analysis reveals they took the lead in managing their discourse, and actively engaged in collaborative social interaction involving dialog in the target language. Participant feedback suggests that real time computer-based nature of the interaction provided benefits. These include access to an engaging social context, enjoyment, exposure to new vocabulary, reduced anxiety, and valuable opportunities to practice using a foreign language. This paper concludes by identifying areas of interest for future research.