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- Volume 4, Issue 1, 2012
Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds - Volume 4, Issue 1, 2012
Volume 4, Issue 1, 2012
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Co-creative interface development in MMORPGs – the case of World of Warcraft add-ons
By Patrick PraxThis article argues that the innovation in the interface design of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft is to a substantial part originating in the user-created interface modifications called add-ons. This is shown in an analysis of the connection of the development in interface design to the creation of interface modification add-ons by players. The analysis is informed by interviews with specialists in the community of add-on programmers and focuses on the content and functionality of the add-ons mapped against the respective standard interface elements including an explanation of the problem they solve for the player and a measure of the similarity between them. The article also gives an outlook on the influence of these interface-modifications on the actual practice of game play as well as on game design and interface design by the game producer.
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Graphics and gratification: Exploring the link between technology and enjoyment in video games
Authors: Sven Joeckel and Nicholas David BowmanThe present study focuses on the influence of improved video game console technology on enjoyment of games played on a sixth- (PlayStation 2) and seventh- (Xbox 360) generation video game console. In a 2 (game console) X2 (game type) mixed-factorial experimental design (N=64), technological advancement, namely, improved video game graphical processing (the most-salient technological difference between the consoles), was manipulated by having participants play an identical game from either the action or racing genre on both consoles. Although significant differences in the evaluation of game play graphics and other important game characteristics were found between consoles, no statistically significant main effect of the platform on enjoyment was reported; rather, game enjoyment was most affected by perceived usability for both consoles irrespective of gaming technology. Additionally, willingness to pay was positively influenced by game enjoyment, but not by game technology.
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Why gamers don’t learn more: An ecological approach to games as learning environments
More LessThis article explores the argument that video games by their nature are good learning environments. By applying the ecological approach to perception and learning to gameplay, the article describes gaming as a perception–action cycle, i.e., an interplay between seeing and using affordances. This notion of how gameplay functions is then used in order to discuss different design features in games, and it is claimed that games can be designed so that players are able to discover and utilize affordances without always having to develop skills and knowledge. Compared to many other practices, gaming can be less demanding and not as complex, since progress can be built into the game system. Previous literature has suggested that the principles for learning that can be found in games could potentially inform educational practices. This article claims that progression in games does not necessarily imply learning, and that the unique ways in which game design facilitates progression might be rather unsuitable principles for learning.
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Memory and heritage in Second Life: Recreating Lisbon in a virtual world
More LessSecond Life is an open-ended virtual world owned by Linden Lab. One of the main characteristics of this virtual environment is the prevalence of user-generated content – 99 per cent of the game content was created by residents. Due to its characteristics, Second Life is the ideal platform to develop virtual representations of first life spaces. Different national spaces are being built throughout this virtual world, and Lisbon is one of the cities represented. Urban spaces and places in the city are represented in several locations. One of the most complex projects is ‘City and Spectacle: A Vision of Pre-Earthquake Lisbon’, a project that aims to build a virtual version of the city of Lisbon before the 1755 earthquake. Using this project as the starting point for my analysis, the aim of this article is to understand the potential of virtual worlds like Second Life for the remediation of city memories through the virtual representation of heritage sites that are part of our collective memory.
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What do you mean by believable characters?: The effect of character rating and hostility on the perception of character believability
Authors: Michael Sangyeob Lee and Carrie HeeterComputer scientists working on Artificial Intelligence have recognized the importance of believable characters. Studies on character believability have been relatively rare and believability has different meanings in different disciplines. A multi-disciplinary literature review explores various qualities of computer characters. Different scholars and practitioners have described different believability attributes such as emotion, personality, appearance, goal and social relation. For the test of those five attributes, eight Non-Player Characters (NPCs) were chosen for the study based on game quality (high and low Metacritic scores) and diegetic function (hostile or friendly character). The believability of each character was surveyed with an online survey for research subjects recruited from a sophomore level introductory digital media course at a large Midwestern University. Within the survey, participants were shown a one–two-minute video of each NPC interacting with a player; participants then answered believability questions about the NPC they had just seen. Role-play gaming experience and demo-graphics were also measured. An ANOVA analysis of the results suggested that NPCs from higher-rated games were perceived to be more believable than characters from lower-rated games. NPCs from higher-rated games were also found to be more enjoyable than characters from lower-rated games.
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MACHINIMA REVIEWS
Authors: Phylis Johnson, Alina Padilla-Miller and Jay Jay JegathesanEDITOR’S NOTE: MACHINIMA’S IMPACT THROUGH AN ACADEMIC LENS: REVIEWING WINNING WORKS AT INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL VENUES
THE ISTE MACHINIMA FEST 2011
BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS: MACHINIMUWA
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