tag:theconversation.com,2011:/es/topics/gamers-25643/articlesgamers – The Conversation2023-12-17T13:41:36Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2185752023-12-17T13:41:36Z2023-12-17T13:41:36ZBuying indie video games over the holidays can help make the industry more ethical and fair<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565328/original/file-20231212-17-944o3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=770%2C73%2C4677%2C3276&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Big video game companies often time the release of their most popular titles around the holidays, and that means Christmas shoppers can make an impact by reflecting on the games they buy.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/buying-indie-video-games-over-the-holidays-can-help-make-the-industry-more-ethical-and-fair" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://thegameawards.com/">The 2023 Game Awards</a> recently saw accolades doled out to the biggest and most celebrated games of the year — <a href="https://thegameawards.com/nominees/best-independent-game">alongside a few lucky indie titles</a> — and with the holidays fast approaching, many of those same games are starting to go on sale. </p>
<p>Video game companies often time the release of their most popular titles for the holiday season. The biggest sales of the year happen between Black Friday and Christmas, and since publishers often push hard for new game releases in the last quarter of the year, now is the time to reflect on the political economy of video games and to think carefully about which games to buy and why. </p>
<p>This year has been a tough one for game developers, with <a href="https://www.polygon.com/23964448/video-game-industry-layoffs-crisis-2023">massive layoffs</a> resulting from financial mismanagement, overzealous and unsustainable investments and generally unethical business practices, thanks in part to the <a href="https://www.polygon.com/gaming/23538801/video-game-studio-union-microsoft-activision-blizzard">lack of unions</a> in the game industry.</p>
<p>The biggest cuts often happen in the largest, most successful companies — the ones releasing the big-name titles with massive player bases and raking in the profits. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2023/the-state-of-video-games-big-releases-bigger-layoffs-and-an-imminent-crisis-point/">They boast about their sales, profits and record-breaking player bases</a> while laying off employees with little warning or explanation and inadequate severance.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565323/original/file-20231212-17-mwfdgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=25%2C19%2C4228%2C2812&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A young man sitting at a computer playing a video game." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565323/original/file-20231212-17-mwfdgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=25%2C19%2C4228%2C2812&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565323/original/file-20231212-17-mwfdgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565323/original/file-20231212-17-mwfdgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565323/original/file-20231212-17-mwfdgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565323/original/file-20231212-17-mwfdgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565323/original/file-20231212-17-mwfdgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565323/original/file-20231212-17-mwfdgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ethical gamers should consider the labour exploitation and discrimination in the industry when deciding which games they choose to buy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Even <a href="https://www.polygon.com/23903033/bioware-severance-lawsuit-canada-dragon-age-dreadwolf">industry veterans are not immune</a> to sudden job loss, and <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/the-iatse-is-shining-a-light-on-the-video-game-industrys-lack-of-unions-with-a-new-survey">many game developers see their careers as unsustainable</a>. Similarly, it tends to be the biggest companies that push their <a href="https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501746536/a-precarious-game/#bookTabs=1">precarious developers</a> the hardest during this time of year as part of the notorious <a href="https://jacobin.com/2023/10/video-game-workers-crunch-exploitation-union-organizing">“crunch culture”</a> of video games. These crunch periods see employees working ridiculously long hours and often <a href="https://www.gamesindustry.biz/everything-you-never-wanted-to-know-about-burnout">burning out</a> in an extreme push to get a game released in time for the fourth quarter sales boom, whether it’s actually ready for release or not. </p>
<p>Although many large studios are taking steps or at least starting to recognize these issues and address them, every year seems to bring a new issue, controversy or scandal to light. This year it’s been the massive layoffs, and I can only imagine what next year will bring. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.polygon.com/23485977/video-game-unions-guide-explainer">Labour exploitation and job precarity</a> have created an <a href="https://www.gameworkersunite.org/">ongoing push to unionize</a> game studios. But they are not the only problems plaguing the game industry.</p>
<h2>Discrimination in gaming</h2>
<p>Countless cases of <a href="https://magazine.swe.org/gaming-sidebar/">gender-</a> and <a href="https://www.gamesindustry.biz/lifting-the-barriers-for-black-professionals-in-the-games-industry">race-based</a> discrimination among game studios have come to light, including accusations of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/aug/08/activision-blizzard-lawsuit-women-sexual-harassment">sexual harassment and abuse</a>, in recent years. </p>
<p>For decades, critics have decried the lack of diversity among video game characters and the ongoing issue of stereotypical, problematic and harmful representation in games, especially when it comes to <a href="https://doi.org/10.17060/ijodaep.2023.n1.v1.2542">gender</a>, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/21/confronting-racial-bias-in-video-games/">race</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/jege.2022-0043">body size</a>. </p>
<p>This is tied to the fact that the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/08/24/leveling-up-the-gaming-gender-gap/">industry is dominated</a> by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/01/31/black-game-developers-diversity-push-is-lots-talk-little-progress/">white</a> <a href="https://igda-website.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/18113957/2021DSSFull.png">men</a> who seem to primarily make games for other white men. </p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/women-video-games-representation-e3/">only 18 per cent of games</a> showcased at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2020 featured a playable female protagonist. Even when women are present, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221095">men have twice as much in-game dialogue as women</a> (an issue that <a href="https://time.com/4837536/do-women-really-talk-more/">reflects real life</a>). This is despite the fact that roughly <a href="https://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-Essential-Facts-About-the-Video-Game-Industry.pdf">50 per cent of gamers are women</a>. In fact, in Canada, <a href="https://theesa.ca/resource/bringing-canadians-together-through-gaming-essential-facts-2022/">more women than men play games</a>. </p>
<p>Yet, this finger-wagging at the industry, for the most part, is directed at what we refer to as the “mainstream” — those corporate studios that produce the big blockbuster titles. </p>
<p>Although they receive considerably less attention at events like The Game Awards, and <a href="https://gamestudies.org/1601/articles/Gardagrabarczyk/">the definition of “independent” is a little murky</a>, smaller-scale games produced by indie studios might be a better option for consumers interested in more diverse and progressive content. </p>
<p>That’s not to mention their <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/indie-studios-accessible-game-design-tunic-coromon/">often more innovative and accessible gameplay</a> and lower time commitment than most big-name games. Independent game developers, while sharing <a href="https://www.thegamer.com/indie-developers-abuse/">some of the same issues as the mainstream industry</a>, might be the place to look when choosing to purchase games in a more conscientious, ethical way. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565327/original/file-20231212-30-r7dzkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman wearing headphones and holding a credit card looks at a computer screen" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565327/original/file-20231212-30-r7dzkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565327/original/file-20231212-30-r7dzkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565327/original/file-20231212-30-r7dzkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565327/original/file-20231212-30-r7dzkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565327/original/file-20231212-30-r7dzkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565327/original/file-20231212-30-r7dzkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565327/original/file-20231212-30-r7dzkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Buying games made by smaller independent developers can help make the industry more equitable.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Supporting indie games</h2>
<p>Independent games tend to be made by smaller teams, and are often what might be considered “passion projects.” <a href="https://igda.org/resources-archive/developer-satisfaction-survey-summary-report-2021/">Over 40 per cent of indie developers forego a salary</a> to bring their game to production, and indie studios are often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476419851081">mired in precarity</a> and are more likely to be deeply impacted by game sales — one bad flop could shutter an indie studio. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, mainstream games carry far more weight than independent games do, with much higher sales and far more aggressive marketing campaigns. This means that mainstream games have a far greater cultural impact and continue to be the driving force behind the medium as a whole. </p>
<p>It also means that it’s harder for most consumers to find new, more innovative and diverse games to play. While delightful indie games like <a href="https://www.cocoongame.com/">COCOON</a> or <a href="https://seaofstarsgame.co/">Sea of Stars</a> may shine at The Game Awards, the hundreds, if not thousands, of other beautiful interactive experiences produced each year largely go unnoticed by mainstream media and risk being passed over by consumers. </p>
<p>Gamers should support smaller-scale creators, especially those just starting out, risking it all to bring their artistic vision to life and standing out when it comes to supporting their own and their employees’ well-being. It’s an important and ethical thing to do. </p>
<p>If it means giving less money to large corporations that have shown all they care about is profit, then that’s an added bonus. I’m not advocating for boycotting the biggest hits of the year, but I am encouraging consumers to check out the indie scene as well.</p>
<p>Games hosted privately on sites like <a href="https://itch.io/">itch.io</a> are a great option, as developers receive the majority, if not all, of the profit from sales and you can even give a little extra money to support them if you’d like. </p>
<p>Or, for anyone who needs a little extra guidance, <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/">Humble Bundle</a> curates huge collections of games around specific genres or themes — many of which are indie — and offers them at a very low price while also <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/charities">raising money for charity</a> and <a href="https://blackgamedevfund.com/">supporting Black game developers</a>. </p>
<p>Developers, critics and scholars tirelessly advocate for and work toward positive change within the game industry, and consumers can help by thinking about the games they buy.</p>
<p>It takes a little research, but by not buying games made under crunch conditions by companies that don’t care about diversity and don’t protect their employees, and instead buying smaller independent games that support emerging and diverse developers, consumers can make a big difference and help push the industry in more ethical directions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218575/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Stang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Video game companies often time the release of their most popular titles for the holiday season. Now is the time to reflect on the political economy of video games and which games we buy.Sarah Stang, Assistant Professor, Department of Digital Humanities, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2037182023-05-22T15:22:15Z2023-05-22T15:22:15ZPokémon Scarlet and Violet: how the game’s glitches gained a fandom of their own<p>Last November, <a href="https://scarletviolet.pokemon.com/en-gb/">Pokémon Scarlet and Violet</a> were released for Nintendo Switch as the first so-called open-world <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/11/pokemon-scarlet-and-violet-deliver-a-fully-open-world-beset-by-technical-problems/">Pokémon games</a>. These are non-linear games in which players can freely explore the environment as they collect Pokémon characters.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/pokemon-scarlet-and-violet-review">Reviewers</a> and gamers alike have generally agreed that the games succeeded in introducing changes that were long overdue such as free roaming, a less linear adventure and a large amount of collectables. But they also criticised the games’ appalling <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/nov/17/pokemon-scarletviolet-review-poor-performance-holds-an-exciting-game-back#:%7E:text=Much%20like%20Arceus%2C%20Scarlet%20and,constantly%20judders%20to%20a%20crawl.">visuals and technical failures</a>. These failures – known as “glitches” – are moments when the game fails to behave as intended. Instead of chomping on a sandwich, for example, a character might be seen munching thin air. </p>
<p>The original Pokémon games, Red and Blue (1996), had <a href="https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/List_of_glitches_(Generation_I)">their fair share</a> of glitches too. This included “<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/02/the-mythos-and-meaning-behind-pokemons-most-famous-glitch/">MissingNo</a>”, an unofficial critter that could be found by deliberately using glitches. But times have changed since the first games. Pokémon is now a global behemoth and must meet fans’ high expectations for visual quality.</p>
<p>In some ways, Scarlet and Violet’s many issues have become a blessing in disguise, however. They have fuelled <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/11/random-pokemon-scarlet-and-violets-body-horror-glitches-are-going-viral">an unexpected glitch-chasing frenzy</a>. </p>
<p>This has contributed to the expansion of the franchise’s “<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/words-were-watching-headcanon-fanon#:%7E:text=Standard%2C%2022%20Feb.-,2018,spelled%20out%20in%20the%20text.">headcanon</a>”(something fans believe to be true about a franchise or character, despite a lack of evidence) and illustrated the creative potential of fan culture as players start to accept and even celebrate these glitches.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1595148193855320066"}"></div></p>
<p>Many Pokémon fans are aware of <a href="https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Sinistea_(Pok%C3%A9mon)">Sinistea</a>, for example, a ghost-type Pokémon from 2017 who is found lodging in a teacup. But in January, a few fans <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/pokemon/pokemon-scarlet-violet-glitch-spawns-wild-paldean-sinistea-2033495/">started to speculate</a> and joke about whether the ghost Pokémon had been given a new form. This followed a viral <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonScarletViolet/comments/10c23q9/paldean_form_sinistea/?utm_term=2197035873&utm_medium=post_embed&utm_source=embed&utm_name=&utm_content=header">Pokémon egg hatching video</a>, recorded from the game and published on Reddit, which showed a phantom coffee cup randomly floating in the air .</p>
<p>While this error was due to a non-player character failing to load, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonScarletViolet/comments/10c23q9/paldean_form_sinistea/">fans immediately started</a> to suggest names for the new creature, such as Caffiend, Coffantom and Sinisffee. <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/_ipx/w_640,q_75/https%3A%2F%2Feditors.dexerto.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F01%2F15%2Fpaldean-sinistea.jpg?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditors.dexerto.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F01%2F15%2Fpaldean-sinistea.jpg&w=640&q=75">Fan-made artworks</a> imitating the official games were produced and a new “fakemon” was born.</p>
<p>As this shows, glitches aren’t simply destructive malfunctions, but also a starting point for the creation of new fan narratives.</p>
<h2>Body horror in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet</h2>
<p>Darker glitches have emerged too. A video recorded from the game showed <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/832923954427294/">a child being attacked</a> by a Pokémon that had turned into a drill when they crossed the boundaries of the battlefield.</p>
<p>There was no gore, no screaming, but the contrast between the naïve, innocent tone of the Pokémon game’s universe and the violent narrative created by the recorded glitch made the video go viral.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1594523153145167875"}"></div></p>
<p>This example is only one among many manifestations of body horror that have occurred since the release of the Scarlet and Violet games. Players have <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mbv4b7yLgE&ab_channel=BetaBrawler">shared playthroughs</a> showcasing avatars with spinning limbs, gigantic spaghetti-shaped bodies, or skeleton-like faces taking selfies.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4Mbv4b7yLgE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A compilation of Pokémon glitches.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As a queer game scholar I am fascinated by unorthodox and bizarre instances in gaming culture. I think that these glitches are pretty queer too.</p>
<p>Playing queerly means playing differently – whether it is to <a href="https://ourglasslake.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Ruberg-No-Fun-QED.pdf">fail</a>, experience “<a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58ad660603596eec00ce71a3/t/58becd3de6f2e1086b36a265/1488899390367/The+Politics+of+Bad+Feeling.pdf">bad feelings</a>”, be <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9781003022268-5/flawless-defeat-margins-gaspard-pelurson?context=ubx&refId=65754cf3-b563-4f5f-bd2a-c5a38ce140ea">aroused</a> or simply stray from mainstream gaming. </p>
<p>Queerness and horror have always shared a special relationship. Horror movies are often <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/oct/31/queer-horror-cinema-babadook-frankenstein">beloved by queer audiences</a>, who frequently <a href="https://theconversation.com/m3gan-review-an-animatronic-doll-is-out-to-destroy-the-nuclear-family-much-to-fans-delight-198045">identify with the characters depicted</a> and enjoy seeing narratives that were, and still are, missing from the mainstream film industry.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/mar/23/body-horror-movies-get-out-life-alien-covenant">body horror</a> genre, with its obsession with “threatening” bodies, has resonated among the queer community. From <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJVXTKkjsxA">Freaks</a> (1932) to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5_w2W5G9OM">Titane</a> (2021), body horror has come a long way from stigmatising to celebrating queer bodies. </p>
<p>And it has now found one of its most unexpected platforms – a globally successful, family-friendly digital game franchise.</p>
<h2>‘Gotta [glitch] ’em all’</h2>
<p>Witnessing characters becoming hugely elongated while trying to ride their bike, losing the skin on their faces while attempting to take a selfie, or moving through hard surfaces without any explanation has become common in the world of Pokémon.</p>
<p>Videos of these glitches have sparked conversations that go beyond the game’s original material and established glitch sharing as a way for fans to hijack the franchise.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1642450005675098113"}"></div></p>
<p>Pokémon has been trying to be more inclusive and has increasingly showcased <a href="https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2021/06/28/lets-take-a-moment-to-appreciate-the-diversity-pokemon-introduced-in-later-generations/">body diversity</a> among its characters. There are <a href="https://twitter.com/KholdKhaos63/status/1593653335390822402">buff women</a>, androgynous <a href="https://automaton-media.com/en/news/20220809-14779/">gym leaders</a> and <a href="https://automaton-media.com/en/news/20221130-16978/">curvaceous dads</a>. </p>
<p>The body horror glitches, however, might have unwillingly pushed the boundaries a bit too far. Players are now not only collecting pocket monsters, but monstrous bodies too.</p>
<p>Their awkward presence has provided a queer twist to the traditional Pokémon journey to “<a href="https://genius.com/Pokemon-pokemon-theme-gotta-catch-em-all-lyrics">become the very best</a>”. It has encouraged players to enjoy the game’s visible failures and share the visual feats of their transgressive avatars, in the hope of becoming the glitchiest player of them all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203718/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gaspard Pelurson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The many visual errors in the latest Pokémon games have led to an unexpected glitch-chasing frenzy.Gaspard Pelurson, Lecturer in Culture, Media and Creative Industries, King's College LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2057972023-05-18T12:25:36Z2023-05-18T12:25:36ZThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review – a masterclass in rewarding curiosity<p>Exploration and discovery have been key to Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series since the <a href="https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/NES/The-Legend-of-Zelda-796345.html">first game in 1986</a> and its latest outing, <a href="https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-games/The-Legend-of-Zelda-Tears-of-the-Kingdom-1576884.html">Tears of the Kingdom</a>, builds on the lessons of the past. </p>
<p>Much like its 2017 predecessor, <a href="https://www.zelda.com/breath-of-the-wild/">Breath of the Wild</a>, the new game is an open-world sandbox action adventure title, in which players can traverse the entirety of the game’s landscape with relatively few limitations. Protagonist Link once again sets out into the kingdom of Hyrule to find the missing Princess Zelda.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SSVYVgm4tH4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The trailer for Tears of the Kingdom (2023).</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Encouraging exploration in open-world games is a <a href="https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2015/12/02/opinion-why-the-waypoint-marker-should-go-away/">common challenge</a> in game design. Designers must <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262527538/uncertainty-in-games/">evoke sufficient uncertainty</a> for players in order to <a href="http://www.digra.org/wp-content/uploads/digital-library/paper_428.pdf">encourage their curiosity</a>. Curiosity invites engagement, motivating players to explore and progress through a game.</p>
<p>Nintendo ran into this challenge while developing the vast open world of Breath of the Wild. During testing, players tended to travel from quest marker to quest marker with little deviation to explore the environment around them.</p>
<p>Their solution was to create a world which varied in height. As hills, mountains and towers obscure the player’s view, they are encouraged to climb or navigate them. Doing this gradually reveals <a href="https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/enjoy-a-bit-of-fresh-insight-into-how-nintendo-built-i-breath-of-the-wild-i-#close-modal">what Nintendo calls</a> objects of “gravity” – interesting and exciting locations that draw the eye and invite exploration.</p>
<p>Tears of the Kingdom elevates its predecessor’s approach, providing a vast world filled with peculiarities and oddities that inspire curiosity. There are “SkyView towers” that take the varying height approach even further, launching Link far into the clouds above to give players an extensive – if terrifying – view of Hyrule’s landscape.</p>
<p>The new “sky islands” scattered above Hyrule provide players with even more vantage points. From these heights, the delights of the world below are revealed with new wonders to investigate.</p>
<h2>Encouraging curiosity</h2>
<p>Tears of the Kingdom’s quests deliberately shove players off the beaten path. There are minimal objective markers in the game, with Link instead frequently given vague directions to his goal. </p>
<p>When I played the game, I took a brief respite from adventuring at a restaurant for Goron (a huge rock-eating species), drawn in by a giant, glowing ham joint. There, I discovered the concerning story of a new rock-based cuisine which was having a strange hypnotic effect on diners. </p>
<p>I was told that its origin lay in a cave “just past the mine cart tracks”. My search led to the discovery of a new shrine (one of many puzzles) and a nearby SkyView tower before I found my objective.</p>
<p>Interactions like this emphasise the ambiguity of game’s story line, which is threaded with mysteries and uncertainties that again invoke curiosity. The game opens with the excavation of an ancient structure beneath Hyrule, complete with foreboding carvings and a strange red mist. These elements all hint ambiguously at the events to come. </p>
<p>Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t hand hold, with the narrative full of abstract and surreal moments that keep players guessing. Many familiar faces return, but time has passed since players have last seen them and they have changed. Players are left to fill in the gaps themselves.</p>
<h2>Link’s new abilities</h2>
<p>Link’s new skills are Tears of the Kingdom’s greatest evolution from Breath of the Wild. Though players already had the power to manipulate certain metal objects in the world, Tears of the Kingdom broadens this significantly. </p>
<p>Anything not glued down is now fair game and the glue is in players’ hands. Objects and more complex mechanical devices can now be stuck together into increasingly intricate creations to traverse, solve puzzles, or fight enemies with.</p>
<p>The same can be done with weapons and items in the inventory. I was able to fuse an entire log to the end of my sword and club baddies away with ease. I also glued a dismembered bat eye to the end of an arrow, to give it homing properties. </p>
<p>This ability to create and manipulate the world to such a degree opens a huge range of possibilities to explore. Can I attach a bomb to an arrow? Absolutely, this works incredibly well. Can I attach a bomb to my sword? Absolutely, but good luck with that.</p>
<p>The Legend of Zelda has always excelled in giving players a true sense of adventure and over the decades the franchise has become a mainstay of the action adventure genre. While creating uncertainty and evoking curiosity is fundamental for many game designers, Tears of the Kingdom is truly Nintendo’s masterclass.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205797/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Higgins does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t hand hold, with the narrative full of abstract and surreal moments that keep players guessing.Matthew Higgins, Lecturer, Digital and Creative Technologies, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2023192023-04-17T12:44:32Z2023-04-17T12:44:32ZThe complex relationship between Black gamers and Hogwarts Legacy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520335/original/file-20230411-22-kd0zun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=268%2C7%2C4846%2C3251&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The bestselling title is already a serious contender for the Game Awards' Game of the Year.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/poster-for-hogwarts-legacy-behind-hamleys-on-27th-march-news-photo/1249859350?adppopup=true">Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When the computer game <a href="https://www.hogwartslegacy.com/en-us">Hogwarts Legacy</a> was released in February 2023, some critics wondered whether the controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling – whose Harry Potter franchise inspired the game – would hurt sales.</p>
<p>Those supporting the trans community <a href="https://gamerant.com/hogwarts-legacy-social-media-boycotts-jk-rowling-goblin-rebellion/">had called for a boycott</a> of the game. </p>
<p>The British author has become a bête noire of many people in the trans community, <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/23622610/jk-rowling-transphobic-statements-timeline-history-controversy">repeatedly expressing and supporting views</a> like the unfounded belief that trans women are a danger to cis women.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the game, which gives players the opportunity to be young wizards making their way in the Potterverse, has proved immensely popular, <a href="https://variety.com/2023/gaming/news/hogwarts-legacy-sales-850-million-1235533614/">selling north of 12 million copies</a> in the two weeks after its launch. It’s already sold more units than the bestselling game of 2022, and it’s seen as a serious contender for the Game Awards’ <a href="https://thegameawards.com/">Game of the Year</a>.</p>
<p>But as a <a href="https://analoggamestudies.org/2018/09/rules-as-written-analyzing-changes-in-reliance-on-game-system-algorithms-as-shifts-in-game-capital/">social scientist who studies gaming subcultures</a>, I’ve been particularly interested in Hogwarts Legacy’s large following among Black gamers, who, like millions of others, seem more than willing to overlook the calls to boycott the title.</p>
<h2>‘That wizard game’</h2>
<p>In 2017, Rowling infamously <a href="https://twitter.com/sistersinead/status/922849074667315200">supported social media posts</a> seen as transphobic. Some fans wanted to know whether her beliefs were misconstrued or if she herself actually held anti-trans views.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"922849074667315200"}"></div></p>
<p>Since then, she’s doubled down on her beliefs, <a href="https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues/">penning a long post replete with stereotypes</a>: that the trans movement is a “cover to predators,” and that it’s “seeking to erode ‘woman’ as a political and biological class.” Her refusal to reconsider these views has drawn the ire of queer communities and their allies, and Rowling’s supporters and detractors routinely spar on social media. </p>
<p>When Warner Bros. Games announced in September 2020 that it would be producing Hogwarts Legacy, those angry about Rowling encouraged gamers to refrain from purchasing the title.</p>
<p>While Rowling didn’t make the game or offer any developmental input, some LGBTQ activists believed that the game’s success would signal a tacit acceptance of her views on gender. Some of them even refuse to reference the game by its name, instead calling “<a href="https://indiecator.org/2023/03/17/the-hogwarts-legacy-controversy/">that wizard game</a>.”</p>
<h2>‘Black folks done took over Hogwarts’</h2>
<p>While the enthusiastic response to the game may have dismayed some activists, I saw it as a testament to the powerful draw of the franchise, which has attracted millions of fans through books, movies, apparel and <a href="https://www.thetopvillas.com/blog/travel-guides/a-guide-to-harry-potter-worlds-and-attractions/">theme parks</a> over the past 25 years. </p>
<p>In the game, players assume the role of a new student at Hogwarts School, where they learn magic before putting on the famous “<a href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Sorting_Hat">sorting hat</a>” and embarking upon a shadowy quest to earn the respect of their instructors.</p>
<p>The love of this world – and the nostalgia it evokes – seems to supersede the problematic views of the creator.</p>
<p>And yet the game’s popularity among Black gamers might come as a surprise.</p>
<p>The Harry Potter books always had <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_fandom">a broad legion of fans</a>. Many American students – including Black students – were introduced to the Potterverse <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/12/31/678860349/how-harry-potter-has-brought-magic-to-classrooms-for-more-than-20-years">in their school years</a> and retained a love for the characters and their adventures.</p>
<p>While J.K. Rowling included a handful of characters who were people of color in her books, <a href="https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-characters-of-color-who-deserved-more-parvati-patil-blaise-zabini-dean-thomas-cho-chang/">their scant representation</a> could be read as tokenism, at best. And long before the trans controversy, some Harry Potter fans criticized Rowling for what I call “hindsight representation”: long after the books were published, Rowling claimed that certain characters were of different ethnicities or sexual orientations, without directly highlighting their diversity in the texts.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, gaming boards dedicated to Black gamers <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/HarryPotterGame/comments/1102df3/as_a_black_gamer_i_can_honestly_say_that_this/">were abuzz after the release</a>. The game has gained such a foothold in the Black gaming community that one Facebook commenter <a href="https://www.facebook.com/james.weems3/posts/pfbid02Hk1cQcnHmaJucqWPtWxwfzusAgyExigRpjbvW6qkYExcLWxu2Q7cikb3eGn4w4RLl">triumphantly announced</a> that “Black folks done took over Hogwarts and turned it into an HBCU” – a reference to historically Black colleges and universities.</p>
<h2>Gaining a foothold in a white male world</h2>
<p>Gaming subcultures have long been what sociologist Eric Dunning calls “<a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=10382826295924019814&hl=en&oi=scholarr">male preserves</a>” – spaces dominated by men. These spaces are not necessarily exclusionary; women and minorities can freely take part.</p>
<p>But if you aren’t a white man, it’s important to adhere to the norms and expectations in order to be accepted into the community. </p>
<p>Communication scholar Mia Consalvo has written about how gamers work to acquire what she calls “<a href="https://direct.mit.edu/books/book/4389/CheatingGaining-Advantage-in-Videogames">gamer capital</a>” – expertise, slang and accomplishments that reflect status in gaming subcultures. The requisite benchmarks, the language used and the knowledge that’s valued have traditionally been dictated and determined by white men. </p>
<p>So in order to <a href="https://nyupress.org/9781479818433/the-privilege-of-play/">gain clout within gaming networks</a>, gamers tend to downplay their race, gender or sexuality. And because of a default thinking that the gamer on the other side of the screen is a white male – and a prevalence of games that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3144592.3144602">historically ignore issues of race, gender and sexuality</a> – diversity in the gaming world can be easily erased. </p>
<p>For these reasons, it’s been easy to ignore or dismiss the presence of minority gamers, and Black gamers often struggle to be seen. </p>
<p>In recent years, however, that’s started to change.</p>
<p>In games like Forspoken and Dungeons & Dragons, developers have prioritized different genders, races and ethnicities to acknowledge the diversity of players. In the newest edition of <a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/races/1-human">Dungeons & Dragons</a>, for example, the image of “human” for the race descriptions is a Black woman. In <a href="https://forspoken.square-enix-games.com/en-us/">Forspoken</a>, gamers play as Frey, a young Black girl from New York. </p>
<p>And this is related to what I see happening in Hogwarts Legacy. Many Black players are applauding the game’s character creator, which offers a great deal of flexibility in making avatars. In particular, those who want to play as Black characters have a vast range of skin colors, hairstyles and hair textures to choose from – <a href="https://kotaku.com/black-hair-games-character-creator-options-kinda-funny-1850170200">choices most digital games lack</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A screen grab of a Black avatar from 'Hogwarts Legacy.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518890/original/file-20230402-3782-qrjkaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518890/original/file-20230402-3782-qrjkaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518890/original/file-20230402-3782-qrjkaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518890/original/file-20230402-3782-qrjkaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518890/original/file-20230402-3782-qrjkaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518890/original/file-20230402-3782-qrjkaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518890/original/file-20230402-3782-qrjkaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hogwarts Legacy offers a range of possibilities for creating Black characters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Steven Dashiell</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As scholars like Kimberly Moffitt have pointed out, <a href="http://www.hamptonpress.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=978-1-57273-880-5">hair is a central element</a> of African American identity. Complex and thoughtful options for hairstyles in video games represent a significant shift in the recognition of Black gamers – one that challenges <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/15327086221097635">the kind of erasure in gaming subcultures</a> that my research has identified.</p>
<h2>Separating the work from the creator</h2>
<p>How does this square with Rowling’s transphobia, and the calls to boycott the video game? </p>
<p>And, does this speak to the age-old belief from political science that Black Americans are <a href="https://www.uab.edu/news/research/item/3336-many-black-people-are-conservative-but-not-the-way-most-think">socially conservative</a> and therefore more likely to overlook homophobia or transphobia? </p>
<p>I would say no. </p>
<p>Black popular culture has a complicated relationship with the separation of artists from their work. Disgraced luminaries like R. Kelly, Kanye West and Michael Jackson generate sometimes paradoxical associations for Black people: They’re iconic Black artists who, in their personal lives, have <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64736677">committed crimes</a> or <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/29/entertainment/kanye-west-antisemitism-anti-black/index.html">expressed hateful ideas</a>.</p>
<p>So many Black gamers are primed to separate Hogwarts Legacy from Rowling, particularly since the game makes huge strides in representation.</p>
<p>Furthermore, research overwhelmingly shows that a large majority of <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/race-ethnicity/2023/02/16/black-americans-views-on-transgender-and-nonbinary-issues/">younger Black Americans are not socially conservative</a>. </p>
<p>So in my view, their desire to be represented in games that have long excluded them serves a broader goal that likely outweighs any negative feelings toward Rowling.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202319/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steven Dashiell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Despite calls to boycott the game by trans activists, the game has proved wildly popular – particularly among Black gamers.Steven Dashiell, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Sociology, American UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2036132023-04-13T11:32:08Z2023-04-13T11:32:08ZVampire Survivors: how developers used gambling psychology to create a Bafta-winning game<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520244/original/file-20230411-797-kqe3wo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=68%2C8%2C1848%2C609&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Vampire Survivors won Best Game at the 2023 awards. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.igdb.com/games/vampire-survivors/presskit">Courtesy of Poncle</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The independent game Vampire Survivors delivered a shock result at the 2023 Bafta Game Awards when it defeated blockbusters <a href="https://theconversation.com/god-of-war-ragnarok-breaks-new-ground-for-accessible-gaming-our-research-explains-what-more-developers-can-do-195401">God of War: Ragnarok</a> and Elden Ring to take home the best game prize.</p>
<p>The result was <a href="https://www.vg247.com/vampire-survivors-wins-best-game-bafta">met with surprise from many</a>, including <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-65135844">the development team themselves</a>.</p>
<p>While the developer, Poncle, may lack the budget of big studios, the effortless playability and clever design decisions tap into player psychology in ways that make it extremely satisfying to play.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6HXNxWbRgsg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The trailer for Vampire Survivors.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This psychological appeal is not accidental. Game designer Luca Galante has applied <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/19/22941145/vampire-survivors-early-access-steam-pc-mac-luca-galante">his previous experience in the gambling industry</a> to Vampire Survivors. </p>
<p>The resulting game distils the essence of compelling, <a href="https://www.gamesradar.com/just-one-more-go-science-and-psychology-destroying-your-sleep-patterns/">“just-one-more-go” game design</a> and provides a foundation for a new sub genre in the gaming landscape.</p>
<p>The aim of Vampire Survivors is to survive as long as possible against swarms of monsters. The gameplay only requires directional controls for moving your character. Attacking monsters is automatic, with attacks triggering at frequent intervals, while upgrades increase their frequency, power and range.</p>
<p>This deceptively simple structure creates a <a href="https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/game-feel-the-secret-ingredient">game feel</a> that may be best described as a dance between the player and enemy hordes. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A screen from game play shows a character fighting off hordes of low res vampires." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520246/original/file-20230411-20-85dz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520246/original/file-20230411-20-85dz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520246/original/file-20230411-20-85dz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520246/original/file-20230411-20-85dz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520246/original/file-20230411-20-85dz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520246/original/file-20230411-20-85dz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520246/original/file-20230411-20-85dz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Vampire Survivors game play.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.igdb.com/games/vampire-survivors/presskit">Courtesy of Poncle</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>With careful manoeuvring, players can shepherd enemies into groups for more efficient destruction. With no other controls to think about, players can fully focus on picking paths through even the tightest gaps between monsters.</p>
<p>The minimal learning curve and fluidity of the game controls means even novice players quickly feel they are conducting the apparent chaos on screen with elegant finesse. </p>
<p>Once Vampire Survivors has players hooked, its reward structure has them coming back for more.</p>
<h2>Power, flow and freedom</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://immersyve.com/white-paper-the-player-experience-of-need-satisfaction-pens-2007/">Player Experience of Needs Satisfaction Model</a> explains three key psychological needs games can fulfil and the player enjoyment and satisfaction experienced when they do. </p>
<p>Vampire Survivors efficiently addresses two of these: competence (a sense of power and mastery) and autonomy (a sense of freedom).</p>
<p>The game is built around multilayered rewards. In each run, players collect gold. Between runs, they spend that gold to enhance their character’s abilities.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A game play screen showing a treasure chest." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520249/original/file-20230411-26-t0wzqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520249/original/file-20230411-26-t0wzqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520249/original/file-20230411-26-t0wzqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520249/original/file-20230411-26-t0wzqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520249/original/file-20230411-26-t0wzqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520249/original/file-20230411-26-t0wzqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520249/original/file-20230411-26-t0wzqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gold can be spent to enhance character abilities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.igdb.com/games/vampire-survivors/presskit">Courtesy of Poncle</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After a run, players gain different achievements, ticked off from a lengthy list. This encourages the use of different characters or gameplay strategies to try and unlock every achievement. </p>
<p>No run ever feels wasted as players feel a sense of increasing mastery and progression, even if they only gain a little gold.</p>
<p>The game balances power and challenge through clever pacing. Periods where players comfortably dominate enemies are followed by periods of increased tension as bigger enemy groups appear. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/god-of-war-ragnarok-breaks-new-ground-for-accessible-gaming-our-research-explains-what-more-developers-can-do-195401">God of War Ragnarök breaks new ground for accessible gaming – our research explains what more developers can do</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This ensures players spend a majority of their playtime in a <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/sense-time/202105/time-speeds-in-flow-states-when-playing-video-games">cognitively satisfying state of psychological flow</a>, where their skill and the challenge presented by the game are optimally balanced.</p>
<p>Vampire Survivors also allows players autonomy and freedom to shape their experience. With 49 playable characters currently available, there is huge scope for experimenting with different play-styles.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A check list shows different challenges for players to complete." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520250/original/file-20230411-24-o6l3tk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520250/original/file-20230411-24-o6l3tk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520250/original/file-20230411-24-o6l3tk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520250/original/file-20230411-24-o6l3tk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520250/original/file-20230411-24-o6l3tk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520250/original/file-20230411-24-o6l3tk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520250/original/file-20230411-24-o6l3tk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Challenges in Vampire Survivors.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.igdb.com/games/vampire-survivors/presskit">Courtesy of Poncle</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The game also allows players to reset their upgraded character builds for free and spend their gold differently, further encouraging replay and experimentation with different upgrade combinations.</p>
<p>Casinos thrive on encouraging players to push their luck and on making losses feel like they were nearly victories. Getting three different symbols on a slot machine is a loss. Getting two matching symbols and one other symbol is functionally the same but feels closer to a win, making players more likely to have another spin of the reels.</p>
<p>This <a href="https://www.stat.berkeley.edu/%7Ealdous/157/Papers/near_miss.pdf">“near miss effect”</a> can be <a href="https://www.psychologyofgames.com/2016/09/the-near-miss-effect-and-game-rewards/">seen in many games</a>, but Vampire Survivors’ structure means that every run in which players don’t reach the 30 minute mark (considered a “successful” run) will elicit this feeling.</p>
<p>Players may have been close to reaching the next level, grabbing another treasure chest, or unlocking an achievement, encouraging another run to see if this time they can do better.</p>
<h2>Staking a claim to a new sub genre</h2>
<p>Vampire Survivors has thrown down a gauntlet in what may well become a new sub genre. </p>
<p>The label “<a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/the-best-soulslike-games">Soulslike</a>” is now accepted for games inspired by FromSoftware’s <a href="https://techguided.com/fromsoft-dark-souls-games-order/">Dark Souls series</a>. It indicates that, much like the Dark Souls series, the game will involve high levels of difficulty, have an emphasis on environmental storytelling and will usually play out in a dark fantasy setting. </p>
<p>There may be a similar acceptance of a “Survivorslike” label for the number of similarly styled games to Vampire survivors that are <a href="https://www.thegamer.com/vampire-survivors-games-similar-recommend/">now available</a>.</p>
<p>Indeed, after <a href="https://www.gamesradar.com/vampire-survivors-claims-the-breakthrough-award-at-the-golden-joystick-awards-2022/">winning the Breakthrough Award at the 2022 Golden Joystick Awards</a>, Poncle fast-tracked the development of the game’s mobile version to <a href="https://gamerant.com/vampire-survivors-mobile-version-developed-in-house/">combat the wave of copycat games</a> being released.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_KjA4xpI2GU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Vampire Survivors wins at the 2023 Baftas.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Moreover, Poncle actively avoided the monetisation tactics so often employed on mobiles. Players only see advertisements in the game if they choose to in return for in-game bonuses. This has probably contributed to the mobile version’s widespread success.</p>
<p>It’s clear that the game has had a big impact on its many fans and the industry more broadly. The Bafta award only emphasises that Vampire Survivors has set a high bar for others to strive for.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203613/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Howell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Vampire Survivors distils the essence of compelling ‘just-one-more-go’ design to create an extremely satisfying game.Peter Howell, Senior Lecturer in Game Design, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1996222023-02-15T15:16:22Z2023-02-15T15:16:22ZWhy The Sims 4’s new inclusion of transgender and disabled sims matters<p>The Sims is one of the <a href="https://simscommunity.info/2020/01/30/the-sims-4-has-become-the-best-selling-base-game-in-the-franchise/">bestselling franchises</a> in gaming history. But unlike <a href="https://theconversation.com/god-of-war-ragnarok-breaks-new-ground-for-accessible-gaming-our-research-explains-what-more-developers-can-do-195401">most other AAA games</a> (high budget and high profile games produced by leading publishers), this open world life simulation game has no clear end goal.</p>
<p>Instead of following a quest format, the Sims offers gamers multiple possibilities for game play. Their simulated characters (known as “sims”) can work, socialise, develop skills and even age without being restricted to a linear path.</p>
<p>For example, players can train their sims to become renowned artists, devious thieves or culinary wizards. Their spare time can be spent on fun skill-building activities such as fishing, computer hacking or even ghost hunting. Sims can make friends, lose friends, get married, start families and eventually meet their end – with a grave their sim relatives can grieve over.</p>
<p>In its simulation of real world living, without real world limits, The Sims offers players the chance to embody characters that represent their true selves, aspirational selves, or an entirely different identity – it’s all down to the player’s choice.</p>
<p>In February 2023, The Sims 4 publisher EA Games released a <a href="https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/news/update-01-31-2023">free update</a> that added new ways to customise the appearance of sims. This included medical wearables, indluding hearing aids and glucose monitors, as well as <a href="https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-top-surgery-transgender-people">top surgery</a> scars (the scars from surgery which changes the look of a person’s chest), binders and shape wear to denote transgender characters.</p>
<p>The addition of these features enhances the game’s representation of players who identify as transgender or having disabilities – a diversity not offered in the game’s original release in 2000.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2cnHYMrxAhc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A trailer for The Sims 4’s Growing Together expansion pack.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Because of the nature of the life simulation game and the flexibility in how the game can be played, The Sims offers informal learning opportunities to its players. </p>
<p>The upcoming <a href="https://www.ea.com/en-gb/games/the-sims/news/the-sims-4-grow-together-guided-tour">Growing Together Expansion Pack</a>, for example, emphasises family interactions in which players can explore different ways to strengthen family bonds, take care of family members and raise a happy baby.</p>
<p>Players who identify as gender nonconforming or disabled can now, through The Sims, create a mirror of their reality and explore choices that may be more restricted in their real lives.</p>
<h2>How The Sims overcomes gamer stereotypes</h2>
<p>Gamers have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/feb/19/video-games-industry-diversity-women-people-of-colour">long been stereotyped</a> as white, male and heterosexual. Thanks to the increasing attention to <a href="https://intogames.org/news/edi">equality, diversity and inclusion</a> in the global market, the gaming industry has been including more characters from racial and ethnic minorities.</p>
<p>This includes the award-winning adventure series Life is Strange, which featured an Asian-American main character in its latest release, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/reviews/life-is-strange-true-colors-review/">True Colors</a> (2021), and <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/technology/uncharted-the-lost-legacy-review-more-of-a-very-good-thing-20170825-gy3znj.html">Uncharted: The Lost Legacy</a> (2017), the two female leads of which are Indian-Australian and African. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PNt1aSkYfWk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A trailer for True Colors (2021).</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The representation of <a href="https://techtalk.currys.co.uk/tv-gaming/gaming/diversity-in-gaming/games-and-disabilities.html">disabled</a> and <a href="https://techtalk.currys.co.uk/tv-gaming/gaming/diversity-in-gaming/lgbtq-in-games.html">LGBTQ+</a> characters in games, however, has remained limited. This update from The Sims represents a major step in enabling some players to represent themselves in the gaming environment. </p>
<p>Not all players will find themselves represented, however. There is still no option to play as a sim in a wheelchair, for example, though some <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iZp3trbSdQ">creative fans</a> have built <a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/mods-video-games/">mods</a> that allow them to do so.</p>
<h2>What will the impact be on players?</h2>
<p>Being able to play as diverse characters helps gamers to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/DTS-08-2022-0039">build up resilience</a> by exploring their identity through an avatar. The visibility of their identity in The Sims serves as reminder that they are not alone with their feelings of gender or functional diversity.</p>
<p>This diversity of playable characters also helps to <a href="https://www.polygon.com/2014/3/5/5462578/gaming-is-my-safe-space-gender-options-are-important-for-the">build connectedness</a> within the gaming community, as <a href="https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/02/01/the-sims-trans-character-customisation-mastectomy-scars-binders/">many gamers vocally support each other</a> and these developments.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A large sign reads The Sims - fans stand beneath." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509449/original/file-20230210-16-b1udzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509449/original/file-20230210-16-b1udzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509449/original/file-20230210-16-b1udzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509449/original/file-20230210-16-b1udzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509449/original/file-20230210-16-b1udzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509449/original/file-20230210-16-b1udzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509449/original/file-20230210-16-b1udzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fans of The Sims attend an expo in Milan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/milan-italy-october-26-people-visit-160521356">Tinxi / Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Sims 4 developments educate the values of equality, diversity and inclusion to gamers who don’t identify as minorities. Although not designed as an online multiplayer game – meaning players can’t interact with each other – non-minority gamers’ experiences interacting with the new character builds in The Sims may increase their familiarity and acceptance of others, which can be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10646175.2013.835600">transferred to the real world</a>.</p>
<p>In the future, we can expect more inclusive and diverse features within character design, particularly in the online multiplayer games where young people interact and socialise with each other.</p>
<p>As a gaming expert, I will be interested to see how non-minority players respond when they can interact with disabled and trans characters within the virtual environment, who may or may not represent the identity of the player behind the screen.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199622/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lee Cheng does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In its simulation of real world living, without real world limits, The Sims offers players the chance to embody characters that represent their true selves.Lee Cheng, Associate Professor in Games, Anglia Ruskin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1865542022-09-28T20:02:00Z2022-09-28T20:02:00ZHow we can use gaming to support positive ageing (and support our relationships with our pets, too)<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482171/original/file-20220831-6799-ry7152.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C0%2C2443%2C1571&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cherished Pet Foundation</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Margaret, 63, loves playing online Scrabble everyday with her sister who lives interstate. The online game allows a playful way to keep in constant contact when geographically distant.</p>
<p>Tom, 70, discovered the joy of Wordle and sharing his daily outcomes with friends. Penelope, 67, gets online to play Roblox games with her grandchildren who are living interstate. </p>
<p>These are just a few examples of the many ways older adults are gaming across Australia. </p>
<p>During the pandemic lockdowns, games were not only spaces for everyday creativity and informal literacy, but a way to socialise and keep fit – both mentally and physically. So much so that, in 2020, the World Health Organisation <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2020/03/28/video-games-whos-prescription-solace-during-coronavirus-pandemic/2932976001/">acknowledged</a> the communicative and social power of games for wellbeing.</p>
<p>Even though the <a href="https://techjury.net/blog/mobile-gaming-statistics/">typical gamer</a> is middle-aged woman, ageist stereotypes about gamers continue to circulate, reflecting broader inherent ageisms embedded within Australian culture. </p>
<p>Maybe we could turn this problem on its head. Perhaps we could use games to empower ageing and ageing well, <a href="https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/parenting4digitalfuture/2018/09/05/the-importance-of-video-game-literacy/">creating bridges</a> between the generations – and even improve our relationships with animals while we’re at it.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jjx4jEtp1Qs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/codecracking-community-and-competition-why-the-word-puzzle-wordle-has-become-a-new-online-obsession-174878">Codecracking, community and competition: why the word puzzle Wordle has become a new online obsession</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Ageing well</h2>
<p>Older adults are one of the most divergent cohort of technology users, from “<a href="https://nationalseniors.com.au/uploads/NationalSeniorsAustralia-SeniorSurfer-ResearchReport-2019.pdf">silver surfer</a>” innovators to those who have little experience or confidence. </p>
<p>Victoria’s <a href="https://www.seniorsonline.vic.gov.au/services-information/ageing-well-changing-world">Ageing Well Report</a> lists eight attributes to ageing well: positivity, purpose, respect, socially connection, keeping up in a changing world, financial/personal security, health autonomy and mobility. </p>
<p>Many of these attributes can be addressed through games and play.</p>
<p>In our study into mobile game practices in Australian homes, we found <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/ambient-play">numerous ways</a> in which games offer intergenerational ways for socialising, connection and creativity. </p>
<p>Word games like Scrabble and Wordle have been deployed to add playful, social dimensions to people’s lives: older adult siblings playing online everyday, or grandparents playing with grandchildren interstate.</p>
<p>Game apps like Pokémon Go have been used to motivate older adults to exercise and socialise. </p>
<p>In countries as varied as Japan and Spain, the power of Pokémon Go has enhanced various dimensions of everyday life – from getting mobile and discovering local neighbourhoods to playing together cooperatively to win tournaments. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/meet-sofia-a-67-year-old-widow-who-uses-pokemon-go-to-reconnect-with-her-city-119389">Meet Sofia: a 67-year-old widow who uses Pokémon Go to reconnect with her city</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Game genres such as “social justice” and “games for change” have been deployed to address complex issues such as elder abuse <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40869-020-00105-5">in new ways</a> by providing safe spaces to enhance empathy and reshape perceptions.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1461444820965879">our research</a>, we accompanied and interviewed older adult players in Badalona, Spain about their use of Pokémon Go.</p>
<p>On the streets of Badalona, chasing Pokémons was clearly about intergenerational play and sociality. The game was such a success in older adult rehabilitation by making exercise fun and social that social workers started to prescribe it as part of their health plans. </p>
<p>There is a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343003532_Playability_and_Player_Experience_in_Digital_Games_for_Elderly_A_Systematic_Literature_Review">growing body of research</a> into games for intergenerational connection. But the role of games to enhance our relationships with animals has been overlooked – despite the fact animals play an essential role in our contemporary relationships. </p>
<h2>Our best friend</h2>
<p>Australians love their animals: <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-29/australia-talks-pets-easing-loneliness-and-bringing-people-joy/100163858">one in three prefer</a> animals to humans.</p>
<p>Despite this reality, animal companions are <a href="https://issuu.com/animalwelfareleagueaustralia/docs/pets_in_aged_care_snapshot">not acknowledged</a> in Australia’s aged care plans. This means many older adults can be <a href="https://mh.bmj.com/content/45/2/1">disenfranchised</a> by the system.</p>
<p>For many older adults, animal companions <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ccc/article-abstract/15/2/227/6571687?redirectedFrom=fulltext">are crucial</a> to their social and physical wellbeing.</p>
<p>Digital games like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stray_(video_game)">Stray</a> see the player take on the role of a stray cat. These types of games can enhance our empathy for animals, but there is a missed opportunity in relation to the human-animal bonds for ageing well. </p>
<p>The human-animal kinship is a space ready for gameplay which could enrich the possibility of ageing well.</p>
<p>During the pandemic lockdowns, Melbourne’s <a href="https://www.cherishedpetcare.com.au/">Cherished Pet Foundation</a> trialled different techniques to support their community – including the use of games.</p>
<p><a href="https://dcp-ecp.com/projects/pet-playing-for-placemaking">Pet Playing for Placemaking</a> (co-designed by Jacob Sheahan) invited older pet owners and local community members to partner up and compete in treasure-hunt style gameplay. </p>
<p>Older pet owners, limited in mobility and vulnerable to the virus, completed digital puzzles which reveal locations where their play partner (typically a volunteer or neighbour) can walk their pet and discover more challenges that lead to other places. </p>
<p>Participants reported they found the game a fun way to connect with their neighbourhood and their community – and it kept their pets happy, too.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dogs-can-get-dementia-but-lots-of-walks-may-lower-the-risk-189297">Dogs can get dementia – but lots of walks may lower the risk</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The beauty of game play</h2>
<p>Ageing well is about positive and empowering pathways for ageing across emotional, physical and mental domains. </p>
<p>This can take many forms: social connection, respectful relationships, regular exercise and mobility. </p>
<p>Games can play an active role in empowering ageing, enriching social and intergenerational connection, mobility and health. </p>
<p>While the pandemic has laid bare barriers to ageing well, it has also created opportunities. Maybe we all need to play more with ageing well?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186554/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Larissa Hjorth received funding from the Australian Research Council Discovery grant fund, Games of Being Mobile (2015-2018), for her initial fieldwork into intergenerational games in the household with Prof Ingrid Richardson.
Hjorth is a partner investigator in the Canadian-based network, Aging in Data (led by Prof Kim Sawchuk).
Hjorth is also a steering group member for the Melbourne Ageing Research Collaboration (MARC) and a general member of the Australian Institute for Intergenerational Practice (AIIP). </span></em></p>Even though the typical mobile gamer is a middle-aged woman, ageist stereotypes about gamers continue to circulate.Larissa Hjorth, Professor of Mobile Media and Games., RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1724982021-12-13T01:17:28Z2021-12-13T01:17:28ZHalf of Australia’s gamers are women, but we know very little about mothers who game<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435487/original/file-20211203-25-1a5ls7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C32%2C5483%2C3622&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Women account for <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-16/women-struggle-for-visibility-in-online-gaming/100199280">almost 50% of gamers in Australia</a>, but the nuanced and varied experiences of mothers who game are lost among these statistics. </p>
<p>A 2020 global <a href="https://www.activisionblizzardmedia.com/content/atvi/ab-media/2020/web/en/gamermoms.html">survey of mothers</a> found more than 70% of mothers play games daily on consoles, smartphones and computers. The report highlighted the commercial benefits of marketing games to mothers – but did little to address the social factors that influence mothers’ gaming behaviours.</p>
<p>We think societal expectations and gendered perceptions of the mother’s role in the home may be an impediment for mothers wanting to game, and the reason why research in this area is scant. </p>
<p>But understanding what motivates mothers or deters them from gaming is important for comprehending how family dynamics are structured or negotiated in the modern digital home. </p>
<h2>What a mother should be</h2>
<p>In Australia, mothers continue to provide the majority share of household labour and care to children, often <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-status-families/latest-release#all-families">balancing</a> these responsibilities with paid work. Time for gaming may be a luxury few mothers can afford. </p>
<p>The first and only known <a href="http://www.researchgate.net/publication/242595355_Mothers_play_and_everyday_life_Ethnology_meets_game_studies/">longitudinal study to research mothers who play computer games</a> was conducted in 2009. The three year study involved analysing representations of gaming mothers in advertisements, news articles and blogs, and by interviewing mothers and observing their gaming practices in the home. </p>
<p>The study highlighted discourse related to gaming mothers is entrenched in gendered tropes about parenting and expectations about what a mother should be. Mothers are portrayed in popular culture as “domestic guardians” who should devote their time to the family instead of “self-indulgent” gaming.</p>
<p>This ideology is evident in the gaming industry today, where a game is said to have passed the “<a href="https://adanewmedia.org/2013/06/issue2-vanderhoef/">mum test</a>” if it has a soft and feminised design. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/debunking-one-of-the-biggest-stereotypes-about-women-in-the-gaming-community-60033">Debunking one of the biggest stereotypes about women in the gaming community</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A decade later and limited or conflicting demands on a mother’s time remains an issue for those wanting to game. Even in households where gaming is an accepted part of family life, the games mothers play may be influenced by expectations about their role. Fast-paced games such as PUBG (Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds), Among Us, and Bloodborne, do not allow players to pause or save progress in the game, which means they are not conducive with child caring duties.</p>
<h2>Managing time for gaming</h2>
<p>Findings from a <a href="https://ap01-a.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/view/delivery/61USOUTHAUS_INST/12232442610001831">recent doctoral study</a> (by one of the authors) about digital mothering suggests mothers’ gaming practices are associated with how they perceive their role in the home. In-depth interviews were carried out in the homes of 17 mothers in South Australia to uncover their experiences as both users of digital media, and as facilitators of children’s use. </p>
<p>Time constraints were identified as an issue that limits mothers’ opportunities for game play and implied a possible loss or relinquishing of a previously inhabited gamer identity: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>My friend and I used to play Crash Bandicoot and Raiders of the Lost Ark like addicts before we had children, we were terrible […] But this was a long time ago, I just don’t have time anymore. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Several mothers mentioned playing games on a casual basis on their mobile phones, especially word games with friends. Unlike the more immersive experience of gaming on consoles, participants were able to dip in and out of mobile games at their convenience.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435490/original/file-20211203-27-1gsu6rw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman on her phone" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435490/original/file-20211203-27-1gsu6rw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435490/original/file-20211203-27-1gsu6rw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435490/original/file-20211203-27-1gsu6rw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435490/original/file-20211203-27-1gsu6rw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435490/original/file-20211203-27-1gsu6rw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435490/original/file-20211203-27-1gsu6rw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435490/original/file-20211203-27-1gsu6rw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mobile games are easier to dip in and out of between tasks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu/Unsplash</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Mothers would, on the one hand, dismiss their gaming as nothing of consequence but, on the other, implied gaming is justified once other responsibilities have been attended to. This “<a href="https://newzoo.com/insights/infographics/newzoos-gamer-segmentation-the-time-filler-explained">time-filler</a>” gaming profile is more common among female players – and especially those who live with children. </p>
<p>Guilt about the time spent gaming was associated with how a mother should and shouldn’t act. One participant explained the need to self-regulate her mobile gaming to protect its impact on her family: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Those real-time games are terrible. They play with your mind once you start. You realise you’ve been playing it for two hours and not got anything else done. It did become really addictive so I’ve learnt not to get caught up with it now. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Only one mother in the research study self-identified as a “hardcore gamer”, and described how she played action role-playing games, like Fallout 4 “daily and all day”. </p>
<p>Rather than defending or downplaying her gaming, she embraced gaming as an integral and valuable part of family life that strengthens her relationship with her children and husband: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I get frustrated sometimes when I hear parents, mothers in particular, complain about Minecraft and I just think ‘if you would spend a little bit of time trying to understand it you would know there is lot of really good potential there’.</p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-parents-can-foster-positive-creativity-in-kids-to-make-the-world-a-better-place-169990">How parents can foster 'positive creativity' in kids to make the world a better place</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Unmasking mother’s game play</h2>
<p>Industry statistics show mothers enjoy gaming – or at least they do if given the time to do so. Yet, mothers’ participation in game culture is often underestimated and overlooked in academia.</p>
<p>To unmask mothers’ experiences of gaming we need to explore more fully how structural forces, such as stereotypical assumptions about mothering, may influence their perceptions and enjoyment of gaming. </p>
<p>We know when gaming is shared with other household members, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1461444818767667?casa_token=UO-w0EChuNIAAAAA%3As4mNYLzOO182MnwcpWsA1lUVUOzxMsL3t3RM1RJIs9WSiDoWc6sZ8wYmkOKoAN-iU2tUIks7DkqE">family cohesion is enhanced</a>. There are also <a href="https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198812746.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780198812746-e-27?rskey=p3vBsx&result=1#oxfordhb-9780198812746-e-27-div1-184">significant health benefits from playing games</a>, including a reduction in stress and anxiety levels, conditions mothers are all too familiar with. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435493/original/file-20211203-27-oh273a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A family of four look at a laptop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435493/original/file-20211203-27-oh273a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435493/original/file-20211203-27-oh273a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435493/original/file-20211203-27-oh273a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435493/original/file-20211203-27-oh273a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435493/original/file-20211203-27-oh273a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435493/original/file-20211203-27-oh273a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435493/original/file-20211203-27-oh273a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Playing games together can be great for family cohesion.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Exploring mothers’ gaming practices in more depth will also increase the visibility and representation of mothers in gaming culture and in game studies research. </p>
<p>But it’s not just about research, it’s also about what happens in the home. When you’re compiling your Christmas list for Mum this year, maybe give the novelty slippers a miss and think instead about giving her uninterrupted time to play – or you could offer to be her player two.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172498/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susie is an International Ambassador for Women in Games. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fae Heaselgrave's PhD research was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program scholarship. </span></em></p>The modern home is a digital home – so why are mothers who game so overlooked?Susannah Emery, Lecturer, University of South AustraliaFae Heaselgrave, Lecturer in Communication and Media, University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1690192021-11-18T13:09:39Z2021-11-18T13:09:39Z5 ways to break into the video game industry<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432192/original/file-20211116-15-pjgghu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C10%2C6709%2C4436&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Video games are part of a multibillion-dollar industry in which lucrative employment opportunities abound.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/teen-boy-plays-video-game-on-home-computer-royalty-free-image/1146553000?adppopup=true">SDI Productions via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When you break out the game console to play a video game like <a href="https://www.nba2k.com/">NBA2K</a>, chances are the biggest decision you’ll have to make is which player or team you want to be. But have you ever considered becoming one of the people who actually designs a game like NBA2K?</p>
<p>Worth an estimated <a href="https://naavik.co/business-breakdowns/market-sizing">US$336 billion</a>, the video game industry is <a href="https://naavik.co/business-breakdowns/market-sizing">bigger</a> than TV, movies and music combined. And since the industry is <a href="https://naavik.co/business-breakdowns/market-sizing">growing at a rapid pace</a>, there are plenty of opportunities to work in this field. From game designers and software engineers who program the games to graphic artists or electrical engineers who design the game consoles, careers in the video game industry abound.</p>
<p>These jobs pay from about <a href="https://www.animationcareerreview.com/articles/popular-careers-game-industry-and-how-much-they-pay">$55,000 to $100,000 or more</a> annually. But somewhat like the NBA itself, the path into the video game industry is filled with tough competition.</p>
<p>As former head of graphics for a large video game company – and as head of the <a href="https://www.arch.tamu.edu/viz/research-creative-works/learning-interactive-visualization-experience-live-lab/">Learning Interactive Visualization Experience</a> – or <a href="https://www.arch.tamu.edu/viz/research-creative-works/learning-interactive-visualization-experience-live-lab/">LIVE Lab</a> – at Texas A&M University, I know firsthand what it takes to land a job in the video game industry. Here are 5 tips on how to do just that.</p>
<h2>1. Design your own games</h2>
<p>When it comes time to apply for a job or even an internship at a video game company, it helps to show the games you’ve created or modified.</p>
<p>Fortunately, game engines, which are the underlying technology for games, are available free of charge and allow you to create your own game. <a href="https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/">Unreal</a> and <a href="https://unity.com/">Unity</a> are two you may want to try out.</p>
<p>You can also use free software, such as <a href="https://www.sidefx.com/">Houdini</a> and <a href="https://www.blender.org/">Blender</a>, to create video game assets such as buildings, characters, vehicles and animations.</p>
<p>If it’s too daunting to create a game from scratch, you can always “mod” – short for “modifying” – an existing game like <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/620/Portal_2/">Portal 2</a>, <a href="https://civilization.com/">Civilization</a> or <a href="https://www.minecraft.net/en-us">Minecraft</a>. This is a great start to learning the basics of game design and asset creation.</p>
<h2>2. Participate in game jams</h2>
<p>A game jam is a contest in which participants create a new video game within a set time frame. Game jams are a great way to meet and work with others on a game project and just learn how to design games. Many jams feature video game company representatives. These company reps serve as mentors, judges and coaches. They can give you tips and tricks on how to break into the industry. They can also give you leads on jobs.</p>
<p>Game jams are usually short, like a day or two, but some last a week or more. You can enter a game jam as an individual or as a small team. Some game jams are focused on specific themes such as health, conservation or science and provide resources for teachers and students to participate, such as the <a href="https://gamesforchange.org/studentchallenge/">Games for Change Student Challenge</a>. Other game jams are open to anyone including professionals, like the <a href="https://globalgamejam.org/">Global Game Jam</a>. Some game jams are in-person, allowing you to meet face to face with other game designers, artists, developers, industry mentors and game companies, like <a href="http://chillennium.com/">Chillennium</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432495/original/file-20211117-15-3xg23e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A group fo men prepare to play a video game on a table at a gaming convention." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432495/original/file-20211117-15-3xg23e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432495/original/file-20211117-15-3xg23e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432495/original/file-20211117-15-3xg23e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432495/original/file-20211117-15-3xg23e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432495/original/file-20211117-15-3xg23e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432495/original/file-20211117-15-3xg23e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432495/original/file-20211117-15-3xg23e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Video game conventions are a great way to advance a player’s career.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/brian-brian_f-foster-competes-against-saul-leonardo-menard-news-photo/1353344053?adppopup=true">Joe Buglewicz via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. Attend game conventions</h2>
<p>One of the biggest conferences in the U.S. is the annual <a href="https://gdconf.com/">Game Developers Conference</a> in San Francisco, which historically has attracted over <a href="https://gdconf.com/news/gdc-celebrates-record-breaking-attendance-and-locks-2020-dates">29,000</a> attendees. In Europe, the annual <a href="https://www.gamescom.global/">Gamescom</a> conference in Cologne, Germany, has drawn over <a href="https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-08-29-gamescom-sets-another-record-for-attendance">370,000</a> attendees. Several <a href="https://www.paxsite.com/">PAX conferences</a> happen throughout the year in different locations in the U.S. PAX started out as Penny Arcade Expo before developing into a full conference and exhibition. These conferences enable attendees to find out about new games, meet professionals from the games industry, play games and attend seminars and workshops on topics related to designing and developing games.</p>
<p>A conference like <a href="https://east.paxsite.com/">PAX East</a> also provides opportunities for indie developers to showcase their games and get feedback from the public. Most of the conferences will be back in person in 2022 and require a fee to attend or exhibit. The price for tickets can range from $50 to several hundred dollars.</p>
<h2>4. Take classes in game design</h2>
<p>Many high schools, <a href="https://www.theesa.com/video-game-impact-map/">community colleges and universities</a> now offer game design classes.</p>
<p>In addition to these classes, it helps to take classes in math, physics, art and technology, starting in high school if you can. Almost all careers in the video games industry benefit from all of these fields. A game designer trying to create a <a href="https://www.shacknews.com/article/62807/sid-meier-and-rob-pardo">balanced game</a> requires a solid foundation in math and statistics. Balancing a game requires the designer to use math and statistics to ensure that no particular game element – such as a particular character or strategy – overpowers any other element.</p>
<p>Even if you don’t think you will be using math or doing any art, having a basic understanding of both and being able to talk about those subjects with colleagues goes a long way.</p>
<h2>5. Play away</h2>
<p>In order to create great games, you need to be well versed in the games that are currently being played and have been successful in the past. This means that you should also play games that you normally would not play and even games that you don’t like. Not all people like all games. There are many different types of games from entertainment games to educational games, games for health, games for science and many more. Being able to critically look at games and identify which elements work well, which elements could be improved and which elements you might use for your own games will help you become a great game designer.</p>
<p>Breaking into the games industry is possible with a little bit of work. It can also be hugely rewarding. Just imagine the game you helped create is teaching players <a href="https://www.filamentgames.com/project/diffission/">new knowledge</a>, or helping <a href="https://hopelab.org/product/re-mission/">players heal faster</a>, supporting scientists in the <a href="https://fold.it/">discovery of new proteins</a> or <a href="https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/home">entertaining players</a> for hours.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169019/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andre Thomas is currently serving as CEO of Triseum an educational game company. He previously worked for Electronic Arts, specifically EA Sports as Head of Graphics for their Football franchises, like Madden NFL, NCAA College Football, NFL Head Coach and NFL Blitz.</span></em></p>A former video game executive offers advice on how to land a job in the industry.André Thomas, Associate Professor of Game Design, Texas A&M UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1634652021-07-07T12:40:25Z2021-07-07T12:40:25Z5 digital games that teach civics through play<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409374/original/file-20210701-25-1v5l87g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C5%2C1911%2C1072&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Fortnite players have to think about what they want to build to achieve their goals.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/whelsko/41088321270">Whelsko via Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There is a lot of discussion in the United States about how to help people come together to solve the complex problems facing the nation and the world. </p>
<p>As a scholar of games, I see opportunities for that popular medium to contribute to this effort.</p>
<p>Games and the gaming community, especially online, are not always models of civility or civic life. <a href="https://www.adl.org/free-to-play-2020">Harassment and toxicity</a>, not to mention the spread of disinformation and conspiracy theories, are problems in some games, and in how some people play them.</p>
<p>But in addition to the cruelty in some games, there is compassion too, just as in other kinds of communities, whether school classrooms, town hall meetings or Facebook groups. For instance, a 2020 study by the Anti-Defamation League, an anti-hate organization, <a href="https://www.adl.org/free-to-play-2020">surveyed people who play online multiplayer games</a> and found that 81% of players experienced harassment, but 95% of those surveyed also had positive experiences, like finding friends and mentors and feeling like part of a community.</p>
<p>In fact, many people of all ages may be participating in civic life without even realizing it – through play. Gamers engage in debates and political discussions, take on others’ perspectives, and even protest issues about both physical and virtual worlds.</p>
<p>As I explain in my book “<a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/we-the-gamers-9780190926113?cc=us&lang=en&">We the Gamers: How Games Teach Ethics and Civics</a>,” games can help players practice important skills related to civics and public life, like communication, empathy and compassion, critical thinking and problem-solving. Here are some examples.</p>
<h2>Fortnite</h2>
<p>In the most popular mode of <a href="https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/home">Fortnite</a>, 100 players’ characters get air-dropped onto an island, where they battle until just one survivor remains. To win, players need to collect items, build shelters, find weapons and avoid bad weather.</p>
<p>The in-game goal is to kill the other players’ characters, but these other tasks help players develop strategic thinking skills like managing limited resources. These are also useful in civic problem-solving. A Fortnite player needs to think about the best places to build a shelter, when to take health potions, or how much wood and stone to stockpile, just as a community has to think about how to secure structures or store first aid supplies before a coming storm.</p>
<p>In addition, Fortnite held a series of <a href="https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/3/21312768/fortnite-we-the-people-black-lives-matter-july-4-broadcast-killer-mike">conversations on race and politics through the game</a>, hosted by political commentator Van Jones, which featured speakers like journalists Jemele Hill and Elaine Welteroth.</p>
<h2>Minecraft</h2>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QSoJshduVNo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">An exploration of the Dream SMP Minecraft server.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.minecraft.net/en-us">Minecraft</a> players can find and break apart bricks that yield materials they can use to craft items like tools, buildings and food. </p>
<p>There are different modes of play, like survival mode, where players need to maintain their health by finding resources, or creative mode, where players can modify the game to develop new items or activities within the game.</p>
<p>For instance, players in Minecraft may need to think about where to build or which materials to use to create a home or building, just like planners and builders in a real-world community.</p>
<p>In addition, players have used the game to engage in civic-related stories. Last year, thousands of YouTube and Twitch viewers watched Minecraft livestreamers on one particular shared virtual world. While they played Minecraft, they performed a dramatic narrative related to a fictional election for the president of a world they created, called L’Manberg. In this election, four imaginary political parties competed. The finale in January 2021 brought in <a href="https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/tommyinnit-peaks-at-over-650000-viewers-in-dream-smp-finale">over 650,000 viewers across YouTube and Twitch</a> and dealt with such issues as voter fraud.</p>
<h2>Among Us</h2>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lUl3axF8J7k?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Highlights from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s play of Among Us.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In <a href="https://innersloth.itch.io/among-us">Among Us</a>, 10 people play together online as crewmates on a spaceship. But one or two of them are imposters who pretend to perform simulated crew duties but really sneak around and eliminate the other players from the game.</p>
<p>Players need to use communication and deliberation skills to try to figure out who the imposters are. Players mount arguments about who they think is the imposter and provide such persuasive evidence as “I saw the yellow character running from the cafeteria.” The need to share evidence and use reasoning skills and persuasive techniques provides practice at collaborating to solve group problems.</p>
<p>This game has also been used by real-world politicians to engage people: In 2020, U.S. Reps. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/oct/22/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-ilhan-omar-among-us-twitch-stream-aoc">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar played Among Us</a> and streamed it live on Twitch, where more than 400,000 people watched.</p>
<h2>Animal Crossing: New Horizons</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409372/original/file-20210701-13-5ypqek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two hands playing a mobile video game" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409372/original/file-20210701-13-5ypqek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409372/original/file-20210701-13-5ypqek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409372/original/file-20210701-13-5ypqek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409372/original/file-20210701-13-5ypqek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409372/original/file-20210701-13-5ypqek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409372/original/file-20210701-13-5ypqek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409372/original/file-20210701-13-5ypqek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Animal Crossings: New Horizons lets players explore their own self-expression and connect with others.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/this-photo-taken-on-april-29-2020-shows-australian-high-news-photo/1211426084">William West/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In <a href="https://animal-crossing.com/">Animal Crossing: New Horizons</a>, players create their own island, visit others’ islands and collect bugs, fish and other digital critters. </p>
<p>Players can design and clothe their own digital avatars, give items to other players and purchase upgrades for their homes. They need to express their identity in the game; my daughter’s in-game house has an aquatic-themed living room, while mine looks like a library. Giving gifts that fit the desires of other players requires learning their interests and perspectives.</p>
<p>Learning to express themselves and understand the needs of neighbors helps players feel part of the wider conversation about how society improves the world.</p>
<p>During their election campaign, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris created their own islands in the game, which featured <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2020/10/16/joe-biden-now-has-his-own-island-on-animal-crossing/?sh=432329207131">virtual versions of the political figures</a>, and encouraged players to vote. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals even staged a <a href="https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/05/22/peta-storms-animal-crossing-protest-treatment-digital-animals">protest as part of the game</a>, against a digital museum that is a destination in the game, asking for the virtual tanks and exhibitions to be emptied and the digital critters to be freed.</p>
<h2>Plague, Inc.: The Cure</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409371/original/file-20210701-20946-1in65fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A screenshot from Plague, Inc.: The Cure" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409371/original/file-20210701-20946-1in65fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409371/original/file-20210701-20946-1in65fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409371/original/file-20210701-20946-1in65fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409371/original/file-20210701-20946-1in65fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409371/original/file-20210701-20946-1in65fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409371/original/file-20210701-20946-1in65fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409371/original/file-20210701-20946-1in65fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Players can engage in a worldwide battle against a fast-spreading virus.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.ndemiccreations.com/en/news/184-plague-inc-the-cure-is-out-now-for-ios-and-android">Ndemic Creations</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some games even help players more directly solve civic problems. In the <a href="https://www.ndemiccreations.com/en/">Plague, Inc. series</a>, gamers play as a virus, bacteria or other germ and try to spread it as much as possible. They can evolve the pathogen to spread through insects or to cause symptoms like coughing. </p>
<p>But a recent version, Plague, Inc.: The Cure, puts players in the role of fighting the outbreak, much as the world has been working to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. Players try to develop a vaccine or make policies around masking or social distancing and observe the economic and social fallout.</p>
<p>Playing games like these helps people understand complex systems and how the intersection of dynamic factors can play out in a society.</p>
<h2>What’s next?</h2>
<p>Learning skills for group problem-solving, understanding world crises, observing elected officials – those all sound like civic engagement, social action and activism, even when they’re happening in a digital game.</p>
<p>Of course, just like all public spaces and civic communities, it is important to consider whether everyone is able to participate equally. Obstacles to joining include the need to have computers or smartphones, internet access and spare time to play. The biases that shape the world also unfortunately affect games and whether people feel that they belong and can express themselves in game worlds. For instance, <a href="https://www.adl.org/designing-ourselves">designers may limit the types of hair textures</a> – such as Type 4, a tightly coiled texture rare in games – or body types players can apply to their avatars. More inclusive and equitable games may help even more people learn about and participate in civics.</p>
<p>Games may even be useful ways to explore potential changes in social, political and economic systems. Letting millions of people experiment in a digital world could provide insights identifying productive – and destructive – policies that might be adopted in the physical world. For instance, through the game <a href="https://eternagame.org">EterRNA</a>, players are already helping to <a href="https://eternagame.org/news/10811812">design new mRNA vaccines</a> that can defend against variants of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Games may reveal flaws, opportunities and even solutions to troubling problems. </p>
<p>As Americans consider how to become more civically engaged and encourage each other to do so, digital games provide opportunities to learn, grow, explore and change – not just individually, but in terms of humanity and society as well.</p>
<p>[<em>The Conversation’s Politics + Society editors pick need-to-know stories.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/politics-weekly-74/?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=politics-need-to-know">Sign up for Politics Weekly</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/163465/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen "Kat" Schrier receives funding from Templeton World Charity and from the Belfer Foundation for work on games and learning. </span></em></p>Games can help players practice important skills related to civics and public life, like communication, empathy and compassion, critical thinking, and problem-solving.Karen "Kat" Schrier, Associate Professor and Director of Games and Emerging Media, Marist CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1448882020-12-09T11:41:41Z2020-12-09T11:41:41ZSurprising ways that games challenge how people think about themselves and the world<p><a href="https://thebeginnersgui.de/">The Beginner’s Guide</a> is a narrative video game with no goals or objectives. Instead, it tells the story of a person whose psyche is slowing unravelling. Along the way, it touches on issues of depression, loneliness and self-doubt.</p>
<p>I remember the very moment where it all fell into place and I no longer saw the person as a character, but someone going through the same emotional struggles as me. It felt as if the game held up a mirror and fundamentally shifted how I perceived myself. I had been harbouring this constant need for social validation and the desire to find meaning when sometimes there just isn’t any. I didn’t think going into the game that I would come away shaken or with lessons that I still carry with me to this day – but I did.</p>
<p>Even before my experience with The Beginner’s Guide, I had been fascinated with games that strive to create challenging experiences. I don’t mean challenging in terms of logic puzzles or twitch reflexes, but experiences that question the way I see, think or feel about the world, the game, or even myself.</p>
<h2>Games challenge us</h2>
<p>Some of my favourite games that elicit similar responses are <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/383870/Firewatch/">Firewatch</a>, a walking simulator where you play as a fire lookout, and Papers Please, a game where you’re an immigration officer for an authoritarian government deciding who can enter. Each offers vastly varying perspective-challenging experiences through player input and mechanics (the systems of rules in the game), allowing for experiences that are unique to gaming.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RBK5Jheu0To?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>We know that games can create thought-provoking or reflective experiences thanks to the work of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) researchers <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1555412019881536">Tom Cole and Marco Gillies</a>. While gaming academics <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2858036.2858227">Julia Bopp, Elisa Mekler and Klaus Opwis</a> discovered how a game can cause a negative emotions, such as guilt or sadness, but somehow still result in an overall positive but emotionally challenging experience.</p>
<p>To get at the heart of what makes these experiences perspective challenging, from the mundane to the horizon-shattering, I had players record, report and unpack their experiences in minute detail. My <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3311350.3347192">first study</a> identified small eureka-type moments that change how players interact with a game. I labelled these examples of “micro-transformative reflection” – micro in the sense that they don’t shatter someone’s world view, but are still transformative given they change how players act. An example of this is a player who felt extreme guilt after killing an innocent person and avoided killing anyone for the remainder of the game.</p>
<p>Many participants started to get philosophical over topics of morality, predestination, free will, justice and truth. For instance, one participant remarked how <a href="https://www.stanleyparable.com/">The Stanley Parable</a>, which breaks the “fourth wall” by making players battle with a narrator, made them confront how much control they have over the choices they make in their own life. This, the player said, was entirely inspired by how the narrator remarked on their choices in the game. </p>
<h2>Finding out how they challenge us</h2>
<p>I am currently recruiting for the largest study I have conducted to date. I posted an advert to a Reddit <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/truegaming/comments/iabun1/study_on_video_games_that_challenge_how_you_think/">forum dedicated to gaming</a> searching for participants to play a potentially perspective-challenging game over two weeks and keep a diary. I had expected a middling response, with five to 10 willing participants, but awoke the next morning to 500+ upvotes (essentially likes that improve the visibility of a post), 126 comments and a massive influx of new participants. This is further evidence of how commonplace these experiences are and why they are worth further study. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CdySh1v_mqI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>The comments were full of discussion regarding a vast array of games that had challenged players in some way. One user left the following comment about their experience with the dark fantasy game <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/414340/Hellblade_Senuas_Sacrifice/">Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I’ve never had a game leave me with the feeling that game did. I literally just sat speechless for minutes when the credits began to roll. It’s impossible to describe the sort of cathartic feeling that washed over me when I began to realise the symbolism of the final cutscene [(a video shown on completion that concludes the game’s narrative)]. It was as if all tension I’ve felt up to that point just disappeared and I legit began to cry because it was just that wonderful and indescribable.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The game, which is designed to reflect the experience of living with psychosis, clearly provided an emotionally challenging experience, provoking difficult feelings that fall potentially on the life-changing end of the spectrum. </p>
<p>I’m more than halfway through my study, having gathered 11 participants to speak in detail about their experiences. Across all my research, it is clear how impactful games can be, and I hope that my research continues to uncover the powerful ways in which games can challenge people’s thoughts and feelings.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144888/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Whitby does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>More than just an entertaining way to pass the time, some players have found that some video games can change how they see the world.Matthew Whitby, IGGI PhD Student, University of YorkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1435202020-08-21T12:38:10Z2020-08-21T12:38:10ZHere’s what it’ll take to clean up esports’ toxic culture<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353939/original/file-20200820-18-1i1cwq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C29%2C4985%2C3787&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">College videogame team members practice League of Legends.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/LeagueofLegendsEsports101/82e5316f00e046da906c96a16d9f07d7/photo?Query=League%20of%20legends&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=225&currentItemNo=13">AP Photo/M. Spencer Green</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In day-to-day life, you probably haven’t had someone yell at you, “Get back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich!” If you’re a woman who plays online video games, though, statements like this, and worse, are all too common. </p>
<p>As COVID-19 has driven much of life online and fueled a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/05/12/video-game-industry-coronavirus/">boom in online gaming</a>, harassment in these and other internet spaces <a href="https://webfoundation.org/2020/07/theres-a-pandemic-of-online-violence-against-women-and-girls/">has increased</a>. <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/232383/gender-split-of-us-computer-and-video-gamers/">Forty-one percent</a> of computer and videogame players are female, down from 46% in 2019.</p>
<p>Despite its digital nature, online harassment can have <a href="https://repository.law.umich.edu/mlr/vol108/iss3/3/">real-world consequences for victims</a>, including emotional and physical distress. This has left online gaming companies and players scrambling for better community management techniques to prevent harassment. As a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7IEXEiwAAAAJ&hl=en">researcher who studies gaming</a>, I’ve found that the right cultural norms can result in healthy online communities, even in the highly competitive world of esports.</p>
<p>The stakes are high. Competitive video gaming, or esports, now exceeds <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesayles/2019/12/03/global-esports-revenue-reaches-more-than-1-billion-as-audience-figures-exceed-433-million/#7c218d871329">US$1 billion</a> in yearly revenue. Professional, collegiate and high school leagues are expanding, especially as COVID-19 has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/apr/11/esports-ride-crest-of-a-wave-as-figures-rocket-during-covid-19-crisis">decreased opportunities for traditional sports</a>. </p>
<h2>History of harassment</h2>
<p>Recent stories from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/style/women-gaming-streaming-harassment-sexism-twitch.html">The New York Times</a>, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/twitch-streaming-metoo-reckoning-sexual-misconduct-allegations/">Wired</a>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/twitch-sexual-assault-misconduct-allegations-video-gaming-community-streamers-harassment-2020-7">Insider</a> and others have highlighted how pervasive sexism, racism, homophobia and other forms of discrimination are in online spaces. However, these issues are hardly new. Similar problems arose in 2014’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/10/14/the-only-guide-to-gamergate-you-will-ever-need-to-read/">GamerGate</a> Twitter-based campaign of harassment of female gamers, designers and journalists. </p>
<p>Sexism was also common before GamerGate. For example, professional gamer Miranda Pakozdi quit her team following <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/02/us/sexual-harassment-in-online-gaming-stirs-anger.html?_r=1">sexual harassment</a> from her coach in 2012; the coach, Aris Bakhtanians, famously stated that <a href="https://kotaku.com/competitive-gamers-inflammatory-comments-spark-sexual-h-5889066">“sexual harassment is part of [the fighting game] culture”</a> and that it could not be removed. </p>
<p>Others have suggested that the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2006.09.001">anonymity</a> of online game spaces, combined with gamers’ <a href="https://syslab.cs.washington.edu/papers/lol-chi15.pdf">competitive natures</a>, increases the likelihood of toxic behavior. Survey data from the <a href="https://www.adl.org/media/14643/download">American Defamation League</a> suggests that at least 37% of female gamers have faced gender-based harassment.</p>
<p>However, positive online communities exist, and a study by lawyer and former Microsoft user experience designer <a href="https://www.osborneclarke.com/lawyers/rebecca-chui/">Rebecca Chui</a> found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.4101/jvwr.v7i2.7073">anonymous online communities are not inherently toxic</a>. Rather, a culture of harassment requires community norms that allow for it. This suggests that online bad behavior can be addressed effectively. The question is how.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353945/original/file-20200820-20-1f601qz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An arena full of people watching an international videogame tournament" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353945/original/file-20200820-20-1f601qz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353945/original/file-20200820-20-1f601qz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353945/original/file-20200820-20-1f601qz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353945/original/file-20200820-20-1f601qz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353945/original/file-20200820-20-1f601qz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353945/original/file-20200820-20-1f601qz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353945/original/file-20200820-20-1f601qz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Online video gaming, or esports, has grown to have professional, collegiate and scholastic leagues, and international tournaments like this one in Paris in 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/FranceLeagueofLegendsFinals/6bf32ff641ad4aa1985d33b0b5eddec9/photo?Query=League%20of%20legends&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=225&currentItemNo=7">AP Photo/Thibault Camus</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Players’ coping strategies</h2>
<p>In my interview-based research with female gamers, I’ve found that players have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1555412015587603">many strategies for avoiding or managing online harassment</a>. For instance, some play only with friends or avoid using voice chat to hide their gender. Other gamers get really good at their favorite games, to shut down harassment through skill. Research by other media scholars, such as <a href="https://adanewmedia.org/2013/06/issue2-gray/">Kishonna Gray</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0731121419837588">Stephanie Ortiz</a>, has found similar results across race and sexuality.</p>
<p>These strategies have significant downsides, however. For example, ignoring toxicity or brushing it off allows it to persist. Pushing back against harassers often results in further harassment. </p>
<p>They can also put the burden of challenging harassment on the victim, rather than on the perpetrator or community. This can drive victims out of online spaces. As my interviewees gained responsibilities in their jobs or families, for instance, they no longer had the time or energy to manage harassment and stopped gaming. My research suggests that game companies need to intervene in their communities to keep players from having to go it alone.</p>
<h2>How companies can intervene</h2>
<p>Game companies are becoming increasingly invested in community management strategies. Large publisher Electronic Arts held a <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/gaming-can-be-toxic-toward-women-and-minorities-electronic-arts-wants-to-help-fix-that/">community management summit</a> in 2019, and companies like <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/microsofts-xbox-team-has-a-plan-to-fight-toxic-gamers/">Microsoft</a> and <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/news/intel-levels-up-ai-to-battle-toxicity-in-online-games">Intel</a> are developing new tools for managing online spaces. A group of game development companies even recently formed the <a href="https://fairplayalliance.org/about/">Fair Play Alliance</a>, a coalition working to address harassment and discrimination in gaming.</p>
<p>It’s important that interventions be rooted in the experiences of players, however. Right now, many companies intervene though practices like banning or blocking harassers. For instance, the live-streaming platform Twitch recently banned several prominent streamers following allegations that they had committed sexual harassment. </p>
<p>This is a start, but harassers who are blocked or banned often create new accounts and return to their previous behaviors. Blocking also manages harassment after it occurs, rather than stopping it at the source. Thus blocking should be combined with other potential approaches.</p>
<p>First, companies should expand the tools they provide players to manage their online identities. Many participants avoided voice chat to limit gender harassment. This at times made it difficult to compete. Games like Fortnite, League of Legends and Apex Legends, however, have instituted <a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/apex-legends-ping-system-is-a-tiny-miracle-for-fps-teamwork-and-communication/">“ping” systems</a>, where players can communicate essential game information rapidly, without requiring voice. Similar tools could be built into many other online games. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1110949804526452741"}"></div></p>
<p>Another option my interviewees suggested is to make it easy for players to group with friends, so they have someone on their side to guard against harassment. Grouping mechanisms work particularly well when matched to the needs of their specific game. For instance, in games like Overwatch and League of Legends, players need to take on different roles to balance their team. Abuse can occur when randomly assigned teammates all want to play the same character. </p>
<p>Overwatch recently introduced a <a href="https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/overwatch/t/guide-how-to-use-the-looking-for-group-system/127114">new grouping system</a> that allows players to choose their characters, then be matched with players who have chosen different roles. This appears to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2018/aug/17/tackling-toxicity-abuse-in-online-video-games-overwatch-rainbow-seige">reduce abusive in-game chat</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351423/original/file-20200805-477-13giwws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Screenshot of videogame League of Legends showing clasped hands" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351423/original/file-20200805-477-13giwws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351423/original/file-20200805-477-13giwws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351423/original/file-20200805-477-13giwws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351423/original/file-20200805-477-13giwws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351423/original/file-20200805-477-13giwws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351423/original/file-20200805-477-13giwws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351423/original/file-20200805-477-13giwws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An example of in-game commendations for positive behavior in League of Legends.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/15838163@N00/9375189766">Daniel Garrido/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Finally, companies should work to change their basic cultural norms. For example, League of Legends publisher Riot Games once instituted a “<a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/7/7/11564110/doing-something-about-the-impossible-problem-of-abuse-in-online-games">Tribunal</a>” system where players could view incident reports and vote on whether the behavior was acceptable in the League community. </p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>Although Riot Games unfortunately closed the Tribunal shortly after its release, including community members in any solution is a good idea. Companies should also develop clear community guidelines, encourage positive behavior through tools like in-game accolades, and respond to ongoing issues rapidly and decisively.</p>
<p>If esports continue to expand without game companies addressing the toxic environments in their games, abusive and exclusionary behaviors are likely to become entrenched. To avoid this, players, coaches, teams, leagues, game companies and live-streaming services should invest in better community management efforts.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143520/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amanda Cote does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Combating sexism and other forms of harassment in online videogames comes down to community standards.Amanda Cote, Assistant Professor of Media Studies/Game Studies, University of OregonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1204662019-12-09T14:53:18Z2019-12-09T14:53:18ZWhy freemium video games should embrace players who want to play for free<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305841/original/file-20191209-90592-16865zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">'Die! Die! Die!'</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-asian-young-woman-play-game-1565288152?src=09cb7ab4-f272-406a-988b-b478d623f6d3-1-3&studio=1">Asylsun</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The video games industry <a href="https://lpesports.com/e-sports-news/the-video-games-industry-is-bigger-than-hollywood">is worth</a> more than movies and music combined, with more than <a href="https://www.wepc.com/news/video-game-statistics/">2.5 billion players</a> around the world. Freemium games have driven much of the success, ever since titles like <a href="https://www.angrybirds.com/">Angry Birds</a>, <a href="https://www.zynga.com/games/farmville/">Farmville</a> and <a href="https://king.com/game/candycrush">Candy Crush</a> emerged in the late 2000s and early 2010s. </p>
<p>Many of us will be familiar with the freemium business model: free but restricted access to games that are often simple, or “casual” as they are <a href="https://www.canyon-news.com/why-casual-gaming-has-taken-hold-worldwide/83563">sometimes known</a>. A minority of players pay for things like speeding up their progression, altering a character’s appearance or often just to remove adverts; while the majority just play for free. </p>
<p>Titles like <a href="https://www.pokemongo.com/en-gb/">Pokémon GO</a>, <a href="https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/home">Fortnite</a> and <a href="https://www.ea.com/games/apex-legends">Apex Legends</a> have all been huge freemium successes in recent years, monetising their player base to an impressive scale. Freemium and advertising-funded games <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/18/free-to-play-games-rule-the-entertainment-world-with-88-billion-in-revenue/">reportedly generated</a> US$88 billion (£67 billion) of the whole gaming industry’s US$110 billion in 2018, with more than half coming from Asia. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305846/original/file-20191209-90588-xh4441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305846/original/file-20191209-90588-xh4441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305846/original/file-20191209-90588-xh4441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305846/original/file-20191209-90588-xh4441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305846/original/file-20191209-90588-xh4441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305846/original/file-20191209-90588-xh4441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305846/original/file-20191209-90588-xh4441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305846/original/file-20191209-90588-xh4441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Gotta catch 'em all.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/montreal-canada-july-14-pokemon-go-452863348">dennizn</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet for every legendary success in this market, many others disappear without trace. Players often move on to new games quickly, perhaps due to these games’ simplicity; or perhaps because they feel little commitment from never having paid in the first place. Freemium games usually need to make their money fast: the average title <a href="https://www.androidauthority.com/freemium-games-make-70-percent-revenue-first-48-hours-681770/">generates</a> 75% of revenues in its first three days. </p>
<p>Developers design games to keep people playing for as long as possible, and to maximise the numbers who switch from playing for free – “conversion rates” in the industry jargon. This has contributed to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-49661870">fears that</a> games are addictive, leading experts to coin the phrase “<a href="https://theconversation.com/could-playing-fortnite-lead-to-video-game-addiction-the-world-health-organisation-says-yes-but-others-disagree-98458">gaming disorder</a>”. The UK <a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/2019/10/children-treated-for-computer-gaming-addiction-under-nhs-long-term-plan/">has just opened</a> its first clinic for children with gaming addictions, for instance. </p>
<p>Freemium games have a sufficiently bad name that some commentators are <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/27/18284404/apple-arcade-free-to-play-games-paid-premium-subscription-comparison">eagerly anticipating</a> their demise at the hands of <a href="https://www.apple.com/uk/apple-arcade/">Apple Arcade</a> and <a href="https://store.google.com/gb/product/stadia">Google Stadia</a>, new Netflix-style subscription services where you can play premium games without a console. Unquestionably these services are a new challenge for freemium games. One possible response is for more developers to move away from the quick-buck approach towards creating games to attract communities for the long term. This has been the subject of our research – and it has produced some unexpected results. </p>
<h2>Danish dice</h2>
<p>We <a href="https://research.aston.ac.uk/en/publications/overcoming-the-monetization-challenge-in-freemium-online-games">researched</a> a games community in Denmark devoted to traditional card and dice games that had kept tens of thousands of players active for over a decade. Almost all players were playing for free, while a minority paid for additional features like VIP access to enable them to organise tournaments, among other things. Originally owned by a Danish television channel, the platform had been acquired by an online software developer that wanted to make more money from the community, for instance with games where people paid to play for cash prizes. </p>
<p>We interviewed gamers in the community and found a clear distinction between “social players” and “achievers”. Social players were mainly interested in maintaining friendships and friendly rivalries within the community. The achievers were more interested in competition and gaining recognition. Other researchers have made a <a href="http://mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm">similar distinction</a> in this area. In general, social players may pay for certain services within a freemium game, but <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0957417410015058">less so</a> than achievers. </p>
<p>In our Danish gaming community, social players <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275960080_Why_Can't_We_All_Get_Along_A_Study_of_Hygge_and_Janteloven_in_a_Danish_Social-Casual_Games_Community">would often</a> use the platform to discuss things happening to them in the real world, and would even meet up offline for events where they would wear badges with their in-game names. They didn’t like attempts by the new owner to monetise their participation. </p>
<p>Achievers contributed less to the social environment, but still valued the community, since they saw their achievement as more meaningful when it felt like they were defeating real people, or reaching the top of a more competitive leader board. They played more, and were even motivated to pay more, when they felt a strong connection with the player community. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the platform owner did not recognise this distinction between different types of players. It tried to make more money from everyone, and when it was clear that many players were not willing, it closed the platform down. Had the owner sought instead to only make more money from the achievers, and recognised the value of the free players in facilitating this, the platform would probably have remained viable. </p>
<h2>Lessons to learn</h2>
<p>Unlike business models that rely on every customer paying a small amount, freemium game revenues usually come from <a href="https://www.swrve.com/weblog/its-here-the-swrve-monetization-report-2019">a fraction</a> of players. Players can be <a href="https://www.gamesbrief.com/2011/11/whales-dolphins-and-minnows-the-beating-heart-of-a-free-to-play-game/">divided</a> into whales, dolphins and minnows. Whales usually represent less than 10% of players, but contribute more than 50% of revenue. Minnows make up more than 50% of players, but spend little or nothing, while dolphins sit somewhere in between.</p>
<p>While it is natural for a business to focus on the whales, our conclusion is that minnows and dolphins can make an equally important contribution. You will probably attract more whales and keep them engaged for longer if you aim to maximise your dolphins and minnows. They’re often the social players who will make others feel welcome, while performing other useful roles like moderating chatrooms to monitor troublemakers. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305847/original/file-20191209-90574-16anj4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305847/original/file-20191209-90574-16anj4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305847/original/file-20191209-90574-16anj4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305847/original/file-20191209-90574-16anj4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305847/original/file-20191209-90574-16anj4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305847/original/file-20191209-90574-16anj4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=595&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305847/original/file-20191209-90574-16anj4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=595&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305847/original/file-20191209-90574-16anj4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=595&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fish-mash.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/montreal-canada-july-14-pokemon-go-452863348">dandesign86</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Though we were looking at a freemium game designed for the long term, these insights may be transferable to games with a shorter turnaround. At the very least, if developers avoid annoying free players by trying too hard to convert them into paying players, it might help build the critical mass to make the game more attractive to achievers. </p>
<p>The task for a freemium games provider should be to recognise and reward the efforts of non-monetary contributors, while identifying those “achievers” who benefit and are also willing to pay. That could be the route to generating revenues year after year, building a freemium model that will be sustainable when all those “quick-buck” games have become ancient history.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120466/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ahmad Beltagui received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under Grant Agreement No. 251383. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marina Candi received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under Grant Agreement No. 251383. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thomas Schmidt received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under Grant Agreement No. 251383</span></em></p>Apple Arcade and Google Stadia may threaten a sector that spawned the likes of Farmville and Angry Birds. Developers can build better communities in response.Ahmad Beltagui, Lecturer in Project and Operations Managment, Aston UniversityMarina Candi, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, The University of EdinburghThomas Schmidt, Assistant Professor, Centre for Health Informatics and Technology, University of Southern DenmarkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1070682018-11-27T11:22:56Z2018-11-27T11:22:56ZRed Dead Redemption 2: Virtual ecology is making game worlds eerily like our own<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/247339/original/file-20181126-140510-1dynymq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Wild game.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption2/dist/img/global/features/wildlifehunting/7a0fca4fb8a210a70f0ed008746974f2.jpg">Rockstar Games</a></span></figcaption></figure><blockquote>
<p>Deer, bison and pronghorn traverse the plains in large herds…scavengers quickly sniff out carrion, sockeye salmon leap upstream, wolves attack in packs surrounding their prey, geese fly in fixed formations, possums play dead, rodents scamper into tree hollows, grizzly bears bluff charge when threatened and birds of prey soar on thermals.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That may sound like a mountie’s report on the Canadian wilderness, but it’s actually how Rockstar recently <a href="https://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption2/features/wildlife">promoted Red Dead Redemption 2</a> – its critically acclaimed game, which transports players to a sprawling and immersive Wild West.</p>
<p>Red Dead Redemption 2 features more than 200 species of animal in a variety of habitats, and its <a href="https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-10-30-rockstar-trumpets-USD725m-red-dead-redemption-2-sales">record breaking success </a> suggests that authentic natural environments which mimic the ecology of the real world will become a mainstay of future titles. </p>
<p>Video games have grown in scale and complexity to the point where intricate virtual ecosystems of this kind are now possible, with flora and fauna living and behaving in these virtual worlds as they do in ours.</p>
<p>As of 2018, the worldwide games industry was estimated to be worth around <a href="https://ukie.org.uk/research">£100 billion</a>. To put that into perspective, it’s 1.5 times bigger than the movie industry and five times bigger than the music industry, with <a href="https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/the-global-games-market-will-reach-108-9-billion-in-2017-with-mobile-taking-42/">one in three people on the planet being a gamer</a>. Not bad for an industry that is only around 50 years old.</p>
<p>Alongside the huge financial success of modern games is the ever-growing size of “open-world games”, in which players are free to explore vast and interactive virtual worlds.</p>
<p>These virtual environments have gone from simple mono-block representations of landscapes to dynamic and interactive ecosystems. They have plants that can be foraged and a variety of wildlife that demonstrate complex AI-driven behaviour, interacting with the player and each other. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246897/original/file-20181122-182044-1cyc7ep.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246897/original/file-20181122-182044-1cyc7ep.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=432&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246897/original/file-20181122-182044-1cyc7ep.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=432&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246897/original/file-20181122-182044-1cyc7ep.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=432&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246897/original/file-20181122-182044-1cyc7ep.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=543&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246897/original/file-20181122-182044-1cyc7ep.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=543&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246897/original/file-20181122-182044-1cyc7ep.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=543&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cosmi Corporation’s Forbidden Forest (1983) was an early attempt at designing natural environments.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q0jUVl9-8LA/RvFLXCzTb0I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/WzqneQaCyOE/s1600-h/ff1.jpg">Roger Frames plays retro-games</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Virtual ecosystems</h2>
<p>Within Red Dead Redemption 2, apex predators such as alligators lurk patiently underwater, anything (including other animals) in the game that venture too close to the water’s edge <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf1ghPZ1HoQ&t=0m50s">quickly meets its demise</a>. Deer will also react to unseen predators, alerting the player to cougars lurking in nearby grass.</p>
<p>Horses, one of the most important animals in the game, also react to other wildlife – bolting at the sign of a bear or hidden rattlesnake – demonstrating authentic animal intelligence.</p>
<p>Guerrilla Games’s open world role playing game <a href="https://www.guerrilla-games.com/play/horizon">Horizon Zero Dawn</a> features machine as well as organic “animals”. The machine animals in particular exhibit behaviours that don’t primarily rely on the player’s interaction. “Corrupted” machines will often attack their non-corrupted counterparts, with the player often coming across the bodies of dead machines, alluding to a dynamic world that exists outside the player’s attention. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b1rCtZyawDs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Glinthawks descend like vultures to feed on carrion. TheSole101/YouTube.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The bodies of fallen machine animals, like in any real ecosystem, are not wasted. If not engaged in combat or roaming territory, “scrappers” (machines resembling hyenas), and “glinthawks” (giant vulture-type machines) will consume fallen machine animals they detect nearby – replicating decomposition and nutrient cycling. </p>
<p>Nintendo’s open world game <a href="https://www.zelda.com/breath-of-the-wild/">Zelda: Breath of The Wild</a> uses “virtual foraging” which is required to progress through the game. However just like the real world, players also need to be careful as flora and fauna can be easily over-foraged, forcing the player to wait for stocks to replenish.</p>
<p>All of this is more impressive when we consider that it has all been achieved in a single generation. Video games as a medium are relative newcomers – the industry only emerged in the 1970s. After the same length of time, films were still black and white. One can only wonder what gamers will be playing ten, 20 or even 50 years from now.</p>
<h2>The future of games</h2>
<p>Ecosystems in games are increasingly dynamic and “lived-in”, which opens the potential for education. Anna Groves, an American ecologist and gamer <a href="https://www.plantpeopleblog.com/blog/breath-of-the-wild">explained</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>A kid who loves lighting the Hyrulian grassland on fire just might get excited about grassland restoration ecology when they find out it involves lighting real-life grasslands on fire.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As games increasingly use ecology as a core gameplay feature, its value and relevance as a subject field will inevitably increase – exposing children to an academic subject in an accessible and enjoyable manner.</p>
<p>Video games offer unparalleled creative freedom to explore subjects like ecology. Designers can create environments filled with long extinct species or pristine ecosystems that recreate how wilderness may have looked before human intervention. Children may “play” with imagined scenarios of the natural world in an intuitive, immersive and fun manner, far surpassing what is possible in traditional educational approaches. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/247353/original/file-20181126-140531-1uhzpdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/247353/original/file-20181126-140531-1uhzpdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/247353/original/file-20181126-140531-1uhzpdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247353/original/file-20181126-140531-1uhzpdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247353/original/file-20181126-140531-1uhzpdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247353/original/file-20181126-140531-1uhzpdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247353/original/file-20181126-140531-1uhzpdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247353/original/file-20181126-140531-1uhzpdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Exploring a forest in Red Dead Redemption 2.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption2/rockstar_games/r_d_r2_core/img/screenshots/3-full.jpg">Rockstar Games</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As a result, they may gain a deeper appreciation of what natural states are possible through conservation than even a student engaging with depleted ecosystems in the real world could.</p>
<p>With the advent of virtual ecology, video games are increasingly functioning as “conduits” to other disciplines. <a href="https://archinect.com/features/article/149964654/behind-the-scenes-of-the-witness-a-video-game-designed-by-architects">Landscape architecture</a> and <a href="https://www.crcpress.com/Better-Game-Characters-by-Design-A-Psychological-Approach/Isbister/p/book/9781558609211">psychology</a> are increasingly feeding into contemporary game design. In the future, disciplines such as engineering, geology and even medicine could start to inform the next generation of games. </p>
<p>When designing the worlds we play in, future game designers might increasingly be educated in “traditional” elements of landscape design, including ecology and architecture. With this also comes the opportunity for people in different fields to collaborate in shaping the worlds of future video games, radically reshaping both professions in the process.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/107068/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Umran Ali does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Games have come a long way since their genesis in the 1970s. Today, games designers consult with ecologists and other experts to create worlds that feel alive and real.Umran Ali, Senior Lecturer in Creative Media, University of SalfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/656882016-10-06T01:18:14Z2016-10-06T01:18:14ZPlay video games, advance science<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140567/original/image-20161005-14227-4yv9k9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A fun game, plus science advancement.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAROU1DiMIM">Madde/YouTube</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Computer gaming is now a regular part of life for many people. Beyond just being entertaining, though, it can be a very useful tool in education and in science.</p>
<p>If people spent just a fraction of their play time solving real-life scientific puzzles – by playing science-based video games – what new knowledge might we uncover? Many games aim to take academic advantage of the countless hours people spend gaming each day. In the field of biochemistry alone, there are several, including the popular game <a href="https://fold.it/">Foldit</a>.</p>
<p>In Foldit, players attempt to figure out the detailed three-dimensional structure of proteins by manipulating a simulated protein displayed on their computer screen. They must observe various constraints based in the real world, such as the order of amino acids and how close to each other their biochemical properties permit them to get. In academic research, these tasks are typically performed by trained experts.</p>
<p>Thousands of people – with and without scientific training – play Foldit regularly. Sure, they’re having fun, but are they really contributing to science in ways experts don’t already? To answer this question – to find out how much we can learn by having nonexperts play scientific games – we recently set up a Foldit competition between gamers, undergraduate students and professional scientists. The amateur gamers <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12549">did better than the professional scientists managed using their usual software</a>. </p>
<p>This suggests that scientific games like Foldit can truly be valuable resources for biochemistry research while simultaneously providing enjoyable recreation. More widely, it shows the promise that crowdsourcing to gamers (or “<a href="http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/assignment-impossible/httpblogsscientificamericancomassignment-impossible20110725a-modest-proposal-game-sourcing/">gamesourcing</a>”) could offer to many fields of study.</p>
<h2>Looking closely at proteins</h2>
<p>Proteins perform basically all the microscopic tasks necessary to keep organisms alive and healthy, from <a href="https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/howgeneswork/protein">building cell walls to fighting disease</a>. By seeing the proteins up close, biochemists can much better understand life itself.</p>
<p>Understanding how proteins fold is also critical because if they don’t fold properly, the proteins can’t do their tasks in the cell. Worse, some proteins, when improperly folded, can <a href="http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/protein-misfolding-and-degenerative-diseases-14434929">cause debilitating diseases</a>, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS.</p>
<h2>Taking pictures of proteins</h2>
<p>First, by analyzing the DNA that tells cells how to make a given protein, we know the sequence of amino acids that makes up the protein. But that doesn’t tell us what shape the protein takes.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140596/original/image-20161005-20139-1q69j0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140596/original/image-20161005-20139-1q69j0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140596/original/image-20161005-20139-1q69j0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140596/original/image-20161005-20139-1q69j0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140596/original/image-20161005-20139-1q69j0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140596/original/image-20161005-20139-1q69j0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140596/original/image-20161005-20139-1q69j0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140596/original/image-20161005-20139-1q69j0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An electron density map of a protein, generated by X-ray crystallography.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Scott Horowitz</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To get a picture of the three-dimensional structure, we use a technique called <a href="http://www.ruppweb.org/Xray/101index.html">X-ray crystallography</a>. This allows us to see objects that are only nanometers in size. By taking X-rays of the protein from multiple angles, we can construct a digital 3D model (called an electron density map) with the rough outlines of the protein’s actual shape. Then it’s up to the scientist to determine how the sequence of amino acids folds together in a way that both fits the electron density map and also is biochemically sound.</p>
<p>Although this process isn’t easy, many crystallographers think that it is the most fun part of crystallography because it is like solving a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140597/original/image-20161005-20152-16no2vn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140597/original/image-20161005-20152-16no2vn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140597/original/image-20161005-20152-16no2vn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140597/original/image-20161005-20152-16no2vn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140597/original/image-20161005-20152-16no2vn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140597/original/image-20161005-20152-16no2vn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140597/original/image-20161005-20152-16no2vn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An electron density map of a protein with the protein threaded through the map, revealing how the protein folds.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Scott Horowitz</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>An addictive puzzle</h2>
<p>The competition, and its result, were the culmination of several years of improving biochemistry education by showing how it can be like gaming. We teach an undergraduate class that includes a section on how biochemists can determine what proteins look like. </p>
<p>When we gave an electron density map to our students and had them move the amino acids around with a mouse and keyboard and fold the protein into the map, students loved it – some so much they found themselves ignoring their other homework in favor of our puzzle. As the students worked on the assignment, we found the questions they raised became increasingly sophisticated, delving deeply into the underlying biochemistry of the protein. </p>
<p>In the end, 10 percent of the class actually managed to improve on the structure that had been previously solved by professional crystallographers. They tweaked the pieces so they fit better than the professionals had been able to. Most likely, since 60 students were working on it separately, some of them managed to fix a number of small errors that had been missed by the original crystallographers. This outcome reminded us of the game Foldit.</p>
<h2>From the classroom to the game lab</h2>
<p>Like crystallographers, Foldit players manipulate amino acids to figure out a protein’s structure based on their own puzzle-solving intuition. But rather than one trained expert working alone, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/science/05protein.html?_r=0">thousands of nonscientist players worldwide</a> get involved. They’re devoted gamers looking for challenging puzzles and willing to use their gaming skills for a good cause.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KG2LOUX3DZE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Playing Foldit.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Foldit’s developers had just finished a new version of the game providing puzzles based on three-dimensional crystallographic electron density maps. They were ready to see how players would do.</p>
<p>We gave students a new crystallography assignment, and told them they would be competing against Foldit players to produce the best structure. We also got two trained crystallographers to compete using the software they’d be familiar with, as well as several automated software packages that crystallographers often use. The race was on!</p>
<h2>Amateurs outdo professionals</h2>
<p>The students attacked the assignment vigorously, as did the Foldit players. As before, the students learned how proteins are put together through shaping these protein structures by hand. Moreover, both groups appeared to take pride in their role in pioneering new science.</p>
<p>At the end of the competition, we analyzed all the structures from all the participants. We calculated statistics about the competing structures that told us how correct each participant was in their solution to the puzzle. The results ranged from very poor structures that didn’t fit the map at all to exemplary solutions. </p>
<p>The best structure came from a group of nine Foldit players who worked collaboratively to come up with a spectacular protein structure. Their structure turned out to be even better than the structures from the two trained professionals.</p>
<p>Students and Foldit players alike were eager to master difficult concepts because it was fun. The results they came up with gave us useful scientific results that can really improve biochemistry. </p>
<p>There are many other games along similar lines, including the “<a href="https://www.eveonline.com/discovery/">Discovery</a>” mini-game in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game “Eve Online,” which helps build the <a href="http://www.proteinatlas.org/subcellular">Human Protein Atlas</a>, and <a href="https://www.eternagame.org/">Eterna</a>, which tries to decipher how RNA molecules fold themselves up. If educators incorporate scientific games into their curricula potentially as early as middle school, they are likely to find students becoming highly motivated to learn at a very deep level while having a good time. We encourage game designers and scientists to work together more to create games with purpose, and gamers of the world should play more to bolster the scientific process.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65688/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Scott Horowitz works for the University of Michigan and receives funding from the National Institutes of Health.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Bardwell receives funding from
HHMI, NIH</span></em></p>We recently set up a Foldit competition between gamers, undergraduate students and professional scientists. The winner might surprise you – and offer important possibilities for scientific research.Scott Horowitz, Research Fellow, University of MichiganJames Bardwell, Professor, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of MichiganLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/652882016-09-19T13:46:21Z2016-09-19T13:46:21ZTaking the GUESSwork out of video game satisfaction<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138121/original/image-20160916-17029-1141sjj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What makes a video game fun?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-441135421/stock-photo-group-of-three-are-having-fun-at-home-playing-video-games.html">Gamers via shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>People who play video games are often wary of buying new games – they don’t know whether they’ll actually be fun to play. So they read reviews and try out games in stores or at friends’ houses before deciding on a purchase. </p>
<p>Game designers have a similar problem – how to create the next great breakthrough game that would attract millions of fans, and make millions. So they conduct what is called “playtesting,” bringing in gamers to try out games that are still under construction, and having them give feedback on their attitudes and preferences about the new game.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yb-znyOK5Kc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A bit about playtesting.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some of the questions designers have are simple: Is the game’s interface easy to understand and operate? Others are more sophisticated, dealing with artistic taste: Did you enjoy the game’s graphics? The deepest level of questioning relates to the experience of playing the game: Did you become so engaged in the game that you lost track of time or where you were?</p>
<p>But it can be hard to understand the exact meaning of testers’ answers, and even more difficult to figure out how to take multiple players’ divergent suggestions into account. What questions are the best ones for developers to ask testers, in order to best understand players’ reactions to a particular game? Is there a way to objectively measure players’ subjective enjoyment of any given video game?</p>
<h2>Looking at games and research</h2>
<p>We, along with our doctoral student Mikki Phan, looked at 450 different games across many popular genres, from “World of Warcraft” and “New Super Mario Bros” to “Candy Crush Saga” and “Trivia Crack.” Building on existing research investigating elements of game satisfaction, we developed the <a href="http://hfs.sagepub.com/search/results?fulltext=The+Development+and+Validation+of+the+Game+User+Experience+Satisfaction+Scale+%28GUESS%29&x=0&y=0&submit=yes&journal_set=sphfs&src=selected&andorexactfulltext=and">GUESS – the Game User Experience Satisfaction Scale</a>. It can help determine what aspects of a game contribute to user enjoyment, and help developers debrief playtesters about their experiences. </p>
<p>Through a very thorough analysis with more than 1,300 participants, we identified nine factors that, taken together, provide a complete picture of how satisfying a game is. These include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Usability/playability – the ease with which the game is learned, and how intuitive the game’s interface and menu system are. At the less usable end of the spectrum, “World of Warcraft”‘s <a href="https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/game/new-players-guide/part-three">large game space</a> and many actions take time to learn. “Madden 17” boost playability by providing a <a href="https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/madden/madden-2017/gameplay-controls-in-madden-17">list of actions and their respective controller buttons</a> to make it easy to control the on-screen NFL stars.</li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138116/original/image-20160916-17023-47qe6j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138116/original/image-20160916-17023-47qe6j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138116/original/image-20160916-17023-47qe6j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138116/original/image-20160916-17023-47qe6j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138116/original/image-20160916-17023-47qe6j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138116/original/image-20160916-17023-47qe6j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138116/original/image-20160916-17023-47qe6j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138116/original/image-20160916-17023-47qe6j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The wasteland from ‘Fallout: New Vegas.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://fallout4.com/games/fallout-new-vegas">Obsidian Entertainment</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<ul>
<li><p>Narratives – how captivating the game’s story elements are, and how well the characters are developed in regards to their in-game story. “New Super Mario Bros’” basis is an <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/new-super-mario-bros-u-wii-u">unemotional straightforward trip to rescue Princess Peach</a>. “Fallout: New Vegas” provides a <a href="https://fallout4.com/games/fallout-new-vegas">compelling, deeply emotional journey</a> of discovering what unknown assailant leaves the player “for dead” in a wasteland.</p></li>
<li><p>Play engrossment – how well the game induces a state of being immersed, including losing track of time while playing and excitement to play again. In “Fallout 3,” players are thrust into a <a href="http://www.pcgamer.com/why-i-love-fallout-3s-capital-wasteland/">nuclear wasteland with never-ending quests</a> and opportunities for reward.</p></li>
<li><p>Enjoyment – how fun the game is for players. <a href="http://www.lego.com/en-us/movie/videogame/game">“The Lego Movie Game”</a> consistently entertains players with the main character’s goofiness and references to the blockbuster film. </p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138117/original/image-20160916-17039-o5qp8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138117/original/image-20160916-17039-o5qp8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138117/original/image-20160916-17039-o5qp8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=318&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138117/original/image-20160916-17039-o5qp8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=318&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138117/original/image-20160916-17039-o5qp8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=318&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138117/original/image-20160916-17039-o5qp8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138117/original/image-20160916-17039-o5qp8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138117/original/image-20160916-17039-o5qp8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">For ‘Minecraft’ players, creativity has no bounds.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://pixabay.com/en/minecraft-surival-games-2-map-city-1618089/">Pixabay</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<ul>
<li><p>Creative freedom – how well the game stimulates curiosity and allows for imaginative control. In “Minecraft,” <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/komando/2015/01/16/minecraft-kids/21800605/">players are free to engage with the world</a> as they choose, including mining resources, building structures and crafting supplies. </p></li>
<li><p>Audio aesthetics – how appealing players find the music and sound effects of the game. “Star Wars: Battlefront,” for example, has a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-wars-battlefront-composer-talks-challenge-of-/1100-6432359/">fully composed score</a> that shifts when scenes change.</p></li>
<li><p>Visual aesthetics – how appealing players find the graphics of the game. <a href="http://www.forzamotorsport.net/en-us/games/fm6">“Forza Motorsport 6”</a> players race through a variety of scenic environments in highly detailed vehicles that can open their car doors, hood and trunk to show off the details of each sweet ride. </p></li>
<li><p>Personal gratification – how motivating the game is to play and to continue to play. In “Words with Friends,” <a href="https://www.zynga.com/games/words-friends">players essentially play the same game</a> with different people however often they want. “Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” <a href="http://www.elderscrolls.com/skyrim/">advances players through levels</a> that push them to continue playing and rewards them with increased strength, power and abilities. </p></li>
<li><p>Social connectivity – how well the game allows for connections between real people playing. In “Pokemon Go,” there is no support for chat between players, and <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2016/7/12/12149070/pokemon-go-battle-friends-trainer-battles-gyms">friends can’t choose to battle each other</a>. “League of Legends” <a href="http://gameinfo.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/game-info/get-started/chat-commands/">players must carefully communicate</a> and coordinate their strategies with teammates to defeat the enemy.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Using the results</h2>
<p>Industry, game developers, and consumers will all <a href="http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/660505">find value in the GUESS</a>. Industry can use the GUESS as a way to assess what aspects of a game contribute to user satisfaction and as a tool to aid in debriefing users on their game playing experience. </p>
<p>Scores on the GUESS can be calculated by looking at specific elements of each factor to rate the game’s performance on that factor on a scale of 1 to 7. To get a game’s overall score, incorporating all the factors, we average the nine scores. This lets us compare different games directly.</p>
<p>But the information it provides is more complex than simply saying one game is better than another. For example, maybe one first-person shooter game has much higher usability, visual and audio aesthetics than a major massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), but the MMORPG has consistently higher ratings on narratives, creative freedom and social connectivity. </p>
<p>Developers could use this information to broaden their games and help them identify their strengths. They could also find areas where their designs could improve. For example, adding a narrative element to that first-person shooter could make an otherwise run-of-the-mill game a crossover hit. Or investing more in the music for that MMORPG could really set it apart from similar titles.</p>
<p>Consumers can use GUESS scores to help them choose games that are high in factors that are important to them. If you like lots of graphics and cool sounds, but don’t know what kind of game you want to buy, you could look for games with GUESS scores high in the aspects you are looking for. Likewise, if you care less about sound or a story because you plan to play the game on your mobile phone as you wait in line, you may want something with a social component that is easy to play and engaging.</p>
<p>In hopes that others will extend our research and learn more about game enjoyability – and refine the GUESS – we have <a href="http://usabilitynews.org/guess/">made it freely available under Creative Commons licensing</a>. Understanding what people enjoy in video games will make the games – and players’ experiences – better.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65288/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Is there a way to objectively measure players’ subjective enjoyment of any given video game?Barbara Chaparro, Professor of Psychology, Wichita State UniversityJoseph Keebler, Assistant Professor of Human Factors, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/646412016-09-11T14:29:24Z2016-09-11T14:29:24ZVirtual reality will change the world. Here’s what parents need to know<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136717/original/image-20160906-6127-iigted.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When it comes to children and virtual reality, proceed with caution.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ralph Orlowski/Reuters</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>I’ve always been a nerd who loves technology and games. So when it emerged that virtual reality (VR) tech was becoming available to gamers, I was ecstatic.</p>
<p>Then something happened that gave me pause. A gamer and YouTuber named Mark Fishbach, aka <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/markiplierGAME">Markiplier</a>, shared his experience of playing an unfinished VR demo game. VR is a technology that creates a virtual environment. It is presented to our senses so you feel like you’re actually there. A host of technologies are used to account for cognition and perception. A VR headset takes over and re-represents visual surroundings – similar to what headphones do with audio. </p>
<p>Despite the game’s terrible graphics and unrealistic scenery, Markiplier got so scared playing it that he started crying and wanted to stop at various points.</p>
<p>Everything changed for me in that moment. If a 27-year-old man who plays horror games for a living can be terrified by an unrealistic game, VR may hold very real risks for its users - especially younger ones. </p>
<p>There is no doubt that VR is the next big thing: it will <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQaCv52DSnY">change the world</a>. As it becomes more common and cheaper, it will be incorporated into everything from education, military training and research to criminal justice, and even <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2016/01/06/virtual-reality-therapy-treating-the-global-mental-health-crisis/">therapy</a>. </p>
<p>But for families with young children, it may be wiser to wait a little before leaping headlong into this new reality.</p>
<h2>What is VR?</h2>
<p>VR isn’t exactly new. There were attempts in the 1990s to make it mainstream. These failed because of technological drawbacks and enormous expense. But technology <a href="http://www.vrs.org.uk/news/2016-the-year-of-vr">has evolved</a>, making VR steadily more affordable and accessible.</p>
<p>VR’s power lies in the fact that the subconscious cannot differentiate between reality and the simulated environment you’re seeing. Your conscious mind might be aware that you’re just playing a game, but your subconscious re-calibrates itself to accept the new surroundings as real. It will initiate fight or flight and other psychological and physiological reactions in response to a perceived threat. This is why a VR user might duck at something that’s thrown at him in the game.</p>
<p>This description might alarm parents. But there’s no need to start burning VR headsets in the streets. VR and its near-neighbour augmented reality hold incredible promise.</p>
<p>Research has indicated that they might <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3125918/">fight child obesity</a>, <a href="http://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality-healthcare/autism-treatment.html">autism</a>, and even improve <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-can-schools-use-virtual-reality-180957974/?no-ist">school grades</a>. </p>
<p>But there’s a flip side. VR often draws comparisons with regular gaming. So, many of the concerns that have been raised historically against the gaming industry may warrant a second look in the context of VR.</p>
<h2>Desensitisation</h2>
<p>Some experts are worried that VR <a href="http://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality/ethical-issues.html">desensitises users</a>. This could be through violent games, or through exercises for military personnel in which soldiers train in simulated combat scenarios.</p>
<p>It could mean that a person is no longer as affected by extreme acts of behaviour, like violence. They may fail to show appropriate empathy or compassion. <a href="http://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality/ethical-issues.html">Some experts</a> even claim that in some situations a desensitised user may actively seek out violent scenarios for a sense of power and for the adrenaline rush. This has been particularly noticed in those who play highly immersive games involving VR or take the form of <a href="https://www.techopedia.com/definition/241/first-person-shooter-fps">first person shooter games</a>.</p>
<p>Recent research denies this, suggesting that <a href="https://consumer.healthday.com/mental-health-information-25/behavior-health-news-56/violent-video-games-don-t-influence-kids-behavior-study-698040.html">violent video games don’t influence kids’ behaviour</a>. Still, it’s important to remember that children under the age of 12 are experiencing significant psychological development. Games that are not age appropriate or take hours (more than three a day) to complete can <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2014/08/27/a-surprising-new-study-on-how-video-games-impact-children/#33e472f349f9">have negative effects on them</a>.</p>
<h2>Virtual addiction</h2>
<p>As VR tech becomes more readily available and starts spreading into other industries, there may be a rise in virtual reality addiction, that mirror <a href="http://www.psychguides.com/guides/video-game-addiction-symptoms-causes-and-effects/">video gaming addiction</a>, but is potentially even more enticing.</p>
<p>These people will begin to blur the boundaries between real, augmented and virtual reality. Their real world life may suffer as a result.</p>
<p>PokemonGo is a good example. This can be considered an augmented reality game; it enhances reality rather than replacing it with a completely fabricated environment. It places things in reality that aren’t really there but can be perceived through the game. The hype around the game was immense - and was quickly followed by reports of people walking into traffic, getting fired or mugged, and even abandoning their children to chase Pokemons.</p>
<p>In this augmented world they neglected their real world surroundings and responsibilities. </p>
<p>The key to addressing this is similar to addressing any potential addiction: self-control. It’s vital to limit the hours spent playing, particularly when children are the gamers. Parents can treat the device as a reward for good behaviour. They can also restrict access if children go over the time limit or behave badly.</p>
<h2>Virtual misrepresentation</h2>
<p>Many people behave totally differently in a virtual world. Researchers studied <a href="https://vhil.stanford.edu/mm/2007/yee-proteus-effect.pdf">the effects</a> of playing an avatar – a figure representing a person in a computer game – that has traits the user doesn’t. These might include height, weight, attractiveness and age. They found that people would behave in a manner associated with that trait. Other users would respond to an avatar with a specific trait similarly as they would in reality.</p>
<p>This could become an issue where VR avatars make users more inclined to be rude, crude, or even bully others. Children are especially vulnerable, with <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/these-people-are-more-likely-to-bully-your-kids-online-2016-08-30">cyberbullying among teens on the rise</a>. </p>
<h2>How to manage kids and VR</h2>
<p>Some experts have <a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/virtual-reality/is-vr-safe-for-kids-we-asked-the-experts/">pointed out</a> that it’s far too soon to suggest VR devices are harming children. </p>
<p>This isn’t surprising. VR is still too new for any of its long term effects, whether negative or positive, to be understood. For now, how can the parents of young gaming enthusiasts ensure that their children are playing it safe in the VR world?</p>
<p>Until we know more, parents should heed the age <a href="https://www.vrfocus.com/2015/06/oculus-rift-age-limit/">limits</a> on VR devices. It’s also a good idea to limit playing time and to monitor what games your children are playing. Use the device as a tool to teach kids self-restraint and discipline – and keep an eye on the VR scene for any new developments.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/64641/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melissa Meyer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There is no doubt that virtual reality is the next big thing. But for families with young children, it may be wiser to wait a little before leaping headlong into this new reality.Melissa Meyer, PhD Candidate at the Centre of Criminology, UCT, University of Cape TownLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/617882016-07-20T10:09:17Z2016-07-20T10:09:17ZEthically, must game designers respond to all player requests?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/131156/original/image-20160719-7906-1fe7uba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">One ethical consideration: How customizable should avatars be? </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-298240898/stock-vector-vector-set-of-different-cartoon-characters-isolated.html">Character image via shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Video games are supposed to be fun. Maybe when you’re grinding your way to max level it doesn’t always feel that way, but on the whole we play games because we enjoy them.</p>
<p>But what exactly does enjoyment mean? If you’re a game designer, what issues should you care about? If you’re a player, do you have to worry only about whether you are having fun? Or do you have some kind of ethical responsibility to make sure other players are having fun too?</p>
<p>As a philosopher who focuses on <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305220809_Video_Games_Power_and_Social_Responsibility">ethical issues</a> <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305220974_The_Ethics_of_Choice_in_Single-Player_Video_Games">surrounding video games</a>, I’ve discovered that fun is a complicated business. Players, designers and the broader gamer community all have different sorts of power in relation to video games, which lead to quite different ethical responsibilities. Designers’ power is perhaps the most pervasive – they are, after all, creating the world the players will inhabit and deciding how the players will interact with that world.</p>
<p>A key element of enjoyment, it turns out, is the ability to fully experience a game. This isn’t as easy as it might seem. From time to time the issue of a game’s playability by all potential players becomes an issue of public concern. Recently, some players of Pokemon Go who have various physical disabilities – such as limited dexterity or low vision – have <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2016/7/18/12214664/pokemon-go-players-with-physical-disabilities-want-better">complained the game does not make enough accommodations</a> for them to be able to completely engage with the game. What ethical obligations do game designers have to respond to concerns like this?</p>
<h2>Ethical obligations</h2>
<p>In general, game designers have ethical obligations toward both current players and potential players. While these duties can arise from a variety of sources, the most basic ones are those we have toward other people simply because they are people. That’s why you can’t ethically just walk up and hit someone, even if you don’t like him and believe it would be fun to make him suffer. As a person he has a right to be <a href="http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-moral/#HumFor">treated as having intrinsic worth</a>; he isn’t there simply to be used by other people. </p>
<p>Similarly, a game player cannot ethically be seen simply as a source of revenue, because that would be using a player as a tool to create money. Instead, designers must appreciate that players have their own objectives when buying a game (like having fun); the designers can pursue their own goals but have to respect the players’ desires as well.</p>
<p>One way of doing this is to consider feedback and ideas from potential players – but not every opinion matters. It’s completely ethical for a game designer to pick a genre of game and make design decisions appropriate for that approach. That may include ignoring an idea from someone who wants to play a different type of game; when designing a real-time strategy game such as <a href="http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/">Starcraft II</a>, it’s fine to ignore the desires of someone who wishes to play a first-person shooter such as <a href="https://www.callofduty.com/">Call of Duty</a>. These are allowed to be different games with different target audiences. </p>
<h2>Unnecessary exclusions</h2>
<p>Where things get sticky, ethically speaking, is when designers start excluding potential players unnecessarily. As an example, consider adventure games like <a href="http://cyan.com/games/myst/">Myst</a>. These generally consist of a series of puzzles that are held together by some sort of plot; solving the puzzles is necessary to progress in the game. </p>
<p>While there are many different kinds of puzzles, one popular sort involves music. Usually a player will have to recreate a particular sequence of notes on a musical instrument, based on an obscure clue left at another location. For instance, the first episode of <a href="http://www.foreverlostgame.com/">Forever Lost</a> requires people to play a particular sequence of notes on a xylophone in order to progress. The hard part is finding the clue that will reveal the sequence. Fun, right?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130755/original/image-20160715-2150-klullc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130755/original/image-20160715-2150-klullc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=225&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130755/original/image-20160715-2150-klullc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=225&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130755/original/image-20160715-2150-klullc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=225&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130755/original/image-20160715-2150-klullc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130755/original/image-20160715-2150-klullc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130755/original/image-20160715-2150-klullc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The xylophone puzzle and the radio that gives the clue to solve it, from Forever Lost.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For a lot of players, the answer is yes. But unfortunately, the only way to discover the correct sequence is by listening to a radio elsewhere in the game. As a result, this game is not solvable for deaf players on their own. Instead, they must seek outside assistance, either from another player or an <a href="http://www.appunwrapper.com/2012/10/01/forever-lost-episode-1-walkthrough/">online walk-through</a> that provides the sequence for them. Yet the ability to hear is not a key aspect of this game: It emerges only in a single puzzle. The puzzle’s design means its author has created an unnecessary barrier to potential players of this game.</p>
<p>A lot of game designers have realized this and provide visual clues in addition to or instead of aural clues. In the above example, since the xylophone keys are different colors, the designer could have provided a color pattern clue in addition to the sounds. Similarly, in <a href="http://lonewolfgames.com/games/the-lost-treasure">The Hunt for the Lost Treasure</a>, while players must enter a musical sequence on a piano, the piano keys have patterns on them; the clue is available in terms of patterns, not just sounds.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130757/original/image-20160715-2141-1mp5zy9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130757/original/image-20160715-2141-1mp5zy9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130757/original/image-20160715-2141-1mp5zy9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130757/original/image-20160715-2141-1mp5zy9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130757/original/image-20160715-2141-1mp5zy9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130757/original/image-20160715-2141-1mp5zy9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130757/original/image-20160715-2141-1mp5zy9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The piano puzzle – with patterns on the keys – from The Hunt for the Lost Treasure.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These simple adaptations are helpful not only for people who are hearing-impaired; they also help those fans who like to play games on our tablets late at night without disturbing their spouses.</p>
<h2>Designing a character avatar</h2>
<p>Similarly, a lot of games allow players to customize an avatar that they use to represent themselves in the game’s world. While these are typically cosmetic choices that do not affect gameplay, they have a huge impact on player enjoyment. Part of a game’s appeal for many players is the ability to customize these characters; video game enjoyment is <a href="http://opendl.ifip-tc6.org/db/conf/iwec/icec2007/HefnerKV07.pdf">tied to identification with the player character</a>, which is in turn <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/ijgcms.2014010101">tied to the ability to customize that character</a>. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, many games give only a passing nod to being able to create a nonwhite character; <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/soin.12001">research has shown</a> that while many games will allow a player to darken the skin tone of their avatar, even many games with large budgets (what the industry calls “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AAA_(video_game_industry)">AAA games</a>”) don’t provide different facial features or hair types that would be necessary to make a character with a truly nonwhite appearance. This isn’t necessarily difficult: Given that many of these games contain nonhuman races, clearly the designers are capable of creating a wide variety of facial features and hair – they just choose not to do so for human avatars.</p>
<p>A lot of people like making avatars who are idealized versions of themselves. Limiting how representative in-game avatars can be may result in excluding people who might like to play the game, but are essentially discouraged for cosmetic reasons. (For another example of how much players care about avatar choices, look at the fuss over <a href="http://gamerant.com/ubisoft-excuses-for-no-females-in-assassins-creed-unity/">Ubisoft’s decision to only release a male avatar</a> for the cooperative mode of Assassin’s Creed Unity in 2014.) </p>
<p>At the end of the day, we all want to have fun. While designers don’t have an obligation to ensure that people <em>actually</em> have fun playing their games, they do have an obligation to ensure that everyone is in a relatively equal position to <em>try</em> to have fun. After that, it’s up to the players.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61788/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erica Neely is a member of the American Philosophical Association, the International Association for Computing and Philosophy, the International Society for Ethics and Information Technology, and the North American Society for Social Philosophy.</span></em></p>A key element of enjoyment, it turns out, is the ability to fully experience a game. What ethical obligations do game designers have to ensure this?Erica Neely, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Ohio Northern UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/624202016-07-13T04:59:36Z2016-07-13T04:59:36ZWhat’s made Pokémon GO such a viral success?<p>Technology often needs a “<a href="https://www.techopedia.com/definition/7953/killer-application-killer-app">killer app</a>” to gain mass market appeal. </p>
<p>For the touch screen, it was the iPhone; for wearables, the Fitbit. Augmented reality games have been around for more than a decade, so what was it about Pokémon GO that allowed it to become a global phenomenon?</p>
<p>We believe it can be attributed to three core social components of the game: the blending of the virtual and the real, geo-location and the success of existing Pokémon culture.</p>
<h2>Smile for the camera</h2>
<p>The first time we heard about Pokémon GO was via a few Facebook posts with screenshots of Pokémon on the streets or sitting beside friends. This is the core strength of augmented reality apps, the ability to alter the physical world by adding virtual components.</p>
<p>Millions of dollars have been spent on technology for aligning the physical world and virtual contents. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/29488965_Trends_in_Augmented_Reality_Tracking_Interaction_and_Display_A_Review_of_Ten_Years_of_ISMAR">Tracking issues</a> have taken up 20% of the research effort in the augmented reality community around the world for the past decade.</p>
<p>Microsoft’s latest augmented reality headset, the <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-hololens/en-us">Hololens</a>, uses a series of cameras to physically map out the entire environment around the user to accurately place virtual objects. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130332/original/image-20160713-17950-1ow6n19.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130332/original/image-20160713-17950-1ow6n19.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130332/original/image-20160713-17950-1ow6n19.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130332/original/image-20160713-17950-1ow6n19.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130332/original/image-20160713-17950-1ow6n19.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130332/original/image-20160713-17950-1ow6n19.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130332/original/image-20160713-17950-1ow6n19.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130332/original/image-20160713-17950-1ow6n19.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A collection of Pokémon as seen via Pokémon GO.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tofu_mugwump/">Flickr/Topher McCulloch</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Pokémon GO does not have this level of sophistication. When players come across a Pokémon character in Pokémon GO, the game superimposes it over the camera view. </p>
<p>We tested the feature and noticed we needed to play around with the phone to get the perfect angle for the screenshot. So although the tracking may not be sophisticated, a user can, with minimal effort, quickly make the Pokémon appear as if they are part of the physical world.</p>
<p>Some players get creative with these poses, which are shared widely on social media platforms. We believe the “shareability” of these images contributes hugely to the success of the game.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.snapchat.com/l/en-gb/">Snapchat</a>, the phenomenally successful messaging application with more 100 million users, also taps into the social “shareability” of images that blend the virtual and the real. </p>
<p>Gather some teenagers in a room together and it will not be long before the room will be filled with giggles and cries as they swap “snaps” with augmented features overlaid over theirs via <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Effects-on-Snapchat">Snapchat Filters</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130321/original/image-20160713-17947-1jsyqvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130321/original/image-20160713-17947-1jsyqvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130321/original/image-20160713-17947-1jsyqvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130321/original/image-20160713-17947-1jsyqvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130321/original/image-20160713-17947-1jsyqvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130321/original/image-20160713-17947-1jsyqvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130321/original/image-20160713-17947-1jsyqvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130321/original/image-20160713-17947-1jsyqvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Using lenses (Face Effects) with Snapchat images.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Effects-on-Snapchat">WikiHow</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although there has been keen research interest in augmented reality as a means of treating <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/419653/treating-cockroach-phobia-with-augmented-reality/">phobias</a> and the pain associated with <a href="http://www.livescience.com/43665-virtual-reality-treatment-for-phantom-limb-pain.html">phantom limbs</a>, to date there has been little research focus on the psychological aspects of our fascination with blended imagery.</p>
<p>Researchers studying the customisation of avatars, a graphical representation of a person’s alter ego or character in computer games, have found that the ability to manipulate <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nicolas_Ducheneaut/publication/221516323_Body_and_mind_A_study_of_avatar_personalization_in_three_virtual_worlds/links/02e7e51700e6644711000000.pdf">physical features such as hair colour</a>, or to superimpose <a href="http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2087850">animal features over human forms</a>, is critical for an avatar to appeal to a user.</p>
<p>There are clear parallels here to the success of augmented reality app features such as Snapchat filters. Pokémon GO screenshots also seemingly tap into this desire for a personal connection to the virtual world.</p>
<h2>Pokémon GO, you go!</h2>
<p>Pokémon GO requires you to walk around to hunt down Pokémon. This aspect of the game is not new, as similar games in the past have utilised this, including Niantic’s own <a href="https://www.ingress.com/">Ingress</a>. In fact, Pokémon GO uses the same Ingress platform. </p>
<p>Many see this as a positive example of games that encourage people to exercise. We see it more as a social success as it highlights the power of an augmented reality platform as a shared, social experience. </p>
<p>The success of this aspect of the game can be gauged by following the various reports of organised Pokémon GO <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1338692826144959/">events</a> with thousands of registered participants. </p>
<p>Virtual reality, by comparison, is a very personal experience. There have been many previous attempts at introducing social interactions into a virtual reality environment. <a href="http://secondlife.com/">Second Life</a> was released in 2003 and after a decade had more than <a href="http://www.lindenlab.com/releases/infographic-10-years-of-second-life">1 million users</a>.</p>
<p>Pokémon GO has already dwarfed this user count within 48 hours of release. Reports suggest it has eclipsed the daily user counts of major social network and dating services such as <a href="http://fortune.com/2016/07/11/nintendo-pokemon-go/">Tinder and Twitter</a>.</p>
<h2>A money earner</h2>
<p>A final aspect of the success of Pokémon GO is undoubtedly its ability to tap into an established pop culture phenomenon. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.pokemon.co.jp/corporate/en/data/">According to Nintendo</a>, as of the end of May 2016, it had sold more than 280 million units of Pokémon-related software, earned box office revenue of 76.72 billion yen (about A$967 million), and shipped over 21.5 million cards (as of September 2015).</p>
<p>The company estimates the total worldwide market size of the Pokémon franchise to be more than 4.8 trillion yen (about A$60 billion).</p>
<p>With a market this big, there was an eager community of Pokémon fans waiting for an app such as Pokémon GO to launch.</p>
<p>There are clear parallels here to another smash hit smartphone game, <a href="http://www.glu.com/games/view/kim-kardashian-hollywood">Kim Kardashian: Hollywood</a>. This game traded on the celebrity credibility of the Kardashians and used social gaming methods and the promise that you might even become one of Kim’s friends, at least within the confines of the game.</p>
<p>A March <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2016/03/08/no-kim-kardashian-probably-didnt-make-80-million-from-her-iphone-game/#1933c4e58b3d">Forbes article</a> estimates that Kim Kardashian: Hollywood has earned the star around US$20 million (about A$26 million).</p>
<p>Given the success of Pokémon GO, Nintendo executives can be assured that the Pokémon franchise’s level of success, and its share price, is set to <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-13/will-pokemon-go-be-the-savior-of-troubled-nintendo/7588852">continue upward</a>. </p>
<p>This ability to tap into the established worldwide community of Pokémon fans was the final ingredient necessary to establish Pokémon GO as the “killer app” for augmented reality gaming.</p>
<p>So to make a killer app, just add social.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62420/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thuong Hoang receives funding from the Victorian State Government and Microsoft through their contributions to the Microsoft Research Centre for Social Natural User Interfaces (SocialNUI).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steven Baker receives funding from Victorian State Government and Microsoft through their contributions to the Microsoft Research Centre for Social Natural User Interfaces (SocialNUI). </span></em></p>Augmented reality games have been around for more than a decade, so what was it about Pokémon GO that allowed it to become a global phenomenon?Thuong Hoang, Research fellow, The University of MelbourneSteven Baker, Research Fellow, Microsoft Centre for Social Natural User Interfaces, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/623432016-07-13T01:37:55Z2016-07-13T01:37:55ZPokemon GO gets people out and about, and that’s a good thing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130249/original/image-20160712-9281-pcwnqu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1392%2C1064%2C3219%2C2006&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Chris, Tim, Lachlan and Emma travelled to the University of Queensland's Great Court to play Pokemon Go.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniel Angus</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>One week since its release and <a href="http://pokemongo.nianticlabs.com/en/">Pokémon GO</a> has not only captured the attention of millions of users eager to “catch them all”, it’s also caught the eye of the media, authorities and, at times, a somewhat puzzled public. </p>
<p>Pokémon GO is a smartphone-based game that encourages users to travel to physical locations to collect virtual creatures and engage in game-based tasks, such as training and virtual duels, using collected creatures. Its gameplay extends from the <a href="http://www.pokemon.com/">Pokémon</a> universe made popular in the late 1990s, which may also help explain its massive success. </p>
<p>Consider that the most active users of smartphones are <a href="http://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/technology-media-and-telecommunications/articles/mobile-consumer-survey-2015.html">Gen Y</a>, the same generation that lived through the Pokémon trend while at school. So, merge a bit of 1990s nostalgia with easy access to modern technology that helps bring a childhood game to life, and you have the recipe for success. </p>
<p>Like other successful social mobile games, Pokémon GO carefully treads the line between instant gratification and delayed reward. Players need to visit and collect rewards from many locations to advance through the game.</p>
<p>But unlike other social mobile games that code socialisation through virtual channels, such as in-game trading, chat, or online group-based gameplay, Pokemon GO fosters socialisation in the real world. </p>
<h2>Out and about</h2>
<p>Since its release, I have travelled to some of Brisbane’s Pokémon hotspots at night and during the day to observe and gather thoughts from players. The most visible phenomenon I have witnessed are the many pairs or small groups of players on the hunt for Pokémon together.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130309/original/image-20160713-17963-1t1a4ox.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130309/original/image-20160713-17963-1t1a4ox.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130309/original/image-20160713-17963-1t1a4ox.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130309/original/image-20160713-17963-1t1a4ox.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130309/original/image-20160713-17963-1t1a4ox.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130309/original/image-20160713-17963-1t1a4ox.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130309/original/image-20160713-17963-1t1a4ox.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130309/original/image-20160713-17963-1t1a4ox.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Down at Mowbray Park in Brisbane, people are hunting in pairs on Pokemon GO.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniel Angus</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While not explicitly coded into the game architecture, an emergent phenomenon is that players are coordinating their play together and roving in small groups to reward-rich destinations.</p>
<p>At each location, I also saw many instances of spontaneous interaction occurring between total strangers. </p>
<p>A player shouting “Hey, there’s a <a href="http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokedex/pikachu">Pikachu</a> over here!” at a local park saw a herd of nearby players rushing over to capture the yellow creature. They would then exchange stories of where they had been that night, what they had found and share hot tips on where to find some of the more elusive Pokémon.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k2TyjNcGKp8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Strangers making friends with Pokemon Go.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Each situation displayed an atmosphere of cooperation, whimsy and fun.</p>
<p>When asked about what they would be doing if they weren’t playing the game, the responses tended to be: watching TV, surfing the internet, or playing console games.</p>
<p>It was clear that for the players I met this past week, the sole reason for being outside was the game. Most were aware of how strange that notion seemed. </p>
<p>“This is the third time I’ve come out this week. That’s kind of tragic, isn’t it?” remarked one.</p>
<p>For businesses located near hotspots, such as those in the South Bank precinct in Brisbane, the game has seen a surge in custom on traditionally slow nights. While the number of players is likely to subside in time, for the moment, Pokétourism seems to be paying off.</p>
<p>In many circumstances, players travelled large distances quite purposefully for the game, and had plans to visit other locations in the same night.</p>
<h2>Feeling good</h2>
<p>Another unexpected but welcome side effect is the app’s potentially positive impacts on <a href="http://www.sciencealert.com/pokemon-go-is-reportedly-helping-people-with-their-depression">mental health</a>. </p>
<p>While it is too early to show evidence for it, there have been many <a href="http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2016/07/11/pokemon-go-reportedly-helping-peoples-mental-health-depression/">anecdotes appearing on social media</a> from sufferers of social anxiety and other mental health conditions who have felt more active and healthier than usual thanks to the game.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"752488848983109632"}"></div></p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"751855621155221505"}"></div></p>
<p>While much of the initial media reaction focused on examples from the <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/7/10/12142434/pokemon-go-armed-robberies-missouri">USA of users being lured to danger</a>, <a href="http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/07/cops-warn-pokemon-go-players-please-dont-trespass-to-catch-em-all/">alleged trespassing</a>, and issues with the game itself relating to <a href="http://www.cnet.com/news/pokemon-go-gotta-catch-all-your-personal-data/">user data privacy</a>, these issues are being dealt with, or are able to be dealt with in time. </p>
<p>With regard to trespassing and <a href="https://theconversation.com/some-places-should-be-off-limits-for-games-such-as-pokemon-go-62341">sensitive locations</a>, this is a straightforward fix for the game’s developers who were made aware of this <a href="http://nymag.com/selectall/2016/07/yes-you-can-catch-pokemon-at-auschwitz.html">issue in their Ingress platform</a>.</p>
<p>On the issue of personal safety, users I interviewed said they felt safer due to the number of people around normally quiet locations. </p>
<p>While any app of this nature comes with potential risks and players should consider advice of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/143359822402689/photos/a.155432537862084.40926.143359822402689/1141877905884204/?type=3&theater">local law enforcement agencies</a>, for the moment, the game seems to be encouraging players to get out and meet new people. </p>
<p>In an age where so much technology is criticised for encouraging sedentary and anti-social behaviour, something that encourages us to be active and more social is surely a good thing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62343/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Angus receives funding from The Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>The Pokemon GO craze has transformed a generation of gamers who admit they would otherwise be inside watching TV, surfing the internet, or playing console games.Daniel Angus, Lecturer, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/622782016-07-11T06:24:44Z2016-07-11T06:24:44ZThe Pokémon GO craze sees gamers hit the streets but it comes with a warning<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129973/original/image-20160711-24105-21qp4t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1517%2C1023&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Playing Pokemon Go.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWtDeeXtMZM">Pokemon Go/YouTube/Screenshot</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In 2014, as part of its traditional April Fool’s pranks, Google released a video in which Google Maps VP Brian McClendon announced a job opening for a Pokémon Master.</p>
<p>The video showed candidates travelling around the world, from the tallest mountains to the middle of the ocean in their search for the rarest creatures. Instead of pokéballs, they used their phones to capture them.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4YMD6xELI_k?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Google’s prank captured viewers imaginations and became a reality.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fast forward two years and the video that started as a tongue-in-cheek prank became reality with the release of <a href="http://www.pokemongo.com/">Pokémon GO</a>, a free-to-play mobile game that enables players to capture Pokémon through the magic of augmented reality.</p>
<h2>A new look for a classic game</h2>
<p>The Pokémon franchise started in 1996 as titles for the <a href="https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Corporate/Nintendo-History/Game-Boy/Game-Boy-627031.html">Nintendo Game Boy</a> and has since expanded into seven generations of successful games, films, toys, and trading cards.</p>
<p>In these games, players explore a fictional world capturing wild Pokémon – <strong>Po</strong>-c-<strong>ke</strong>-t <strong>Mon</strong>-sters with special powers – which they can use to battle and trade with other players. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PFp23ioZsCI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The first generation of Pokémon games for the Game Boy.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Pokémon GO adapts many of the mechanics of its predecessors into a new medium. Similarly to previous games, players control an avatar and must find, capture and battle Pokémon. </p>
<p>But in the new game, the creatures are hiding in the real world around us and must be discovered by physically walking to specific spots in the city.</p>
<p>The game uses an augmented reality interface that overlays the 3D digital content of the game onto the phone’s camera feed. This way, the smartphone acts as a magic lens through which players can see their Pokémon as if they were in physical space. </p>
<p>Exciting features planned for the future include the capability to <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/7/10/12139474/pokemon-go-trading-augmented-reality-niantic-ceo-john-hanke">trade Pokémon with other players</a> and the <a href="http://www.pokemongo.com/en-us/pokemon-go-plus/">Pokémon GO Plus</a>, a Bluetooth low-energy wearable device that notifies players when there are creatures nearby.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qryf2F_QfXg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Capturing Pokémon in augmented reality.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Location, location, location</h2>
<p>Similar games have been extensively studied in academic research. Technically, Pokémon GO is a type of <a href="dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1077257">Pervasive Game</a>, lying at the intersection between <a href="dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2434672">location-based gaming</a> and <a href="dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2381879">augmented reality gaming</a>.</p>
<p>Pervasive games are those that blur the line between the physical world and the game world. Location-based games are aware of players’ geographical positions and adapt the gameplay to their context. </p>
<p>They often rely on technologies such as GPS and WiFi signals to pinpoint player’s location and combine this information with metadata about nearby services and landmarks.</p>
<p>Augmented reality games blend digital content into the real world, either with a projector (Microsoft’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILb5ExBzHqw">RoomAlive</a> turns any room into an augmented space) or by rendering graphics onto the video feed from a camera (PlayStation’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JFDVVrqphI">Wonderbook: Book of Spells</a> creates a magical experience around a physical book).</p>
<p>Though games similar to Pokémon GO already existed with moderate success, only the power of a popular franchise like Pokémon could bring them into the mainstream.</p>
<p>The game was developed by <a href="https://www.nianticlabs.com/">Niantic, Inc.</a>, a Google spin-off with previous success in <a href="https://www.ingress.com/">location-based mobile games</a> and quickly skyrocketed to the top of the download charts. </p>
<p>Within a day of its release last week, the app topped <a href="http://au.ign.com/articles/2016/07/07/pokemon-go-is-the-top-grossing-app-on-the-us-app-store">iTunes charts</a> and bumped up <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com.au/nintendo-stock-price-july-11-2016-7">Nintendo’s share prices</a>. </p>
<p>The game was initially launched only in <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2016/07/07/uk-europe-south-america-when-will-pokemon-go-launch-in-canada-and-the-rest-of-the-world/#4842ecaa49ad">Australia and New Zealand</a>, following on to the United States, but eager players elsewhere have found workarounds for these location limitations. </p>
<h2>Warning! Wild Pokémon in the area</h2>
<p>As with any piece of software, the game did ship with its own <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2016/07/07/ios-android-nintendo-pokemon-go-review-day-one-bugs-monsters-and-glitches/#3467a701315e">technical issues</a>, such as bugs, glitches and server connection problems, but these are likely to be solved as <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2016/07/08/pokemon-go-global-rollout-pauses-to-fix-server-problems/">updates and patches</a> are rolled out. </p>
<p>Other problems are inherent to the technologies it uses. Due to the long time the screen has to be on, combined with intense use of the camera, 3D rendering and GPS, a Pokémon hunt can quickly drain your phone’s battery.</p>
<p>But because it is an inherently social and outdoors game, it also presents a whole new category of problems. The game requires players to walk around while dividing their attention between the phone and their surroundings, so it increases the risk of <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/technology/smartphone-apps/pokemon-gos-unexpected-side-effect-injuries-20160710-gq2squ.html">injury</a>. </p>
<p>Several features of the app are location-dependent, requiring players to be physically present at that location to trigger a game event. Whereas most of the time, this offers players an opportunity to explore and discover new spots in their cities, it also creates awkward situations.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/07/pokemon-go-trainers-please-dont-wander-into-the-police-station/">A police station in Darwin</a> was tagged as a PokéStop (a landmark where players can get resources to capture more Pokémon), causing officers to publish a warning on their Facebook page that it was not necessary to actually enter the building to obtain in-game benefits.</p>
<p>The way in which the game tags important locations has also caused problems for the unlucky owners of properties inadvertently designated as in-game “gyms”, causing players <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/gaming/pokemon-go-man-s-house-accidentally-turned-into-a-gym-causing-huge-problems-a7129756.html">to trespass and loiter</a>. </p>
<p>In its choice of city landmarks, the game’s algorithm often chooses delicate or inappropriate locations. We compiled the Tumblr page <a href="http://pokemorbid.tumblr.com/">PokéMorbid</a> with a series of examples, including war memorials and mausoleums tagged as “gyms”, and Pokémon suddenly appearing at funerals and hospitals. </p>
<p>Even more sinister events have been reported in the media. In Wyoming, a teenager playing the game stumbled upon a <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/7/8/12132746/pokemon-go-teen-discovers-dead-body-wyoming">dead body</a> floating in a river and in Missouri, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jul/10/pokemon-go-armed-robbers-dead-body">armed robbers</a> used the app to lure victims into a trap. </p>
<h2>Games for the next generation</h2>
<p>Despite the hiccups along the way, Pokémon GO has successfully brought pervasive gaming into the mainstream. Whereas it is unlikely that we will start seeing pervasive versions of every beloved game from our childhoods, this game really highlights the potential for this technology.</p>
<p>Upcoming augmented reality headsets such as the <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-hololens/en-us">Microsoft Hololens</a> have the potential to make such games even more immersive.</p>
<p>In the meantime, we can enjoy rediscovering our cities while we “catch'em all”. Just be careful not bump into tree as you try to capture that Pikachu.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62278/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eduardo Velloso receives funding from the Victorian State Government and Microsoft through their contributions to the Microsoft Research Centre for Social Natural User Interfaces (SocialNUI).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marcus Carter receives funding from the Victorian State Government and Microsoft through his contributions to the Microsoft Research Centre for Social Natural User Interfaces (SocialNUI).</span></em></p>Within days of its release the new Pokémon Go had got people pounding the streets trying to capture virtual creatures. But already there are concerns over the risks it poses to gamers.Eduardo Velloso, Research Fellow, Microsoft Research Centre for Social Natural User Interfaces, The University of MelbourneMarcus Carter, SocialNUI Research Fellow, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/600332016-07-07T02:11:02Z2016-07-07T02:11:02ZDebunking one of the biggest stereotypes about women in the gaming community<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129478/original/image-20160706-795-1dk9ely.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C1%2C1112%2C735&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When girl gamers do well, men will often find ways to discredit the success.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?autocomplete_id=&language=en&lang=en&search_source=&safesearch=1&version=llv1&searchterm=woman%20video%20games&media_type=images&media_type2=images&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=262149974">'Gamer' via www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Although women now make up <a href="http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/">almost half of all video game players</a>, the gaming community remains, in some ways, hostile toward women.</p>
<p>For example, the <a href="http://gawker.com/what-is-gamergate-and-why-an-explainer-for-non-geeks-1642909080">GamerGate controversy</a>, which began in 2014 and involved a harassment campaign against prominent female gamers, journalists and designers, reflected a longstanding undercurrent of misogyny and sexism in the community. In some cases, those who challenged the sexism found themselves <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/technology/gamergate-women-video-game-threats-anita-sarkeesian.html">threatened with rape or death</a>. </p>
<p>There’s also the long-held stereotype that men are simply better gamers than women. Women gamers are often perceived as incompetent players who aren’t genuinely interested in the games but rather sign up to get attention. If a female gamer <em>does</em> play well, she’s often derided as a hacker – someone who cheats to gain an advantage – because “<a href="http://www.pcgamesn.com/counter-strike-global-offensive/how-the-deck-is-stacked-against-women-in-e-sports">there is no way a girl can be that good</a>.”</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcc4.12159/abstract">2016 study</a>, we set out to examine whether men really make better gamers than women and, if so, what drove the gender performance gap. Specifically, we wanted to compare how quickly men and women leveled up in Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games, which are online worlds where thousands of players develop characters, make friends, join groups, complete quests and slay dragons together. </p>
<p>If men are actually better gamers than women, they should advance to higher levels within the same amount of play time. But if they don’t progress any faster, this finding would help refute one of the most pervasive stereotypes that continues to exist in the gaming community.</p>
<h2>Getting to the next level</h2>
<p>Our research used anonymous server data from over 10,000 men and women in two MMOs, “<a href="https://www.everquest2.com/home">EverQuest II</a>” in the United States and “<a href="http://jx3.xoyo.com/">Chevaliers’ Romance III</a>” in China. We knew each player’s actual gender through their account registration information. </p>
<p>When players finish quests and kill monsters in MMOs, they earn experience points. When experience points reach a threshold, the player ascends to the next “level,” which unlocks new abilities, skills and access to new content. As in most video games, levels indicate a player’s progress.</p>
<p>Naturally, players spending a lot of time in the game are likely to reach high levels. That is why the <em>speed</em> of leveling up, rather than the level itself, measures performance in our study. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129570/original/image-20160706-12703-rjvvs6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129570/original/image-20160706-12703-rjvvs6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129570/original/image-20160706-12703-rjvvs6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129570/original/image-20160706-12703-rjvvs6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129570/original/image-20160706-12703-rjvvs6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129570/original/image-20160706-12703-rjvvs6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129570/original/image-20160706-12703-rjvvs6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A still from EverQuest II, one of the two MMO games analyzed in the study.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/p-m-m/7051161293/in/photolist-bK63Ar-57iJyg-BbAid-BbAie-8xS5TZ-AXRg-AXS1-PHHRW-PHFQm-btSzpM-2bTDdn-6AAEKF-6AENWj-bwbhUA-bwbhXf-2bTDhz-GH7R9-2bTDev-3kavfx-6ADsa2-6ADxDr-6AqeDv-6ADvwt-6AADTR-6AQbMY-3keX71-PHHnu-6AAAjz-6AHaXS-PHFQE-2bTDf2-6Aunmb-6AD25Z-6ACPLt-6AtZzw-6AHp1G-6AD9xK-6AquMg-6AqdkF-57nVGJ-PHHn5-6AuaBh-6Au7Qm-6AHogf-6ACW4H-PHHnj-PHHnE-PHHn3-6AEUU7-PHFPy">Phil... Just Phil/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Before getting to our findings, we want to point out a couple of things we took into consideration. First, players who had reached the top level in the games were excluded in our analyses. Because top-level players couldn’t advance any further, their rate of leveling up was essentially zero. We removed these players to avoid confounding our analyses, but this also meant that we were not able to measure gender differences between the most advanced players. </p>
<p>Second, our analysis recognized that the rate of leveling up slows down as players progress. For example, it would take a lot more time and effort for a level 60 player to level up than a level 30 player. Therefore, our analysis compared apples to apples by evaluating players’ performance only against others who were at the same level.</p>
<p>Contrary to the stereotype, we found that player gender itself does not cause performance differences. Instead, the perception of women as poor gamers is fueled by other factors. For example, we found that women spent less time playing overall than men and chose more assistive character classes, such as Priests, who fare better healing group members than fighting on their own. When we took such factors into account by statistically controlling them in the analyses, the gender performance gap disappeared; women advanced at least as fast as men did in both games. </p>
<p>We also realized that different players are interested in different aspects of MMOs, and a few of those differences may correlate with gender. There’s some <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2009.01453.x/abstract">empirical evidence</a> that men tend to focus more on achievement in video games – leveling up rapidly, gaining in-game status and competing against others – while women are drawn to social interactions, whether it’s helping other players or forming long-term relationships. </p>
<p>This suggests that men should advance faster than women. However, we found the opposite: Women advanced at least as fast as men did. So taking into account different play motivations (which we were unable to do in this study’s analysis) likely only strengthens our conclusions.</p>
<h2>Beyond video games</h2>
<p>The stereotype that women are inferior gamers is not only false, but could also make women more easily discouraged and less likely to play in the first place. Of course, this gender performance stereotype exists in a number of other contexts. In the software development community GitHub, for example, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/12/women-considered-better-coders-hide-gender-github">women are perceived as worse coders than men</a>.</p>
<p>Our research has notable implications for this important social issue. Studies have shown that <a href="http://pss.sagepub.com/content/18/10/850.abstract">video games can be an important gateway to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields</a>. If stereotypes about girls and women are preventing them from playing, then it could <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samantha-parent/why-our-daughters-should-play-more-video-games_b_8044800.html">potentially contribute to preexisting gender inequality and stereotyping in these fields</a>. </p>
<p>One approach to dealing with this issue is to promote stereotype-free gaming experiences for women and girls through <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=OsRY-40AAAAJ&citation_for_view=OsRY-40AAAAJ:IjCSPb-OGe4C">female-supportive gaming communities</a>, such as the <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3021963/most-creative-people/the-girl-gamers-of-pms-clan-can-own-you-any-time-of-the-month">PMS Clan</a>, one of the oldest and most renowned female-oriented gaming communities in the world. Scholars such as <a href="http://gabrielarichard.com/">Gabriela Richard</a> at Pennsylvania State University have found that members of these communities are more confident and perceive themselves as better gamers. </p>
<p>Game designers can also help. They have the ability to construct the games to make them less hostile and more welcoming to female players. For example, Riot Games established the Tribunal, a system that <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/can-a-video-game-company-tame-toxic-behaviour-1.19647">allows the player community to review reported bad behaviors from fellow players</a>, and then vote on whether to punish the offender. Banned players also get a “reform card” with the details of the offense, as well as judgments from the Tribunal. So far, the Tribunal has significantly reduced online harassment. </p>
<p>While programs like Tribunal are a starting point in the larger battle to end gender stereotypes, our findings will hopefully allow female gamers to realize that, when it comes to inherent skill, they’re on a level playing field.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/60033/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cuihua Shen receives funding from the National Science Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rabindra Ratan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many think that men are simply better than women at video games. Researchers recently compared performances of male and female gamers to determine if there’s truth to this assumption.Cuihua Shen, Professor of Communication, University of California, DavisRabindra Ratan, Assistant Professor of Communication, Michigan State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/567692016-04-14T10:06:48Z2016-04-14T10:06:48ZHow playing video games can change your retirement<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/117516/original/image-20160405-28955-1tobuef.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">These Second Life characters could form part of a fulfilling retirement.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASecond_Life_11th_Birthday_Live_Drax_Files_Radio_Hour.jpg">HyacintheLuynes</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The teenagers who were hooked on Pac-Man in the arcades and amusement parks of the early 1980s are getting ready for retirement, but many of them have never stopped playing video games. In fact, it doesn’t look like they are going to stop gaming anytime soon.</p>
<p>The percentage of U.S. gamers who are over age 50 has increased rapidly, from just 9 percent in 1999 to 27 percent in 2015, according to the <a href="http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ESA-Essential-Facts-2015.pdf">Entertainment Software Association’s annual reports</a>. This is a global trend. In Europe, a <a href="http://www.isfe.eu/sites/isfe.eu/files/attachments/euro_summary_-_isfe_consumer_study.pdf">2012 study by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe</a> found that 27 percent of people between 55 and 64 played video games; in <a href="http://www.igea.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Digital-Australia-2016-DA16-Final.pdf">Australia in 2015</a>, 41 percent of people between 65 and 74 played video games.</p>
<p>These numbers may seem big, but they are just the tip of an enormous iceberg. The silver-haired gamer generation is not nearly as large as the number of current high school and college students who are obsessed with gaming and e-sports. Today’s number – 37 million American gamers over 50 – could balloon to 105 million by 2045, if <a href="http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/">U.N. population predictions</a> bear out and the share of gamers in the population remains the same as was found in a <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2008/12/07/adults-and-video-games/">2008 Pew Research Center study</a>.</p>
<p>As a researcher into games in later life, I would argue that this phenomenon potentially offers great health outcomes. Though playing video games is not typically seen as something that older adults do, there is <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/amp/69/1/66/">academic literature</a> that discusses its many benefits: it activates the mind and body, and it facilitates social connectedness. </p>
<p>Considering that many older adults suffer from social isolation and age-related decline in cognitive and physical capabilities, playing video games could be a game changer for how we age. To achieve this, game producers need to change how they develop and design video games, keeping this potentially large demographic in mind.</p>
<h2>Accessibility matters</h2>
<p>If older people are going to remain – or even become – gamers as they age, video games need to be accessible for aging players.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/118169/original/image-20160411-21950-1y9cy4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/118169/original/image-20160411-21950-1y9cy4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/118169/original/image-20160411-21950-1y9cy4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=361&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/118169/original/image-20160411-21950-1y9cy4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=361&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/118169/original/image-20160411-21950-1y9cy4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=361&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/118169/original/image-20160411-21950-1y9cy4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/118169/original/image-20160411-21950-1y9cy4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/118169/original/image-20160411-21950-1y9cy4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hearthstone, an electronic card game that is based on World of Warcraft.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/colonyofgamers/12101879336/">colonyofgamers/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That means games need to provide learning curves that are optimized for older audiences. Unfortunately, even very well-crafted games can be difficult to learn for older players who have limited experience playing games. I tried out <a href="http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/">Hearthstone</a> with the Adult Gamers Club I organize on a regular basis. While the game has a great tutorial that works well for younger players, some of the over-50 club members struggled immensely to complete it. The amount of information, the card-game jargon and the pace at which this information is provided simply proved to be too much for some of them. These people are all healthy older adults with no significant age-related disabilities, but they could nonetheless use some minor accommodations when learning how to play a relatively simple card game such as Hearthstone.</p>
<p>Older adults who have significant age-related disabilities may need many other accommodations. Thankfully, the International Game Developers Association has a group focused on accessibility, with a <a href="http://www.gameaccessibilityguidelines.com">website</a> offering many recommendations for how to ensure games can be played by people with varying age-related conditions, such as hearing, ambulatory, vision and cognitive difficulties. Common customization features such as contrast adjustments, configurable input, color calibration, sound level adjustments and closed captions already make a big difference in increasing games’ accessibility. </p>
<p>The more games meet these recommendations, the longer people will be able to keep playing games. Without accessibility, game developers will have a hard time retaining an aging audience: more than one-third of people 65 and older have reported a disability, according to the <a href="http://www.aoa.acl.gov/aging_statistics/Profile/2014/16.aspx">U.S. Department of Health and Human Services</a>. Other <a href="http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-17.pdf">studies</a> report even higher numbers – and those are difficulties that qualify as a disability. Some age-related constraints will prevent players from playing certain games before they are actually a disability. For example, reduced reaction speeds can result in a game becoming unplayable well before any problems for daily life activities are noticed.</p>
<h2>Seeking meaning</h2>
<p>Games also need to be interesting – even meaningful – for older gamers.</p>
<p>First, the <a href="http://nms.sagepub.com/content/17/7/1170.short">research</a> has demonstrated a few trends. Like younger audiences, older adults play a very broad range of games. They particularly enjoy games that provide an intellectual challenge and a mature story. They tend to dislike games that require fast reaction speeds or that are very violent or overly sexualized.</p>
<p>Second, <a href="http://gac.sagepub.com/content/3/2/142.short">research</a> shows that older adults feel that the mainstream game industry does not pay enough attention to them, and that many video games are derivative of preexisting games and put too much emphasis on graphics and not enough on meaningful or innovative content.</p>
<p>Marketing of video games toward older players has largely focused on health outcomes, rather than entertaining or meaningful gameplay. Just think about brain games such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_Age:_Train_Your_Brain_in_Minutes_a_Day!">Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!</a>. </p>
<p>While games like these could potentially be good for their players, <a href="http://longevity3.stanford.edu/blog/2014/10/15/the-consensus-on-the-brain-training-industry-from-the-scientific-community-2/">research</a> has not provided compelling scientific evidence that these games can reduce or reverse cognitive decline. Outside of health games, there has been little marketing toward older players, and whenever older players are featured in a game themselves, they are typically stereotyped, disenfranchised or <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sara_Iversen/publication/281447662_Not_without_my_kitties_The_old_woman_in_casual_games/links/55e823d808ae65b63899707c.pdf">used for comedy</a>.</p>
<h2>Untapped potential</h2>
<p>Considering all this, there is a lot of untouched potential for video games in later life. Nonetheless, the future looks extremely bright. </p>
<p>I can picture my own retirement already. If I were a healthy person aged 65 or older today, I would exercise my wits by trying to reach legendary rank in <a href="http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/">Hearthstone</a>, get an occasional workout in with the <a href="http://www.htcvive.com/us/">HTC Vive</a>, keep my fingers nimble by casually playing <a href="http://www.smashbros.com/">Super Smash Bros.</a> with my retired peers, keep an active online social life by leading a guild of older players in <a href="http://www.thesecretworld.com/">The Secret World</a>, and eat up every great new indie game that came out (such as <a href="http://www.herstorygame.com/">Her Story</a> or <a href="http://papersplea.se/">Papers, Please</a>). And I would probably try to make some extra cash by being a <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/broadcast">Twitch streamer</a> while I am playing all these games.</p>
<p>This is a very different gaming diet than what most people seem to expect when I talk to them about older players. Nonetheless, there is a great big world outside of solitaire, Sudoku and brain games for older players to explore, and it arguably has a lot more to offer them as well.</p>
<p>We should therefore make sure that tomorrow’s games are ready to meet the needs of its aging players in both their design and marketing.</p>
<p><em>This article was updated May 4, 2016, to correct the decade in which Pac-Man was released.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/56769/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bob De Schutter does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>If game producers get better at targeting older gamers, many effects of aging - social, cognitive and physical - could be reduced.Bob De Schutter, C. Michael Armstrong Professor of Applied Game Design, Miami UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/545952016-03-28T19:07:31Z2016-03-28T19:07:31ZHow eye tracking gives players a new experience in video games<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115929/original/image-20160322-32283-18p5ob0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Division video games uses eye tracking technology to help target the enemy.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-N9alJb3Cw">Tobii EyeX/YouTube screengrab</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Tracking people’s eye movements is a concept that for a long time has captured people’s imagination. More often than not, the technology has been depicted as part of rather dystopian futures: in the movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181689/">Minority Report</a>, police could track your every move through your eyes; in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2089049/">Fifteen Million Merits</a>, part of the television series Black Mirror, adverts would pause when you looked away, forcing you to pay attention. </p>
<p>The reality of eye tracking, however, can be a lot more fun than that. In particular, our research group has been interested in the applications of eye tracking for gaming. </p>
<h2>From the lab to the home</h2>
<p>Eye trackers used to cost tens of thousands of dollars and were precious pieces of equipment at psychology labs. While expensive high-speed trackers still have their place in eye movement research, eye trackers for gaming purposes can now be bought for just a few hundred dollars.</p>
<p>Examples include the <a href="http://www.tobii.com/xperience/">Tobii EyeX</a>, the <a href="https://steelseries.com/gaming-controllers/sentry-gaming-eye-tracker">Steelseries Sentry</a> and the <a href="https://theeyetribe.com/">EyeTribe</a>. We are also starting to see <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2016/02/08/msi-tobii-eye-tracking-laptop/">laptops</a>
that ship with built-in eye trackers.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SYwd9Lt1ve4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>But these devices still lack <a href="http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/45817/killer-app">a killer app</a>, a compelling use case that provides a compelling reason for people to adopt the technology.</p>
<p>Gaming might very well suit this role. </p>
<p>An eye tracker is made of little more than a camera and a few LEDs to be attached to the bottom of a screen. The difference to a regular webcam is that they operate in the infra-red spectrum so that the variation in people’s eye and skin colour does not interfere in the tracking.</p>
<p>Sophisticated algorithms then convert the image from the camera into a pair of coordinates that represent where you are looking at on the screen: the gaze point. Though deceptively simple, these coordinates offer a wealth of opportunities for developers to incorporate into their games. </p>
<h2>What to do with the gaze point?</h2>
<p>The simplest mechanic that can be built for the eyes is to use them as a cursor, similarly to how we use the mouse. </p>
<p>Variations of this include using them to select and place <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuMXI4jEtHw">chess pieces</a>, to move the weapon cross-hair in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldw3HugJ2rE">first-person shooter game</a>, and to replace the mouse enabling <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13830-eye-tracking-interface-means-gamers-looks-can-kill/">disabled users to play</a>.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bwfc03vm97o?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Gaze data can also be combined with the keyboard and mouse to create more immersive experiences. In <a href="http://assassinscreed.ubi.com/en-au/games/assassins-creed-rogue.aspx">Assassin’s Creed Rogue</a>, when the player looks at a point in the environment the character faces that direction, allowing for a more natural exploration of the environment.</p>
<p>Tom Clancy’s <a href="http://tomclancy-thedivision.ubi.com/game/en-AU/home/index.aspx">The Division</a> incorporates several gaze mechanics, including aiming, throwing grenades, looking for cover, and <a href="http://www.tobii.com/xperience/apps/the-division/">many more</a>.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H-N9alJb3Cw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>The advantage of using gaze is that developers can still reach players who do not own an eye tracker yet, but offer an extra experience for those who do. </p>
<h2>The future of eye tracking in games</h2>
<p>One of the coolest aspects of gaze as an input method is that it goes well beyond issuing explicit commands to games. </p>
<p>First, the eyes play an important role in social interactions between people and this can be incorporated into <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_P2n-JmnTA">games</a>. For example, characters can get upset if you look away when they are speaking or maybe engage in a conversation when you first notice them. </p>
<p>Second, the eyes reveal a lot about our cognitive processes, which can be used by the game’s artificial intelligence to adapt the gameplay. For example, researchers have explored how to use players’ gaze to infer their strategies in <a href="http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2607029">Hex</a>, to predict their actions in <a href="http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/login.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6031988&url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fxpls%2Fabs_all.jsp%3Farnumber%3D6031988">Super Mario Bros</a> and to modify the narrative in <a href="http://wiki.cogain.org/images/6/6c/Digital_creativity_published.pdf">interactive storytelling</a>. This gives games an almost mind reading ability that can wow players (or possibly freak them out).</p>
<p>Third, eye trackers can provide professional and hardcore players with a powerful analytics tool for them to evaluate and improve their performance. For example, players can record their eye movements throughout the game session and later watch the video to check whether they were paying attention to the right areas at the right times. A heatmap of gaze points can also give players a snapshot of their overall visual attention and highlight areas that require more focus.</p>
<h2>A game-changer or just a gimmick?</h2>
<p>Eye tracking has been around for a long time, but it is yet to reach the wide consumer market. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HRFn32N7KFY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Recent examples, such as Pizza Hut’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/eyetracking-technology-knows-your-subconscious-pizza-desires-or-not-35132">gaze-enabled menu</a>, suggest that there certainly are interesting applications for the technology, but they still have to prove their value beyond gimmicky demos.</p>
<p>The Nintendo Wii Controller and the Microsoft Kinect have shown that gaming can be a powerful platform to demonstrate the capabilities of unusual input devices.</p>
<p>We will keep our eyes open to see if the same will happen for gaze.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/54595/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eduardo Velloso receives funding from the Victorian State Government and Microsoft through their contributions to the Microsoft Research Centre for Social Natural User Interfaces (SocialNUI).
</span></em></p>The ability to track where you are looking on screen opens up new options for video game players and developers. But is eye-tracking technology a gimmick or a game changer for the gaming industry?Eduardo Velloso, Research Fellow, Microsoft Research Centre for Social Natural User Interfaces, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/542772016-03-09T08:56:49Z2016-03-09T08:56:49ZWhat your gaming name reveals about your personality<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113455/original/image-20160301-31053-1ai5jyn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">League of Legends screenshot.</span> </figcaption></figure><p>People online often live behind a veil of anonymity – and video gamers are no exception. Hundreds of millions of people play online games every day and are known to others only by the short user name they choose for themselves. But recently it <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2015/research/usernames-video-gamers/">was discovered</a> that those user names have a bit more to them then just a random assortment of words and numbers. They can, in fact, reveal a lot about a player’s personality.</p>
<p>Online video games are intriguing targets for psychologists: some of them – in particular tactical multiplayer games such as <a href="http://www.leagueoflegends.com">League of Legends</a> (LoL), are dynamic, problem-solving environments that require vast amounts of tactical planning, experience and learning. In some respects, we can think of League of Legends and similar types of “<a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/multiplayer-online-battle-arena/3015-6598/">multiplayer online battle arenas</a>” as the 21st century’s version of chess.</p>
<p>A single game of LoL offers each player dozens of choices: which character to play (aggressive or defensive, “support” or “carry”), whether to act as a team player or play in a more individual style, whether to adopt “safe” or “risky” strategies with predictable or unpredictable payoffs, and whether to use the same tactics from game to game or branch out and try something new each time. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113456/original/image-20160301-31040-1uj9ked.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113456/original/image-20160301-31040-1uj9ked.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113456/original/image-20160301-31040-1uj9ked.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113456/original/image-20160301-31040-1uj9ked.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113456/original/image-20160301-31040-1uj9ked.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113456/original/image-20160301-31040-1uj9ked.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113456/original/image-20160301-31040-1uj9ked.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What’s in a gaming name?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Iryna Tiumentseva/Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In our research, we teamed up with <a href="http://www.riotgames.com/">Riot Games</a> (the makers of LoL), to look at the types of user names people were creating. We noticed that some players used highly antisocial words in their user names. </p>
<p>We will not sully your eyes with graphic examples, dear reader, but suffice it to say that they include vicious racial and sexual epithets that go far beyond the cheeky banter that you might expect from a typical young adult. “<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563215301655">Who would call themselves that</a>?” we asked ourselves – and the answer, we suspected, was someone who exhibited antisocial tendencies in real life. </p>
<p>In their user names, players also often include two or four digit numbers – which are commonly thought to refer to their year of birth. We checked this assumption (by comparing these dates to the ones provided in the registration information) and found that the two were highly, although not perfectly, correlated. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/110596/original/image-20160208-2592-n9urbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/110596/original/image-20160208-2592-n9urbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/110596/original/image-20160208-2592-n9urbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/110596/original/image-20160208-2592-n9urbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/110596/original/image-20160208-2592-n9urbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/110596/original/image-20160208-2592-n9urbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/110596/original/image-20160208-2592-n9urbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A League of Legends game in progress. Games typically last about half an hour and pit two teams of five players against each other. Teams compete to overtake the enemy base. Each player controls a single character with a unique combination of abilities.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So for some players, it seemed, we could penetrate the veil of the user name and extract two important measures: their “<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563215301655">antisocial naming tendency</a>” and their age. We figured that if people bring their real world attributes into the online world, it would also tell us something about how players behaved within the game. </p>
<p>Linking particular personality traits to game data would seem to be a hard task. Did that player retreat from a battle because they are risk averse or because they are a brilliant strategist? Did they collect more resources than their team mates because they have an obsessive, acquisitive nature or because the in game character they have chosen will perform best with a lot of “power-ups”? </p>
<p>To the rescue came a <a href="https://support.riotgames.com/hc/en-us/articles/201752884-Reporting-a-Player">reporting system</a> Riot Games embedded in LoL specifically to moderate antisocial behaviour.</p>
<p>These reports reflect the behaviour of players within the game. Players who act in an antisocial manner (for example, by deliberately “throwing” a game or swearing at others) will receive negative reports, while helpful, collaborative players will receive positive feedback. </p>
<p>Generally speaking, younger people tend to have <a href="https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/defining-features-of-personality-disorders-impulse-control-problems/">weaker impulse control</a>, poorer social skills and take offence more easily. We <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563215301655">found that players </a> who were young or who had antisocial user names would tend to receive and send more negative feedback. Meanwhile, older, more mature players, or those with inoffensive user names, would have relatively positive interactions with their teammates. So what does this research mean for gamers? </p>
<p>While identifying players who might require more attention or moderation may of course be a valuable step towards improving the quality of a game, the possibilities don’t stop there. With discussions of video games being used as a way of monitoring <a href="https://patients.aan.com/resources/neurologynow/index.cfm?event=home.showArticle&id=ovid.com%3A%2Fbib%2Fovftdb%2F01222928-201410030-00017">neurological diseases</a> such as dementia or stroke in the future, the practical applications of this research could go well beyond gaming. It’s an exciting new world to explore.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/54277/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Wade receives funding from the Digital Creativity Hub (funded by the ESRC) and the EPSRC-funded 'Intelligent Games and Game Intelligence' (IGGI) doctoral training programme.
Data and analytic support were supplied by Riot Games (Santa Monica) and two Riot employees are authors on the paper.
</span></em></p>They may offer a cloak of anonymity, but you can peep behind the veil and learn a little about who’s at the controls.Alex Wade, Professor of Psychology, University of YorkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.