| 1. |
- Backlund, Per, 1964-, et al.
(author)
-
Spelforskning i Sverige : LevelUp projektrapport
- 2024
-
Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Rapporten bygger på tre delstudier med olika datainsamlingstekniker:En bibliometristudie av svensk spelforskning baserad på data från Scopus respektive SwePub.En enkätstudie över svenska spelforskningsmiljöer.En intervjustudie om svenska spelforskarmiljöer.Bibliometristudiens ansats har varit bred. Materialet inkluderar därmed även poster som endast har en perifer koppling till spel, men returnerar i fallet SwePub färre än 3000 poster. Spelforskning bedrivs på många lärosäten i Sverige och publiceras inom många ämnesområden. Totalt 95 forskare har en publicering som omfattar 10 eller fler spelpublikationer1. Det finns starka lokala kluster av forskare som sampublicerar men sampubliceringen mellan svenska och nordiska lärosäten är inte så omfattande. Jämfört med Finland har Sverige färre publikationer med ett tydligt fokus på spelforskning.Enkätstudien visar att spelforskarmiljöerna oftast består av ett antal forskare med olika ämnesmässig bakgrund där de själva definierar sig som spelforskare snarare än att organisationen som sådan gör det. Miljöerna har sammantaget och högt räknat runt 30 aktiva doktorander men siffran är osäker. 94% av respondenterna anger att deras forskning ligger inom ”spel för andra områden än underhållning” och endast 6% anger ”spelteknikfokus”. 44% anger ”spelbranschen”. Det är tydligt att spel för just underhållning inte ligger fokus för svensk spelforskning. Detta är remarkabelt då den svenska datorspelsindustrin är en multimiljardindustri fokuserad på just spel som underhållning. Det finns alltså en mycket stor diskrepans mellan industri och svensk spelforskning.Intervjustudien ger en bild av att spelforskningen bedrivs inom splittrade miljöer, av forskare med olika ämnesmässig bakgrund. Det finns en tydlig upplevd brist på forskningsfinansiering inom adekvata områden och det finns brister i de finansieringsinstrument som finns idag. Detta påverkar såväl vilken typ av forskning som kan bedrivas inom spel och rekryteringen av forskarstuderande. Respondenterna är överlag mycket positivt inställda till idén om en nationell forskarskola. Flera ser också Svenska Spelforskarrådet som en viktig aktör för att stärka svensk spelforskning både nationellt och internationellt.Rekommendationer:Det bör finnas en tydligare egen hemvist för forskning och utbildning inom spel för att tydliggöra kärnan i området.Fokus för forskningen behöver förändras så att spel för underhållning kommer mer i fokus.Finansieringsinstrumenten för spelforskning behöver förändras för att möjliggöra en sådan förändring.En nationell forskarskola inom spel bör inrättas.Det finns anledning att lära av framgångsrika miljöer i Finland och Danmark.
|
|
| 2. |
- Backlund, Per, 1964-, et al.
(author)
-
Teaching cardiovascular health through a purposeful game
- 2022
-
In: Collection of materials: II International Scientific and Practical Internet Conference "Innovative Solutions in Economy, Business, Public Communications and International Relationships", April 21, 2022, Dnipro. - Dnipro : Університет митної справи та фінансів / Universytet mytnoyi spravy ta finansiv. ; , s. 391-396
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Games for health is one of the most prominent areas for serious games, i.e. games with a purpose beyond only entertainment. The purpose of a health game may be to inform about health related issues; promote healthy lifestyles and even to drive behavioral change. This paper outlines the initial game design considerations and some future research directions for a game focusing on cardiovascular health. As the overall aim of the project is to promote a healthy lifestyle through diet and physical activity to prevent future cardiovascular disease, we focused on “taking care of your heart” as the basis for the game. Hence we call the game Happy Heart and use a heart symbol as a non-playable character (NPC) that the player needs to take care of. To some extent we are inspired by the electronic Tamagochi toys (Bandai) where players need to take care of a digital pet. The heart symbol is universal and is also an ideograph that expresses the concept of love and as such it transcends language barriers.The burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD) is rapidly increasing across the world. Today they are the main drivers of morbidity, disability, and mortality in low- and middle income countries (LMICs), and are expected to increase due to unhealthy lifestyles in the wake of ongoing societal changes [1]. Among the major risk factors in many LMICs are poor diet, insufficient physical activity, tobacco and alcohol consumption, and exposure to hazardous substances, e.g. from air pollution. LMICs currently contribute three quarters of the deaths from NCD.Among the NCD, cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of hospitalization in Nepal [1]. Digitalization and collaboration with the education sector (e.g. community schools) in health promotion interventions could further improve children’s behavior by targeting factors that affect their lifestyle outside the family environment [4]. Hence, the Digital Game Based Learning approach.
|
|
| 3. |
- Bai, Hua, 1990-, et al.
(author)
-
A Model for Balancing Clarity and Appeal in Serious Game Visuals
- 2023
-
In: Proceedings of the 17th European Conference on Games Based Learning. - : Academic Conferences International Limited. - 9781914587887 - 9781914587894 ; , s. 46-52
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In serious game development, graphic design needs to be eye-catching, while also depicting subject matter content in a responsible, accurate, and clear way. Previous research has shown that abstract and symbolic game visuals seem to be preferable for learning and providing an engaging experience. Our research focuses on describing the challenges involved in creating effective visual communication through game graphics in cross cultures. In particular, we’re interested in examining if certain styles of visual communication are more or less effective between different cultural demographics. To examine this, we have created a serious game which aims to promote healthy food and nutrition habits to teenagers in both Nepalese and Swedish schools and by doing so also motivate behavioral changes toward healthier eating habits. We are currently conducting studies to see whether preferences and image recognition differ between the two demographical spheres. This paper will only discuss the exploratory study done in Nepal. Ultimately, this paper aims to contribute development guidelines that can aid developers in creating more effective visual communication in their serious games, and we primarily focus on exploring what we call the compromise of ‘clarity’ and ‘appeal’ in the creation of game graphics. We present an initial model for choosing at what level in terms of realism/abstraction and taxonomic hierarchy the graphical components of serious games optimally should be produced in order to solve the dilemma of precise, unmistakable, yet appealing visuals in serious games. It all comes down to two primary decisions: defining the taxonomic hierarchy of the items to depict, and choosing the style in which to depict them. With a better understanding of when different game visuals are more or less appropriate, both in terms of style and in which objects are represented, game developers will be able to balance production costs better while also creating something that strikes the compromise between clarity and appeal.
|
|
| 4. |
- Bai, Hua, 1990-, et al.
(author)
-
Game graphics and effective learning : A review of visual communication research in serious games
- 2022
-
In: Proceedings of the International Conferences Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction 2022, Game and Entertainment Technologies 2022. - : IADIS Press. - 9789898704412 ; , s. 165-173
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The visuals of a game is a crucial element when it comes to providing good player experiences. Visuals are also an incredibly complex subject in a game context since different modes of visual representation can be more or less “appropriate” for different settings. For example, while one can look at photo-realism as an impressive feature of a game due to its technical complexity and functionally accurate representation of real-world objects, it might still not be a fitting choice for different audiences, or for different pedagogical strategies. Serious game research seldom focuses on understanding the design of these components or their applicability to different types of learning, and it more often focuses on games’ mechanics and how well they manage to capture subject matter content while still being engaging. The aim of this paper is to explore the gap in visual communication research, describing what studies tend to focus on providing some valuable context. This review was conducted on papers that dealt with visual aspects of serious games. The results show that visual communication is rarely addressed in serious game development research. Future research would benefit from taking visual communication in detail to facilitate the effectiveness of serious games.
|
|
| 5. |
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
- Susi, Tarja, 1964-, et al.
(author)
-
"Can you send me a photo?" : A Game-Based Approach for Increasing Young Children’s Risk Awareness to Prevent Online Sexual Grooming
- 2019
-
In: DiGRA '19 - Proceedings of the 2019 DiGRA International Conference. - : Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA).
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper presents a game-based approach for raising young children's online risk awareness, to decrease the risk of becoming the subject of sexual grooming. Hidden in the Park is an adventure game, including a classic game board and a tablet with Augmented Reality-technology. The game mechanics are based on data from true grooming processes. The game's target group is children aged 8-10 years. This paper describes the game development, from a prototype to an approved release version that will be released as a non-profit product during 2019. We describe the creation of the game mechanics, the iterative development process, and game evaluation. 25 pupils in the target group participated, but the ages 7-12 (n=70) were included to evaluate whether the game would suit the intended target group. Results show that the game is fun and engaging but that it also raise questions concerning online activities.
|
|
| 8. |
- Torstensson, Niklas, 1963-, et al.
(author)
-
Wizard of Oz and the design of a multi-player mixed reality game
- 2020
-
In: HCI in Games. - Cham : Springer. - 9783030501631 - 9783030501648 ; , s. 218-232
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper describes the use of the WOz method in the development of a prototype for a multi-player mixed reality game for children. It is an adventure game with hidden treasures, clues to hiding places, and information that should not be revealed. The game design, however, includes deceptive elements aimed at luring players to give up information. The game’s underlying intent is to raise children’s online risk awareness. The WOz was used in the early developmental stage to evaluate and explore the game concept, and to find a way to synchronise and integrate different in-game processes. We describe four central game mechanics for which the wizarding proved to be highly useful. We also discuss some ethical aspects related to the method a such as well as to the game design. In sum, we found the WOz method as such to be very useful for game design and development.
|
|
| 9. |
- Wilhelmsson, Ulf, 1967-, et al.
(author)
-
A Computer Game for an Enhanced Visitor Experience : Integration of Reality and Fiction
- 2014
-
In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction 2014 Game and Entertainment Technologies 2014 and Computer Graphics, Visualization, Computer Vision and Image Processing 2014 - Part of the Multi Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems, MCCSIS 2014. - : IADIS Press. - 9789898533227 ; , s. 149-156
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper describes the development of a computer game for enhanced visitor experiences of an adventure tour, in which the game is integrated. The game project was run 2011-2013 and included the development of an arcade style two player cooperative computer game, game controls, graphics, sound and music. The adventure tour takes place in an old military fortress where visitors participate in searching for gold that has been stolen. The tour starts with a 3D movie that provides the plot and introduces hero and villain characters. The story is then carried forth by a game master who brings the visitors on a tour along the fortress’ vaults, during which they also play the computer game. The adventure tour is structured by a semi-fictional framing story that interweaves history, physical environment, and hero and villain characters. To withhold interdependency in the overall design of the adventure tour and the game, Caillois’s (1958/2001) taxonomy for games was chosen as a basis, combined with narrative key elements carried across the adventure tour. The game was also designed to accord with the embodied nature of human activity, allowing players to engage their whole bodies in the gameplay. Initial game evaluation results indicate the game contributes to an enhanced visitor experience of the adventure tour.
|
|
| 10. |
- Wilhelmsson, Ulf, 1967-, et al.
(author)
-
Accessible Game Culture using Inclusive Game Design : Participating in a visual culture that you cannot see
- 2015
-
In: VS-Games 2015. - Red Hook, NY : IEEE Computer Society. - 9781479981021 - 9781479981014 ; , s. 147-154
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper, we present the result of an experiment, in which we compare the gaming experience between sighted players and visually impaired players playing the same game. Specifically we discuss whether they experience the same story construed from the plot elements that are either manifested by audio and graphics in the case of sighted players or primarily by audio in the case of visually impaired players. To this end, we have developed a graphical point-and-click adventure game for iOS and Android devices. The game has been designed to provide players with audio feedback that enables visually impaired players to interact with and experience the game, but in a manner that does not interfere with the overall appearance and functionality of the game, i.e. a design that is fully inclusive to both groups of players and that is as invisible for sighted players as possible without hindering visually impaired players to share the same gaming experience when it comes to story content. The study shows that the perception of the story were almost identical between the two groups. Generally it took visually impaired players a little longer to play the game but they also seem to listen more carefully to the dialogue and hence also build a slightly deeper understanding of the characters.
|
|
