Innovating Naval Business Using a War Game

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-01

OSA. The Massive Multiplayer Operational War Game Leveraging the Internet (MMOWGLI) game was used as a crowd-sourcing tool to elicit the collective... Multiplayer Operational War Game Leveraging the Internet (MMOWGLI) game was used as a crowd-sourcing tool to elicit the collective intelligence of...problem. The DASN RDT&E selected the Massive Multiplayer Operational War Game Leveraging the Internet (MMOWGLI) as the mechanism to bring innovative

A Collection of Economic and Social Data from Glitch, a Massively Multiplayer Online Game

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-05

A Collection of Economic and Social Data from Glitch, a Massively Multiplayer Online Game Peter M. Landwehr March 5, 2013 CMU-ISR-13...massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) - social and cultural model embedding technologies. Additional support was provided by CASOS — the center for...SUBTITLE A Collection of Economic and Social Data from Glitch, a Massively Multiplayer Online Game 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM

Evolutionary games in the multiverse

PubMed Central

Gokhale, Chaitanya S.; Traulsen, Arne

2010-01-01

Evolutionary game dynamics of two players with two strategies has been studied in great detail. These games have been used to model many biologically relevant scenarios, ranging from social dilemmas in mammals to microbial diversity. Some of these games may, in fact, take place between a number of individuals and not just between two. Here we address one-shot games with multiple players. As long as we have only two strategies, many results from two-player games can be generalized to multiple players. For games with multiple players and more than two strategies, we show that statements derived for pairwise interactions no longer hold. For two-player games with any number of strategies there can be at most one isolated internal equilibrium. For any number of players with any number of strategies , there can be at most isolated internal equilibria. Multiplayer games show a great dynamical complexity that cannot be captured based on pairwise interactions. Our results hold for any game and can easily be applied to specific cases, such as public goods games or multiplayer stag hunts. PMID:20212124

Social Interactions and Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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…

Games for Training: Leveraging Commercial Off the Shelf Multiplayer Gaming Software for Infantry Squad Collective Training

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-09-01

squad training, team training, dismounted training, video games , computer games, multiplayer games. 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF...Multiplayer - mode of play for computer and video games in which multiple people can play the same game at the same time (Wikipedia, 2005) D...that “improvements in 3-D image generation on the PC and the speed of the internet” have increased the military’s interest in the use of video games as

Multiplayer Online Games as Educational Tools: Facing New Challenges in Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paraskeva, Fotini; Mysirlaki, Sofia; Papagianni, Aikaterini

2010-01-01

This paper outlines a proposal for the development of educational multiplayer online games based on the activity theory, as an alternative to the current trend in multiplayer gaming and a means of promoting collaboration among students. In order to examine whether online games are engaging for learners, we consider multiple factors regarding game…

The Effectiveness Evaluation among Different Player-Matching Mechanisms in a Multi-Player Quiz Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Fu-Hsing

2016-01-01

This study aims to investigate whether different player-matching mechanisms in educational multi-player online games (MOGs) can affect students' learning performance, enjoyment perception and gaming behaviors. Based on the multi-player quiz game, TRIS-Q, developed by Tsai, Tsai and Lin (2015) using a free player-matching (FPM) mechanism, the same…

Predicting protein structures with a multiplayer online game.

PubMed

Cooper, Seth; Khatib, Firas; Treuille, Adrien; Barbero, Janos; Lee, Jeehyung; Beenen, Michael; Leaver-Fay, Andrew; Baker, David; Popović, Zoran; Players, Foldit

2010-08-05

People exert large amounts of problem-solving effort playing computer games. Simple image- and text-recognition tasks have been successfully 'crowd-sourced' through games, but it is not clear if more complex scientific problems can be solved with human-directed computing. Protein structure prediction is one such problem: locating the biologically relevant native conformation of a protein is a formidable computational challenge given the very large size of the search space. Here we describe Foldit, a multiplayer online game that engages non-scientists in solving hard prediction problems. Foldit players interact with protein structures using direct manipulation tools and user-friendly versions of algorithms from the Rosetta structure prediction methodology, while they compete and collaborate to optimize the computed energy. We show that top-ranked Foldit players excel at solving challenging structure refinement problems in which substantial backbone rearrangements are necessary to achieve the burial of hydrophobic residues. Players working collaboratively develop a rich assortment of new strategies and algorithms; unlike computational approaches, they explore not only the conformational space but also the space of possible search strategies. The integration of human visual problem-solving and strategy development capabilities with traditional computational algorithms through interactive multiplayer games is a powerful new approach to solving computationally-limited scientific problems.

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

PubMed Central

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

Collective Information Literacy in Massively Multiplayer Online Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Crystle; Steinkuehler, Constance

2010-01-01

This article explores the forms of information literacy that arise in commercial entertainment games like "World of Warcraft." Using examples culled from eight months of online ethnographic data, the authors detail the forms of information literacy that arise as a regular part of in-game social interaction, emphasizing (ironically) the…

Architecture-Based Self-Adaptation for Moving Target Defense

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-08-01

using stochastic multiplayer games to verify the the behavior of a variety of MTD scenarios, from uninformed to predictive-reactive. This work is... multiplayer games to verify the the behavior of a variety of MTD scenarios, from uninformed to predictive-reactive. This work is applied in the context...for Moving Target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 5 Multiplayer Games for Moving Target Defense 31 5.1 Stochastic Game Analysis for Proactive Self

Stochastic Game Analysis and Latency Awareness for Self-Adaptation

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

this paper, we introduce a formal analysis technique based on model checking of stochastic multiplayer games (SMGs) that enables us to quantify the...Additional Key Words and Phrases: Proactive adaptation, Stochastic multiplayer games , Latency 1. INTRODUCTION When planning how to adapt, self-adaptive...contribution of this paper is twofold: (1) A novel analysis technique based on model checking of stochastic multiplayer games (SMGs) that enables us to

Can Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming Environments Support Team Training?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Debra L.; Menaker, Ellen S.

2008-01-01

Instructional games are created when training is deliberately added to a gaming environment or when gaming aspects are deliberately incorporated into training. One type of game that is currently attracting the attention of the education and training field is the massively multiplayer online game (MMOG). Because evidence about learning outcomes…

Effect of Digital Game Based Learning on Ninth Grade Students' Mathematics Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swearingen, Dixie K.

2011-01-01

This experimental study examined the effect of an educational massive multiplayer online game (MMOG) on achievement on a standards-based mathematics exam. It also examined the interaction of student characteristics (gender and socioeconomic status) with digital game play on mathematics achievement. Two hundred eighty ninth grade students from a…

Army Learning Concept 2015: These Are Not the Droids You Are Looking For

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-07

instruction, gaming, video , interactive multimedia instruction, virtual worlds, massively multiplayer online games, simulations, and others.” A wide...games, buying stuff on E-Bay and surfing the net for porn ? “These are not the “an” droids we are looking for…” 24 ALC 2015 should enhance learning

Bipartite graphs as models of population structures in evolutionary multiplayer games.

PubMed

Peña, Jorge; Rochat, Yannick

2012-01-01

By combining evolutionary game theory and graph theory, "games on graphs" study the evolutionary dynamics of frequency-dependent selection in population structures modeled as geographical or social networks. Networks are usually represented by means of unipartite graphs, and social interactions by two-person games such as the famous prisoner's dilemma. Unipartite graphs have also been used for modeling interactions going beyond pairwise interactions. In this paper, we argue that bipartite graphs are a better alternative to unipartite graphs for describing population structures in evolutionary multiplayer games. To illustrate this point, we make use of bipartite graphs to investigate, by means of computer simulations, the evolution of cooperation under the conventional and the distributed N-person prisoner's dilemma. We show that several implicit assumptions arising from the standard approach based on unipartite graphs (such as the definition of replacement neighborhoods, the intertwining of individual and group diversity, and the large overlap of interaction neighborhoods) can have a large impact on the resulting evolutionary dynamics. Our work provides a clear example of the importance of construction procedures in games on graphs, of the suitability of bigraphs and hypergraphs for computational modeling, and of the importance of concepts from social network analysis such as centrality, centralization and bipartite clustering for the understanding of dynamical processes occurring on networked population structures.

The Semiotic Ecology and Linguistic Complexity of an Online Game World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thorne, Steven L.; Fischer, Ingrid; Lu, Xiaofei

2012-01-01

Multiplayer online games form complex semiotic ecologies that include game-generated texts, player-to-player communication and collaboration, and associated websites that support in-game play. This article describes an exploratory study of the massively multiplayer online game (MMO) "World of Warcraft" ("WoW"), with specific…

Evolutionary Games of Multiplayer Cooperation on Graphs

PubMed Central

Arranz, Jordi; Traulsen, Arne

2016-01-01

There has been much interest in studying evolutionary games in structured populations, often modeled as graphs. However, most analytical results so far have only been obtained for two-player or linear games, while the study of more complex multiplayer games has been usually tackled by computer simulations. Here we investigate evolutionary multiplayer games on graphs updated with a Moran death-Birth process. For cycles, we obtain an exact analytical condition for cooperation to be favored by natural selection, given in terms of the payoffs of the game and a set of structure coefficients. For regular graphs of degree three and larger, we estimate this condition using a combination of pair approximation and diffusion approximation. For a large class of cooperation games, our approximations suggest that graph-structured populations are stronger promoters of cooperation than populations lacking spatial structure. Computer simulations validate our analytical approximations for random regular graphs and cycles, but show systematic differences for graphs with many loops such as lattices. In particular, our simulation results show that these kinds of graphs can even lead to more stringent conditions for the evolution of cooperation than well-mixed populations. Overall, we provide evidence suggesting that the complexity arising from many-player interactions and spatial structure can be captured by pair approximation in the case of random graphs, but that it need to be handled with care for graphs with high clustering. PMID:27513946

When playing together feels different: effects of task types and social contexts on physiological arousal in multiplayer online gaming contexts.

PubMed

Lim, Sohye; Lee, Jong-Eun Roselyn

2009-02-01

This study examines how task types (violent vs. nonviolent) and social contexts (solo vs. collaborative) affect physiological arousal in multiplayer online gaming. Our results show that social contexts modify the effects of violent game tasks on arousal. When compared with solo play, collaborative play led to a significant decrease in arousal in response to violent tasks, while leading to a slight increase for nonviolent tasks. The findings point to the importance of understanding how social contexts of game playing shape psychological experiences in multiplayer online games.

Excessive Use of Massively Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Games: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hussain, Zaheer; Griffiths, Mark D.

2009-01-01

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are one of the most interesting innovations in the area of online computer gaming. This pilot study set out to examine the psychological and social effects of online gaming using an online questionnaire with particular reference to excessive and "dependent" online gaming. A self-selecting…

Bipartite Graphs as Models of Population Structures in Evolutionary Multiplayer Games

PubMed Central

Peña, Jorge; Rochat, Yannick

2012-01-01

By combining evolutionary game theory and graph theory, “games on graphs” study the evolutionary dynamics of frequency-dependent selection in population structures modeled as geographical or social networks. Networks are usually represented by means of unipartite graphs, and social interactions by two-person games such as the famous prisoner’s dilemma. Unipartite graphs have also been used for modeling interactions going beyond pairwise interactions. In this paper, we argue that bipartite graphs are a better alternative to unipartite graphs for describing population structures in evolutionary multiplayer games. To illustrate this point, we make use of bipartite graphs to investigate, by means of computer simulations, the evolution of cooperation under the conventional and the distributed N-person prisoner’s dilemma. We show that several implicit assumptions arising from the standard approach based on unipartite graphs (such as the definition of replacement neighborhoods, the intertwining of individual and group diversity, and the large overlap of interaction neighborhoods) can have a large impact on the resulting evolutionary dynamics. Our work provides a clear example of the importance of construction procedures in games on graphs, of the suitability of bigraphs and hypergraphs for computational modeling, and of the importance of concepts from social network analysis such as centrality, centralization and bipartite clustering for the understanding of dynamical processes occurring on networked population structures. PMID:22970237

Learning to cooperate without awareness in multiplayer minimal social situations.

PubMed

Colman, Andrew M; Pulford, Briony D; Omtzigt, David; al-Nowaihi, Ali

2010-11-01

Experimental and Monte Carlo methods were used to test theoretical predictions about adaptive learning of cooperative responses without awareness in minimal social situations-games in which the payoffs to players depend not on their own actions but exclusively on the actions of other group members. In Experiment 1, learning occurred slowly over 200 rounds in a dyadic minimal social situation but not in multiplayer groups. In Experiments 2-4, learning occurred rarely in multiplayer groups, even when players were informed that they were interacting strategically and were allowed to communicate with one another but were not aware of the game's payoff structure. Monte Carlo simulation suggested that players approach minimal social situations using a noisy version of the win-stay, lose-shift decision rule, deviating from the deterministic rule less frequently after rewarding than unrewarding rounds. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interaction with the game and motivation among players of massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

PubMed

Fuster, Héctor; Carbonell, Xavier; Chamarro, Andrés; Oberst, Ursula

2013-01-01

Knowledge about users interacting with Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) is fundamental in order to prevent their potential negative effects on behavior. For this reason, the present study analyzed the relationship between styles of play and motivations. An online questionnaire asking for socio-demographic details, playing style, characteristics of the game played and motivations for playing, was answered by 430 Spanish-speaking MMORPG players (45.1% males). The identified profile for players, far away from the stereotype of an adolescent, consisted in a person who mainly plays on PvP (Player versus Player) servers, choosing the type of game according to his experience. Regarding motivations, they were interested in relating with other players through the game (Socialization), in discovering the game's possibilities and development of its adventures (Exploration), to a lesser extent in leadership and prestige (Achievement) and, lastly, identification with an avatar and escape from reality (Dissociation). Although part of the reason for playing was escapism and/or stress relief, the main motivation had a social nature. We conclude that MMORPG offer an attractive environment for a broad spectrum of people, and we have not been able to confirm the stereotype of a loner avoiding reality, taking refuge in games.

Decomposition of Multi-player Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Dengji; Schiffel, Stephan; Thielscher, Michael

Research in General Game Playing aims at building systems that learn to play unknown games without human intervention. We contribute to this endeavour by generalising the established technique of decomposition from AI Planning to multi-player games. To this end, we present a method for the automatic decomposition of previously unknown games into independent subgames, and we show how a general game player can exploit a successful decomposition for game tree search.

Playing in parallel: the effects of multiplayer modes in active video game on motivation and physical exertion.

PubMed

Peng, Wei; Crouse, Julia

2013-06-01

Although multiplayer modes are common among contemporary video games, the bulk of game research focuses on the single-player mode. To fill the gap in the literature, the current study investigated the effects of different multiplayer modes on enjoyment, future play motivation, and the actual physical activity intensity in an active video game. One hundred sixty-two participants participated in a one-factor between-subject laboratory experiment with three conditions: (a) single player: play against self pretest score; (b) cooperation with another player in the same physical space; (c) parallel competition with another player in separated physical spaces. We found that parallel competition in separate physical spaces was the optimal mode, since it resulted in both high enjoyment and future play motivation and high physical intensity. Implications for future research on multiplayer mode and play space as well as active video game-based physical activity interventions are discussed.

The Influence of Game Design on the Collaborative Problem Solving Process: A Cross-Case Study of Multi-Player Collaborative Gameplay Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildirim, Nilay

2013-01-01

This cross-case study examines the relationships between game design attributes and collaborative problem solving process in the context of multi-player video games. The following game design attributes: sensory stimuli elements, level of challenge, and presentation of game goals and rules were examined to determine their influence on game…

Game Mastering in Collaborative Serious Games: A Novel Approach for Instructor Support in Multiplayer Serious Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wendel, Viktor; Krepp, Stefan; Gutjahr, Michael Oliver; Göbel, Stefan; Steinmetz, Ralf

2015-01-01

In collaborative learning scenarios, the role of the instructor is vital. This aspect directly carries over to the concept of collaborative multiplayer Serious Games, where a group of players is learning together using a Serious Game. In this paper, the authors propose a novel approach for integration and support of instructors in collaborative…

Learning Strategies and Learner Attitudes in the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game Cube World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goh, Shu Li

2016-01-01

The rapid progress of technology has revolutionized learning and in the field of computer assisted language learning, the use of digital games has expanded significantly. One type of game that has been attracting interest is massively multiplayer online role-playing games (henceforth MMORPGs). Recent research has drawn attention to the potential…

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games as Arenas for Second Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Mark

2010-01-01

This article investigates contemporary research on the use of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) in language education. The development and key features of these games are explored. This is followed by an examination of the theories proposed as a basis for game-based learning, and the claims made regarding the value of…

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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…

Improving Prescripted Agent Behavior with Neuroevolution

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

learned behaviors might be undesirable, violating the designer’s intentions. This problem could be avoided if game designers could specify an...compatible throughout evolution, and the problem of matching different topologies (Radcliffe 1993) is essentially avoided . Second, NEAT speciates the...interaction with NPCs, such as a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game ( MMORPG ), the ability for NPCs to slowly adapt to humans would keep the game

Socio-Linguistic Factors and Gender Mapping Across Real and Virtual World Cultures

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-25

multiplayer online games and other virtual world environments. Which in- game features...decaste@sfu.ca ABSTRACT   This  study  examines  a  large  corpus  of   online   gaming  chat  and  avatar  names   to...chat  interactions  in   online   gaming   environments.     In   addition,   we   study   the   relationship  

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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…

Multiplayer Kinect Serious Games: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alshammari, Ali; Whittinghill, David

2015-01-01

Single and multiplayer serious Kinect games have been used in many different areas, including education. Due to its relative newness as a technology, a dearth of literature exists concerning the requirements for the use of Kinect games in educational settings. A comprehensive review was conducted to include various perspectives in order to provide…

Designing After-School Learning Using the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Elizabeth M.

2015-01-01

Digital games have become popular for engaging students in a range of learning goals, both in the classroom and the after-school space. In this article, I discuss a specific genre of video game, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMO), which has been identified as a dynamic environment for encountering 21st-century workplace…

Shapley value redistribution of social wealth fosters cooperation in social dilemmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krawczyk, Przemysław; Płatkowski, Tadeusz

2018-02-01

We consider multiplayer social dilemma games played in a large population. The members of the population interact in randomly formed coalitions. Each coalition generates a social wealth (value), which is distributed among the coalition members according to their Shapley values. Evolution of the whole population is governed by the replicator equation. We demonstrate that application of the Shapley value fosters the time asymptotic cooperation in populations for various types of multiplayer social dilemmas.

The Use of Massive Multiplayer Online Games to Evaluate C4I Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-03-01

popularity in the gaming industry , the public and the Department of Defense. Improvements to computer technology and the increased data transfer rate...Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG) have gained in popularity in the gaming industry , the public and the Department of Defense. Improvements to...have gained in popularity in the gaming industry , the public and the Department of Defense. These networked virtual environments are “a software

From MMORPG to a Classroom Multiplayer Presential Role Playing Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Susaeta, Heinz; Jimenez, Felipe; Nussbaum, Miguel; Gajardo, Ignacio; Andreu, Juan Jose; Villalta, Marco

2010-01-01

The popularity of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) has grown enormously, with communities of players reaching into the millions. Their fantasy narratives present multiple challenges created by the virtual environment and/or other players. The games' potential for education stems from the fact that players are immersed in a…

Leadership in MMOGs: A Field of Research on Virtual Teams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mysirlaki, Sofia; Paraskeva, Fotini

2012-01-01

As our need for collaboration constantly grows, new tools have emerged to connect us in social networks, supporting the development of online communities, such as online games and virtual worlds. MMOGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Games) and MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) are complex systems, in which players are…

Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games and Interaction: A Measurable Model of Interaction for Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Bodi

2014-01-01

This current study examines the need for operational definitions of the concept of interaction in distance education studies. It is proposed that a discourse analysis of linguistic features conversation noted as being representative of interaction can be used to operationalize interaction in synchronous CMC. This study goes on compare two…

The Use of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games in CALL: An Analysis of Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Mark

2016-01-01

Contemporary CALL research reflects renewed interest in digital games. One aspect of this phenomenon namely, use of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), has expanded significantly, highlighting the need for a review. This paper analyzes findings from 10 learner-based studies that draw on accounts of SLA informed by cognitive…

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

PubMed

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.

A Quantitative Content Analysis of Leveled Vocabulary Embedded within Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haas, Leslie

2012-01-01

This content analysis examined levels of vocabulary within massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). A total of six MMORPGs were studied; three were pay-to-play (P2P), and three were free-to-play (F2P). Sixty hours of game play (10 hours per game) provided the researcher with 50,240 embedded vocabulary words. Each MMORPG was…

How successful are mutants in multiplayer games with fluctuating environments? Sojourn times, fixation and optimal switching

PubMed Central

Galla, Tobias

2018-01-01

Using a stochastic model, we investigate the probability of fixation, and the average time taken to achieve fixation, of a mutant in a population of wild-types. We do this in a context where the environment in which the competition takes place is subject to stochastic change. Our model takes into account interactions which can involve multiple participants. That is, the participants take part in multiplayer games. We find that under certain circumstances, there are environmental switching dynamics which minimize the time that it takes for the mutants to fixate. To analyse the dynamics more closely, we develop a method by which to calculate the sojourn times for general birth–death processes in fluctuating environments. PMID:29657810

How successful are mutants in multiplayer games with fluctuating environments? Sojourn times, fixation and optimal switching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baron, Joseph W.; Galla, Tobias

2018-03-01

Using a stochastic model, we investigate the probability of fixation, and the average time taken to achieve fixation, of a mutant in a population of wild-types. We do this in a context where the environment in which the competition takes place is subject to stochastic change. Our model takes into account interactions which can involve multiple participants. That is, the participants take part in multiplayer games. We find that under certain circumstances, there are environmental switching dynamics which minimize the time that it takes for the mutants to fixate. To analyse the dynamics more closely, we develop a method by which to calculate the sojourn times for general birth-death processes in fluctuating environments.

Examining a Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game as a Digital Game-Based Learning Platform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Min Lun; Richards, Kari; Saw, Guan Kung

2014-01-01

A concurrent triangulation mixed-method research design was used to investigate 19 casual gamers' or non-gamers' use of a popular massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), Everquest 2, as an alternative pedagogical tool to support communicative use of the English language. This study poses that MMORPGs could serve as a virtually rich…

Massively Multiplayer Online Games as a Sandbox for Leadership: The Relationship between in and out of Game Leadership Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mendoza, Sean Henry Veloria

2014-01-01

Given society's increasingly technology centric play and workplace environment, Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs) can be an excellent sandbox to develop future leaders of teams, which are the lifeblood of any organization. MMOs like World of WarCraft provide rich immersive experiences that allow leaders and followers the ability to create…

A Methodology to Assess UrbanSim Scenarios

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

Education LOE – Line of Effort MMOG – Massively Multiplayer Online Game MC3 – Maneuver Captain’s Career Course MSCCC – Maneuver Support...augmented reality simulations, increased automation and artificial intelligence simulation, and massively multiplayer online games (MMOG), among...distribution is unlimited 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) Turn-based strategy games and simulations are vital tools for military

PISA — Pooling Information from Several Agents: Multiplayer Argumentation from Experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wardeh, Maya; Bench-Capon, Trevor; Coenen, Frans

In this paper a framework, PISA (Pooling Information from Several Agents), to facilitate multiplayer (three or more protagonists), "argumentation from experience" is described. Multiplayer argumentation is a form of dialogue game involving three or more players. The PISA framework is founded on a two player argumentation framework, PADUA (Protocol for Argumentation Dialogue Using Association Rules), also developed by the authors. One of the main advantages of both PISA and PADUA is that they avoid the resource intensive need to predefine a knowledge base, instead data mining techniques are used to facilitate the provision of "just in time" information. Many of the issues associated with multiplayer dialogue games do not present a significant challenge in the two player game. The main original contributions of this paper are the mechanisms whereby the PISA framework addresses these challenges.

A Practice-Based Analysis of an Online Strategy Game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milolidakis, Giannis; Kimble, Chris; Akoumianakis, Demosthenes

In this paper, we will analyze a massively multiplayer online game in an attempt to identify the elements of practice that enable social interaction and cooperation within the game’s virtual world. Communities of Practice and Activity Theory offer the theoretical lens for identifying and understanding what constitutes practice within the community and how such practice is manifest and transmitted during game play. Our analysis suggests that in contrast to prevalent perceptions of practice as being textually mediated, in virtual settings it is framed as much in social interactions as in processes, artifacts and the tools constituting the ‘linguistic’ domain of the game or the practice the gaming community is about.

A Trust Based Framework for Information Sharing Behavior in Command and Control Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

organizations under certain environmental contexts using the ELICIT multiplayer intelligence game . Like other existing work dealing with com- parative... multiplayer intelligence game ,” in Proc. 12th Int?l Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium, 2007. ...dictated by a combination of personality traits, organizational rules and the need to achieve mission objectives. For example, cooperation games often show

Effectiveness of MMORPG-Based Instruction in Elementary English Education in Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suh, S.; Kim, S. W.; Kim, N. J.

2010-01-01

This study investigated the effectiveness of massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG)-based (massive multiplayer online role-playing game) instruction in elementary English education. The effectiveness of the MMORPG program was compared with face-to-face instruction and the independent variables (gender, prior knowledge, motivation…

Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs) in the New Media Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delwiche, Aaron

2006-01-01

Recent research demonstrates that videogames enhance literacy, attention, reaction time, and higher-level thinking. Several scholars have suggested that massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) such as "Everquest" and "Second Life" have educational potential, but we have little data about what happens when such tools are introduced in the…

ENGAGE: A Game Based Learning and Problem Solving Framework

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-15

multiplayer card game Creature Capture now supports an offline multiplayer mode (sharing a single computer), in response to feedback from teachers that a...Planetopia overworld will be ready for use by a number of physical schools as well as integrated into multiple online teaching resources. The games will be...From - To) 7/1/2012 – 7/31/2012 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE ENGAGE: A Game Based Learning and Problem Solving Framework 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER N/A 5b

A Case Study of Using Online Communities and Virtual Environment in Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) as a Learning and Teaching Tool for Second Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

2012-01-01

Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) create large virtual communities. Online gaming shows potential not just for entertaining, but also in education. This research investigates the use of commercial MMORPGs to support second language teaching. MMORPGs offer virtual safe spaces in which students can communicate by using their…

Physiological Responses During Multiplay Exergaming in Young Adult Males are Game-Dependent

PubMed Central

McGuire, Stephen; Willems, Mark ET

2015-01-01

Regular moderate-intensity exercise provides health benefits. The aim of this study was to examine whether the selected exercise intensity and physiological responses during exergaming in a single and multiplayer mode in the same physical space were game-dependent. Ten males (mean ±SD, age: 23 ±5 years, body mass: 84.2 ±15.6 kg, body height: 180 ±7 cm, body mass index: 26.0 ±4.0 kg·m−2) played the games Kinect football, boxing and track & field (3 × ∼10 min, ∼ 2 min rest periods) in similar time sequence in two sessions. Physiological responses were measured with the portable Cosmed K4b2 pulmonary gas exchange system. Single play demands were used to match with a competitive opponent in a multiplay mode. A within-subjects crossover design was used with one-way ANOVA and a post-hoc t-test for analysis (p<0.05). Minute ventilation, oxygen uptake and the heart rate were at least 18% higher during a multiplayer mode for Kinect football and boxing but not for track & field. Energy expenditure was 21% higher during multiplay football. Single play track & field had higher metabolic equivalent than single play football (5.7 ±1.6, range: 3.2–8.6 vs 4.1 ±1.0, range: 3.0–6.1, p<0.05). Exergaming in a multiplayer mode can provide higher physiological demands but the effects are game-dependent. It seems that exergaming with low intensity in a multiplayer mode may provide a greater physical challenge for participants than in a single play mode but may not consistently provide sufficient intensity to acquire health benefits when played regularly as part of a programme to promote and maintain health in young adults. PMID:26240669

RTS and RPGs: New Literacies and Multiplayer Computer Games.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beavis, Catherine

The new social studies of childhood point to the need for studies which explore young people's uses of technology. Multiplayer computer games provide an important site for exploring the role of new technologies in young people's lives, in particular in relation to issues of representation, identity, and community, and to the changing nature of…

A Taxonomy of Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bytheway, Julie

2015-01-01

Initiated in response to informal reports of vocabulary gains from gamers at universities in New Zealand and the Netherlands, this qualitative study explored how English language learners autonomously learn vocabulary while playing massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). Using research processes inherent in Grounded Theory, data…

Design and Development Tools for the Systems Engineering Experience Accelerator. Volume 1

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-20

This also shows the value of design and developing tools for SEEA. World of Warcraft (WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG...attributed to being the most significant inspiration for the multiplayer online battle arena genre. Valve Corporation acquired the intellectual...33 Game -Based Learning

The Multi-Player Performance-Enhancing Drug Game

PubMed Central

Haugen, Kjetil K.; Nepusz, Tamás; Petróczi, Andrea

2013-01-01

This paper extends classical work on economics of doping into a multi-player game setting. Apart from being among the first papers formally formulating and analysing a multi-player doping situation, we find interesting results related to different types of Nash-equilibria (NE). Based mainly on analytic results, we claim at least two different NE structures linked to the choice of prize functions. Linear prize functions provide NEs characterised by either everyone or nobody taking drugs, while non-linear prize functions lead to qualitatively different NEs with significantly more complex predictive characteristics. PMID:23691018

Envisioning the Educational Possibilities of User-Created Virtual Worlds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Antonacci, David M.; Modaress, Nellie

2008-01-01

Educational games and simulations can engage students in higher-level cognitive thinking, such as interpreting, analyzing, discovering, evaluating, acting, and problem solving. Recent technical advances in multiplayer, user-created virtual worlds have significantly expanded the capabilities of user interaction and development within these…

Massively Multiplayer Online Video Gaming as Participation in a Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinkuehler, Constance A.

2006-01-01

This article has two primary goals: (a) to illustrate how a closer analysis of language can lead to fruitful insights into the activities that it helps constitute, and (b) to demonstrate the complexity of the practices that make up Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming (MMOGaming) through just such an analysis. The first goal is in response to the…

An Exploration of Friendships and Socialization for Adolescents with Autism Engaged in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallup, Jennifer; Duff, Christine; Serianni, Barbara; Gallup, Adam

2016-01-01

A phenomenological study was conducted to investigate the social experiences and perceptions of friendship among three adolescents with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) engaged in online videogame play in the context of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Semi-structured interviews with three participants, diagnosed with…

Learning Outcomes and Processes in Massively Multiplayer Online Games: Exploring the Perceptions of Players

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voulgari, Iro; Komis, Vassilis; Sampson, Demetrios G.

2014-01-01

Over the past decade research has recognised the learning potential of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs). MMOGs can be used by the technology-enhanced learning research community to study and identify good educational practices that may inspire engaging, creative and motivating approaches for education and learning. To this end, in this…

Developing 21st Century Skills through Gameplay: To What Extent Are Young People Who Play the Online Computer Game Minecraft Acquiring and Developing Media Literacy and the Four Cs Skills?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Mia Lynn

2015-01-01

Two questions drove this case study. 1) To what extent does playing the online computer game Minecraft at home in a multiplayer environment impact a player's media literacy skills of analysis, evaluation, and access? 2) To what extent does playing the online computer game Minecraft at home in a multiplayer environment impact a player's 21st…

Virtual plagues and real-world pandemics: reflecting on the potential for online computer role-playing games to inform real world epidemic research.

PubMed

Oultram, Stuart

2013-12-01

In the wake of the Corrupted Blood incident, which afflicted the massively multiplayer online computer role-playing game World of Warcraft in 2005, it has been suggested that both, the incident itself and massively multiplayer online computer role-playing games in general, can be utilised to inform and assist real-world epidemic and public health research. In this paper, I engage critically with these claims.

Quantum Prisoner’s Dilemma game on hypergraph networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pawela, Łukasz; Sładkowski, Jan

2013-02-01

We study the possible advantages of adopting quantum strategies in multi-player evolutionary games. We base our study on the three-player Prisoner’s Dilemma (PD) game. In order to model the simultaneous interaction between three agents we use hypergraphs and hypergraph networks. In particular, we study two types of networks: a random network and a SF-like network. The obtained results show that in the case of a three-player game on a hypergraph network, quantum strategies are not necessarily stochastically stable strategies. In some cases, the defection strategy can be as good as a quantum one.

A Comparison of Solo and Multiplayer Active Videogame Play in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy.

PubMed

Howcroft, Jennifer; Fehlings, Darcy; Wright, Virginia; Zabjek, Karl; Andrysek, Jan; Biddiss, Elaine

2012-08-01

Active videogames (AVGs) have potential in terms of physical activity and therapy for children with cerebral palsy. However, the effect of social interaction on AVG play has not yet been assessed. The objective of this study is to determine if multiplayer AVG versus solo affects levels of energy expenditure and movement patterns. Fifteen children (9.77 [standard deviation (SD) 1.78] years old) with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (Gross Motor Function Classification System Level I) participated in solo and multiplayer Nintendo(®) "Wii™ Boxing" (Nintendo, Inc., Redmond, WA) AVG play while energy expenditure and punching frequency were monitored. Moderate levels of physical activity were achieved with no significant differences in energy measures during multiplayer and solo play. Dominant arm punching frequency increased during the multiplayer session from 95.75 (SD 37.93) punches/minute to 107.77 (SD 36.99) punches/minute. Conversely, hemiplegic arm punching frequency decreased from 39.05 (SD 29.57) punches/minutes to 30.73 (SD 24.74) punches/minutes during multiplayer game play. Children enjoyed multiplayer more than solo play. Opportunities to play AVGs with friends and family may translate to more frequent participation in this moderate physical activity. Conversely, increased hemiplegic limb use during solo play may have therapeutic advantages. As such, new strategies are recommended to promote use of the hemiplegic hand during multiplayer AVG play and to optimize commercial AVG systems for applications in virtual reality therapy.

First Responder Weapons of Mass Destruction Training Using Massively Multiplayer On-Line Gaming

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-06-01

Training Using Massively Multiplayer On-Line Gaming 6. AUTHOR(S) Thomas J. Richardson 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND...ADDRESS(ES) Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, CA 93943-5000 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME...37 1. Transitioning from Hierarchical to Networked Control................37 2. Compliance with Government Performance and Results Act

Bridging Media with the Help of Players

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nitsche, Michael; Drake, Matthew; Murray, Janet

We suggest harvesting the power of multiplayer design to bridge content across different media platforms and develop player-driven cross-media experiences. This paper first argues to partially replace complex AI systems with multiplayer design strategies to provide the necessary level of flexibility in the content generation for cross-media applications. The second part describes one example project - the Next Generation Play (NGP) project - that illustrates one practical approach of such a player-driven cross-media content generation. NGP allows players to collect virtual items while watching a TV show. These items are re-used in a multiplayer casual game that automatically generates new game worlds based on the various collections of active players joining a game session. While the TV experience is designed for the single big screen, the game executes on multiple mobile phones. Design and technical implementation of the prototype are explained in more detail to clarify how players carry elements of television narratives into a non-linear handheld gaming experience. The system describes a practical way to create casual game adaptations based on players' personal preferences in a multi-user environment.

Zoning Issues and Area of Interest Management in Massively Multiplayer Online Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Dewan Tanvir; Shirmohammadi, Shervin

Game is a way of entertainment, a means for excitement, fun and socialization. Online games have achieved popularity due to increasing broadband adoption among consumers. Relatively cheap bandwidth Internet connections allow large number of players to play together. Since the introduction of Network Virtual Environment (NVE) in 1980s for military simulation, many interesting applications have been evolved over the past few decades. Massively multiplayer online (role-playing) game, MMOG or MMORPG, is a new genre of online games that has emerged with the introduction of Ultima since 1997. It is a kind of online computer game with the participation of hundreds of thousands of players in a virtual world.

Learning in a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game: The Development of Government Leadership Competencies and Performance Elements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Tammy

2011-01-01

The increase of technological capabilities has opened the door to innovations that help people learn. One popular form of training over the past 10 years has been in Serious Game--simulations used for training rather than entertainment. The purpose of the study was to determine whether participants who played a massively multiplayer online role…

Impulsivity in Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Gamers: Preliminary Results on Experimental and Self-Report Measures.

PubMed

Nuyens, Filip; Deleuze, Jory; Maurage, Pierre; Griffiths, Mark D; Kuss, Daria J; Billieux, Joël

2016-06-01

Background and aims Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games have become the most popular type of video games played worldwide, superseding the playing of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games and First-Person Shooter games. However, empirical studies focusing on the use and abuse of MOBA games are still very limited, particularly regarding impulsivity, which is an indicator of addictive states but has not yet been explored in MOBA games. In this context, the objective of the present study is to explore the associations between impulsivity and symptoms of addictive use of MOBA games in a sample of highly involved League of Legends (LoL, currently the most popular MOBA game) gamers. Methods Thirty-six LoL gamers were recruited and completed both experimental (Single Key Impulsivity Paradigm) and self-reported impulsivity assessments (s-UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale), in addition to an assessment of problematic video game use (Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire). Results Results showed links between impulsivity-related constructs and signs of excessive MOBA game involvement. Findings indicated that impaired ability to postpone rewards in an experimental laboratory task was strongly related to problematic patterns of MOBA game involvement. Although less consistent, several associations were also found between self-reported impulsivity traits and signs of excessive MOBA game involvement. Conclusions Despite these results are preliminary and based upon a small (self-selected) sample, the present study highlights potential psychological factors related to the addictive use of MOBA games.

Impulsivity in Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Gamers: Preliminary Results on Experimental and Self-Report Measures

PubMed Central

Nuyens, Filip; Deleuze, Jory; Maurage, Pierre; Griffiths, Mark D.; Kuss, Daria J.; Billieux, Joël

2016-01-01

Background and aims Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games have become the most popular type of video games played worldwide, superseding the playing of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games and First-Person Shooter games. However, empirical studies focusing on the use and abuse of MOBA games are still very limited, particularly regarding impulsivity, which is an indicator of addictive states but has not yet been explored in MOBA games. In this context, the objective of the present study is to explore the associations between impulsivity and symptoms of addictive use of MOBA games in a sample of highly involved League of Legends (LoL, currently the most popular MOBA game) gamers. Methods Thirty-six LoL gamers were recruited and completed both experimental (Single Key Impulsivity Paradigm) and self-reported impulsivity assessments (s-UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale), in addition to an assessment of problematic video game use (Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire). Results Results showed links between impulsivity-related constructs and signs of excessive MOBA game involvement. Findings indicated that impaired ability to postpone rewards in an experimental laboratory task was strongly related to problematic patterns of MOBA game involvement. Although less consistent, several associations were also found between self-reported impulsivity traits and signs of excessive MOBA game involvement. Conclusions Despite these results are preliminary and based upon a small (self-selected) sample, the present study highlights potential psychological factors related to the addictive use of MOBA games. PMID:27156376

Promotion of cooperation induced by discriminators in the spatial multi-player donor-recipient game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Guang-Hai; Wang, Zhen; Ren, Jian-Kang; Lu, Kun; Li, Ming-Chu

2016-11-01

Although the two-player donor-recipient game has been used extensively in studying cooperation in social dilemmas, the scenario in which a donor can simultaneously donate resources to multiple recipients is also common in human societies, economic systems, and social networks. This paper formulates a model of the multi-player donor-recipient game considering a multi-recipient scenario. The promotion of cooperation is also studied by introducing a discriminative cooperation strategy into the game, which donates resources to recipients in proportion to their previous donations with a cost for the collection of information. The evolutionary dynamics of individual strategies are explored in homogeneous and heterogeneous scenarios by leveraging spatial evolutionary game theory. The results show that in a homogeneous scenario, defectors can dominate the network at the equilibrium state only when the cost-to-benefit ratio (R) of donated resources is large. In a heterogeneous scenario, three strategies can coexist all the time within the range of R that was studied, and the promotion of cooperation is more effective when the values of R are smaller. Results from a single node evolution and the formation of local patterns of interaction are provided, and it is analytically shown that discriminators can maintain fairness in resource donation and guarantee long-term cooperation when R is not too large.

In- and Out-of-Character: The Digital Literacy Practices and Emergent Information Worlds of Active Role-Players in a New Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollister, Jonathan M.

2016-01-01

This dissertation explores and describes the in-character and out-of-character information worlds and digital literacy practices of role-players, those that create and enact their characters' or avatars' stories, both within and outside of WildStar, a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) (Carbine Studios, 2015). Utilizing Jaeger…

Inclusive Competitive Game Play Through Balanced Sensory Feedback.

PubMed

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.

Psychiatrists' Perceptions of World of Warcraft and Other MMORPGs.

PubMed

Lis, Eric; Chiniara, Carl; Wood, Megan A; Biskin, Robert; Montoro, Richard

2016-06-01

Video game use, particularly massively-multiplayer online games (MMOs) and massively-multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), has been a focus of considerable research in recent years. However, little is known regarding how mental health workers perceive patients and clients who report playing them. The present study examines whether psychiatrists play MMOs/MMORPGs and how they perceive those who play them. Psychiatrists (N = 48) at a tertiary care centre in Canada completed a questionnaire assessing history of playing video games as well as whether they associate such use with psychopathology. Only 36.7 % believed there was an association between psychopathology and MMO/MMORPG use. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

The Managed Hearthstone: Labor and Emotional Work in the Online Community of World of Warcraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukacs, Andras; Embrick, David G.; Wright, Talmadge

Prior analyses of player interactions within massive multi-player online environments (MMOs) rely predominantly on understanding the environments as spheres of leisure—places to "escape" the stress of the "real world." We find in our research on the World of Warcraft, a popular online role-playing game suggests that, in fact, social interaction within the game more closely resembles work. Successful play requires dedicated participants who choose to engage in a highly structured and time-consuming "process" of game progression. Simultaneously, players must also actively engage in the "emotional labor" of acceptably maintaining standards of sociability and guild membership constructed by their gaming peers. We posit that these expectations of both structured progression work and emotional maintenance work significantly blur the existing lines between categorizing work and leisure. While the assumption of leisure shrouds the general expectation of gaming interaction, we suggest a "play as work" paradigm more clearly captures the reality of the demands of The World of Warcraft.

Collaborate and share: an experimental study of the effects of task and reward interdependencies in online games.

PubMed

Choi, Boreum; Lee, Inseong; Choi, Dongseong; Kim, Jinwoo

2007-08-01

Today millions of players interact with one another in online games, especially massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). These games promote interaction among players by offering interdependency features, but to date few studies have asked what interdependency design factors of MMORPGs make them fun for players, produce experiences of flow, or enhance player performance. In this study, we focused on two game design features: task and reward interdependency. We conducted a controlled experiment that compared the interaction effects of low and high task-interdependency conditions and low and high reward-interdependency conditions on three dependent variables: fun, flow, and performance. We found that in a low task-interdependency condition, players had more fun, experienced higher levels of flow, and perceived better performance when a low reward-interdependency condition also obtained. In contrast, in a high task-interdependency condition, all of these measures were higher when a high reward-interdependency condition also obtained.

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

PubMed

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.

Psychological predictors of problematic involvement in massively multiplayer online role-playing games: illustration in a sample of male cybercafé players.

PubMed

Billieux, Joël; Chanal, Julien; Khazaal, Yasser; Rochat, Lucien; Gay, Philippe; Zullino, Daniele; Van der Linden, Martial

2011-01-01

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) are video games in which a large number of players interact with one another in a persistent virtual world. MMORPGs can become problematic and result in negative outcomes in daily living (e.g. loss of control on gaming behaviors, compromised social and individual quality of life). The aim of the present study is to investigate psychological predictors of problematic involvement in MMORPGs. Fifty-four males who played MMORPGs regularly were recruited in cybercafés and screened using the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale (which assesses 4 facets of impulsivity) and the Motivation to Play Online Questionnaire (which assesses personal motives to play online). Negative consequences due to excessive time spent on the Internet were assessed with the Internet Addiction Test. Multiple regression analysis showed that problematic use of MMORPGs is significantly predicted by: (1) high urgency (b = 0.45), and (2) a motivation to play for immersion (b = 0.35). This study showed that, for certain individuals (who are characterized by a proneness to act rashly in emotional contexts and motivated to play to be immersed in a virtual world), involvement in MMORPGs can become problematic and engender tangible negative consequences in daily life. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Impact of Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games upon the Psychosocial Well-Being of Adolescents and Young Adults: Reviewing the Evidence.

PubMed

Scott, Jonathan; Porter-Armstrong, Alison P

2013-01-01

Introduction. For many people, the online environment has become a significant arena for everyday living, and researchers are beginning to explore the multifaceted nature of human interaction with the Internet. The burgeoning global popularity and distinct design features of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) have received particular attention, and discourses about the phenomenon suggest both positive and negative impact upon gamer health. Aim. The purpose of this paper was to critically appraise the research literature to determine if playing MMORPGs impacts upon the psychosocial well-being of adolescents and young adults. Method. Initial searches were conducted on nine databases spanning the years 2002 to 2012 using key words, such as online gaming, internet gaming, psychosocial, and well-being, which, in addition to hand searching, identified six studies meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria for this review. Results. All six studies strongly associated MMORPG playing with helpful and harmful impact to the psychosocial well-being of the populations under study; however due to the methodologies employed, only tentative conclusions may be drawn. Conclusion. Since both helpful and harmful effects were reported, further multidisciplinary research is recommended to specifically explore the clinical implications and therapeutic potentialities of this modern, growing phenomenon.

Impact of Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games upon the Psychosocial Well-Being of Adolescents and Young Adults: Reviewing the Evidence

PubMed Central

Porter-Armstrong, Alison P.

2013-01-01

Introduction. For many people, the online environment has become a significant arena for everyday living, and researchers are beginning to explore the multifaceted nature of human interaction with the Internet. The burgeoning global popularity and distinct design features of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) have received particular attention, and discourses about the phenomenon suggest both positive and negative impact upon gamer health. Aim. The purpose of this paper was to critically appraise the research literature to determine if playing MMORPGs impacts upon the psychosocial well-being of adolescents and young adults. Method. Initial searches were conducted on nine databases spanning the years 2002 to 2012 using key words, such as online gaming, internet gaming, psychosocial, and well-being, which, in addition to hand searching, identified six studies meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria for this review. Results. All six studies strongly associated MMORPG playing with helpful and harmful impact to the psychosocial well-being of the populations under study; however due to the methodologies employed, only tentative conclusions may be drawn. Conclusion. Since both helpful and harmful effects were reported, further multidisciplinary research is recommended to specifically explore the clinical implications and therapeutic potentialities of this modern, growing phenomenon. PMID:24236279

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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.

Older Adult Video Game Preferences in Practice: Investigating the Effects of Competing or Cooperating.

PubMed

Souders, Dustin J; Boot, Walter R; Charness, Neil; Moxley, Jerad H

2016-01-01

Video game interventions with the aim to improve cognition have shown promise for both younger (e.g., Powers et al., 2013) and older adults (e.g., Toril, Reales, and Ballesteros, 2014). Most studies suggest that fast-paced action games produce the largest benefits, but a recent video game intervention with older adults found that an action game intervention can result in poor adherence (Boot et al., 2013). To increase intervention adherence, we investigated older adult video game preferences that might bolster adherence by having participants play a competitive game (Mario Kart DS) or a cooperative game (Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga) alone or with a partner. Although hypotheses regarding cooperative and multi-player gameplay were not supported, converging evidence suggests multi-player game play may lead to greater enjoyment, which was related to intervention adherence in a previous study (Boot et al., 2013). Insights for gaming intervention studies in older populations are also provided.

Older Adult Video Game Preferences in Practice: Investigating the Effects of Competing or Cooperating

PubMed Central

Souders, Dustin J.; Boot, Walter R.; Charness, Neil; Moxley, Jerad H.

2017-01-01

Video game interventions with the aim to improve cognition have shown promise for both younger (e.g., Powers et al., 2013) and older adults (e.g., Toril, Reales, and Ballesteros, 2014). Most studies suggest that fast-paced action games produce the largest benefits, but a recent video game intervention with older adults found that an action game intervention can result in poor adherence (Boot et al., 2013). To increase intervention adherence, we investigated older adult video game preferences that might bolster adherence by having participants play a competitive game (Mario Kart DS) or a cooperative game (Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga) alone or with a partner. Although hypotheses regarding cooperative and multi-player gameplay were not supported, converging evidence suggests multi-player game play may lead to greater enjoyment, which was related to intervention adherence in a previous study (Boot et al., 2013). Insights for gaming intervention studies in older populations are also provided. PMID:29033698

Collaborative Gaming: Teaching Children about Complex Systems and Collective Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peppler, Kylie; Danish, Joshua A.; Phelps, David

2013-01-01

Although games--including board games, video games, and Massive Multiplayer Online Games--have garnered significant attention in recent years for their impact on educational outcomes, a primary focus of this interest is the transfer of knowledge from game to nongame settings. Building on this literature, our research explores how game designs that…

Test and Evaluation of the Malicious Activity Simulation Tool (MAST) in a Local Area Network (LAN) Running the Common PC Operating System Environment (COMPOSE)

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

Malicious Activity Simulation Tool MMORPG Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game MMS Mission Management Server MOA Memorandum of Agreement MS...conferencing, and massively multiplayer online role- playing games (MMORPG). During all of these Internet-based exchanges and transactions, the Internet user...In its 2011 Internet Crime Report, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) stated there were more than 300,000 complaints of online criminal

Formative Evaluation of a Massively Multi-Player Persistent (MMP) Environment for Asymmetric Warfare Exercises

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-01

Initiative acknowledges the dearth of published research on Massively Multiplayer Online Games ((MMOGs), which are based on MMP technology) for...wanting help during the emergency, protesting insufficient aid being delivered in time, escalating to violence , including sniper attacks and attempted... multiplayer environment. The movement control systems were rated "moderately easy" to learn, and ease of movement after learning to use the controls was rated

Norm-Aware Socio-Technical Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savarimuthu, Bastin Tony Roy; Ghose, Aditya

The following sections are included: * Introduction * The Need for Norm-Aware Systems * Norms in human societies * Why should software systems be norm-aware? * Case Studies of Norm-Aware Socio-Technical Systems * Human-computer interactions * Virtual environments and multi-player online games * Extracting norms from big data and software repositories * Norms and Sustainability * Sustainability and green ICT * Norm awareness through software systems * Where To, From Here? * Conclusions

Identifying protein complexes in PPI network using non-cooperative sequential game.

PubMed

Maulik, Ujjwal; Basu, Srinka; Ray, Sumanta

2017-08-21

Identifying protein complexes from protein-protein interaction (PPI) network is an important and challenging task in computational biology as it helps in better understanding of cellular mechanisms in various organisms. In this paper we propose a noncooperative sequential game based model for protein complex detection from PPI network. The key hypothesis is that protein complex formation is driven by mechanism that eventually optimizes the number of interactions within the complex leading to dense subgraph. The hypothesis is drawn from the observed network property named small world. The proposed multi-player game model translates the hypothesis into the game strategies. The Nash equilibrium of the game corresponds to a network partition where each protein either belong to a complex or form a singleton cluster. We further propose an algorithm to find the Nash equilibrium of the sequential game. The exhaustive experiment on synthetic benchmark and real life yeast networks evaluates the structural as well as biological significance of the network partitions.

"I'm attached, and I'm a good guy/gal!": how character attachment influences pro- and anti-social motivations to play massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

PubMed

Bowman, Nicholas David; Schultheiss, Daniel; Schumann, Christina

2012-03-01

One's feelings of intimacy and connectedness with distal, fictional media characters are referred to as parasocial interactions. Video games have challenged this concept, as the distance between game players and characters is greatly reduced, if not completely removed, in virtual environments. Games encourage the internalization and psychological merging of a player's and a character's mind, a multidimensional concept known as character attachment (CA). Data from our study suggest that dimensions of CA are useful in understanding both pro- and anti-social gaming motivations. Pro-social gamers feel a greater sense of control over their characters, while anti-social gamers are more likely to suspend their disbelief of the game environment and not take responsibility for their virtual actions. Pro-social gaming was more prevalent in older gamers, and younger male game characters were motivated by anti-social reasons.

Examining the influence of actual-ideal self-discrepancies, depression, and escapism, on pathological gaming among massively multiplayer online adolescent gamers.

PubMed

Li, Dongdong; Liau, Albert; Khoo, Angeline

2011-09-01

This study examined whether actual-ideal self-discrepancy (AISD) is related to pathological gaming through escapism as a means of reducing depression for adolescent massively multiplayer online gamers. A Discrepancy-reduction Motivation model of pathological video gaming was tested. A survey was conducted on 161 adolescent gamers from secondary schools. Two mediation effects were tested using path analysis: (a) depression would mediate the relationship between AISDs and escapism, and (b) escapism would mediate the relationship between depression and pathological gaming. Results support the hypotheses stated above. The indirect effects of both AISD and depression were significant on pathological gaming. AISD and escapism also had direct effects on pathological gaming. The present study suggests that pathological behaviors may be over-regulated coping strategies of approaching the ideal self and avoiding the actual self.

An Investigation of Gender Differences in a Game-Based Learning Environment with Different Game Modes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Fu-Hsing

2017-01-01

This study aimed to explore the gender differences of participants' learning results, perceptions and gaming behaviors related to an energy quiz game with both single-player and multiplayer game modes simultaneously provided for participants. Seventy-four ninth-grade students played the game in six classes over three weeks. The pretest-posttest on…

How Massive Multiplayer Online Games Incorporate Principles of Economics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnett, Joshua H.; Archambault, Leanna

2010-01-01

Games have always been a part of the human experience. Even the earliest of civilizations created games for enjoyment and entertainment. However, the educational value of those games is a relatively recent consideration. Over the previous fifty years, scholars have questioned the potential positive lessons learned from games such as Monopoly[R],…

Adaptive thinking & leadership simulation game training for special forces officers.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Raybourn, Elaine Marie; Mendini, Kip; Heneghan, Jerry

Complex problem solving approaches and novel strategies employed by the military at the squad, team, and commander level are often best learned experimentally. Since live action exercises can be costly, advances in simulation game training technology offer exciting ways to enhance current training. Computer games provide an environment for active, critical learning. Games open up possibilities for simultaneous learning on multiple levels; players may learn from contextual information embedded in the dynamics of the game, the organic process generated by the game, and through the risks, benefits, costs, outcomes, and rewards of alternative strategies that result from decision making. Inmore » the present paper we discuss a multiplayer computer game simulation created for the Adaptive Thinking & Leadership (ATL) Program to train Special Forces Team Leaders. The ATL training simulation consists of a scripted single-player and an immersive multiplayer environment for classroom use which leverages immersive computer game technology. We define adaptive thinking as consisting of competencies such as negotiation and consensus building skills, the ability to communicate effectively, analyze ambiguous situations, be self-aware, think innovatively, and critically use effective problem solving skills. Each of these competencies is an essential element of leader development training for the U.S. Army Special Forces. The ATL simulation is used to augment experiential learning in the curriculum for the U.S. Army JFK Special Warfare Center & School (SWCS) course in Adaptive Thinking & Leadership. The school is incorporating the ATL simulation game into two additional training pipelines (PSYOPS and Civil Affairs Qualification Courses) that are also concerned with developing cultural awareness, interpersonal communication adaptability, and rapport-building skills. In the present paper, we discuss the design, development, and deployment of the training simulation, and emphasize how the multiplayer simulation game is successfully used in the Special Forces Officer training program.« less

Martian Boneyards: Scientific Inquiry in an MMO Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asbell-Clarke, Jodi; Edwards, Teon; Rowe, Elizabeth; Larsen, Jamie; Sylvan, Elisabeth; Hewitt, Jim

2012-01-01

This paper reports on research of a game designed for scientific inquiry in a new and publicly available massively-multiplayer online environment (MMO). Educators and game designers worked together to create a highly immersive environment, a compelling storyline, and research-grounded tools for scientific inquiry within the game. The designers…

Representation of Cultural Role-Play for Training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santarelli, Thomas; Pepe, Aaron; Rosenzweiz, Larry; Paulus, John; Yi, Ahn Na

2010-01-01

The Department of Defense (000) has successfully applied a number of methods for cultural familiarization training ranging from stand-up classroom training, to face-to-face live role-play, to so-called smart-cards. Recent interest has turned to the use of single and mUlti-player gaming technologies to augment these traditional methods of cultural familiarization. One such system, termed CulturePad, has been designed as a game-based role-play environment suitable for use in training and experimentation involving cultural roleplay scenarios. This paper describes the initial CulturePad effort focused on a literature review regarding the use of role-play for cultural training and a feasibility assessment of using a game-mediated environment for role-play. A small-scale pilot involving cultural experts was conducted to collect qualitative behavioral data comparing live role-play to game-mediated role-play in a multiplayer gaming engine.

Monte-Carlo Tree Search in Settlers of Catan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szita, István; Chaslot, Guillaume; Spronck, Pieter

Games are considered important benchmark opportunities for artificial intelligence research. Modern strategic board games can typically be played by three or more people, which makes them suitable test beds for investigating multi-player strategic decision making. Monte-Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) is a recently published family of algorithms that achieved successful results with classical, two-player, perfect-information games such as Go. In this paper we apply MCTS to the multi-player, non-deterministic board game Settlers of Catan. We implemented an agent that is able to play against computer-controlled and human players. We show that MCTS can be adapted successfully to multi-agent environments, and present two approaches of providing the agent with a limited amount of domain knowledge. Our results show that the agent has a considerable playing strength when compared to game implementation with existing heuristics. So, we may conclude that MCTS is a suitable tool for achieving a strong Settlers of Catan player.

Examining Energy Expenditure in Youth Using XBOX Kinect: Differences by Player Mode.

PubMed

Barkman, Jourdin; Pfeiffer, Karin; Diltz, Allie; Peng, Wei

2016-06-01

Replacing sedentary time with physical activity through new generation exergames (eg, XBOX Kinect) is a potential intervention strategy. The study's purpose was to compare youth energy expenditure while playing different exergames in single- vs. multiplayer mode. Participants (26 male, 14 female) were 10 to 13 years old. They wore a portable metabolic analyzer while playing 4 XBOX Kinect games for 15 minutes each (2 single-, 2 multiplayer). Repeated-measures ANOVA (with Bonferroni correction) was used to examine player mode differences, controlling for age group, sex, weight status, and game. There was a significant difference in energy expenditure between single player (mean = 15.4 ml/kg/min, SD = 4.5) and multiplayer mode (mean = 16.8 ml/kg/min, SD = 4.7). Overweight and obese participants (mean = 13.7 ml/kg/min, SD = 4.2) expended less energy than normal weight (mean = 17.8 ml/kg/min, SD = 4.5) during multiplayer mode (d = 0.93). Player mode, along with personal factors such as weight status, may be important to consider in energy expenditure during exergames.

Evolutionary potential games on lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szabó, György; Borsos, István

2016-04-01

Game theory provides a general mathematical background to study the effect of pair interactions and evolutionary rules on the macroscopic behavior of multi-player games where players with a finite number of strategies may represent a wide scale of biological objects, human individuals, or even their associations. In these systems the interactions are characterized by matrices that can be decomposed into elementary matrices (games) and classified into four types. The concept of decomposition helps the identification of potential games and also the evaluation of the potential that plays a crucial role in the determination of the preferred Nash equilibrium, and defines the Boltzmann distribution towards which these systems evolve for suitable types of dynamical rules. This survey draws parallel between the potential games and the kinetic Ising type models which are investigated for a wide scale of connectivity structures. We discuss briefly the applicability of the tools and concepts of statistical physics and thermodynamics. Additionally the general features of ordering phenomena, phase transitions and slow relaxations are outlined and applied to evolutionary games. The discussion extends to games with three or more strategies. Finally we discuss what happens when the system is weakly driven out of the "equilibrium state" by adding non-potential components representing games of cyclic dominance.

Analysis of the expected density of internal equilibria in random evolutionary multi-player multi-strategy games.

PubMed

Duong, Manh Hong; Han, The Anh

2016-12-01

In this paper, we study the distribution and behaviour of internal equilibria in a d-player n-strategy random evolutionary game where the game payoff matrix is generated from normal distributions. The study of this paper reveals and exploits interesting connections between evolutionary game theory and random polynomial theory. The main contributions of the paper are some qualitative and quantitative results on the expected density, [Formula: see text], and the expected number, E(n, d), of (stable) internal equilibria. Firstly, we show that in multi-player two-strategy games, they behave asymptotically as [Formula: see text] as d is sufficiently large. Secondly, we prove that they are monotone functions of d. We also make a conjecture for games with more than two strategies. Thirdly, we provide numerical simulations for our analytical results and to support the conjecture. As consequences of our analysis, some qualitative and quantitative results on the distribution of zeros of a random Bernstein polynomial are also obtained.

Collaborative Virtual Gaming Worlds in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitton, Nicola; Hollins, Paul

2008-01-01

There is growing interest in the use of virtual gaming worlds in education, supported by the increased use of multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) and massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs) for collaborative learning. However, this paper argues that collaborative gaming worlds have been in use much longer and are much wider…

On a Quest for English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waters, John K.

2007-01-01

This article reports the potential of online role-playing games to be a powerful tool for English as a second language (ESL) learning. When Professor Edd Schneider and game designer Kai Zheng suggested to attendees gathered in San Francisco last spring for the annual Game Developers Conference that massively multiplayer online role-playing games,…

Games in Language Learning: Opportunities and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Godwin-Jones, Robert

2014-01-01

There has been a substantial increase in recent years in the interest in using digital games for language learning. This coincides with the explosive growth in multiplayer online gaming and with the proliferation of mobile games for smart phones. It also reflects the growing recognition among educators of the importance of extramural, informal…

Video Games, Identity, and the Constellation of Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Crystle

2012-01-01

This article explores the identity of youth in relation to the information sources they choose in the constellation of information of video games, using the massively multiplayer online game "World of Warcraft" as an example. From this study, several identities are recognized that are combinations of the participants skill and level in the game,…

Evolutionary performance of zero-determinant strategies in multiplayer games.

PubMed

Hilbe, Christian; Wu, Bin; Traulsen, Arne; Nowak, Martin A

2015-06-07

Repetition is one of the key mechanisms to maintain cooperation. In long-term relationships, in which individuals can react to their peers׳ past actions, evolution can promote cooperative strategies that would not be stable in one-shot encounters. The iterated prisoner׳s dilemma illustrates the power of repetition. Many of the key strategies for this game, such as ALLD, ALLC, Tit-for-Tat, or generous Tit-for-Tat, share a common property: players using these strategies enforce a linear relationship between their own payoff and their co-player׳s payoff. Such strategies have been termed zero-determinant (ZD). Recently, it was shown that ZD strategies also exist for multiplayer social dilemmas, and here we explore their evolutionary performance. For small group sizes, ZD strategies play a similar role as for the repeated prisoner׳s dilemma: extortionate ZD strategies are critical for the emergence of cooperation, whereas generous ZD strategies are important to maintain cooperation. In large groups, however, generous strategies tend to become unstable and selfish behaviors gain the upper hand. Our results suggest that repeated interactions alone are not sufficient to maintain large-scale cooperation. Instead, large groups require further mechanisms to sustain cooperation, such as the formation of alliances or institutions, or additional pairwise interactions between group members. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

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

PubMed

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.

Massively Multiplayer Online Games as Living Laboratories: Opportunities and Pitfalls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ducheneaut, Nicolas

The digital nature of online games makes them particularly amenable to large-scale, automated data collection and analysis; so researchers have begun to use them as living laboratories to test or refine the existing theories of human behavior. On the basis of several years of intensive data collection in several massively multiplayer online games, this chapter addresses three problems concerning validity and generalizability that must be taken into account. First, each game has a set of laws that steer player behavior, thereby introducing confounding factors that have to be taken into account by the researcher. Second, games attract skewed samples of players, and players may adopt transformed personalities inside the game world, which puts into question the validity of extending findings from observations in the digital realm into the physical one. Third, the lack of a clear boundary defining the "game space," illustrated by the many websites and forums for popular games, raises the question of whether online games themselves capture the totality of the user's experience. The problematic mapping between "real-world" behaviors and those in online games presents research opportunities as well as pitfalls that need to be avoided.

Player guild dynamics and evolution in massively multiplayer online games.

PubMed

Chen, Chien-Hsun; Sun, Chuen-Tsai; Hsieh, Jilung

2008-06-01

In the latest versions of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), developers have purposefully made guilds part of game environments. Guilds represent a powerful method for giving players a sense of online community, but there is little quantitative data on guild dynamics. To address this topic, we took advantage of a feature found in one of today's most popular MMOGs (World of Warcraft) to collect in-game data: user interfaces that players can modify and refine. In addition to collecting data on in-game player activities, we used this feature to observe and investigate how players join and leave guilds. Data were analyzed for the purpose of identifying factors that propel game-world guild dynamics and evolution. After collecting data for 641,805 avatars on 62 Taiwanese World of Warcraft game servers between February 10 and April 10, 2006, we created five guild type categories (small, large, elite, newbie, and unstable) that have different meanings in terms of in-game group dynamics. By viewing players as the most important resource affecting guild life cycles, it is possible to analyze game worlds as ecosystems consisting of evolving guilds and to study how guild life cycles reflect game world characteristics.

Altruism in multiplayer snowdrift games with threshold and punishment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chunyan; Liu, Zhongxin; Sun, Qinglin; Chen, Zengqiang

2015-09-01

The puzzle of cooperation attracts broader concerns of the scientific community nowadays. Here we adopt an extra mechanism of punishment in the framework of a threshold multiple-player snowdrift game employed as the scenario for the cooperation problem. Two scenarios are considered: defectors will suffer punishment regardless of the game results, and defectors will incur punishment only when the game fails. We show by analysis that given this assumption, punishing free riders can significantly influence the evolution outcomes, and the results are driven by the specific components of the punishing rule. Particularly, punishing defectors always, not only when the game fails, can be more effective for maintaining public cooperation in multi-player systems. Intriguingly larger thresholds of the game provide a more favorable scenario for the coexistence of the cooperators and defectors under a broad value range of parameters. Further, cooperators are best supported by the large punishment on defectors, and then dominate and stabilize in the population, under the premise that defectors always incur punishment regardless of whether the game ends successfully or not.

Teachers' Perceptions of Video Games: MMOGs and the Future of Preservice Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schrader, P. G.; Zheng, Dongping; Young, Michael

2006-01-01

P.G. Schrader, Dongping Zheng, and Michael Young examine how preservice teachers' personal experiences with video games inform their views of gaming in the classroom. They link the results of their study to current literature and conclude that preservice teachers' experiences steer them away from game genres such as massively multiplayer online…

Gaming as Extramural English L2 Learning and L2 Proficiency among Young Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sylven, Liss Kerstin; Sundqvist, Pia

2012-01-01

Today, playing digital games is an important part of many young people's everyday lives. Claims have been made that certain games, in particular massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) provide L2 English learners with a linguistically rich and cognitively challenging virtual environment that may be conducive to L2 learning, as…

The Effectiveness of Reason Racer, a Game Designed to Engage Middle School Students in Scientific Argumentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ault, Marilyn; Craig-Hare, Jana; Frey, Bruce; Ellis, James D.; Bulgren, Janis

2015-01-01

Reason Racer is an online, rate-based, multiplayer game that applies specific game features in order to engage middle school students in introductory knowledge of and thinking related to scientific argumentation. Game features include rapid and competitive play, timed performance, immediate feedback, and high rates of response across many…

Social Learning in MMOG: An Activity Theoretical Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ang, Chee Siang; Zaphiris, Panayiotis

2008-01-01

Purpose: Recently, researchers have begun investigating the learning process that occurs within computer games (learning to play), as opposed to studying games that support explicit learning for educational purposes (playing to learn). With the increasing popularity of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), some research has begun to look…

Leadership in Multiplayer Online Gaming Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lisk, Timothy C.; Kaplancali, Ugur T.; Riggio, Ronald E.

2012-01-01

With their increased popularity, games open up possibilities for simultaneous learning on multiple levels; players may learn from contextual information embedded in the narrative of the game and through the risks, benefits, costs, outcomes, and rewards of the alternative strategies that result from fast-paced decision making. Such dynamics also…

Consequences of Play: A Systematic Review of the Effects of Online Gaming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sublette, Victoria Anne; Mullan, Barbara

2012-01-01

Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) have received considerable attention in news headlines describing gamers who have died while engaging in excessive play. However, more common physical and psychosocial effects attributed to online video gaming are social isolation, increased aggression, and negative academic and occupational consequences.…

Ordering structured populations in multiplayer cooperation games

PubMed Central

Peña, Jorge; Wu, Bin; Traulsen, Arne

2016-01-01

Spatial structure greatly affects the evolution of cooperation. While in two-player games the condition for cooperation to evolve depends on a single structure coefficient, in multiplayer games the condition might depend on several structure coefficients, making it difficult to compare different population structures. We propose a solution to this issue by introducing two simple ways of ordering population structures: the containment order and the volume order. If population structure is greater than population structure in the containment or the volume order, then can be considered a stronger promoter of cooperation. We provide conditions for establishing the containment order, give general results on the volume order, and illustrate our theory by comparing different models of spatial games and associated update rules. Our results hold for a large class of population structures and can be easily applied to specific cases once the structure coefficients have been calculated or estimated. PMID:26819335

Integrating Distributed Interactive Simulations With the Project Darkstar Open-Source Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) Middleware

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

be complete MMOG solutions such as Multiverse are not within the scope of this thesis, though it is recommended that readers compare this type of...software to the middleware described here ( Multiverse , 2009). 1. University of Munster: Real-Time Framework The Real-Time Framework (RTF) project is...10, 2009, from http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/MMOX Multiverse . (2009). Multiverse platform architecture. Retrieved September 9, 2009, from http

Comparative analysis of gameplay and players emotion in the most popular games from play store

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riwinoto; Mahfud, N.; Lumombo, L.

2018-03-01

The development of the android mobile operating system and the presence of Play Store services poses challenges for developers to produce exciting mobile games. Although publishing games in Play Store is not difficult, in fact developers have to face tough competition to make homemade games can become popular. This study analyzes the gameplay of three popular paid-free games in Play Store that can survive for a period of one year from the top 10 positions in October 2015- November 2016. Analysis performed on 8 elements of the game based on the definition of Fullerton and emotional expression analysis of respondents who appeared while playing the three choosen games. The analysis shows that scarce resources are the main attraction of all three games because they create conflicts, giving constraints and challenges to players. The multiplayer game has a pattern of results and the result makes the opponent become more negative than the player to win. While the single player game is analyzed has a pattern to make the player get positive to win. There are 3 basic emotions that most often appear that is joy, disgust and surprise. Multiplayer games tend to emphasize the emotions of joy players, while single player games tend to bring disgust emotions.

Motivations to play specifically predict excessive involvement in massively multiplayer online role-playing games: evidence from an online survey.

PubMed

Zanetta Dauriat, Francesca; Zermatten, Ariane; Billieux, Joël; Thorens, Gabriel; Bondolfi, Guido; Zullino, Daniele; Khazaal, Yasser

2011-01-01

Several studies have linked massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) with possible problematic usage or internet addiction. The main goal of the present study was to assess links between motivations to play in MMORPGs and addictive involvement in such types of games. A total of 696 gamers responded to an online survey. Five distinct motivations to play were identified in gamers: achievement, socializing, immersion, relaxing and escaping. Multiple regression analysis revealed that addictive MMORPG use patterns are predicted by achievement, escapism and socializing motives. Gender was also a significant predictor of problematic involvement in MMORPGs. Moreover, addictive MMORPG use positively correlated with the weekly time devoted to playing MMORPGs. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Medical student attitudes toward video games and related new media technologies in medical education

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Studies in K-12 and college students show that their learning preferences have been strongly shaped by new media technologies like video games, virtual reality environments, the Internet, and social networks. However, there is no known research on medical students' game experiences or attitudes towards new media technologies in medical education. This investigation seeks to elucidate medical student experiences and attitudes, to see whether they warrant the development of new media teaching methods in medicine. Methods Medical students from two American universities participated. An anonymous, 30-item, cross-sectional survey addressed demographics, game play experience and attitudes on using new media technologies in medical education. Statistical analysis identified: 1) demographic characteristics; 2) differences between the two universities; 3) how video game play differs across gender, age, degree program and familiarity with computers; and 4) characteristics of students who play most frequently. Results 217 medical students participated. About half were female (53%). Respondents liked the idea of using technology to enhance healthcare education (98%), felt that education should make better use of new media technologies (96%), and believed that video games can have educational value (80%). A majority (77%) would use a multiplayer online healthcare simulation on their own time, provided that it helped them to accomplish an important goal. Men and women agreed that they were most inclined to use multiplayer simulations if they were fun (97%), and if they helped to develop skill in patient interactions (90%). However, there was significant gender dissonance over types of favorite games, the educational value of video games, and the desire to participate in games that realistically replicated the experience of clinical practice. Conclusions Overall, medical student respondents, including many who do not play video games, held highly favorable views about the use of video games and related new media technology in medical education. Significant gender differences in game play experience and attitudes may represent male video game design bias that stresses male cognitive aptitudes; medical educators hoping to create serious games that will appeal to both men and women must avoid this. PMID:20576125

Medical student attitudes toward video games and related new media technologies in medical education.

PubMed

Kron, Frederick W; Gjerde, Craig L; Sen, Ananda; Fetters, Michael D

2010-06-24

Studies in K-12 and college students show that their learning preferences have been strongly shaped by new media technologies like video games, virtual reality environments, the Internet, and social networks. However, there is no known research on medical students' game experiences or attitudes towards new media technologies in medical education. This investigation seeks to elucidate medical student experiences and attitudes, to see whether they warrant the development of new media teaching methods in medicine. Medical students from two American universities participated. An anonymous, 30-item, cross-sectional survey addressed demographics, game play experience and attitudes on using new media technologies in medical education. Statistical analysis identified: 1) demographic characteristics; 2) differences between the two universities; 3) how video game play differs across gender, age, degree program and familiarity with computers; and 4) characteristics of students who play most frequently. 217 medical students participated. About half were female (53%). Respondents liked the idea of using technology to enhance healthcare education (98%), felt that education should make better use of new media technologies (96%), and believed that video games can have educational value (80%). A majority (77%) would use a multiplayer online healthcare simulation on their own time, provided that it helped them to accomplish an important goal. Men and women agreed that they were most inclined to use multiplayer simulations if they were fun (97%), and if they helped to develop skill in patient interactions (90%). However, there was significant gender dissonance over types of favorite games, the educational value of video games, and the desire to participate in games that realistically replicated the experience of clinical practice. Overall, medical student respondents, including many who do not play video games, held highly favorable views about the use of video games and related new media technology in medical education. Significant gender differences in game play experience and attitudes may represent male video game design bias that stresses male cognitive aptitudes; medical educators hoping to create serious games that will appeal to both men and women must avoid this.

The design of multiplayer online video game systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Chia-chun A.; Ling, Jim; Li, Qing; Kuo, C.-C. J.

2003-11-01

The distributed Multiplayer Online Game (MOG) system is complex since it involves technologies in computer graphics, multimedia, artificial intelligence, computer networking, embedded systems, etc. Due to the large scope of this problem, the design of MOG systems has not yet been widely addressed in the literatures. In this paper, we review and analyze the current MOG system architecture followed by evaluation. Furthermore, we propose a clustered-server architecture to provide a scalable solution together with the region oriented allocation strategy. Two key issues, i.e. interesting management and synchronization, are discussed in depth. Some preliminary ideas to deal with the identified problems are described.

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

PubMed

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.

[The effects of narcissism and self-esteem on immersion in social network games and massively multiplayer online role-playing games].

PubMed

Jin, Kato; Igarashi, Tasuku

2016-04-01

Recent research has shown growing interest in the process by which narcissism triggers immersion in social network games (SNG). Highly narcissistic individuals are motivated not only by the achievement of goals and monopoly of materials (i:e., self-enhancement), but also by comparison and competition with others (i.e., social comparison) We predicted that the common rules and environments of SNG and massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG), such as systems of exchanging items and ranking players, facilitate immersion of highly narcissistic individuals during the game. Structural equation modeling of data from 378 SNG players and 150 MMORPG players recruited online showed that self-esteem inhibited game immersion, whereas narcissism increased game immersion via motivation for goal attainment. SNG players were more likely to be immersed in the game via motivation for goal attainment than MMORPG players. These findings suggest that, compared with MMORPG, the environments of SNG provide strong incentives not for those high in self-esteem who seek acceptance of others, but for those high in narcissism who are motivated by self-enhancement via competition with others.

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

PubMed Central

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.

PubMed

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.

"The Source": An Alternate Reality Game to Spark STEM Interest and Learning among Underrepresented Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilliam, Melissa; Bouris, Alida; Hill, Brandon; Jagoda, Patrick

2016-01-01

Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) are multiplayer role-playing games that use the real world as their primary platform and incorporate a range of media, including video, audio, email, mobile technologies, websites, live performance, and social networks. This paper describes the development, implementation, and player reception of "The…

The WoW Factor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demski, Jennifer

2009-01-01

For a growing group of educators, the online role-playing game World of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment's massively popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), is a place to go to relax, network, and discover potential learning strategies-- and slay a few monsters if they get in the way. The online role-playing game World of…

A Qualitative Analysis of Online Gaming Addicts in Treatment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beranuy, Marta; Carbonell, Xavier; Griffiths, Mark D.

2013-01-01

Online gaming addiction is a relatively under-researched area and there have been few studies examining online gamers in treatment. This paper reports the findings from a qualitative interview study of nine players undergoing treatment for their addictive playing of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs). A face-to-face…

Honing Emotional Intelligence with Game-Based Crucible Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raybourn, Elaine M.

2011-01-01

The focus of the present paper is the design of multi-player role-playing game instances as crucible experiences for the exploration of one's emotional intelligence. Subsequent sections describe the design of game-based, intercultural crucible experiences and how this design was employed for training with members of the United States Marine Corps…

Jamming in Mobile Networks: A Game-Theoretic Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

general treatment of multiplayer differential games was presented by Starr and Ho [16], Leitmann [36], Vaisbord and Zhukovskiy [65], Zhukovskiy and...REPORT Jamming in mobile networks: A game -theoretic approach. 14. ABSTRACT 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: In this paper, we address the problem of...model the intrusion as a pursuit-evasion game between a mobile jammer and a team of agents. First, we consider a differential game -theoretic approach

The Influence of an Educational Course on Language Expression and Treatment of Gaming Addiction for Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) Players

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Pyoung Won; Kim, Seo Young; Shim, Miseon; Im, Chang-Hwan; Shon, Young-Min

2013-01-01

Addiction to Massive Multiple Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) among juveniles has become a serious problem in Korea and has led to legislation prohibiting juveniles from playing games after midnight. One key factor in gaming addiction is the so-called narrative, or story, gamers create for themselves while playing. This study investigated how…

2002 Defense Modeling and Simulation Office (DMSO) Laboratory for Human Behavior Model Interchange Standards

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-07-01

standard release with the publicly available "mod" interface allows us to avoid purchasing a game engine license (approximate cost $350,000) from Epic...depletion is accurately simulated for ammunition * Both contain target detection, target identification, target selection, and collision avoidance and...into other game genres such as Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games and Massively Multiplayer Online Role- Playing Games ( MMORPG ). Unfortunately these game

The Impact of a Racing Feature on Middle School Science Students' Performance in an Educational Game: The Effect of Content-Free Game-Actions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ault, Marilyn; Craig-Hare, Jana; Frey, Bruce

2016-01-01

Reason Racer is an online, rate-based, multiplayer game designed to engage middle school students in the knowledge and skills related to scientific argumentation. Several game features are included as design considerations unrelated to science content or argumentation. One specific feature, a competitive racing component that occurs in between…

LLCySA: Making Sense of Cyberspace

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

data center. His other activities include the development of immersive 3D environments leveraging video- game technology to provide a multiplayer ...exploring data-driven approaches to network protection. Imagine a cyber analyst navigating a three-dimen- sional (3D) game , walking down virtual office...because of information overload. One approach to this challenge leverages technol- ogy utilized in the 3D gaming industry. The video- game medium

The Effect of Power Asymmetries on Cooperation and Punishment in a Prisoner’s Dilemma Game

PubMed Central

Bone, Jonathan E.; Wallace, Brian; Bshary, Redouan; Raihani, Nichola J.

2015-01-01

Recent work has suggested that punishment is detrimental because punishment provokes retaliation, not cooperation, resulting in lower overall payoffs. These findings may stem from the unrealistic assumption that all players are equal: in reality individuals are expected to vary in the power with which they can punish defectors. Here, we allowed strong players to interact with weak players in an iterated prisoner's dilemma game with punishment. Defecting players were most likely to switch to cooperation if the partner cooperated: adding punishment yielded no additional benefit and, under some circumstances, increased the chance that the partner would both defect and retaliate against the punisher. Our findings show that, in a two-player game, cooperation begets cooperation and that punishment does not seem to yield any additional benefits. Further work should explore whether strong punishers might prevail in multi-player games. PMID:25629971

What "World of Warcraft" Is Teaching Us about Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ackerman, Lyn Kajiwara

2017-01-01

Video games are a growing multi-billion dollar industry. Pew Internet & American Life Project (2008) reported that 97 percent of teens ages 12 to 17 years play computer, web, portable, or console games. Of the various genres that were reported, 36 percent of teens played role playing games and 21 percent played massively multiplayer online…

Global Channels of Evidence for Learning and Assessment in Complex Game Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Brian C.; Erlandson, Benjamin; Denham, Andre

2011-01-01

In this paper, we take a designer's look at how the activities and data of learning and assessment can be structured in immersive virtual game environments called Massively Multi-Player Online Games (MMOG). In doing so, we examine the channels of evidence through which learning and assessment activities are derived in MMOGs, offering examples of…

"Gamestar Mechanic": Learning a Designer Mindset through Communicational Competence with the Language of Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Games, Ivan Alex

2010-01-01

This article presents the results of a three-year study of "Gamestar Mechanic" (www.gamestarmechanic.com), a flash-based multiplayer online role-playing game developed for the MacArthur Foundation's digital media learning initiative by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Gamelab in New York. The game's objective is to help children…

"Minecraft," Teachers, Parents, and Learning: What They Need to Know and Understand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellison, Tisha Lewis; Evans, Jessica N.

2016-01-01

This article explores six effective principles for teachers to use to understand and apply "Minecraft" in today's classrooms. Video games have become one of the fastest growing forms of media for youth and adult consumers. "Minecraft," a multiplayer online game (MOG), is one of the most popular video games to date. By allowing…

Small Combat Arms Unit Leader Training Techniques: Rules of Play for Two Player/Multiplayer Infantry Mapboard Games.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-01-01

exercises for leadership training. Initial efforts led to the development of a mapboard game. The ’board game’ initially developed was a two-sided, free ... play map exercise for teaching infantry tactics to small unit leaders at the platoon level organizations. It was found, however, that for the benefits

Rochester Castle MMORPG: Instructional Gaming and Collaborative Learning at a Western Australian School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Mark J. W.; Eustace, Ken; Fellows, Geoff; Bytheway, Allan; Irving, Leah

2005-01-01

This paper reports on the first stage of a project to develop and test the use of massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) for promoting computer supported collaborative learning through instructional gaming in the high school classroom. Teachers and students of English and Science at Swan View Senior High School, Western…

Encouraging Free Play: Extramural Digital Game-Based Language Learning as a Complex Adaptive System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scholz, Kyle

2017-01-01

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games like World of Warcraft are ideally suited to encourage and facilitate second language development (SLD) in the extramural setting, but to what extent do the language learners' actual trajectories of gameplay contribute to SLD? With the current propensity to focus research in digital game-based…

Multiplayer games and HIV transmission via casual encounters.

PubMed

Tully, Stephen; Cojocaru, Monica-Gabriela; Bauch, Chris T

2017-04-01

Population transmission models have been helpful in studying the spread of HIV. They assess changes made at the population level for different intervention strategies. To further understand how individual changes affect the population as a whole, game-theoretical models are used to quantify the decision-making process. Investigating multiplayer nonlinear games that model HIV transmission represents a unique approach in epidemiological research. We present here 2-player and multiplayer noncooperative games where players are defined by HIV status and age and may engage in casual (sexual) encounters. The games are modelled as generalized Nash games with shared constraints, which is completely novel in the context of our applied problem. Each player's HIV status is known to potential partners, and players have personal preferences ranked via utility values of unprotected and protected sex outcomes. We model a player's strategy as their probability of being engaged in a casual unprotected sex encounter (USE), which may lead to HIV transmission; however, we do not incorporate a transmission model here. We study the sensitivity of Nash strategies with respect to varying preference rankings, and the impact of a prophylactic vaccine introduced in players of youngest age groups. We also study the effect of these changes on the overall increase in infection level, as well as the effects that a potential prophylactic treatment may have on age-stratified groups of players. We conclude that the biggest impacts on increasing the infection levels in the overall population are given by the variation in the utilities assigned to individuals for unprotected sex with others of opposite HIV status, while the introduction of a prophylactic vaccine in youngest age group (15-20 yr olds) slows down the increase in HIV infection.

Attack of the S. Mutans!: a stereoscopic-3D multiplayer direct-manipulation behavior-modification serious game for improving oral health in pre-teens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollander, Ari; Rose, Howard; Kollin, Joel; Moss, William

2011-03-01

Attack! of the S. Mutans is a multi-player game designed to harness the immersion and appeal possible with wide-fieldof- view stereoscopic 3D to combat the tooth decay epidemic. Tooth decay is one of the leading causes of school absences and costs more than $100B annually in the U.S. In 2008 the authors received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to build a science museum exhibit that included a suite of serious games involving the behaviors and bacteria that cause cavities. The centerpiece is an adventure game where five simultaneous players use modified Wii controllers to battle biofilms and bacteria while immersed in environments generated within a 11-foot stereoscopic WUXGA display. The authors describe the system and interface used in this prototype application and some of the ways they attempted to use the power of immersion and the appeal of S3D revolution to change health attitudes and self-care habits.

Towards optimizing server performance in an educational MMORPG for teaching computer programming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malliarakis, Christos; Satratzemi, Maya; Xinogalos, Stelios

2013-10-01

Web-based games have become significantly popular during the last few years. This is due to the gradual increase of internet speed, which has led to the ongoing multiplayer games development and more importantly the emergence of the Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) field. In parallel, similar technologies called educational games have started to be developed in order to be put into practice in various educational contexts, resulting in the field of Game Based Learning. However, these technologies require significant amounts of resources, such as bandwidth, RAM and CPU capacity etc. These amounts may be even larger in an educational MMORPG game that supports computer programming education, due to the usual inclusion of a compiler and the constant client/server data transmissions that occur during program coding, possibly leading to technical issues that could cause malfunctions during learning. Thus, the determination of the elements that affect the overall games resources' load is essential so that server administrators can configure them and ensure educational games' proper operation during computer programming education. In this paper, we propose a new methodology with which we can achieve monitoring and optimization of the load balancing, so that the essential resources for the creation and proper execution of an educational MMORPG for computer programming can be foreseen and bestowed without overloading the system.

Making neurorehabilitation fun: Multiplayer training via damping forces balancing differences in skill levels.

PubMed

Baur, Kilian; Wolf, Peter; Riener, Robert; Duarte, Jaime E

2017-07-01

Multiplayer environments are thought to increase the training intensity in robot-aided rehabilitation therapy after stroke. We developed a haptic-based environment to investigate the dynamics of two-player training performing time-constrained reaching movements using the ARMin rehabilitation robot. We implemented a challenge level adaptation algorithm that controlled a virtual damping coefficient to reach a desired success rate. We tested the algorithm's effectiveness in regulating the success rate during game play in a simulation with computer-controlled players, in a feasibility study with six unimpaired players, and in a single session with one stroke patient. The algorithm demonstrated its capacity to adjust the damping coefficient to reach three levels of success rate (low [50%], moderate [70%], and high [90%]) during singleplayer and multiplayer training. For the patient - tested in single-player mode at the moderate success rate only - the algorithm showed also promising behavior. Results of the feasibility study showed that to increase the player's willingness to play at a more challenging task condition, the effect of the challenge level adaptation - regardless of being played in single player or multiplayer mode - might be more important than the provision of multiplayer setting alone. Furthermore, the multiplayer setting tends to be a motivating and encouraging therapy component. Based on these results we will optimize and expand the multiplayer training platform and further investigate multiplayer settings in stroke therapy.

Warcraft and Civic Education: MMORPGs as Participatory Cultures and How Teachers Can Use Them to Improve Civic Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curry, Kristal

2010-01-01

Online role-playing games such as World Of Warcraft represent new participatory cultures in which today's students engage every day. They are appealing to players largely because of the social aspects of game play. Some features of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) can be incorporated into classroom culture to create more…

Alternate Reality Games as an Informal Learning Tool for Generating STEM Engagement among Underrepresented Youth: A Qualitative Evaluation of the Source

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilliam, Melissa; Jagoda, Patrick; Fabiyi, Camille; Lyman, Phoebe; Wilson, Claire; Hill, Brandon; Bouris, Alida

2017-01-01

This project developed and studied "The Source," an alternate reality game (ARG) designed to foster interest and knowledge related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) among youth from populations underrepresented in STEM fields. ARGs are multiplayer games that engage participants across several media such as shared…

Leveraging Identity to Make Learning Fun: Possible Selves and Experiential Learning in Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Joey J.; Hoadley, Christopher M.

2007-01-01

In this article, Joey J. Lee and Christopher M. Hoadley argue that not enough attention has been given to video games' role in identity development and exploration, important corequisites for learning. This oversight has resulted in the failure of many attempts at edutainment, in spite of the acknowledged potential of video games to engage…

Assessing twenty-first century skills through a teacher created video game for high school biology students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Annetta, Leonard A.; Cheng, Meng-Tzu; Holmes, Shawn

2010-07-01

As twenty-first century skills become a greater focus in K-12 education, an infusion of technology that meets the needs of today's students is paramount. This study looks at the design and creation of a Multiplayer Educational Gaming Application (MEGA) for high school biology students. The quasi-experimental, qualitative design assessed the twenty-first century skills of digital age literacy, inventive thinking, high productivity, and effective communication techniques of the students exposed to a MEGA. Three factors, as they pertained to these skills, emerged from classroom observations. Interaction with the teacher, discussion with peers, and engagement/time-on-task while playing the MEGA suggested that students playing an educational video game exhibited all of the projected twenty-first century skills while being engrossed in the embedded science content.

The replicator equation and other game dynamics

PubMed Central

Cressman, Ross; Tao, Yi

2014-01-01

The replicator equation is the first and most important game dynamics studied in connection with evolutionary game theory. It was originally developed for symmetric games with finitely many strategies. Properties of these dynamics are briefly summarized for this case, including the convergence to and stability of the Nash equilibria and evolutionarily stable strategies. The theory is then extended to other game dynamics for symmetric games (e.g., the best response dynamics and adaptive dynamics) and illustrated by examples taken from the literature. It is also extended to multiplayer, population, and asymmetric games. PMID:25024202

Motivating Distance Learners in Online Gaming Worlds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marvel, Michele D.

2012-01-01

Massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) have potential as educational tools. Existing literature shows that MMOG-based courses can foster a more immediate sense of community among students than traditional distance learning interfaces. The immersive technology of MMOGs opens the door for students to be able to virtually walk through the college…

Affordances for Second Language Learning in "World of Warcraft"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rama, Paul S.; Black, Rebecca W.; van Es, Elizabeth; Warschauer, Mark

2012-01-01

What are the affordances of online gaming environments for second language learning and socialization? To answer this question, this qualitative study examines two college-age Spanish learners' experiences participating in the Spanish language version of the massively multi-player online game "World of Warcraft." Using data culled from participant…

Games for Social Change: Review of the Potential for Multi Player Online Gaming to Facilitate the Emergence and Growth of Progressive Movements for Social Change within Youth and Community Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keating, Paul

2016-01-01

Building on the use of the internet and social media as sites for activism, this paper highlights the emergence of political activism and collective protest in the online gaming environment. Referencing social movement theory and the rapidly evolving capacity of multiplayer online games to facilitate the development of strong group identities and…

SimBasin: A serious gaming framework for integrated and cooperative decision-making in water management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angarita, H.; Craven, J.; Caggiano, F.; Corzo, G.

2016-12-01

An Integrated approach involving extensive stakeholder dialogue is widely advocated in sustainable water management. However, it requires a social learning process in which scientist and stakeholders become aware of the relationship between their own frames of reference and those of others, differences can be dealt with constructively, and shared ideas can be used to facilitate cooperation. Key obstacles in this process are heritage systems, attitudes and processes, factually wrong, incomplete or unshared mental models, and lack of science-policy dialogue (Pahl-Wostl et al., 2005) To overcome these barriers, a space is required which is free of heritage systems, where mental models can be safely and easily compared and corrected, and where scientists and policy-makers can come together. A "serious game" can serve as such a space - Serious games are games or simulations used to achieve an organizational or educational goal, and such games have already been used to facilitate stakeholder cooperation in the water management sector (Rusca et al., 2005). As well as bringing stakeholders together, they can be an accessible interface between scientific models and non-experts. Here we present SimBasin, a multiplayer serious game framework and development engine. The engine allows to easily create a simulated multiplayer basin management game using WEAP water resources modelling software (SEI, 1992-2015), to facilitate the communication of the complex, long term and wide range relationships between hydrologic, climate, and human systems present in river basins, and enable dialogue between policy-makers and scientists. Different games have been created using the Sim-Basin engine and used in various contexts. Here are discussed experiences with stakeholders at a national forum in Bogotá, flood risk management agencies in the lower Magdalena River Basin in Colombia and with water professionals in Bangkok. The experience shows that the game is a useful tool for enabling dialogue and provides interesting insights into the way computer models and stakeholders' mental models can interact with and enrich each other. SimBasin software and supporting materials are freely available online for download at http://simbasin.hilab.nl.

Possible End to an Endless Quest? Cognitive Bias Modification for Excessive Multiplayer Online Gamers.

PubMed

Rabinovitz, Sharon; Nagar, Maayan

2015-10-01

Cognitive biases have previously been recognized as key mechanisms that contribute to the development, maintenance, and relapse of addictive behaviors. The same mechanisms have been recently found in problematic computer gaming. The present study aims to investigate whether excessive massively multiplayer online role-playing gamers (EG) demonstrate an approach bias toward game-related cues compared to neutral stimuli; to test whether these automatic action tendencies can be implicitly modified in a single session training; and to test whether this training affects game urges and game-seeking behavior. EG (n=38) were randomly assigned to a condition in which they were implicitly trained to avoid or to approach gaming cues by pushing or pulling a joystick, using a computerized intervention (cognitive bias modification via the Approach Avoidance Task). EG demonstrated an approach bias for gaming cues compared with neutral, movie cues. Single session training significantly decreased automatic action tendencies to approach gaming cues. These effects occurred outside subjective awareness. Furthermore, approach bias retraining reduced subjective urges and intentions to play, as well as decreased game-seeking behavior. Retraining automatic processes may be beneficial in changing addictive impulses in EG. Yet, large-scale trials and long-term follow-up are warranted. The results extend the application of cognitive bias modification from substance use disorders to behavioral addictions, and specifically to Internet gaming disorder. Theoretical implications are discussed.

Navigating the feminine in massively multiplayer online games: gender in World of Warcraft.

PubMed

Brehm, Audrey L

2013-01-01

The objective of the study is to present and discuss attitudes, perceptions and opinions about sexism and gendered play in the massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMO), World of Warcraft. Through the use of an online survey which includes both multiple choice questions and open-ended questions, the research discusses the major themes and findings expressed by the World of Warcraft forum users (N = 294). The descriptive statistical findings presented are derived from the multiple choice questions. Within the sample, the results reveal that sexism is a contentious topic in the World of Warcraft community. 63.6% (n = 75) of female respondents reported experiencing sexism within the game. 27.5% (n = 44) of male respondents and 45.3% (n = 53) of female respondents believe that sexism is a problem in the game. Overall, 64.4% (n = 183) of the respondents reported sexism as a non-issue in the game. Themes surrounding the topic of sexism experienced within the game are presented based on frequency of homogenous responses. Based on the multiple choice questions and the open-ended questions, the research argues that sexism and gendered play in gaming should be studied more closely, as the results reveal that many MMO players are affected negatively by it.

Aorta: a management layer for mobile peer-to-peer massive multiplayer games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edlich, Stefan; Hoerning, Henrik; Brunnert, Andreas; Hoerning, Reidar

2005-03-01

The development of massive multiplayer games (MMPGs) for personal computers is based on a wide range of frameworks and technologies. In contrast, MMPG development for cell phones lacks the availability of framework support. We present Aorta as a multi-purpose lightweight MIDP 2.0 framework to support the transparent and equal API usage of peer-to-peer communication via http, IP and Bluetooth. Special experiments, such as load-tests on Nokia 6600s, have been carried out with Bluetooth support in using a server-as-client architecture to create ad-hoc networks by using piconet functionalities. Additionally, scatternet functionalities, which will be supported in upcoming devices, have been tested in a simulated environment on more than 12 cell phones. The core of the Aorta framework is the Etherlobby, which manages connections, peers, the game lobby, game policies and much more. The framework itself was developed to enable the fast development of mobile games, regardless of the distance between users, which might be within the schoolyard or much further away. The earliest market-ready application shown here is a multimedia game for cell phones utilizing all of the frameworks features. This game, called Micromonster, acts as platform for developer tests, as well as providing valuable information about interface usability and user acceptance.

Navigating the feminine in massively multiplayer online games: gender in World of Warcraft

PubMed Central

Brehm, Audrey L.

2013-01-01

The objective of the study is to present and discuss attitudes, perceptions and opinions about sexism and gendered play in the massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMO), World of Warcraft. Through the use of an online survey which includes both multiple choice questions and open-ended questions, the research discusses the major themes and findings expressed by the World of Warcraft forum users (N = 294). The descriptive statistical findings presented are derived from the multiple choice questions. Within the sample, the results reveal that sexism is a contentious topic in the World of Warcraft community. 63.6% (n = 75) of female respondents reported experiencing sexism within the game. 27.5% (n = 44) of male respondents and 45.3% (n = 53) of female respondents believe that sexism is a problem in the game. Overall, 64.4% (n = 183) of the respondents reported sexism as a non-issue in the game. Themes surrounding the topic of sexism experienced within the game are presented based on frequency of homogenous responses. Based on the multiple choice questions and the open-ended questions, the research argues that sexism and gendered play in gaming should be studied more closely, as the results reveal that many MMO players are affected negatively by it. PMID:24363650

New Sociotechnical Insights in Interaction Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelnour-Nocera, José; Mørch, Anders I.

New challenges are facing interaction design. On one hand because of advances in technology - pervasive, ubiquitous, multimodal and adaptive computing - are changing the nature of interaction. On the other, web 2.0, massive multiplayer games and collaboration software extends the boundaries of HCI to deal with interaction in settings of remote communication and collaboration. The aim of this workshop is to provide a forum for HCI practitioners and researchers interested in knowledge from the social sciences to discuss how sociotechnical insights can be used to inform interaction design, and more generally how social science methods and theories can help to enrich the conceptual framework of systems development and participatory design. Position papers submissions are invited to address key aspects of current research and practical case studies.

Invited Speaker Support for SBP Conference Series (SBP 2014) held in April, 2014 in Washington, DC.

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-23

Experts in Social Media Wenhui Liao, Sameena Shah and Masoud Makrehchi Talk 2 Predicting Social Ties in Massively Multiplayer Online Games Jina...sweets, beverages SBP Poster The Needs of Metaphor David Bracewell SBP Poster Predicting Guild Membership in Massively Multiplayer Online ...Science series. These proceedings can be accessed online through the following link: http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-319-05579-4 (Springer

Development and Content Validation of Crisis Response Training Package Red Cape: Crisis Action Planning and Execution

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-08-01

example, the topic of massively multiplayer online role playing games ( MMORPGs ). (A related class of first person multiplayer shooters includes...key and measurable indicators that require immediate action. They develop plans of action for these trigger points to avoid premature commitment of...recognize that the cause of the incident may be an accident or act of nature, or it may be either criminal or terrorist activity. They avoid the

Variability in group size and the evolution of collective action.

PubMed

Peña, Jorge; Nöldeke, Georg

2016-01-21

Models of the evolution of collective action typically assume that interactions occur in groups of identical size. In contrast, social interactions between animals occur in groups of widely dispersed size. This paper models collective action problems as two-strategy multiplayer games and studies the effect of variability in group size on the evolution of cooperative behavior under the replicator dynamics. The analysis identifies elementary conditions on the payoff structure of the game implying that the evolution of cooperative behavior is promoted or inhibited when the group size experienced by a focal player is more or less variable. Similar but more stringent conditions are applicable when the confounding effect of size-biased sampling, which causes the group-size distribution experienced by a focal player to differ from the statistical distribution of group sizes, is taken into account. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Compensating for telecommunication delays during robotic telerehabilitation.

PubMed

Consoni, Leonardo J; Siqueira, Adriano A G; Krebs, Hermano I

2017-07-01

Rehabilitation robotic systems may afford better care and telerehabilitation may extend the use and benefits of robotic therapy to the home. Data transmissions over distance are bound by intrinsic communication delays which can be significant enough to deem the activity unfeasible. Here we describe an approach that combines unilateral robotic telerehabilitation and serious games. This approach has a modular and distributed design that permits different types of robots to interact without substantial code changes. We demonstrate the approach through an online multiplayer game. Two users can remotely interact with each other with no force exchanges, while a smoothing and prediction algorithm compensates motions for the delay in the Internet connection. We demonstrate that this approach can successfully compensate for data transmission delays, even when testing between the United States and Brazil. This paper presents the initial experimental results, which highlight the performance degradation with increasing delays as well as improvements provided by the proposed algorithm, and discusses planned future developments.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing game-induced seizures: a neglected health problem in Internet addiction.

PubMed

Chuang, Yao-Chung

2006-08-01

As the Internet has become rapidly and widely integrated into society, Internet addiction has become a growing psychosocial problem. However, epileptic seizure, another out-of-the-ordinary health problem, is often neglected in this regard. Ten patients who experienced epileptic seizures while playing the newest genre of electronic games -- Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) -- were investigated. Patients were predominantly male young adults, and most of the events were generalized tonic-clonic seizures, myoclonic seizures, and absences. These patients should be categorized into idiopathic generalized epilepsies. Even though photosensitivity was an important factor, behavioral and higher mental activities also seemed to be significant seizure precipitants. Results demonstrated that MMORPG-induced seizures were not analogous to the ordinary video game-induced seizures. Significantly, an epileptic seizure warning did not always appear on the websites of MMORPGs and instructions for the software. While the prevalence of MMORPG-induced seizures remains unknown, it may exceed our expectations and impact our society. Not only for clinical neurologists but also for the primary physicians, educators, sociologists, and global online game publishers, there should be an awareness of this special form of reflex seizures in order to provide an appropriate health warning to MMORPG players.

Social Experience in "World of Warcraft": Technological and Ideological Mediations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crenshaw, Nicole Kathryn

2017-01-01

As society shifts towards spending more time online for business and leisure, examining human behavior in virtual environments is crucial. To better understand the role that games play in our society, I analyze social experience in World of Warcraft (WoW), one of the longest running massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMO). Since its…

MMOGs as Learning Environments: An Ecological Journey into "Quest Atlantis" and "The Sims Online"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Michael; Schrader, P. G.; Zheng, Dongping

2006-01-01

Michael Young, P. G. Schrader, and Dongping Zheng use the concepts of ecological psychology to examine how massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) promote specific learning processes in their players. In their analysis they identify and define nine principles of learning that allow such games to have valuable potential as tools for educators:…

Human-Technology Relationality and Self-Network Organization: Players and Avatars in World of Warcraft

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banks, Jaime

2013-01-01

Massively multiplayer online roleplaying games, or MMOs, present an increasingly popular digital media experience whereby identity emerges as players contribute materially to play but contributions are governed by affordances and constraints of the game. Unique to this medium is the player's ability to create and control a digital body--an…

Teaching with Game-Based Learning Management Systems: Exploring a Pedagogical Dungeon

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carron, Thibault; Marty, Jean-Charles; Heraud, Jean-Mathias

2008-01-01

The work reported here takes place in the educational domain. The authors propose a learning environment based on a graphical representation of a course. The emergence of online multiplayer games led the authors to apply the following metaphor to the digital work environments: The method of acquiring knowledge during a learning session is similar…

The MORPG-Based Learning System for Multiple Courses: A Case Study on Computer Science Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Kuo-Yu

2015-01-01

This study aimed at developing a Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game-based (MORPG) Learning system which enabled instructors to construct a game scenario and manage sharable and reusable learning content for multiple courses. It used the curriculum of "Introduction to Computer Science" as a study case to assess students' learning…

"Redstone Is Like Electricity": Children's Performative Representations in and around "Minecraft"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dezuanni, Michael; O'Mara, Joanne; Beavis, Catherine

2015-01-01

This article investigates 8-and 9-year-old girls' use of the popular game "Minecraft" at home and school, particularly the ways in which they performatively "bring themselves into being" through talk and digital production in the social spaces of the classroom and within the game's multiplayer online world. We explore how the…

Presence Personalization and Persistence: A New Approach to Building Archives to Support Collaborative Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGlynn, Thomas A.

2008-01-01

We discuss approaches to building archives that support the way most science is done. Today research is done in formal teams and informal groups. However our on-line services are designed to work with a single user. We have begun prototyping a new approach to building archives in which support for collaborative research is built in from the start. We organize the discussion along three elements that we believe to be necessary for effective support: We must enable user presence in the archive environment; users must be able to interact. Users must be able to personalize the environment, adding data and capabilities useful to themselves and their team. These changes must be persistent: subsequent sessions must be able to build upon previous sessions. In building the archive we see the large multi-player interactive games as a paradigm of how this approach can work. These three 'P's are essential in gaming as well and we shall use insights from the gaming world and virtual reality systems like Second Life in our prototype.

Exploring the enjoyment of playing browser games.

PubMed

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.

Memory-n strategies of direct reciprocity

PubMed Central

Martinez-Vaquero, Luis A.; Chatterjee, Krishnendu; Nowak, Martin A.

2017-01-01

Humans routinely use conditionally cooperative strategies when interacting in repeated social dilemmas. They are more likely to cooperate if others cooperated before, and are ready to retaliate if others defected. To capture the emergence of reciprocity, most previous models consider subjects who can only choose from a restricted set of representative strategies, or who react to the outcome of the very last round only. As players memorize more rounds, the dimension of the strategy space increases exponentially. This increasing computational complexity renders simulations for individuals with higher cognitive abilities infeasible, especially if multiplayer interactions are taken into account. Here, we take an axiomatic approach instead. We propose several properties that a robust cooperative strategy for a repeated multiplayer dilemma should have. These properties naturally lead to a unique class of cooperative strategies, which contains the classical Win–Stay Lose–Shift rule as a special case. A comprehensive numerical analysis for the prisoner’s dilemma and for the public goods game suggests that strategies of this class readily evolve across various memory-n spaces. Our results reveal that successful strategies depend not only on how cooperative others were in the past but also on the respective context of cooperation. PMID:28420786

An empirical analysis of online gamers' perceptions of game items: modified theory of consumption values approach.

PubMed

Park, Bong-Won; Lee, Kun Chang

2011-01-01

The aims of this article are (1) to propose a modified theory of consumption values (MTCV) for investigation of online gamer perceptions of the value of purchasable game items and (2) to apply the developed MTCV to multiple game genres and player age groups. To address these aims, 327 valid questionnaires were obtained and analyzed. The original theory of consumption values (TCV) was modified to apply to the specific characteristics of online games. The original TCV specifies five types of consumption values: functional value, social value, emotional value, conditional value, and epistemic value. After revising the TCV to apply to the examination of online games, we proposed that the MTCV be composed of character competency value, enjoyment value, visual authority value, and monetary value. The validity of the MTCV was proven by statistically analyzing the responses provided by the 327 valid questionnaires. To examine the second aim, experiments were conducted to examine the MTCV in three online game genres-massive multiplayer online role-playing games, first-person shooters games, and casual games. The second aim was also studied via questionnaires that examined the ages of online gamers. It was determined that massive multiplayer online role-playing games players regard visual authority value and monetary value as more important than do casual gamers. It was also determined that younger gamers tend to be more interested in visual authority, whereas older gamers tend to be more interested in character competency. This research provides a foundation for future studies to extend the MTCV to consider other user factors, such as cultural effects.

"Martian Boneyards": Sustained Scientific Inquiry in a Social Digital Game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asbell-Clarke, Jordis

Social digital gaming is an explosive phenomenon where youth and adults are engaged in inquiry for the sake of fun. The complexity of learning evidenced in social digital games is attracting the attention of educators. Martian Boneyards is a proof-of-concept game designed to study how a community of voluntary gamers can be enticed to engage in sustained, high-quality scientific inquiry. Science educators and game designers worked together to create an educational game with the polish and intrigue of a professional-level game, striving to attract a new audience to scientific inquiry. Martian Boneyards took place in the high-definition, massively multiplayer online environment, Blue Mars, where players spent an average of 30 hours in the game over the 4-month implementation period, with some exceeding 200 hours. Most of the players' time was spent in scientific inquiry activities and about 30% of the players' in-game interactions were in the analysis and theory-building phases of inquiry. Female players conducted most of the inquiry, in particular analysis and theory building. The quality of scientific inquiry processes, which included extensive information gathering by players, and the resulting content were judged to be very good by a team of independent scientists. This research suggests that a compelling storyline, a highly aesthetic environment, and the emergent social bonds among players and between players and the characters played by designers were all responsible for sustaining high quality inquiry among gamers in this free-choice experience. The gaming environment developed for Martian Boneyards is seen as an evolving ecosystem with interactions among design, players' activity, and players' progress.

Statistical properties of online avatar numbers in a massive multiplayer online role-playing game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Zhi-Qiang; Ren, Fei; Gu, Gao-Feng; Tan, Qun-Zhao; Zhou, Wei-Xing

2010-02-01

Massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) have been very popular in the past few years. The profit of an MMORPG company is proportional to how many users registered, and the instant number of online avatars is a key factor to assess how popular an MMORPG is. We use the online-offline logs on an MMORPG server to reconstruct the instant number of online avatars per second and investigate its statistical properties. We find that the online avatar number exhibits one-day periodic behavior and clear intraday pattern, the fluctuation distribution of the online avatar numbers has a leptokurtic non-Gaussian shape with power-law tails, and the increments of online avatar numbers after removing the intraday pattern are uncorrelated and the associated absolute values have long-term correlation. In addition, both time series exhibit multifractal nature.

Understanding Interpersonal Function in Psychiatric Illness Through Multiplayer Economic Games

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Interpersonal factors play significant roles in the onset, maintenance, and remission of psychiatric conditions. In the current major diagnostic classification systems for psychiatric disorders, some conditions are defined by the presence of impairments in social interaction or maintaining interpersonal relationships; these include autism, social phobia, and the personality disorders. Other psychopathologies confer significant difficulties in the social domain, including major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and psychotic disorders. Still other mental health conditions, including substance abuse and eating disorders, seem to be exacerbated or triggered in part by the influence of social peers. For each of these and other psychiatric conditions, the extent and quality of social support is a strong determinant of outcome such that high social support predicts symptom improvement and remission. Despite the central role of interpersonal factors in psychiatric illness, the neurobiology of social impairments remains largely unexplored, in part due to difficulties eliciting and quantifying interpersonal processes in a parametric manner. Recent advances in functional neuroimaging, combined with multiplayer exchange games drawn from behavioral economics, and computational/quantitative approaches more generally, provide a fitting paradigm within which to study interpersonal function and dysfunction in psychiatric conditions. In this review, we outline the importance of interpersonal factors in psychiatric illness and discuss ways in which neuroeconomics provides a tractable framework within which to examine the neurobiology of social dysfunction. PMID:22579510

Waging and Fighting e Jihad

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

across the internet, and terrorists have evolved to become more adept at covert communication. Web chat through on multiplayer online video games ...Tom Wells. “TERRORISTS are using online war games like Call of Duty to plot attacks, The Sun can reveal.” http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news...4205896/Terrorists-play- online - games -like-Call-of- Duty-to-plan-attacks.html#ixzz2E2lOCwjd 10 Daily News and Analysis. “Headley used ’electronic dead

Modeling Attrition in Organizations from Email Communication

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-08

networks [17]. A particular example is the video - gaming industry, a huge and growing market around the world, valued at about $65 billion in 2011 [18...Symposium, 2007. ANSS ’07. 40th Annual, march 2007, pp. 33 –40. [18] T. R. Corporation, “Factbox: A look at the $65 billion video games industry,” http...online multiplayer games , user involvement and movement in online social networking plat- forms, and employee turnover within an organization. At

Assessing Twenty-First Century Skills through a Teacher Created Video Game for High School Biology Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Annetta, Leonard A.; Cheng, Meng-Tzu; Holmes, Shawn

2010-01-01

As twenty-first century skills become a greater focus in K-12 education, an infusion of technology that meets the needs of today's students is paramount. This study looks at the design and creation of a Multiplayer Educational Gaming Application (MEGA) for high school biology students. The quasi-experimental, qualitative design assessed the…

The Effect of Socioscientific Topics on Discourse within an Online Game Designed to Engage Middle School Students in Scientific Argumentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craig-Hare, Jana; Ault, Marilyn; Rowland, Amber

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the types of argumentation discourse displayed by students when they engaged in chat as part of an online multiplayer game about both socioscientific and scientific topics. Specifically, this study analyzed discourse episodes created by middle school students as they discussed scientific and…

The Effects of Group Dynamics on Language Learning and Use in an MMOG

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vosburg, Donald

2017-01-01

The use of video games as a learning tool, in particular massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), continues to grow, as does the research in this field of study; research to date has revealed benefits to the language learner as well as hindrances and research gaps (Godwin-Jones, 2014). This study examines participant perspectives on group…

Constructing Virtual Training Demonstrations

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

virtual environments have been shown to be effective for training, and distributed game -based architectures contribute an added benefit of wide...investigation of how a demonstration authoring toolset can be constructed from existing virtual training environments using 3-D multiplayer gaming ...intelligent agents project to create AI middleware for simulations and videogames . The result was SimBionic®, which enables users to graphically author

Evolutionary dynamics of general group interactions in structured populations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Aming; Broom, Mark; Du, Jinming; Wang, Long

2016-02-01

The evolution of populations is influenced by many factors, and the simple classical models have been developed in a number of important ways. Both population structure and multiplayer interactions have been shown to significantly affect the evolution of important properties, such as the level of cooperation or of aggressive behavior. Here we combine these two key factors and develop the evolutionary dynamics of general group interactions in structured populations represented by regular graphs. The traditional linear and threshold public goods games are adopted as models to address the dynamics. We show that for linear group interactions, population structure can favor the evolution of cooperation compared to the well-mixed case, and we see that the more neighbors there are, the harder it is for cooperators to persist in structured populations. We further show that threshold group interactions could lead to the emergence of cooperation even in well-mixed populations. Here population structure sometimes inhibits cooperation for the threshold public goods game, where depending on the benefit to cost ratio, the outcomes are bistability or a monomorphic population of defectors or cooperators. Our results suggest, counterintuitively, that structured populations are not always beneficial for the evolution of cooperation for nonlinear group interactions.

Engaging Systems Understanding through Games (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfirman, S. L.; Lee, J. J.; Eklund, K.; Turrin, M.; O'Garra, T.; Orlove, B. S.

2013-12-01

The Polar Learning And Responding (PoLAR) Climate Change Education Partnership (CCEP), supported by the National Science Foundation's CCEP Phase II program, uses novel educational approaches to engage adult learners and to inform public understanding about climate change. Both previous studies and our experience show that games and game-like activities lead people to explore systems and motivate problem-solving. This presentation focuses on three games developed by the PoLAR team: a multiplayer card game, a strategy board game, and a serious game, and discusses them within the larger framework of research and evaluation of learning outcomes. In the multiplayer card game EcoChains: Arctic Crisis, players learn how to build marine food chains, then strategize ways to make them resilient to a variety of natural and anthropogenic events. In the strategy board game Arctic SMARTIC (Strategic MAnagement of Resources in TImes of Change), participants take on roles, set developmental priorities, and then negotiate to resolve conflicts and deal with climate change scenarios. In the serious game FUTURE COAST, players explore "what if" scenarios in a collaborative narrative environment. Grounded on the award-winning WORLD WITHOUT OIL, which employed a similar story frame to impart energy concepts and realities, FUTURE COAST uses voicemails from the future to impel players through complexities of disrupted systems and realities of human interactions when facing change. Launching February 2014, FUTURE COAST is played online and in field events; players create media designed to be spreadable through their social networks. As players envision possible futures, they create diverse communities of practice that synthesize across human-environment interactions. Playtests highlight how the game evokes systems thinking, and engages and problem-solves via narrative: * 'While I was initially unsure how I'd contribute to a group I'd never met, the project itself proved so engaging that I was quickly generating ideas I was excited to share. Just working with FUTURE COAST in an informal way got my imagination going - not just because of its global issues, but through the collaborative possibilities it seems uniquely designed to leverage.' * 'We walked through a construction site. When we saw that, using current predictions in sea level rise, these homes would be flooded well before the year 2100, it really brought home the weak link between policy and decisionmaking.' * 'I liked being given situations and policy challenges to decide on as player teams. We all have opinions about these things but don't often get a chance to discuss them and consider the implications of these decisions.' Using a variety of state-of-the-art methods that map mental models (e.g. fuzzy cognitive mapping), and problem-solving approaches that test key systems thinking indicators (e.g. awareness of feedback loops and time delays), we are assessing the extent to which the PoLAR games/ products/interventions enhance systems thinking in participants compared with more traditional text-based sources of climate change information.

Clandestine Message Passing in Virtual Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

accessed April 4, 2008). Weir, Laila. “Boring Game? Outsorce It.” (August 24, 2004). http://www.wired.com/ entertainment / music /news/2004/08/ 64638...Multiplayer Online MOVES - Modeling Virtual Environments and Simulation MTV – Music Television NPS - Naval Postgraduate School PAN – Personal Area...Network PSP - PlayStation Portable RPG – Role-playing Game SL - Second Life SVN - Subversion VE – Virtual Environments vMTV – Virtual Music

Bridging Realty to Virtual Reality: Investigating Gender Effect and Student Engagement on Learning through Video Game Play in an Elementary School Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Annetta, Leonard; Mangrum, Jennifer; Holmes, Shawn; Collazo, Kimberly; Cheng, Meng-Tzu

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine students' learning of simple machines, a fifth-grade (ages 10-11) forces and motion unit, and student engagement using a teacher-created Multiplayer Educational Gaming Application. This mixed-method study collected pre-test/post-test results to determine student knowledge about simple machines. A survey…

Constructing Training Demonstrations

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-16

evaluates approaches and platforms to be employed for demonstrations, such as film, video , computer-based training, videogames , and simulations [10...environments using 3-D multiplayer gaming technologies. Together these avenues inform our effort to create demonstrations for Army curricula. 1 2 TABLE OF...space of technology platforms with a focus on 3-D game engines. With these two pieces of work in mind, we examine team training applications for

From MUDs to MMORPGs: The History of Virtual Worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartle, Richard A.

Today's massively multiplayer online role-playing games are the direct descendants of the textual worlds of the 1980s, not only in design and implementation terms but also in the way they are evolving thematically.

Economic game theory for mutualism and cooperation.

PubMed

Archetti, Marco; Scheuring, István; Hoffman, Moshe; Frederickson, Megan E; Pierce, Naomi E; Yu, Douglas W

2011-12-01

We review recent work at the interface of economic game theory and evolutionary biology that provides new insights into the evolution of partner choice, host sanctions, partner fidelity feedback and public goods. (1) The theory of games with asymmetrical information shows that the right incentives allow hosts to screen-out parasites and screen-in mutualists, explaining successful partner choice in the absence of signalling. Applications range from ant-plants to microbiomes. (2) Contract theory distinguishes two longstanding but weakly differentiated explanations of host response to defectors: host sanctions and partner fidelity feedback. Host traits that selectively punish misbehaving symbionts are parsimoniously interpreted as pre-adaptations. Yucca-moth and legume-rhizobia mutualisms are argued to be examples of partner fidelity feedback. (3) The theory of public goods shows that cooperation in multi-player interactions can evolve in the absence of assortment, in one-shot social dilemmas among non-kin. Applications include alarm calls in vertebrates and exoenzymes in microbes. 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.

Online citizen science games: Opportunities for the biological sciences.

PubMed

Curtis, Vickie

2014-12-01

Recent developments in digital technologies and the rise of the Internet have created new opportunities for citizen science. One of these has been the development of online citizen science games where complex research problems have been re-imagined as online multiplayer computer games. Some of the most successful examples of these can be found within the biological sciences, for example, Foldit, Phylo and EteRNA. These games offer scientists the opportunity to crowdsource research problems, and to engage with those outside the research community. Games also enable those without a background in science to make a valid contribution to research, and may also offer opportunities for informal science learning.

The Role of Habits in Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game Usage: Predicting Excessive and Problematic Gaming Through Players' Sensitivity to Situational Cues.

PubMed

Lukavská, Kateřina; Hrabec, Ondřej; Chrz, Vladimír

2016-04-01

We examined the effect of habitual regulation of massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) playing on the problematic (addictive) usage and excessiveness of gaming (time that user spent playing weekly, per session, and in relation to his other leisure activities). We developed the approach to assess the strength of habitual regulation that was based on sensitivity to situational cues. We defined cues as real-life or in-game conditions (e.g., work to be done, activities with friends or family, need to relax, new game expansion) that usually promote gaming (proplay cues) or prevent it (contraplay cues). Using a sample of 377 MMORPG players, we analyzed relationships between variables through partial least squares path modeling. We found that proplay cues sensitivity significantly positively affected the excessiveness of gaming (playing time) as well as the occurrence of problematic usage symptoms. Conversely, contraplay cues sensitivity functioned as a protective factor from these conditions; significant negative effects were found for playing time and problematic usage. Playing time was confirmed to be a mediating variable, affected by cues sensitivity and at the same time affecting problematic usage symptoms. We obtained moderately strong coefficients of determination for both endogenous variables (R(2) = 0.28 for playing time; R(2) = 0.31 for problematic usage) suggesting that the proposed variables possess good explanatory power. Based on our results, we argue that the strength of habitual regulation within MMORPG usage has both positive and negative effects on excessive and problematic usage, which is a new and important finding within the area of Internet gaming addiction.

A slowly evolving host moves first in symbiotic interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damore, James; Gore, Jeff

2011-03-01

Symbiotic relationships, both parasitic and mutualistic, are ubiquitous in nature. Understanding how these symbioses evolve, from bacteria and their phages to humans and our gut microflora, is crucial in understanding how life operates. Often, symbioses consist of a slowly evolving host species with each host only interacting with its own sub-population of symbionts. The Red Queen hypothesis describes coevolutionary relationships as constant arms races with each species rushing to evolve an advantage over the other, suggesting that faster evolution is favored. Here, we use a simple game theoretic model of host- symbiont coevolution that includes population structure to show that if the symbionts evolve much faster than the host, the equilibrium distribution is the same as it would be if it were a sequential game where the host moves first against its symbionts. For the slowly evolving host, this will prove to be advantageous in mutualisms and a handicap in antagonisms. The model allows for symbiont adaptation to its host, a result that is robust to changes in the parameters and generalizes to continuous and multiplayer games. Our findings provide insight into a wide range of symbiotic phenomena and help to unify the field of coevolutionary theory.

Can clans protect adolescent players of massively multiplayer online games from violent behaviors?

PubMed

Ybarra, Michele L; Boyd, Danah

2015-02-01

To examine whether clan membership mediates observed associations between violent game content and externalizing behaviors among youth who play massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs). Responses from 486 11- to 18-year-olds who: live in the United States, read English, have been online at least once in the past 6 months, and have played MMOGs in the past year were examined. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate the population-averaged incident rate ratio of aggressive, delinquent, and seriously violent behaviors among MMOG players given one's self-reported exposure to in-game content depicting violence. Twenty-nine percent of all youth respondents played MMOGs in the past year. Rates of aggressive, IRR: 1.59, 95% CI [1.11, 2.26], and delinquent, IRR: 1.44, 95% CI [0.99, 2.08], behaviors were significantly higher for MMOG players who were in clans versus not in clans. For females, clan membership attenuated but did not eliminate the observed relation between exposure to in-game violent content and both aggressive and seriously violent behavior (16% and 10% reductions in IRR, respectively); whereas for males, clan membership was largely uninfluential (i.e., less than 2% change). Clan membership is neither associated with lower rates of externalizing behaviors for youth, nor does it affect the likelihood of reporting externalizing behaviors among male players. There is some suggestion that clan membership may attenuate the concurrent association between in-game violent content and some externalizing behaviors for females.

A study on haptic collaborative game in shared virtual environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Keke; Liu, Guanyang; Liu, Lingzhi

2013-03-01

A study on collaborative game in shared virtual environment with haptic feedback over computer networks is introduced in this paper. A collaborative task was used where the players located at remote sites and played the game together. The player can feel visual and haptic feedback in virtual environment compared to traditional networked multiplayer games. The experiment was desired in two conditions: visual feedback only and visual-haptic feedback. The goal of the experiment is to assess the impact of force feedback on collaborative task performance. Results indicate that haptic feedback is beneficial for performance enhancement for collaborative game in shared virtual environment. The outcomes of this research can have a powerful impact on the networked computer games.

Physical Forces between Humans and How Humans Attract and Repel Each Other Based on Their Social Interactions in an Online World

PubMed Central

Thurner, Stefan; Fuchs, Benedikt

2015-01-01

Physical interactions between particles are the result of the exchange of gauge bosons. Human interactions are mediated by the exchange of messages, goods, money, promises, hostilities, etc. While in the physical world interactions and their associated forces have immediate dynamical consequences (Newton’s laws) the situation is not clear for human interactions. Here we quantify the relative acceleration between humans who interact through the exchange of messages, goods and hostilities in a massive multiplayer online game. For this game we have complete information about all interactions (exchange events) between about 430,000 players, and about their trajectories (movements) in the metric space of the game universe at any point in time. We use this information to derive “interaction potentials" for communication, trade and attacks and show that they are harmonic in nature. Individuals who exchange messages and trade goods generally attract each other and start to separate immediately after exchange events end. The form of the interaction potential for attacks mirrors the usual “hit-and-run" tactics of aggressive players. By measuring interaction intensities as a function of distance, velocity and acceleration, we show that “forces" between players are directly related to the number of exchange events. We find an approximate power-law decay of the likelihood for interactions as a function of distance, which is in accordance with previous real world empirical work. We show that the obtained potentials can be understood with a simple model assuming an exchange-driven force in combination with a distance-dependent exchange rate. PMID:26196505

Physical Forces between Humans and How Humans Attract and Repel Each Other Based on Their Social Interactions in an Online World.

PubMed

Thurner, Stefan; Fuchs, Benedikt

2015-01-01

Physical interactions between particles are the result of the exchange of gauge bosons. Human interactions are mediated by the exchange of messages, goods, money, promises, hostilities, etc. While in the physical world interactions and their associated forces have immediate dynamical consequences (Newton's laws) the situation is not clear for human interactions. Here we quantify the relative acceleration between humans who interact through the exchange of messages, goods and hostilities in a massive multiplayer online game. For this game we have complete information about all interactions (exchange events) between about 430,000 players, and about their trajectories (movements) in the metric space of the game universe at any point in time. We use this information to derive "interaction potentials" for communication, trade and attacks and show that they are harmonic in nature. Individuals who exchange messages and trade goods generally attract each other and start to separate immediately after exchange events end. The form of the interaction potential for attacks mirrors the usual "hit-and-run" tactics of aggressive players. By measuring interaction intensities as a function of distance, velocity and acceleration, we show that "forces" between players are directly related to the number of exchange events. We find an approximate power-law decay of the likelihood for interactions as a function of distance, which is in accordance with previous real world empirical work. We show that the obtained potentials can be understood with a simple model assuming an exchange-driven force in combination with a distance-dependent exchange rate.

Exploring the Use of a Multiplayer Game to Execute Light Infantry Company Missions

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-01

training : (a) are trained sufficiently to implement the tasks (T), (b) need practice with implementing the task (P), and (c) are untrained on the task...approved for distribution: BARBARA A. BLACK, Ph.D. MICHELLE SAMS, Ph.D. Research Program Manager Director Training and...Maneuver Captains Career Course (MCCC) at Fort Benning, Georgia, have had limited success using training games. Early efforts to provide the MCCC with

Developing the Systems Engineering Experience Accelerator (SEEA) Prototype and Roadmap

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-31

information to be automatically presented without comment. 2.2.2 NEW FEATURES AND CAPABILITIES A number of new multiplayer capabilities were...2.4.1 OVERVIEW The EA game engine has two components: the runtime engine and the tools suite. The tools suite includes the Experience Development...the Learner. Figure 6: Experience Accelerator Logical Block Diagram The EARTE is a multiuser architecture for internet gaming . It has light

Countermeasures for Time-Cheat Detection in Multiplayer Online Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferretti, Stefano

Cheating is an important issue in games. Depending on the system over which the game is deployed, several types of malicious actions may be accomplished so as to take an unfair and unexpected advantage over the game and over the (digital, human) adversaries. When the game is a standalone application, cheats typically just relate to the specific software code being developed to build the application. It is not a surprise to find (in the Web and in specialized magazines) people that explain cheats on specific games stating, for instance, which configuration files can be altered (and how to do it) to automatically gain some bonus during the game. To avoid this, game developers are hence motivated to build stable code, with related data that should be securely managed and made difficult to alter.

Strangers and Friends: Collaborative Play in World of Warcraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nardi, Bonnie; Harris, Justin

We analyze collaborative play in an online video game, World of Warcraft, the most popular multiplayer video game with 11 million players in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia. Based on an immersive ethnographic study, we describe how the social organization of the game and player culture affect players' enjoyment and learning of the game. We discovered that play is characterized by a multiplicity of collaborations from brief informal encounters to highly organized play in structured groups. The variety of collaborations makes the game more fun and provides rich learning opportunities. We contrast these varied collaborations, including those with strangers, to the “gold standard” of Gemeinschaft-like communities of close relations in tightknit groups.

Teaching water sustainability and STEM concepts using in-class, online, and real-world multiplayer simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moysey, S. M.; Hannah, A. C.; Miller, S.; Mobley, C.

2013-12-01

Serious games are computer games with a primary purpose other than entertainment. Serious games are frequently used for training purposes, and can be used for educational and research purposes, increasing student interest and level of interaction as well as allowing researchers to collect data about emergent player behavior. The Naranpur Express simulation is based on a previously existing multiplayer role-playing game, where each player manages a small farm in rural India. Player goals include subsistence, upward economic mobility, and mitigation of environmental impact. Hydrologic and agricultural models are used to connect each player's small-scale decisions with their more far-reaching, and often difficult to perceive environmental impacts. This approach allows students to learn by discovery, experiencing first-hand the challenges of overuse of groundwater, fertilizers, and pesticides. Integration of new and rapidly developing social media techniques allows players to discuss solutions to their shared challenges, and help define a set of formal or informal rules governing their community. Previous versions of this game were implemented on paper, or in a spreadsheet run on each student's laptop. However, moving this simulation to an interactive online setting will allow us to study aggregate, as well as spatially varying effects of player decisions on economic and environmental outcomes. By coupling both physical and economic models with the real dynamics of player behavior, and considering the social and cultural aspects of agriculture, we can investigate the decision-making processes that control real environmental outcomes. By varying the types of information available to players, we can investigate how access to different kinds of information drives environmental decision-making. This can help identify key misunderstandings, thereby benefiting education and outreach efforts related to environmental justice and sustainability issues. Surveys collected from the students in a sophomore level course demonstrated that the use of the game positively enhanced student engagement and interest in the course. We adapted the same base concepts to a real-world setting where players must physically collect water from a contaminated surface water source, represented by a swimming pool where many players can access the resource simultaneously, and a clean groundwater source, represented by a barrel where only one player at a time can obtain water from a pump. Additionally, water is recharged to groundwater (i.e., the barrel) at a fixed rate, thus over pumping can cause the water table to drop and cause the well to go dry. Players must therefore grapple between health risks associated with contaminants and the mass balance problems caused by groundwater mining. This version of the game received positive reviews from girls in grades 6-9 participating in a STEM summer camp.

Balancing the playing field: collaborative gaming for physical training.

PubMed

Mace, Michael; Kinany, Nawal; Rinne, Paul; Rayner, Anthony; Bentley, Paul; Burdet, Etienne

2017-11-20

Multiplayer video games promoting exercise-based rehabilitation may facilitate motor learning, by increasing motivation through social interaction. However, a major design challenge is to enable meaningful inter-subject interaction, whilst allowing for significant skill differences between players. We present a novel motor-training paradigm that allows real-time collaboration and performance enhancement, across a wide range of inter-subject skill mismatches, including disabled vs. able-bodied partnerships. A virtual task consisting of a dynamic ball on a beam, is controlled at each end using independent digital force-sensing handgrips. Interaction is mediated through simulated physical coupling and locally-redundant control. Game performance was measured in 16 healthy-healthy and 16 patient-expert dyads, where patients were hemiparetic stroke survivors using their impaired arm. Dual-player was compared to single-player performance, in terms of score, target tracking, stability, effort and smoothness; and questionnaires probing user-experience and engagement. Performance of less-able subjects (as ranked from single-player ability) was enhanced by dual-player mode, by an amount proportionate to the partnership's mismatch. The more abled partners' performances decreased by a similar amount. Such zero-sum interactions were observed for both healthy-healthy and patient-expert interactions. Dual-player was preferred by the majority of players independent of baseline ability and subject group; healthy subjects also felt more challenged, and patients more skilled. This is the first demonstration of implicit skill balancing in a truly collaborative virtual training task leading to heightened engagement, across both healthy subjects and stroke patients.

Psychiatrists' Perceptions of Role-Playing Games.

PubMed

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.

Multimodal game bot detection using user behavioral characteristics.

PubMed

Kang, Ah Reum; Jeong, Seong Hoon; Mohaisen, Aziz; Kim, Huy Kang

2016-01-01

As the online service industry has continued to grow, illegal activities in the online world have drastically increased and become more diverse. Most illegal activities occur continuously because cyber assets, such as game items and cyber money in online games, can be monetized into real currency. The aim of this study is to detect game bots in a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). We observed the behavioral characteristics of game bots and found that they execute repetitive tasks associated with gold farming and real money trading. We propose a game bot detection method based on user behavioral characteristics. The method of this paper was applied to real data provided by a major MMORPG company. Detection accuracy rate increased to 96.06 % on the banned account list.

Design Elements and Feasibility of an Organized Multiplayer Mobile Active Videogame for Primary School-Aged Children.

PubMed

McKenzie, Sophie; Bangay, Shaun; Barnett, Lisa M; Ridgers, Nicola D; Salmon, Jo

2014-12-01

This article describes the design, development, and implementation feasibility of a purpose-built mobile active videogame (M-AVG) named "Pirate Adventure," which was designed for primary school-aged children to engage in physical activity (PA) and fundamental movement skills (FMS), such as hopping, sidestepping, jumping, or running, in an afterschool setting. The design of "Pirate Adventure" was the result of a collaboration between games designers and health researchers. "Pirate Adventure" was designed and developed using Android(®) (Google, Mountain View, CA) phone sensors to respond to player actions within a playground environment. Using an interactive game framework, players solve clues and complete PA and FMS challenges via sensing the physical world through marked-out key game locations. Fourteen primary school-aged children participated in the feasibility evaluation, which took place in four afternoon sessions. The game was evaluated using Android phone telemetry data and a post-gameplay survey for children on their opinions and enjoyment of the game. The "Pirate Adventure" game design facilitated an enjoyable treasure hunt game (average of 11 minutes of activity per game) with narrative elements supporting children's engagement with movement activities. The majority of children (n=9/13) reported that they would like to play the game again. Combining real world and virtual world content through "Pirate Adventure" was moderately successful, with multiple gameplay sessions occurring. Further implementation feasibility testing, under more controlled conditions, needs to be conducted to assert the benefits of using a M-AVG for children's PA and FMS.

MMOGs: Beyond the Wildest Imagination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gratch, Jonathan; Kelly, Janet

2009-01-01

Historically, Massive Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) have been used for entertainment purposes, but that is rapidly changing. Advances in computer technology and an enhanced perception of functionality have allowed MMOGs to combine with other technologies, such as networking and web-based learning, to provide educators with opportunities to…

The prevalence of problematic video gamers in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Haagsma, Maria C; Pieterse, Marcel E; Peters, Oscar

2012-03-01

This study surveyed Dutch adolescents and adults about their video gaming behavior to assess the prevalence of problematic gaming. A representative national panel of 902 respondents aged 14 to 81 took part in the study. The results show that gaming in general is a wide-spread and popular activity among the Dutch population. Browser games (small games played via the internet) and offline casual games (e.g., offline card games) were reported as most popular type of game. Online games (e.g., massively multiplayer online role-playing games) are played by a relatively small part of the respondents, yet considerably more time is spent on these online games than on browser games, offline casual games, and offline games (e.g., offline racing games). The prevalence of problematic gaming in the total sample is 1.3 percent. Among adolescents and young adults problematic gaming occurs in 3.3 percent of cases. Particularly male adolescents seem to be more vulnerable to developing problematic gaming habits.

Gold rush - A swarm dynamics in games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zelinka, Ivan; Bukacek, Michal

2017-07-01

This paper is focused on swarm intelligence techniques and its practical use in computer games. The aim is to show how a swarm dynamics can be generated by multiplayer game, then recorded, analyzed and eventually controlled. In this paper we also discuss possibility to use swarm intelligence instead of game players. Based on our previous experiments two games, using swarm algorithms are mentioned briefly here. The first one is strategy game StarCraft: Brood War, and TicTacToe in which SOMA algorithm has also take a role of player against human player. Open research reported here has shown potential benefit of swarm computation in the field of strategy games and players strategy based on swarm behavior record and analysis. We propose new game called Gold Rush as an experimental environment for human or artificial swarm behavior and consequent analysis.

An Introduction to Multi-player, Multi-choice Quantum Games: Quantum Minority Games & Kolkata Restaurant Problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharif, Puya; Heydari, Hoshang

We give a self contained introduction to a few quantum game protocols, starting with the quantum version of the two-player two-choice game of Prisoners dilemma, followed by an n-player generalization trough the quantum minority games, and finishing with a contribution towards an n-player m-choice generalization with a quantum version of a three-player Kolkata restaurant problem. We have omitted some technical details accompanying these protocols, and instead laid the focus on presenting some general aspects of the field as a whole. This review contains an introduction to the formalism of quantum information theory, as well as to important game theoretical concepts, and is aimed to work as a review suiting economists and game theorists with limited knowledge of quantum physics as well as to physicists with limited knowledge of game theory.

Identification and Classification of Player Types in Massive Multiplayer Online Games Using Avatar Behavior

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-01

display specific characteristics that can be used to identify the player behind the avatar. This kind of information can be used by game companies to...bring in players. This kind of information can also be used to identify deviant behaviors such as ‘gold farming.’ Gold farming refers to the practice...unique behaviors associated with a player controlling the avatar. Some of the observable information used to identify these unique behaviors are

Game-Based Virtual Worlds as Decentralized Virtual Activity Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scacchi, Walt

There is widespread interest in the development and use of decentralized systems and virtual world environments as possible new places for engaging in collaborative work activities. Similarly, there is widespread interest in stimulating new technological innovations that enable people to come together through social networking, file/media sharing, and networked multi-player computer game play. A decentralized virtual activity system (DVAS) is a networked computer supported work/play system whose elements and social activities can be both virtual and decentralized (Scacchi et al. 2008b). Massively multi-player online games (MMOGs) such as World of Warcraft and online virtual worlds such as Second Life are each popular examples of a DVAS. Furthermore, these systems are beginning to be used for research, deve-lopment, and education activities in different science, technology, and engineering domains (Bainbridge 2007, Bohannon et al. 2009; Rieber 2005; Scacchi and Adams 2007; Shaffer 2006), which are also of interest here. This chapter explores two case studies of DVASs developed at the University of California at Irvine that employ game-based virtual worlds to support collaborative work/play activities in different settings. The settings include those that model and simulate practical or imaginative physical worlds in different domains of science, technology, or engineering through alternative virtual worlds where players/workers engage in different kinds of quests or quest-like workflows (Jakobsson 2006).

This is Not a Game - Social Virtual Worlds, Fun, and Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Mark W.; Smith-Robbins, Sarah; Withnail, Greg

This chapter asks a simple question: what is required to make learning fun in social virtual worlds? Several scholars have connected fun with learning but most of these have centered on the function of games in learning. Studies of learning in massive multiplayer online role playing games connect the game mechanics to how learning occurs. However, few have asked whether learning in a virtual world can be fun if there is no game. In a social virtual world, like Second Life (SL) there are no game mechanics (unlike game worlds like World of Warcraft [WoW]). There are no quests, challenges, rewards or other game elements in SL. So can a virtual world that has no game-content provided be a place where fun learning can take place? We define fun and explore how fun has been related to learning. We explore theories of fun from Koster, Crawford, Csíkszentmihályi and others as well as views of the ways fun is explored as related to the learning experience. With these models in mind, we explore how fun is different in a social virtual world. Drawing on definitions of fun from Castronova and others, we see game structures in virtual worlds may not be needed to have fun. These fun activities include game creation, business interactions, and most importantly, identity play and socialization in a social virtual world. Finally, we propose that if learning is to be successful and fun in a social virtual world it should pay close attention to these two activities.

Fields of Fuel

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russ, Rosemary S.; Wangen, Steve; Nye, D. Leith; Shapiro, R. Benjamin; Strinz, Will; Ferris, Michael

2015-01-01

To help teachers engage students in discussions about sustainability, the authors designed Fields of Fuel, a multiplayer, web-based simulation game that allows players to explore the environmental and economic trade-offs of a realistic sustainable system. Computer-based simulations of real-world phenomena engage students and have been shown to…

Bountiful health care and A Beautiful Mind.

PubMed

Flower, Joe

2002-01-01

The Nash Equilibrium (put forward by John Nash and celebrated in the film, A Beautiful Mind) mathematically describes multi-player, infinite games. It is a general description of large human transactions, such as health care. Learn how new inputs, new players or new resources can disrupt these transactions.

Extrapolating Weak Selection in Evolutionary Games

PubMed Central

Wu, Bin; García, Julián; Hauert, Christoph; Traulsen, Arne

2013-01-01

In evolutionary games, reproductive success is determined by payoffs. Weak selection means that even large differences in game outcomes translate into small fitness differences. Many results have been derived using weak selection approximations, in which perturbation analysis facilitates the derivation of analytical results. Here, we ask whether results derived under weak selection are also qualitatively valid for intermediate and strong selection. By “qualitatively valid” we mean that the ranking of strategies induced by an evolutionary process does not change when the intensity of selection increases. For two-strategy games, we show that the ranking obtained under weak selection cannot be carried over to higher selection intensity if the number of players exceeds two. For games with three (or more) strategies, previous examples for multiplayer games have shown that the ranking of strategies can change with the intensity of selection. In particular, rank changes imply that the most abundant strategy at one intensity of selection can become the least abundant for another. We show that this applies already to pairwise interactions for a broad class of evolutionary processes. Even when both weak and strong selection limits lead to consistent predictions, rank changes can occur for intermediate intensities of selection. To analyze how common such games are, we show numerically that for randomly drawn two-player games with three or more strategies, rank changes frequently occur and their likelihood increases rapidly with the number of strategies . In particular, rank changes are almost certain for , which jeopardizes the predictive power of results derived for weak selection. PMID:24339769

Prevalence and correlates of video and internet gaming addiction among Hong Kong adolescents: a pilot study.

PubMed

Wang, Chong-Wen; Chan, Cecilia L W; Mak, Kwok-Kei; Ho, Sai-Yin; Wong, Paul W C; Ho, Rainbow T H

2014-01-01

This pilot study investigated the patterns of video and internet gaming habits and the prevalence and correlates of gaming addiction in Hong Kong adolescents. A total of 503 students were recruited from two secondary schools. Addictive behaviors of video and internet gaming were assessed using the Game Addiction Scale. Risk factors for gaming addiction were examined using logistical regression. An overwhelming majority of the subjects (94%) reported using video or internet games, with one in six (15.6%) identified as having a gaming addiction. The risk for gaming addiction was significantly higher among boys, those with poor academic performance, and those who preferred multiplayer online games. Gaming addiction was significantly associated with the average time spent gaming per week, frequency of spending money on gaming, period of spending money on gaming, perceived family disharmony, and having more close friends. These results suggest that effective educational and preventative programs or strategies are needed.

Prevalence and Correlates of Video and Internet Gaming Addiction among Hong Kong Adolescents: A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Wang, Chong-Wen; Chan, Cecilia L. W.; Mak, Kwok-Kei; Ho, Sai-Yin; Wong, Paul W. C.; Ho, Rainbow T. H.

2014-01-01

This pilot study investigated the patterns of video and internet gaming habits and the prevalence and correlates of gaming addiction in Hong Kong adolescents. A total of 503 students were recruited from two secondary schools. Addictive behaviors of video and internet gaming were assessed using the Game Addiction Scale. Risk factors for gaming addiction were examined using logistical regression. An overwhelming majority of the subjects (94%) reported using video or internet games, with one in six (15.6%) identified as having a gaming addiction. The risk for gaming addiction was significantly higher among boys, those with poor academic performance, and those who preferred multiplayer online games. Gaming addiction was significantly associated with the average time spent gaming per week, frequency of spending money on gaming, period of spending money on gaming, perceived family disharmony, and having more close friends. These results suggest that effective educational and preventative programs or strategies are needed. PMID:25032242

Simulating Social Networks of Online Communities: Simulation as a Method for Sociability Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ang, Chee Siang; Zaphiris, Panayiotis

We propose the use of social simulations to study and support the design of online communities. In this paper, we developed an Agent-Based Model (ABM) to simulate and study the formation of social networks in a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) guild community. We first analyzed the activities and the social network (who-interacts-with-whom) of an existing guild community to identify its interaction patterns and characteristics. Then, based on the empirical results, we derived and formalized the interaction rules, which were implemented in our simulation. Using the simulation, we reproduced the observed social network of the guild community as a means of validation. The simulation was then used to examine how various parameters of the community (e.g. the level of activity, the number of neighbors of each agent, etc) could potentially influence the characteristic of the social networks.

Masters of the Universe: The Passively Multiplayer Online Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Christopher

2008-01-01

The digital age has freed information from the restrictive hierarchies of traditional cataloging methods, notably Dewey. Although libraries still deal with the challenge of physical books, online content is a different matter. Thanks to the unregulated, grassroots cataloging effort known as tagging, the Web presents a glorious chaos of…

Social Studies Special Issue: Civic Literacy in a Digital Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VanFossen, Phillip J.; Berson, Michael J.

2008-01-01

Young people today consume large amounts of information through various media outlets and simultaneously create and distribute their own messages via information and communication technologies and massively multiplayer online gaming. In doing so, these "digital natives" are often exposed to violent, racist, or other deleterious messages.…

Aspiration dynamics of multi-player games in finite populations

PubMed Central

Du, Jinming; Wu, Bin; Altrock, Philipp M.; Wang, Long

2014-01-01

On studying strategy update rules in the framework of evolutionary game theory, one can differentiate between imitation processes and aspiration-driven dynamics. In the former case, individuals imitate the strategy of a more successful peer. In the latter case, individuals adjust their strategies based on a comparison of their pay-offs from the evolutionary game to a value they aspire, called the level of aspiration. Unlike imitation processes of pairwise comparison, aspiration-driven updates do not require additional information about the strategic environment and can thus be interpreted as being more spontaneous. Recent work has mainly focused on understanding how aspiration dynamics alter the evolutionary outcome in structured populations. However, the baseline case for understanding strategy selection is the well-mixed population case, which is still lacking sufficient understanding. We explore how aspiration-driven strategy-update dynamics under imperfect rationality influence the average abundance of a strategy in multi-player evolutionary games with two strategies. We analytically derive a condition under which a strategy is more abundant than the other in the weak selection limiting case. This approach has a long-standing history in evolutionary games and is mostly applied for its mathematical approachability. Hence, we also explore strong selection numerically, which shows that our weak selection condition is a robust predictor of the average abundance of a strategy. The condition turns out to differ from that of a wide class of imitation dynamics, as long as the game is not dyadic. Therefore, a strategy favoured under imitation dynamics can be disfavoured under aspiration dynamics. This does not require any population structure, and thus highlights the intrinsic difference between imitation and aspiration dynamics. PMID:24598208

Aspiration dynamics of multi-player games in finite populations.

PubMed

Du, Jinming; Wu, Bin; Altrock, Philipp M; Wang, Long

2014-05-06

On studying strategy update rules in the framework of evolutionary game theory, one can differentiate between imitation processes and aspiration-driven dynamics. In the former case, individuals imitate the strategy of a more successful peer. In the latter case, individuals adjust their strategies based on a comparison of their pay-offs from the evolutionary game to a value they aspire, called the level of aspiration. Unlike imitation processes of pairwise comparison, aspiration-driven updates do not require additional information about the strategic environment and can thus be interpreted as being more spontaneous. Recent work has mainly focused on understanding how aspiration dynamics alter the evolutionary outcome in structured populations. However, the baseline case for understanding strategy selection is the well-mixed population case, which is still lacking sufficient understanding. We explore how aspiration-driven strategy-update dynamics under imperfect rationality influence the average abundance of a strategy in multi-player evolutionary games with two strategies. We analytically derive a condition under which a strategy is more abundant than the other in the weak selection limiting case. This approach has a long-standing history in evolutionary games and is mostly applied for its mathematical approachability. Hence, we also explore strong selection numerically, which shows that our weak selection condition is a robust predictor of the average abundance of a strategy. The condition turns out to differ from that of a wide class of imitation dynamics, as long as the game is not dyadic. Therefore, a strategy favoured under imitation dynamics can be disfavoured under aspiration dynamics. This does not require any population structure, and thus highlights the intrinsic difference between imitation and aspiration dynamics.

Decoupling erasure coding from massive multiplayer online role-playing games in model checking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Linhui; Li, Wei

2009-07-01

SMPs must work. Given the current status of unstable configurations, systems engineers predictably desire the emulation of RAID. in order to surmount this problem, we verify not only that IPv7 and symmetric encryption can cooperate to overcome this problem, but that the same is true for web browsers.

Experiencing Experiments: A Multiplayer Game for Sharing Ideas--Crusoe Gives Way to Gulliver

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curley, Martin; Formica, Piero

2012-01-01

In this latest in a series of articles on the innovative use of experimental business laboratories for high-expectation entrepreneurs, the authors focus on the networking benefits of business lab experiments. Distinguishing between "Robinson Crusoe" types, whose tendency is to operate in isolation, and "Lemuel Gulliver" types, who rely on…

Cultivating Work-Based Ethics with Massively Multiplayer Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Andy

2010-01-01

Currently the news is awash with reports of high-profile corporate and political scandals and revelations around unethical work and corrupt practices. Unfortunately this shows little sign of abating with a very high proportion of young people displaying cynical and possibly corrosive attitudes around ethics in the work-place. It is clearly…

Exploring User Experiences as Predictors of MMORPG Addiction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Shang Hwa; Wen, Ming-Hui; Wu, Muh-Cherng

2009-01-01

The overuse of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) is becoming a significant problem worldwide, especially among college students. Similar to Internet addiction, the pathological use of MMORPG is a kind of modern addiction that can affect students' lives on both a physical and a psychological level. The purpose of this study…

ICT-Enabled Distance Education in Community Development in the Philippines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramos, Angelo Juan; Nangit, Genevieve; Ranga, Adelina I.; Trinona, Jerome

2007-01-01

The Philippines, an archipelago of 7,100 islands in Southeast Asia, faces new opportunities as it competes with the rest of the world in the information and communication technology (ICT) arena. New industries including call centers, foreign medical transcription services, and the hugely popular multiplayer online gaming systems require the…

Vocabulary Learning in Massively Multiplayer Online Games: Context and Action before Words

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Dongping; Bischoff, Michael; Gilliland, Betsy

2015-01-01

Drawing on ecological and dialogical perspectives on language and cognition, this exploratory case study examines how vocabulary learning occurs during a quest-play mediated in English between a Japanese undergraduate student and a native speaker of English. Understanding embodiment as coaction between the player-avatar and player-player relations…

Gaming under the influence: An exploratory study.

PubMed

Škařupová, Kateřina; Blinka, Lukas; Ťápal, Adam

2018-05-23

Background and aims Association between substance use and excessive play of online games exists both in theory and research. However, no study to date examined playing online games under the influence of licit and illicit drugs. Methods We questioned a convenient online sample of 3,952 Czech online gamers on their experiences and motives of using caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, psychoactive pharmaceuticals, and illicit drugs while playing massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs). Results The results showed low prevalence of illicit drug use while playing online games. Substance use was positively associated with intensity of gaming and both addiction and engagement; psychoactive substances with stimulating effect were linked to higher engagement and gaming intensity, whereas use of sedatives was associated with higher addiction score. Substance use varied slightly with the preference of game genre. Discussion Drug use while playing appears as behavior, which is mostly not related to gaming - it concerns mostly caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, or cannabis. For some users, however, drug use was fueled by motivations toward improving their cognitive enhancement and gaming performance.

Designing an optimal software intensive system acquisition: A game theoretic approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buettner, Douglas John

The development of schedule-constrained software-intensive space systems is challenging. Case study data from national security space programs developed at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (USAF SMC) provide evidence of the strong desire by contractors to skip or severely reduce software development design and early defect detection methods in these schedule-constrained environments. The research findings suggest recommendations to fully address these issues at numerous levels. However, the observations lead us to investigate modeling and theoretical methods to fundamentally understand what motivated this behavior in the first place. As a result, Madachy's inspection-based system dynamics model is modified to include unit testing and an integration test feedback loop. This Modified Madachy Model (MMM) is used as a tool to investigate the consequences of this behavior on the observed defect dynamics for two remarkably different case study software projects. Latin Hypercube sampling of the MMM with sample distributions for quality, schedule and cost-driven strategies demonstrate that the higher cost and effort quality-driven strategies provide consistently better schedule performance than the schedule-driven up-front effort-reduction strategies. Game theory reasoning for schedule-driven engineers cutting corners on inspections and unit testing is based on the case study evidence and Austin's agency model to describe the observed phenomena. Game theory concepts are then used to argue that the source of the problem and hence the solution to developers cutting corners on quality for schedule-driven system acquisitions ultimately lies with the government. The game theory arguments also lead to the suggestion that the use of a multi-player dynamic Nash bargaining game provides a solution for our observed lack of quality game between the government (the acquirer) and "large-corporation" software developers. A note is provided that argues this multi-player dynamic Nash bargaining game also provides the solution to Freeman Dyson's problem, for a way to place a label of good or bad on systems.

A unified framework for building high performance DVEs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Kaibin; Ma, Zhixia; Xiong, Hua

2011-10-01

A unified framework for integrating PC cluster based parallel rendering with distributed virtual environments (DVEs) is presented in this paper. While various scene graphs have been proposed in DVEs, it is difficult to enable collaboration of different scene graphs. This paper proposes a technique for non-distributed scene graphs with the capability of object and event distribution. With the increase of graphics data, DVEs require more powerful rendering ability. But general scene graphs are inefficient in parallel rendering. The paper also proposes a technique to connect a DVE and a PC cluster based parallel rendering environment. A distributed multi-player video game is developed to show the interaction of different scene graphs and the parallel rendering performance on a large tiled display wall.

The attitudes, feelings, and experiences of online gamers: a qualitative analysis.

PubMed

Hussain, Zaheer; Griffiths, Mark D

2009-12-01

The playing of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) is now a highly popular leisure activity. The present study set out to explore the attitudes, experiences, and feelings of online gamers. The study entailed 71 interviews with online gamers (52 males, 19 females) from 11 different countries. Six main themes emerged from the analyses of the interview transcripts: (a) online gaming and integration into day-to-day lives; (b) online gaming, excessive play, and problems; (c) addiction; (d) psychosocial impact of online gaming; (e) online gaming, dissociation, and time loss; and (f) online gaming and the alleviation of negative feelings and mood states. These findings specifically showed how gamers used MMORPGs to alleviate negative feelings and provided detailed descriptions of personal problems that had arisen due to playing MMORPGs. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to previous qualitative and quantitative research in the area.

Problematic Gaming Behavior Among Finnish Junior High School Students: Relation to Socio-Demographics and Gaming Behavior Characteristics.

PubMed

Männikkö, Niko; Ruotsalainen, Heidi; Demetrovics, Zsolt; Lopez-Fernandez, Olatz; Myllymäki, Laura; Miettunen, Jouko; Kääriäinen, Maria

2017-09-14

Multiplatform digital media use and gaming have been increased in recent years. The aim of this study was to examine associations between sociodemographics and digital gaming behavior characteristics (i.e., gaming time, medium, and genres) with problematic gaming behavior in adolescents. A convenience sample of Finnish junior high school students (n = 560; mean age 14 years, ranging from 12 to 16 years) participated in the cross-sectional survey, of which, 83% (n = 465) reported having played digital games regularly. Sociodemographic data, different forms of digital media use, gaming behavior characteristics and problematic gaming behavior was assessed. Study participants spent on average one hour per day playing digital games; casual games (23.9%), shooting games (19.8%), and sport games (12.9%), were the most popular games among participants. By using regression analysis, a blended family structure and gaming time related positively to problematic gaming behavior. Preferences for game genres such as solo, Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing and strategy-management games were also positively associated with problematic use of digital games. These findings provide knowledge that can be utilized in the prevention of the possible negative consequences of digital gaming.

Would You Adopt Second Life as a Training and Development Tool?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Kevin C.; Chyung, Seung Youn

2008-01-01

Due to advances in computer and network technology, virtual reality (VR) is no longer just an area of scientific research. It has also become a popular consumer product, as demonstrated by the proliferation of massive multiplayer online role-playing games. Second Life (SL), in particular, has gained popularity among casual users since it became…

Visualization of Expert Chat Development in a World of Warcraft Player Group

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Mark

2009-01-01

This article describes expertise development in a player group in the massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft using visualization of chat log data. Charts were created to get a general sense of chat trends in a specific player group engaged in "high-end raiding", a 40-person collaborative activity. These charts helped identify patterns…

A Globalization Simulation to Teach Corporate Social Responsibility: Design Features and Analysis of Student Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bos, Nathan D.; Shami, N. Sadat; Naab, Sara

2006-01-01

There is an increasing need for business students to be taught the ability to think through ethical dilemmas faced by corporations conducting business on a global scale. This article describes a multiplayer online simulation game, ISLAND TELECOM, that exposes students to ethical dilemmas in international business. Through role playing and…

Learning in Virtual Worlds: Using Communities of Practice to Explain How People Learn from Play

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliver, Martin; Carr, Diane

2009-01-01

Although there is interest in the educational potential of online multiplayer games and virtual worlds, there is still little evidence to explain specifically what and how people learn from these environments. This paper addresses this issue by exploring the experiences of couples that play "World of Warcraft" together. Learning outcomes were…

Hypothesis Testing of Edge Organizations: Laboratory Experimentation Using the ELICIT Multiplayer Intelligence Game

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

Sea: Naval Command and Control since the Sixteenth Century. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2005, pp. 400. [22] R. M. Leighton , "Allied...Information Processing View," Interfaces, vol. 4, pp. 28-36, May. 1974. [84] R. E. Levitt, J. Thomsen, T. R. Christiansen , J. C. Kunz, Y. Jin and C. I

Communities of Practice in MMORPGs: An Entry Point into Addiction?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolf, Karsten D.

Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games (MMORPG) have become increasingly popular over the past few years. The most successful MMORPG “World of Warcraft” has to date — according to its publisher Blizzard Entertainment — more than 8 million subscribers1 who pay a monthly fee to play on a regular basis. The ongoing investment in online gaming services by videogame publishers such as Microsoft's Xbox Live is pushing this development further and will increase the percentage of online gamers in the near future. In this context it has to be noted that MMORPG form a special subset of online games which demand a much stronger commitment than other online genres, such as first person shooters, tactical shooters, sports and driving games, which can be played more casually.

Problematic video game use: estimated prevalence and associations with mental and physical health.

PubMed

Mentzoni, Rune Aune; Brunborg, Geir Scott; Molde, Helge; Myrseth, Helga; Skouverøe, Knut Joachim Mår; Hetland, Jørn; Pallesen, Ståle

2011-10-01

A nationwide survey was conducted to investigate the prevalence of video game addiction and problematic video game use and their association with physical and mental health. An initial sample comprising 2,500 individuals was randomly selected from the Norwegian National Registry. A total of 816 (34.0 percent) individuals completed and returned the questionnaire. The majority (56.3 percent) of respondents used video games on a regular basis. The prevalence of video game addiction was estimated to be 0.6 percent, with problematic use of video games reported by 4.1 percent of the sample. Gender (male) and age group (young) were strong predictors for problematic use of video games. A higher proportion of high frequency compared with low frequency players preferred massively multiplayer online role-playing games, although the majority of high frequency players preferred other game types. Problematic use of video games was associated with lower scores on life satisfaction and with elevated levels of anxiety and depression. Video game use was not associated with reported amount of physical exercise.

Explicit Lower and Upper Bounds on the Entangled Value of Multiplayer XOR Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briët, Jop; Vidick, Thomas

2013-07-01

The study of quantum-mechanical violations of Bell inequalities is motivated by the investigation, and the eventual demonstration, of the nonlocal properties of entanglement. In recent years, Bell inequalities have found a fruitful re-formulation using the language of multiplayer games originating from Computer Science. This paper studies the nonlocal properties of entanglement in the context of the simplest such games, called XOR games. When there are two players, it is well known that the maximum bias—the advantage over random play—of players using entanglement can be at most a constant times greater than that of classical players. Recently, Pérez-García et al. (Commun. Mathe. Phys. 279:455, 2008) showed that no such bound holds when there are three or more players: the use of entanglement can provide an unbounded advantage, and scale with the number of questions in the game. Their proof relies on non-trivial results from operator space theory, and gives a non-explicit existence proof, leading to a game with a very large number of questions and only a loose control over the local dimension of the players' shared entanglement. We give a new, simple and explicit (though still probabilistic) construction of a family of three-player XOR games which achieve a large quantum-classical gap (QC-gap). This QC-gap is exponentially larger than the one given by Pérez-García et. al. in terms of the size of the game, achieving a QC-gap of order {√{N}} with N 2 questions per player. In terms of the dimension of the entangled state required, we achieve the same (optimal) QC-gap of {√{N}} for a state of local dimension N per player. Moreover, the optimal entangled strategy is very simple, involving observables defined by tensor products of the Pauli matrices. Additionally, we give the first upper bound on the maximal QC-gap in terms of the number of questions per player, showing that our construction is only quadratically off in that respect. Our results rely on probabilistic estimates on the norm of random matrices and higher-order tensors which may be of independent interest.

Virtual World Currency Value Fluctuation Prediction System Based on User Sentiment Analysis.

PubMed

Kim, Young Bin; Lee, Sang Hyeok; Kang, Shin Jin; Choi, Myung Jin; Lee, Jung; Kim, Chang Hun

2015-01-01

In this paper, we present a method for predicting the value of virtual currencies used in virtual gaming environments that support multiple users, such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). Predicting virtual currency values in a virtual gaming environment has rarely been explored; it is difficult to apply real-world methods for predicting fluctuating currency values or shares to the virtual gaming world on account of differences in domains between the two worlds. To address this issue, we herein predict virtual currency value fluctuations by collecting user opinion data from a virtual community and analyzing user sentiments or emotions from the opinion data. The proposed method is straightforward and applicable to predicting virtual currencies as well as to gaming environments, including MMORPGs. We test the proposed method using large-scale MMORPGs and demonstrate that virtual currencies can be effectively and efficiently predicted with it.

Exploring the relationship between video game expertise and fluid intelligence.

PubMed

Kokkinakis, Athanasios V; Cowling, Peter I; Drachen, Anders; Wade, Alex R

2017-01-01

Hundreds of millions of people play intellectually-demanding video games every day. What does individual performance on these games tell us about cognition? Here, we describe two studies that examine the potential link between intelligence and performance in one of the most popular video games genres in the world (Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas: MOBAs). In the first study, we show that performance in the popular MOBA League of Legends' correlates with fluid intelligence as measured under controlled laboratory conditions. In the second study, we also show that the age profile of performance in the two most widely-played MOBAs (League of Legends and DOTA II) matches that of raw fluid intelligence. We discuss and extend previous videogame literature on intelligence and videogames and suggest that commercial video games can be useful as 'proxy' tests of cognitive performance at a global population level.

Exploring the relationship between video game expertise and fluid intelligence

PubMed Central

Kokkinakis, Athanasios V.; Cowling, Peter I.; Drachen, Anders

2017-01-01

Hundreds of millions of people play intellectually-demanding video games every day. What does individual performance on these games tell us about cognition? Here, we describe two studies that examine the potential link between intelligence and performance in one of the most popular video games genres in the world (Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas: MOBAs). In the first study, we show that performance in the popular MOBA League of Legends’ correlates with fluid intelligence as measured under controlled laboratory conditions. In the second study, we also show that the age profile of performance in the two most widely-played MOBAs (League of Legends and DOTA II) matches that of raw fluid intelligence. We discuss and extend previous videogame literature on intelligence and videogames and suggest that commercial video games can be useful as 'proxy' tests of cognitive performance at a global population level. PMID:29141019

Virtual World Currency Value Fluctuation Prediction System Based on User Sentiment Analysis

PubMed Central

Kim, Young Bin; Lee, Sang Hyeok; Kang, Shin Jin; Choi, Myung Jin; Lee, Jung; Kim, Chang Hun

2015-01-01

In this paper, we present a method for predicting the value of virtual currencies used in virtual gaming environments that support multiple users, such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). Predicting virtual currency values in a virtual gaming environment has rarely been explored; it is difficult to apply real-world methods for predicting fluctuating currency values or shares to the virtual gaming world on account of differences in domains between the two worlds. To address this issue, we herein predict virtual currency value fluctuations by collecting user opinion data from a virtual community and analyzing user sentiments or emotions from the opinion data. The proposed method is straightforward and applicable to predicting virtual currencies as well as to gaming environments, including MMORPGs. We test the proposed method using large-scale MMORPGs and demonstrate that virtual currencies can be effectively and efficiently predicted with it. PMID:26241496

Navigating Massively Multiplayer Online Games: Evaluating 21st Century Skills for Learning within Virtual Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCreery, Michael P.; Schrader, P. G.; Krach, S. Kathleen

2011-01-01

There is a substantial and growing interest in immersive virtual spaces as contexts for 21st century skills like problem solving, communication, and collaboration. However, little consideration has been given to the ways in which users become proficient in these environments or what types of target behaviors are associated with 21st century…

Dynamic Modeling as a Cognitive Regulation Scaffold for Developing Complex Problem-Solving Skills in an Educational Massively Multiplayer Online Game Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eseryel, Deniz; Ge, Xun; Ifenthaler, Dirk; Law, Victor

2011-01-01

Following a design-based research framework, this article reports two empirical studies with an educational MMOG, called "McLarin's Adventures," on facilitating 9th-grade students' complex problem-solving skill acquisition in interdisciplinary STEM education. The article discusses the nature of complex and ill-structured problem solving…

Different gain/loss sensitivity and social adaptation ability in gifted adolescents during a public goods game.

PubMed

Chung, Dongil; Yun, Kyongsik; Kim, Jin Ho; Jang, Bosun; Jeong, Jaeseung

2011-02-16

Gifted adolescents are considered to have high IQs with advanced mathematical and logical performances, but are often thought to suffer from social isolation or emotional mal-adaptation to the social group. The underlying mechanisms that cause stereotypic portrayals of gifted adolescents are not well known. We aimed to investigate behavioral performance of gifted adolescents during social decision-making tasks to assess their affective and social/non-social cognitive abilities. We examined cooperation behaviors of 22 gifted and 26 average adolescents during an iterative binary public goods (PG) game, a multi-player social interaction game, and analyzed strategic decision processes that include cooperation and free-riding. We found that the gifted adolescents were more cooperative than average adolescents. Particularly, comparing the strategies for the PG game between the two groups, gifted adolescents were less sensitive to loss, yet were more sensitive to gain. Additionally, the behavioral characteristics of average adolescents, such as low trust of the group and herding behavior, were not found in gifted adolescents. These results imply that gifted adolescents have a high cognitive ability but a low ability to process affective information or to adapt in social groups compared with average adolescents. We conclude that gain/loss sensitivity and the ability to adapt in social groups develop to different degrees in average and gifted adolescents.

Evaluating the Impact of Player Experience in the Design of a Serious Game for Upper Extremity Stroke Rehabilitation.

PubMed

Cordeiro d'Ornellas, Marcos; Cargnin, Diego João; Cervi Prado, Ana Lúcia

2015-01-01

Video games have become a major entertainment industry and one of the most popular leisure forms, ranging from laboratory experiments to a mainstream cultural medium. Indeed, current games are multimodal and multidimensional products, relying on sophisticated features including not only a narrative-driven story but also impressive graphics and detailed settings. All of these elements helped to create a seamless and appealing product that have resulted in a growing number of players and in the number of game genres. Although video games have been used in education, simulation, and training, another application that exploits serious gaming is the exploration of player experience in the context of game research. Recent advances in the natural user interfaces and player experience have brought new perspectives on the in-game assessment of serious games. This paper evaluates the impact of player experience in the design of a serious game for upper extremity stroke rehabilitation. The game combines biofeedback and mirror neurons both in single and multiplayer mode. Results have shown that the game is a feasible solution to integrate serious games into the physical therapy routine.

Interdependent Self-Construal, Self-Efficacy, and Community Involvement as Predictors of Perceived Knowledge Gain Among MMORPG Players.

PubMed

Hopp, Toby; Barker, Valerie; Schmitz Weiss, Amy

2015-08-01

This study explored the relationship between interdependent self-construal, video game self-efficacy, massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) community involvement, and self-reported learning outcomes. The results suggested that self-efficacy and interdependent self-construal were positive and significant predictors of MMORPG community involvement. For its part, MMORPG community involvement was a positive predictor of self-reported learning in both focused and incidental forms. Supplementary analyses suggested that self-efficacy was a comparatively more robust predictor of MMORPG community involvement when compared to self-construal. Moreover, the present data suggest that community involvement significantly facilitated indirect relationships between self-construal, game-relevant self-efficacy, and both focused and incidental learning.

A Differential Evolution Algorithm Based on Nikaido-Isoda Function for Solving Nash Equilibrium in Nonlinear Continuous Games

PubMed Central

He, Feng; Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Guoqiang

2016-01-01

A differential evolution algorithm for solving Nash equilibrium in nonlinear continuous games is presented in this paper, called NIDE (Nikaido-Isoda differential evolution). At each generation, parent and child strategy profiles are compared one by one pairwisely, adapting Nikaido-Isoda function as fitness function. In practice, the NE of nonlinear game model with cubic cost function and quadratic demand function is solved, and this method could also be applied to non-concave payoff functions. Moreover, the NIDE is compared with the existing Nash Domination Evolutionary Multiplayer Optimization (NDEMO), the result showed that NIDE was significantly better than NDEMO with less iterations and shorter running time. These numerical examples suggested that the NIDE method is potentially useful. PMID:27589229

Internet gaming addiction, problematic use of the internet, and sleep problems: a systematic review.

PubMed

Lam, Lawrence T

2014-04-01

The effect of problematic use of the Internet on mental health, particularly depression among young people, has been established but without a probable model for the underlying mechanism. In this study, a model is presented to describe possible pathways for the linkage between Internet gaming addiction and depression possibly mediated by sleep problems. A systematic review was conducted to gather epidemiological evidence to support or refute the link between addictive Internet gaming, problematic Internet use, and sleep problems including insomnia and poor sleep quality. Seven studies were identified through a systematic literature search, of these three related to addictive Internet gaming and four on problematic Internet uses and sleep problems. Information was extracted and analysed systematically from each of the studies and tabulated as a summary. Results of the review suggest that additive gaming, particularly massively multiplayer online role-playing games MMORPG, might be associated with poorer quality of sleep. Results further indicated that problematic Internet use was associated with sleep problems including subjective insomnia and poor sleep quality.

"We don't need no education": Video game preferences, video game motivations, and aggressiveness among adolescent boys of different educational ability levels.

PubMed

Nije Bijvank, Marije; Konijn, Elly A; Bushman, Brad J

2012-02-01

This research focuses on low educational ability as a risk factor for aggression and violent game play. We propose that boys of lower educational ability are more attracted to violent video games than other boys are, and that they are also higher in trait aggressiveness and sensation seeking. Participants were Dutch boys in public schools (N = 830, age-range 11-17). In the Netherlands, standardized tests are used to place students into lower, medium, and higher educational ability groups. Results showed that boys in the lower educational ability group preferred to play violent, stand-alone games, identified more with video game characters, and perceived video games to be more realistic than other boys did. Lower levels of education were also related to higher levels of aggressiveness and sensation seeking. Higher educational ability boys preferred social, multiplayer games. Within a risk and resilience model, boys with lower educational ability are at greater risk for aggression. Copyright © 2011 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. All rights reserved.

Learning in the Virtual World: The Pedagogical Potentials of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Tao Wang

2009-01-01

A much more attractive way to use the internet was discovered. Users are represented by avatars in the fantasy persistent 3D world, and the avatars apparently come to occupy a special place in the hearts of their creators (Castronova, 2001). At present, millions of people worldwide have accounts to some kind of virtual environments. Virtual world…

Massive Multiplayer Online Gaming: A Research Framework for Military Training and Education

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-01

those required by a military transforming itself to operating under the concept of network centric warfare. The technologies and practice...learning. Simulations are popular in other business situations and management processes. Data files, video clips, and flowcharts might help learners...on nature of these environments is another key motivator. According to Randy Hinrich, Microsoft Research Group Research Manager for Learning

Panel: The Future of Research in Modeling & Simulation

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

in industry has not yet materialized. Massive, multiplayer on-line game systems represent one area where the technology has seen extensive commercial...deployment of experiment scripts, aggregation and analysis of data, and refinement and online adaptation of experiment designs through feedback as...findings in a specified context. Practitioners often consult with books, blogs, forums, online video tutorials, forums, and brief one-to- two page

Disconnected: Youth, New Media, and the Ethics Gap. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Carrie

2014-01-01

Fresh from a party, a teen posts a photo on Facebook of a friend drinking a beer. A college student repurposes an article from Wikipedia for a paper. A group of players in a multiplayer online game routinely cheat new players by selling them worthless virtual accessories for high prices. In "Disconnected", Carrie James examines how young…

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games: comparing characteristics of addict vs non-addict online recruited gamers in a French adult population.

PubMed

Achab, Sophia; Nicolier, Magali; Mauny, Frédéric; Monnin, Julie; Trojak, Benoit; Vandel, Pierre; Sechter, Daniel; Gorwood, Philip; Haffen, Emmanuel

2011-08-26

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) are a very popular and enjoyable leisure activity, and there is a lack of international validated instruments to assess excessive gaming. With the growing number of gamers worldwide, adverse effects (isolation, hospitalizations, excessive use, etc.) are observed in a minority of gamers, which is a concern for society and for the scientific community. In the present study, we focused on screening gamers at potential risk of MMORPG addiction. In this exploratory study, we focused on characteristics, online habits and problematic overuse in adult MMORPG gamers. In addition to socio-demographical data and gamer behavioral patterns, 3 different instruments for screening addiction were used in French MMORPG gamers recruited online over 10 consecutive months: the substance dependence criteria for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, fourth revised edition (DSM-IV-TR) that has been adapted for MMORPG (DAS), the qualitative Goldberg Internet Addiction Disorder scale (GIAD) and the quantitative Orman Internet Stress Scale (ISS). For all scales, a score above a specific threshold defined positivity. The 448 participating adult gamers were mainly young adult university graduates living alone in urban areas. Participants showed high rates of both Internet addiction (44.2% for GIAD, 32.6% for ISS) and DAS positivity (27.5%). Compared to the DAS negative group, DAS positive gamers reported significantly higher rates of tolerance phenomenon (increased amount of time in online gaming to obtain the desired effect) and declared significantly more social, financial (OR: 4.85), marital (OR: 4.61), family (OR: 4.69) and/or professional difficulties (OR: 4.42) since they started online gaming. Furthermore, these gamers self-reported significantly higher rates (3 times more) of irritability, daytime sleepiness, sleep deprivation due to play, low mood and emotional changes since online gaming onset. The DAS appeared to be a good first-line instrument to screen MMORPG addiction in online gamers. This study found high MMORPG addiction rates, and self-reported adverse symptoms in important aspects of life, including mood and sleep. This confirms the need to set up relevant prevention programs against online game overuse.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games: comparing characteristics of addict vs non-addict online recruited gamers in a French adult population

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) are a very popular and enjoyable leisure activity, and there is a lack of international validated instruments to assess excessive gaming. With the growing number of gamers worldwide, adverse effects (isolation, hospitalizations, excessive use, etc.) are observed in a minority of gamers, which is a concern for society and for the scientific community. In the present study, we focused on screening gamers at potential risk of MMORPG addiction. Methods In this exploratory study, we focused on characteristics, online habits and problematic overuse in adult MMORPG gamers. In addition to socio-demographical data and gamer behavioral patterns, 3 different instruments for screening addiction were used in French MMORPG gamers recruited online over 10 consecutive months: the substance dependence criteria for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, fourth revised edition (DSM-IV-TR) that has been adapted for MMORPG (DAS), the qualitative Goldberg Internet Addiction Disorder scale (GIAD) and the quantitative Orman Internet Stress Scale (ISS). For all scales, a score above a specific threshold defined positivity. Results The 448 participating adult gamers were mainly young adult university graduates living alone in urban areas. Participants showed high rates of both Internet addiction (44.2% for GIAD, 32.6% for ISS) and DAS positivity (27.5%). Compared to the DAS negative group, DAS positive gamers reported significantly higher rates of tolerance phenomenon (increased amount of time in online gaming to obtain the desired effect) and declared significantly more social, financial (OR: 4.85), marital (OR: 4.61), family (OR: 4.69) and/or professional difficulties (OR: 4.42) since they started online gaming. Furthermore, these gamers self-reported significantly higher rates (3 times more) of irritability, daytime sleepiness, sleep deprivation due to play, low mood and emotional changes since online gaming onset. Conclusions The DAS appeared to be a good first-line instrument to screen MMORPG addiction in online gamers. This study found high MMORPG addiction rates, and self-reported adverse symptoms in important aspects of life, including mood and sleep. This confirms the need to set up relevant prevention programs against online game overuse. PMID:21871089

Gaming Preferences of Aging Generations.

PubMed

Blocker, Kenneth A; Wright, Timothy J; Boot, Walter R

2014-01-01

Increasing evidence suggests that action digital game training can improve a variety of perceptual and cognitive abilities, including those that decline most with age. Unfortunately, previous work has found that older adults dislike these games and adherence may be poor for action game-based interventions. The focus of the current study was to better understand the types of games older adults are willing to play and explore predictors of game preference (e.g., gender, age, technology experience, personality). With this information action games might be modified or developed to maximize adherence and cognitive benefit. Older adults were administered a modified version of an existing game questionnaire and a custom game preference survey. Clear preferences were observed that were similar between participants with and without previous digital game experience (with puzzle and intellectually stimulating games being most interesting to older adults in our sample, and massively multiplayer online games and first-person shooters being least interesting). Personality, demographic, and technology experience variables were also collected. Interesting trends suggested the possibility that several demographic and personality variables might be predictive of game preference. Results have implications for future directions of research, designing games that would appeal to older adult audiences, and for how to design custom games to maximize intervention adherence based on individual difference characteristics.

Gaming Preferences of Aging Generations

PubMed Central

Blocker, Kenneth A.; Wright, Timothy J.; Boot, Walter R.

2017-01-01

Increasing evidence suggests that action digital game training can improve a variety of perceptual and cognitive abilities, including those that decline most with age. Unfortunately, previous work has found that older adults dislike these games and adherence may be poor for action game-based interventions. The focus of the current study was to better understand the types of games older adults are willing to play and explore predictors of game preference (e.g., gender, age, technology experience, personality). With this information action games might be modified or developed to maximize adherence and cognitive benefit. Older adults were administered a modified version of an existing game questionnaire and a custom game preference survey. Clear preferences were observed that were similar between participants with and without previous digital game experience (with puzzle and intellectually stimulating games being most interesting to older adults in our sample, and massively multiplayer online games and first-person shooters being least interesting). Personality, demographic, and technology experience variables were also collected. Interesting trends suggested the possibility that several demographic and personality variables might be predictive of game preference. Results have implications for future directions of research, designing games that would appeal to older adult audiences, and for how to design custom games to maximize intervention adherence based on individual difference characteristics. PMID:29033699

Identifying MMORPG Bots: A Traffic Analysis Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Kuan-Ta; Jiang, Jhih-Wei; Huang, Polly; Chu, Hao-Hua; Lei, Chin-Laung; Chen, Wen-Chin

2008-12-01

Massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) have become extremely popular among network gamers. Despite their success, one of MMORPG's greatest challenges is the increasing use of game bots, that is, autoplaying game clients. The use of game bots is considered unsportsmanlike and is therefore forbidden. To keep games in order, game police, played by actual human players, often patrol game zones and question suspicious players. This practice, however, is labor-intensive and ineffective. To address this problem, we analyze the traffic generated by human players versus game bots and propose general solutions to identify game bots. Taking Ragnarok Online as our subject, we study the traffic generated by human players and game bots. We find that their traffic is distinguishable by 1) the regularity in the release time of client commands, 2) the trend and magnitude of traffic burstiness in multiple time scales, and 3) the sensitivity to different network conditions. Based on these findings, we propose four strategies and two ensemble schemes to identify bots. Finally, we discuss the robustness of the proposed methods against countermeasures of bot developers, and consider a number of possible ways to manage the increasingly serious bot problem.

Physiological arousal deficits in addicted gamers differ based on preferred game genre.

PubMed

Metcalf, Olivia; Pammer, Kristen

2014-01-01

There has been significant discussion surrounding the psychopathology of excessive gaming and whether it constitutes an addiction. The current study investigated physiological and subjective levels of arousal in gamers of two genres and the relationship between sensation seeking and gaming addiction. Heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP) and skin conductance were recorded at baseline, during gaming for 15 min and after gaming in 30 massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) and 30 first-person shooter (FPS) male gamers. Gamers were identified as addicted using the Addiction-Engagement Questionnaire. Sensation seeking was measured using the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking. Addicted MMORPG gamers (n=16) displayed significant decreases in cardiovascular activity during gaming compared to baseline and showed significant increases after gaming. Addicted FPS gamers (n=13) had significant increases in BP during gaming which decreased significantly after gaming. In comparison, non-addicted MMORPG gamers (n=14) had significant decreases in HR during gaming, whereas BP in non-addicted MMORPG and FPS gamers (n=17) increased during gaming and after gaming. There were no significant relationships between sensation seeking and addiction. There are physiological arousal deficits in addicted gamers, and these patterns differ according to the genre of game played. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Prevalence of behavior changing strategies in fitness video games: theory-based content analysis.

PubMed

Lyons, Elizabeth Jane; Hatkevich, Claire

2013-05-07

Fitness video games are popular, but little is known about their content. Because many contain interactive tools that mimic behavioral strategies from weight loss intervention programs, it is possible that differences in content could affect player physical activity and/or weight outcomes. There is a need for a better understanding of what behavioral strategies are currently available in fitness games and how they are implemented. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of evidence-based behavioral strategies across fitness video games available for home use. Games available for consoles that used camera-based controllers were also contrasted with games available for a console that used handheld motion controllers. Fitness games (N=18) available for three home consoles were systematically identified and play-tested by 2 trained coders for at least 3 hours each. In cases of multiple games from one series, only the most recently released game was included. The Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox360 were the two camera-based consoles, and the Nintendo Wii was the handheld motion controller console. A coding list based on a taxonomy of behavioral strategies was used to begin coding. Codes were refined in an iterative process based on data found during play-testing. The most prevalent behavioral strategies were modeling (17/18), specific performance feedback (17/18), reinforcement (16/18), caloric expenditure feedback (15/18), and guided practice (15/18). All games included some kind of feedback on performance accuracy, exercise frequency, and/or fitness progress. Action planning (scheduling future workouts) was the least prevalent of the included strategies (4/18). Twelve games included some kind of social integration, with nine of them providing options for real-time multiplayer sessions. Only two games did not feature any kind of reward. Games for the camera-based consoles (mean 12.89, SD 2.71) included a greater number of strategies than those for the handheld motion controller console (mean 10.00, SD 2.74, P=.04). Behavioral strategies for increasing self-efficacy and self-regulation are common in home console fitness video games. Social support and reinforcement occurred in approximately half of the studied games. Strategy prevalence varies by console type, partially due to greater feedback afforded by camera-based controllers. Experimental studies are required to test the effects of these strategies when delivered as interactive tools, as this medium may represent an innovative platform for disseminating evidence-based behavioral weight loss intervention components.

Prevalence of Behavior Changing Strategies in Fitness Video Games: Theory-Based Content Analysis

PubMed Central

Hatkevich, Claire

2013-01-01

Background Fitness video games are popular, but little is known about their content. Because many contain interactive tools that mimic behavioral strategies from weight loss intervention programs, it is possible that differences in content could affect player physical activity and/or weight outcomes. There is a need for a better understanding of what behavioral strategies are currently available in fitness games and how they are implemented. Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of evidence-based behavioral strategies across fitness video games available for home use. Games available for consoles that used camera-based controllers were also contrasted with games available for a console that used handheld motion controllers. Methods Fitness games (N=18) available for three home consoles were systematically identified and play-tested by 2 trained coders for at least 3 hours each. In cases of multiple games from one series, only the most recently released game was included. The Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox360 were the two camera-based consoles, and the Nintendo Wii was the handheld motion controller console. A coding list based on a taxonomy of behavioral strategies was used to begin coding. Codes were refined in an iterative process based on data found during play-testing. Results The most prevalent behavioral strategies were modeling (17/18), specific performance feedback (17/18), reinforcement (16/18), caloric expenditure feedback (15/18), and guided practice (15/18). All games included some kind of feedback on performance accuracy, exercise frequency, and/or fitness progress. Action planning (scheduling future workouts) was the least prevalent of the included strategies (4/18). Twelve games included some kind of social integration, with nine of them providing options for real-time multiplayer sessions. Only two games did not feature any kind of reward. Games for the camera-based consoles (mean 12.89, SD 2.71) included a greater number of strategies than those for the handheld motion controller console (mean 10.00, SD 2.74, P=.04). Conclusions Behavioral strategies for increasing self-efficacy and self-regulation are common in home console fitness video games. Social support and reinforcement occurred in approximately half of the studied games. Strategy prevalence varies by console type, partially due to greater feedback afforded by camera-based controllers. Experimental studies are required to test the effects of these strategies when delivered as interactive tools, as this medium may represent an innovative platform for disseminating evidence-based behavioral weight loss intervention components. PMID:23651701

Assessing the advantage of morphological changes in Candida albicans: a game theoretical study

PubMed Central

Tyc, Katarzyna M.; Kühn, Clemens; Wilson, Duncan; Klipp, Edda

2014-01-01

A range of attributes determines the virulence of human pathogens. During interactions with their hosts, pathogenic microbes often undergo transitions between distinct stages, and the ability to switch between these can be directly related to the disease process. Understanding the mechanisms and dynamics of these transitions is a key factor in understanding and combating infectious diseases. The human fungal pathogen Candida albicans exhibits different morphotypes at different stages during the course of infection (candidiasis). For example, hyphae are considered to be the invasive form, which causes tissue damage, while yeast cells are predominant in the commensal stage. Here, we described interactions of C. albicans with its human host in a game theoretic model. In the game, players are fungal cells. Each fungal cell can adopt one of the two strategies: to exist as a yeast or hyphal cell. We characterized the ranges of model parameters in which the coexistence of both yeast and hyphal forms is plausible. Stability analysis of the system showed that, in theory, a reduced ability of the host to specifically recognize yeast and hyphal cells can result in bi-stability of the microbial populations' profile. Inspired by the model analysis we reasoned that the types of microbial interactions can change during invasive candidiasis. We found that positive cooperation among fungal cells occurs in mild infections and an enhanced tendency to invade the host is associated with negative cooperation. The model can easily be extended to multi-player systems with direct application to identifying individuals that enhance either positive or negative cooperation. Results of the modeling approach have potential application in developing treatment strategies. PMID:24567730

A CyberCIEGE Traffic Analysis Extension for Teaching Network Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

Information Technology LAN Local Area Network MAADNET Military Academy Attack/Defense Network MAC Media Access Control MMORPG Massively...ready to launch its latest massively multiplayer online role-playing game ( MMORPG ) “SyberSIEGE”! The product is currently in the final stages of...achieve his goal, this approach will still allow Tina to meet her goals and avoid disruptions to existing operations, which is also what would have

The influence of omniscient technology on cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Weihong; Li, Jian

2009-07-01

Scholars agree that concurrent algorithms are an interesting new topic in the field of cyberinformatics, and hackers worldwide concur. In fact, few end-users would disagree with the evaluation of architecture. We propose a Bayesian tool for harnessing massive multiplayer online role-playing games (FIRER), which we use to prove that the well-known ubiquitous algorithm for the improvement of wide-area networks by Karthik Lakshminarayanan is in Co-NP.

Self-concept deficits in massively multiplayer online role-playing games addiction.

PubMed

Leménager, Tagrid; Gwodz, Alexander; Richter, Anne; Reinhard, Iris; Kämmerer, Nina; Sell, Madlen; Mann, Karl

2013-01-01

Previous studies on Internet addiction point towards a particular constellation of personality traits and deficits in social competence of players addicted to massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), which are hypothesized to result from impairments in self-concept. The aim of this study was to examine differences in self-concept and degree of avatar identification in World of Warcraft addicted, non-addicted and naive (nonexperienced) participants. Participants (n = 45) completed interviews and self-report questionnaires on social, emotional and physical aspects of self-concept. Attributes of participants' 'actual self', 'ideal self' and their avatar were assessed using the Giessen test. The extent of avatar identification was examined by assessing differences between 'ideal self' and avatar evaluations. In contrast to nonaddicted and naive participants, addicted players showed a more negative body appraisal and lower self-esteem as well as lower permeability, social response, general mood and social potency on the Giessen test subscales. They further showed significantly lower discrepancies between 'ideal self' and avatar ratings on nearly all Giessen test subscales. The results point towards impairments in self-concept and a higher degree in avatar identification in addicted MMORPG players compared to the remaining participants. These results could have important implications for the treatment of addicted MMORPG players. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Video gamers of League of Legends: The role of passion in abusive use and in performance.

PubMed

Bertran, Enric; Chamarro, Andrés

2016-03-02

There is growing concern about the addictive potential of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG). The Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) is a new genre, poorly studied but very popular, in which performance holds priority over immersion. The aim of the current study was to explore the influence of passion both on abuse and performance, using the dualistic model of passion. A total of 369 participants completed an online questionnaire that included problematic use and the Passion Scale. From players' nicknames, performance statistics were obtained. The results show that harmonious passion is a protector from negative consequences. On the other hand, obsessive passion predicts negative consequences and use of videogames for evasion. Obsessive passion also predicts better performance. These results suggest that distinguishing the two kinds of passion is important because they influence vulnerability to developing maladaptive behaviors and also players' performance.

Nursing students' attitudes toward video games and related new media technologies.

PubMed

Lynch-Sauer, Judith; Vandenbosch, Terry M; Kron, Frederick; Gjerde, Craig Livingston; Arato, Nora; Sen, Ananda; Fetters, Michael D

2011-09-01

Little is known about Millennial nursing students' attitudes toward computer games and new media in nursing education and whether these attitudes differ between undergraduates and graduates. This study elicited nursing students' experience with computer games and new media, their attitudes toward various instructional styles and methods, and the role of computer games and new media technologies in nursing education. We e-mailed all nursing students enrolled in two universities to invite their participation in an anonymous cross-sectional online survey. The survey collected demographic data and participants' experience with and attitudes toward video gaming and multi-player online health care simulations. We used descriptive statistics and logistic regression to compare the differences between undergraduates and graduates. Two hundred eighteen nursing students participated. Many of the nursing students support using new media technologies in nursing education. Nurse educators should identify areas suitable for new media integration and further evaluate the effectiveness of these technologies. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

Quantum Games under Decoherence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Zhiming; Qiu, Daowen

2016-02-01

Quantum systems are easily influenced by ambient environments. Decoherence is generated by system interaction with external environment. In this paper, we analyse the effects of decoherence on quantum games with Eisert-Wilkens-Lewenstein (EWL) (Eisert et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 83(15), 3077 1999) and Marinatto-Weber (MW) (Marinatto and Weber, Phys. Lett. A 272, 291 2000) schemes. Firstly, referring to the analytical approach that was introduced by Eisert et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 83(15), 3077 1999), we analyse the effects of decoherence on quantum Chicken game by considering different traditional noisy channels. We investigate the Nash equilibria and changes of payoff in specific two-parameter strategy set for maximally entangled initial states. We find that the Nash equilibria are different in different noisy channels. Since Unruh effect produces a decoherence-like effect and can be perceived as a quantum noise channel (Omkar et al., arXiv: 1408.1477v1), with the same two parameter strategy set, we investigate the influences of decoherence generated by the Unruh effect on three-player quantum Prisoners' Dilemma, the non-zero sum symmetric multiplayer quantum game both for unentangled and entangled initial states. We discuss the effect of the acceleration of noninertial frames on the the game's properties such as payoffs, symmetry, Nash equilibrium, Pareto optimal, dominant strategy, etc. Finally, we study the decoherent influences of correlated noise and Unruh effect on quantum Stackelberg duopoly for entangled and unentangled initial states with the depolarizing channel. Our investigations show that under the influence of correlated depolarizing channel and acceleration in noninertial frame, some critical points exist for an unentangled initial state at which firms get equal payoffs and the game becomes a follower advantage game. It is shown that the game is always a leader advantage game for a maximally entangled initial state and there appear some points at which the payoffs become zero.

Dynamic phenomena and human activity in an artificial society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grabowski, A.; Kruszewska, N.; Kosiński, R. A.

2008-12-01

We study dynamic phenomena in a large social network of nearly 3×104 individuals who interact in the large virtual world of a massive multiplayer online role playing game. On the basis of a database received from the online game server, we examine the structure of the friendship network and human dynamics. To investigate the relation between networks of acquaintances in virtual and real worlds, we carried out a survey among the players. We show that, even though the virtual network did not develop as a growing graph of an underlying network of social acquaintances in the real world, it influences it. Furthermore we find very interesting scaling laws concerning human dynamics. Our research shows how long people are interested in a single task and how much time they devote to it. Surprisingly, exponent values in both cases are close to -1 . We calculate the activity of individuals, i.e., the relative time daily devoted to interactions with others in the artificial society. Our research shows that the distribution of activity is not uniform and is highly correlated with the degree of the node, and that such human activity has a significant influence on dynamic phenomena, e.g., epidemic spreading and rumor propagation, in complex networks. We find that spreading is accelerated (an epidemic) or decelerated (a rumor) as a result of superspreaders’ various behavior.

Competitive active video games: Physiological and psychological responses in children and adolescents.

PubMed

Lisón, Juan F; Cebolla, Ausias; Guixeres, Jaime; Álvarez-Pitti, Julio; Escobar, Patricia; Bruñó, Alejandro; Lurbe, Empar; Alcañiz, Mariano; Baños, Rosa

2015-10-01

Recent strategies to reduce sedentary behaviour in children include replacing sedentary screen time for active video games. Active video game studies have focused principally on the metabolic consumption of a single player, with physiological and psychological responses of opponent-based multiplayer games to be further evaluated. To determine whether adding a competitive component to playing active video games impacts physiological and psychological responses in players. Sixty-two healthy Caucasian children and adolescents, nine to 14 years years of age, completed three conditions (8 min each) in random order: treadmill walking, and single and opponent-based Kinect active video games. Affect, arousal, rate of perceived exertion, heart rate and percentage of heart rate reserve were measured for each participant and condition. Kinect conditions revealed significantly higher heart rate, percentage of heart rate reserve, rate of perceived exertion and arousal when compared with treadmill walking (P<0.001). Opponent-based condition revealed lower values for the rate of perceived exertion (P=0.02) and higher affect (P=0.022) when compared with single play. Competitive active video games improved children's psychological responses (affect and rate of perceived exertion) compared with single play, providing a solution that may contribute toward improved adherence to physical activity.

On the influence of latency estimation on dynamic group communication using overlays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vik, Knut-Helge; Griwodz, Carsten; Halvorsen, Pål

2009-01-01

Distributed interactive applications tend to have stringent latency requirements and some may have high bandwidth demands. Many of them have also very dynamic user groups for which all-to-all communication is needed. In online multiplayer games, for example, such groups are determined through region-of-interest management in the application. We have investigated a variety of group management approaches for overlay networks in earlier work and shown that several useful tree heuristics exist. However, these heuristics require full knowledge of all overlay link latencies. Since this is not scalable, we investigate the effects that latency estimation techqniues have ton the quality of overlay tree constructions. We do this by evaluating one example of our group management approaches in Planetlab and examing how latency estimation techqniues influence their quality. Specifically, we investigate how two well-known latency estimation techniques, Vivaldi and Netvigator, affect the quality of tree building.

Conducting real-time multiplayer experiments on the web.

PubMed

Hawkins, Robert X D

2015-12-01

Group behavior experiments require potentially large numbers of participants to interact in real time with perfect information about one another. In this paper, we address the methodological challenge of developing and conducting such experiments on the web, thereby broadening access to online labor markets as well as allowing for participation through mobile devices. In particular, we combine a set of recent web development technologies, including Node.js with the Socket.io module, HTML5 canvas, and jQuery, to provide a secure platform for pedagogical demonstrations and scalable, unsupervised experiment administration. Template code is provided for an example real-time behavioral game theory experiment which automatically pairs participants into dyads and places them into a virtual world. In total, this treatment is intended to allow those with a background in non-web-based programming to modify the template, which handles the technical server-client networking details, for their own experiments.

Real-time monitoring prefrontal activities during online video game playing by functional near-infrared spectroscopy.

PubMed

Li, Yue; Zhang, Lei; Long, Kehong; Gong, Hui; Lei, Hao

2018-02-16

A growing body of literature has suggested that video game playing can induce functional and structural plasticity of the brain. The underlying mechanisms, however, remain poorly understood. In this study, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to record prefrontal activities in 24 experienced game players when they played a massively multiplayer online battle arena video game, League of Legends (LOL), under naturalistic conditions. It was observed that game onset was associated with significant activations in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) and concomitant deactivations in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and frontal pole area (FPA). Game events, such as slaying an enemy and being slain by an enemy evoked region-specific time-locked hemodynamic/oxygenation responses in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). It was proposed that the VLPFC activities during LOL playing are likely responses to visuo-motor task load of the game, while the DLPFC/FPA activities may be involved in the constant shifts of attentional states and allocation of cognitive resources required by game playing. The present study demonstrated that it is feasible to use fNIRS to monitor real-time prefrontal activity during online video game playing. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Bayesian Modeling of a Human MMORPG Player

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Synnaeve, Gabriel; Bessière, Pierre

2011-03-01

This paper describes an application of Bayesian programming to the control of an autonomous avatar in a multiplayer role-playing game (the example is based on World of Warcraft). We model a particular task, which consists of choosing what to do and to select which target in a situation where allies and foes are present. We explain the model in Bayesian programming and show how we could learn the conditional probabilities from data gathered during human-played sessions.

Time perspective as a predictor of massive multiplayer online role-playing game playing.

PubMed

Lukavska, Katerina

2012-01-01

This article focuses on the relationship between the time perspective (TP) personality trait and massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) playing. We investigate the question of frequency of playing. The TP was measured with Zimbardo's TP Inventory (ZTPI), which includes five factors-past negative, past positive, present hedonistic, present fatalistic, and future. The study used data from 154 MMORPG players. We demonstrated that TP partially explained differences within a group of players with respect to the frequency of playing. Significant positive correlations were found between present factors and the amount of time spent playing MMORPGs, and significant negative correlation was found between the future factor and the time spent playing MMORPGs. Our study also revealed the influence of future-present balance on playing time. Players who scored lower in future-present balance variables (their present score was relatively high compared with their future score) reported higher values in playing time. In contrast to referential studies on TP and drug abuse and gambling, present fatalistic TP was demonstrated to be a stronger predictor of extensive playing than present hedonistic TP, which opened the question of motivation for playing. The advantage of our study compared with other personality-based studies lies in the fact that TP is a stable but malleable personality trait with a direct link to playing behavior. Therefore, TP is a promising conceptual resource for excessive playing therapy.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training by Avatars: A Qualitative Study of Medical Students' Experiences Using a Multiplayer Virtual World.

PubMed

Creutzfeldt, Johan; Hedman, Leif; Felländer-Tsai, Li

2016-12-16

Emergency medical practices are often team efforts. Training for various tasks and collaborations may be carried out in virtual environments. Although promising results exist from studies of serious games, little is known about the subjective reactions of learners when using multiplayer virtual world (MVW) training in medicine. The objective of this study was to reach a better understanding of the learners' reactions and experiences when using an MVW for team training of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Twelve Swedish medical students participated in semistructured focus group discussions after CPR training in an MVW with partially preset options. The students' perceptions and feelings related to use of this educational tool were investigated. Using qualitative methodology, discussions were analyzed by a phenomenological data-driven approach. Quality measures included negotiations, back-and-forth reading, triangulation, and validation with the informants. Four categories characterizing the students' experiences could be defined: (1) Focused Mental Training, (2) Interface Diverting Focus From Training, (3) Benefits of Practicing in a Group, and (4) Easy Loss of Focus When Passive. We interpreted the results, compared them to findings of others, and propose advantages and risks of using virtual worlds for learning. Beneficial aspects of learning CPR in a virtual world were confirmed. To achieve high participant engagement and create good conditions for training, well-established procedures should be practiced. Furthermore, students should be kept in an active mode and frequent feedback should be utilized. It cannot be completely ruled out that the use of virtual training may contribute to erroneous self-beliefs that can affect later clinical performance. ©Johan Creutzfeldt, Leif Hedman, Li Felländer-Tsai. Originally published in JMIR Serious Games (http://games.jmir.org), 16.12.2016.

A monument to the player: preserving a landscape of socio-cultural capital in the transitional MMORPG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

`Adrir'Scott, Michael

2012-12-01

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) produce dynamic socio-ludic worlds that nurture both culture and gameplay to shape experiences. Despite the persistent nature of these games, however, the virtual spaces that anchor these worlds may not always be able to exist in perpetuity. Encouraging a community to migrate from one space to another is a challenge now facing some game developers. This paper examines the case of Guild Wars® and its "Hall of Monuments", a feature that bridges the accomplishments of players from the current game to the forthcoming sequel. Two factor analyses describe the perspectives of 105 and 187 self-selected participants. The results reveal four factors affecting attitudes towards the feature, but they do not strongly correlate with existing motivational frameworks, and significant differences were found between different cultures within the game. This informs a discussion about the implications and facilitation of such transitions, investigating themes of capital, value perception and assumptive worlds. It is concluded that the way subcultures produce meaning needs to be considered when attempting to preserve the socio-cultural landscape.

Cyclic Game Dynamics Driven by Iterated Reasoning

PubMed Central

Frey, Seth; Goldstone, Robert L.

2013-01-01

Recent theories from complexity science argue that complex dynamics are ubiquitous in social and economic systems. These claims emerge from the analysis of individually simple agents whose collective behavior is surprisingly complicated. However, economists have argued that iterated reasoning–what you think I think you think–will suppress complex dynamics by stabilizing or accelerating convergence to Nash equilibrium. We report stable and efficient periodic behavior in human groups playing the Mod Game, a multi-player game similar to Rock-Paper-Scissors. The game rewards subjects for thinking exactly one step ahead of others in their group. Groups that play this game exhibit cycles that are inconsistent with any fixed-point solution concept. These cycles are driven by a “hopping” behavior that is consistent with other accounts of iterated reasoning: agents are constrained to about two steps of iterated reasoning and learn an additional one-half step with each session. If higher-order reasoning can be complicit in complex emergent dynamics, then cyclic and chaotic patterns may be endogenous features of real-world social and economic systems. PMID:23441191

Social dilemma structure hidden behind traffic flow with route selection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanimoto, Jun; Nakamura, Kousuke

2016-10-01

Several traffic flows contain social dilemma structures. Herein, we explored a route-selection problem using a cellular automaton simulation dovetailed with evolutionary game theory. In our model, two classes of driver-agents coexist: D agents (defective strategy), which refer to traffic information for route selection to move fast, and C agents (cooperative strategy), which are insensitive to information and less inclined to move fast. Although no evidence suggests that the social dilemma structure in low density causes vehicles to move freely and that in high density causes traffic jams, we found a structure that corresponds to an n-person (multiplayer) Chicken (n-Chicken) game if the provided traffic information is inappropriate. If appropriate traffic information is given to the agents, the n-Chicken game can be solved. The information delivered to vehicles is crucial for easing the social dilemma due to urban traffic congestion when developing technologies to support the intelligent transportation system (ITS).

Off-Policy Integral Reinforcement Learning Method to Solve Nonlinear Continuous-Time Multiplayer Nonzero-Sum Games.

PubMed

Song, Ruizhuo; Lewis, Frank L; Wei, Qinglai

2017-03-01

This paper establishes an off-policy integral reinforcement learning (IRL) method to solve nonlinear continuous-time (CT) nonzero-sum (NZS) games with unknown system dynamics. The IRL algorithm is presented to obtain the iterative control and off-policy learning is used to allow the dynamics to be completely unknown. Off-policy IRL is designed to do policy evaluation and policy improvement in the policy iteration algorithm. Critic and action networks are used to obtain the performance index and control for each player. The gradient descent algorithm makes the update of critic and action weights simultaneously. The convergence analysis of the weights is given. The asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system and the existence of Nash equilibrium are proved. The simulation study demonstrates the effectiveness of the developed method for nonlinear CT NZS games with unknown system dynamics.

MMORPG escapism predicts decreased well-being: examination of gaming time, game realism beliefs, and online social support for offline problems.

PubMed

Kaczmarek, Lukasz D; Drążkowski, Dariusz

2014-05-01

Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) escapists are individuals who indulge in the MMORPG environment to avoid real world problems. Though a relationship between escapism and deteriorated well-being has been established, little is known about particular pathways that mediate this relationship. In the current study, we examined this topic by testing an integrative model of MMORPG escapism, which includes game realism beliefs, gaming time, offline social support, and online social support for offline problems. MMORPG players (N=1,056) completed measures of escapist motivation, game realism beliefs, social support, well-being, and reported gaming time. The tested structural equation model had a good fit to the data. We found that individuals with escapist motivation endorsed stronger game realism beliefs and spent more time playing MMORPGs, which, in turn, increased online support but decreased offline social support. Well-being was favorably affected by both online and offline social support, although offline social support had a stronger effect. The higher availability of online social support for offline problems did not compensate for the lower availability of offline support among MMORPG escapists. Understanding the psychological factors related to depletion of social resources in MMORPG players can help optimize MMORPGs as leisure activities.

The ideal elf: identity exploration in World of Warcraft.

PubMed

Bessière, Katherine; Seay, A Fleming; Kiesler, Sara

2007-08-01

In this study, we examine the identity exploration possibilities presented by online multiplayer games in which players use graphics tools and character-creation software to construct an avatar, or character. We predicted World of Warcraft players would create their main character more similar to their ideal self than the players themselves were. Our results support this idea; a sample of players rated their character as having more favorable attributes that were more favorable than their own self-rated attributes. This trend was stronger among those with lower psychological well-being, who rated themselves comparatively lower than they rated their character. Our results suggest that the game world allows players the freedom to create successful virtual selves regardless of the constraints of their actual situation.

Network characteristics for server selection in online games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claypool, Mark

2008-01-01

Online gameplay is impacted by the network characteristics of players connected to the same server. Unfortunately, the network characteristics of online game servers are not well-understood, particularly for groups that wish to play together on the same server. As a step towards a remedy, this paper presents analysis of an extensive set of measurements of game servers on the Internet. Over the course of many months, actual Internet game servers were queried simultaneously by twenty-five emulated game clients, with both servers and clients spread out on the Internet. The data provides statistics on the uptime and populations of game servers over a month long period an an in-depth look at the suitability for game servers for multi-player server selection, concentrating on characteristics critical to playability--latency and fairness. Analysis finds most game servers have latencies suitable for third-person and omnipresent games, such as real-time strategy, sports and role-playing games, providing numerous server choices for game players. However, far fewer game servers have the low latencies required for first-person games, such as shooters or race games. In all cases, groups that wish to play together have a greatly reduced set of servers from which to choose because of inherent unfairness in server latencies and server selection is particularly limited as the group size increases. These results hold across different game types and even across different generations of games. The data should be useful for game developers and network researchers that seek to improve game server selection, whether for single or multiple players.

The (co-)occurrence of problematic video gaming, substance use, and psychosocial problems in adolescents.

PubMed

VAN Rooij, Antonius J; Kuss, Daria J; Griffiths, Mark D; Shorter, Gillian W; Schoenmakers, M Tim; VAN DE Mheen, Dike

2014-09-01

The current study explored the nature of problematic (addictive) video gaming (PVG) and the association with game type, psychosocial health, and substance use. Data were collected using a paper and pencil survey in the classroom setting. Three samples were aggregated to achieve a total sample of 8478 unique adolescents. Scales included measures of game use, game type, the Video game Addiction Test (VAT), depressive mood, negative self-esteem, loneliness, social anxiety, education performance, and use of cannabis, alcohol and nicotine (smoking). Findings confirmed problematic gaming is most common amongst adolescent gamers who play multiplayer online games. Boys (60%) were more likely to play online games than girls (14%) and problematic gamers were more likely to be boys (5%) than girls (1%). High problematic gamers showed higher scores on depressive mood, loneliness, social anxiety, negative self-esteem, and self-reported lower school performance. Nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis using boys were almost twice more likely to report high PVG than non-users. It appears that online gaming in general is not necessarily associated with problems. However, problematic gamers do seem to play online games more often, and a small subgroup of gamers - specifically boys - showed lower psychosocial functioning and lower grades. Moreover, associations with alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use are found. It would appear that problematic gaming is an undesirable problem for a small subgroup of gamers. The findings encourage further exploration of the role of psychoactive substance use in problematic gaming.

The (co-)occurrence of problematic video gaming, substance use, and psychosocial problems in adolescents

PubMed Central

VAN ROOIJ, ANTONIUS J.; KUSS, DARIA J.; GRIFFITHS, MARK D.; SHORTER, GILLIAN W.; SCHOENMAKERS, M. TIM; VAN DE MHEEN, DIKE

2014-01-01

Abstract Aims: The current study explored the nature of problematic (addictive) video gaming (PVG) and the association with game type, psychosocial health, and substance use. Methods: Data were collected using a paper and pencil survey in the classroom setting. Three samples were aggregated to achieve a total sample of 8478 unique adolescents. Scales included measures of game use, game type, the Video game Addiction Test (VAT), depressive mood, negative self-esteem, loneliness, social anxiety, education performance, and use of cannabis, alcohol and nicotine (smoking). Results: Findings confirmed problematic gaming is most common amongst adolescent gamers who play multiplayer online games. Boys (60%) were more likely to play online games than girls (14%) and problematic gamers were more likely to be boys (5%) than girls (1%). High problematic gamers showed higher scores on depressive mood, loneliness, social anxiety, negative self-esteem, and self-reported lower school performance. Nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis using boys were almost twice more likely to report high PVG than non-users. Conclusions: It appears that online gaming in general is not necessarily associated with problems. However, problematic gamers do seem to play online games more often, and a small subgroup of gamers – specifically boys – showed lower psychosocial functioning and lower grades. Moreover, associations with alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use are found. It would appear that problematic gaming is an undesirable problem for a small subgroup of gamers. The findings encourage further exploration of the role of psychoactive substance use in problematic gaming. PMID:25317339

Visualization in transportation: challenges and opportunities for everyone.

PubMed

Pack, Michael L

2010-01-01

Transportation is the backbone of the civilization and the reason for the economic prosperity. There's serious money in our transportation infrastructure, research, policy, data collection, and, yes, software and other IT systems. The paper presents a highlevel introduction to current visualization research for transportation, discuss research opportunities, and encourage the CG community to get involved. It briefly covers transportation data visualization, wide-area real-time simulation, visualizing and mining archived data, massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), and even virtual design and construction.

Healthy Gaming - Video Game Design to promote Health.

PubMed

Brox, E; Fernandez-Luque, L; Tøllefsen, T

2011-01-01

There is an increasing interest in health games including simulation tools, games for specific conditions, persuasive games to promote a healthy life style or exergames where physical exercise is used to control the game. The objective of the article is to review current literature about available health games and the impact related to game design principles as well as some educational theory aspects. Literature from the big databases and known sites with games for health has been searched to find articles about games for health purposes. The focus has been on educational games, persuasive games and exergames as well as articles describing game design principles. The medical objectives can either be a part of the game theme (intrinsic) or be totally dispatched (extrinsic), and particularly persuasive games seem to use extrinsic game design. Peer support is important, but there is only limited research on multiplayer health games. Evaluation of health games can be both medical and technical, and the focus will depend on the game purpose. There is still not enough evidence to conclude which design principles work for what purposes since most of the literature in health serious games does not specify design methodologies, but it seems that extrinsic methods work in persuasion. However, when designing health care games it is important to define both the target group and main objective, and then design a game accordingly using sound game design principles, but also utilizing design elements to enhance learning and persuasion. A collaboration with health professionals from an early design stage is necessary both to ensure that the content is valid and to have the game validated from a clinical viewpoint. Patients need to be involved, especially to improve usability. More research should be done on social aspects in health games, both related to learning and persuasion.

Structural power and the evolution of collective fairness in social networks.

PubMed

Santos, Fernando P; Pacheco, Jorge M; Paiva, Ana; Santos, Francisco C

2017-01-01

From work contracts and group buying platforms to political coalitions and international climate and economical summits, often individuals assemble in groups that must collectively reach decisions that may favor each part unequally. Here we quantify to which extent our network ties promote the evolution of collective fairness in group interactions, modeled by means of Multiplayer Ultimatum Games (MUG). We show that a single topological feature of social networks-which we call structural power-has a profound impact on the tendency of individuals to take decisions that favor each part equally. Increased fair outcomes are attained whenever structural power is high, such that the networks that tie individuals allow them to meet the same partners in different groups, thus providing the opportunity to strongly influence each other. On the other hand, the absence of such close peer-influence relationships dismisses any positive effect created by the network. Interestingly, we show that increasing the structural power of a network leads to the appearance of well-defined modules-as found in human social networks that often exhibit community structure-providing an interaction environment that maximizes collective fairness.

The influence of game genre on Internet gaming disorder.

PubMed

Na, Euihyeon; Choi, Inyoung; Lee, Taek-Ho; Lee, Hyeseon; Rho, Mi Jung; Cho, Hyun; Jung, Dong Jin; Kim, Dai-Jin

2017-06-29

Background and aims Although Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has been investigated in detail, minimal research has been conducted regarding the influence of different game genres on IGD. The aim of this study is to compare the characteristics of members of game genre-specific groups with IGD and to identify factors associated with IGD status in each group in a large sample of adults. Methods Internet games were categorized into four genres: real-time strategy games, massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG), sport games, and first-person shooter (FPS) games. Participants (n = 2,923) who usually played one of these games completed an anonymous online survey that collected sociodemographic, game usage pattern, and psychopathological assessment data. Results MMORPG and FPS game players more frequently met the criteria for IGD than participants in the other two groups. Differences between the IGD-suspected gamers within the genre-specific groups were observed for a few items, such as average game-playing time and the subscales of the behavioral activation system; however, the factors that contributed to the development of IGD within each game genre-specific group were found to be considerably different. Discussion and conclusions The findings of this study suggest that IGD is a stable psychiatric diagnosis encompassing users of a broad range of game genres. In addition, the development of strategies for the prevention of and early intervention on individuals at high risk for developing IGD may require consideration of the distinct characteristics identified as effective predictors of IGD in users of each game genre.

The influence of game genre on Internet gaming disorder

PubMed Central

Na, Euihyeon; Choi, Inyoung; Lee, Taek-Ho; Lee, Hyeseon; Rho, Mi Jung; Cho, Hyun; Jung, Dong Jin; Kim, Dai-Jin

2017-01-01

Background and aims Although Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has been investigated in detail, minimal research has been conducted regarding the influence of different game genres on IGD. The aim of this study is to compare the characteristics of members of game genre-specific groups with IGD and to identify factors associated with IGD status in each group in a large sample of adults. Methods Internet games were categorized into four genres: real-time strategy games, massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG), sport games, and first-person shooter (FPS) games. Participants (n = 2,923) who usually played one of these games completed an anonymous online survey that collected sociodemographic, game usage pattern, and psychopathological assessment data. Results MMORPG and FPS game players more frequently met the criteria for IGD than participants in the other two groups. Differences between the IGD-suspected gamers within the genre-specific groups were observed for a few items, such as average game-playing time and the subscales of the behavioral activation system; however, the factors that contributed to the development of IGD within each game genre-specific group were found to be considerably different. Discussion and conclusions The findings of this study suggest that IGD is a stable psychiatric diagnosis encompassing users of a broad range of game genres. In addition, the development of strategies for the prevention of and early intervention on individuals at high risk for developing IGD may require consideration of the distinct characteristics identified as effective predictors of IGD in users of each game genre. PMID:28658960

Space Operations Learning Center Facebook Application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lui, Ben; Milner, Barbara; Binebrink, Dan; Kuok, Heng

2012-01-01

The proposed Space Operations Learning Center (SOLC) Facebook module, initially code-named Spaceville, is intended to be an educational online game utilizing the latest social networking technology to reach a broad audience base and inspire young audiences to be interested in math, science, and engineering. Spaceville will be a Facebook application/ game with the goal of combining learning with a fun game and social environment. The mission of the game is to build a scientific outpost on the Moon or Mars and expand the colony. Game activities include collecting resources, trading resources, completing simple science experiments, and building architectures such as laboratories, habitats, greenhouses, machine shops, etc. The player is awarded with points and achievement levels. The player s ability increases as his/her points and levels increase. A player can interact with other players using multiplayer Facebook functionality. As a result, a player can discover unexpected treasures through scientific missions, engineering, and working with others. The player creates his/her own avatar with his/her selection of its unique appearance, and names the character. The player controls the avatar to perform activities such as collecting oxygen molecules or building a habitat. From observations of other successful social online games such as Farmville and Restaurant City, a common element of these games is having eye-catching and cartoonish characters, and interesting animations for all activities. This will create a fun, educational, and rewarding environment. The player needs to accumulate points in order to be awarded special items needed for advancing to higher levels. Trophies will be awarded to the player when certain goals are reached or tasks are completed. In order to acquire some special items needed for advancement in the game, the player will need to visit his/her neighboring towns to discover the items. This is the social aspect of the game that requires the player to go out of his/her own establishment to explore what is in the neighborhood. Spaceville will take advantage of Facebook s successful architecture to inspire a new audience of scientists and engineers for the future.

3D multiplayer virtual pets game using Google Card Board

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herumurti, Darlis; Riskahadi, Dimas; Kuswardayan, Imam

2017-08-01

Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology which allows user to interact with the virtual environment. This virtual environment is generated and simulated by computer. This technology can make user feel the sensation when they are in the virtual environment. The VR technology provides real virtual environment view for user and it is not viewed from screen. But it needs another additional device to show the view of virtual environment. This device is known as Head Mounted Device (HMD). Oculust Rift and Microsoft Hololens are the most famous HMD devices used in VR. And in 2014, Google Card Board was introduced at Google I/O developers conference. Google Card Board is VR platform which allows user to enjoy the VR with simple and cheap way. In this research, we explore Google Card Board to develop simulation game of raising pet. The Google Card Board is used to create view for the VR environment. The view and control in VR environment is built using Unity game engine. And the simulation process is designed using Finite State Machine (FSM). This FSM can help to design the process clearly. So the simulation process can describe the simulation of raising pet well. Raising pet is fun activity. But sometimes, there are many conditions which cause raising pet become difficult to do, i.e. environment condition, disease, high cost, etc. this research aims to explore and implement Google Card Board in simulation of raising pet.

Foreign language learning in immersive virtual environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Benjamin; Sheldon, Lee; Si, Mei; Hand, Anton

2012-03-01

Virtual reality has long been used for training simulations in fields from medicine to welding to vehicular operation, but simulations involving more complex cognitive skills present new design challenges. Foreign language learning, for example, is increasingly vital in the global economy, but computer-assisted education is still in its early stages. Immersive virtual reality is a promising avenue for language learning as a way of dynamically creating believable scenes for conversational training and role-play simulation. Visual immersion alone, however, only provides a starting point. We suggest that the addition of social interactions and motivated engagement through narrative gameplay can lead to truly effective language learning in virtual environments. In this paper, we describe the development of a novel application for teaching Mandarin using CAVE-like VR, physical props, human actors and intelligent virtual agents, all within a semester-long multiplayer mystery game. Students travel (virtually) to China on a class field trip, which soon becomes complicated with intrigue and mystery surrounding the lost manuscript of an early Chinese literary classic. Virtual reality environments such as the Forbidden City and a Beijing teahouse provide the setting for learning language, cultural traditions, and social customs, as well as the discovery of clues through conversation in Mandarin with characters in the game.

A Cognitive Task Analysis for an Emergency Management Serious Game.

PubMed

Dass, Susan; Barnieu, Joanne; Cummings, Paul; Cid, Victor

2016-01-01

The Bethesda Hospitals' Emergency Preparedness Partnership identified a need to design training systems for hospital emergency management scenarios that included incident command situations. As part of this partnership, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) was challenged to develop an engaging, learner-centered simulation to specifically address hospital procedures for highly infectious diseases (HIDs) for multiple hospital roles. A serious game approach was selected for the simulation because collaborative (multiplayer) immersive, game-based simulations have been proven to generate realistic and engaging learning experiences and, when properly designed, can enhance training while minimizing cost compared to full-scale disaster exercises (Spain et al., 2013). Although substantial research effort has been put into design and evaluation of serious games, less time has been spent on developing sound instructional design methodologies to support serious game development. So how does one collect the appropriate, relevant, contextualized content and then align with serious game design elements? This paper describes how a cognitive task approach supported by a live demonstration with a think-aloud protocol was used to collect the rich psychomotor, procedural, and cognitive data necessary for the design of a serious game for handling HIDs. Furthermore, the paper presents a process to translate the collected data into meaningful content to support rapid prototyping. Recommendations for data collection and translation for a serious game close the paper.

A Cognitive Task Analysis for an Emergency Management Serious Game

PubMed Central

Dass, Susan; Barnieu, Joanne; Cummings, Paul; Cid, Victor

2017-01-01

The Bethesda Hospitals' Emergency Preparedness Partnership identified a need to design training systems for hospital emergency management scenarios that included incident command situations. As part of this partnership, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) was challenged to develop an engaging, learner-centered simulation to specifically address hospital procedures for highly infectious diseases (HIDs) for multiple hospital roles. A serious game approach was selected for the simulation because collaborative (multiplayer) immersive, game-based simulations have been proven to generate realistic and engaging learning experiences and, when properly designed, can enhance training while minimizing cost compared to full-scale disaster exercises (Spain et al., 2013). Although substantial research effort has been put into design and evaluation of serious games, less time has been spent on developing sound instructional design methodologies to support serious game development. So how does one collect the appropriate, relevant, contextualized content and then align with serious game design elements? This paper describes how a cognitive task approach supported by a live demonstration with a think-aloud protocol was used to collect the rich psychomotor, procedural, and cognitive data necessary for the design of a serious game for handling HIDs. Furthermore, the paper presents a process to translate the collected data into meaningful content to support rapid prototyping. Recommendations for data collection and translation for a serious game close the paper. PMID:29629430

Dynamic social networks facilitate cooperation in the N-player Prisoner’s Dilemma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rezaei, Golriz; Kirley, Michael

2012-12-01

Understanding how cooperative behaviour evolves in network communities, where the individual members interact via social dilemma games, is an on-going challenge. In this paper, we introduce a social network based model to investigate the evolution of cooperation in the N-player Prisoner’s Dilemma game. As such, this work complements previous studies focused on multi-player social dilemma games and endogenous networks. Agents in our model, employ different game-playing strategies reflecting varying cognitive capacities. When an agent plays cooperatively, a social link is formed with each of the other N-1 group members. Subsequent cooperative actions reinforce this link. However, when an agent defects, the links in the social network are broken. Computational simulations across a range of parameter settings are used to examine different scenarios: varying population and group sizes; the group formation process (or partner selection); and agent decision-making strategies under varying dilemma constraints (cost-to-benefit ratios), including a “discriminator” strategy where the action is based on a function of the weighted links within an agent’s social network. The simulation results show that the proposed social network model is able to evolve and maintain cooperation. As expected, as the value of N increases the equilibrium proportion of cooperators in the population decreases. In addition, this outcome is dependent on the dilemma constraint (cost-to-benefit ratio). However, in some circumstances the dynamic social network plays an increasingly important role in promoting and sustaining cooperation, especially when the agents adopt the discriminator strategy. The adjustment of social links results in the formation of communities of “like-minded” agents. Subsequently, this local optimal behaviour promotes the evolution of cooperative behaviour at the system level.

Personality profiles associated with different motivations for playing World of Warcraft.

PubMed

Graham, Lindsay T; Gosling, Samuel D

2013-03-01

Gamers play massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) for a variety of reasons. For example, some gamers play primarily as a form of socialization, whereas others play to gain a sense of achievement. Past studies have shown that these motives are associated with individual differences such as gender and number of years spent playing online games. What other individual differences might affect why people play MMORPGs? Personality is known to be associated with in-game behaviors, raising the possibility of link between personality and gaming motives. The present study examines the relationship between gamers' Big Five personality traits and their motivations for playing World of Warcraft. Results reveal several links between a player's personality and gaming motivations. For instance, individuals playing to socialize tend to be high on extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness, whereas individuals playing to gain a sense of achievement tend to be high on extraversion and neuroticism, but low on agreeableness and conscientiousness. Findings are discussed with respect to previous research on links between personality and motives in other MMORPGs and in terms of how and why the connections between personality and motives may differ across online and offline contexts.

Trajectories of abstinence-induced Internet gaming withdrawal symptoms: A prospective pilot study.

PubMed

Kaptsis, Dean; King, Daniel L; Delfabbro, Paul H; Gradisar, Michael

2016-12-01

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is positioned in the appendix of the DSM-5 as a condition requiring further study. The IGD criteria refer to withdrawal symptoms, including irritability, anxiety, or sadness, that follow cessation of Internet gaming (APA, 2013). The aim of this study was to prospectively examine the nature of Internet gaming withdrawal symptoms, if they occur, under gaming abstinence conditions. This study employed a repeated-measures protocol to examine the cognitive-affective reactions of participants undertaking an 84-h Internet gaming abstinence period. The sample included individuals who met the IGD criteria as well as those who regularly played Internet games but did not meet the IGD criteria. Outcome variables included affect (positive and negative), psychological distress (depression, anxiety, stress), and Internet gaming withdrawal symptoms (craving/urge, thoughts about gaming, inability to resist gaming). A total of 24 participants ( M age  = 24.6 years, SD  = 5.8) were recruited from online gaming communities, and completed a series of online surveys before, during, and after abstaining from Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games. Both the IGD group and the non-IGD group experienced an abstinence-induced decline in withdrawal symptomatology, negative affect, and psychological distress. The IGD group experienced its largest decline in withdrawal symptomatology within the first 24 h of abstinence. These preliminary data suggest that gaming withdrawal symptoms may follow, at least initially, negative linear and quadratic trends. Further prospective work in larger samples involving longer periods of abstinence is required to verify and expand upon these observations.

Gaming Preferences, Motivations, and Experiences of Pharmacy Students in Asia.

PubMed

Chang, Huan Ying; Wong, Li Lian; Yap, Kai Zhen; Yap, Kevin Yi-Lwern

2016-02-01

Serious games are becoming popular in various healthcare domains. However, they should be designed to cater toward learners' perspectives, needs, and specifications in order to be used to their full potential in education. This study investigated the gaming experiences, motivations, and preferences of pharmacy students. An anonymous self-administered survey obtained participant demographics, gaming experiences (enjoyment level of different game genres, years of experience, gaming frequency and duration, and motivations), and gaming preferences (on in-game rewards, settings, storylines, perspectives, and styles). Descriptive statistics, t tests, analysis of variance, chi-squared tests, and Fisher's exact tests were used for analysis. The response rate was 69.1 percent (465/673 undergraduates). Role-playing games (RPGs) (4.12 ± 1.07) and massively multiplayer online RPGs (MMORPGs) (3.81 ± 1.26) had the highest enjoyment ratings. Males enjoyed imagination games (e.g., RPGs, MMORPGs) more than females, whereas females enjoyed simulation games more. Top motivating factors for respondents were progressing to the next level (3.63 ± 1.19), excitement (3.33 ± 1.33), and a feeling of efficacy when playing (3.02 ± 1.16). Unlocking mechanisms (25.2 percent) and experience points (17.6 percent) were the most popular in-game reward systems. Most respondents preferred a fantasy/medieval/mythic setting (59.8 percent) and an adventurer storyline (41.3 percent), with similar proportions preferring competitive (35.3 percent), cooperative (33.3 percent), and collaborative (30.8 percent) game styles. Different groups of pharmacy students differ in their gaming experiences, motivating factors, and preferences. There is no "one size fits all" game that is suitable for all pharmacy education. Such differences should be considered when developing a pharmacy game in order to cater to the diverse student population.

[The Concept and Treatment of Internet Addiction].

PubMed

Elsalhy, Muhammad; Muramatsu, Taro; Higuchi, Susumu; Mimura, Masaru

2016-10-01

The Internet now plays a very important role in our lives. However, for some people, Internet use can lead to a state that appears to meet the DSM definition for a mental disorder. In this review, we briefly discuss definition, symptoms, risk factors, prevalence, comorbidities, and personality traits of people who are susceptible to becoming addicts. In the second section of the article, various types of Internet addiction are discussed, focusing mainly on Internet Gaming Disorder and social networking survices (SNS) addiction. Regarding Internet Gaming Disorder, we discuss various types of the newly emerged Massive Multiplayer Online Games (MMO), as well as theories about why people become addicted to them. We do the same for the SNS Addiction for sites like Facebook and LINE; again, different types, as well as theories about why some people become addicts to such sites are discussed. Finally, preventive measures are introduced, focusing on a number of commonly used treatment methods, perticulary cognitive behavioral therapy and family therapy.

Scientific Habits of Mind in Virtual Worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinkuehler, Constance; Duncan, Sean

2008-12-01

In today's increasingly "flat" world of globalization (Friedman 2005), the need for a scientifically literate citizenry has grown more urgent. Yet, by some measures, we have done a poor job at fostering scientific habits of mind in schools. Recent research on informal games-based learning indicates that such technologies and the communities they evoke may be one viable alternative—not as a substitute for teachers and classrooms, but as an alternative to textbooks and science labs. This paper presents empirical evidence about the potential of games for fostering scientific habits of mind. In particular, we examine the scientific habits of mind and dispositions that characterize online discussion forums of the massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft. Eighty-six percent of the forum discussions were posts engaged in "social knowledge construction" rather than social banter. Over half of the posts evidenced systems based reasoning, one in ten evidenced model-based reasoning, and 65% displayed an evaluative epistemology in which knowledge is treated as an open-ended process of evaluation and argument.

Game Theory, Conditional Preferences, and Social Influence

PubMed Central

Stirling, Wynn C.; Felin, Teppo

2013-01-01

Neoclassical noncooperative game theory is based on a simple, yet powerful synthesis of mathematical and logical concepts: unconditional and immutable preference orderings and individual rationality. Although this structure has proven useful for characterizing competitive multi-player behavior, its applicability to scenarios involving complex social relationships is problematic. In this paper we directly address this limitation by the introduction of a conditional preference structure that permits players to modulate their preference orderings as functions of the preferences of other players. Embedding this expanded preference structure in a formal and graphical framework provides a systematic approach for characterizing a complex society. The result is an influence network that allows conditional preferences to propagate through the community, resulting in an emergent social model which characterizes all of the social relationships that exist and which leads to solution concepts that account for both group and individual interests. The Ultimatum game is presented as an example of how social influence can be modeled with conditional preferences. PMID:23451078

Game theory, conditional preferences, and social influence.

PubMed

Stirling, Wynn C; Felin, Teppo

2013-01-01

Neoclassical noncooperative game theory is based on a simple, yet powerful synthesis of mathematical and logical concepts: unconditional and immutable preference orderings and individual rationality. Although this structure has proven useful for characterizing competitive multi-player behavior, its applicability to scenarios involving complex social relationships is problematic. In this paper we directly address this limitation by the introduction of a conditional preference structure that permits players to modulate their preference orderings as functions of the preferences of other players. Embedding this expanded preference structure in a formal and graphical framework provides a systematic approach for characterizing a complex society. The result is an influence network that allows conditional preferences to propagate through the community, resulting in an emergent social model which characterizes all of the social relationships that exist and which leads to solution concepts that account for both group and individual interests. The Ultimatum game is presented as an example of how social influence can be modeled with conditional preferences.

Gender swapping and socializing in cyberspace: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Hussain, Zaheer; Griffiths, Mark D

2008-02-01

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are one of the most interesting innovations in the area of online computer gaming. Given the relative lack of research in the area, the main aims of the study were to examine (a) the impact of online gaming (e.g., typical playing behavior) in the lives of online gamers, (b) the effect of online socializing in the lives of gamers, and (c) why people engage in gender swapping. A self-selecting sample of 119 online gamers ranging from 18 to 69 years of age (M = 28.5 years) completed a questionnaire. The results showed that just over one in five gamers (21%) said they preferred socializing online to offline. Significantly more male gamers than female gamers said that they found it easier to converse online than offline. It was also found that 57% of gamers had engaged in gender swapping, and it is suggested that the online female persona has a number of positive social attributes in a male-oriented environment.

Experiences of time loss among videogame players: an empirical study.

PubMed

Wood, Richard T A; Griffiths, Mark D; Parke, Adrian

2007-02-01

Playing videogames is now a major leisure pursuit, yet research in the area is comparatively sparse. Previous correlational evidence suggests that subjective time loss occurs during playing videogames. This study examined experiences of time loss among a relatively large group of gamers (n = 280). Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through an online survey. Results showed that time loss occurred irrespective of gender, age, or frequency of play, but was associated with particular structural characteristics of games such as their complexity, the presence of multi-levels, missions and/or high scores, multiplayer interactions, and plot. Results also demonstrated that time loss could have both positive and negative outcomes for players. Positive aspects of time loss included helping players to relax and temporarily escape from reality. Negative aspects included the sacrificing of other things in their lives, guilty feelings about wasted time, and social conflict. It is concluded that for many gamers, losing track of time is a positive experience and is one of the main reasons for playing videogames.

Evolution of tag-mediated altruistic behavior in one-shot encounters on large-scale complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hadzibeganovic, Tarik; Lima, F. Welington S.; Stauffer, Dietrich

2012-11-01

An agent-based evolutionary model of tag-mediated altruism is studied on large-scale complex networks addressing multiplayer one-shot Prisoner’s Dilemma-like games with four competing strategies. Contrary to standard theoretical predictions, but in line with recent empirical findings, we observed that altruistic acts in non-repeated interactions can emerge as a natural consequence of recognition of heritable phenotypic traits such as visual tags, which enable the discrimination between potentially beneficial and unproductive encounters. Moreover, we identified topological regimes in which cooperation always prevails at short times, but where unconditional cooperators are favored over conditional tag-based helpers, even though the latter initially have a slight reproductive advantage. After very long times, we found that all four strategies appeared about equally often, meaning that only one quarter of agents refused cooperation egoistically. However, our study suggests that intra-tag generosity can quickly evolve to dominate over other strategies in spatially structured environments that are otherwise detrimental to cooperative behavior.

Online gaming in the context of social anxiety.

PubMed

Lee, Bianca W; Leeson, Peter R C

2015-06-01

In 2014, over 23 million individuals were playing massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). In light of the framework provided by Davis's (2001) cognitive-behavioral model of pathological Internet use, social anxiety, expressions of true self, and perceived in-game and face-to-face social support were examined as predictors of Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale (GPIUS) scores and hours spent playing MMORPGs per week. Data were collected from adult MMORPG players via an online survey (N = 626). Using structural equation modeling, the hypothesized model was tested on 1 half of the sample (N = 313) and then retested on the other half of the sample. The results indicated that the hypothesized model fit the data well in both samples. Specifically, expressing true self in game, higher levels of social anxiety, larger numbers of in-game social supports, and fewer supportive face-to-face relationships were significant predictors of higher GPIUS scores, and the number of in-game supports was significantly associated with time spent playing. The current study provides clinicians and researchers with a deeper understanding of MMORPG use by being the first to apply, test, and replicate a theory-driven model across 2 samples of MMORPG players. In addition, the present findings suggest that a psychometric measure of MMORPG usage is more indicative of players' psychological and social well-being than is time spent playing these games. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Healthy Gaming – Video Game Design to promote Health

PubMed Central

Brox, E.; Fernandez-Luque, L.; Tøllefsen, T.

2011-01-01

Background There is an increasing interest in health games including simulation tools, games for specific conditions, persuasive games to promote a healthy life style or exergames where physical exercise is used to control the game. Objective The objective of the article is to review current literature about available health games and the impact related to game design principles as well as some educational theory aspects. Methods Literature from the big databases and known sites with games for health has been searched to find articles about games for health purposes. The focus has been on educational games, persuasive games and exergames as well as articles describing game design principles. Results The medical objectives can either be a part of the game theme (intrinsic) or be totally dispatched (extrinsic), and particularly persuasive games seem to use extrinsic game design. Peer support is important, but there is only limited research on multiplayer health games. Evaluation of health games can be both medical and technical, and the focus will depend on the game purpose. Conclusion There is still not enough evidence to conclude which design principles work for what purposes since most of the literature in health serious games does not specify design methodologies, but it seems that extrinsic methods work in persuasion. However, when designing health care games it is important to define both the target group and main objective, and then design a game accordingly using sound game design principles, but also utilizing design elements to enhance learning and persuasion. A collaboration with health professionals from an early design stage is necessary both to ensure that the content is valid and to have the game validated from a clinical viewpoint. Patients need to be involved, especially to improve usability. More research should be done on social aspects in health games, both related to learning and persuasion. PMID:23616865

Classroom Live: a software-assisted gamification tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Freitas, Adrian A.; de Freitas, Michelle M.

2013-06-01

Teachers have come to rely on a variety of approaches in order to elicit and sustain student interest in the classroom. One particular approach, known as gamification, seeks to improve student engagement by transforming the traditional classroom experience into a competitive multiplayer game. Initial attempts at classroom gamification relied on the teacher manually tracking student progress. At the US Air Force Academy, we wanted to experiment with a software gamification tool. Our client/server suite, dubbed Classroom Live, streamlines the gamification process for the teacher by simplifying common tasks. Simultaneously, the tool provides students with an esthetically pleasing user interface that offers in game rewards in exchange for their participation. Classroom Live is still in development, but our initial experience using the tool has been extremely positive and confirms our belief that students respond positively to gamification, even at the undergraduate level.

Avatar's neurobiological traces in the self-concept of massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) addicts.

PubMed

Dieter, Julia; Hill, Holger; Sell, Madlen; Reinhard, Iris; Vollstädt-Klein, Sabine; Kiefer, Falk; Mann, Karl; Leménager, Tagrid

2015-02-01

Psychometric studies suggest that observed self-concept deficits in addicted massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) are compensated through the replacement of their ideal (i.e., how an individual would like to be) by their own avatar (i.e., graphical agent in the virtual world). Neurobiological studies indicate that increased identification with their own avatar in regular MMORPG gamers is possibly reflected by enhanced avatar-referential brain activation in the left angular gyrus (AG). However, the neurobiological correlates reflecting the relations of the avatar to addicted gamers' self and ideal are still unexplored. Therefore, we compare these relations between addicted and nonaddicted MMORPG gamers. A sample of n = 15 addicted and n = 17 nonaddicted players underwent functional MRI (fMRI) while completing a Giessen-Test (GT)-derived paradigm assessing self-, ideal-, and avatar-related self-concept domains. Neurobiological analyses included the comparisons avatar versus self, avatar versus ideal, and avatar versus self, ideal. Psychometrically, addicts showed significantly lower scores on the self-concept subscale of 'social resonance,' that is, social popularity. In all avatar-related contrasts, within-group comparisons showed addicted players to exhibit significantly higher brain activations in the left AG. The between-groups comparisons revealed avatar-related left AG hyperactivations in addicts. Our results may suggest that addicted MMORPG players identify significantly more with their avatar than nonaddicted gamers. The concrete avatar might increasingly replace the rather abstract ideal in the transition from normal- controlled to addictive-compulsive MMORPG usage. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

The immediate and long-term effects of time perspective on Internet gaming disorder.

PubMed

Lukavská, Kateřina

2018-03-01

Backgrounds and aims This study focuses on the role of time perspective (TP) in Internet gaming disorder (IGD). An inventory-based study on 377 massive multiplayer online role playing game players was conducted, followed by a 3-year-follow-up in which 48 active players from the original sample participated. We proposed that TP factors (negative TP and future positive TP) will influence either the current presence of IGD symptoms or the further development of IGD over time. In other words, the effect of TP is stable. Finally, game usage patterns were analyzed in the sense of changes in playing time and IGD symptoms in gamers after 3 years. Methods To access the variables, two scales were administered through online inventory, the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory-short, and Charlton and Danforths' Core Addiction Scale, both in 2012 (N = 377) and 2015 (N = 48). The amount of time that gamers usually spent playing were obtained through self-reports. Results The study's primary presumptions were confirmed. Both negative TP and future positive TP were confirmed as significant predictors of the presence of IGD symptoms, either immediately or in the following 3 years. Data on game usage showed a significant decrease in playing time and IGD symptoms between year 0 and year 3 of the study.

From boring to scoring - a collaborative serious game for learning and practicing mathematical logic for computer science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schäfer, Andreas; Holz, Jan; Leonhardt, Thiemo; Schroeder, Ulrik; Brauner, Philipp; Ziefle, Martina

2013-06-01

In this study, we address the problem of low retention and high dropout rates of computer science university students in early semesters of the studies. Complex and high abstract mathematical learning materials have been identified as one reason for the dropout rate. In order to support the understanding and practicing of core mathematical concepts, we developed a game-based multitouch learning environment in which the need for a suitable learning environment for mathematical logic was combined with the ability to train cooperation and collaboration in a learning scenario. As application domain, the field of mathematical logic had been chosen. The development process was accomplished along three steps: First, ethnographic interviews were run with 12 students of computer science revealing typical problems with mathematical logic. Second, a multitouch learning environment was developed. The game consists of multiple learning and playing modes in which teams of students can collaborate or compete against each other. Finally, a twofold evaluation of the environment was carried out (user study and cognitive walk-through). Overall, the evaluation showed that the game environment was easy to use and rated as helpful: The chosen approach of a multiplayer game supporting competition, collaboration, and cooperation is perceived as motivating and "fun."

Complex traffic flow that allows as well as hampers lane-changing intrinsically contains social-dilemma structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwamura, Yoshiro; Tanimoto, Jun

2018-02-01

To investigate an interesting question as to whether or not social dilemma structures can be found in a realistic traffic flow reproduced by a model, we built a new microscopic model in which an intentional driver may try lane-changing to go in front of other vehicles and may hamper others’ lane-changes. Our model consists of twofold parts; cellular automaton emulating a real traffic flow and evolutionary game theory to implement a driver’s decision making-process. Numerical results reveal that a social dilemma like the multi-player chicken game or prisoner’s dilemma game emerges depending on the traffic phase. This finding implies that a social dilemma, which has been investigated by applied mathematics so far, hides behind a traffic flow, which has been explored by fluid dynamics. Highlight - Complex system of traffic flow with consideration of driver’s decision making process is concerned. - A new model dovetailing cellular automaton with game theory is established. - Statistical result from numerical simulations reveals a social dilemma structure underlying traffic flow. - The social dilemma is triggered by a driver’s egocentric actions of lane-changing and hampering other’s lane-change.

Zero-Determinant Strategies in Iterated Public Goods Game

PubMed Central

Pan, Liming; Hao, Dong; Rong, Zhihai; Zhou, Tao

2015-01-01

Recently, Press and Dyson have proposed a new class of probabilistic and conditional strategies for the two-player iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma, so-called zero-determinant strategies. A player adopting zero-determinant strategies is able to pin the expected payoff of the opponents or to enforce a linear relationship between his own payoff and the opponents’ payoff, in a unilateral way. This paper considers zero-determinant strategies in the iterated public goods game, a representative multi-player game where in each round each player will choose whether or not to put his tokens into a public pot, and the tokens in this pot are multiplied by a factor larger than one and then evenly divided among all players. The analytical and numerical results exhibit a similar yet different scenario to the case of two-player games: (i) with small number of players or a small multiplication factor, a player is able to unilaterally pin the expected total payoff of all other players; (ii) a player is able to set the ratio between his payoff and the total payoff of all other players, but this ratio is limited by an upper bound if the multiplication factor exceeds a threshold that depends on the number of players. PMID:26293589

On the costs and benefits of gaming: the role of passion.

PubMed

Lafrenière, Marc-André K; Vallerand, Robert J; Donahue, Eric G; Lavigne, Geneviève L

2009-06-01

The dualistic model of passion defines passion as a strong inclination toward a self-defining activity that a person likes and values and in which he or she invests time and energy. The model proposes two distinct types of passion: harmonious and obsessive passion that predict adaptive and less adaptive outcomes respectively. In the present research, we were interested in assessing both the negative and positive consequences that can result from gaming. Participants (n = 222) were all players involved in massively multiplayer online games. They completed an online survey. Results from a canonical correlation revealed that both harmonious and obsessive passion were positively associated with the experience of positive affect while playing. However, only obsessive passion was also positively related to the experience of negative affect while playing. In addition, only obsessive passion was positively related to problematic behaviors generally associated with excessive gaming, the amount of time spent playing, and negative physical symptoms. Moreover, obsessive passion was negatively related to self-realization and unrelated to life satisfaction. Conversely, harmonious passion was positively associated with both types of psychological well-being. This general pattern of results suggests that obsessive passion for gaming is an important predictor of the negative outcomes of gaming, while harmonious passion seems to account for positive consequences. Future research directions are discussed in light of the dualistic model of passion.

Serious Gaming for Test & Evaluation of Clean-Slate (Ab Initio) National Airspace System (NAS) Designs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, B. Danette; Alexandrov, Natalia

2016-01-01

Incremental approaches to air transportation system development inherit current architectural constraints, which, in turn, place hard bounds on system capacity, efficiency of performance, and complexity. To enable airspace operations of the future, a clean-slate (ab initio) airspace design(s) must be considered. This ab initio National Airspace System (NAS) must be capable of accommodating increased traffic density, a broader diversity of aircraft, and on-demand mobility. System and subsystem designs should scale to accommodate the inevitable demand for airspace services that include large numbers of autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and a paradigm shift in general aviation (e.g., personal air vehicles) in addition to more traditional aerial vehicles such as commercial jetliners and weather balloons. The complex and adaptive nature of ab initio designs for the future NAS requires new approaches to validation, adding a significant physical experimentation component to analytical and simulation tools. In addition to software modeling and simulation, the ability to exercise system solutions in a flight environment will be an essential aspect of validation. The NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) Autonomy Incubator seeks to develop a flight simulation infrastructure for ab initio modeling and simulation that assumes no specific NAS architecture and models vehicle-to-vehicle behavior to examine interactions and emergent behaviors among hundreds of intelligent aerial agents exhibiting collaborative, cooperative, coordinative, selfish, and malicious behaviors. The air transportation system of the future will be a complex adaptive system (CAS) characterized by complex and sometimes unpredictable (or unpredicted) behaviors that result from temporal and spatial interactions among large numbers of participants. A CAS not only evolves with a changing environment and adapts to it, it is closely coupled to all systems that constitute the environment. Thus, the ecosystem that contains the system and other systems evolves with the CAS as well. The effects of the emerging adaptation and co-evolution are difficult to capture with only combined mathematical and computational experimentation. Therefore, an ab initio flight simulation environment must accommodate individual vehicles, groups of self-organizing vehicles, and large-scale infrastructure behavior. Inspired by Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) and Serious Gaming, the proposed ab initio simulation environment is similar to online gaming environments in which player participants interact with each other, affect their environment, and expect the simulation to persist and change regardless of any individual player's active participation.

Prevalence and Correlates of Internet Gaming Problem among Internet Users: Results from an Internet Survey.

PubMed

Subramaniam, Mythily; Chua, Boon Yiang; Abdin, Edimansyah; Pang, Shirlene; Satghare, Pratika; Vaingankar, Janhavi A; Verma, Swapna; Ong, Say How; Picco, Louisa; Chong, Siow Ann

2016-05-01

The current study aimed to establish the prevalence of internet gaming disorder (IGD) and its association with demographic characteristics, game genre, game use (time spent on gaming), as well as psychological distress, social phobia and well-being among current online gamers in Singapore. A total of 1251 participants aged 13 to 40 years completed the study which was administered as a web survey. The online questionnaire was designed using QuestionPro, and consisted of 8 sections and 105 questions. The 9-item Internet Gaming Disorder Questionnaire was used to establish the prevalence of IGD in the study. A series of logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between IGD, demographic characteristics and game genre, as well as IGD and psychological distress, social phobia and well-being. The prevalence of IGD established using a cutoff of 5 among those who were current online gamers was 17.7%. Multiple logistic regressions revealed that those meeting criteria of IGD were more likely to be older, reported an earlier age of onset of playing online games, had primary and secondary education versus tertiary education, were currently students versus being currently employed and played massively multiplayer online role-playing games. Distress and social anxiety were higher while satisfaction with life was significantly lower among those who met criteria for IGD than those who did not meet the criteria. The prevalence of IGD and its negative consequences in our sample of current online gamers was significant and point towards the need for further clinical studies and innovative interventions to address the problem.

The female player does not exist: gender identity relates to differences in player motivations and play styles.

PubMed

Poels, Karolien; De Cock, Nele; Malliet, Steven

2012-11-01

This study addresses the female player of massively multiplayer online (role-playing) games and investigates how gender identity (GI), indicating a person's identification with characteristics that are traditionally defined as masculine or feminine, can be used to explain playing patterns within the female gender group. Results from an online survey (n=466) show that females' player motivations and play styles vary as a function of their GI, indicating that it is a relevant and additional predictor of play behavior and confirming that female play behavior cannot be generalized based on stereotypical male/female conceptions.

Analyzing Naval Strategy for Counterpiracy Operations, Using the Massive Multiplayer Online War Game Leveraging the Internet (MMOWGLI) and Discrete Event Simulation (DES)

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

the Monterey Tennis Center. It was always a great stress relief to get out and dominate the tennis courts with each of you. I will never forget the...The author of this thesis considers the work being done at ATC to be the best in the field for piracy and other research. There has been quite a bit of...Marsh, http://hdl.handle.net/10945/4542.  “Disrupting Somali Piracy Via Trust and Influence Operations,” June 2009, by Robert Bair, http

The organization and control of an evolving interdependent population

PubMed Central

Vural, Dervis C.; Isakov, Alexander; Mahadevan, L.

2015-01-01

Starting with Darwin, biologists have asked how populations evolve from a low fitness state that is evolutionarily stable to a high fitness state that is not. Specifically of interest is the emergence of cooperation and multicellularity where the fitness of individuals often appears in conflict with that of the population. Theories of social evolution and evolutionary game theory have produced a number of fruitful results employing two-state two-body frameworks. In this study, we depart from this tradition and instead consider a multi-player, multi-state evolutionary game, in which the fitness of an agent is determined by its relationship to an arbitrary number of other agents. We show that populations organize themselves in one of four distinct phases of interdependence depending on one parameter, selection strength. Some of these phases involve the formation of specialized large-scale structures. We then describe how the evolution of independence can be manipulated through various external perturbations. PMID:26040593

Cooperation, Coordination, and Trust in Virtual Teams: Insights from Virtual Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korsgaard, M. Audrey; Picot, Arnold; Wigand, Rolf T.; Welpe, Isabelle M.; Assmann, Jakob J.

This chapter considers fundamental concepts of effective virtual teams, illustrated by research on Travian, a massively multiplayer online strategy game wherein players seek to build empires. Team inputs are the resources that enable individuals to work interdependently toward a common goal, including individual and collective capabilities, shared knowledge structures, and leadership style. Team processes, notably coordination and cooperation, transform team inputs to desired collective outcomes. Because the members of virtual teams are geographically dispersed, relying on information and communication technology, three theories are especially relevant for understanding how they can function effectively: social presence theory, media richness theory, and media synchronicity theory. Research in settings like Travian can inform our understanding of structures, processes, and performance of virtual teams. Such research could provide valuable insight into the emergence and persistence of trust and cooperation, as well as the impact of different communication media for coordination and information management in virtual organizations.

Constrained orbital intercept-evasion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zatezalo, Aleksandar; Stipanovic, Dusan M.; Mehra, Raman K.; Pham, Khanh

2014-06-01

An effective characterization of intercept-evasion confrontations in various space environments and a derivation of corresponding solutions considering a variety of real-world constraints are daunting theoretical and practical challenges. Current and future space-based platforms have to simultaneously operate as components of satellite formations and/or systems and at the same time, have a capability to evade potential collisions with other maneuver constrained space objects. In this article, we formulate and numerically approximate solutions of a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) intercept-maneuver problem in terms of game-theoretic capture-evasion guaranteed strategies. The space intercept-evasion approach is based on Liapunov methodology that has been successfully implemented in a number of air and ground based multi-player multi-goal game/control applications. The corresponding numerical algorithms are derived using computationally efficient and orbital propagator independent methods that are previously developed for Space Situational Awareness (SSA). This game theoretical but at the same time robust and practical approach is demonstrated on a realistic LEO scenario using existing Two Line Element (TLE) sets and Simplified General Perturbation-4 (SGP-4) propagator.

Fostering cooperation of selfish agents through public goods in relation to the loners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jianlei; Chen, Zengqiang; Liu, Zhongxin

2016-03-01

Altruistic behaviors in multiplayer groups have obtained great attention in the context of the public goods game, which poses a riddle from the evolutionary viewpoint. Here we focus on a particular type of public goods game model in which the benefits of cooperation are either discounted or synergistically enhanced at the appearance of multiple cooperators in a group. Moreover, we focus on the three-strategies profile by adding the role of loners, besides the often-used cooperation and defection. Using the replicator dynamic equations, we investigate a range of dynamical portraits that characterizes the properties of the steady state. Analysis results indicate that loners and cooperators both have chances to be the stable equilibrium points in the presence of perturbations, while defectors fail to do so in this three-strategy competition. Moreover, the coexistence state, in which all three strategies exist in equilibrium, can be led by suitable parameters and stabilized for perturbations. These results elucidate the interplay between the characteristics of the public goods game and evolutionary dynamics in well-mixed systems.

Age of Initiation and Internet Gaming Disorder: The Role of Self-Esteem.

PubMed

Beard, Charlotte L; Haas, Amie L; Wickham, Robert E; Stavropoulos, Vasileios

2017-06-01

The link between early initiation and problematic use has been observed for substance use disorders; however, this link has not been as clearly established for Internet gaming disorder (IGD). Available studies indicate that individuals who initiate Internet use at younger ages exhibit an increased risk for general Internet addiction. Prior research also suggests unique cognitive processes in online gaming, such that an individual's overall sense of self-worth can become contingent upon self-esteem derived from the gaming environment. The current research examines the mediational role of self-esteem variables in the relationship between age of initiation and IGD symptomatology. Data were analyzed from 1,044 adult participants (mean age = 30.90; standard deviation: 9.28; 35.0% female) recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk who reported playing massively multiplayer online role-playing games. Age of gaming initiation is directly linked to IGD, as earlier age predicted overall IGD symptom severity (b = -0.10, 95% confidence interval [CI: -0.17, -0.03]), controlling for self-esteem factors. In addition, self-esteem factors emerged as mediators of the effect, where global self-esteem served as a protective factor (b = -0.05, 95% CI: [-0.07, -0.02]) and high gaming-contingent self-worth (GCSW; b = -0.10, 95% CI: [-0.15, -0.04]) was associated with more negative outcomes. Earlier age of gaming initiation is associated with IGD symptomatology. Although risks of screen time are often referred to in terms of physical consequences, the present study provides support regarding the inclusion of self-esteem factors in the link between early use and IGD.

Multirelational organization of large-scale social networks in an online world

PubMed Central

Szell, Michael; Lambiotte, Renaud; Thurner, Stefan

2010-01-01

The capacity to collect fingerprints of individuals in online media has revolutionized the way researchers explore human society. Social systems can be seen as a nonlinear superposition of a multitude of complex social networks, where nodes represent individuals and links capture a variety of different social relations. Much emphasis has been put on the network topology of social interactions, however, the multidimensional nature of these interactions has largely been ignored, mostly because of lack of data. Here, for the first time, we analyze a complete, multirelational, large social network of a society consisting of the 300,000 odd players of a massive multiplayer online game. We extract networks of six different types of one-to-one interactions between the players. Three of them carry a positive connotation (friendship, communication, trade), three a negative (enmity, armed aggression, punishment). We first analyze these types of networks as separate entities and find that negative interactions differ from positive interactions by their lower reciprocity, weaker clustering, and fatter-tail degree distribution. We then explore how the interdependence of different network types determines the organization of the social system. In particular, we study correlations and overlap between different types of links and demonstrate the tendency of individuals to play different roles in different networks. As a demonstration of the power of the approach, we present the first empirical large-scale verification of the long-standing structural balance theory, by focusing on the specific multiplex network of friendship and enmity relations. PMID:20643965

Multirelational organization of large-scale social networks in an online world.

PubMed

Szell, Michael; Lambiotte, Renaud; Thurner, Stefan

2010-08-03

The capacity to collect fingerprints of individuals in online media has revolutionized the way researchers explore human society. Social systems can be seen as a nonlinear superposition of a multitude of complex social networks, where nodes represent individuals and links capture a variety of different social relations. Much emphasis has been put on the network topology of social interactions, however, the multidimensional nature of these interactions has largely been ignored, mostly because of lack of data. Here, for the first time, we analyze a complete, multirelational, large social network of a society consisting of the 300,000 odd players of a massive multiplayer online game. We extract networks of six different types of one-to-one interactions between the players. Three of them carry a positive connotation (friendship, communication, trade), three a negative (enmity, armed aggression, punishment). We first analyze these types of networks as separate entities and find that negative interactions differ from positive interactions by their lower reciprocity, weaker clustering, and fatter-tail degree distribution. We then explore how the interdependence of different network types determines the organization of the social system. In particular, we study correlations and overlap between different types of links and demonstrate the tendency of individuals to play different roles in different networks. As a demonstration of the power of the approach, we present the first empirical large-scale verification of the long-standing structural balance theory, by focusing on the specific multiplex network of friendship and enmity relations.

Building Opportunities for Environmental Education Through Student Development of Cyberinfrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moysey, S. M.; Boyer, D. M.; Mobley, C.; Byrd, V. L.

2014-12-01

It is increasingly common to utilize simulations and games in the classroom, but learning opportunities can also be created by having students construct these cyberinfrastructure resources themselves. We outline two examples of such projects completed during the summer of 2014 within the NSF ACI sponsored REU Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Collaborative Data Visualization Applications at Clemson University (Award 1359223). The first project focuses on the development of immersive virtual reality field trips of geologic sites using the Oculus Rift headset. This project developed a platform which will allow users to navigate virtual terrains derived from real-world data obtained from the US Geological Survey and Google Earth. The system provides users with the ability to partake in an interactive first-person exploration of a region, such as the Grand Canyon, and thus makes an important educational contribution for students without access to these environmental assets in the real world. The second project focused on providing players visual feedback about the sustainability of their practices within the web-based, multiplayer watershed management game Naranpur Online. Identifying sustainability indicators that communicate meaningful information to players and finding an effective way to visualize these data were a primary challenge faced by the student researcher working on this project. To solve this problem the student translated findings from the literature to the context of the game to develop a hierarchical set of relative sustainability criteria to be accessed by players within a sustainability dashboard. Though the REU focused on visualization, both projects forced the students to transform their thinking to address higher-level questions regarding the utilization and communication of environmental data or concepts, thus enhancing the educational experience for themselves and future students.

Heterogeneity and proliferation of invasive cancer subclones in game theory models of the Warburg effect.

PubMed

Archetti, M

2015-04-01

The Warburg effect, a switch from aerobic energy production to anaerobic glycolysis, promotes tumour proliferation and motility by inducing acidification of the tumour microenvironment. Therapies that reduce acidity could impair tumour growth and invasiveness. I analysed the dynamics of cell proliferation and of resistance to therapies that target acidity, in a population of cells, under the Warburg effect. The dynamics of mutant cells with increased glycolysis and motility has been assessed in a multi-player game with collective interactions in the framework of evolutionary game theory. Perturbations of the level of acidity in the microenvironment have been used to simulate the effect of therapies that target glycolysis. The non-linear effects of glycolysis induce frequency-dependent clonal selection leading to coexistence of glycolytic and non-glycolytic cells within a tumour. Mutants with increased motility can invade such a polymorphic population and spread within the tumour. While reducing acidity may produce a sudden reduction in tumour cell proliferation, frequency-dependent selection enables it to adapt to the new conditions and can enable the tumour to restore its original levels of growth and invasiveness. The acidity produced by glycolysis acts as a non-linear public good that leads to coexistence of cells with high and low glycolysis within the tumour. Such a heterogeneous population can easily adapt to changes in acidity. Therapies that target acidity can only be effective in the long term if the cost of glycolysis is high, that is, under non-limiting oxygen concentrations. Their efficacy, therefore, is reduced when combined with therapies that impair angiogenesis. © 2015 The Authors Cell Proliferation Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

On delay adjustment for dynamic load balancing in distributed virtual environments.

PubMed

Deng, Yunhua; Lau, Rynson W H

2012-04-01

Distributed virtual environments (DVEs) are becoming very popular in recent years, due to the rapid growing of applications, such as massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs). As the number of concurrent users increases, scalability becomes one of the major challenges in designing an interactive DVE system. One solution to address this scalability problem is to adopt a multi-server architecture. While some methods focus on the quality of partitioning the load among the servers, others focus on the efficiency of the partitioning process itself. However, all these methods neglect the effect of network delay among the servers on the accuracy of the load balancing solutions. As we show in this paper, the change in the load of the servers due to network delay would affect the performance of the load balancing algorithm. In this work, we conduct a formal analysis of this problem and discuss two efficient delay adjustment schemes to address the problem. Our experimental results show that our proposed schemes can significantly improve the performance of the load balancing algorithm with neglectable computation overhead.

Properties of on-line social systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grabowski, A.; Kruszewska, N.; Kosiński, R. A.

2008-11-01

We study properties of five different social systems: (i) internet society of friends consisting of over 106 people, (ii) social network consisting of 3 × 104 individuals, who interact in a large virtual world of Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs), (iii) over 106 users of music community website, (iv) over 5 × 106 users of gamers community server and (v) over 0.25 × 106 users of books admirer website. Individuals included in large social network form an Internet community and organize themselves in groups of different sizes. The destiny of those systems, as well as the method of creating of new connections, are different, however we found that the properties of these networks are very similar. We have found that the network components size distribution follow the power-law scaling form. In all five systems we have found interesting scaling laws concerning human dynamics. Our research has shown how long people are interested in a single task, how much time they devote to it and how fast they are making friends. It is surprising that the time evolution of an individual connectivity is very similar in each system.

Balancing game universes for playing without sight or hearing.

PubMed

Westin, Thomas; Furöstam, Malin; Yasasindhu, Roy; Norberg, Lena; Wiklund, Mats; Mozelius, Peter

2015-01-01

Equal access to cultural activities is important for inclusion and computer gaming is one of the most common activities in digital culture. However, many people with impairments are excluded from participating. While parallel game universes (PGUs) provide a method to achieve equal access, the question is: how can a balanced collaborative real-time game be designed with the help of PGU for playing without sight or hearing? Balance is a central concept in game design and is important to avoid perceived cheating or disadvantages due to individual or environmental differences. The question was examined with a design science approach, where a game prototype was created in two iterations with a structured design method and evaluated using interviews and observations. In this first step of a more long-term study, ten experienced gamers without impairments were selected with purposive sampling to provide relevant data through simulation of temporary impairments or environmental issues, which can affect many or all gamers. By sorting out these issues first, later testing with actual blind and deaf gamers can focus on more specific issues for each group. The ten participants played either without sight or hearing. The results confirm the use of PGUs for creating a balanced experience but also finds that while multiplayer feel is not optimal, it is a reasonable trade-off for universal access for blind and deaf being able to play together. The results also show that a help system and equal understanding of the game play between the blind and deaf players are important aspects to achieve game balance. Further research should be done involving actual blind and deaf gamers, and similar evaluations of game balance should be conducted with users having other types of impairments.

User experiences of mobile controlled games for activation, rehabilitation and recreation of elderly and physically impaired.

PubMed

Sirkka, Andrew; Merilampi, Sari; Koivisto, Antti; Leinonen, Markus; Leino, Mirka

2012-01-01

The purpose of this paper was to study how aged people experience mobile controlled game as a method of rehabilitation and recreation. The target group contained persons 70+ years of age living in assisted living conditions (N=34). The average age of the participants was 85.9 years. Women (n=17) and men (n=17) were equally presented in the sample group. Only 12 % (n=4) of participants were involved in an active weekly-based rehabilitation, light physical sitting exercises 38% (n=13). Three (n=3) of the participants (9%) used computers (net banking), and 20 (59%) used mobile phones on daily basis. Social activities and physical activation seem to be rather inadequate and traditional in assisted living organizations. The overall experiences of mobile controlled game described in this paper appeared to be a successful experiment also proving that the elderly are not as reluctant to use technical devices or playing virtual games as often thought. The game was reckoned very motivating, interesting, and entertaining both by the aged and the staff. Activation, rehabilitation and recreation in the elderly homes or assisted living organizations could benefit from utilization of new technology providing new ways and solutions that motivate the users and offer also possibilities for measuring and follow-up of the physical impacts. The future goals to improve the game were set according to the feedback given in this survey: a) wider variety of controlling modes for the game, b) developing various difficulty levels, c) developing the game to support different kinds of body movements, d) easily modified according to the individual user's exercising or rehabilitation needs as well as e) emphasizing the social aspects of the game by producing multiplayer versions.

Exploring Stereotypical Perceptions of Female Players in Digital Gaming Contexts.

PubMed

Kaye, Linda K; Gresty, Claire E; Stubbs-Ennis, Natasha

2017-12-01

Gender stereotypes are still reported to exist in digital gaming contexts, despite the fact that participation of females is relatively equal to that of males. The current research explored a number of factors and their impact upon stereotypical perceptions and attitudes toward female players. This included avatar gender, gender identity by gaming context, as well as more general gender-role beliefs. We undertook two studies, each utilizing an online questionnaire targeted toward online players. Study 1 recruited online gamers (N = 489) and compared competence perceptions of players, which varied by player gender (male, female) and avatar gender (male, female), whereby four conditions were established. Overall, player competence was perceived to be highest when male avatars were used, specifically when female players were depicted in this way. Study 2 explored the relationships between male social identity and gender-role beliefs, with sexist attitudes in gaming, and whether this varied by gaming context (massively multiplayer online [MMO] vs. first-person shooter [FPS]). Male online gamers (N = 193) were recruited, of which 112 were MMO players, and 81 were FPS players. It was found that identifying as male social identity was not related to sexist attitudes in either gaming context. However, more general gender-role beliefs were related to sexist attitudes. The findings indicate that although certain stereotypes exist (e.g., competence perceptions), these are not necessarily harvested by players' identities within communities, but may derive through more operational functions such as avatar gender.

The effect of social support derived from World of Warcraft on negative psychological symptoms.

PubMed

Longman, Huon; O'Connor, Erin; Obst, Patricia

2009-10-01

Previous research examining players of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) suggests that players form meaningful relationships with each other. Other research indicates that people may derive social support from online sources, and this social support has been associated with greater well-being. This study used an online survey of players (N = 206) of the MMOG World of Warcraft (WoW) to examine if social support can be derived from MMOGs and to examine its relationship with negative psychological symptoms. Players of WoW were found to derive social support from playing and a positive relationship was found between game engagement and levels of in-game social support. Higher levels of in-game social support were associated with fewer negative psychological symptoms, although this effect was not maintained after accounting for social support derived from the offline sources. Additionally, a small subsample of players (n = 21) who played for 44 to 82 hours per week (M = 63.33) was identified. These players had significantly lower levels of offline social support and higher levels of negative symptoms compared to the rest of the sample. This study provides evidence that social support can be derived from MMOGs and the associated potential to promote well-being but also highlights the potential harm from spending excessive hours playing.

Advance Planning Briefing for Industry. Technology Requirements Briefings

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-17

procedure drills through complex multiplayer interactions representative of a motorcade under heavy attack. The tool shall provide a first-person...Integrated Munitions Effect Assessment IMI Interactive Multimedia Instruction IP Internet Protocol IPE Intelligence Preparation of the Environment IR...CTTSO Programs and Mission Areas/Subgroups 13 Requirement Descriptions Blast Effects and Mitigation (BX) 16 Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and

Reinforcement Learning Explains Conditional Cooperation and Its Moody Cousin.

PubMed

Ezaki, Takahiro; Horita, Yutaka; Takezawa, Masanori; Masuda, Naoki

2016-07-01

Direct reciprocity, or repeated interaction, is a main mechanism to sustain cooperation under social dilemmas involving two individuals. For larger groups and networks, which are probably more relevant to understanding and engineering our society, experiments employing repeated multiplayer social dilemma games have suggested that humans often show conditional cooperation behavior and its moody variant. Mechanisms underlying these behaviors largely remain unclear. Here we provide a proximate account for this behavior by showing that individuals adopting a type of reinforcement learning, called aspiration learning, phenomenologically behave as conditional cooperator. By definition, individuals are satisfied if and only if the obtained payoff is larger than a fixed aspiration level. They reinforce actions that have resulted in satisfactory outcomes and anti-reinforce those yielding unsatisfactory outcomes. The results obtained in the present study are general in that they explain extant experimental results obtained for both so-called moody and non-moody conditional cooperation, prisoner's dilemma and public goods games, and well-mixed groups and networks. Different from the previous theory, individuals are assumed to have no access to information about what other individuals are doing such that they cannot explicitly use conditional cooperation rules. In this sense, myopic aspiration learning in which the unconditional propensity of cooperation is modulated in every discrete time step explains conditional behavior of humans. Aspiration learners showing (moody) conditional cooperation obeyed a noisy GRIM-like strategy. This is different from the Pavlov, a reinforcement learning strategy promoting mutual cooperation in two-player situations.

Problematic Video Gaming in a Young Spanish Population: Association with Psychosocial Health.

PubMed

Buiza-Aguado, Carlos; Alonso-Canovas, Araceli; Conde-Mateos, Celia; Buiza-Navarrete, Juan Jose; Gentile, Douglas

2018-06-01

Problematic video gaming (PVG) is a concern for psychologists attending children and adolescents. Uniform diagnostic criteria are lacking, and risk factors are poorly understood. Internet gaming disorder (IGD) was included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), and scales derived from its diagnostic criteria may be helpful to assess PVG. A multicenter study was conducted in secondary schools using an IGD-derived scale (dichotomous Nine-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale [IGD-9]), analyzing PVG-related variables. Seven hundred eight students (55.8 percent male) with mean age 15.6 ± 2.7 years were included. Seventy-three percent were gamers and 22 percent heavy gamers (HGs). Forty-five percent reported online gaming and 6.6 percent massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). Fifty-nine students (8.3 percent) scored 5 or more in IGD-9 and were classified as IGD+. HG and IGD+ subjects were more frequently male and online and MMORPG gamers (p < 0.01). However, IGD+ subjects had significantly worse psychosocial scores than IGD- (p < 0.001), while HGs did not significantly differ from casual gamers (p > 0.01). The multivariate analysis showed that IGD+ scores were significantly associated with worse psychosocial health and adjustment (p < 0.001), while the other variables (male sex, online and MMORPG gaming, and HG) were not significantly associated (p > 0.01). The IGD-9 scale scored positive in 8.3 percent of our sample. Unlike gaming time, this scale was associated with psychosocial disturbances, making it potentially useful as a screening method to detect candidates for clinical intervention.

Joint Force Quarterly. Number 22, Summer 1999

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-08-01

combine to present a pes- simistic view of human nature as prone to irra- tional hatred and violence , extrapolating present ethnic and religious...serve as an Internet-based, cooper- ative, interactive, multiplayer opposing force simulator for exercises, experimen- tation, and rehearsals in

Small groups and long memories promote cooperation.

PubMed

Stewart, Alexander J; Plotkin, Joshua B

2016-06-01

Complex social behaviors lie at the heart of many of the challenges facing evolutionary biology, sociology, economics, and beyond. For evolutionary biologists the question is often how group behaviors such as collective action, or decision making that accounts for memories of past experience, can emerge and persist in an evolving system. Evolutionary game theory provides a framework for formalizing these questions and admitting them to rigorous study. Here we develop such a framework to study the evolution of sustained collective action in multi-player public-goods games, in which players have arbitrarily long memories of prior rounds of play and can react to their experience in an arbitrary way. We construct a coordinate system for memory-m strategies in iterated n-player games that permits us to characterize all cooperative strategies that resist invasion by any mutant strategy, and stabilize cooperative behavior. We show that, especially when groups are small, longer-memory strategies make cooperation easier to evolve, by increasing the number of ways to stabilize cooperation. We also explore the co-evolution of behavior and memory. We find that even when memory has a cost, longer-memory strategies often evolve, which in turn drives the evolution of cooperation, even when the benefits for cooperation are low.

Escapism among players of MMORPGs--conceptual clarification, its relation to mental health factors, and development of a new measure.

PubMed

Hagström, David; Kaldo, Viktor

2014-01-01

Previous studies show that the concept of escapism needs to be clarified and that its relation to problematic online gaming and other factors needs further examination. This study uses well-established, basic learning theory to clarify the concept of escapism, and examines its relation to problematic gaming, psychological distress, and satisfaction with life among players of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). MMORPG players (n=201) answered an online questionnaire where these factors were measured and correlated with a previously developed scale on motivation to play (MTPI), including extra items to cover positive and negative aspects of escapism. Factor analysis and construct validation show that positive aspects of escapism are theoretically and empirically unstable and that escapism is best clarified as purely "negative escapism," corresponding to playing being negatively reinforced as a way of avoiding everyday hassles and distress. Negative escapism had a stronger relationship to symptoms of Internet addiction, psychological distress, and life satisfaction than other variables and other more positive motivations to play. Future studies should use the revised subscale for escapism (in the MTPI-R) presented in the present study, for example when screening for Internet addiction.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG): association between its addiction, self-control and mental disorders among young people in Vietnam.

PubMed

Son, Dinh Thai; Yasuoka, Junko; Poudel, Krishna C; Otsuka, Keiko; Jimba, Masamine

2013-09-01

To explore the association between MMORPG addiction and mental health status, and between self-control ability and mental health status among young male MMORPG players in Hanoi, Vietnam. In this cross-sectional study, 10 computer game rooms were randomly selected out of 77 in five communes in Hanoi. From these game rooms, 350 MMORPG players were purposively recruited as a study group, of whom 344 completed the questionnaire. In the same five communes, 344 non-players were selected as a control group. An online game addiction scale, a self-control scale and the Vietnamese SRQ-20 were used to measure the degree of MMORPG addiction, self-control ability and level of mental disorders. MMORPG players had significantly higher mental disorders scale scores than non-players (p < .001). The strongest positive correlation was detected between MMORPG addiction scale scores and mental disorders scale scores (r = 0.730, p < .001). Self-control scale scores were negatively associated with mental disorders scale scores (r = -0.345, p < .001). The average amount of money spent on games per month, MMORPG addiction scale score and self-control scale score were considered the best predictors of a higher mental disorders scale score. Young, male MMORPG players with higher addiction scores were more likely to have higher mental disorders scale scores, and such mental status was negatively associated with the level of self-control in Hanoi, Vietnam. Closer attention should be paid to prevent mental disorders among MMORPG players.

MineLoC: A Rapid Production of Lab-on-a-Chip Biosensors Using 3D Printer and the Sandbox Game, Minecraft.

PubMed

Kim, Kyukwang; Kim, Hyeongkeun; Kim, Seunggyu; Jeon, Jessie S

2018-06-10

Here, MineLoC is described as a pipeline developed to generate 3D printable models of master templates for Lab-on-a-Chip (LoC) by using a popular multi-player sandbox game “Minecraft”. The user can draw a simple diagram describing the channels and chambers of the Lab-on-a-Chip devices with pre-registered color codes which indicate the height of the generated structure. MineLoC converts the diagram into large chunks of blocks (equal sized cube units composing every object in the game) in the game world. The user and co-workers can simultaneously access the game and edit, modify, or review, which is a feature not generally supported by conventional design software. Once the review is complete, the resultant structure can be exported into a stereolithography (STL) file which can be used in additive manufacturing. Then, the Lab-on-a-Chip device can be fabricated by the standard protocol to produce a Lab-on-a-Chip. The simple polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) device for the bacterial growth measurement used in the previous research was copied by the proposed method. The error calculation by a 3D model comparison showed an accuracy of 86%. It is anticipated that this work will facilitate more use of 3D printer-based Lab-on-a-Chip fabrication, which greatly lowers the entry barrier in the field of Lab-on-a-Chip research.

Dynamical origins of the community structure of an online multi-layer society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klimek, Peter; Diakonova, Marina; Eguíluz, Víctor M.; San Miguel, Maxi; Thurner, Stefan

2016-08-01

Social structures emerge as a result of individuals managing a variety of different social relationships. Societies can be represented as highly structured dynamic multiplex networks. Here we study the dynamical origins of the specific community structures of a large-scale social multiplex network of a human society that interacts in a virtual world of a massive multiplayer online game. There we find substantial differences in the community structures of different social actions, represented by the various layers in the multiplex network. Community sizes distributions are either fat-tailed or appear to be centered around a size of 50 individuals. To understand these observations we propose a voter model that is built around the principle of triadic closure. It explicitly models the co-evolution of node- and link-dynamics across different layers of the multiplex network. Depending on link and node fluctuation probabilities, the model exhibits an anomalous shattered fragmentation transition, where one layer fragments from one large component into many small components. The observed community size distributions are in good agreement with the predicted fragmentation in the model. This suggests that several detailed features of the fragmentation in societies can be traced back to the triadic closure processes.

Doubly tagged delayed-choice tunable quantum eraser: coherence, information and measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imran, Muhammad; Tariq, Hinna; Rameez-ul-Islam; Ikram, Manzoor

2018-01-01

We present an idea for the doubly tagged delayed-choice tunable quantum eraser in a cavity QED setup, based on fully controlled resonant as well as dispersive atom-field interactions. Two cavity fields, bound initially in the Bell state, are coupled to a three-level atom. Such an atom is initially prepared in the coherent superposition of the lower two levels and is quite capable of exhibiting Ramsey fringes if taken independently. It is shown that the coherence lost due to tagging can not only be retrieved but that the fringe visibility/path distinguishability can also be conditionally tuned in a delayed manner through local manipulation of the entangled cavity fields. The stringent condition here is the retainment of the system’s coherence during successive manipulations of the individual cavity fields. Such a quantum eraser, therefore, prominently highlights the links among all the counterintuitive features of quantum theory including the conception of time, measurement, state vector reduction, coherence and information in an unambiguous manner. The schematics can be straightforwardly extended to a multipartite scenario and employed to explore multi-player quantum games with the payoff being strangely decided through delayed choice setups.

Energy accounting and optimization for mobile systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Mian

Energy accounting determines how much a software process contributes to the total system energy consumption. It is the foundation for evaluating software and has been widely used by operating system based energy management. While various energy accounting policies have been tried, there is no known way to evaluate them directly simply because it is hard to track every hardware use by software in a heterogeneous multi-core system like modern smartphones and tablets. In this thesis, we provide the ground truth for energy accounting based on multi-player game theory and offer the first evaluation of existing energy accounting policies, revealing their important flaws. The proposed ground truth is based on Shapley value, a single value solution to multi-player games of which four axiomatic properties are natural and self-evident to energy accounting. To obtain the Shapley value-based ground truth, one only needs to know if a process is active during the time under question and the system energy consumption during the same time. We further provide a utility optimization formulation of energy management and show, surprisingly, that energy accounting does not matter for existing energy management solutions that control the energy use of a process by giving it an energy budget, or budget based energy management (BEM). We show an optimal energy management (OEM) framework can always outperform BEM. While OEM does not require any form of energy accounting, it is related to Shapley value in that both require the system energy consumption for all possible combination of processes under question. We provide a novel system solution that meet this requirement by acquiring system energy consumption in situ for an OS scheduler period, i.e.,10 ms. We report a prototype implementation of both Shapley value-based energy accounting and OEM based scheduling. Using this prototype and smartphone workload, we experimentally demonstrate how erroneous existing energy accounting policies can be, show that existing BEM solutions are unnecessarily complicated yet underperforming by 20% compared to OEM.

Neurobiological correlates of internet gaming disorder: Similarities to pathological gambling.

PubMed

Fauth-Bühler, M; Mann, K

2017-01-01

The number of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) is on the rise worldwide along with the fascination that they inspire. Problems occur when the use of MMOs becomes excessive at the expense of other life domains. Although not yet formally included as disorder in common diagnostic systems, internet gaming disorder (IGD) is considered a "condition for further study" in section III of the DSM-5. The current review aims to provide an overview of cognitive and neurobiological data currently available on IGD, with a particular focus on impulsivity, compulsivity, and sensitivity to reward and punishment. Additionally, we also compare these findings on IGD with data from studies on pathological gambling (PG)-so far the only condition officially classified as a behavioral addiction in the DSM-5. Multiple similarities have been observed in the neurobiology of IGD and PG, as measured by alterations in brain function and behavior. Both patients with IGD and those with PG exhibited decreased loss sensitivity; enhanced reactivity to gaming and gambling cues, respectively; enhanced impulsive choice behavior; aberrant reward-based learning; and no changes in cognitive flexibility. In conclusion, the evidence base on the neurobiology of gaming and gambling disorders is beginning to illuminate the similarities between the two. However, as only a few studies have addressed the neurobiological basis of IGD, and some of these studies suffer from significant limitations, more research is required before IGD's inclusion as a second behavioral addiction in the next versions of the ICD and DSM can be justified. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Game Theory Algorithm for Intra-Cluster Data Aggregation in a Vehicular Ad Hoc Network

PubMed Central

Chen, Yuzhong; Weng, Shining; Guo, Wenzhong; Xiong, Naixue

2016-01-01

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) have an important role in urban management and planning. The effective integration of vehicle information in VANETs is critical to traffic analysis, large-scale vehicle route planning and intelligent transportation scheduling. However, given the limitations in the precision of the output information of a single sensor and the difficulty of information sharing among various sensors in a highly dynamic VANET, effectively performing data aggregation in VANETs remains a challenge. Moreover, current studies have mainly focused on data aggregation in large-scale environments but have rarely discussed the issue of intra-cluster data aggregation in VANETs. In this study, we propose a multi-player game theory algorithm for intra-cluster data aggregation in VANETs by analyzing the competitive and cooperative relationships among sensor nodes. Several sensor-centric metrics are proposed to measure the data redundancy and stability of a cluster. We then study the utility function to achieve efficient intra-cluster data aggregation by considering both data redundancy and cluster stability. In particular, we prove the existence of a unique Nash equilibrium in the game model, and conduct extensive experiments to validate the proposed algorithm. Results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has advantages over typical data aggregation algorithms in both accuracy and efficiency. PMID:26907272

Multiscale structure in eco-evolutionary dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stacey, Blake C.

In a complex system, the individual components are neither so tightly coupled or correlated that they can all be treated as a single unit, nor so uncorrelated that they can be approximated as independent entities. Instead, patterns of interdependency lead to structure at multiple scales of organization. Evolution excels at producing such complex structures. In turn, the existence of these complex interrelationships within a biological system affects the evolutionary dynamics of that system. I present a mathematical formalism for multiscale structure, grounded in information theory, which makes these intuitions quantitative, and I show how dynamics defined in terms of population genetics or evolutionary game theory can lead to multiscale organization. For complex systems, "more is different," and I address this from several perspectives. Spatial host--consumer models demonstrate the importance of the structures which can arise due to dynamical pattern formation. Evolutionary game theory reveals the novel effects which can result from multiplayer games, nonlinear payoffs and ecological stochasticity. Replicator dynamics in an environment with mesoscale structure relates to generalized conditionalization rules in probability theory. The idea of natural selection "acting at multiple levels" has been mathematized in a variety of ways, not all of which are equivalent. We will face down the confusion, using the experience developed over the course of this thesis to clarify the situation.

Characteristics of Social Network Gamers: Results of an Online Survey.

PubMed

Geisel, Olga; Panneck, Patricia; Stickel, Anna; Schneider, Michael; Müller, Christian A

2015-01-01

Current research on Internet addiction (IA) reported moderate to high prevalence rates of IA and comorbid psychiatric symptoms in users of social networking sites (SNS) and online role-playing games. The aim of this study was to characterize adult users of an Internet multiplayer strategy game within a SNS. Therefore, we conducted an exploratory study using an online survey to assess sociodemographic variables, psychopathology, and the rate of IA in a sample of adult social network gamers by Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-26), the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), and the WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). All participants were listed gamers of "Combat Zone" in the SNS "Facebook." In this sample, 16.2% of the participants were categorized as subjects with IA and 19.5% fulfilled the criteria for alexithymia. Comparing study participants with and without IA, the IA group had significantly more subjects with alexithymia, reported more depressive symptoms, and showed poorer quality of life. These findings suggest that social network gaming might also be associated with maladaptive patterns of Internet use. Furthermore, a relationship between IA, alexithymia, and depressive symptoms was found that needs to be elucidated by future studies.

A Game Theory Algorithm for Intra-Cluster Data Aggregation in a Vehicular Ad Hoc Network.

PubMed

Chen, Yuzhong; Weng, Shining; Guo, Wenzhong; Xiong, Naixue

2016-02-19

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) have an important role in urban management and planning. The effective integration of vehicle information in VANETs is critical to traffic analysis, large-scale vehicle route planning and intelligent transportation scheduling. However, given the limitations in the precision of the output information of a single sensor and the difficulty of information sharing among various sensors in a highly dynamic VANET, effectively performing data aggregation in VANETs remains a challenge. Moreover, current studies have mainly focused on data aggregation in large-scale environments but have rarely discussed the issue of intra-cluster data aggregation in VANETs. In this study, we propose a multi-player game theory algorithm for intra-cluster data aggregation in VANETs by analyzing the competitive and cooperative relationships among sensor nodes. Several sensor-centric metrics are proposed to measure the data redundancy and stability of a cluster. We then study the utility function to achieve efficient intra-cluster data aggregation by considering both data redundancy and cluster stability. In particular, we prove the existence of a unique Nash equilibrium in the game model, and conduct extensive experiments to validate the proposed algorithm. Results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has advantages over typical data aggregation algorithms in both accuracy and efficiency.

ARTEMIS: Reinvigorating History and Theory in Art and Design Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janet, Jeff; Miles, Melissa

2009-01-01

ARTEMIS (Art Educational Multiplayer Interactive Space) is an online multi-user virtual environment that is designed around the objects, artefacts, philosophies, personalities and critical discourses of the histories and theories of art and design. Conceived as a means of reinvigorating art history and theory education in the digital age, ARTEMIS…

Linking online gaming and addictive behavior: converging evidence for a general reward deficiency in frequent online gamers.

PubMed

Hahn, Tim; Notebaert, Karolien Hilde; Dresler, Thomas; Kowarsch, Linda; Reif, Andreas; Fallgatter, Andreas J

2014-01-01

Millions of people regularly play so-called massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs). Recently, it has been argued that MMORPG overuse is becoming a significant health problem worldwide. Symptoms such as tolerance, withdrawal, and craving have been described. Based on behavioral, resting state, and task-related neuroimaging data, we test whether frequent players of the MMORPG "World of Warcraft" (WoW) - similar to drug addicts and individuals with an increased risk for addictions - show a generally deficient reward system. In frequent players of the MMORPG "World of Warcraft" (WoW-players) and in a control group of non-gamers we assessed (1) trait sensitivity to reward (SR), (2) BOLD responses during monetary reward processing in the ventral striatum, and (3) ventral-striatal resting-state dynamics. We found a decreased neural activation in the ventral striatum during the anticipation of both small and large monetary rewards. Additionally, we show generally altered neurodynamics in this region independent of any specific task for WoW players (resting state). On the behavioral level, we found differences in trait SR, suggesting that the reward processing deficiencies found in this study are not a consequence of gaming, but predisposed to it. These findings empirically support a direct link between frequent online gaming and the broad field of behavioral and drug addiction research, thus opening new avenues for clinical interventions in addicted gamers and potentially improving the assessment of addiction-risk in the vast population of frequent gamers.

Effects of pre-training using serious game technology on CPR performance--an exploratory quasi-experimental transfer study.

PubMed

Creutzfeldt, Johan; Hedman, Leif; Felländer-Tsai, Li

2012-12-06

Multiplayer virtual world (MVW) technology creates opportunities to practice medical procedures and team interactions using serious game software. This study aims to explore medical students' retention of knowledge and skills as well as their proficiency gain after pre-training using a MVW with avatars for cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) team training. Three groups of pre-clinical medical students, n = 30, were assessed and further trained using a high fidelity full-scale medical simulator: Two groups were pre-trained 6 and 18 months before assessment. A reference control group consisting of matched peers had no MVW pre-training. The groups consisted of 8, 12 and 10 subjects, respectively. The session started and ended with assessment scenarios, with 3 training scenarios in between. All scenarios were video-recorded for analysis of CPR performance. The 6 months group displayed greater CPR-related knowledge than the control group, 93 (±11)% compared to 65 (±28)% (p < 0.05), the 18 months group scored in between (73 (±23)%).At start the pre-trained groups adhered better to guidelines than the control group; mean violations 0.2 (±0.5), 1.5 (±1.0) and 4.5 (±1.0) for the 6 months, 18 months and control group respectively. Likewise, in the 6 months group no chest compression cycles were delivered at incorrect frequencies whereas 54 (±44)% in the control group (p < 0.05) and 44 (±49)% in 18 months group where incorrectly paced; differences that disappeared during training. This study supports the beneficial effects of MVW-CPR team training with avatars as a method for pre-training, or repetitive training, on CPR-skills among medical students.

Alternate Reality Games as an Informal Learning Tool for Generating STEM Engagement among Underrepresented Youth: a Qualitative Evaluation of the Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilliam, Melissa; Jagoda, Patrick; Fabiyi, Camille; Lyman, Phoebe; Wilson, Claire; Hill, Brandon; Bouris, Alida

2017-06-01

This project developed and studied The Source, an alternate reality game (ARG) designed to foster interest and knowledge related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) among youth from populations underrepresented in STEM fields. ARGs are multiplayer games that engage participants across several media such as shared websites, social media, personal communications, and real-world settings to complete activities and collaborate with team members. The Source was a five-week summer program with 144 participants from Chicago aged 13 to 18 years. The Source incorporated six socio-contextual factors derived from three frameworks: Chang's (ERIC Digest, 2002) recommendations for engaging underrepresented populations in STEM careers, Lave and Wenger's (Cambridge University Press, 1991) situated learning model, and Barron's (Human Development, 49(4); 193-224, 2006) learning ecology perspective. These factors aligned with the program's aims of promoting (1) social community and peer support, (2) collaboration and teamwork, (3) real-world relevance and investigative learning, (4) mentoring and exposure to STEM professionals, (5) hands-on activities to foster transferable skill building, and (6) interface with technology. This paper presents results from 10 focus groups and 10 individual interviews conducted with a subset of the 144 youth participants who completed the game. It describes how these six factors were realized through The Source and uses them as a lens for considering how The Source functioned pedagogically. Qualitative findings describe youth's perception of The Source's potential influence on STEM interest, engagement, and identity formation. Despite limitations, study results indicate that underrepresented youth can engage in an immersive, narrative, and game-based experience as a potential mechanism for piquing and developing STEM interest and skills, particularly among underrepresented youth.

A formal anthropological view of motivation models of problematic MMO play: achievement, social, and immersion factors in the context of culture.

PubMed

Snodgrass, Jeffrey G; Dengah, H J Francois; Lacy, Michael G; Fagan, Jesse

2013-04-01

Yee (2006) found three motivational factors-achievement, social, and immersion-underlying play in massively multiplayer online role-playing games ("MMORPGs" or "MMOs" for short). Subsequent work has suggested that these factors foster problematic or addictive forms of play in online worlds. In the current study, we used an online survey of respondents (N = 252), constructed and also interpreted in reference to ethnography and interviews, to examine problematic play in the World of Warcraft (WoW; Blizzard Entertainment, 2004-2013). We relied on tools from psychological anthropology to reconceptualize each of Yee's three motivational factors in order to test for the possible role of culture in problematic MMO play: (a) For achievement, we examined how "cultural consonance" with normative understandings of success might structure problematic forms of play; (b) for social, we analyzed the possibility that developing overvalued virtual relationships that are cutoff from offline social interactions might further exacerbate problematic play; and (c) in relation to immersion, we examined how "dissociative" blurring of actual- and virtual-world identities and experiences might contribute to problematic patterns. Our results confirmed that compared to Yee's original motivational factors, these culturally sensitive measures better predict problematic forms of play, pointing to the important role of sociocultural factors in structuring online play.

Linking Online Gaming and Addictive Behavior: Converging Evidence for a General Reward Deficiency in Frequent Online Gamers

PubMed Central

Hahn, Tim; Notebaert, Karolien Hilde; Dresler, Thomas; Kowarsch, Linda; Reif, Andreas; Fallgatter, Andreas J.

2014-01-01

Millions of people regularly play so-called massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs). Recently, it has been argued that MMORPG overuse is becoming a significant health problem worldwide. Symptoms such as tolerance, withdrawal, and craving have been described. Based on behavioral, resting state, and task-related neuroimaging data, we test whether frequent players of the MMORPG “World of Warcraft” (WoW) – similar to drug addicts and individuals with an increased risk for addictions – show a generally deficient reward system. In frequent players of the MMORPG “World of Warcraft” (WoW-players) and in a control group of non-gamers we assessed (1) trait sensitivity to reward (SR), (2) BOLD responses during monetary reward processing in the ventral striatum, and (3) ventral-striatal resting-state dynamics. We found a decreased neural activation in the ventral striatum during the anticipation of both small and large monetary rewards. Additionally, we show generally altered neurodynamics in this region independent of any specific task for WoW players (resting state). On the behavioral level, we found differences in trait SR, suggesting that the reward processing deficiencies found in this study are not a consequence of gaming, but predisposed to it. These findings empirically support a direct link between frequent online gaming and the broad field of behavioral and drug addiction research, thus opening new avenues for clinical interventions in addicted gamers and potentially improving the assessment of addiction-risk in the vast population of frequent gamers. PMID:25426039

The effect of heterogeneous defectors on the evolution of public cooperation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Tong; Hu, Xuezhi; Wang, Yongjie; Wang, Le

2018-06-01

In recent years,more and more private capital join the construction of cultural facilities and the organization of cultural activities in China. Actually, the organization of cultural activities by crowd-funding mechanism is a kind of multi-player game. Not all players who donate different amount of money are real cooperators. In fact, some cunning defectors may donate a little money to avoid the gossip and punishment. This part of people are very tricky. They could be seen as heterogeneous defectors. The role of heterogeneous defectors is investigated in cooperative behaviors of complex social network. Numerical results show that heterogeneous defectors could be a buffer for maintaining the public pool when synergy factor is low in public goods game (PGG). It is relatively easy to be cooperators for heterogeneous defectors when synergy factor is high in PGG. To better improve cooperation, punishment towards heterogeneous defectors and complete defectors is introduced. We are glad to find that when the defectors' loss is equal to or larger than the altruistic cooperators' punishment cost, the mechanism could make great effect. In addition, the role of heterogeneous defectors depends on the relationship between the punishment cost and the defectors' loss.

Beyond game effectiveness. Part II, a qualitative study of multi-role experiential learning.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Willis, Matthew; Tucker, Eilish Marie; Raybourn, Elaine Marie

The present paper is the second in a series published at I/ITSEC that seeks to explain the efficacy of multirole experiential learning employed to create engaging game-based training methods transitioned to the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations teams. The first publication (I/ITSEC 2009) summarized findings from a quantitative study that investigated experiential learning in the multi-player, PC-based game module transitioned to PEO-STRI, DARWARS Ambush! NK (non-kinetic). The 2009 publication reported that participants of multi-role (Player and Reflective Observer/Evaluator) game-based training reported statistically significant learning and engagement. Additionally when the means of the two groupsmore » (Player and Reflective Observer/Evaluator) were compared, they were not statistically significantly different from each other. That is to say that both playing as well as observing/evaluating were engaging learning modalities. The Observer/Evaluator role was designed to provide an opportunity for real-time reflection and meta-cognitive learning during game play. Results indicated that this role was an engaging way to learn about communication, that participants learned something about cultural awareness, and that the skills they learned were helpful in problem solving and decision-making. The present paper seeks to continue to understand what and how users of non-kinetic game-based missions learn by revisiting the 2009 quantitative study with further investigation such as stochastic player performance analysis using latent semantic analyses and graph visualizations to correlate against human coder ratings and pre- and post-test self-analysis. The results are applicable to First-Person game-based learning systems designed to enhance trainee intercultural communication, interpersonal skills, and adaptive thinking. In the full paper, we discuss results obtained from data collected from 78 research participants of diverse backgrounds who trained by engaging in tasks directly, as well as observing and evaluating peer performance in real-time. The goal is two-fold. One is to quantify and visualize detailed player performance data coming from game play transcription to give further understanding to the results in the 2009 I/ITSEC paper. The second is to develop a set of technologies from this quantification and visualization approach into a generalized application tool to be used to aid in future games development of player/learner models and game adaptation algorithms.« less

Serotonin and Social Norms

PubMed Central

Bilderbeck, Amy C.; Brown, Gordon D. A.; Read, Judi; Woolrich, Mark; Cowen, Phillip J.; Behrens, Tim E. J.

2014-01-01

How do people sustain resources for the benefit of individuals and communities and avoid the tragedy of the commons, in which shared resources become exhausted? In the present study, we examined the role of serotonin activity and social norms in the management of depletable resources. Healthy adults, alongside social partners, completed a multiplayer resource-dilemma game in which they repeatedly harvested from a partially replenishable monetary resource. Dietary tryptophan depletion, leading to reduced serotonin activity, was associated with aggressive harvesting strategies and disrupted use of the social norms given by distributions of other players’ harvests. Tryptophan-depleted participants more frequently exhausted the resource completely and also accumulated fewer rewards than participants who were not tryptophan depleted. Our findings show that rank-based social comparisons are crucial to the management of depletable resources, and that serotonin mediates responses to social norms. PMID:24815611

Participatory Design With Seniors: Design of Future Services and Iterative Refinements of Interactive eHealth Services for Old Citizens

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background There is an increasing social isolation among the elderly today. This will be an even larger issue in the future with growing numbers of elderly and less resources, for example, in terms of economy and staff. Loneliness and social isolation can, however, be addressed in several ways using different interactive eHealth services. Objective This case study investigated novel eHealth services for the elderly, and their usage of a social interactive device designed especially for them. Methods In this work, we used an innovative mobile communication device connected to the television (TV), which worked as a remotely controlled large interactive screen. The device was tested by 8 volunteers who visited a senior center. They were between 65 and 80 years of age and lived in their own homes. Throughout the 1.5 year-long project, 7 design workshops were held with the seniors and the staff at the center. During these workshops, demands and preferences regarding existing and new services were gathered. At the end of the project the participants’ experience of the device and of the services was elaborated in 3 workshops to get ideas for improved or new meaningful services. During the data analyses and development process, what seniors thought would be useful in relation to what was feasible was prioritized by the development company. Results Regarding daily usage, the seniors reported that they mainly used the service for receiving information from the senior center and for communication with other participants in the group or with younger relatives. They also read information about events at the senior center and they liked to perform a weekly sent out workout exercise. Further, they played games such as Memory and Sudoku using the device. The service development focused on three categories of services: cognitive activities, social activities, and physical activities. A cognitive activity service that would be meaningful to develop was a game for practicing working memory. In the social activities category, the seniors wanted different quizzes and multi-player games. For physical activities, the seniors desired more workout exercises and suggestions for guided walking routes. A new category, “information and news”, was suggested since they lacked services like senior-customized global and local news. Conclusions This study showed the importance of input from a group of seniors when designing new services for elderly citizens. Besides input to interactive eHealth service development for seniors, this study showed the importance of a social context around such work. The seniors were very engaged throughout the project and workshops were frequently visited and the seniors became friends. The high amount of input from the seniors could be explained in terms of social inclusion; they belonged to a group and each member was considered important for the work. The friendly workshop atmosphere facilitated new ideas and redesign of the services. PMID:25075235

Participatory Design With Seniors: Design of Future Services and Iterative Refinements of Interactive eHealth Services for Old Citizens.

PubMed

Scandurra, Isabella; Sjölinder, Marie

2013-01-01

There is an increasing social isolation among the elderly today. This will be an even larger issue in the future with growing numbers of elderly and less resources, for example, in terms of economy and staff. Loneliness and social isolation can, however, be addressed in several ways using different interactive eHealth services. This case study investigated novel eHealth services for the elderly, and their usage of a social interactive device designed especially for them. In this work, we used an innovative mobile communication device connected to the television (TV), which worked as a remotely controlled large interactive screen. The device was tested by 8 volunteers who visited a senior center. They were between 65 and 80 years of age and lived in their own homes. Throughout the 1.5 year-long project, 7 design workshops were held with the seniors and the staff at the center. During these workshops, demands and preferences regarding existing and new services were gathered. At the end of the project the participants' experience of the device and of the services was elaborated in 3 workshops to get ideas for improved or new meaningful services. During the data analyses and development process, what seniors thought would be useful in relation to what was feasible was prioritized by the development company. Regarding daily usage, the seniors reported that they mainly used the service for receiving information from the senior center and for communication with other participants in the group or with younger relatives. They also read information about events at the senior center and they liked to perform a weekly sent out workout exercise. Further, they played games such as Memory and Sudoku using the device. The service development focused on three categories of services: cognitive activities, social activities, and physical activities. A cognitive activity service that would be meaningful to develop was a game for practicing working memory. In the social activities category, the seniors wanted different quizzes and multi-player games. For physical activities, the seniors desired more workout exercises and suggestions for guided walking routes. A new category, "information and news", was suggested since they lacked services like senior-customized global and local news. This study showed the importance of input from a group of seniors when designing new services for elderly citizens. Besides input to interactive eHealth service development for seniors, this study showed the importance of a social context around such work. The seniors were very engaged throughout the project and workshops were frequently visited and the seniors became friends. The high amount of input from the seniors could be explained in terms of social inclusion; they belonged to a group and each member was considered important for the work. The friendly workshop atmosphere facilitated new ideas and redesign of the services.

Validating agent based models through virtual worlds.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lakkaraju, Kiran; Whetzel, Jonathan H.; Lee, Jina

As the US continues its vigilance against distributed, embedded threats, understanding the political and social structure of these groups becomes paramount for predicting and dis- rupting their attacks. Agent-based models (ABMs) serve as a powerful tool to study these groups. While the popularity of social network tools (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) has provided extensive communication data, there is a lack of ne-grained behavioral data with which to inform and validate existing ABMs. Virtual worlds, in particular massively multiplayer online games (MMOG), where large numbers of people interact within a complex environ- ment for long periods of time provide an alternative sourcemore » of data. These environments provide a rich social environment where players engage in a variety of activities observed between real-world groups: collaborating and/or competing with other groups, conducting battles for scarce resources, and trading in a market economy. Strategies employed by player groups surprisingly re ect those seen in present-day con icts, where players use diplomacy or espionage as their means for accomplishing their goals. In this project, we propose to address the need for ne-grained behavioral data by acquiring and analyzing game data a commercial MMOG, referred to within this report as Game X. The goals of this research were: (1) devising toolsets for analyzing virtual world data to better inform the rules that govern a social ABM and (2) exploring how virtual worlds could serve as a source of data to validate ABMs established for analogous real-world phenomena. During this research, we studied certain patterns of group behavior to compliment social modeling e orts where a signi cant lack of detailed examples of observed phenomena exists. This report outlines our work examining group behaviors that underly what we have termed the Expression-To-Action (E2A) problem: determining the changes in social contact that lead individuals/groups to engage in a particular behavior. Results from our work indicate that virtual worlds have the potential for serving as a proxy in allocating and populating behaviors that would be used within further agent-based modeling studies.« less

Harsh environments and the evolution of multi-player cooperation.

PubMed

De Jaegher, Kris

2017-02-01

The game-theoretic model in this paper provides micro-foundations for the effect a harsher environment on the probability of cooperation among multiple players. The harshness of the environment is alternatively measured by the degree of complementarity between the players' cooperative efforts in producing a public good, and by the number of attacks on an existing public good that the players can collectively defend, where it is shown that these two measures of the degree of adversity facing the players operate in a similar fashion. We show that the effect of the degree of adversity on the probability of cooperation is monotonous, and has an opposite sign for smaller and for larger cooperation costs. For intermediate cooperation costs, we show that the effect of a harsher environment on the probability of cooperation is hill-shaped. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Social argumentation in online synchronous communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angiono, Ivan

In education, argumentation has an increasing importance because it can be used to foster learning in various fields including philosophy, history, sciences, and mathematics. Argumentation is also at the heart of scientific inquiry. Many educational technology researchers have been interested in finding out how technologies can be employed to improve students' learning of argumentation. Therefore, many computer-based tools or argumentation systems have been developed to assist students in their acquisition of argumentation skills. While the argumentation systems incorporating online debating tools present a good resource in formal settings, there is limited research revealing what argumentative skills students are portraying in informal online settings without the presence of a moderator. This dissertation investigates the nature of argumentative practices in a massively multiplayer online game where the system successfully incorporates the authentic use of online synchronous communication tools and the patterns that emerge from the interplay between a number of contextual variables including synchronicity, interest, authenticity, and topical knowledge.

Three is a crowd in iterated prisoner's dilemmas: experimental evidence on reciprocal behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grujić, Jelena; Eke, Burcu; Cabrales, Antonio; Cuesta, José A.; Sánchez, Angel

2012-09-01

Reciprocity or conditional cooperation is one of the most prominent mechanisms proposed to explain the emergence of cooperation in social dilemmas. Recent experimental findings on networked games suggest that conditional cooperation may also depend on the previous action of the player. We here report on experiments on iterated, multi-player Prisoner's dilemma, on groups of 2 to 5 people. We confirm the dependence on the previous step and that memory effects for earlier periods are not significant. We show that the behavior of subjects in pairwise dilemmas is qualitatively different from the cases with more players; After an initial decay, cooperation increases significantly reaching values above 80%. The strategy of the players is rather universal as far as their willingness to reciprocate cooperation is concerned, whereas there is much diversity in their initial propensity to cooperate. Our results indicate that, for cooperation to emerge and thrive, three is a crowd.

Cropland Capture: A Game to Improve Global Cropland through Crowdsourcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fritz, Steffen; Sturn, Tobias; See, Linda; Perger, Christoph; Schill, Christian; McCallum, Ian; Schepaschenko, Dmitry; Karner, Mathias; Dueruer, Martina; Kraxner, Florian; Obersteiner, Michael

2014-05-01

Accurate and reliable global cropland extent maps are essential for estimating and forecasting crop yield, in particular losses due to drought and production anomalies. Major questions surrounding energy futures and environmental change (EU and US biofuel target setting, determination of greenhouse gas emissions, REDD initiatives, and implications of climate change on crop production and productivity patterns) also require reliable information on the spatial distribution of cropland as well as crop types. Although global land cover maps identify cropland (which exist as one or more land cover categories), this information is currently not accurate enough for many applications. There are several ways of improving current cropland extent though hybrid approaches and by integrating information collected though Geo-Wiki (a global crowdsourcing platform) from very high resolution imagery such as that found on Google Earth. Another way of getting improved cropland extent maps would be to classify all very high resolution images found on Google Earth and to create a wall-to-wall map of cropland. This is a very ambitious task that would require a large number of individuals, like that found in massive multiplayer online games. For this reason we have developed a game called 'Cropland Capture'. The game can be played on a desktop, on a tablet (iPad or Android) or mobile phone (iPhone or Android) where the game mechanics are very simple. The player is provided with a satellite image or in-situ photo and they must determine if the image contains cropland or not. The game was launched in the middle of November 2013 and will run for 6 months, after which the weekly winners will be entered into a draw to win large prizes. To date we have collected more than 2.5 million areas, where we will continue to expand the sample to more locations around the world. Eventually the data will be used to calibrate and validate a new version of our global cropland map, where the latest version is available from http://beta-hybrid.geo-wiki.org. If we find, however, that a large number of people participate in the game, we will aim to make wall-to-wall cropland maps for those countries where no national maps exist. This paper will present an overview of the game and a summary of the crowdsourced data from the game, including information about quality and user performance. If successful, this gaming approach could be used to gather information about other land cover types in the future in order to improve global land cover information more generally.

Managing in the Virtual World: How Second Life is Rewriting the Rules of "Real Life" Business

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyld, David C.

In this paper, we will explore the growth of virtual worlds - one of the most exciting and fast-growing concepts in the Web 2.0 era. We will see that while there has been significant growth across all demographic groups, online gaming in MMOGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Games) are finding particular appeal in today's youth - the so-called "digital native" generation. We then overview the today's virtual world marketplace, both in the youth and adult-oriented markets. Second Life is emerging as the most important virtual world today, due to the intense interest amongst both large organizations and individual entrepreneurs to conduct real business in the virtual environment. Due to its prominence today and its forecasted growth over the next decade, we take a look at the unscripted world of Second Life, examining the corporate presence in-world, as well as the economic, technical, legal, ethical and security issues involved for companies doing business in the virtual world. In conclusion, we present an analysis of where we stand in terms of virtual world development today and a projection of where we will be heading in the near future. Finally, we present advice to management practitioners and academicians on how to learn about virtual worlds and explore the world of opportunities in them.

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

PubMed

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.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training by Avatars: A Qualitative Study of Medical Students’ Experiences Using a Multiplayer Virtual World

PubMed Central

Hedman, Leif; Felländer-Tsai, Li

2016-01-01

Background Emergency medical practices are often team efforts. Training for various tasks and collaborations may be carried out in virtual environments. Although promising results exist from studies of serious games, little is known about the subjective reactions of learners when using multiplayer virtual world (MVW) training in medicine. Objective The objective of this study was to reach a better understanding of the learners’ reactions and experiences when using an MVW for team training of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Methods Twelve Swedish medical students participated in semistructured focus group discussions after CPR training in an MVW with partially preset options. The students’ perceptions and feelings related to use of this educational tool were investigated. Using qualitative methodology, discussions were analyzed by a phenomenological data-driven approach. Quality measures included negotiations, back-and-forth reading, triangulation, and validation with the informants. Results Four categories characterizing the students’ experiences could be defined: (1) Focused Mental Training, (2) Interface Diverting Focus From Training, (3) Benefits of Practicing in a Group, and (4) Easy Loss of Focus When Passive. We interpreted the results, compared them to findings of others, and propose advantages and risks of using virtual worlds for learning. Conclusions Beneficial aspects of learning CPR in a virtual world were confirmed. To achieve high participant engagement and create good conditions for training, well-established procedures should be practiced. Furthermore, students should be kept in an active mode and frequent feedback should be utilized. It cannot be completely ruled out that the use of virtual training may contribute to erroneous self-beliefs that can affect later clinical performance. PMID:27986645

Does Digital Game Interactivity Always Promote Self-Efficacy?

PubMed

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.

Motion interactive video games in home training for children with cerebral palsy: parents' perceptions.

PubMed

Sandlund, Marlene; Dock, Katarina; Häger, Charlotte K; Waterworth, Eva Lindh

2012-01-01

To explore parents' perceptions of using low-cost motion interactive video games as home training for their children with mild/moderate cerebral palsy. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with parents from 15 families after participation in an intervention where motion interactive games were used daily in home training for their child. A qualitative content analysis approach was applied. The parents' perception of the training was very positive. They expressed the view that motion interactive video games may promote positive experiences of physical training in rehabilitation, where the social aspects of gaming were especially valued. Further, the parents experienced less need to take on coaching while gaming stimulated independent training. However, there was a desire for more controlled and individualized games to better challenge the specific rehabilitative need of each child. Low-cost motion interactive games may provide increased motivation and social interaction to home training and promote independent training with reduced coaching efforts for the parents. In future designs of interactive games for rehabilitation purposes, it is important to preserve the motivational and social features of games while optimizing the individualized physical exercise.

Landspotting: Social gaming to collect vast amounts of data for satellite validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fritz, S.; Purgathofer, P.; Kayali, F.; Fellner, M.; Wimmer, M.; Sturn, T.; Triebnig, G.; Krause, S.; Schindler, F.; Kollegger, M.; Perger, C.; Dürauer, M.; Haberl, W.; See, L.; McCallum, I.

2012-04-01

At present there is no single satellite-derived global land cover product that is accurate enough to provide reliable estimates of forest or cropland area to determine, e.g., how much additional land is available to grow biofuels or to tackle problems of food security. The Landspotting Project aims to improve the quality of this land cover information by vastly increasing the amount of in-situ validation data available for calibration and validation of satellite-derived land cover. The Geo-Wiki (Geo-Wiki.org) system currently allows users to compare three satellite derived land cover products and validate them using Google Earth. However, there is presently no incentive for anyone to provide this data so the amount of validation through Geo-Wiki has been limited. However, recent competitions have proven that incentive driven campaigns can rapidly create large amounts of input. The LandSpotting Project is taking a truly innovative approach through the development of the Landspotting game. The game engages users whilst simultaneously collecting a large amount of in-situ land cover information. The development of the game is informed by the current raft of successful social gaming that is available on the internet and as mobile applications, many of which are geo-spatial in nature. Games that are integrated within a social networking site such as Facebook illustrate the power to reach and continually engage a large number of individuals. The number of active Facebook users is estimated to be greater than 400 million, where 100 million are accessing Facebook from mobile devices. The Landspotting Game has similar game mechanics as the famous strategy game "Civilization" (i.e. build, harvest, research, war, diplomacy, etc.). When a player wishes to make a settlement, they must first classify the land cover over the area they wish to settle. As the game is played on the earth surface with Google Maps, we are able to record and store this land cover/land use classification geographically. Every player can play the game for free (i.e. a massive multiplayer online game). Furthermore, it is a social game on Facebook (e.g. invite friends, send friends messages, purchase gifts, help friends, post messages onto the wall, etc). The game is played in a web browser, therefore it runs everywhere (where Flash is supported) without requiring the user to install anything additional. At the same time, the Geo-Wiki system will be modified to use the acquired in-situ validation information to create new outputs: a hybrid land cover map, which takes the best information from each individual product to create a single integrated version; a database of validation points that will be freely available to the land cover user community; and a facility that allows users to create a specific targeted validation area, which will then be provided to the crowdsourcing community for validation. These outputs will turn Geo-Wiki into a valuable system for earth system scientists.

Choice of Interactive Dance and Bicycle Games in Overweight and Nonoverweight Youth

PubMed Central

Epstein, Leonard H.; Beecher, Meghan D.; Graf, Jennifer L.; Roemmich, James N.

2008-01-01

Background: Interactive video games are a popular alternative to physical activity in youth. One advancement in computer games are interactive games that use physical activity as a game playing controller, combining exercise and entertainment, or exertainment. Purpose: This study tested the reinforcing value and activity levels of interactive dance and bicycle race games in 18 overweight and 17 nonoverweight 8- to 12-year-old youth. Methods: Reinforcing value was studied using a behavioral choice paradigm that provided children the opportunity to respond on progressive ratio schedules of reinforcement for a choice of either playing the video dance or bicycle game using a handheld video game controller or one of three options: dancing or bicycling alone, dancing or bicycling while watching a video, or playing the interactive dance or bicycle game. Reinforcing value was defined in relationship to the amount of responding children engaged in for either choice. Results: Results showed the interactive dance game was more reinforcing than dancing alone or dancing while watching the video (p = .003), but there was no difference across bicycling conditions. Nonoverweight youth were more active when given the opportunity to play the interactive dance game than overweight children (p = .05). Conclusions: These results suggest that children may be motivated to be active when given the opportunity to play an interactive dance game. PMID:17447864

Games network and application to PAs system.

PubMed

Chettaoui, C; Delaplace, F; Manceny, M; Malo, M

2007-02-01

In this article, we present a game theory based framework, named games network, for modeling biological interactions. After introducing the theory, we more precisely describe the methodology to model biological interactions. Then we apply it to the plasminogen activator system (PAs) which is a signal transduction pathway involved in cancer cell migration. The games network theory extends game theory by including the locality of interactions. Each game in a games network represents local interactions between biological agents. The PAs system is implicated in cytoskeleton modifications via regulation of actin and microtubules, which in turn favors cell migration. The games network model has enabled us a better understanding of the regulation involved in the PAs system.

Virtually Ostracized: Studying Ostracism in Immersive Virtual Environments

PubMed Central

Wesselmann, Eric D.; Law, Alvin Ty; Williams, Kipling D.

2012-01-01

Abstract Electronic-based communication (such as Immersive Virtual Environments; IVEs) may offer new ways of satisfying the need for social connection, but they also provide ways this need can be thwarted. Ostracism, being ignored and excluded, is a common social experience that threatens fundamental human needs (i.e., belonging, control, self-esteem, and meaningful existence). Previous ostracism research has made use of a variety of paradigms, including minimal electronic-based interactions (e.g., Cyberball) and communication (e.g., chatrooms and Short Message Services). These paradigms, however, lack the mundane realism that many IVEs now offer. Further, IVE paradigms designed to measure ostracism may allow researchers to test more nuanced hypotheses about the effects of ostracism. We created an IVE in which ostracism could be manipulated experimentally, emulating a previously validated minimal ostracism paradigm. We found that participants who were ostracized in this IVE experienced the same negative effects demonstrated in other ostracism paradigms, providing, to our knowledge, the first evidence of the negative effects of ostracism in virtual environments. Though further research directly exploring these effects in online virtual environments is needed, this research suggests that individuals encountering ostracism in other virtual environments (such as massively multiplayer online role playing games; MMORPGs) may experience negative effects similar to those of being ostracized in real life. This possibility may have serious implications for individuals who are marginalized in their real life and turn to IVEs to satisfy their need for social connection. PMID:22897472

Virtually ostracized: studying ostracism in immersive virtual environments.

PubMed

Kassner, Matthew P; Wesselmann, Eric D; Law, Alvin Ty; Williams, Kipling D

2012-08-01

Electronic-based communication (such as Immersive Virtual Environments; IVEs) may offer new ways of satisfying the need for social connection, but they also provide ways this need can be thwarted. Ostracism, being ignored and excluded, is a common social experience that threatens fundamental human needs (i.e., belonging, control, self-esteem, and meaningful existence). Previous ostracism research has made use of a variety of paradigms, including minimal electronic-based interactions (e.g., Cyberball) and communication (e.g., chatrooms and Short Message Services). These paradigms, however, lack the mundane realism that many IVEs now offer. Further, IVE paradigms designed to measure ostracism may allow researchers to test more nuanced hypotheses about the effects of ostracism. We created an IVE in which ostracism could be manipulated experimentally, emulating a previously validated minimal ostracism paradigm. We found that participants who were ostracized in this IVE experienced the same negative effects demonstrated in other ostracism paradigms, providing, to our knowledge, the first evidence of the negative effects of ostracism in virtual environments. Though further research directly exploring these effects in online virtual environments is needed, this research suggests that individuals encountering ostracism in other virtual environments (such as massively multiplayer online role playing games; MMORPGs) may experience negative effects similar to those of being ostracized in real life. This possibility may have serious implications for individuals who are marginalized in their real life and turn to IVEs to satisfy their need for social connection.

Mobile Gaming and Student Interactions in a Science Center: The Future of Gaming in Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atwood-Blaine, Dana; Huffman, Douglas

2017-01-01

This article explores the impact of an augmented reality iPad-based mobile game, called The Great STEM Caper, on students' interaction at a science center. An open-source, location-based game platform called ARIS (i.e. Augmented Reality and Interactive Storytelling) was used to create an iPad-based mobile game. The game used QR scan codes and a…

Use of electronic games by young children and fundamental movement skills?

PubMed

Barnett, Lisa M; Hinkley, Trina; Okely, Anthony D; Hesketh, Kylie; Salmon, Jo

2012-06-01

This study investigated associations between pre-school children's time spent playing electronic games and their fundamental movement skills. In 2009, 53 children had physical activity (Actigraph accelerometer counts per minute), parent proxy-report of child's time in interactive and non-interactive electronic games (min./week), and movement skill (Test of Gross Motor Development-2) assessed. Hierarchical linear regression, adjusting for age (range = 3-6 years), sex (Step 1), and physical activity (cpm; M=687, SD=175.42; Step 2), examined the relationship between time in (a) non-interactive and (b) interactive electronic games and locomotor and object control skill. More than half (59%, n=31) of the children were female. Adjusted time in interactive game use was associated with object control but not locomotor skill. Adjusted time in non-interactive game use had no association with object control or locomotor skill. Greater time spent playing interactive electronic games is associated with higher object control skill proficiency in these young children. Longitudinal and experimental research is required to determine if playing these games improves object control skills or if children with greater object control skill proficiency prefer and play these games.

Examining elementary school children's level of enjoyment of traditional tag games vs. interactive dance games.

PubMed

Gao, Zan; Zhang, Peng; Podlog, Leslie William

2014-01-01

Enjoyment has been implicated as a determinant of physical activity among children and adolescents. However, the effect of different sport activities on children's enjoyment remains largely unexplored. This study examined whether children's enjoyment in physical education (PE) varied as a function of learning activities. Participants were 210 third- through sixth-grade children who had a 30 min PE class every week. Participants responded to a standardized self-report enjoyment survey measuring their enjoyment level in a PE class during which they participated in tag games. Students completed the same questionnaire when involved in interactive dance games in PE. The results revealed that children reported significantly higher scores in enjoyment toward interactive dance games than they did toward traditional games (p < .01). Also, girls exhibited higher enjoyment toward interactive dance games than boys did (p < .05). However, no gender difference emerged on enjoyment toward traditional games. In conclusion, it is practical and meaningful to integrate interactive dance games into PE.

Relativistic and noise effects on multiplayer Prisoners' dilemma with entangling initial states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goudarzi, H.; Rashidi, S. S.

2017-11-01

Three-players Prisoners' dilemma (Alice, Bob and Colin) is studied in the presence of a single collective environment effect as a noise. The environmental effect is coupled with final states by a particular form of Kraus operators K_0 and K_1 through amplitude damping channel. We introduce the decoherence parameter 0≤p≤1 to the corresponding noise matrices, in order to controling the rate of environment influence on payoff of each players. Also, we consider the Unruh effect on the payoff of player, who is located at a noninertial frame. We suppose that two players (Bob and Colin) are in Rindler region I from Minkowski space-time, and move with same uniform acceleration (r_b=r_c) and frequency mode. The game is begun with the classical strategies cooperation ( C) and defection ( D) accessible to each player. Furthermore, the players are allowed to access the quantum strategic space ( Q and M). The quantum entanglement is coupled with initial classical states by the parameter γ \\in [0,π /2]. Using entangled initial states by exerting an unitary operator \\hat{J} as entangling gate, the quantum game (competition between Prisoners, as a three-qubit system) is started by choosing the strategies from classical or quantum strategic space. Arbitrarily chosen strategy by each player can lead to achieving profiles, which can be considered as Nash equilibrium or Pareto optimal. It is shown that in the presence of noise effect, choosing quantum strategy Q results in a winning payoff against the classical strategy D and, for example, the strategy profile ( Q, D, C) is Pareto optimal. We find that the unfair miracle move of Eisert from quantum strategic space is an effective strategy for accelerated players in decoherence mode (p=1) of the game.

Behavioral and Network Origins of Wealth Inequality: Insights from a Virtual World

PubMed Central

Fuchs, Benedikt; Thurner, Stefan

2014-01-01

Almost universally, wealth is not distributed uniformly within societies or economies. Even though wealth data have been collected in various forms for centuries, the origins for the observed wealth-disparity and social inequality are not yet fully understood. Especially the impact and connections of human behavior on wealth could so far not be inferred from data. Here we study wealth data from the virtual economy of the massive multiplayer online game (MMOG) Pardus. This data not only contains every player's wealth at every point in time, but also all actions over a timespan of almost a decade. We find that wealth distributions in the virtual world are very similar to those in Western countries. In particular we find an approximate exponential distribution for low wealth levels and a power-law tail for high levels. The Gini index is found to be , which is close to the indices of many Western countries. We find that wealth-increase rates depend on the time when players entered the game. Players that entered the game early on tend to have remarkably higher wealth-increase rates than those who joined later. Studying the players' positions within their social networks, we find that the local position in the trade network is most relevant for wealth. Wealthy people have high in- and out-degrees in the trade network, relatively low nearest-neighbor degrees, and low clustering coefficients. Wealthy players have many mutual friendships and are socially well respected by others, but spend more time on business than on socializing. Wealthy players have few personal enemies, but show animosity towards players that behave as public enemies. We find that players that are not organized within social groups are significantly poorer on average. We observe that “political” status and wealth go hand in hand. PMID:25153072

Behavioral and network origins of wealth inequality: insights from a virtual world.

PubMed

Fuchs, Benedikt; Thurner, Stefan

2014-01-01

Almost universally, wealth is not distributed uniformly within societies or economies. Even though wealth data have been collected in various forms for centuries, the origins for the observed wealth-disparity and social inequality are not yet fully understood. Especially the impact and connections of human behavior on wealth could so far not be inferred from data. Here we study wealth data from the virtual economy of the massive multiplayer online game (MMOG) Pardus. This data not only contains every player's wealth at every point in time, but also all actions over a timespan of almost a decade. We find that wealth distributions in the virtual world are very similar to those in Western countries. In particular we find an approximate exponential distribution for low wealth levels and a power-law tail for high levels. The Gini index is found to be g = 0.65, which is close to the indices of many Western countries. We find that wealth-increase rates depend on the time when players entered the game. Players that entered the game early on tend to have remarkably higher wealth-increase rates than those who joined later. Studying the players' positions within their social networks, we find that the local position in the trade network is most relevant for wealth. Wealthy people have high in- and out-degrees in the trade network, relatively low nearest-neighbor degrees, and low clustering coefficients. Wealthy players have many mutual friendships and are socially well respected by others, but spend more time on business than on socializing. Wealthy players have few personal enemies, but show animosity towards players that behave as public enemies. We find that players that are not organized within social groups are significantly poorer on average. We observe that "political" status and wealth go hand in hand.

Detection of the elite structure in a virtual multiplex social system by means of a generalised K-core.

PubMed

Corominas-Murtra, Bernat; Fuchs, Benedikt; Thurner, Stefan

2014-01-01

Elites are subgroups of individuals within a society that have the ability and means to influence, lead, govern, and shape societies. Members of elites are often well connected individuals, which enables them to impose their influence to many and to quickly gather, process, and spread information. Here we argue that elites are not only composed of highly connected individuals, but also of intermediaries connecting hubs to form a cohesive and structured elite-subgroup at the core of a social network. For this purpose we present a generalization of the K-core algorithm that allows to identify a social core that is composed of well-connected hubs together with their 'connectors'. We show the validity of the idea in the framework of a virtual world defined by a massive multiplayer online game, on which we have complete information of various social networks. Exploiting this multiplex structure, we find that the hubs of the generalised K-core identify those individuals that are high social performers in terms of a series of indicators that are available in the game. In addition, using a combined strategy which involves the generalised Kcore and the recently introduced M-core, the elites of the different 'nations' present in the game are perfectly identified as modules of the generalised K-core. Interesting sudden shifts in the composition of the elite cores are observed at deep levels. We show that elite detection with the traditional K-core is not possible in a reliable way. The proposed method might be useful in a series of more general applications, such as community detection.

Fractal multi-level organisation of human groups in a virtual world.

PubMed

Fuchs, Benedikt; Sornette, Didier; Thurner, Stefan

2014-10-06

Humans are fundamentally social. They form societies which consist of hierarchically layered nested groups of various quality, size, and structure. The anthropologic literature has classified these groups as support cliques, sympathy groups, bands, cognitive groups, tribes, linguistic groups, and so on. Anthropologic data show that, on average, each group consists of approximately three subgroups. However, a general understanding of the structural dependence of groups at different layers is largely missing. We extend these early findings to a very large high-precision large-scale internet-based social network data. We analyse the organisational structure of a complete, multi-relational, large social multiplex network of a human society consisting of about 400,000 odd players of an open-ended massive multiplayer online game for which we know all about their various group memberships at different layers. Remarkably, the online players' society exhibits the same type of structured hierarchical layers as found in hunter-gatherer societies. Our findings suggest that the hierarchical organisation of human society is deeply nested in human psychology.

Coevolutionary Free Lunches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolpert, David H.; Macready, William G.

2005-01-01

Recent work on the mathematical foundations of optimization has begun to uncover its rich structure. In particular, the "No Free Lunch" (NFL) theorems state that any two algorithms are equivalent when their performance is averaged across all possible problems. This highlights the need for exploiting problem-specific knowledge to achieve better than random performance. In this paper we present a general framework covering more search scenarios. In addition to the optimization scenarios addressed in the NFL results, this framework covers multi-armed bandit problems and evolution of multiple co-evolving players. As a particular instance of the latter, it covers "self-play" problems. In these problems the set of players work together to produce a champion, who then engages one or more antagonists in a subsequent multi-player game. In contrast to the traditional optimization case where the NFL results hold, we show that in self-play there are free lunches: in coevolution some algorithms have better performance than other algorithms, averaged across all possible problems. We consider the implications of these results to biology where there is no champion.

Fractal multi-level organisation of human groups in a virtual world

PubMed Central

Fuchs, Benedikt; Sornette, Didier; Thurner, Stefan

2014-01-01

Humans are fundamentally social. They form societies which consist of hierarchically layered nested groups of various quality, size, and structure. The anthropologic literature has classified these groups as support cliques, sympathy groups, bands, cognitive groups, tribes, linguistic groups, and so on. Anthropologic data show that, on average, each group consists of approximately three subgroups. However, a general understanding of the structural dependence of groups at different layers is largely missing. We extend these early findings to a very large high-precision large-scale internet-based social network data. We analyse the organisational structure of a complete, multi-relational, large social multiplex network of a human society consisting of about 400,000 odd players of an open-ended massive multiplayer online game for which we know all about their various group memberships at different layers. Remarkably, the online players' society exhibits the same type of structured hierarchical layers as found in hunter-gatherer societies. Our findings suggest that the hierarchical organisation of human society is deeply nested in human psychology. PMID:25283998

Fractal multi-level organisation of human groups in a virtual world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuchs, Benedikt; Sornette, Didier; Thurner, Stefan

2014-10-01

Humans are fundamentally social. They form societies which consist of hierarchically layered nested groups of various quality, size, and structure. The anthropologic literature has classified these groups as support cliques, sympathy groups, bands, cognitive groups, tribes, linguistic groups, and so on. Anthropologic data show that, on average, each group consists of approximately three subgroups. However, a general understanding of the structural dependence of groups at different layers is largely missing. We extend these early findings to a very large high-precision large-scale internet-based social network data. We analyse the organisational structure of a complete, multi-relational, large social multiplex network of a human society consisting of about 400,000 odd players of an open-ended massive multiplayer online game for which we know all about their various group memberships at different layers. Remarkably, the online players' society exhibits the same type of structured hierarchical layers as found in hunter-gatherer societies. Our findings suggest that the hierarchical organisation of human society is deeply nested in human psychology.

Abstracts of ARI Research Publications FY 1980

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-05-01

personnel, Lasswell projected that .- • "specialists in violence ," i.e., military elites, would add management to their repertoire of skills and would become...techniques: Rules of play for two-player/ multiplayer infantry mapboard gaxu&s. January 1979. (AD A077 476) The objective of this project was to...two-player or multiplayer use, (b) an infantry squad/platoon level field opposition exercise, and (c) a combined arms platoon/company level mapboard

Epigenetic game theory and its application in plants. Comment on: ;Epigenetic game theory: How to compute the epigenetic control of maternal-to-zygotic transition; by Qian Wang et al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yuan-Ming; Zhang, Yinghao; Guo, Mingyue

2017-03-01

Wang's et al. article [1] is the first to integrate game theory (especially evolutionary game theory) with epigenetic modification of zygotic genomes. They described and assessed a modeling framework based on evolutionary game theory to quantify, how sperms and oocytes interact through epigenetic processes, to determine embryo development. They also studied the internal mechanisms for normal embryo development: 1) evolutionary interactions between DNA methylation of the paternal and maternal genomes, and 2) the application of game theory to formulate and quantify how different genes compete or cooperate to regulate embryogenesis through methylation. Although it is not very comprehensive and profound regarding game theory modeling, this article bridges the gap between evolutionary game theory and the epigenetic control of embryo development by powerful ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The epiGame framework includes four aspects: 1) characterizing how epigenetic game theory works by the strategy matrix, in which the pattern and relative magnitude of the methylation effects on embryogenesis, are described by the cooperation and competition mechanisms, 2) quantifying the game that the direction and degree of P-M interactions over embryo development can be explained by the sign and magnitude of interaction parameters in model (2), 3) modeling epigenetic interactions within the morula, especially for two coupled nonlinear ODEs, with explicit functions in model (4), which provide a good fit to the observed data for the two sexes (adjusted R2 = 0.956), and 4) revealing multifactorial interactions in embryogenesis from the coupled ODEs in model (2) to triplet ODEs in model (6). Clearly, this article extends game theory from evolutionary game theory to epigenetic game theory.

Video Gaming in a Hyperconnected World: A Cross-sectional Study of Heavy Gaming, Problematic Gaming Symptoms, and Online Socializing in Adolescents.

PubMed

Colder Carras, Michelle; Van Rooij, Antonius J; Van de Mheen, Dike; Musci, Rashelle; Xue, Qian-Li; Mendelson, Tamar

2017-03-01

Examining online social interactions along with patterns of video gaming behaviors and game addiction symptoms has the potential to enrich our understanding of disorders related to excessive video game play. We performed latent class analysis in a sample of 9733 adolescents based on heavy use of games, social networking and instant messaging, and game addiction symptoms. We used latent class regression to determine associations between classes, psychosocial well-being and friendship quality. We identified two types of heavy gaming classes that differed in probability of online social interaction. Classes with more online social interaction reported fewer problematic gaming symptoms than those with less online social interaction. Most adolescents estimated to be in heavy gaming classes had more depressive symptoms than normative classes. Male non-social gamers had more social anxiety. Female social gamers had less social anxiety and loneliness, but lower self-esteem. Friendship quality attenuated depression in some male social gamers, but strengthened associations with loneliness in some male non-social gamers. In adolescents, symptoms of video game addiction depend not only on video game play but also on concurrent levels of online communication, and those who are very socially active online report fewer symptoms of game addiction.

Video Gaming in a Hyperconnected World: A Cross-sectional Study of Heavy Gaming, Problematic Gaming Symptoms, and Online Socializing in Adolescents

PubMed Central

Colder Carras, Michelle; Van Rooij, Antonius J.; Van de Mheen, Dike; Musci, Rashelle; Xue, Qian-Li; Mendelson, Tamar

2016-01-01

Aims Examining online social interactions along with patterns of video gaming behaviors and game addiction symptoms has the potential to enrich our understanding of disorders related to excessive video game play. Methods We performed latent class analysis in a sample of 9733 adolescents based on heavy use of games, social networking and instant messaging, and game addiction symptoms. We used latent class regression to determine associations between classes, psychosocial well-being and friendship quality. Results We identified two types of heavy gaming classes that differed in probability of online social interaction. Classes with more online social interaction reported fewer problematic gaming symptoms than those with less online social interaction. Most adolescents estimated to be in heavy gaming classes had more depressive symptoms than normative classes. Male non-social gamers had more social anxiety. Female social gamers had less social anxiety and loneliness, but lower self-esteem. Friendship quality attenuated depression in some male social gamers, but strengthened associations with loneliness in some male non-social gamers. Conclusions In adolescents, symptoms of video game addiction depend not only on video game play but also on concurrent levels of online communication, and those who are very socially active online report fewer symptoms of game addiction. PMID:28260834

Four classes of interactions for evolutionary games.

PubMed

Szabó, György; Bodó, Kinga S; Allen, Benjamin; Nowak, Martin A

2015-08-01

The symmetric four-strategy games are decomposed into a linear combination of 16 basis games represented by orthogonal matrices. Among these basis games four classes can be distinguished as it is already found for the three-strategy games. The games with self-dependent (cross-dependent) payoffs are characterized by matrices consisting of uniform rows (columns). Six of 16 basis games describe coordination-type interactions among the strategy pairs and three basis games span the parameter space of the cyclic components that are analogous to the rock-paper-scissors games. In the absence of cyclic components the game is a potential game and the potential matrix is evaluated. The main features of the four classes of games are discussed separately and we illustrate some characteristic strategy distributions on a square lattice in the low noise limit if logit rule controls the strategy evolution. Analysis of the general properties indicates similar types of interactions at larger number of strategies for the symmetric matrix games.

Persistence Temperament Associated with Children Playing Math Games between Touch Panel and Embodied Interaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jong, J-T.; Hong, J-C.; Yen, C-Y.

2013-01-01

The different designs of various interactive gaming controllers affect posture and muscle loading of the body. It is assumed that prolonged exposure to the interactive gaming controllers can affect the effectiveness in using the game for the purposes of learning. This study explores the differences in behavioural responses among students with…

Asymmetric Evolutionary Games.

PubMed

McAvoy, Alex; Hauert, Christoph

2015-08-01

Evolutionary game theory is a powerful framework for studying evolution in populations of interacting individuals. A common assumption in evolutionary game theory is that interactions are symmetric, which means that the players are distinguished by only their strategies. In nature, however, the microscopic interactions between players are nearly always asymmetric due to environmental effects, differing baseline characteristics, and other possible sources of heterogeneity. To model these phenomena, we introduce into evolutionary game theory two broad classes of asymmetric interactions: ecological and genotypic. Ecological asymmetry results from variation in the environments of the players, while genotypic asymmetry is a consequence of the players having differing baseline genotypes. We develop a theory of these forms of asymmetry for games in structured populations and use the classical social dilemmas, the Prisoner's Dilemma and the Snowdrift Game, for illustrations. Interestingly, asymmetric games reveal essential differences between models of genetic evolution based on reproduction and models of cultural evolution based on imitation that are not apparent in symmetric games.

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

PubMed

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.

Interweaving interactions in virtual worlds: a case study.

PubMed

Cantamesse, Matteo; Galimberti, Carlo; Giacoma, Gianandrea

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of playing the online game World of Warcraft (WoW), both on adolescent's (effective) social interaction and on the competence they developed on it. Social interactions within the game environment have been investigated by integrating qualitative and quantitative methods: conversation analysis and social network analysis (SNA). From a psychosocial point of view, the in-game interactions, and in particular conversational exchanges, turn out to be a collaborative path of the joint definition of identities and social ties, with reflection on in-game processes and out-game relationship.

Reciprocal Trust Mediates Deep Transfer of Learning between Games of Strategic Interaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Juvina, Ion; Saleem, Muniba; Martin, Jolie M.; Gonzalez, Cleotilde; Lebiere, Christian

2013-01-01

We studied transfer of learning across two games of strategic interaction. We found that the interpersonal relation between two players during and across two games influence development of reciprocal trust and transfer of learning from one game to another. We show that two types of similarities between the games affect transfer: (1) deep…

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

PubMed

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.

Opportunities and Challenges of Implementing Instructional Games in Mathematics Classrooms: Examining the Quality of Teacher-Student Interactions during the Cover-Up and Un-Cover Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heshmati, Saeideh; Kersting, Nicole; Sutton, Taliesin

2018-01-01

This study explored the design and implementation of the Cover-up and Un-cover games, two manipulative-based fraction games, in 14 fifth-grade classrooms. We examined how the fraction concepts were integrated into the game design and explored the nature of teacher-student interactions during games using lesson videos. Our examination showed that…

Interplay of Languaging and Gameplay: Player-Game Interactions as Ecologies for Languaging and Situated L2 Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ibrahim, Karim Hesham Shaker

2016-01-01

The field of game-mediated L2 learning has grown exponentially, and much has been discovered about the potentials of game-mediated interactions for L2 development, yet the fine-grained dynamics of player-game interactions and how they come to facilitate and afford L2 development are still largely underexplored. To address this gap in the…

Parasocial interaction with my avatar: effects of interdependent self-construal and the mediating role of self-presence in an avatar-based console game, Wii.

PubMed

Jin, Seung-A Annie; Park, Namkee

2009-12-01

The "self" concept has grown increasingly important in interactive media environments. This study investigated self-related processes in an avatar-based game console, Wii. A key feature of the Wii is its motion-sensing capability that empowers players to manipulate and interact with items on-screen via movement. The present study examined the effects of video game players' self-construal on parasocial interaction with their avatars and feelings of self-presence. In this study, parasocial interaction was operationally defined as the extent of game players' interpersonal involvement with their avatar and the extent to which game players perceive themselves as interacting with the avatar. Self-presence was defined as the degree to which video game players feel as if their avatar on the screen were their real self. Based on an experiment, the study discovered that game players with high interdependent self-construal showed closer parasocial interaction and higher level of self-presence than those with low interdependent self-construal. Results also showed that self-presence mediated the effects of interdependent self-construal on the parasocial relationship with game players' avatars. Thus, the study discovered an important individual difference factor, interdependent self-construal, affecting the degree to which people form a parasocial relationship with their virtual self that is visually manifested in the form of an avatar. In addition, the present study added empirical evidence about the mediating role played by self-presence in avatar-based video games.

P-Soccer: Soccer Games Application using Kinect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasir, Mohamad Fahim Mohamed; Suparjoh, Suriawati; Razali, Nazim; Mustapha, Aida

2018-05-01

This paper presents a soccer game application called P-Soccer that uses Kinect as the interaction medium between users and the game characters. P-Soccer focuses on training penalty kicks with one character who is taking the kick. This game is developed based on the Game Development Life Cycle (GDLC) methodology. Results for alpha and beta testing showed that the target users are satisfied with overall game design and theme as well as the interactivity with the main character in the game.

Emergence of good conduct, scaling and zipf laws in human behavioral sequences in an online world.

PubMed

Thurner, Stefan; Szell, Michael; Sinatra, Roberta

2012-01-01

We study behavioral action sequences of players in a massive multiplayer online game. In their virtual life players use eight basic actions which allow them to interact with each other. These actions are communication, trade, establishing or breaking friendships and enmities, attack, and punishment. We measure the probabilities for these actions conditional on previous taken and received actions and find a dramatic increase of negative behavior immediately after receiving negative actions. Similarly, positive behavior is intensified by receiving positive actions. We observe a tendency towards antipersistence in communication sequences. Classifying actions as positive (good) and negative (bad) allows us to define binary 'world lines' of lives of individuals. Positive and negative actions are persistent and occur in clusters, indicated by large scaling exponents α ~ 0.87 of the mean square displacement of the world lines. For all eight action types we find strong signs for high levels of repetitiveness, especially for negative actions. We partition behavioral sequences into segments of length n (behavioral 'words' and 'motifs') and study their statistical properties. We find two approximate power laws in the word ranking distribution, one with an exponent of κ ~ -1 for the ranks up to 100, and another with a lower exponent for higher ranks. The Shannon n-tuple redundancy yields large values and increases in terms of word length, further underscoring the non-trivial statistical properties of behavioral sequences. On the collective, societal level the timeseries of particular actions per day can be understood by a simple mean-reverting log-normal model.

Asymmetric Evolutionary Games

PubMed Central

McAvoy, Alex; Hauert, Christoph

2015-01-01

Evolutionary game theory is a powerful framework for studying evolution in populations of interacting individuals. A common assumption in evolutionary game theory is that interactions are symmetric, which means that the players are distinguished by only their strategies. In nature, however, the microscopic interactions between players are nearly always asymmetric due to environmental effects, differing baseline characteristics, and other possible sources of heterogeneity. To model these phenomena, we introduce into evolutionary game theory two broad classes of asymmetric interactions: ecological and genotypic. Ecological asymmetry results from variation in the environments of the players, while genotypic asymmetry is a consequence of the players having differing baseline genotypes. We develop a theory of these forms of asymmetry for games in structured populations and use the classical social dilemmas, the Prisoner’s Dilemma and the Snowdrift Game, for illustrations. Interestingly, asymmetric games reveal essential differences between models of genetic evolution based on reproduction and models of cultural evolution based on imitation that are not apparent in symmetric games. PMID:26308326

Learning through social interaction in game technology.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Waern, Annika; Raybourn, Elaine Marie

2005-05-01

The present ITSE journal special issue on 'Learning About Social Interaction through Gaming' is the result of an invitation to the attendees of a one-day workshop on 'Social Learning Through Gaming' co-organized by the guest editors and held at the Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) conference on April 26, 2004 in Vienna, Austria. CHI is one of the premiere conferences on human-computer interaction. CHI 2004 attracted hundreds of delegates from all over the world. The CHI workshop program results from a competitive selection process. The Social Learning through Gaming workshop was filled to capacity and attended by approximately 25more » participants from Europe and North America who submitted position papers that were refereed and selected for participation based on the relevancy and innovativeness of the research. The participants came together to share research on play, learning, games, interactive technologies, and what playing and designing games can teach us about social behaviors. The present special issue focuses on learning about social aspects through gaming: learning to socialize through games and learning games through social behavior.« less

A Video Game-Based Framework for Analyzing Human-Robot Interaction: Characterizing Interface Design in Real-Time Interactive Multimedia Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

segments video game interaction into domain-independent components which together form a framework that can be used to characterize real-time interactive...multimedia applications in general and HRI in particular. We provide examples of using the components in both the video game and the Unmanned Aerial

Behavioral Responses to Epidemics in an Online Experiment: Using Virtual Diseases to Study Human Behavior

PubMed Central

Chen, Frederick; Griffith, Amanda; Cottrell, Allin; Wong, Yue-Ling

2013-01-01

We report the results of a study we conducted using a simple multiplayer online game that simulates the spread of an infectious disease through a population composed of the players. We use our virtual epidemics game to examine how people respond to epidemics. The analysis shows that people's behavior is responsive to the cost of self-protection, the reported prevalence of disease, and their experiences earlier in the epidemic. Specifically, decreasing the cost of self-protection increases the rate of safe behavior. Higher reported prevalence also raises the likelihood that individuals would engage in self-protection, where the magnitude of this effect depends on how much time has elapsed in the epidemic. Individuals' experiences in terms of how often an infection was acquired when they did not engage in self-protection are another factor that determines whether they will invest in preventive measures later on. All else being equal, individuals who were infected at a higher rate are more likely to engage in self-protective behavior compared to those with a lower rate of infection. Lastly, fixing everything else, people's willingness to engage in safe behavior waxes or wanes over time, depending on the severity of an epidemic: when prevalence is high, people are more likely to adopt self-protective measures as time goes by; when prevalence is low, a ‘self-protection fatigue’ effect sets in whereby individuals are less willing to engage in safe behavior over time. PMID:23326360

From Tabletop RPG to Interactive Storytelling: Definition of a Story Manager for Videogames

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delmas, Guylain; Champagnat, Ronan; Augeraud, Michel

Adding narrative in computer game is complicated because it may restrict player interactivity. Our aim is to design a controller that dynamically built a plot, through the game execution, centred on player's actions. Tabletop Role-playing games manage to deal with this goal. This paper presents a study of role-playing games, their organization, and the models commonly used for narrative generation. It then deduces a proposition of components and data structures for interactive storytelling in videogames. A prototype of a social game has been developed as example.

An interactive in-game approach to user adjustment of stereoscopic 3D settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tawadrous, Mina; Hogue, Andrew; Kapralos, Bill; Collins, Karen

2013-03-01

Given the popularity of 3D film, content developers have been creating customizable stereoscopic 3D experiences for the user to enjoy at home. Stereoscopic 3D game developers often offer a `white box' approach whereby far too many controls and settings are exposed to the average consumer who may have little knowledge or interest to correctly adjust these settings. Improper settings can lead to users being uncomfortable or unimpressed with their own user-defined stereoscopic 3D experience. We have begun investigating interactive approaches to in-game adjustment of the various stereoscopic 3D parameters to reduce the reliance on the user doing so and thefore creating a more pleasurable stereoscopic 3D experience. In this paper, we describe a preliminary technique for interactively calibrating the various stereoscopic 3D parameters and we compare this interface with the typical slider-based control interface game developers utilize in commercial S3D games. Inspired by standard testing methodologies experienced at an optometrist, we've created a split-screen game with the same stereoscopic 3D game running in both screens, but with different interaxial distances. We expect that the interactive nature of the calibration will impact the final game experience providing us with an indication of whether in-game, interactive, S3D parameter calibration is a mechanism that game developers should adopt.

Some dynamics of signaling games.

PubMed

Huttegger, Simon; Skyrms, Brian; Tarrès, Pierre; Wagner, Elliott

2014-07-22

Information transfer is a basic feature of life that includes signaling within and between organisms. Owing to its interactive nature, signaling can be investigated by using game theory. Game theoretic models of signaling have a long tradition in biology, economics, and philosophy. For a long time the analyses of these games has mostly relied on using static equilibrium concepts such as Pareto optimal Nash equilibria or evolutionarily stable strategies. More recently signaling games of various types have been investigated with the help of game dynamics, which includes dynamical models of evolution and individual learning. A dynamical analysis leads to more nuanced conclusions as to the outcomes of signaling interactions. Here we explore different kinds of signaling games that range from interactions without conflicts of interest between the players to interactions where their interests are seriously misaligned. We consider these games within the context of evolutionary dynamics (both infinite and finite population models) and learning dynamics (reinforcement learning). Some results are specific features of a particular dynamical model, whereas others turn out to be quite robust across different models. This suggests that there are certain qualitative aspects that are common to many real-world signaling interactions.

Some dynamics of signaling games

PubMed Central

Huttegger, Simon; Skyrms, Brian; Tarrès, Pierre; Wagner, Elliott

2014-01-01

Information transfer is a basic feature of life that includes signaling within and between organisms. Owing to its interactive nature, signaling can be investigated by using game theory. Game theoretic models of signaling have a long tradition in biology, economics, and philosophy. For a long time the analyses of these games has mostly relied on using static equilibrium concepts such as Pareto optimal Nash equilibria or evolutionarily stable strategies. More recently signaling games of various types have been investigated with the help of game dynamics, which includes dynamical models of evolution and individual learning. A dynamical analysis leads to more nuanced conclusions as to the outcomes of signaling interactions. Here we explore different kinds of signaling games that range from interactions without conflicts of interest between the players to interactions where their interests are seriously misaligned. We consider these games within the context of evolutionary dynamics (both infinite and finite population models) and learning dynamics (reinforcement learning). Some results are specific features of a particular dynamical model, whereas others turn out to be quite robust across different models. This suggests that there are certain qualitative aspects that are common to many real-world signaling interactions. PMID:25024209

The game as strategy for approach to sexuality with adolescents: theoretical-methodological reflections.

PubMed

Souza, Vânia de; Gazzinelli, Maria Flávia; Soares, Amanda Nathale; Fernandes, Marconi Moura; Oliveira, Rebeca Nunes Guedes de; Fonseca, Rosa Maria Godoy Serpa da

2017-04-01

To describe the Papo Reto [Straight Talk] game and reflect on its theoretical-methodological basis. Analytical study on the process of elaboration of the Papo Reto online game, destined to adolescents aged 15-18 years, with access to the Game between 2014 and 2015. the interactions of 60 adolescents from Belo Horizonte and São Paulo constituted examples of the potentialities of the Game to favor the approach to sexuality with adolescents through simulation of reality, invention and interaction. Based on those potentialities, four thinking categories were discussed: the game as pedagogic device; the game as simulation of realities; the game as device for inventive learning; and the game empowering the interaction. By permitting that the adolescents take risks on new ways, the Game allows them to become creative and active in the production of senses, in the creation of their discourses and in the ways of thinking, feeling and acting in the sexuality field.

Educational Games for Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noemí, Peña-Miguel; Máximo, Sedano Hoyuelos

2014-01-01

The introduction of new technologies in society has created a need for interactive contents that can make the most of the potential that technological advances offer. Serious games as educational games are such content: they can be defined as video games or interactive applications whose main purpose is to provide not only entertainment but also…

An Interactive Immersive Serious Game Application for Kunyu Quantu World Map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, S.-T.; Hsu, S.-Y.; Hsieh, K.-C.

2015-08-01

In recent years, more and more digital technologies and innovative concepts are applied on museum education. One of the concepts applied is "Serious game." Serious game is not designed for entertainment purpose but allows users to learn real world's cultural and educational knowledge in the virtual world through game-experiencing. Technologies applied on serious game are identical to those applied on entertainment game. Nowadays, the interactive technology applications considering users' movement and gestures in physical spaces are developing rapidly, which are extensively used in entertainment games, such as Kinect-based games. The ability to explore space via Kinect-based games can be incorporated into the design of serious game. The ancient world map, Kunyu Quantu, from the collection of the National Palace Museum is therefore applied in serious game development. In general, the ancient world map does not only provide geological information, but also contains museum knowledge. This particular ancient world map is an excellent content applied in games as teaching material. In the 17th century, it was first used by a missionary as a medium to teach the Kangxi Emperor of the latest geologic and scientific spirits from the West. On this map, it also includes written biological knowledge and climate knowledge. Therefore, this research aims to present the design of the interactive and immersive serious game based installation that developed from the rich content of the Kunyu Quantu World Map, and to analyse visitor's experience in terms of real world's cultural knowledge learning and interactive responses.

Games of life and death: antibiotic resistance and production through the lens of evolutionary game theory.

PubMed

Conlin, Peter L; Chandler, Josephine R; Kerr, Benjamin

2014-10-01

In this review, we demonstrate how game theory can be a useful first step in modeling and understanding interactions among bacteria that produce and resist antibiotics. We introduce the basic features of evolutionary game theory and explore model microbial systems that correspond to some classical games. Each game discussed defines a different category of social interaction with different resulting population dynamics (exclusion, coexistence, bistability, cycling). We then explore how the framework can be extended to incorporate some of the complexity of natural microbial communities. Overall, the game theoretical perspective helps to guide our expectations about the evolution of some forms of antibiotic resistance and production because it makes clear the precise nature of social interaction in this context. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Approach to Scoring Collaboration in Online Game Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scoular, Claire; Care, Esther; Awwal, Nafisa

2017-01-01

With technological advances, it is now possible to use games to capture information-rich behaviours that reveal processes by which players interact and solve problems. Recent problem-based games have been designed to assess and record detailed interactions between the problem solver and the game environment, and thereby capture salient solution…

Program Evaluation: The Board Game--An Interactive Learning Tool for Evaluators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Febey, Karen; Coyne, Molly

2007-01-01

The field of program evaluation lacks interactive teaching tools. To address this pedagogical issue, the authors developed a collaborative learning technique called Program Evaluation: The Board Game. The authors present the game and its development in this practitioner-oriented article. The evaluation board game is an adaptable teaching tool…

[Evaluation of the characteristics of addiction to online video games among adolescents and young adults].

PubMed

Schmit, S; Chauchard, E; Chabrol, H; Sejourne, N

2011-06-01

The objectives of this study are to assess the social characteristics, coping strategies, self-esteem and depressive symptoms in a population-dependent and not dependent on video games online, in order to investigate the correlations existing between these characteristics. The study was conducted among 193 subjects. Data were collected through a global questionnaire constituted of several scales. The global questionnaire consisted of a sociodemographic part (age, sex, social status, most played game, number of hours per week devoted to the game), a questionnaire assessing dependence and abuse according to the DSM -IV-TR, the feeling of social belonging scale (or ESAS which was doubled to collect information about the belonging in real life and virtual life), the Ways of coping check-list (WCCL), the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (EES), the Quality of interpersonal relations scale (EQRI), the UCLA Loneliness scale and the Center for epidemiologic studies depression scale (CES-D). The questionnaire was broadcasted on the Internet, specifically in the forums dedicated to "massively multiplayer online role-playing games" and in young people's forums in specific subject headings. The results show that there are significant differences between the two populations, especially regarding the social characteristics, depressive symptoms, self-esteem and coping strategies. In the entire population, 66 subjects (42%) were considered dependent on online video games and 92 subjects (58%) were not considered dependent. In the dependent population, the number of hours spent playing per week, the score of social belonging in the virtual life, the coping focused on the emotion, the score of loneliness or social isolation and the score obtained on the CES-D appeared more important than the scores obtained by the non-dependent. Moreover, the average age, the scores of social belonging in real life, self-esteem and sub-dimensions "family" and "friends" of the quality of interpersonal relations scale are lower than those obtained by the non-dependent. Furthermore, the number of hours of play per week, the feeling of social belonging, self-esteem, quality of family relationships and loneliness are predictive factors of addiction to video games online. These results suggest that one of the crucial issues in dependence is the monitoring of game practice. Indeed, dependence on video games is based on a real hardware that needs to be controlled and managed by a third party before the emergence of a dependency. Therefore the results of this study suggest the establishment of better prevention, especially among parents who are confronted in majority with a world and a technology that is unknown or too complicated. In the case of a proven addiction, the study proposes care therapy focused on the social link, especially the family link, and a particular care to work on self-esteem. Copyright © 2010 L'Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A review of game-theoretic models of road user behaviour.

PubMed

Elvik, Rune

2014-01-01

This paper reviews game-theoretic models that have been developed to explain road user behaviour in situations where road users interact with each other. The paper includes the following game-theoretic models: 1.A general model of the interaction between road users and their possible reaction to measures improving safety (behavioural adaptation).2.Choice of vehicle size as a Prisoners’ dilemma game.3.Speed choice as a co-ordination game.4.Speed compliance as a game between drivers and the police.5.Merging into traffic from an acceleration lane as a mixed-strategy game.6.Choice of level of attention in following situations as an evolutionary game.7.Choice of departure time to avoid congestion as variant of a Prisoners’ dilemma game.8.Interaction between cyclists crossing the road and car drivers.9.Dipping headlights at night well ahead of the point when glare becomes noticeable.10.Choice of evasive action in a situation when cars are on collision course. The models reviewed are different in many respects, but a common feature of the models is that they can explain how informal norms of behaviour can develop among road users and be sustained even if these informal norms violate the formal regulations of the traffic code. Game-theoretic models are not applicable to every conceivable interaction between road users or to situations in which road users choose behaviour without interacting with other road users. Nevertheless, it is likely that game-theoretic models can be applied more widely than they have been until now. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reciprocity phase in various 2×2 games by agents equipped with two-memory length strategy encouraged by grouping for interaction and adaptation.

PubMed

Wakiyama, Motoya; Tanimoto, Jun

2011-01-01

This paper numerically investigates 2×2 games involving the Prisoner's Dilemma, Chicken, Hero, Leader, Stag Hunt, and Trivial Games in which agents have a strategy expressed by five-bit, two-memory length. Our motivation is to explore how grouping for game interaction and strategy adaptation influence ST reciprocity and R reciprocity (Tanimoto and Sagara, 2007a [Tanimoto, J., Sagara, H., 2007a. A study on emergence of coordinated alternating reciprocity in a 2×2 game with 2-memory length strategy. Biosystems 90(3), 728-737]. Enhanced R reciprocity is observed with the stronger grouping for game interaction when a relatively stronger grouping for strategy adaptation is assumed. On the other hand, enhanced ST reciprocity emerged with the stronger grouping for strategy adaptation when the relatively weaker grouping for game interaction is imposed. Our numerical experiment deals with those two groupings independently and dependently. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seeing Change in Time: Video Games to Teach about Temporal Change in Scientific Phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corredor, Javier; Gaydos, Matthew; Squire, Kurt

2014-06-01

This article explores how learning biological concepts can be facilitated by playing a video game that depicts interactions and processes at the subcellular level. Particularly, this article reviews the effects of a real-time strategy game that requires players to control the behavior of a virus and interact with cell structures in a way that resembles the actual behavior of biological agents. The evaluation of the video game presented here aims at showing that video games have representational advantages that facilitate the construction of dynamic mental models. Ultimately, the article shows that when video game's characteristics come in contact with expert knowledge during game design, the game becomes an excellent medium for supporting the learning of disciplinary content related to dynamic processes. In particular, results show that students who participated in a game-based intervention aimed at teaching biology described a higher number of temporal-dependent interactions as measured by the coding of verbal protocols and drawings than students who used texts and diagrams to learn the same topic.

Interactive floating windows: a new technique for stereoscopic video games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zerebecki, Chris; Stanfield, Brodie; Tawadrous, Mina; Buckstein, Daniel; Hogue, Andrew; Kapralos, Bill

2012-03-01

The film industry has a long history of creating compelling experiences in stereoscopic 3D. Recently, the video game as an artistic medium has matured into an effective way to tell engaging and immersive stories. Given the current push to bring stereoscopic 3D technology into the consumer market there is considerable interest to develop stereoscopic 3D video games. Game developers have largely ignored the need to design their games specifically for stereoscopic 3D and have thus relied on automatic conversion and driver technology. Game developers need to evaluate solutions used in other media, such as film, to correct perceptual problems such as window violations, and modify or create new solutions to work within an interactive framework. In this paper we extend the dynamic floating window technique into the interactive domain enabling the player to position a virtual window in space. Interactively changing the position, size, and the 3D rotation of the virtual window, objects can be made to 'break the mask' dramatically enhancing the stereoscopic effect. By demonstrating that solutions from the film industry can be extended into the interactive space, it is our hope that this initiates further discussion in the game development community to strengthen their story-telling mechanisms in stereoscopic 3D games.

Triadic motifs in the dependence networks of virtual societies.

PubMed

Xie, Wen-Jie; Li, Ming-Xia; Jiang, Zhi-Qiang; Zhou, Wei-Xing

2014-06-10

In friendship networks, individuals have different numbers of friends, and the closeness or intimacy between an individual and her friends is heterogeneous. Using a statistical filtering method to identify relationships about who depends on whom, we construct dependence networks (which are directed) from weighted friendship networks of avatars in more than two hundred virtual societies of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). We investigate the evolution of triadic motifs in dependence networks. Several metrics show that the virtual societies evolved through a transient stage in the first two to three weeks and reached a relatively stable stage. We find that the unidirectional loop motif (M9) is underrepresented and does not appear, open motifs are also underrepresented, while other close motifs are overrepresented. We also find that, for most motifs, the overall level difference of the three avatars in the same motif is significantly lower than average, whereas the sum of ranks is only slightly larger than average. Our findings show that avatars' social status plays an important role in the formation of triadic motifs.

Triadic motifs in the dependence networks of virtual societies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Wen-Jie; Li, Ming-Xia; Jiang, Zhi-Qiang; Zhou, Wei-Xing

2014-06-01

In friendship networks, individuals have different numbers of friends, and the closeness or intimacy between an individual and her friends is heterogeneous. Using a statistical filtering method to identify relationships about who depends on whom, we construct dependence networks (which are directed) from weighted friendship networks of avatars in more than two hundred virtual societies of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). We investigate the evolution of triadic motifs in dependence networks. Several metrics show that the virtual societies evolved through a transient stage in the first two to three weeks and reached a relatively stable stage. We find that the unidirectional loop motif (M9) is underrepresented and does not appear, open motifs are also underrepresented, while other close motifs are overrepresented. We also find that, for most motifs, the overall level difference of the three avatars in the same motif is significantly lower than average, whereas the sum of ranks is only slightly larger than average. Our findings show that avatars' social status plays an important role in the formation of triadic motifs.

Triadic motifs in the dependence networks of virtual societies

PubMed Central

Xie, Wen-Jie; Li, Ming-Xia; Jiang, Zhi-Qiang; Zhou, Wei-Xing

2014-01-01

In friendship networks, individuals have different numbers of friends, and the closeness or intimacy between an individual and her friends is heterogeneous. Using a statistical filtering method to identify relationships about who depends on whom, we construct dependence networks (which are directed) from weighted friendship networks of avatars in more than two hundred virtual societies of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). We investigate the evolution of triadic motifs in dependence networks. Several metrics show that the virtual societies evolved through a transient stage in the first two to three weeks and reached a relatively stable stage. We find that the unidirectional loop motif (M9) is underrepresented and does not appear, open motifs are also underrepresented, while other close motifs are overrepresented. We also find that, for most motifs, the overall level difference of the three avatars in the same motif is significantly lower than average, whereas the sum of ranks is only slightly larger than average. Our findings show that avatars' social status plays an important role in the formation of triadic motifs. PMID:24912755

Coevolutionary Free Lunches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolpert, David H.; Macready, William G.

2005-01-01

Recent work on the foundations of optimization has begun to uncover its underlying rich structure. In particular, the "No Free Lunch" (NFL) theorems [WM97] state that any two algorithms are equivalent when their performance is averaged across all possible problems. This highlights the need for exploiting problem-specific knowledge to achieve better than random performance. In this paper we present a general framework covering most search scenarios. In addition to the optimization scenarios addressed in the NFL results, this framework covers multi-armed bandit problems and evolution of multiple co-evolving agents. As a particular instance of the latter, it covers "self-play" problems. In these problems the agents work together to produce a champion, who then engages one or more antagonists in a subsequent multi-player game In contrast to the traditional optimization case where the NFL results hold, we show that in self-play there are free lunches: in coevolution some algorithms have better performance than other algorithms, averaged across all possible problems. However in the typical coevolutionary scenarios encountered in biology, where there is no champion, NFL still holds.

From pairwise to group interactions in games of cyclic dominance.

PubMed

Szolnoki, Attila; Vukov, Jeromos; Perc, Matjaž

2014-06-01

We study the rock-paper-scissors game in structured populations, where the invasion rates determine individual payoffs that govern the process of strategy change. The traditional version of the game is recovered if the payoffs for each potential invasion stem from a single pairwise interaction. However, the transformation of invasion rates to payoffs also allows the usage of larger interaction ranges. In addition to the traditional pairwise interaction, we therefore consider simultaneous interactions with all nearest neighbors, as well as with all nearest and next-nearest neighbors, thus effectively going from single pair to group interactions in games of cyclic dominance. We show that differences in the interaction range affect not only the stationary fractions of strategies but also their relations of dominance. The transition from pairwise to group interactions can thus decelerate and even revert the direction of the invasion between the competing strategies. Like in evolutionary social dilemmas, in games of cyclic dominance, too, the indirect multipoint interactions that are due to group interactions hence play a pivotal role. Our results indicate that, in addition to the invasion rates, the interaction range is at least as important for the maintenance of biodiversity among cyclically competing strategies.

YouDash3D: exploring stereoscopic 3D gaming for 3D movie theaters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schild, Jonas; Seele, Sven; Masuch, Maic

2012-03-01

Along with the success of the digitally revived stereoscopic cinema, events beyond 3D movies become attractive for movie theater operators, i.e. interactive 3D games. In this paper, we present a case that explores possible challenges and solutions for interactive 3D games to be played by a movie theater audience. We analyze the setting and showcase current issues related to lighting and interaction. Our second focus is to provide gameplay mechanics that make special use of stereoscopy, especially depth-based game design. Based on these results, we present YouDash3D, a game prototype that explores public stereoscopic gameplay in a reduced kiosk setup. It features live 3D HD video stream of a professional stereo camera rig rendered in a real-time game scene. We use the effect to place the stereoscopic effigies of players into the digital game. The game showcases how stereoscopic vision can provide for a novel depth-based game mechanic. Projected trigger zones and distributed clusters of the audience video allow for easy adaptation to larger audiences and 3D movie theater gaming.

Re-visiting internet addiction among Taiwanese students: a cross-sectional comparison of students' expectations, online gaming, and online social interaction.

PubMed

Lee, Yuan-Hsuan; Ko, Chih-Hung; Chou, Chien

2015-04-01

Using expectancy theory, this study aimed at identifying the attitudinal/behavioral factors that explain the relationship between Internet expectancies and Internet addiction among Taiwanese adolescents. A total of 25,573 students (49.8% boys and 50.2% girls) across junior and senior high schools participated in the study. The students reported on their background characteristics, general expectations from the Internet, attitudes toward online social interaction and online gaming, preferences in online social interaction, and dys-controlled online gaming behavior. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the indirect effects of Internet expectancies on Internet addiction through these attitudinal/behavioral factors. The results showed that Internet expectancies positively predicted students' attitudes toward online games and online social interaction, which in turn predicted their respective preferences or dys-controlled behavior and Internet addiction. The indirect effect of Internet expectancies was higher on Internet addiction via attitudes toward online gaming and dys-controlled online gaming than via attitudes toward and preferences of online social interaction. The indirect effects exhibited a larger impact on boys than on girls. The authors recommend that the expectancies of online gaming and social interaction be addressed in efforts to prevent and attenuate the severity of adolescent Internet addiction.

A Novel Multiplayer Screen-Based Simulation Experience for African Learners Improved Confidence in Management of Postpartum Hemorrhage.

PubMed

Taekman, Jeffrey M; Foureman, Megan F; Bulamba, Fred; Steele, Michael; Comstock, Emily; Kintu, Andrew; Mauritz, Amy; Olufolabi, Adeyemi

2017-01-01

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) remains a global challenge, affecting thirteen million women each year. In addition, PPH is a leading cause of maternal mortality in Asia and Africa. In the U.S.A., care of critically ill patients is often practiced using mannequin-based simulation. Mannequin-based simulation presents challenges in global health, particularly in low- or middle-income countries. We developed a novel multiplayer screen-based simulation in a virtual world enabling the practice of team coordination with PPH. We used this simulation with learners in Mulago, Uganda. We hypothesized that a multiplayer screen-based simulation experience would increase learner confidence in their ability to manage PPH. The study design was a simple pre- and a post-intervention survey. Forty-eight interprofessional subjects participated in one of nine 1-h simulation sessions using the PPH software. A fifteen-question self-assessment administered before and after the intervention was designed to probe the areas of learning as defined by Bloom and Krathwohl: affective, cognitive, and psychomotor. Combined confidence scores increased significantly overall following the simulation experience and individually in each of the three categories of Bloom's Taxonomy: affective, cognitive, and psychomotor. We provide preliminary evidence that multiplayer screen-based simulation represents a scalable, distributable form of learning that may be used effectively in global health education and training. Interestingly, despite our intervention being screen-based, our subjects showed improved confidence in their ability to perform psychomotor tasks. Although there is precedent for mental rehearsal improving performance, further research is needed to understand this finding.

The Effect of Interactivity with a Music Video Game on Second Language Vocabulary Recall

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

deHaan, Jonathan; Reed, W. Michael; Kuwada, Katsuko

2010-01-01

Video games are potential sources of second language input; however, the medium's fundamental characteristic, interactivity, has not been thoroughly examined in terms of its effect on learning outcomes. This experimental study investigated to what degree, if at all, video game interactivity would help or hinder the noticing and recall of second…

Player-Game Interaction: An Ecological Analysis of Foreign Language Gameplay Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ibrahim, Karim

2018-01-01

This article describes how the literature on game-based foreign language (FL) learning has demonstrated that player-game interactions have a strong potential for FL learning. However, little is known about the fine-grained dynamics of these interactions, or how they could facilitate FL learning. To address this gap, the researcher conducted a…

Short-Term Psychological Effects of Interactive Video Game Technology Exercise on Mood and Attention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, William D.; Newton, Mark

2008-01-01

Recent interest in interactive video game technology (IVGT) has spurred the notion that exercise from this technology may have meaningful physiological and psychological benefits for children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine the short-term psychological effects of interactive video game exercise in young adults and whether…

Traffic Games: Modeling Freeway Traffic with Game Theory

PubMed Central

Cortés-Berrueco, Luis E.; Gershenson, Carlos; Stephens, Christopher R.

2016-01-01

We apply game theory to a vehicular traffic model to study the effect of driver strategies on traffic flow. The resulting model inherits the realistic dynamics achieved by a two-lane traffic model and aims to incorporate phenomena caused by driver-driver interactions. To achieve this goal, a game-theoretic description of driver interaction was developed. This game-theoretic formalization allows one to model different lane-changing behaviors and to keep track of mobility performance. We simulate the evolution of cooperation, traffic flow, and mobility performance for different modeled behaviors. The analysis of these results indicates a mobility optimization process achieved by drivers’ interactions. PMID:27855176

Traffic Games: Modeling Freeway Traffic with Game Theory.

PubMed

Cortés-Berrueco, Luis E; Gershenson, Carlos; Stephens, Christopher R

2016-01-01

We apply game theory to a vehicular traffic model to study the effect of driver strategies on traffic flow. The resulting model inherits the realistic dynamics achieved by a two-lane traffic model and aims to incorporate phenomena caused by driver-driver interactions. To achieve this goal, a game-theoretic description of driver interaction was developed. This game-theoretic formalization allows one to model different lane-changing behaviors and to keep track of mobility performance. We simulate the evolution of cooperation, traffic flow, and mobility performance for different modeled behaviors. The analysis of these results indicates a mobility optimization process achieved by drivers' interactions.

[Operation and interaction peculiarities of diagnostic laboratories involved in providing protection from infectious diseases during the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi].

PubMed

Onishenko, G G; Popova, A Iu; Bragina, I V; Kuz'kin, B P; Ezhlova, E B; Demina, Iu V; Gus'kov, A S; Ivanov, G E; Chikina, L V; Klindukhova, V P; Grechanaia, T V; Tesheva, S Ch; Kulichenko, A N; Efremenko, D B; Manin, E A; Kuznetsova, I V; Parkhomenko, V V; Kulichenko, O A; Rafeenko, G K; Shcherbina, L I; Zavora, D L; Briukhanov, A F; Eldinova, V E; Iunicheva, Iu V; Derliatko, S K; Komarov, N S

2015-01-01

The experience of the organization and functioning of the laboratory network during the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi is considered. Efforts to establish an effective system of laboratory support, the order of work and interaction of diagnostic laboratories involved in diseases control of population during the Olympic Games are analyzed.

At the Intersection of Networks and Highly Interactive Online Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armitage, Grenville

The game industry continues to evolves its techniques for extracting the most realistic 'immersion' experience for players given the vagaries on best-effort Internet service. A key challenge for service providers is understanding the characteristics of traffic imposed on networks by games, and their service quality requirements. Interactive online games are particularly susceptible to the side effects of other non-interactive (or delay- and loss-tolerant) traffic sharing next- generation access links. This creates challenges out toward the edges, where high-speed home LANs squeeze through broadband consumer access links to reach the Internet. In this chapter we identify a range of research work exploring many issues associated with the intersection of highly interactive games and the Internet, and hopefully stimulate some further thinking along these lines.

Videogame Mechanics in Games for Health.

PubMed

Baranowski, Moderator Tom; Lieberman, Participants Debra; Buday, Richard; Peng, Wei; Zimmerli, Lukas; Wiederhold, Brenda; Kato, Pamela M

2013-08-01

Game mechanics have been identified as "methods invoked by agents for interacting with the game world."(1) They are elements of game play that provide a primary source of interactivity and structure how videogames proceed. Many kinds of game mechanics have been generated. Some provide fun or enjoyment, others may provide excitement or even suspense (i.e., emotional aspects of game play), whereas some are guided by principles of behavior change theory. Game mechanics that succeed in off-the-shelf entertainment videogames, however, may not work in serious games, such as games for health (G4H). Although game mechanics are key to a serious videogame's success, maintaining a balance between the serious intent of the game while keeping it fun, there has been little attention to game mechanics in the academic G4H literature. Several eminent games for health developers (academics and nonacademics) were asked to share their experiences in regard to game mechanics in the serious videogames they have developed.

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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,…

The Effects of Online Interactive Games on High School Students' Achievement and Motivation in History Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Kuan-Cheng; Wei, Yu Che; Hung, Jason C.

2012-01-01

Many studies demonstrate that Digital Game Based Learning (DGBL) can foster learning effect. The purpose of this study is to survey whether the online game in junior high school students can encourage learning effect in Taiwan's History. So, the research applied Interactive Game-based Learning System (IGLS) to junior high history teaching as an…

Choice of Human-Computer Interaction Mode in Stroke Rehabilitation.

PubMed

Mousavi Hondori, Hossein; Khademi, Maryam; Dodakian, Lucy; McKenzie, Alison; Lopes, Cristina V; Cramer, Steven C

2016-03-01

Advances in technology are providing new forms of human-computer interaction. The current study examined one form of human-computer interaction, augmented reality (AR), whereby subjects train in the real-world workspace with virtual objects projected by the computer. Motor performances were compared with those obtained while subjects used a traditional human-computer interaction, that is, a personal computer (PC) with a mouse. Patients used goal-directed arm movements to play AR and PC versions of the Fruit Ninja video game. The 2 versions required the same arm movements to control the game but had different cognitive demands. With AR, the game was projected onto the desktop, where subjects viewed the game plus their arm movements simultaneously, in the same visual coordinate space. In the PC version, subjects used the same arm movements but viewed the game by looking up at a computer monitor. Among 18 patients with chronic hemiparesis after stroke, the AR game was associated with 21% higher game scores (P = .0001), 19% faster reaching times (P = .0001), and 15% less movement variability (P = .0068), as compared to the PC game. Correlations between game score and arm motor status were stronger with the AR version. Motor performances during the AR game were superior to those during the PC game. This result is due in part to the greater cognitive demands imposed by the PC game, a feature problematic for some patients but clinically useful for others. Mode of human-computer interface influences rehabilitation therapy demands and can be individualized for patients. © The Author(s) 2015.

The World (of Warcraft) through the eyes of an expert.

PubMed

Marzouki, Yousri; Dusaucy, Valériane; Chanceaux, Myriam; Mathôt, Sebastiaan

2017-01-01

Negative correlations between pupil size and the tendency to look at salient locations were found in recent studies (e.g., Mathôt et al., 2015). It is hypothesized that this negative correlation might be explained by the mental effort put by participants in the task that leads in return to pupil dilation. Here we present an exploratory study on the effect of expertise on eye-movement behavior. Because there is no available standard tool to evaluate WoW players' expertise, we built an off-game questionnaire testing players' knowledge about WoW and acquired skills through completed raids, highest rated battlegrounds, Skill Points, etc. Experts ( N  = 4) and novices ( N  = 4) in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft (WoW) viewed 24 designed video segments from the game that differ in regards with their content (i.e, informative locations) and visual complexity (i.e, salient locations). Consistent with previous studies, we found a negative correlation between pupil size and the tendency to look at salient locations (experts, r  =  - .17, p  < .0001, and novices, r  =  - .09, p  < .0001). This correlation has been interpreted in terms of mental effort: People are inherently biased to look at salient locations (sharp corners, bright lights, etc.), but are able (i.e., experts) to overcome this bias if they invest sufficient mental effort. Crucially, we observed that this correlation was stronger for expert WoW players than novice players ( Z  =  - 3.3, p  = .0011). This suggests that experts learned to improve control over eye-movement behavior by guiding their eyes towards informative, but potentially low-salient areas of the screen. These findings may contribute to our understanding of what makes an expert an expert.

The World (of Warcraft) through the eyes of an expert

PubMed Central

Dusaucy, Valériane; Chanceaux, Myriam; Mathôt, Sebastiaan

2017-01-01

Negative correlations between pupil size and the tendency to look at salient locations were found in recent studies (e.g., Mathôt et al., 2015). It is hypothesized that this negative correlation might be explained by the mental effort put by participants in the task that leads in return to pupil dilation. Here we present an exploratory study on the effect of expertise on eye-movement behavior. Because there is no available standard tool to evaluate WoW players’ expertise, we built an off-game questionnaire testing players’ knowledge about WoW and acquired skills through completed raids, highest rated battlegrounds, Skill Points, etc. Experts (N = 4) and novices (N = 4) in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft (WoW) viewed 24 designed video segments from the game that differ in regards with their content (i.e, informative locations) and visual complexity (i.e, salient locations). Consistent with previous studies, we found a negative correlation between pupil size and the tendency to look at salient locations (experts, r =  − .17, p < .0001, and novices, r =  − .09, p < .0001). This correlation has been interpreted in terms of mental effort: People are inherently biased to look at salient locations (sharp corners, bright lights, etc.), but are able (i.e., experts) to overcome this bias if they invest sufficient mental effort. Crucially, we observed that this correlation was stronger for expert WoW players than novice players (Z =  − 3.3, p = .0011). This suggests that experts learned to improve control over eye-movement behavior by guiding their eyes towards informative, but potentially low-salient areas of the screen. These findings may contribute to our understanding of what makes an expert an expert. PMID:28975051

Properties of interaction networks underlying the minority game.

PubMed

Caridi, Inés

2014-11-01

The minority game is a well-known agent-based model with no explicit interaction among its agents. However, it is known that they interact through the global magnitudes of the model and through their strategies. In this work we have attempted to formalize the implicit interactions among minority game agents as if they were links on a complex network. We have defined the link between two agents by quantifying the similarity between them. This link definition is based on the information of the instance of the game (the set of strategies assigned to each agent at the beginning) without any dynamic information on the game and brings about a static, unweighed and undirected network. We have analyzed the structure of the resulting network for different parameters, such as the number of agents (N) and the agent's capacity to process information (m), always taking into account games with two strategies per agent. In the region of crowd effects of the model, the resulting networks structure is a small-world network, whereas in the region where the behavior of the minority game is the same as in a game of random decisions, networks become a random network of Erdos-Renyi. The transition between these two types of networks is slow, without any peculiar feature of the network in the region of the coordination among agents. Finally, we have studied the resulting static networks for the full strategy minority game model, a maximal instance of the minority game in which all possible agents take part in the game. We have explicitly calculated the degree distribution of the full strategy minority game network and, on the basis of this analytical result, we have estimated the degree distribution of the minority game network, which is in accordance with computational results.

Fourier decomposition of payoff matrix for symmetric three-strategy games.

PubMed

Szabó, György; Bodó, Kinga S; Allen, Benjamin; Nowak, Martin A

2014-10-01

In spatial evolutionary games the payoff matrices are used to describe pair interactions among neighboring players located on a lattice. Now we introduce a way how the payoff matrices can be built up as a sum of payoff components reflecting basic symmetries. For the two-strategy games this decomposition reproduces interactions characteristic to the Ising model. For the three-strategy symmetric games the Fourier components can be classified into four types representing games with self-dependent and cross-dependent payoffs, variants of three-strategy coordinations, and the rock-scissors-paper (RSP) game. In the absence of the RSP component the game is a potential game. The resultant potential matrix has been evaluated. The general features of these systems are analyzed when the game is expressed by the linear combinations of these components.

Keys to Successful Interactive Storytelling: A Study of the Booming "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure" Video Game Industry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tyndale, Eric; Ramsoomair, Franklin

2016-01-01

Video gaming has become a multi-billion dollar industry that continues to capture the hearts, minds and pocketbooks of millions of gamers who span all ages. Narrative and interactive games form part of this market. The popularity of tablet computers and the technological advances of video games have led to a renaissance in the genre for both youth…

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Spatial correlated games

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

This article studies correlated two-person games constructed from games with independent players as proposed in Iqbal et al. (2016 R. Soc. open sci. 3, 150477. (doi:10.1098/rsos.150477)). The games are played in a collective manner, both in a two-dimensional lattice where the players interact with their neighbours, and with players interacting at random. Four game types are scrutinized in iterated games where the players are allowed to change their strategies, adopting that of their best paid mate neighbour. Particular attention is paid in the study to the effect of a variable degree of correlation on Nash equilibrium strategy pairs. PMID:29291120

Serious games experiment toward agent-based simulation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wein, Anne; Labiosa, William

2013-01-01

We evaluate the potential for serious games to be used as a scientifically based decision-support product that supports the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) mission--to provide integrated, unbiased scientific information that can make a substantial contribution to societal well-being for a wide variety of complex environmental challenges. Serious or pedagogical games are an engaging way to educate decisionmakers and stakeholders about environmental challenges that are usefully informed by natural and social scientific information and knowledge and can be designed to promote interactive learning and exploration in the face of large uncertainties, divergent values, and complex situations. We developed two serious games that use challenging environmental-planning issues to demonstrate and investigate the potential contributions of serious games to inform regional-planning decisions. Delta Skelta is a game emulating long-term integrated environmental planning in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, that incorporates natural hazards (flooding and earthquakes) and consequences for California water supplies amidst conflicting water interests. Age of Ecology is a game that simulates interactions between economic and ecologic processes, as well as natural hazards while implementing agent-based modeling. The content of these games spans the USGS science mission areas related to water, ecosystems, natural hazards, land use, and climate change. We describe the games, reflect on design and informational aspects, and comment on their potential usefulness. During the process of developing these games, we identified various design trade-offs involving factual information, strategic thinking, game-winning criteria, elements of fun, number and type of players, time horizon, and uncertainty. We evaluate the two games in terms of accomplishments and limitations. Overall, we demonstrated the potential for these games to usefully represent scientific information within challenging environmental and ecosystem-management contexts and to provide an interactive way of learning about the complexity of interactions between people and natural systems. Further progress on the use of pedagogical games to fulfill the USGS mission will require collaboration among scientists, game developers, educators, and stakeholders. We conclude that as the USGS positions itself to communicate and convey the results of multiple science strategies, including natural-resource security and sustainability, pedagogical game development and agent-based modeling offer a means to (1) establish interdisciplinary and collaborative teams with a focused integrated outcome; (2) contribute to the modeling of interaction, feedback, and adaptation of ecosystems; and (3) enable social learning through a broadly appealing and increasingly sophisticated medium.

Statistical physics of balance theory

PubMed Central

Belaza, Andres M.; Hoefman, Kevin; Bramson, Aaron; van den Heuvel, Milan; Schoors, Koen

2017-01-01

Triadic relationships are accepted to play a key role in the dynamics of social and political networks. Building on insights gleaned from balance theory in social network studies and from Boltzmann-Gibbs statistical physics, we propose a model to quantitatively capture the dynamics of the four types of triadic relationships in a network. Central to our model are the triads’ incidence rates and the idea that those can be modeled by assigning a specific triadic energy to each type of triadic relation. We emphasize the role of the degeneracy of the different triads and how it impacts the degree of frustration in the political network. In order to account for a persistent form of disorder in the formation of the triadic relationships, we introduce the systemic variable temperature. In order to learn about the dynamics and motives, we propose a generic Hamiltonian with three terms to model the triadic energies. One term is connected with a three-body interaction that captures balance theory. The other terms take into account the impact of heterogeneity and of negative edges in the triads. The validity of our model is tested on four datasets including the time series of triadic relationships for the standings between two classes of alliances in a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG). We also analyze real-world data for the relationships between the “agents” involved in the Syrian civil war, and in the relations between countries during the Cold War era. We find emerging properties in the triadic relationships in a political network, for example reflecting itself in a persistent hierarchy between the four triadic energies, and in the consistency of the extracted parameters from comparing the model Hamiltonian to the data. PMID:28846726

Statistical physics of balance theory.

PubMed

Belaza, Andres M; Hoefman, Kevin; Ryckebusch, Jan; Bramson, Aaron; van den Heuvel, Milan; Schoors, Koen

2017-01-01

Triadic relationships are accepted to play a key role in the dynamics of social and political networks. Building on insights gleaned from balance theory in social network studies and from Boltzmann-Gibbs statistical physics, we propose a model to quantitatively capture the dynamics of the four types of triadic relationships in a network. Central to our model are the triads' incidence rates and the idea that those can be modeled by assigning a specific triadic energy to each type of triadic relation. We emphasize the role of the degeneracy of the different triads and how it impacts the degree of frustration in the political network. In order to account for a persistent form of disorder in the formation of the triadic relationships, we introduce the systemic variable temperature. In order to learn about the dynamics and motives, we propose a generic Hamiltonian with three terms to model the triadic energies. One term is connected with a three-body interaction that captures balance theory. The other terms take into account the impact of heterogeneity and of negative edges in the triads. The validity of our model is tested on four datasets including the time series of triadic relationships for the standings between two classes of alliances in a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG). We also analyze real-world data for the relationships between the "agents" involved in the Syrian civil war, and in the relations between countries during the Cold War era. We find emerging properties in the triadic relationships in a political network, for example reflecting itself in a persistent hierarchy between the four triadic energies, and in the consistency of the extracted parameters from comparing the model Hamiltonian to the data.

Adaptive Motor Resistance Video Game Exercise Apparatus and Method of Use Thereof

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reich, Alton (Inventor); Shaw, James (Inventor)

2015-01-01

The invention comprises a method and/or an apparatus using computer configured exercise equipment and an electric motor provided physical resistance in conjunction with a game system, such as a video game system, where the exercise system provides real physical resistance to a user interface. Results of user interaction with the user interface are integrated into a video game, such as running on a game console. The resistance system comprises: a subject interface, software control, a controller, an electric servo assist/resist motor, an actuator, and/or a subject sensor. The system provides actual physical interaction with a resistance device as input to the game console and game run thereon.

Characteristics and treatment response of self-identified problematic Internet users in a behavioral addiction outpatient clinic.

PubMed

Thorens, Gabriel; Achab, Sophia; Billieux, Joël; Khazaal, Yasser; Khan, Riaz; Pivin, Edward; Gupta, Vishal; Zullino, Daniel

2014-03-01

Controversies remain about the validity of the diagnosis of problematic Internet use. This might be due in part to the lack of longitudinal naturalistic studies that have followed a cohort of patients who self-identify as having Internet-related problems. This retrospective study included 57 patients who consulted the Geneva Addiction Outpatient Clinic from January 1, 2007, to January 1, 2010. Patients underwent an initial clinical psychiatric evaluation that included collection of data on socio-demographics, method of referral, specific Internet usage, psychiatric diagnosis, and Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) scores. Treatment consisted of individual psychotherapeutic sessions. Of these patients, 98% were male and 37% were 18 years or younger. Most patients were online gamers (46% playing massively multiplayer online role-playing games). The mean IAT score was 52.9 (range 20-90). Sixty-eight percent of patients had a co-morbid psychiatric diagnosis, with social phobia being the most prevalent (17.8%). Patients who remained in treatment (dropout rate 24%) showed an overall improvement of symptoms: 38.6% showed significant or average improvement on their CGI score, 26.3% showed minimal improvement, and 14% showed no change. Our results support the hypothesis that there are specific types of Internet use, with online gaming mainly affecting young male patients. As Internet addiction is not yet an official diagnosis, better instruments are needed to screen patients and to avoid false-negative and false-positive diagnoses. Successful care should integrate the treatment of co-morbid symptoms and involve families and relatives in the therapeutic process.

First Graders' Interpersonal Understanding during Cooperative and Competitive Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zan, Betty; Hildebrandt, Carolyn

2003-01-01

Differences in children's social interactions during cooperative and competitive games were investigated. Thirty-seven children from two first grade classes with cooperative classroom climates were videotaped while playing a cooperative and a competitive board game. Children's social interactions were coded using Selman's Levels of Enacted…

Online Games as a Component of School Textbooks: A Test Predicting the Diffusion of Interactive Online Games Designed for the Textbook Reformation in South Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Do Kyun; Dinu, Lucian F.; Chung, Wonjon

2013-01-01

Currently, the South Korean government is in the process of transforming school textbooks from a paper-based platform to a computer-based digital platform. Along with this effort, interactive online educational games (edu-games) have been examined as a potential component of the digital textbooks. Based on the theory of diffusion of innovations,…

A Communities of Practice Perspective on Educational Computer Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reese, Curt

2008-01-01

Educational computer games provide an environment in which interactions among students, teachers, and texts differ non-trivially from those of the traditional classroom. In order to build and research computer games effectively, it is important to provide a theoretical background that adequately describes and explains learning and interactions in…

An Investigation of Game-Embedded Handheld Devices to Enhance English Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hung, Hui-Chun; Young, Shelley Shwu-Ching

2015-01-01

This study proposed and implemented a system combining the advantages of both educational games and wireless handheld technology to promote the interactive English learning in the classroom setting. An interactive English vocabulary acquisition board game was designed with the system being implemented on handheld devices. Thirty sixth-grade…

Cooperative Games as an Intervention to Promote Cross-racial Acceptance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Marian; And Others

1981-01-01

More cross-racial interaction was found among boys because they participate in more team sports. Cooperative games have a strong potential for facilitating social acceptance among desegregated elementary school girls. Observations of cross-racial prosocial and antagonistic interactions revealed the practical value of games for increasing…

Interactive Music Video Games and Children's Musical Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gower, Lily; McDowall, Janet

2012-01-01

Interactive music video games are a readily available, mainstream technology but they are not generally seen as educative tools. Nor are they established within school teaching and learning environments. This study investigated children's use of these games from a music education perspective. Nine children, aged 9-11 years, and two specialist…

Digital Games: Changing Education, One Raid at a Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pivec, Paul; Pivec, Maja

2011-01-01

Digital Games are becoming a new form of interactive content and game playing provides an interactive and collaborative platform for learning purposes. Collaborative learning allows participants to produce new ideas as well as to exchange information, simplify problems, and resolve the tasks. Context based collaborative learning method is based on…

Outbreak!: Teaching Clinical and Diagnostic Microbiology Methodologies with an Interactive Online Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Sherri; Smith, Geoffrey Battle

2004-01-01

Outbreak! is an online, interactive educational game that helps students and teachers learn and evaluate clinical microbiology skills. When the game was used in introductory microbiology laboratories, qualitative evaluation by students showed very positive responses and increased learning. Outbreak! allows students to design diagnostic tests and…

Interactive Video Games in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trout, Josh; Christie, Brett

2007-01-01

As the obesity epidemic in the United States spreads among children and teenagers, due in part to sedentary lifestyles, some physical education programs are using interactive video games to keep students engaged in physical activity. These innovative games make physical activity fun and challenging for both high- and low-skilled students. Although…

Evolutionary games with coordination and self-dependent interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Király, Balázs; Szabó, György

2017-01-01

Multistrategy evolutionary games are studied on a square lattice when the pair interactions are composed of coordinations between strategy pairs and an additional term with self-dependent payoff. We describe a method for determining the strength of each elementary coordination component in n -strategy potential games. Using analytical and numerical methods, the presence and absence of Ising-type order-disorder phase transitions are studied when a single pair coordination is extended by some types of self-dependent elementary games. We also introduce noise-dependent three-strategy equivalents of the n -strategy elementary coordination games.

Evolutionary games combining two or three pair coordinations on a square lattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Király, Balázs; Szabó, György

2017-10-01

We study multiagent logit-rule-driven evolutionary games on a square lattice whose pair interactions are composed of a maximal number of nonoverlapping elementary coordination games describing Ising-type interactions between just two of the available strategies. Using Monte Carlo simulations we investigate the macroscopic noise-level-dependent behavior of the two- and three-pair games and the critical properties of the continuous phase transtitions these systems exhibit. The four-strategy game is shown to be equivalent to a system that consists of two independent and identical Ising models.

Evolutionary games combining two or three pair coordinations on a square lattice.

PubMed

Király, Balázs; Szabó, György

2017-10-01

We study multiagent logit-rule-driven evolutionary games on a square lattice whose pair interactions are composed of a maximal number of nonoverlapping elementary coordination games describing Ising-type interactions between just two of the available strategies. Using Monte Carlo simulations we investigate the macroscopic noise-level-dependent behavior of the two- and three-pair games and the critical properties of the continuous phase transtitions these systems exhibit. The four-strategy game is shown to be equivalent to a system that consists of two independent and identical Ising models.

On the preservation of cooperation in two-strategy games with nonlocal interactions.

PubMed

Aydogmus, Ozgur; Zhou, Wen; Kang, Yun

2017-03-01

Nonlocal interactions such as spatial interaction are ubiquitous in nature and may alter the equilibrium in evolutionary dynamics. Models including nonlocal spatial interactions can provide a further understanding on the preservation and emergence of cooperation in evolutionary dynamics. In this paper, we consider a variety of two-strategy evolutionary spatial games with nonlocal interactions based on an integro-differential replicator equation. By defining the invasion speed and minimal traveling wave speed for the derived model, we study the effects of the payoffs, the selection pressure and the spatial parameter on the preservation of cooperation. One of our most interesting findings is that, for the Prisoners Dilemma games in which the defection is the only evolutionary stable strategy for unstructured populations, analyses on its asymptotic speed of propagation suggest that, in contrast with spatially homogeneous games, the cooperators can invade the habitat under proper conditions. Other two-strategy evolutionary spatial games are also explored. Both our theoretical and numerical studies show that the nonlocal spatial interaction favors diversity in strategies in a population and is able to preserve cooperation in a competing environment. A real data application in a virus mutation study echoes our theoretical observations. In addition, we compare the results of our model to the partial differential equation approach to demonstrate the importance of including non-local interaction component in evolutionary game models. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Play-Personas: Behaviours and Belief Systems in User-Centred Game Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canossa, Alessandro; Drachen, Anders

Game designers attempt to ignite affective, emotional responses from players via engineering game designs to incite definite user experiences. Theories of emotion state that definite emotional responses are individual, and caused by the individual interaction sequence or history. Engendering desired emotions in the audience of traditional audiovisual media is a considerable challenge; however it is potentially even more difficult to achieve the same goal for the audience of interactive entertainment, because a substantial degree of control rests in the hand of the end user rather than the designer. This paper presents a possible solution to the challenge of integrating the user in the design of interactive entertainment such as computer games by employing the "persona" framework introduced by Alan Cooper. This approach is already in use in interaction design. The method can be improved by complementing the traditional narrative description of personas with quantitative, data-oriented models of predicted patterns of user behaviour for a specific computer game Additionally, persona constructs can be applied both as design-oriented metaphors during the development of games, and as analytical lenses to existing games, e.g. for evaluation of patterns of player behaviour.

The application of an occupational therapy nutrition education programme for children who are obese.

PubMed

Munguba, Marilene Calderaro; Valdés, Maria Teresa Moreno; da Silva, Carlos Antonio Bruno

2008-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate an occupational therapy nutrition education programme for children who are obese with the use of two interactive games. A quasi-experimental study was carried out at a municipal school in Fortaleza, Brazil. A convenient sample of 200 children ages 8-10 years old participated in the study. Data collection comprised a semi-structured interview, direct and structured observation, and focus group, comparing two interactive games based on the food pyramid (video game and board game) used individually and then combined. Both play activities were efficient in the mediation of nutritional concepts, with a preference for the board game. In the learning strategies, intrinsic motivation and metacognition were analysed. The attention strategy was most applied at the video game. We concluded that both games promoted the learning of nutritional concepts. We confirmed the effectiveness of the simultaneous application of interactive games in an interdisciplinary health environment. It is recommended that a larger sample should be used in evaluating the effectiveness of play and video games in teaching healthy nutrition to children in a school setting. (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Interactive Video Gaming compared to Health Education in Older Adults with MCI: A Feasibility Study

PubMed Central

Hughes, Tiffany F.; Flatt, Jason D.; Fu, Bo; Butters, Meryl A.; Chang, Chung-Chou H.; Ganguli, Mary

2014-01-01

Objective We evaluated the feasibility of a trial of Wii interactive video gaming, and its potential efficacy at improving cognitive functioning compared to health education, in a community sample of older adults with neuropsychologically defined mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods Twenty older adults were equally randomized to either group-based interactive video gaming or health education for 90 minutes each week for 24 weeks. Although the primary outcomes were related to study feasibility, we also explored the effect of the intervention on neuropsychological performance and other secondary outcomes. Results All 20 participants completed the intervention, and 18 attended at least 80% of the sessions. The majority (80%) of participants were “very much” satisfied with the intervention. Bowling was enjoyed by the most participants, and was also the rated highest among the games for mental, social and physical stimulation. We observed medium effect sizes for cognitive and physical functioning in favor of the interactive video gaming condition, but these effects were not statistically significant in this small sample. Conclusion Interactive video gaming is feasible for older adults with MCI and medium effects sizes in favor of the Wii group warrant a larger efficacy trial. PMID:24452845

Evolutionary mixed games in structured populations: Cooperation and the benefits of heterogeneity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amaral, Marco A.; Wardil, Lucas; Perc, Matjaž; da Silva, Jafferson K. L.

2016-04-01

Evolutionary games on networks traditionally involve the same game at each interaction. Here we depart from this assumption by considering mixed games, where the game played at each interaction is drawn uniformly at random from a set of two different games. While in well-mixed populations the random mixture of the two games is always equivalent to the average single game, in structured populations this is not always the case. We show that the outcome is, in fact, strongly dependent on the distance of separation of the two games in the parameter space. Effectively, this distance introduces payoff heterogeneity, and the average game is returned only if the heterogeneity is small. For higher levels of heterogeneity the distance to the average game grows, which often involves the promotion of cooperation. The presented results support preceding research that highlights the favorable role of heterogeneity regardless of its origin, and they also emphasize the importance of the population structure in amplifying facilitators of cooperation.