tag:theconversation.com,2011:/nz/topics/games-27425/articlesGames – The Conversation2024-03-13T16:44:21Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2240992024-03-13T16:44:21Z2024-03-13T16:44:21ZI created a ‘cosy game’ – and learned how they can change players’ lives<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578950/original/file-20240229-30-ra1ord.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3964%2C2245&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Cosy games exploded in popularity during the pandemic.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/cozy-pixel-art-lofi-banner-8bit-2319246649">Takoyaki Tech/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The COVID pandemic transformed our lives in ways many of us are still experiencing, four years later. One of these changes was the significant uptake in gaming as a hobby, chief among them being “cosy games” <a href="https://theconversation.com/cosy-gaming-how-curling-up-with-animal-crossing-is-changing-what-it-means-to-be-a-gamer-196609">like Animal Crossing: New Horizons</a> (2020).</p>
<p>Players sought comfort in these wholesome virtual worlds, many of which allowed them to socialise from the safety of their homes. Cosy games, with their comforting atmospheres, absence of winning or losing, simple gameplay, and often heartwarming storylines provided a perfect entry point for a new hobby. They also offered predictability and certainty at a time when there wasn’t much to go around.</p>
<p>Cosy games are often made by small, independent developers. “Indie games” have long been evangelised as the <a href="https://gamemaker.io/en/blog/what-are-indie-games">purest form of game development</a> – something anyone can do, given enough perseverance. This means they can provide an entry point for creators who hadn’t made games before, but were nevertheless interested in it, enabling a new array of diverse voices and stories to be heard.</p>
<p>In May 2020, near the start of the pandemic, the small poetry game <a href="https://videodante.itch.io/solitaryspacecraft">A Solitary Spacecraft</a>, which was about its developer’s experience of their first few months in lockdown, was lauded as <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/priceless-play-23-may-2020">particularly poignant</a>. Such games showcase a potential angle for effective cosy game development: a personal one. </p>
<p>Personal themes are often explored through cosy games. For instance, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTCB9oqWidQ">Chicory</a> and <a href="https://kotaku.com/venba-cooking-game-switch-pc-ps5-xbox-game-pass-review-1850696280">Venba</a> (both released in 2023) tackle difficult topics like depression and immigration, despite their gorgeous aesthetics. This showcases the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-gamergate-led-the-gaming-industry-to-embrace-more-diverse-and-caring-values-190068">diversity of experiences</a> on display within the medium. </p>
<p>However, as the world emerges from the pandemic’s shadow, the games industry is <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-video-game-industry-is-booming-why-are-there-so-many-layoffs-222685">facing significant challenges</a>. <a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/the-impact-of-16000-games-industry-layoffs-in-one-chart">Economic downturns and acquisitions</a> have caused large layoffs across the sector. </p>
<p>Historically, restructurings like these, or discontent with working conditions, have led talented laid-off developers to <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/04/16/the-story-behind-supergiant-games-bastion">create their own companies</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2021/05/12/book-review-jason-schreiers-press-reset-ruin-and-recovery-in-the-video-game-industry/?sh=5a245c8139b6">explore indie development</a>. In the wake of the pandemic and the cosy game boom, these developers may have more personal stories to tell.</p>
<h2>Making my own cosy game</h2>
<p>I developed my own cosy and personal game during the pandemic and quickly discovered that creating these games in a post-lockdown landscape is no mean feat.</p>
<p><a href="https://whatwetakewith.us/">What We Take With Us</a> (2023) merges reality and gameplay across various digital formats: a website, a Discord server that housed an online alternate reality game and a physical escape room. I created the game during the pandemic as a way to reflect on my journey through it, told through the videos of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr_2C1KIwdgg6cvEEMVXsdg">game character Ana Kirlitz</a>. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The trailer for my game, What We Take With Us.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Players would follow in Ana’s footsteps by completing a series of ten tasks in their real-world space, all centred on improving wellbeing – something I and many others desperately needed during the pandemic.</p>
<p>But creating What We Take With Us was far from straightforward. There were pandemic hurdles like creating a physical space for an escape room amid social distancing guidelines. And, of course, the emotional difficulties of wrestling with my pandemic journey through the game’s narrative. </p>
<p>The release fared poorly, and the game only garnered a small player base – <a href="https://www.polygon.com/2018/9/28/17911372/there-are-too-many-video-games-what-now-indiepocalypse">a problem emblematic of the modern games industry</a>.</p>
<p>These struggles were starkly contrasted by the feedback I received from players who played the game, however. </p>
<p>This is a crucial lesson for indie developers: the creator’s journey and the player’s experience are often worlds apart. Cosy, personal games, as I discovered, can change the lives of those who play them, no matter how few they reach. They can fundamentally change the way we think about games, allow us to reconnect with old friends, or even inspire us to change careers – all real player stories.</p>
<h2>Lessons in cosy game development</h2>
<p>I learned so much about how cosy game development can be made more sustainable for creators navigating the precarious post-lockdown landscape. This is my advice for other creators.</p>
<p>First, collaboration is key. Even though many cosy or personal games (like <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/stardew-valley-eric-barone-profile">Stardew Valley</a>) are made by solo creators, having a team can help share the often emotional load. Making games can be taxing, so practising self-care and establishing team-wide support protocols is crucial. Share your successes and failures with other developers and players. Fostering a supportive community is key to success in the indie game landscape.</p>
<p>Second, remember that your game, however personal, is a product – not a reflection of you or your team. Making this distinction will help you manage expectations and cope with feedback. </p>
<p>Third, while deeply considering your audience may seem antithetical to personal projects, your game will ultimately be played by others. Understanding them will help you make better games.</p>
<p>The pandemic reignited the interest in cosy games, but subsequent industry-wide troubles may change games, and the way we make them, forever. Understanding how we make game creation more sustainable in a post-lockdown, post-layoff world is critical for developers and players alike. </p>
<p>For developers, it’s a reminder that their stories, no matter how harrowing, can still meaningfully connect with people. For players, it’s an invitation to embrace the potential for games to tell such stories, fostering empathy and understanding in a world that greatly needs it.</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adam Jerrett 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>Cosy, personal games, as I discovered, can change the lives of the people who make them and those who play them.Adam Jerrett, Lecturer, Faculty of Creative & Cultural Industries, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2209152024-02-28T12:33:16Z2024-02-28T12:33:16ZAnyone can play Tetris, but architects, engineers and animators alike use the math concepts underlying the game<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572289/original/file-20240130-15-cg1jbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2991%2C2434&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tetris has hooked people for decades. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/MusicofGaming/8f0f44af03b145208aa578e21b453275/photo?Query=tetris&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=284&digitizationType=Digitized&currentItemNo=1&vs=true&vs=true">AP Photo/Richard Drew</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>With its bright colors, easy-to-learn rules and familiar music, the video game Tetris has endured as a pop culture icon over the last 40 years. Many people, like me, have been playing the game for decades, and it has evolved to adapt to new technologies like game systems, phones and tablets. But until January 2024, nobody had ever been able to beat it.</p>
<p>A teen from Oklahoma holds the Tetris title after he crashed the game on Level 157 and <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/why-everyone-is-obsessed-with-the-kid-who-beat-tetris/">beat the game</a>. Beating it means the player moved the tiles too fast for the game to keep up with the score, causing the game to crash. Artificial intelligence can <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-besting-tetris-ai-to-epic-speedruns-inside-gamings-most-thrilling-feats-220620">suggest strategies</a> that allow players to more effectively control the game tiles and slot them into place faster – these strategies helped crown the game’s first winner. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The Las Vegas sphere lit up with a massive game of Tetris in January 2024. The game’s appeal spans generations.</span></figcaption>
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<p>But there’s far more to Tetris than the elusive promise of winning. As a <a href="https://education.wfu.edu/about-the-department/faculty-and-staff-profiles/dr-leah-mccoy/">mathematician and mathematics educator</a>, I recognize that the game is based on a fundamental element of geometry, called dynamic spatial reasoning. The player uses these geometric skills to manipulate the game pieces, and playing can both test and improve a player’s dynamic spatial reasoning.</p>
<h2>Playing the game</h2>
<p>A Russian computer scientist named <a href="https://tetris.com/history-of-tetris">Alexey Pajitnov invented Tetris</a> in 1984. The game itself is very simple: The Tetris screen is composed of a rectangular game board with dropping geometric figures. These figures are called <a href="https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Tetromino.html">tetrominoes</a>, made up of four squares connected on their sides in seven different configurations. </p>
<p>The game pieces drop from the top, one at a time, stacking up from the bottom. <a href="https://tetris.com/article/33/tetris-tips-for-beginners">The player can manipulate each one</a> as it falls by turning or sliding it and then dropping it to the bottom. When a row completely fills up, it disappears and the player earns points. </p>
<p>As the game progresses, the pieces appear at the top more quickly, and the game ends when the stack reaches the top of the board.</p>
<h2>Dynamic spatial reasoning</h2>
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<span class="caption">A Tetris board.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Typical_Tetris_Game.svg">Brandenads/Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
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<p>Manipulating the game pieces gives the player an exercise in dynamic spatial reasoning. Spatial reasoning is the ability to visualize geometric figures and how they will move in space. So, dynamic spatial reasoning is the ability to visualize actively moving figures. </p>
<p>The Tetris player must quickly decide where the currently dropping game piece will best fit and then move it there. This movement involves both translation, or moving a shape right and left, and rotation, or twirling the shape in increments of 90 degrees on its axis.</p>
<p>Spatial visualization is partly inherent ability, but partly learned expertise. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016127">Some researchers</a> identify spatial skill as necessary for successful problem solving, and it’s often used alongside mathematics skills and verbal skills. </p>
<p>Spatial visualization is a key component of a mathematics discipline called transformational geometry, which is usually first taught in middle school. In a typical transformational geometry exercise, students might be asked to represent a figure by its x and y coordinates on a coordinate graph and then <a href="https://www.cuemath.com/geometry/transformations/">identify the transformations</a>, like translation and rotation, necessary to move it from one position to another while keeping the piece the same shape and size.</p>
<p>Reflection and dilation are the two other basic mathematical transformations, though they’re not used in Tetris. Reflection flips the image across any line while maintaining the same size and shape, and dilation changes the size of the shape, producing a similar figure. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Transformations may seem simple, but they underlie lots of more complex math concepts.</span></figcaption>
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<p>For many students, these exercises are tedious, as they involve plotting many points on graphs to move a figure’s position. But games like Tetris can help students grasp these concepts in a dynamic and engaging way.</p>
<h2>Transformational geometry beyond Tetris</h2>
<p>While it may seem simple, transformational geometry is the foundation for several advanced topics in mathematics. Architects and engineers both use transformations to draw up blueprints, which represent the real world in <a href="https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/scale-drawings-and-models">scale drawings</a>. </p>
<p>Animators and computer graphic designers use concepts of transformations as well. <a href="https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/pixar/animate">Animation</a> involves representing a figure’s coordinates in a matrix array and then creating a sequence to change its position, which moves it across the screen. While animators today use computer programs that automatically move figures around, they are all based on translation.</p>
<p>Calculus and differential geometry also use transformation. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371605360_Some_optimization_problems_with_calculus">The concept of optimization</a> involves representing a situation <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/function-mathematics">as a function</a> and then finding the maximum or minimum value of that function. Optimization problems often involve graphic representations where the student uses transformations to manipulate one or more of the variables.</p>
<p>Lots of real-world applications use optimization – for example, businesses might want to find out the minimum cost of distributing a product. Another example is figuring out the size of a theoretical box with the largest possible volume.</p>
<p>All of these advanced topics use the same concepts as the simple moves of Tetris.</p>
<p>Tetris is an engaging and entertaining video game, and players with transformational geometry skills might find success playing it. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9498-z">Research has found</a> that manipulating rotations and translations within the game can provide a solid conceptual foundation for advanced mathematics in numerous science fields.</p>
<p>Playing Tetris <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01990.x">may lead students</a> to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00221320209598683">a future aptitude</a> in business analytics, engineering or computer science – and it’s fun. As a mathematics educator, I encourage students and friends to play on.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220915/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leah McCoy 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>People young and old love the classic video game Tetris. A working knowledge of the spatial reasoning concepts underlying Tetris can set students up for success in mathematics.Leah McCoy, Professor of Education, Wake Forest UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2148372023-10-08T19:26:28Z2023-10-08T19:26:28ZAustralian video-game music is an exciting area of cultural activity – and you should be paying attention<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552259/original/file-20231005-15-vd064x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C2986%2C1994&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-woman-playing-with-a-video-game-console-7382425/">Pexels/Polina Tankilevitch</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>An enthusiastic, sellout crowd arrived at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall in September to hear an evening of music from Orchestra Victoria. </p>
<p>The program consisted largely of Australian music and premiere performances. If the sight of over 2,500 filled seats (filled, anecdotally, by those much younger than the typical orchestra audience) did not indicate how deeply this music was loved, then the standing ovation at the end of the night would leave no-one in doubt.</p>
<p>This packed concert, however, wasn’t a performance of a symphonic great or even a major film soundtrack. It was an evening of music created for video games.</p>
<p>Video games are now a cultural activity for <a href="https://igea.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/IGEA_AP2023_FINAL_REPORT.pdf">the vast majority of Australians</a> and a major platform through which audiences are introduced to new music. </p>
<p>Audiences have personal, even intimate relationships with the music of video games, given the long hours spent playing in lounge rooms and studies around the nation.</p>
<p>The potential of video-game music is particularly evident in Australia, where several independent video games have obtained both critical and commercial success around the world. This is, in part, thanks to their music, such as <a href="https://hardcoregamer.com/features/checking-the-score/checking-the-score-cult-of-the-lamb/426836/">Cult of the Lamb</a> (2022), <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/game-show/game-show-ausmusic-unpacking/13620250">Unpacking</a> (2021) and <a href="https://www.thegamer.com/hollow-knight-ost-still-surpasses-every-expectation/">Hollow Knight</a> (2017).</p>
<p>However, how the game developers actually work with musicians to produce these landmark works has so far been an unanswered question.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-video-games-like-starfield-are-creating-a-new-generation-of-classical-music-fans-211016">How video games like 'Starfield' are creating a new generation of classical music fans</a>
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<h2>Performing on the global stage</h2>
<p>Our new <a href="https://creative.gov.au/advocacy-and-research/australian-music-and-games-2023-benchmark-2/">Music and Games 2023 Benchmark</a> aims to establish the scope and scale of Australia’s game-music sector. </p>
<p>Our research includes findings about working conditions, rights, royalties and more. It paints a picture of a sector confidently performing on the global stage alongside far bigger national industries.</p>
<p>Game music work is overwhelmingly being undertaken in Australia as contract-based freelance work and rarely as full-time employment. Despite this, game developers see composers as fundamental creative partners. </p>
<p>Game music workers feel they have meaningful input on the projects they work on. They rarely approach game soundtracks as “just another gig”. This is reinforced by our finding the vast majority of game music workers in Australia create original music for game projects, rather than implementing pre-existing works.</p>
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<p>Australian game composers are more likely than workers in other soundtrack sectors to retain rights and opportunities. </p>
<p>In film and television, disadvantageous <a href="https://agsc.org.au/buyouts-apra-membership/">“buyout” contracts</a>, where composers hand over all ownership of their music to studios, have become common. In the Australian game music sector, such arrangements exist in only 13% of projects. This allows most composers to retain ownership of their music and to tap into additional revenue streams like performance royalties. </p>
<p>An astonishing 74% of music workers are able to release their game’s soundtrack personally and independently, rather than going through either the game’s studio, publisher or a music label.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/music-that-you-help-make-composition-for-video-gaming-draws-on-tradition-and-tech-124282">Music that you help make: composition for video gaming draws on tradition and tech</a>
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<h2>Different ways of working</h2>
<p>There is no “one way” of working for Australian game music workers, with a wide diversity of skills and experiences evident. </p>
<p>Many composers work directly with game development tools or with audio “middleware” such as <a href="https://www.fmod.com">Fmod</a> or <a href="https://www.audiokinetic.com/en/products/wwise/">Wwise</a> on game projects. Tools like these allow composers to engage with the game’s production and implement their music directly into the game, rather than simply handing over audio files to game developers.</p>
<p>Around half, however, prioritise music creation and leave implementation of that music up to the developers. This means technical knowledge of game development is not as integral to creating game music as many may assume.</p>
<p>Creative communication skills are also important for musicians and highly valued by game developers who may otherwise find music to be a language they do not speak.</p>
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<p>Like the game development and music sectors more broadly, unpaid work remains common. Only 53% of game music workers report any income from this work. </p>
<p>However, we found the median annual income for all game music workers is A$40,000, compared to only <a href="https://makingmusicworkcomau.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/mmw_full-report.pdf">$30,576 for musicians generally</a>. Among those who make more than the Australian minimum wage ($45,000) from game music, this jumps to a considerable median income of $82,500.</p>
<p>Being at the intersection of games and music also means the gender and racial inequalities of the video game and screen composing sectors are entrenched within game music. </p>
<p>Three-quarters of all game music workers identified themselves as male, and 72% as white, Caucasian or European. While Australia has diverse musicians, they currently have unequal ability to move into game music. This needs proactive solutions.</p>
<h2>Creative works in their own right</h2>
<p>Our benchmarking report reveals an exciting and so far under-appreciated area of cultural activity in Australia. </p>
<p>Australian game soundtracks are not sterile assets produced for a mass medium. They are genuine creative works that are adored in their own right by audiences around the world. </p>
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<p>However, growing the sector in Australia requires focused support. Its lack of diversity is a major area of concern. </p>
<p>Even while game music workers are able to retain generous rights to their music, many are frustrated and confused by the lack of clear standards. We also heard several stories of workers being pressured to give up their rights once an international publisher decided to invest in a local game developer. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://igea.net/2022/12/australian-game-development-industry-records-job-boom/">Australia’s game industry continues to grow</a>, it will be important to watch how Australia’s musicians are brought along for the ride.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-sustainable-australian-video-game-industry-production-rebates-are-a-small-important-step-147090">A sustainable Australian video game industry? Production rebates are a small, important step</a>
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</em>
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<p><em>Correction: this article originally misstated the capacity of Hamer Hall. This has been corrected.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214837/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dan Golding received funding from Creative Australia to undertake the Australian Music and Games 2023 Benchmark report. He is also a practicing videogame composer and made music for Untitled Goose Game and the Frog Detective series, both of which are mentioned in the report.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brendan Keogh received funding from Creative Australia to undertake the Australian Music and Games 2023 Benchmark report. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Taylor Hardwick worked as a Research Assistant at the QUT Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC), which received funding from Creative Australia to undertake the Australian Music and Games 2023 Benchmark report.</span></em></p>Our new Music and Games 2023 Benchmark aims to establish the scope and scale of Australia’s game music sector.Dan Golding, Associate Professor, Swinburne University of TechnologyBrendan Keogh, Senior Lecturer, Queensland University of TechnologyTaylor Hardwick, Research Assistant, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2136012023-09-20T12:25:18Z2023-09-20T12:25:18ZWhat can board games teach students about climate change?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548639/original/file-20230916-29605-adc6hp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=44%2C37%2C4910%2C3390&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Teamwork is a common theme among the growing number of board games that deal with climate change.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/illustration/environmental-gambling-illustration-royalty-free-illustration/1088377136?phrase=climate+change+games&adppopup=true">Victor Habbick Visions/Science Photo Library via Getty Images </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Among the world’s <a href="https://techjury.net/blog/board-game-statistics/">ever-expanding array of board games</a>, a small but growing number deal with climate change. But are these games any good?</p>
<p>As a professor of English who <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=hhcAmaoAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">specializes in environmental literature</a>, I set out to learn how well these board games portray the perils that global warming poses to the planet. Are they an effective way for students to learn some of the science and stark realities behind the persistent heating of Earth?</p>
<p>I invited half a dozen climate activists and educators to try the games out to answer these questions and more. My thought was that if people learn best while they are active and joyful participants, then turning a serious topic like climate change into a board game might have value beyond the game.</p>
<h2>No individual winners</h2>
<p>Most board games – think of Monopoly or Catan – are zero-sum competitions: One player wins a clear victory over the others. But since climate change affects the whole world, climate change board games emphasize teamwork and group success. Either all players win together, or no one survives. These board games have a narrative arc that can spark discussion about values, perspective, conflict, emotions and decision-making.</p>
<p>And those are precisely the kinds of discussions my colleagues and I had while sharing pizza and salad over the course of the evening. Together, we evaluated the games for their ease to learn, their value for teaching about climate catastrophe, their ability to spark conversation and their suitability for high school and university students.</p>
<p>What follows is an account of the five climate change board games that we all tried. </p>
<h2>1. <a href="https://solutionsthegame.com/">Solutions</a></h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A visual for the Solutions board game." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548641/original/file-20230916-29-fq1pk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548641/original/file-20230916-29-fq1pk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548641/original/file-20230916-29-fq1pk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548641/original/file-20230916-29-fq1pk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548641/original/file-20230916-29-fq1pk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548641/original/file-20230916-29-fq1pk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548641/original/file-20230916-29-fq1pk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In Solutions, players are tasked with proposing climate solutions to keep the Earth cool.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://solutionsthegame.com/gameplay/">Solutions The Game</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<p><a href="https://solutionsthegame.com/">Solutions</a> draws upon scientific solutions researched by <a href="https://drawdown.org/solutions/table-of-solutions">Project Drawdown</a>, which is a nonprofit that pushes for solutions to climate change. The game, played in rounds, requires players to draw two cards that each carefully describe a way to reduce global emissions.</p>
<p>Players discuss the two options and rank which one is better for the climate. Correct decisions reduce global temperatures, while incorrect guesses damage the planet. Players also roll the dice to determine further actions that could potentially make global temperatures rise.</p>
<p>We all agreed the game could be a valuable learning tool since it was easy to learn and based on accurate scientific information. The need to evaluate different solutions easily sparked conversation, and the information was suitable for upper-level high school students and university students.</p>
<h2>2. <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/317643/kyoto">Kyoto</a></h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An image of the Kyoto board game." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548647/original/file-20230916-17-eglhdh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548647/original/file-20230916-17-eglhdh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548647/original/file-20230916-17-eglhdh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548647/original/file-20230916-17-eglhdh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548647/original/file-20230916-17-eglhdh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548647/original/file-20230916-17-eglhdh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548647/original/file-20230916-17-eglhdh.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">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Players in Kyoto negotiate at a climate conference.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://thetabletopfamily.com/kyoto-review/">Thetabletop family</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Another game that we ranked highly is <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/317643/kyoto">Kyoto</a>, which has players simulate a high-stakes climate negotiation summit. We each represented a country, and the cards we drew determined our secret national interests. To win the game, we had to bargain with each other, pay fees, bribe and try to persuade each other to reach climate goals.</p>
<p>Initially, I doubted the educational value of the game because, due to the draw of the cards, players who represented the U.S. could only win the game if they increased global carbon emissions, as determined by the coal-industry-friendly cards. Who wants a game where players try to raise global temperatures? </p>
<p>But through discussion, we all realized that the game provides insight into possible barriers to achieving emissions goals, and how nations have to juggle meeting emission-reduction goals with their own economic self-interests. While the game takes more time to learn than Solutions, we decided it could still be very useful for students.</p>
<h2>3. <a href="https://www.wearepossible.org/carbon-city-zero">Carbon City Zero</a></h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="The cover of the Carbon City Zero board game." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548650/original/file-20230916-21-jublh5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548650/original/file-20230916-21-jublh5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548650/original/file-20230916-21-jublh5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548650/original/file-20230916-21-jublh5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548650/original/file-20230916-21-jublh5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=752&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548650/original/file-20230916-21-jublh5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=752&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548650/original/file-20230916-21-jublh5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=752&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Carbon City Zero players develop a sustainable city.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.laurenceking.com/products/carbon-city-zero">Laurence King Publishing UK</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>We tried playing a free downloadable and printable version of <a href="https://www.wearepossible.org/carbon-city-zero">Carbon City Zero</a>, but it proved too time-consuming to learn the rules. After 45 minutes of struggling with the cards to figure out how to play, we gave up and moved on.</p>
<h2>4. <a href="https://familypastimes.com/en-us/products/somewhere-everywhere-water-rising">Somewhere Everywhere Water Rising</a></h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="The board game Somewhere Everywhere Water Rising." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548651/original/file-20230916-29-mkpk85.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548651/original/file-20230916-29-mkpk85.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548651/original/file-20230916-29-mkpk85.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548651/original/file-20230916-29-mkpk85.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548651/original/file-20230916-29-mkpk85.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548651/original/file-20230916-29-mkpk85.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548651/original/file-20230916-29-mkpk85.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In Somewhere Everywhere Water Rising, players are consultants hired to develop land areas and protect them from rising waters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://familypastimes.com/products/somewhere-everywhere-water-rising">Family pastimes</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Family Pastimes, the company that makes <a href="https://familypastimes.com/en-us/products/somewhere-everywhere-water-rising">Somewhere Everywhere Water Rising</a>, is known for developing only collaborative games, and we have purchased many children’s games from them in the past. In Somewhere Everywhere Water Rising, players take on the role of consultants who have to make collective decisions about developing land projects in the face of sea-level rise.</p>
<p>We liked the discussion it sparked, but ultimately concurred that the game specifically focuses on devastating sea-level rise, rather than systemic climate change that causes such rising levels in the first place. The game is easy to learn and relies on conversation, but we felt it had a lower educational value because it does not teach about the human activity that creates and perpetuates increasing global temperatures. The game might be more suitable as an extra credit activity, rather than the focus of a classroom lesson.</p>
<h2>5. <a href="http://nunamigame.com/index.php/en/">Nunami</a></h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A visual of the Nunami board game pieces." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548652/original/file-20230916-31-t8b5yn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548652/original/file-20230916-31-t8b5yn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548652/original/file-20230916-31-t8b5yn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548652/original/file-20230916-31-t8b5yn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548652/original/file-20230916-31-t8b5yn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548652/original/file-20230916-31-t8b5yn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548652/original/file-20230916-31-t8b5yn.png?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">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nunami promotes healthy cohabitation with natural elements.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/256609/nunami">Board-game geek</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Finally, we played <a href="http://nunamigame.com/index.php/en/">Nunami</a>, a lovely game created by an Inuit family from Ivujivik, Canada, with instructions in Inuktitut, English and French. </p>
<p>The game aims to teach players about balancing life in fragile terrain. There are cards for humans, animals, sand and snow. Although we deeply appreciated how the game strives to sensitize players to Inuit life on the tundra so that they can see what is threatened by climate catastrophe, it does not teach about the drivers of climate change and thus was not suitable for our specific classroom needs.</p>
<h2>Picking the best</h2>
<p>By 10 p.m., we had conquered the pizza, energetically played five different board or card games, and had a lot of fun discussing critical issues and meeting new people.</p>
<p>To our group, the clear “winner” is the board game <a href="https://solutionsthegame.com/gameplay/">Solutions</a> because it encourages collaborating to make decisions with fact-based science. The setup of the game allows for interesting team-building conversations. </p>
<p>As I incorporate games into my courses on climate-change literature and first-year writing, students play Solutions and complete a writing assignment based on their various decisions during the game. </p>
<p>At our next climate change board game evening, my group of educators and activists plans to play <a href="https://www.tippingpointthegame.com/">Tipping Point</a>, <a href="https://www.daybreakgame.org/">Daybreak</a>, <a href="https://www.carboniq.fr/">Carboniq</a> and <a href="https://www.climatecallgame.com/">Climate Call</a>. </p>
<p>Anyone want to join us? We’ll deal you in.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213601/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Debra J. Rosenthal 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>While most board games are designed for one person to win, climate change games are about saving the world.Debra J. Rosenthal, Professor of English, John Carroll UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2061762023-05-25T03:47:23Z2023-05-25T03:47:23ZExpansive, exciting and free: how Zelda’s Tears of the Kingdom unlocks the potential of open world gaming<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528151/original/file-20230525-15-nhl8zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1917%2C1077&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nintendo</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Whether you’re an experienced gamer or simply curious about the allure of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_world">open world</a> games, Nintendo’s latest installment in the long-running (35-year) Zelda franchise, <a href="https://www.zelda.com/tears-of-the-kingdom/">Tears of the Kingdom</a> provides a captivating single-player journey through an intricately designed world. </p>
<p>But for many, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2023/05/18/no-one-understands-how-nintendo-made-the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom/?sh=617184dbfb14">the open world genre is a mystery</a>. Being a gamer for over 40 years and having played the latest Zelda for more hours than I care to say, I wanted to delve into open world games, what makes open worlds captivating and the process of creating these expansive games.</p>
<p>Think of an open world game as like stepping into a virtual world where you can go anywhere you want, do whatever you like and embark on exciting adventures in a huge and detailed game world with lots of things to discover and missions to complete. </p>
<p>While there is an over-arching plot to adhere to, in an open world game, players can choose to ignore many of those narrative structures and go their own way, and forge their own path.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uHGShqcAHlQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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<h2>World building: crafting immersive game worlds</h2>
<p>There is no doubt that <a href="https://newzoo.com/resources/blog/data-deep-dive-open-world-games-gta-v-minecraft-horizon-valheim-roblox">open world games are popular</a> and the latest instalment of the critically acclaimed Zelda series is no exception. It sold over <a href="https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-sells-over-10-million-worldwide-in-first-three-days-becoming-the-fastest-selling-game-in-series/">10 million copies worldwide</a> in the first three days, becoming the fastest-selling Nintendo Switch game in the United States. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/03/youre-now-free-to-move-about-vice-city-a-history-of-open-world-gaming/">first open world game</a> is often attributed to the 1976 text-only game <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossal_Cave_Adventure">Colossal Cave Adventure</a>. Other recent popular open world games include <a href="https://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption2/">Red Dead Redemption 2</a>, <a href="https://www.rockstargames.com/gta-v">Grand Theft Auto V</a>, <a href="https://en.bandainamcoent.eu/elden-ring/elden-ring">Elden Ring</a> and <a href="https://elderscrolls.bethesda.net/en/skyrim">The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1658820194507038722"}"></div></p>
<p>Game designers invest significant effort in creating open world games with intricate and believable environments. They are filled with rich lore and history, allowing players to approach the game and its challenges in their own self-driven order and manner – a hallmark of open-world games. But making these great games is a significant undertaking requiring large development teams with a <a href="https://youtu.be/UrdZhnA-PaI">shared vision</a>. </p>
<p>In Tears of the Kingdom, the game excels in constructing <a href="https://www.ign.com/maps/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom/hyrule">three distinct world levels</a>: the sky, the surface and the depths. There are also over <a href="https://www.ign.com/wikis/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom/Shrine_Locations_and_Guide">152 mini levels or shrines</a>. Each level presents a unique atmosphere and challenges, enticing players to explore and uncover their secrets. The attention to detail in the game’s environments and the depth of its lore contribute to a truly immersive experience. </p>
<p>One of the defining characteristics of open world games is the meticulous attention to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldbuilding">world building</a>. Compelling world building allows players to feel a sense of immersion and engagement as they become invested in the game world and its inhabitants. It adds depth, richness and believability to the gaming experience, encouraging exploration, storytelling and player agency within the virtual environment.</p>
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<h2>Player agency: shaping the narrative</h2>
<p>Although Tears of the Kingdom is built upon the shoulders of its predecessor <a href="https://www.zelda.com/breath-of-the-wild/">Breath of the Wild</a>, the game feels like a vast improvement, building on the success story of the previous game. </p>
<p>Players have choices in terms of quests undertaken, order of solving the quest and the routes they take, adding a layer of personalisation to their gameplay. These choices influence the player’s interaction with characters and the overall progression of the game. But it’s in the <a href="https://www.zelda.com/breath-of-the-wild/">new building mechanics</a> that Tears of the Kingdom rises to the top of the pack and amplifies exceptional player agency.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-why-the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-is-big-news-even-among-those-who-dont-see-themselves-as-gamers-205229">Here's why The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is big news – even among those who don't see themselves as 'gamers'</a>
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</p>
<hr>
<p>Interactions with non-playable characters, environments and objects play a crucial role in open world games. Engaging with characters through dialogue and completing quests for them enhances the immersion and sense of connection with the game world. Furthermore, the ability to manipulate objects and solve puzzles adds depth to the gameplay experience. </p>
<p>Tears of the Kingdom introduces innovative puzzle mechanics and object building through the new <a href="https://www.ign.com/wikis/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom/Ultrahand">Ultrahand</a> ability, offering players a diverse range of interactions and ways of engaging with the world. From <a href="https://www.polygon.com/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-guide/23717512/how-to-un-fuse-weapons">customised weapons</a> to <a href="https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-guide-to-building-vehicles-zonai-parts/">elaborate vehicles</a> in the form of flying battle tanks, the only limit in the game is the player’s imagination and collecting enough materials. </p>
<p>It is this no-holds-barred system that sets the game apart. You can solve puzzles in endless ways. For instance, the game may have wanted you to create a bridge but instead you build a flying platform with a rocket. The thrill is in the discovery and exploration of the mechanics and the application of this in the world.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528143/original/file-20230524-21-qp7m4a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528143/original/file-20230524-21-qp7m4a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528143/original/file-20230524-21-qp7m4a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528143/original/file-20230524-21-qp7m4a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528143/original/file-20230524-21-qp7m4a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528143/original/file-20230524-21-qp7m4a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528143/original/file-20230524-21-qp7m4a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528143/original/file-20230524-21-qp7m4a.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">In Tears of the Kingdom, sometimes the sky isn’t even the limit.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nintendo</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Challenges and balancing act</h2>
<p>There has been significant criticism of open worlds over the years, with critics highlighting how open world games can be <a href="https://www.fanbyte.com/readyset/final-fantasy-xv-and-the-empty-paradise-problem/">vast and empty</a>, <a href="https://www.kotaku.com.au/2021/01/breath-of-the-wild-clones/">simply cloning other games</a> or failing to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2018/jul/20/no-mans-sky-next-hello-games-sean-murray-harassment-interview">live up to hype</a>. </p>
<p>While open world games offer immense opportunities for immersive gameplay, they also present unique challenges. Repetition, unclear objectives and technical performance on ageing hardware are some of the issues developers must address to ensure a satisfying player experience. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.gamesradar.com/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-performance/">Tears of the Kingdom demonstrates impressive performance on the ageing switch hardware</a>, but maintaining a balance between a vast world and engaging content is a constant challenge for game designers. Striking the right balance is crucial to avoid overwhelming players and maintaining their interest.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528145/original/file-20230525-23-nhl8zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528145/original/file-20230525-23-nhl8zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528145/original/file-20230525-23-nhl8zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528145/original/file-20230525-23-nhl8zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528145/original/file-20230525-23-nhl8zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528145/original/file-20230525-23-nhl8zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528145/original/file-20230525-23-nhl8zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528145/original/file-20230525-23-nhl8zb.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 danger of open world games can be making them vast and empty – a problem Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t have, despite its expansiveness.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nintendo</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Open worlds will remain</h2>
<p>As the world of video games evolves, open world games will undoubtedly play a significant role in shaping the future of interactive entertainment. </p>
<p>By understanding the intricacies of game design in this genre, players, industry professionals and enthusiasts can gain valuable insights into the immersive and ever-expanding landscape of open world gaming. </p>
<p>So, whether you’re an experienced gamer or simply curious about the allure of open world games, Tears of the Kingdom provides a captivating journey through an intricately designed game world. Embrace the adventure, explore the possibilities and discover the wonders that await in the realm of open world gaming.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206176/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Birt 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 open world games are popular – the latest instalment of the critically acclaimed Zelda series is no exception, selling over 10 million copies worldwide in the first three days.James Birt, Associate Professor of Computer Games and Associate Dean Engagement, Bond UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2045672023-05-23T11:14:46Z2023-05-23T11:14:46ZHow Alien mutated from a sci-fi horror film into a multimedia universe<p>A new life form was born on May 25 1979 when an alien exploded from the chest of a bewildered officer aboard the commercial towing vessel, Nostromo. The alien that comes to be known as the xenomorph escapes, grows, stalks and kills all but one of the ship’s crew. The lone human survivor, Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, blasts it into deep space turning it and her into icons. </p>
<p>We are, of course, talking about the cinematic classic, Alien.</p>
<p>But what was born that day was not just a horrifying monster. It would become a fully fledged fictional world that, in the four decades following, has become an indelible part of our popular culture. And it is a topic we explore in our new book, <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/alien-legacies-9780197556030?cc=gb&lang=en&">Alien Legacies</a>.</p>
<p>Though initially conceived as a cash-in on the popularity of science fiction in the aftermath of Star Wars, Alien grew from a hugely successful film into not only a franchise but a whole universe. It spawned three sequels - James Cameron’s Aliens (1986), David Fincher’s Alien3 (1992) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Alien Resurrection (1997). </p>
<p>There were also two prequels - Prometheus (2012) and Alien Covenant (2017), which were both directed by Scott. And finally, there was a spin-off “mashup” franchise - Alien vs Predator directed by Paul WS Anderson (2004), and its sequel Requiem (2007). </p>
<p>It has inspired innovation and creativity beyond the films. There have been novelisations, video games, audiobooks, comics and <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/%E2%80%98Ages-five-and-up%E2%80%99%3A-Alien-toys-for-children-and-the-Antunes-Plowman/37a5b6f9d25db0aa08a24322bd82cbcd7bd87d87">toys</a>.</p>
<p>The first two films, Alien and Aliens, have enjoyed considerable scrutiny given their cultural presence and resonance for debates concerning gender, technology and genetics. </p>
<p>But what has received less focus is what Alien has become. The franchise has proliferated and mutated across various forms of media while staying true to its cinematic origins.</p>
<p>Alien, like Star Wars, is what we can now call a “transmedia franchise”. It has pioneered ways of expanding storytelling across media boundaries. Our book examines the transmedia universe as a whole, addressing the original films, the prequels and everything that followed. </p>
<p>The franchise has been open to adopting new methods and ideas, as well as adapting to changes in new media technology and politics. </p>
<p>In fact, one almost entirely neglected aspect of the Alien universe we explore are documents purporting to be “real” crew profiles, training manuals and diaries that expand upon and develop our knowledge and understanding of this fictional world. </p>
<p>One of the extras on the 2010 Alien Anthology Blu-ray collection was a special feature called Weyland-Yutani Inquest: Nostromo Dossiers. This was a collection of corporate documents detailing the professional lives of the Nostromo spaceship crew.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I0yDagVBGug?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">From The Weyland-Yutani Report: A look at the Nostromo’s crew including past employment and personal life details.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some of this material, such as the <a href="https://avp.fandom.com/wiki/Aliens:_Colonial_Marines_Technical_Manual">Colonial Marines Technical Manual</a>, has been created by fans. It found its way into gaming instalments of the franchise having been picked up and explored by the many creative artists and writers who have worked in the Alien universe. These include Aliens versus Predator, Aliens versus Predator: Extinction and Aliens: Colonial Marines (2013).</p>
<p>The attempt by media companies to control and manage fan practice is not new, but it demands our attention. <a href="https://ew.com/movies/2019/03/13/alien-trailer-shorts-40th-anniversary/">Inviting people</a> to pitch their own short films set in the Alien universe to mark the fortieth anniversary in 2019 was a canny means by 20th Century Fox to curry favour with the fans of the series. </p>
<p>Similarly, transmedia marketing campaigns have grown to include fictional evil corporate websites, exclusive events at conventions, personalised advertising and franchise universe websites. </p>
<p>We argue that Alien’s transmedia marketing is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dorothypomerantz/2012/04/18/prometheus-when-movie-marketing-goes-very-right/">particularly captivating</a> because it is closely linked to the film’s production. As a result, these marketing campaigns are arguably becoming as creative and entertaining as the films themselves. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XqW4JgI4-Vw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The transmedia marketing campaign for the Prometheus film.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Alien series asks existential questions uncommon in mainstream blockbuster cinema about the origins and destiny of humanity and the dividing line between the human and the machine. </p>
<p>Alien should not be seen, as popular culture so often is, as unimportant or irrelevant to our understanding of ourselves as a species. It has the potential to contribute to our knowledge and enlightenment. </p>
<p>The continuing debate among scholars and fans surrounding the Alien franchise demonstrates how popular culture can bridge disciplinary boundaries and make complex academic debates more accessible. It helps us better understand the significant questions we must ponder as humans. </p>
<p>We hope our book will contribute to conversations about Alien. It explores its relevance to contemporary debates and paves the way for future studies on the franchise. After all, it has entered an uncertain <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/World-building%2C-Retconning-and-Legacy-Rebooting%3A-Fleury/01dd0b7bc45907cf1f56e55e1237c6d3678609af">new phase</a> under the control of a new owner. </p>
<p>In 2019, Disney bought Fox and with it the rights to Alien. And Disney is a company that, throughout its history, has shown itself willing and able to adapt and build upon all aspects of its holdings in a variety of ways. </p>
<p>This starts with <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/new-alien-movie-set-to-begin-production-this-month-as-cast-and-synopsis-is-revealed">Fede Alvarez’s untitled Alien film</a>, currently in production, and set for release via Disney’s Hulu streaming service. </p>
<p>Fans and academics will both probably continue to chase Ripley and the xenomorphs across the cosmos for the next forty years.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204567/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nathan Abrams has received and continues to receive funding from charitable organisations and research councils.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gregory Frame has in the past received funding from disciplinary subject associations and research councils.</span></em></p>A new book explores the enormous Alien franchise spawned by the 1979 film.Nathan Abrams, Professor of Film Studies, Bangor UniversityGregory Frame, Teaching Associate in Film and Television Studies, University of NottinghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2057152023-05-17T11:22:20Z2023-05-17T11:22:20ZArchaeologists discover ancient Mayan game – here’s what it can teach modern educators<p>Games have been played for thousands of years <a href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/top-10-historical-board-games">in cultures across the world</a>. </p>
<p>There’s the chequerboard game <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/metkids/2017/ancient-egypt-board-games">Senet</a>, played in Egypt around BCE 3100. The African cup board game <a href="https://umaine.edu/hudsonmuseum/teacher-resources/games-crafts/mancala-game/#:%7E:text=Mancala%20is%20a%20generic%20name,of%20Memphis%2C%20Thebes%20and%20Luxor.">Mancala</a> has been played since BCE 1400. <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/story/a-game-of-thrones-how-chess-conquered-the-world-salar-jung-museum/fgUhNlxUQVZ2Kg?hl=en#:%7E:text=into%20the%20Past-,The%20game%20of%20chess%20was%20born%20in%20India%20during%20the,now,%20is%20a%20professional%20sport.">Chess originated in India</a> over 1,500 years ago. And the strategic game <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/27/464566551/forget-chess-ai-masters-wickedly-complex-chinese-game-of-go">Go</a> began in China 2,500 years ago. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/maya/mmc09eng.html">Mayan civilisation</a> – which flourished in central America from BCE 2000 to 1500 AD – had several <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/latin-american-antiquity/article/abs/precolumbian-maya-graffiti-context-dating-and-function-jaroslaw-zralka-2014-jagiellonian-university-krakow-357-pages-85-plates-1810-paper-isbn-9788364449161/AE12129A2622A4EDE90EEED34E9B9463">popular games</a>. These games were thought to have the supernatural power to predict war. They include a cross-shaped board game called <a href="https://otagomuseum.nz/athome/how-to-play-patolli">Patolli</a> and a ball game called <a href="https://www.amatravel.ca/articles/pok-a-tok-ancient-mayan-sport">Pok-a-Tok</a>.</p>
<p>Recently, a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-65250018">stone scoreboard</a> was found by archaeologists in Chichén Itzá, Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula. The Mayan people appeared to have used it to play a ritualistic game with a heavy ball.</p>
<p>This game held significant cultural and religious importance for the Mayan civilisation. More than a simple recreational activity, it reflected the deep-rooted beliefs and values of the Mayan people. For Mayans, games provided a platform for the expression of physical abilities, the establishment of social order and the connection between the mortal and the divine.</p>
<p>The game discovered in Chichén Itzá symbolises the delicate balance between light and darkness, embodying a cosmic struggle. Like other Mayan games, it was believed to influence the fate of harvests, the climate, communities and individuals.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Mayan temples photographed against a stormy sky." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526505/original/file-20230516-23652-xndwxx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526505/original/file-20230516-23652-xndwxx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526505/original/file-20230516-23652-xndwxx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526505/original/file-20230516-23652-xndwxx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526505/original/file-20230516-23652-xndwxx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526505/original/file-20230516-23652-xndwxx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526505/original/file-20230516-23652-xndwxx.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">The Jaguar temple in Chichen Itza, Mexico.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/chichen-itza-yucatan-jaguar-temple-kukulkan-2111903147">ecstk22/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In Mayan culture, winning a game like this was seen as a sign of <a href="http://www.historyshistories.com/maya-society.html">divine favour</a>. They believed that victorious people or teams had been chosen by the gods. Those who consistently lost were sometimes <a href="https://profilbaru.com/article/Human_sacrifice_in_Maya_culture">offered as sacrifices to the deities</a>. Mayan games were not solely intended for entertainment, but served as <a href="https://www.lehmanns.ch/shop/sozialwissenschaften/1731464-9780816513604-the-mesoamerican-ballgame">ways to connect with the divine</a>.</p>
<p>By participating in these games, Mayan people experienced a sense of communal identity and belonging. The rituals and beliefs associated with the games fostered a collective understanding and reinforced the connections between the physical, spiritual and social realms.</p>
<h2>What educators can learn from ancient games</h2>
<p>The concept of the “magic circle”, introduced by Dutch historian <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/homo-ludens-a-study-of-the-play-element-in-culture/oclc/7004042">Johan Huizinga</a>, suggests that during games, players enter a temporary world with its own rules and boundaries. </p>
<p>This is exemplified in this Mayan find, which involves rules, suspension of normalcy and shared experiences.</p>
<p>The magic circle represents a ritual space that both transforms and builds a sense of community. Understanding of this concept can be used to promote inclusion and collaboration in modern day education. Playful experiences within game spaces can facilitate learning and create a sense of belonging, enabling students to grow and learn collectively.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A tomb illustration showing Queen Nefertari sat and playing the board game, Senet." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526504/original/file-20230516-24-12i7wp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526504/original/file-20230516-24-12i7wp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526504/original/file-20230516-24-12i7wp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526504/original/file-20230516-24-12i7wp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526504/original/file-20230516-24-12i7wp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=704&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526504/original/file-20230516-24-12i7wp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=704&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526504/original/file-20230516-24-12i7wp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=704&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Queen Nefertari playing Senet (c. BCE 1279–1213).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/548355">The Met Museum</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Ancient rituals and games possess characteristics like <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/ritual-play-and-belief-in-evolution-and-early-human-societies/play-and-ritual-forms-foundations-and-evolution-in-animals-and-humans/DD6CC910C8548E5D9FF4F89D0B032E23">repetition, structure and the use of symbolic objects</a> that aid students in understanding the world. They also <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1088868317734944">offer psychological and social benefits</a>, fostering social bonds, reducing anxiety and improving cognitive flexibility and problem-solving skills.</p>
<p>Incorporating ancient and modern games in education promotes soft skills, critical thinking and inclusivity. In fostering communication, giving students agency, and crossing cultural divides, analogue games help students to understand one another better in the classroom.</p>
<h2>Applying the lessons</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.tega-project.eu/">TEGA project</a>, which we led, created a toolkit to support the development and customisation of inclusive analogue games for learning, with an emphasis on accessibility.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/51424/educational-games-and-game-based-approaches-in-hybrid-online-and-offline-learning-environments">Analogue games</a>, like <a href="https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2022.2205">tabletop or board games</a>, offer a tangible experience that helps teach abstract concepts which typically lack clear physical representations. Through interaction with game elements such as cards, dice and pieces, student players can grasp abstract ideas like probability and strategy more effectively than through digital games or other media.</p>
<p>By considering accessibility needs through their motor, sensory and cognitive dimensions, games can be designed to accommodate a wider range of students. So by incorporating board games into higher education, teachers can create a learning environments that works for all students.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205715/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Part of this article is drawn from the research project "TEGA" conducted by authors and funded with support from the European Commission Project No: 2020-1-UK01-KA203-079248</span></em></p>Ancient rituals and games possess characteristics like repetition, structure and the use of symbolic objects that aid students in understanding the world.Sara Rye, Associate Professor in Project Management for Development, University of BradfordCarla Sousa, Assistant Professor in Media Society and Literacies, Lusófona UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2049072023-05-10T20:01:13Z2023-05-10T20:01:13ZMinecraft Legends is a reminder that lightning rarely strikes twice in gaming<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525273/original/file-20230510-19-kqidgu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C2%2C1599%2C895&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Flickr</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/about-legends">Minecraft Legends has just been released</a>, giving players another opportunity to return to the charming and blocky world of Minecraft. </p>
<p>The original Minecraft was first released in 2011, giving players a vast and open world constructed from cubes of various sorts in which to explore and build. The eponymous <a href="https://minecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Tutorials/Mining"><em>mining</em></a> is central to the game, with players acquiring resources to <a href="https://minecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Crafting"><em>craft</em></a> into buildings and goods. Other parts of the game offer combat, secrets and even constructing <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2042753014568176">complex programming-like mechanisms</a>.</p>
<p>Minecraft is generally regarded as one of the most successful computer games ever made. Originally created by a handful of independent game developers, it was sold to Microsoft for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/15/microsoft-buys-minecraft-creator-mojang-for-25bn">US$2.5 billion (A$3.7 billion) in 2014</a>. Since then, the game has continued to exert a massive force on gaming.</p>
<p>Minecraft has particular popularity among <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1461444817745320">children</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/17/magazine/the-minecraft-generation.html">young people</a>, although people of all ages enjoy the game. </p>
<p>It has also led to massive amounts of video content on sites like <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09523987.2015.1075103">YouTube</a> and <a href="https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/jgvw.8.1.63_1">Twitch</a>. The Minecraft players who create these videos of their own play are sometimes so successful that they make <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369118X.2017.1386229">full-time livings from it</a>.</p>
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<h2>Minecraft spinoffs</h2>
<p>The new Minecraft Legends is <a href="https://gamerant.com/minecraft-spin-offs-all-video-games-before-legends-story-mode-earth-dungeon/">not the first</a> additional Minecraft game we’ve seen. It is nothing new for massively successful media items to be “spun off” into others, and Minecraft is no exception. </p>
<p>Games like <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/minecraft_story_mode_-_the_complete_adventure">Minecraft: Story Mode</a> and <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/minecraft-dungeons-review">Minecraft Dungeons</a> have also come to market in recent years. However, where the original game was critically acclaimed and is regarded as massively influential, these spin-offs receive <a href="https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/minecraft-story-mode---a-telltale-games-series---the-complete-adventure">mixed reviews</a>. They have rarely been panned, but never come close to achieving the success, nor the regard, of the original.</p>
<p>Minecraft: Story Mode and Minecraft Dungeons sought to take the Minecraft world and the Minecraft fandom into new kinds of gameplay (narrative and <a href="https://insight.ieeeusa.org/articles/going-rogue-a-brief-history-of-the-computerized-dungeon-crawl/">“dungeon crawling”</a>). </p>
<p>Minecraft Legends is another entry in this wider program. It represents another attempt to take a stunningly successful game and find new ways to engage players – and of course, make profit – from the existing popularity of a game world. </p>
<p>The Minecraft universe gained such a strong following and culture from the possibilities of its <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1939241">foundational ideas</a> and <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/641831">what they offered players</a>. Legends is trying to place these inside another game altogether. There is no doubt some will buy and play it purely because of the Minecraft label. Yet, this is not the same thing as creating something as enduring and influential as the original.</p>
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<h2>Diverging from the mines</h2>
<p>These games struggle to capture high interest from Minecraft players precisely because they diverge so significantly from the original game. </p>
<p>They are also unable to capture new fans interested in the genre, but not the setting, precisely because of their Minecraft association. This is one of the difficult binds faced by a company trying to spin-off games in this way. Neither the original crowd, nor an imagined future body of consumers, are overly interested in what’s on offer. It’s too <em>different</em> from the original Minecraft for <a href="https://www.cbr.com/minecraft-legends-satisfy-franchise-fans-mojang/">many of its players</a>, and too much <em>like</em> it to bring new players onboard.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1490752695044554756"}"></div></p>
<p>This struggle is not new. Many spin-off media properties that change in significant ways from the original find it difficult to find an audience.</p>
<p>Comparing the success of the 2004-2009 action-packed, space opera Battlestar Galactica to the general lack of interest in its 2010 urban-based and intrigue-focused spinoff, Caprica, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2010/oct/29/caprica-battlestar-galactica-prequel">is a classic example</a>. </p>
<p>Prequels, sequels, “sidequels” and spin-offs are challenging things to handle. Trying to bring back existing audiences, and bring in new audiences, can be conflicting desires. So can trying to repeat a huge success while not repeating the exact content of the original.</p>
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<h2>Beyond the mines</h2>
<p>Yet none of this inherently means the Minecraft world, setting and visuals cannot be usefully applied elsewhere. </p>
<p>I’m a judge on the global <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative_Design_in_Minecraft">Generative Design in Minecraft</a> competition. This is a computer programming contest that uses Minecraft to explore new kinds of <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/09/22/1008675/ai-planners-minecraft-urban-design-healthier-happier-cities/">AI-driven worlds and spaces</a> in digital gaming. </p>
<p>The success of the competition in recent years has shown the suitability of Minecraft for projects far beyond its original intentions, or even beyond the game’s expanded scope in more recent years. Minecraft’s open “sandbox” world offers a fascinating area for <a href="https://www.dualshockers.com/minecraft-ai-developed-microsoft-can-play-on-its-own/">exploring artificial intelligence techniques</a>. This is especially true for the competition’s focus on building settlements and imagined societies.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/tapping-into-kids-passion-for-minecraft-in-the-classroom-43461">Tapping into kids' passion for Minecraft in the classroom</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<p>Minecraft Legends is not going to recapture the impact of Minecraft nor, most likely, anything else close to it. What it does show is another iteration of a massive industrial and economic juggernaut attempting, with mixed success, to find new ways to profit <a href="https://venturebeat.com/games/minecraft-legends-will-test-how-resilient-fans-can-be/">from gamers already invested in the Minecraft world</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.academia.edu/43250917/The_Gambling_Turn_in_Digital_Game_Monetization">My own research</a> and <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/games-of-empire">others’</a> have explored the increasingly profit-motivated nature of the “blockbuster” games industry. A game like Minecraft Legends demonstrates once again the increasing emphasis on trying to <a href="https://kotaku.com/big-game-publishers-are-retreating-into-the-safety-of-h-1846059274">safely repeat past wins</a> instead of innovating.</p>
<p>It is possible the impact of the original is so great that nothing like it can ever be replicated by Microsoft’s game developers – but that won’t stop them from trying.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204907/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark R Johnson 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 original Minecraft is generally regarded as one of the most successful computer games ever made – but its spinoffs never come close to achieving the same success.Mark R Johnson, Lecturer in Digital Cultures, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2042232023-04-25T14:06:58Z2023-04-25T14:06:58ZDobble: what is the psychology behind the game?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522365/original/file-20230421-16-7hgsp2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5982%2C3997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Dobble is a card game with rules that makes it sound easier than it actually is.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dobble-card-game-kids-billereaquitainefrance-08232021-2029552409">Ana Belen Garcia Sanchez/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Following birthday and Christmas presents, families often have a glut of new games to learn and play. Many of these games involve computers or games consoles, but with concerns about children’s <a href="https://www.forbes.com/health/family/how-much-screen-time-kids/">screen time</a> there has been a recent <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/12/24/board-game-popularity/">increase</a> in the popularity of traditional board and card games.</p>
<p>One non-electronic card game that has made its way into our homes is Dobble. It’s a game of observation, articulation and speed that was first released in France in 2009. </p>
<p>While the <a href="https://www.petercollingridge.co.uk/blog/mathematics-toys-and-games/dobble/">mathematics</a> behind the workings of this game is interesting, as cognitive psychologists we were also fascinated by the underlying cognitive processes that make this simple game so absorbing and challenging to play.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">How does Dobble work mathematically?</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The aim of the game is to be the first player to get rid of all their cards by discarding them one at a time into a central pile. Players do that as soon as they can identify, and announce, the single common symbol between the card in their hand and that on top of the pile. </p>
<p>Players must be quick as the top card will change every time your opponent(s) are able to match and discard one of their cards before you. There are 55 cards, each containing eight symbols out of a possible 57. And in any pair of cards, only one symbol matches. </p>
<p>The first task in the game is to visually search the symbols on both the card in your hand and that on the top of the central pile to find the single match. Colour, size and location are typical <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1996-04250-015">cues</a> we use when searching. But this task is more difficult than it seems due to the number and variety of symbols. Their shared features sometimes give rise to false alarms when scanning quickly. For example, the lips, heart, maple leaf and fire symbols are all red in colour. </p>
<p>The fact the target items will likely be of a different size and orientation on each card also means that we <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=HktnDAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA26&dq=perception+object+match+different+orientation&ots=wBLoJvKx-H&sig=IqWZ-6H9R4HpaOscqGXlbkjA3W4#v=onepage&q&f=false">perceive</a> the same symbol slightly differently. So a match is more difficult to identify. </p>
<p>Unlike, for example, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/where-s-the-brains-behind-wally-6261459.html">Where’s Wally?</a>, where the object of the search is clearly defined, with Dobble we do not know on any round which item we are searching for. Indeed, this will be different for each player. </p>
<p>The task requires dividing attention by searching two visual scenes in parallel. And also holding in memory the symbols that you have viewed on one card for comparison with those on the other. </p>
<p>We may <a href="http://matt.colorado.edu/teaching/highcog/fall8/m3.pdf">switch</a> between different strategies such as scanning the symbols on both cards in the hope that the match will just “pop out”. Or we may adopt a more structured approach where we peruse each symbol in turn. </p>
<p>When demands on attention are high, we are more likely to suffer <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Z2Sz7YgWIpQC&oi=fnd&pg=PA55&dq=inattentional+blindness+divided+attention&ots=2rrM836Idb&sig=IPiM1lTPKa-JlXAJ9QUHbZHmPvw#v=onepage&q=inattentional%20blindness%20divided%20attention&f=false">inattentional blindness</a>. That’s the phenomenon of “looking but not seeing”, whereby the item we are fixating on does not receive enough attention for us to actually notice it.</p>
<h2>Say the name</h2>
<p>Once you have found the matching symbol you must quickly announce what it is before placing your card down on the pile. This again sounds simple, but, just like producing the correct word in everyday speech, it requires the <a href="https://mybrainware.com/blog/brainware-safari-cognitive-skills-development-and-learning-to-read/">processes</a> of linking the desired concept – the symbol on the cards – with the name that represents it. </p>
<p>Also, you have to ensure that you select the appropriate word, for example saying “tortoise” rather than “turtle”. Plus you must select the correct sounds to utter that word, before finally saying it out loud. In the urgency of the game, you may find these processes don’t happen as quickly as you want them to.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A pair of hands holds a collection of round cards. There is another pile of round cards on the table beneath the hands." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522130/original/file-20230420-18-n8asch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6016%2C4016&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522130/original/file-20230420-18-n8asch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522130/original/file-20230420-18-n8asch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522130/original/file-20230420-18-n8asch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522130/original/file-20230420-18-n8asch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522130/original/file-20230420-18-n8asch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522130/original/file-20230420-18-n8asch.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">
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<span class="caption">Dobble - it’s not as easy as saying what you see.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/verona-italy-february-2nd-2021-detail-1921867253">Claire Adams/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Once you have correctly articulated the matching symbol and played your card, the whole process starts again. Given the low chance of that previous symbol being the next correct match, you must inhibit (stop yourself thinking about) this recent item – its name, its location, even its colour – so that you can be open to a new search. However, you must not inhibit it completely as there is still a chance it could appear next. </p>
<p>Inhibition is also required if your opponent calls out a symbol on their card first. Even if you were about to articulate a match, you must now inhibit this vocalisation and instead restart the search for a new pairing since the reference card in the centre has now changed. This ability to switch between searches and inhibit unwanted information is one of a number of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13803395.2010.533157">“executive”</a> organisational cognitive processes that help us in the planning and coordination of activities.</p>
<h2>Under stress</h2>
<p>And of course, all of this occurs under time pressure. Stress can increase when it seems your opponent is discarding their cards quicker. We know that increased stress levels impair our <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tony-Buchanan/publication/320312261_Tip_of_the_Tongue_States_Increase_Under_Evaluative_Observation/links/59e0d8b1aca2724cbfd5e271/Tip-of-the-Tongue-States-Increase-Under-Evaluative-Observation.pdf">word-finding ability</a>, attention to information, inhibition of responses and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28690203/">ability to adapt</a> to changing circumstances. All of those are vital to performing well in Dobble. </p>
<p>The bad news for parents is that many of the processes we have described <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1038/s41598-020-80866-1.pdf">decline</a> as we get older, meaning that children may have the competitive edge at Dobble.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204223/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 organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Dobble is a card game that originated in France in 2009. It involves observation, articulation and speed.Nick Perham, Reader in Applied Cognitive Psychology, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityHelen Hodgetts, Reader in Applied Cognitive Psychology, Cardiff Metropolitan 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>
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<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>
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<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/2030822023-04-12T11:21:12Z2023-04-12T11:21:12ZTetris movie: why the story of the game’s origins is legendary<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519796/original/file-20230406-217-4qt847.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1366%2C768&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There have been numerous iterations of Tetris since the game was first introduced but the iconic shapes never change. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/110457687@N03/15538236401">Downloadsource.es/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>On my bedside cabinet, next to my alarm clock, is a jar holding my cufflink collection. One set contains seven odd cufflinks. They are bold in colour, now a bit scratched with flaking paint, but with clear geometric designs: a squat Z, S and T, an L, a J, a square and lastly, the ever useful long bar.</p>
<p>Even as a lecturer in games development, I don’t tend to wear my game affiliations that boldly but these cufflinks, the odd badge and my Minecraft waistcoat are exceptions. There are very few video game elements that I could describe so simply that even some non-gamers would recognise. But I am, of course, talking about the shapes, or the “tetrominoes”, from the nearly 40-year-old game of Tetris. </p>
<p>Alongside Pac-Man, Super Mario, and Sonic the Hedgehog, Tetris was one of the first video games to break into popular culture. How else can you explain the recent release of the <a href="https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2023/02/apple-original-films-unveils-trailer-for-tetris-new-thriller-starring-taron-egerton/">Tetris movie</a>, starring Taron Egerton? Bizarrely, this film is based on what you think would be the rather dry legal arguments of the intellectual property rights of the game.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-BLM1naCfME?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The official trailer for the Tetris movie on Apple TV+</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But within games lore, the tale of how Tetris came to be is legendary. </p>
<p>Alexey Pajitnov, a speech recognition researcher at the Soviet Union’s Academy of Sciences, developed a range of puzzle games in the early 1980s, by “borrowing” spare time on his workplace’s Electronika 60 computer. </p>
<p>The machine had no graphical display and so the games were displayed using text but Tetris still hooked many of Pajitnov’s colleagues. Soon it was on most computers in various Soviet organisations.</p>
<p>Pajitnov wanted to share his game, but this being the late Soviet Union era, he had little idea of how game publishing worked and his employers weren’t pleased about the “wasted” time on their expensive computer. Plus Soviet copyright law gave the state control over the software. </p>
<p>However, Pajitnov negotiated the rights to the Academy via his supervisor, who sent the game to Hungarian game publisher Novotrade. That led to Tetris seeing limited success behind the iron curtain.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A bearded man wearing a white top and jeans stands smiling on a blue stage with his hands raised." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519618/original/file-20230405-18-wj9exs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519618/original/file-20230405-18-wj9exs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519618/original/file-20230405-18-wj9exs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519618/original/file-20230405-18-wj9exs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519618/original/file-20230405-18-wj9exs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519618/original/file-20230405-18-wj9exs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519618/original/file-20230405-18-wj9exs.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">Tetris creator, Alexey Pajitnov.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/imaginecup/9271942618/in/photostream/">ImagineCup/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In Hungary, Robert Stein of Andromeda Software saw Tetris, liked it and approached Pajitnov about obtaining the rights. Pajitnov responded via fax that he was interested. Stein took that fax and without drawing up a contract, proceeded to sell the rights at the 1987 Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show. </p>
<p>Tetris became a massive success, being ported to multiple platforms and winning multiple awards. But what then followed was a protracted legal battle which stretched across continents, involved several gaming companies and numerous iterations of Tetris itself. There were versions on the <a href="https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/1227/Amstrad-Plc/">Amstrad</a>, the <a href="https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/182/Acorn-BBC-Micro-Model-B/">BBC Micro</a> and the <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_334638">Apple II</a> to name but three. </p>
<p>Eventually, in the late 1980s, Nintendo showed an interest in wanting to obtain Tetris for their upcoming <a href="https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Hardware/Nintendo-History/Game-Boy/Game-Boy-627031.html">Game Boy</a> console. Since then, it’s practically been ubiquitous. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A grey square Tetris cartridge propped up against a Nintendo Game Boy console" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519611/original/file-20230405-16-nn8pa9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=53%2C8%2C6000%2C3979&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519611/original/file-20230405-16-nn8pa9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519611/original/file-20230405-16-nn8pa9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519611/original/file-20230405-16-nn8pa9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519611/original/file-20230405-16-nn8pa9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519611/original/file-20230405-16-nn8pa9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519611/original/file-20230405-16-nn8pa9.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">Nintendo’s Game Boy was released in 1989 and Tetris became the most popular game.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Game_Boy_and_Tetris.jpg">Sammlung der Medien und Wissenschaft/Wikimedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Quite simply, Tetris is one of the most engaging computer games ever devised. Some have tried to pin <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Trauma%2C-treatment-and-Tetris%3A-video-gaming-volume-Butler-Herr/2382b9b18e1a9fafb228f94c3ab1b7504b5b3e7d">psychological aspects</a> to it. The slow ramping up of difficulty is not just due to the increasing speed but also because your failures stay to thwart you and victories are therefore fleeting. </p>
<p>For those of us old enough to have grown up with the first generation of home computers such as the <a href="https://worldofspectrum.org">ZX Spectrum</a>, Tetris is our “when I were a lad” type of game. I still remember the drama of the thumping and ominous beat of the music on the Commodore 64, forgoing the catchy Russian folk song of the original.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rpt-G3dRcek?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">What Tetris looked and sounded like on the Commodore 64.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It was a time when you couldn’t rely on the Oscar winning performances of your voice actors, the ultra-realism of your graphics or a sumptuous orchestral soundtrack. It was beeps and limited colours of obvious pixels, so the gameplay had to grab you even more to get that “just one more go” kick. </p>
<p><a href="https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/Doom">Doom</a> is often cited as being the game featured across all platforms but I’d argue that Tetris really holds that crown. Having first played it on my <a href="https://www.commodore.ca/commodore-products/commodore-64-the-best-selling-computer-in-history/">Commodore 64</a>, I went on to play it on my <a href="http://theamigamuseum.com/amiga-models/amiga-1000/">Amiga</a>, many iterations on PC, then the Xbox 360. It’s available on the current generation of consoles, on phones and there is even a virtual reality version. All with the same essential gameplay. You can’t really mess with near perfection.</p>
<p>Having grown up with <a href="https://www.onrec.com/news/news-archive/what-is-8-bit-graphics-and-how-it%E2%80%99s-used-nowadays">8-bit graphics</a>, it’s fascinating to watch my students, born decades after Tetris, copying that retro style for their modern games design.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A computer game animation shows a platform set against a blue sky, where various coloured blocks are mounted up." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519808/original/file-20230406-24-7ntf7e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519808/original/file-20230406-24-7ntf7e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519808/original/file-20230406-24-7ntf7e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519808/original/file-20230406-24-7ntf7e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519808/original/file-20230406-24-7ntf7e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519808/original/file-20230406-24-7ntf7e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519808/original/file-20230406-24-7ntf7e.png?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">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The 2012 game, Fez, was designed by Phil Fish.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fez_%28video_game%29_screenshot_05.png">Polytron Corporation</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When Phil Fish designed his game <a href="http://fezgame.com">Fez</a>, a successor to Tetris as a video game puzzler, he wanted to depict the remains of an ancient civilisation, but a video game ancient civilisation. </p>
<p>Look closely at the stone ruins of this long-dead race. They are made from recognisable, odd-shaped blocks: a squat Z, S and T, an L, a J, a square and lastly the ever useful long bar.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203082/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Scarle 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>Cold war intrigue and an international legal fight were behind one of the most popular video games ever.Simon Scarle, Senior Lecturer in Games Development, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1991692023-02-13T20:26:45Z2023-02-13T20:26:45ZContent creators and corporations clash in Dungeons & Dragons licensing fiasco<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509530/original/file-20230210-28-ub9f7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=227%2C117%2C3628%2C2469&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Wizards of the Coast's Open Game License has allowed companies to build hugely successful franchises based on the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing game.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The tabletop role-playing game community took a keen interest in intellectual property law in January when <a href="http://ogl.battlezoo.com/">changes to the Dungeons & Dragons Open Game License (OGL) were leaked</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/SRD-OGL_V1.1.pdf">The OGL</a> is a public copyright licence that allows the general public — anyone from small companies to independent authors — to create content for Dungeons & Dragons under an approachable set of guidelines.</p>
<p>Traditionally, creating content for an existing game means negotiating finances, creative freedom and content distribution with the game’s owner. While commonplace, these negotiations <a href="https://www.powellgroupconsulting.com/finding-and-acquiring-an-intellectual-property-for-your-next-game/">take time and can be challenging for smaller creators</a> who don’t have the administrative knowledge or corporate reputation to get a deal done.</p>
<p>In contrast, the OGL allows anyone to modify, copy and redistribute aspects of Dungeons & Dragons without gaining permission or paying licensing fees to Wizards of the Coast, the owner of the ubiquitous role-playing game. </p>
<p>These aspects are divided into two categories: game rules (such as combat mechanics) that can be used freely, and narrative elements (such as characters and settings) that remain off limits.</p>
<p>OGL-licensed works typically build upon Dungeons & Dragons’ rules and incorporate them into new settings, such as Paizo’s popular <a href="https://paizo.com/"><em>Pathfinder</em> and <em>Starfinder</em></a> tabletop role-playing games.</p>
<p>With the latest changes to the OGL, third-party publishers and content creators have been trying to unpack how the latest iteration of OGL could affect their livelihood and leisure.</p>
<h2>Why is the OGL making headlines?</h2>
<p>OGL-licensed content is undoubtedly prevalent, popular and profitable.</p>
<p>Since 1999, there has been a wealth of content created under the OGL: companies like Paizo have built successful tabletop role-playing game franchises, major brands (<em>Star Wars</em>, <em>Hellboy</em>, <em>Lord of the Rings</em>) have adopted it for their own needs, and web series such as <em>Critical Role</em> have made <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/10/06/twitch-hack-pay-xqc-pokimane-summit1g/">millions streaming Dungeons & Dragons on Twitch</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1611021434553339906"}"></div></p>
<p>So when a new version of the OGL <a href="https://gizmodo.com/dnd-wizards-of-the-coast-ogl-1-1-open-gaming-license-1849950634">leaked in January 2023</a>, dubbed OGL 1.1, it was naturally met with some skepticism. Wizards of the Coast ostensibly designed the new licence to recognize emerging digital platforms, dissuade bigoted or toxic content, and, most controversially, to introduce anti-competitive measures. </p>
<p>In addition to putting into question the ownership of past and future products, these measures included:</p>
<ul>
<li>De-authorizing and replacing the original OGL</li>
<li>Requiring OGL creators to register new products with Wizards of the Coast</li>
<li>Mandating royalties for companies earning more than $750,000 yearly</li>
<li>Removing perpetual rights, meaning OGL 1.1 could be changed down the line</li>
</ul>
<p>These proposed changes were met with widespread opposition from players and businesses, many of whom felt its restrictive parameters would be unlawful, unfair or damaging to the hobby. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1613576298114449409"}"></div></p>
<p>Fans <a href="https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-wizards-hasbro-ogl-open-game-license-1849981136">campaigned to unsubscribe from D&D Beyond</a>, Wizards of the Coast’s digital toolset, Paizo <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6si7v">announced its own Open RPG Creative License</a>, and news outlets reported that Wizards of the Coast staff <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/fans-crash-dd-beyond-after-leaked-wotc-email-sparks-outrage-2031896/">condemned the company’s actions and their callous attitude toward Dungeons & Dragons players</a>.</p>
<p>Following this sustained public pressure, Wizards of the Coast <a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1423-an-update-on-the-open-game-license-ogl">issued a public apology</a> and <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/20/23563712/dnd-wotc-dungeons-and-dragons-ogl-ccl-license-feedback">reconfigured the licence to address criticisms</a>.</p>
<h2>The history of OGL</h2>
<p>It may seem strange that Wizards of the Coast would renounce any control over Dungeons & Dragons, but the reasons behind this change are tied into the history of the game and informed by how tabletop role-playing games are structured.</p>
<p>While Dungeons & Dragons currently enjoys estimated yearly earnings of <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettknight/2022/10/11/could-dungeons--dragons-be-the-next-harry-potter-stranger-things-have-happened/">$100 to 150 million</a>, the brand’s outlook has not always been bright. </p>
<p>In the late 1990s, Dungeons & Dragons was owned by American game publishing company TSR, which built up <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/unreason.com/blank/">$30 million in debt</a> due to low sales, an inflexible business structure and market oversaturation. At the brink of bankruptcy, <a href="https://nerdist.com/article/the-story-of-dd-part-two-how-wizards-of-the-coast-saved-dungeons-dragons/">TSR was acquired by Wizards of the Coast</a>, which wasted no time in developing a new version of Dungeons & Dragons.</p>
<p>Much of this transition was orchestrated by Ryan Dancey, who managed TSR’s role-playing properties and envisioned the OGL as a way to make Dungeons & Dragons profitable once more. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20000511083122/http://www.rpgplanet.com/dnd3e/interview-rsd-0300.htm">Inspired by the open-source software movement</a>, Dancey felt the OGL would help establish Dungeons & Dragons as the default tabletop role-playing game. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Seven red dice sit on top of a tabletop role-playing game character sheet" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509531/original/file-20230210-23-5okkmd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509531/original/file-20230210-23-5okkmd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509531/original/file-20230210-23-5okkmd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509531/original/file-20230210-23-5okkmd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509531/original/file-20230210-23-5okkmd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509531/original/file-20230210-23-5okkmd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509531/original/file-20230210-23-5okkmd.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">Wizards of the Coast’s OGL allows anyone to modify, copy and redistribute aspects of Dungeons & Dragons without gaining permission or paying licensing fees.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Dancey hoped third-party publishers would take the risk of creating niche products for small audiences, allowing Wizards of the Coast to focus more on its profitable core products. These predictions were mostly proven true, <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/ryan-dancey-on-the-goals-of-the-open-gaming-license.662351/">as third-party publishers flourished and helped re-popularize the game</a>.</p>
<p>The OGL was also a legal manoeuvre, as Dancey was aware that <a href="https://www.americanbar.org/groups/intellectual_property_law/publications/landslide/2014-15/march-april/its_how_you_play_game_why_videogame_rules_are_not_expression_protected_copyright_law/">game rules typically don’t enjoy copyright protection in North America</a>. For example, while many video games feature a jumping mechanic, no one can own the idea of jumping to navigate a level. </p>
<p>Legal troubles only arise if a game designer uses recognizable aspects of another game: say, <a href="https://mario.nintendo.com/">a plumber in overalls leaping over green pipes</a>. With the OGL, Wizards of the Coast drew a circle around aspects of Dungeons & Dragons it felt were protectable, while relinquishing its hold on the more ambiguous ones.</p>
<h2>What’s next for the OGL?</h2>
<p>The OGL controversy seems to be winding down, with Wizards of the Coast <a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1439-ogl-1-0a-creative-commons">releasing Dungeons & Dragons’ core mechanics under a Creative Commons licence</a> that, similar to OGL 1.0a, will allow creators to freely use game mechanics but not narratives, characters and settings. </p>
<p>Importantly, this new arrangement will not supplant or nullify the OGL 1.0a, which remains a key sticking point for companies that have built upon the licence for decades.</p>
<p>Still, the future of the OGL seems unsettled. Recent events have forced fans to reconcile their love of Dungeons & Dragons with the reality that Wizards of the Coast, which is owned by Hasbro, is a large corporation with commercial interests at heart. </p>
<p>While the rebuke of the new OGL was certainly a victory for publishers and creators, Dungeons & Dragons seems more precarious than it has been in years. What was once simply fun and games has turned into a shared struggle for ownership over the world’s most popular role-playing game.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199169/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Iantorno 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>Recent events have forced fans to reconcile their love of Dungeons & Dragons with the reality that the game’s owner, Wizards of the Coast, is a large corporation with commercial interests at heart.Michael Iantorno, PhD Candidate, Department of Communication Studies, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1956812022-12-23T12:55:37Z2022-12-23T12:55:37ZHow Monopoly informs academia and economics, even when it’s not obvious<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502545/original/file-20221222-24-crvxot.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C0%2C1465%2C740&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Designed by Elizabeth Magie in the early 20th century, _The Landlord Game_ would go on to inspire _Monopoly_.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Landlords_Game_1906_image_courtesy_of_T_Forsyth_owner_of_the_registered_trademark_20151119.jpg">Creative Commons</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>At the top hat’s turn to roll, the dice land on ‘Chance’ and it’s a one-way ticket to Mayfair. Aged just ten years old, I won my first game of <em>Monopoly</em>, but I strangely didn’t feel a sense of joy. I was rich, very rich indeed. But I was the sole proprietor of the houses, hotels and lots left behind by a fictional society of which I was the last remaining survivor.</p>
<p>Perhaps even back then, I suspected that the true lesson of <em>Monopoly</em> was that capitalism (in its most radical form) would lead most of us either to solitude, if we were lucky, or to bankruptcy, if we weren’t.</p>
<p>And this is exactly what the game’s creator was trying to tell us all along.</p>
<h2>The birth of Georgism</h2>
<p>At its inception, in 1903, the initial version of the game of <em>Monopoly</em>, which was then called <a href="https://landlordsgame.info/"><em>The Landlord’s Game</em></a>, was intended as a warning against the ills of capitalism. Just like in the modern version, players would play until the last card was drawn and the last hotel was placed.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442555/original/file-20220125-21-sqtdpg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442555/original/file-20220125-21-sqtdpg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=895&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442555/original/file-20220125-21-sqtdpg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=895&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442555/original/file-20220125-21-sqtdpg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=895&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442555/original/file-20220125-21-sqtdpg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1125&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442555/original/file-20220125-21-sqtdpg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1125&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442555/original/file-20220125-21-sqtdpg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1125&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">First patented board for <em>The Landlord’s Game</em>, 1904.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Magie#/media/Fichier:BoardGamePatentMagie.png">US National Archives./Wikimedia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Unlike its current format, however, the original allowed two jaded and frustrated players to team up against this brutal social experiment. They could revolutionise the game-play by setting alternative rules such as nationalising the bank, converting the jail into a school or giving all stations free state access to water and electricity. But don’t be fooled; this was in no way a proletarian revolution, as all players remained the individual proprietors of their hotels, houses and assets in a sort of balance between state-run and private property.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442549/original/file-20220125-21-ljw4hs.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442549/original/file-20220125-21-ljw4hs.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442549/original/file-20220125-21-ljw4hs.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442549/original/file-20220125-21-ljw4hs.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442549/original/file-20220125-21-ljw4hs.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442549/original/file-20220125-21-ljw4hs.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442549/original/file-20220125-21-ljw4hs.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Georgist postcard, date unknown.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgisme#/media/Fichier:Everybody_works_but_the_vacant_lot_(cropped).jpg">New York Public library/Wikimedia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although now largely unknown, this utopian model was once popular in the United States <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgism">under the name of Georgism</a>. The movement advocated a world where individual success and the American dream could be achieved as tangible, real concepts, while countervailing state power would prevent the emergence of large monopolies and help redistribute wealth. Georgism supported the idea of a single tax on land, minerals and inheritances, which would allow us all to reap the fruits of our labour and do away with unearned income. This brings us neatly to our household game, which strove to show how monopolies would generate misery and poverty, whereas opposing models of economic management would ensure well-being and prosperity for all. In the Georgist world, winning the game meant getting rich without causing others to go bust.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442552/original/file-20220125-17-cozo88.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442552/original/file-20220125-17-cozo88.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442552/original/file-20220125-17-cozo88.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=851&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442552/original/file-20220125-17-cozo88.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=851&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442552/original/file-20220125-17-cozo88.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=851&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442552/original/file-20220125-17-cozo88.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1069&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442552/original/file-20220125-17-cozo88.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1069&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442552/original/file-20220125-17-cozo88.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1069&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Henry George, whose writings and advocacy formed the basis for Georgism.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgisme#/media/Fichier:Henry_George.png">Wikimedia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Elizabeth Magie: social justice pioneer</h2>
<p><em>The Landlord’s Game</em> was the brainchild of the much-unsung Georgist activist and feminist Elizabeth Magie, whose story is chronicled in <em>The Monopolists</em> by American journalist and author <a href="https://www.marypilon.com/monopoly">Mary Pilon</a>. The book tells how Magie was never able to enjoy the rewards of her ingenious creation and how her name was lost to the annals for decades. Although Magie’s game did not sell well and was poorly promoted, it was met with avid acclaim from those who shared her Georgist ideals. As the game spread along the East Coast, activists and fans copied the model and passed on the rules by word of mouth, playing in university dorms, parks, smoking rooms and even in the lecture hall. Magie’s game bore many names on its journey to becoming the now-familiar <em>Monopoly</em>.</p>
<p>This game made tangible comparisons between capitalism and Georgism, using the material forms of wealth, banknotes and assets. We can only guess at how many young minds of Princeton and Columbia might have experienced this new rhetoric of numerals, but we know for sure that one of them was Harold Hotelling. A gifted statistician, outstanding economist and <a href="https://read.dukeupress.edu/hope/article-abstract/53/5/925/174115/Rescuing-Henry-GeorgeOptimization-Welfare-and-the?redirectedFrom=fulltext">devotee of Georgism</a>, Hotelling went on to become the thesis advisor of two Nobel Prize winners.</p>
<p>Hotelling enjoyed playing <em>Monopoly</em> with his family, with students, and even alone at night before succumbing to sleep. His chosen version was, naturally, the original Georgist one. Eventually and no doubt subconsciously, he began incorporating the game into his later-renowned economic models. Following a consistently similar writing structure, <a href="https://books.google.fr/books?id=vZfbBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA15&lpg=PA15&dq=darnell+hotelling+papers">Hotelling’s articles</a> dealt with subjects as disparate as taxation, non-renewable resources, geographical economics and social welfare. </p>
<h2>Hotelling’s social optimum</h2>
<p>Firstly, Hotelling defined a model for society and proposed to study the effects that capitalist policy would have on it. He then compared these potential effects with those offered by alternatives such as socialist management. The resulting blend was what he coined the <a href="https://theothereconomy.com/fr/fiches/la-regle-de-hotelling/">“social optimum”</a>, his choice of policy that would help achieve the best for society as a whole.</p>
<p>Aspects for us to optimise always depend on the issue at hand, whether this be maximum well-being, more efficient geographical distribution or optimal exploitation of resources. But regardless of topic, Hotelling’s models consistently drew correlations between the social optimum and Georgist policy. To be clear, Hotelling never actually wrote of “Georgism” in his articles, instead concealing his ideology behind rigorous mathematical proofs. He expressed his ideas by describing ever-accumulating sums of money, leaving aside everything except solid logic and discussing it all in terms of social welfare. However, an ingeniously playful theme runs through his articles, whereby he compares various social utopias by replicating them into the microcosm of the board game.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gZbfBg4s59g?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Driven by a tireless thirst for knowledge, Hotelling rose through the ranks of American academia and eventually achieved international renown. The apex of his career as an economist came in 1938 when he turned his attention to natural monopolies, referring to those that make any form of market competition nigh on impossible. These economic phenomena usually occur when initial investment costs are so high that it is extremely difficult and ultimately infeasible for two companies to invest and compete. Some examples are rail transport, electricity and drinking water. Yes, these are the very same companies present on the <em>Monopoly</em> board and <a href="https://read.dukeupress.edu/hope/article-abstract/53/5/925/174115/Rescuing-Henry-GeorgeOptimization-Welfare-and-the?redirectedFrom=fulltext">no, this is not a coincidence</a>.</p>
<p>Using some <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1907054.pdf">clever calculations</a> to compare the level of well-being that would be created by different social models, Hotelling managed to demonstrate how much train tickets, drinking water and electricity would need to be subsidised in order to service the common good. Again, he drew comparisons between capitalist society and his social optimum. And again, the ideas of Elizabeth Magie became reincarnated as an economic model.</p>
<h2>A flourishing hypothesis</h2>
<p>Hotelling’s writings from 1938 on natural monopolies met with unexpected success. In France, after a turbulent discussion that culminated in a profound friendship with Hotelling, economist Maurice Allais used the idea to support a cogent political argument to change the face of French power and rail management. Meanwhile across the Atlantic, <a href="https://news.yale.edu/2020/03/10/giving-economist-nancy-ruggles-her-due">Nancy Ruggle</a> (another researcher whose work deserves more visibility) and a <a href="http://coin.wne.uw.edu.pl/mbrzezinski/teaching/HE4/BlaugWelfareTheorems2007.pdf">handful of other economists</a> were gradually transforming Hotelling’s concepts into what we now know as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_theorems_of_welfare_economics">second theorem of welfare economics</a>.</p>
<p>It was also because of Hotelling that one of Allais’s students, Gérard Debreu, came to the United States and brought a new topological angle to the issue at the heart of Hotelling’s 1938 idea. Debreu’s theories were fed by the ever more complex and impassioned debates that he was privy to with Hotelling and Allais. He later applied his method to what is now arguably the most celebrated economic theorem, the <a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mod%C3%A8le_Arrow-Debreu">Arrow–Debreu model</a>. Kenneth Arrow, a talented student of Hotelling’s, also took his teacher’s social optimum concept further and won a Nobel Prize for it. Another of Hotelling’s protégés was Will Vickrey, who also won a Nobel Prize and expanded on a number of his teacher’s ideas.</p>
<p>Although Hotelling was likely unaware of the existence of Elizabeth Magie, he never stopped playing <em>Monopoly</em>. To this day, the popular board game continues to hide references to a number of economic models, while Georgist ideals have found their way into modern economics under the guise of “social optimum”. So, <em>Monopoly</em> is celebrated and referenced every day by economists and academics the world over. Some will have no knowledge of Magie and her game, nor the teachings of Georgism. And yet, the game continues to creep unnoticed into their research, textbooks and lectures.</p>
<p><em>Translated from the French by Enda Boorman for <a href="http://www.fastforword.fr/en">Fast ForWord</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195681/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thomas Michael Mueller ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>The game’s roots provide insights into capitalism that form part of teaching and research to this day.Thomas Michael Mueller, Maître de conférence HDR en histoire de la pensée économique à l'Université Paris 8, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1954012022-11-30T12:22:18Z2022-11-30T12:22:18ZGod of War Ragnarök breaks new ground for accessible gaming – our research explains what more developers can do<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497393/original/file-20221125-22-aajtd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=51%2C143%2C3782%2C2011&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Lead artwork for God of War Ragnarök</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.igdb.com/games/god-of-war-ragnarok/presskit#images">SIE Santa Monica Studio</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Digital games are a bigger part of our culture than ever before. Over 50% of people in the <a href="https://ukiepedia.ukie.org.uk/index.php/Player_Diversity_%26_Demographics#2021_Stats">UK, Europe</a> and <a href="https://www.theesa.com/resource/2022-essential-facts-about-the-video-game-industry/">US</a> are now gaming regularly, regardless of age or gender. Only recently, however, have developers begun consistently designing gameplay options for players <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-i-say-disabled-person-or-person-with-a-disability-113618">with disabilities</a>.</p>
<p>This has been a major talking point with the release of <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiS9crFwcn7AhUHecAKHS4MBUUQvOMEKAB6BAgOEAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ign.com%2Farticles%2Fgod-of-war-ragnarok-is-the-fastest-selling-first-party-game-in-playstation-history&usg=AOvVaw1KJEy6WLgP3OnOvgI_Ch_L">God of War Ragnarök</a>. The ninth title in the God of War series, it claims to be the most accessible yet, and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-63555509">is pushing the standard</a> on accessibility in high budget, high profile games.</p>
<p>But what does it mean for a digital game to be accessible? And are the claims around Ragnarök anything more than window dressing, attempting to set itself apart in a highly competitive market?</p>
<h2>The combo combat conundrum</h2>
<p>Ragnarök is a “combo combat” game, which means the player must progress (as the god killer Kratos) through a series of levels by slaughtering enemies. This is achieved through high-paced combat that typically relies on rapid combinations of button presses and carefully timed movements of both the character and the camera viewpoint.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A giant fantastical alligator leaps at the protagonist of God of War Ragnarök." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497394/original/file-20221125-14-bie7j8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497394/original/file-20221125-14-bie7j8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497394/original/file-20221125-14-bie7j8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497394/original/file-20221125-14-bie7j8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497394/original/file-20221125-14-bie7j8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497394/original/file-20221125-14-bie7j8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497394/original/file-20221125-14-bie7j8.jpeg?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">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">High paced combat within God of War Ragnarök.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.igdb.com/games/god-of-war-ragnarok/presskit">SIE Santa Monica Studio</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s not hard to imagine how progress might become almost impossible for a player with a physical disability such as a hand tremor, or a visual disability. In some cases accessibility barriers to gameplay will combine, as up to <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/89-654-X2018002">two thirds of players</a> who identify as having a disability actually have multiple disabilities.</p>
<p>None of these things ought to prevent someone from playing digital games, but there needs to be some adaptation that resolves the mismatch between a player’s capabilities and the game design.</p>
<h2>Breaking new ground</h2>
<p>Our <a href="https://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/%7Epcairns/pubs/Cairns_IJHCS19.pdf">accessible player experience research</a> has reformulated accessibility to focus on achieving good player experiences for the most diverse audience of players. </p>
<p>The first step is ensuring that players have access to the “game feedback loop”. This means they can activate controls that allow them to take action and then perceive and interpret the response of the game to those actions.</p>
<p>Next is to ensure that a game’s challenges – attuned to the average player – can also be tuned so that they do not rely on specific capabilities such as rapid reactions or acute vision. When these stages of accessibility are achieved, players can enjoy what we describe as an “accessible player experience”.</p>
<p>To lay claim to being accessible, modern games should offer players <a href="https://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/%7Epcairns/pubs/Cairns_IJHCS19.pdf">a range of options</a> for controls, presentation and gameplay. This allows players with disabilities to craft the game to provide an optimal accessible player experience.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/en9Mic3eQ5Y?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Playstation’s explanation of Ragnarök’s accessibility features.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Ragnarök offers more than 60 different options for a huge variety of aspects of the game and its interface. This includes increasing the font size of in-game text and automatic movement controls so players don’t have to press buttons to climb, jump and run.</p>
<p>In this way Ragnarök is building on the accessibility of other recent hits, such as <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjIw_Dnxcn7AhUxSEEAHculADcQFnoECBAQAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.playstation.com%2Fen-gb%2Fgames%2Fthe-last-of-us-part-ii%2Faccessibility%2F&usg=AOvVaw0loO7WAV8NFz7hogzZ-i5c">The Last of Us 2 (2020)</a> but is also innovating in providing further features that cluster option settings.</p>
<h2>Challenges for developers</h2>
<p>The primary challenge for developers of accessible games is anticipating the diverse and sometimes unique needs of players, while producing game experiences that meet their creative vision.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497395/original/file-20221125-34666-kq3x0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Steven Spohn wears a tuxedo in his wheelchair on the red carpet of the Game Developers Conference" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497395/original/file-20221125-34666-kq3x0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497395/original/file-20221125-34666-kq3x0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497395/original/file-20221125-34666-kq3x0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497395/original/file-20221125-34666-kq3x0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497395/original/file-20221125-34666-kq3x0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497395/original/file-20221125-34666-kq3x0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497395/original/file-20221125-34666-kq3x0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Steven Spohn, COO of AbleGamers at the 2022 Game Developers Conference.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steven_Spohn_GDC_2022.jpg">Game Developers Conference</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In order to facilitate the creative and generative process of game design, our research has looked at accessibility as a problem of configuration. </p>
<p>Drawing from <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=H6CE9hlbO8sC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Alexander,+C.,+1979.+The+timeless+way+of+building.+Oxford+University+Press&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjgsYKAxMT7AhV2RkEAHXxZBZEQ6AF6BAgCEAI">work in architecture</a> and <a href="http://www.javier8a.com/itc/bd1/articulo.pdf">software engineering</a>, we have recognised that although some options needed are particular to a specific game, the types of options for accessible play broadly fall into identifiable patterns.</p>
<p>Some players, for example, will have difficulty progressing due to a mismatch between their capabilities and the level of challenge they encounter in a game. In this case, they may need the pattern we call a “helping hand”, where the game provides an assistance to the player to succeed in tackling an obstacle. What that looks like depends on the game and the obstacle in question.</p>
<p>For some games, a helping hand means providing an assist mode for targetting or steering. For others it is an in-game character suggesting a useful tip. In our collaboration with the <a href="https://ablegamers.org/">AbleGamers Charity</a>, patterns like a helping hand have been included in our <a href="https://accessible.games/accessible-player-experiences/">accessible player experiences design deck</a> which is now in the toolkit of hundreds of game developers around the world.</p>
<h2>A bright future for accessible gaming?</h2>
<p>When a game is made accessible, disabled players are given access to a major piece of modern culture in a way that isn’t possible in other arenas. They’re competing on a level-playing field with peers, friends and family who don’t have a disability. When games are accessible, <a href="https://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/%7Epcairns/pubs/Cairns_GAC19.pdf">players report</a> a strong sense of feeling enabled.</p>
<p>Ragnarök can definitely claim to have addressed accessibility in a significant and important way. And it has made innovations that it is keen for other games to adopt if they are seen as useful.</p>
<p>It may not have got everything right for every one – only players can tell us that – but what it has done is try to give the widest possible set of people the chance to pick up a Leviathan axe and become a god.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195401/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Cairns is Scholar in Residence at the AbleGamers Charity.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Power is the Sr. Director of User Research of the AbleGamers Charity and Managing Director of AbleGamers Canada.</span></em></p>Accessibility can be a major barrier between people with disabilities and their favourite games.Paul Cairns, Professor of Human-Computer Interaction, University of YorkChristopher Power, Associate Professor of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, University of Prince Edward IslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1890502022-10-24T20:00:48Z2022-10-24T20:00:48ZWhat’s in your future? ‘Fortune tellers’ paper game helps children acquire fine motor and language skills<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489651/original/file-20221013-12242-zilxpw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C46%2C5184%2C2491&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The folded paper decorated with messages, numbers and fortunes printed under the flaps can spark conversation at gatherings or be given as a birthday card. </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/what-s-in-your-future--fortune-tellers--paper-game-helps-children-acquire-fine-motor-and-language-skills" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Making <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/whether-you-call-it-a-chatterbox-or-fortune-teller-this-playground-game-has-stood-the-test-of-time-20220425-p5afwc.html">“fortune tellers” — a folded paper game children hold on their fingers and thumbs and practice counting and “telling fortunes”</a> with — has been a time-treasured craft and play activity for generations across cultures. </p>
<p>One of the earliest known paper-folding <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/origami/History-of-origami">instruction books is Japanese, dated to 1797; German educators also encouraged paper folding</a> in 19th-century kindergarten curricula. In English, “fortune tellers” are sometimes called <a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/67389/brief-history-cootie-catchers">salt cellars</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtm0WlsVMt0">chatterboxes</a> or <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/157106/cootie-catcher">cootie catchers</a>;
in my own family heritage language, Dutch, they are <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh6Dup06kfs"><em>happertje</em></a> (meaning “bite”). </p>
<p>This single activity integrates and provides a context for children to acquire and apply key concepts and skills <a href="https://www.ednet.ns.ca/edi">from important domains of early development</a>. These include physical health and well-being, including fine motor manipulative skills; language and cognitive development, which includes word knowledge; and social competence.</p>
<p>The activity promotes connected, accelerated and robust understanding through guided, engaged play.</p>
<h2>Experiential learning in a game</h2>
<p>It is important to underscore that different domains of children’s early development <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK310550/">are interrelated and interdependent</a>.</p>
<p>Orchestrating activities that exploit interaction among the domains supports young children in their quest to unite disparate or discrete “bits and pieces” of concept and skill understanding. In this way children have practice bringing different tasks <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.156">and embodied knowledge</a> into a coherent conceptual system. </p>
<p>In children, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2016.1223064">experiential learning that</a> engages <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/191866/the-hand-by-frank-r-wilson">neurocircuity connecting the brain and hands</a> and is mediated through adult talk is key to learning language for making meaning in the brain. </p>
<p>The psychologist Jean Piaget describes the early <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/piagets-stages-of-cognitive-development-2795457">development needs of children as concrete learners</a>, meaning direct contact with objects and materials in real time. The importance of the “<a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/Zone-of-Proximal-Development.html">more knowledgeable other</a>” and the role of language interactions in supporting ongoing learning was underscored by the psychologist Lev Vygotsky.</p>
<h2>Different learning goals</h2>
<p>Let’s isolate some important learning goals that a fortune teller task supports. </p>
<p>Fine motor manipulative and fine motor literacy skills are developed through scissor work to cut a square. Working on <a href="https://theconversation.com/summer-play-that-enriches-kids-reading-skills-8-fine-motor-activities-for-little-fingers-118673">a good pincer grip</a> through handling crayons and pencils happens when children print messages and numbers. </p>
<p>Folding, creasing, cutting, colouring, drawing and writing/printing supported <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/talking-with-mdash-not-just-to-mdash-kids-powers-how-they-learn-language">by adults talking with children helps children learn</a> procedural language and specialized vocabulary connected to numeracy and visual spatial concepts like diagonal, triangle, half. </p>
<p>And concepts <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02643290802425914">of shape are foundational to children’s ability to recognize letters</a> that underpin literacy learning. When children play with their fortune tellers, they practice counting out loud connected to finger movement. </p>
<h2>As a birthday greeting</h2>
<p>The social and emotional domain can be developed when children write thoughtful wishes for birthdays. Young children can start with drawing balloons, cake and candles to go under the flaps of a birthday greeting fortune teller card. Such activities promote emotional well-being for both recipient and sender.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/handwritten-valentines-create-a-legacy-of-love-and-literacy-130365">Handwritten valentines create a legacy of love and literacy</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Children could also write many other messages related to affirmations, random acts of kindness, mindfulness and ideas for behaviour and stress management. </p>
<p>Cognitive development can be nurtured with playful practice of times tables, jokes and riddles that encourage solving a problem, retelling and <a href="https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/story_sequence">narrating a sequence of</a> events. </p>
<p>Children reveal important information about their developmental readiness and progress, and their learning needs are visible in completing small projects such as making fortune tellers. A weak pincer grip, for example, might signal the need for <a href="https://www.ot-mom-learning-activities.com/finger-exercises-for-kids.html">more focused finger exercises</a> with clothes pegs, games with chop sticks or pick up sticks. </p>
<h2>Making the fortune teller</h2>
<p>Making fortune tellers involves about 11 folds — a multi-step task that will involve step-by-step help for young learners.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rbA29zfEAZk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">‘How to make a fortune teller’ video.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>You could use one of <a href="https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Fortune-Teller-Origami-Diagram.pdf">many diagrams available online</a>. Or, on YouTube, a video from “Maflingus” (or Miami Flip, as he introduces himself) on how to make a fortune teller explains the folding technique in straightforward language. I was drawn to give this youngster the opportunity to explain the process as I worked with two children in completing the task. He did not disappoint! </p>
<p>Children benefit from adults offering them input in multiple ways. As an adult leading the task, you can talk and give hands-on support when making the diagonal folds. </p>
<p>Break tasks into manageable chunks or steps. This might involve first creating a model of the final product. Offer specific feedback and encouragement at each step and backing up to review if necessary.</p>
<p>Completing this one-shot project was motivating, fun and purposeful for the children who decided to make this into a birthday wish for their father for later that day. </p>
<h2>Not just for little kids</h2>
<p>Older students can benefit from using the fortune teller as a study strategy.
Under the flaps, students might generate handwritten notes and summaries. Reviewing key concepts and vocabulary or definitions and formulas all promote deep processing and learning. </p>
<p>Handwriting creates embodied cognition and memory in the neurocircuitry that we know works as a key study technique. It produces the added bonus of having a handy, permanent <a href="https://theconversation.com/note-taking-by-hand-a-powerful-tool-to-support-memory-144049">external memory support</a> and storage space that can be revisited for quick review. </p>
<h2>All the boxes</h2>
<p>Though there are <a href="https://www.pbs.org/parents/printables/fortune-teller-game">endless free</a> and commercially available resources for making fortune tellers, <a href="https://www.thesuburbanmom.com/2018/05/14/harry-potter-fortune-teller-printable/">tailored to different themes</a> including printouts or colouring pages available online. I prefer a heartfelt hand-printed message, joke and a bit of art work, and as this article explains, the many benefits of starting from scratch. </p>
<p>Few learning tasks are able to integrate and target many developmental domains at once … fortune tellers tick all the boxes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189050/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hetty Roessingh receives funding from SSHRC </span></em></p>How to make a ‘fortune teller’ or ‘chatterbox’ with children, and why the paper activity targets many developmental domains at once.Hetty Roessingh, Professor, Werklund School of Education, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1916722022-10-18T01:04:12Z2022-10-18T01:04:12Z3 ways app developers keep kids glued to the screen – and what to do about it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489718/original/file-20221014-22-4bjtx2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=242%2C391%2C4257%2C2604&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>From learning numbers to learning how to brush your teeth, it seems there’s a kids’ app for everything. </p>
<p>Recent US statistics indicate more than half of toddlers and three-quarters of preschoolers <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/2020_zero_to_eight_census_final_web.pdf">regularly access</a> mobile apps. So it’s no surprise there has been an explosion of options within the app market to keep kids engaged.</p>
<p>These apps certainly offer some fun interactive experiences, not to mention good educational content in many cases. They’re also very good at keeping young minds engaged. So what’s the catch? </p>
<p>You just read it: they are <em>very</em> good at keeping young minds engaged – so much that kids can struggle to put their devices down. If you’ve ever wondered why it’s so hard to tear your child from their device, read on.</p>
<h2>What is persuasive design?</h2>
<p>Although there are <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/physical-activity-and-exercise/physical-activity-and-exercise-guidelines-for-all-australians">national recommendations</a> to help guide parents through the minefield of kids’ screen time, there is a hugely under-acknowledged piece of this puzzle – and that’s the way the technology itself is designed.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/persuasive-design">Persuasive design</a> refers to strategies that grab and hold our attention. It’s something both kids and adults experience (usually unknowingly) while scrolling through social media or fighting the urge to play another round of Candy Crush.</p>
<p>If persuasive design can influence the screen-use behaviours of adults – who have supposedly developed regulatory skills and self-control – then toddlers and kids don’t stand a chance. This aspect of the screen-time debate is rarely scrutinised with the seriousness it deserves. </p>
<p>To find out just how persuasive kids’ apps can be, we applied a <a href="https://www.academia.edu/download/43956371/Behavior-Model-for-Persuasive-Design.pdf">well-established model</a> of persuasive design to 132 of the most popular early childhood apps downloaded by Australian families via the Android and iOS app stores. <a href="https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1fqfn2f%7EUWIssm">We found</a> three main ways persuasive design features keep kids coming back. </p>
<h2>1. Motivation</h2>
<p>A key concept in persuasive design is to tap into kids’ emotions to ensure they stay motivated to engage with the app. This is done by:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>offering pleasure through rewards</strong>. Kids are still developing their ability to <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.2658056">delay gratification</a>. They’re more likely to seek an immediate reward of lower value than wait for a reward of higher value. In the context of apps, they’re likely to be motivated by instant rewards that bring happiness or excitement. The apps we tested offered many more instant rewards (such as sparkles, cheers, fireworks, virtual toys and stickers) than delayed rewards. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>provoking empathy</strong>. Just as adults seek positive feedback through “likes” on social media, kids love receiving social feedback from characters they admire (think Hello Kitty, or Bluey). Kids often attribute human <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1127846">feelings and intentions</a> to fictional characters and can form <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bziTAwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA187&dq=parasocial+relationships+young+children&ots=Z9EmxV6x30&sig=5s7EAAiGJHI2HKaXZHThszkvoLc">emotional ties</a> with them. While this can help foster a positive learning experience, it can also be exploited for commercial purposes. For instance, character empathy is at play when Hello Kitty looks sadly at a shiny locked box of food that can only be opened in the paid version of the app. </p></li>
</ul>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/12_YEGh8tC4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">YouTube/Budge Studios.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2. Ability</h2>
<p>No one wants to play a game that’s too difficult to win. Ability features provide kids with continuous instructions to reduce the likelihood of disengagement.</p>
<p>One way to increase a child’s sense of mastery is <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1999-15231-005">repetition</a>. Many early childhood apps include rote learning, such as making the same cookie over and over with the Cookie Monster. By including tasks that are quick to learn and repeating them, app designers are likely trying to tap into childrens’ growing <a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html">sense of autonomy</a> by helping them “win” on their own. </p>
<p>So what’s the problem with that? While repetition is great for learning (especially for developing minds), the removal of any requirement for help from a parent can encourage more solitary use of apps. It can also make it harder for parents to engage in <a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/119/1/182/70699">social play</a> with their child. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489719/original/file-20221014-12-5ah99y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Sesame Street's Cookie Monster holds up 7 fingers, next to some cookies and a surprised child in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489719/original/file-20221014-12-5ah99y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489719/original/file-20221014-12-5ah99y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489719/original/file-20221014-12-5ah99y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489719/original/file-20221014-12-5ah99y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489719/original/file-20221014-12-5ah99y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489719/original/file-20221014-12-5ah99y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489719/original/file-20221014-12-5ah99y.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"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">We have a responsibility to ensure kids’ apps are genuinely educational and aren’t exploiting their developmental vulnerabilities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Google Play/Sesame Street Alphabet Kitchen</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. Prompts</h2>
<p>Commercial prompts were the most common trigger we found in early childhood apps, especially free apps. They have one main purpose: to bring in revenue.</p>
<p>Prompts include pop-up advertisements, offers to double or triple rewards in exchange for watching an ad, or prompting the user to make in-app purchases. While adults might be able to see prompts for what they are, kids are much less likely to understand the underlying commercial intent.</p>
<h2>So what can be done?</h2>
<p>There’s no doubt some of these features in moderation help maintain a basic level of app engagement. But our research makes it clear a lot of persuasive design features simply exist to serve business models. </p>
<p>We need to have more conversations about ethical design that doesn’t capitalise on children’s developmental vulnerabilities. This includes holding app developers accountable. </p>
<p>The early-childhood app market is vast. Parents often won’t have enough information on how to navigate it, nor enough time to assess each app before downloading it for their child. However, there are a few ways parents can get an upper hand:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>talk to your child after they’ve played with an app. Ask questions like “what did you learn?”, or “what did you enjoy the most?”.</p></li>
<li><p>play the app with your child and decide if it’s worth keeping. Are they getting smothered by rewards? Are there many distracting prompts? Is it too repetitive to be genuinely educational?</p></li>
<li><p>look for the “<a href="https://play.google.com/console/about/programs/teacherapproved/">teacher-approved</a>” indicator (on Play Store) when considering an app, or check reviews from trusted sources such as <a href="https://childrenandmedia.org.au/app-reviews/">Children and Media Australia</a> and <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews">Common Sense Media</a> before downloading.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Ideally your child should be leading the play, actively problem-solving, and should be able to end their time on an app relatively easily.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/screen-time-for-kids-is-an-outdated-concept-so-lets-ditch-it-and-focus-on-quality-instead-186462">'Screen time' for kids is an outdated concept, so let's ditch it and focus on quality instead</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191672/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 organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Persuasive design in kids’ apps is often overlooked in the screen-time debate.Sumudu Mallawaarachchi, PhD Candidate, School of Psychology, Deakin UniversitySharon Horwood, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Deakin 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/1886122022-08-16T16:08:18Z2022-08-16T16:08:18ZDoes entitlement make you more likely to cheat? New research challenges popular psychology idea<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478897/original/file-20220812-3923-gpzhuu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6016%2C4016&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Do you cheat at dice games?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dice-430194097">beeboys/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Why do people cheat? <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1515102113">An intriguing study</a> by two Israeli researchers in 2016 put forward a possible reason that has since become well established in the scientific literature and popular media.</p>
<p>The researchers reported a series of experiments apparently showing that people told they have won a skill-based competition, such as a visual task, subsequently cheat more than others in games of chance, such as dice games. The proposed explanation was that winners experienced a sense of entitlement that induced them to cheat.</p>
<p>The paper has been highly cited by other researchers. One scientific comment paper even pointed out its significance <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2017.00417/full">in the light of tax evasion</a> costing governments US$3.1 trillion (£2.6 trillion) annually. </p>
<p>But does the finding hold up to scientific scrutiny? We decided to replicate the study and investigate more closely the reasons why people do or don’t cheat.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FOeoGpgX8AE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Our new study, <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.202197">published in Royal Society Open Science</a>, failed twice to replicate the original finding. We found that the original experiments were “statistically underpowered”, meaning they used far too few experimental participants (43 in their main experiment) to sustain the conclusions that were drawn. </p>
<p>There were also problems of experimental design and methodology, notably a failure to randomly decide which participants were winners, losers, or part of a control group that weren’t told how they had done in the skill-based competition.</p>
<p>We began by replicating the original research as closely as possible, but in a large-scale experiment (252 participants) to achieve adequate statistical power. We also assigned participants randomly to conditions. </p>
<p>To assign winners and losers, we used the perceptual judgement test used in the original experiment. The test involves the difficult task of estimating which of several different symbols is the most numerous in briefly displayed slides similar to the one shown below.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478894/original/file-20220812-1300-whppmy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Faces shown in the perception test." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478894/original/file-20220812-1300-whppmy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478894/original/file-20220812-1300-whppmy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478894/original/file-20220812-1300-whppmy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478894/original/file-20220812-1300-whppmy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478894/original/file-20220812-1300-whppmy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478894/original/file-20220812-1300-whppmy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478894/original/file-20220812-1300-whppmy.png?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"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Which face do you see most of?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We put the participants in pairs and told them whether they had a better or worse score than their partner in the skill task. They were then put in new pairs and played a game of chance. The pairs then played a game of chance, also identical to the game in the original research. This involved rolling two dice under an inverted cup and then peeking through a spyhole in its base to see the result. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Image of a cup and two dice." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479120/original/file-20220815-485-7ffri6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479120/original/file-20220815-485-7ffri6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479120/original/file-20220815-485-7ffri6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479120/original/file-20220815-485-7ffri6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479120/original/file-20220815-485-7ffri6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479120/original/file-20220815-485-7ffri6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479120/original/file-20220815-485-7ffri6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dice game.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The players were told to help themselves to money from an envelope provided depending on what numbers the dice showed – 25 pence for each dice spot. While it was impossible to tell who in particular cheated, collecting much significantly more than the average amount was evidence of cheating.</p>
<p>We also assigned one-third of the participants to a control group. They were not told whether or not they had beaten their partner in the visual task before playing the the dice game.</p>
<p>Comparing the results to what we’d expect to happen by chance, a small but statistically significant amount of cheating seemed to have occurred, as in the original Israeli experiment. But our results showed no evidence that winning (or losing) had any statistically significant effect whatsoever on cheating, as can be seen in the graph below, where the dotted line shows the value expected by chance, without cheating.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Graph showing the amount of money taken by winners, losers and control participants." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478893/original/file-20220812-14-jca53y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478893/original/file-20220812-14-jca53y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478893/original/file-20220812-14-jca53y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478893/original/file-20220812-14-jca53y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478893/original/file-20220812-14-jca53y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=604&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478893/original/file-20220812-14-jca53y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=604&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478893/original/file-20220812-14-jca53y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=604&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Winners weren’t significantly more likely to cheat.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We also ran an even larger online experiment (275 participants) in which we assigned participants randomly to be winners, losers or control participants using the same perceptual test as before. </p>
<p>In this experiment, each participant tossed a coin ten times and claimed rewards (Amazon gift vouchers) depending on how many heads they tossed. The results were almost identical to our first experiment: we found a similar level of cheating and no evidence of any effect of winning or losing on subsequent cheating. </p>
<p>We used standardised psychometric tests designed to measure differences between people that might influence cheating, including a sense of entitlement, self-confidence, belief in personal luck, and a few other factors. But only one, turned out to be statistically significant in all treatment conditions. </p>
<p>Participants who dislike inequality cheated less than others. This is presumably because they had a stronger sense of fairness and considered cheating unfair. A sense of entitlement, on the other hand, was not significantly associated with cheating in any condition. </p>
<p>Ultimately, what makes some people cheat more than others is not fully understood. But our research suggests people’s feelings about inequality is one part of the explanation. There are also momentary circumstantial factors that encourage some people, but not others, to cheat.</p>
<h2>Psychology in crisis</h2>
<p>The original Israeli experiment does not replicate, and it should be viewed in the context of what’s known as the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v778svukrtU">replication or reproducibility crisis</a> in psychology. This refers to the fact that many recorded scientific findings <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1745691612465253">are impossible to reproduce</a> when experiments are repeated. </p>
<p>One of the principal drivers of the crisis is inadequate statistical power, meaning the use of sample sizes that are too small to yield trustworthy results. Our two experiments had extremely high (95%) statistical power, as required by the publisher of our registered report. </p>
<p>Another driver of the crisis is “publication bias”, which is when articles with a positive result are more likely to be published than those with a negative one.
Factors such as “p-hacking” (performing multiple different statistical tests on data until one of them turns out to be significant) and harking (creating a hypothesis after results are known) are also to blame. </p>
<p>Registered reports, in which investigators submit research proposals, including hypotheses and planned statistical tests before the research is undertaken, can ultimately help eliminate most of the drivers of the replication crisis. Such an approach will no doubt one day help us uncover other reasons why people cheat.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188612/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 organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>People who have a strong sense of fairness are less likely to cheat.Andrew M Colman, Professor of Psychology, University of LeicesterMarta Mangiarulo, Teaching Fellow, Research Assistant, School of Psychology, University of LeicesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1834832022-05-23T16:19:56Z2022-05-23T16:19:56ZFive digital games to help your child’s development<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464792/original/file-20220523-21-pdnyvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=989%2C9%2C5479%2C4296&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/african-ethnicity-father-spend-time-little-1689625438">fizkes/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Recent research has linked playing video games in childhood with an <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-11341-2">increase in intelligence</a>. While parents and carers may be pleasantly surprised by these findings, they are less unexpected for many researchers of children’s digital play.</p>
<p>Studies have previously shown that playing digital games is associated with a wide range of benefits for children, even in those who are <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/1476718X20966688">very young</a>. Certain types of digital game play can <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1123979">enhance learning</a> and help develop <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1476718X20966688">digital skills</a>. Digital games can also improve “executive function”, such as working memory and impulse control, in both <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10826-020-01754-w">preschoolers</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360131517302154?fr=RR-2&ref=pdf_download&rr=70e6833d6d818924">adolescents</a>. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/video-games-our-study-suggests-they-boost-intelligence-in-children-182950">Video games: our study suggests they boost intelligence in children</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But some broader benefits of digital play, though no less important, are far less commonly celebrated as reasons to play digital games. Digital play supports <a href="https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/184212/1/1135590-Article%20Text%20%28in%20Je-LKS%20standard%20format%29-4899-2-10-20211231.pdf">meaningful connections</a> between children and their peers and families. There is also increasing evidence that children and their families find <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/15554120211056125">comfort and joy in digital game play</a>, particularly during difficult times. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Grandmother and children playing on tablet" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464790/original/file-20220523-24-k25lwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464790/original/file-20220523-24-k25lwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464790/original/file-20220523-24-k25lwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464790/original/file-20220523-24-k25lwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464790/original/file-20220523-24-k25lwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464790/original/file-20220523-24-k25lwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464790/original/file-20220523-24-k25lwe.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">Playing digital games can be joyful and social.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/asian-grandmother-her-two-grandchildren-having-2090706232">PattyPhoto/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Parents, grandparents and other adults can <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epub/10.1080/17439884.2021.1960859?needAccess=true">help children</a> to develop skills and support their social and emotional development by spending time playing with them or talking to them about the digital games they love. Digital games whose design encourages parental participation have also been shown to particularly <a href="https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/bjet.12622">support young children’s play and creativity</a>.</p>
<p>Various design features of digital games have been shown to support different types of play and different positive outcomes for children. With this in mind, here are five digital games to unashamedly enjoy playing with your children. </p>
<h2>1. Just Dance series (Ubisoft)</h2>
<p><strong>Good for:</strong> physical movement; shared fun</p>
<p><strong>Ages:</strong> 10+ (or younger in Kids Mode) </p>
<p>Available across multiple platforms, Just Dance is a game in which players learn and perform dance move and routines by following demonstrations on screen. </p>
<p>Games like Just Dance have been applauded for encouraging children to move, but they can also be a source of <a href="https://cms.learningthroughplay.com/media/rkzfgydz/children-tech-and-play_full-report.pdf">shared joy</a> for children, their friends and family. <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-28656-001?doi=1">Exercise games</a> have also been shown to enhance executive functions associated with attention in children. </p>
<h2>2. Little Red Coding Club (Twinkl)</h2>
<p><strong>Good for:</strong> computational thinking skills; exploratory play; critical thinking</p>
<p><strong>Ages:</strong> 4-8</p>
<p>In Little Red Coding Club, which children can play on Apple and Android devices, children guide characters from the well-known fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood, through an immersive 3D forest to the safety of grandma’s house, by gradually learning, and then using, basic coding skills and knowledge.</p>
<figure>
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<p>I recently conducted <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-94724-8_19">a study</a> that found that Little Red Coding Club’s use of augmented reality technology enabled young children to quickly understand how to define and debug simple algorithms.</p>
<h2>3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo)</h2>
<p><strong>Good for:</strong> Relaxation; social play</p>
<p><strong>Ages:</strong> 3+</p>
<p>There is increasing recognition that digital games can <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/cyber.2021.29211.editorial">support social development</a>. In the pandemic-era favourite, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, children can gradually shape their own fantastical island paradise, complete with a fully customisable avatar and host of eccentric neighbours.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Teenage boys playing on tablet" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464810/original/file-20220523-19-rx5bkc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464810/original/file-20220523-19-rx5bkc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464810/original/file-20220523-19-rx5bkc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464810/original/file-20220523-19-rx5bkc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464810/original/file-20220523-19-rx5bkc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464810/original/file-20220523-19-rx5bkc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464810/original/file-20220523-19-rx5bkc.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">Digital games can be a good way to socialise.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/three-teenage-boys-playing-game-on-745519180">Daisy Daisy/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nintendo’s safety features make it easy for children to socialise safely online through visits to other children’s islands. Children’s passion for digital games also encourages social interaction through on and offline fan communities. </p>
<h2>4. Minecraft (Mojang Studios)/LEGO Worlds (Warner Bros.)</h2>
<p><strong>Good for:</strong> Creativity; open-ended play; social play</p>
<p><strong>Ages:</strong> 7+</p>
<p>Building games like Minecraft and LEGO Worlds have an <a href="https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/bjet.12622">open-ended format</a>, where there are multiple ways to play and few or no fixed goals. This open-ended play has been <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/48660127?casa_token=A97qnu6GNtkAAAAA%3AsnZnKMZtefFsrw5aGXFFdqZ3Wx6O8TTCgRZOzYQZHbNzorBjh_kQShAbv-cCijwHNXGeFlMALr0JcQc_h9Z_V-zGF4wkA2XHIPeaA-f1BTsj7FviOg&seq=1">linked to creativity</a>. </p>
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</figure>
<h2>5. Dora and Friends (Nickelodeon)</h2>
<p><strong>Good for:</strong> Representation; multimodal story creation</p>
<p><strong>Ages:</strong> 5+</p>
<p>In Dora and Friends, players can design characters, choose music, images and backgrounds, then add recordings of their own voices, before combining multiple scenes to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00405841.2020.1857127">tell a story</a>. This combination of elements is known as multimodal story creation, which supports the development of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0305764X.2010.526589">children’s literacy skills</a>. </p>
<p>The character options in Dora and Friends allows children to play as characters that look like them. Digital play has the power to support children to <a href="https://blog.ufes.br/kyriafinardi/files/2017/10/What-Video-Games-Have-to-Teach-us-About-Learning-and-Literacy-2003.-ilovepdf-compressed.pdf">develop their identities</a>, so having characters that are <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1461444809105354?casa_token=HiKTQr5V97AAAAAA:ykyzZOhhhb4bHCQigF1a1EaWXJ68ldZdHapnS8aH_9Pu6SWpd7L1N-BZr-nMrIqI3xXzAr_6Ap4">like them</a> is important. While the children’s media industry undoubtedly has more work to do, games that simply allow children to create, or play as, characters that look like them are a starting point. </p>
<p>For slightly older children (7+), the Steven Universe: Save the Light games from Grumpyface Studios incorporate LGBTQ themes. Meanwhile, Brikym Game Studio’s Kingdom of Kuru was developed by two Black game designers with a mission to improve representation. </p>
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<p>While the design features of the five games listed above support a range of benefits for children, digital games are used differently, and hold different meanings, in different families. A digital game doesn’t necessarily have to be beautifully designed or obviously educational to support joyful and meaningful play experiences for children and their families.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183483/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fiona Scott is currently receiving funding from the LEGO Foundation as part of the research grant 'Responsible Innovation in Technology and Ethics for Children' ('RITEC'). Her research has previously been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the LEGO Foundation. </span></em></p>Children and their families can learn and find joy through digital games.Fiona Scott, Lecturer in Digital Literacies, University of SheffieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1828512022-05-12T01:32:31Z2022-05-12T01:32:31ZFIFA and EA sports are splitting: a look at 30 years of game innovation, and what fans can expect next<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462394/original/file-20220511-24-abuiz7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C0%2C2194%2C1237&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EA Sports</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>EA Sports and FIFA will part ways after almost 30 years of collaboration. This is surprising for a number of reasons, not least because it is such a large part of EA’s success: FIFA, a video game franchise using the world governing body of soccer’s official licence, is regularly played by <a href="https://news.ea.com/press-releases/press-releases-details/2020/Electronic-Arts-Reports-Strong-Q2-FY21-Financial-Results/default.aspx">35 million people</a>. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertkidd/2021/02/02/as-fifa-game-passes-sales-milestone-ea-sports-seeks-new-markets-and-to-clear-up-image-rights-misunderstanding/?sh=76a6d7da12bc">325 million copies</a> of the game have been sold since it was launched in 1993.</p>
<p>The American gaming company EA openly acknowledges its dependency upon the series. A 2020 <a href="https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0000712515/7205ec00-ad63-4913-a8b5-7dfed24158cf.pdf">regulatory document</a> stated their US$5.6 billion in revenue was “primarily driven” by FIFA 21 and FIFA 20. </p>
<p>As one might expect, this powerhouse relationship seems to have soured over money. According to the New York Times, FIFA wanted double its usual licence fee, from US$500 million every four years to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/13/sports/soccer/ea-sports-fifa.html">US$1 billion</a>. </p>
<p>EA will release its <a href="https://news.ea.com/press-releases/press-releases-details/2022/Electronic-Arts-to-Create-Fan-First-Future-of-Interactive-Football-with-EA-SPORTS-FC/default.aspx">new brand</a> of soccer video game, EA Sports FC, in 2023. FIFA are also outlining plans to introduce its own set of digital games. FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, <a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/bluestarsfifayouthcup/2022/media-releases/fifa-diversifies-its-gaming-rights-and-launches-new-non-sim-football-games">remarked</a> this week:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I can assure you that the only authentic, real game that has the FIFA name will be the best one available for gamers and football fans. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This series has always revolved around an amorphous insistence upon authenticity and reality.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/are-esports-the-next-major-league-sport-74008">Are esports the next major league sport?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Welcome to the real</h2>
<p>EA Sports’ famous motto, “if it’s in the game, it’s in the game”, is not your average marketing braggadocio: it’s a declaration of intent. Even at its inception, the publisher was claiming to be more authentic than its competition. </p>
<p>It always wanted to be associated with established sports media. Its first game, based on America’s National Football League, was endorsed by NFL legend John Madden, credited as “co-designer” for 1988’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Madden_Football_(1988_video_game)">John Madden Football</a>.</p>
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<p>By the early 90s, EA Sports had reached agreement with the relevant governing bodies for NFL, American hockey, golf and lastly, in 1993, soccer. </p>
<p>On the back covers of these early games you’ll see words such as “actual”, “authentic” and “realistic” plastered liberally. These are, rather paradoxically, aligned with phrases such as “just like TV”, detailing features such as live commentary, instant replays and a host of camera angles.</p>
<p>In our heavily mediated society, signs of mediation are signs of reality.</p>
<p>The early FIFA games were filled with innovations. FIFA International Soccer in 1993 was the first soccer game to give the impression of three-dimensions, rather than the flat, two-dimensional appearance of competing games.</p>
<p>Graphical flourishes abound from 1996’s FIFA 97, featuring multi-dimensional players (instead of 2D sprites) and motion-captured animations provided by cover star David Ginola. This iteration also introduced live commentary provided by John Motson and Andy Gray, familiar voices to any English soccer fan. </p>
<p>Its successor, FIFA: Road To World Cup 98, would introduce a “title song” (Blur’s Song 2), beginning a tradition fusing musicians with the series, now an <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-58637447">aspiration for many bands</a>. </p>
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<p>FIFA Football 2002 provided the now familiar convention of “power bars”, where the power of a shot (and later pass) is determined by how long the player holds the button. This expanded the skill curve for the game, paving the way for mechanics in later years such as dribbling controls and tricks.</p>
<p>FIFA 09 inaugurated the multiplayer “Clubs” mode, allowing players to compete against one another online. This edition also introduced user-controlled goal celebrations: an infamous feature among online players for the rage induced by taunting, elongated routines.</p>
<p>FIFA 19 was perhaps the nail in the coffin for the dominance of the FIFA licence. EA Sports was able to secure an exclusive licence with the Union of European Football Associations, introducing enormously popular competitions such as the European Champions League, Europa League and Super Cup to the game. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-does-crowd-noise-matter-139662">Why does crowd noise matter?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Road to Wembley?</h2>
<p>It’s interesting to look back now at how proud EA Sports were when teaming up with FIFA. The back cover for 1993’s FIFA International Soccer read: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>EA Sports has teamed up with the governing body of international soccer to bring you the most realistic soccer game ever created. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is a far cry from contemporary pronouncements, such as EA CEO Andrew Wilson’s <a href="https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/eas-ceo-tells-staff-its-been-impeded-by-the-fifa-brand-its-four-letters-on-a-box">recent dismissal</a> that FIFA’s only contribution to the series’ success was “four letters on the front of the box”.</p>
<p>While Wilson’s comments on FIFA are condescending, they aren’t too far off the mark. Outside of “those four letters”, the game series has never really seemed to care too much about that particular endorsement. </p>
<p>EA Sports’ claims to authenticity and reality have centred upon two things: domestic representation, and expanding the simulation claims of its game. </p>
<p>The first is evident in the series’ emphasis on expanding from international teams in the first game to include leagues such as England’s Premiership, Spain’s LaLiga and Germany’s Bundesliga with the painstaking recreation of their stadiums, team kits and player likenesses.</p>
<p>The second is illustrated by EA Sports’ concentrated efforts to implement familiar sports media conventions into the unfamiliar territory of video games. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462588/original/file-20220511-24-rwga4q.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Game screenshot" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462588/original/file-20220511-24-rwga4q.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462588/original/file-20220511-24-rwga4q.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462588/original/file-20220511-24-rwga4q.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462588/original/file-20220511-24-rwga4q.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462588/original/file-20220511-24-rwga4q.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462588/original/file-20220511-24-rwga4q.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462588/original/file-20220511-24-rwga4q.jpeg?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 game has increasingly improved things like camera angles and player likenesses.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EA Games</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Tack onto this constant improvements in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics_engine#:%7E:text=Physics%20engines%20for%20video%20games,forces%20affecting%20the%20simulated%20objects.">physics engine</a>, player motion capture and team statistics, and EA Sports’ value is obvious for your average fan.</p>
<p>In recent years, EA Sports have even adopted mechanics from older media such as trading cards. Players can purchase “card packs” which provide a random selection of footballers to use in the game. (This has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/04/fifa-ultimate-team-gambling-french-lawsuit-ea-video-game-card-packs">drawn the eye</a> of legislators concerned EA is promoting gambling.)</p>
<p>The road forward for EA Sports’ series is clear; FIFA’s plans are much less defined. </p>
<p>EA Sports’ new series <a href="https://www.ea.com/en-gb/news/ea-sports-fc">has the rights</a> to “19,000+ players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30 leagues”, including the English Premiership and UEFA Champions League. It’s an extraordinarily strong defence. If FIFA really want to compete, it will need to field a formidable attack. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-if-qatar-can-silence-critics-with-a-strong-tournament-an-olympic-bid-could-be-next-171773">World Cup 2022: if Qatar can silence critics with a strong tournament, an Olympic bid could be next</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182851/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steven Conway 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>EA Sports and FIFA will part ways after almost 30 years of collaboration, and will each be going at games alone.Steven Conway, Senior Lecturer - Games and Interactivity, Swinburne University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1791462022-03-17T11:42:00Z2022-03-17T11:42:00ZFour reasons why children need to be more active in school playgrounds, and what’s stopping them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452566/original/file-20220316-8425-108qs4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many children are not playing games outside at breaktimes.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Monkey Business/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>School breaktimes might be assumed to be the most active period in a child’s school day. The fanciful notion that when the school “bell” rings children flood the playground, running, jumping and actively playing with friends may be based on school stories and older people’s experiences. </p>
<p>While some children are physically active at breaktimes, for others there are a number of barriers preventing them from doing anything energetic, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640414.2021.1928423">recent research</a> has highlighted. </p>
<p>There has also been a marked reduction in the amount of time outside provided by schools provided in the last <a href="https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Final-report-School-break-and-lunch-times-and-young-peoples-lives-A-follow-up-national-study.pdf">27 years</a>. The youngest primary school children now have an average of 45 minutes less breaktime per week, and secondary schoolchildren 65 minutes less, than in 1995. Exercise outside school hours has also declined.</p>
<p>It is essential that schools understand the benefits of these moments in the school day in encouraging every child to run, skip or play games outside, <a href="https://www.bps.org.uk/sites/bps.org.uk/files/News/News%20-%20Files/PP17%20Children%27s%20right%20to%20play.pdf">research shows</a>. </p>
<p>Here’s why:</p>
<h2>1. It’s important to start young</h2>
<p>Skills such as hopping, jumping and throwing combine with other skills such as cycling and scooting and act as a foundation to develop more complex skills such as serving in tennis, and tackling in football. School playgrounds should offer equipment, space and coaching for these basic activities so children are able to develop the skills needed to be active throughout life.</p>
<p>It’s important to do exercise from an early age. Physical activity levels have been found to decrease from as early as <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/52/15/1002.full.pdf">seven years of age</a> and continue declining throughout childhood. </p>
<p>Schools need to redesign playground spaces to include equipment that is appropriate for the ability of the children, and to encourage them to have a go. For example, providing two-wheel scooters to younger key stage one children (five-year-olds) without also providing the space needed or any coaching is counterproductive. Schools need to provide a range of equipment from scooters to bikes, balls and rackets that develop a range of basic movement skills (squatting, throwing, catching and cycling) and consider the resources needed such as staff training, and available space to increase children’s chances to do exercise or play games at breaktime. </p>
<h2>2. Making friends</h2>
<p>Within a school day, children say breaktimes are their favourite times to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03055698.2014.930337?casa_token=PQ3ZwHU3YhkAAAAA%3Agb3fB0d33y0mULgghOvIqwDVw8su9Nq0KQu5kFX8UqHG2PS_bzOnKzovFW7P04JFBjlx2VaHyBM">“catch up”</a> with their friends.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0261812#pone.0261812.ref021">strongest reason</a> children give for choosing activities and play spaces at breaktimes is “because my friends play here” and “this is where my friends are”. The desire for friendship is so strong that children will often give up on their preferred breaktime activity to take part in games their friends are playing.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Girl in blue kicking football." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452572/original/file-20220316-7879-13o2xfx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452572/original/file-20220316-7879-13o2xfx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452572/original/file-20220316-7879-13o2xfx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452572/original/file-20220316-7879-13o2xfx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452572/original/file-20220316-7879-13o2xfx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452572/original/file-20220316-7879-13o2xfx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452572/original/file-20220316-7879-13o2xfx.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">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children who play games outside at breaktimes can do better at exams, research shows.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Fotokostic/Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The desire for children to engage in social games (games requiring more than two people) will increase the quality of their friendships. Children will often take part in activities their friends do, despite initially demonstrating lower ability levels. This highlights the importance of friendship as a driver for developing skills and getting children to do more exercise. </p>
<h2>3. Improving mental health</h2>
<p><a href="https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2020-wave-1-follow-up">One in six children</a> between the ages of five and 16 years of age are identified as having a mental health disorder. An increase in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2005.tb01855.x?casa_token=Ltmu-5PrCp8AAAAA%3Ap0G9APZQ1GWSJI65dBU0HfxLBbASL4mA5bD-cBa-CCurLNweYOq65bSWIRhGFMttt5nGRhmY_8ua">physical activity</a> levels, and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335519301779">time spent outdoors</a> is positively associated with reduced depression and anxiety, and increases in self-esteem.</p>
<p>Some <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029218303315?casa_token=l2HnsmSGoecAAAAA:CkytT1XxLyiaP0dmcrw4Bwkm0K9tIaYTzIig3bslEVhKpnqYHZwxF_2QBQbELTRHqza7egYH">evidence suggests</a> playing games or sport leads to improvements in thinking and problem solving in young people. </p>
<p>Due to the strong positive associations between time spent outdoors with <a href="https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(14)00456-9/fulltext">physical activity levels, cardio-respiratory fitness</a> and flourishing <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335519301779">mental health</a>, it is essential that schools address both the reduction in breaktimes and the lack of wet weather play space.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/daily-exercise-can-boost-childrens-exam-grades-new-research-120443">Daily exercise can boost children's exam grades – new research</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>4. Getting better results</h2>
<p>The pressure of hitting curriculum targets, and the management of poor behaviour are the main factors leading to reduced school breaktimes. However, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1440244017316419?casa_token=85GMQNdpII4AAAAA:ki2Hd45t0kjVwdsHYNN8mJvLbpCbpwMCHMaMTVbNLY6JngCwON7QBDsT8bhhh01L2kO0jCLQ">evidence suggests</a> this is counter intuitive, as an increase in physical activity can have beneficial effects on <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/21/1224">academic achievement</a>, largely as a result of improvements in memory, flexible thinking and <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/48/12/973.full">self control</a>. </p>
<p>Irrespective of exercise levels, children who interact more with other children rather than teachers, at breaktime also have better <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/088520069290099K">academic results</a>. So headteachers must rethink removing breaktimes as a punishment for <a href="https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/dont-deny-breaks-punish-pupils-say-psychologists">misbehaving children</a>. </p>
<p>While breaktimes are often perceived as unimportant by school teachers and <a href="https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Final-report-School-break-and-lunch-times-and-young-peoples-lives-A-follow-up-national-study.pdf">policy makers</a>, children disagree. They are important opportunities for children to develop essential social skills and to get more active. We should listen to children on this one.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179146/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Graham 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>Schools need to do more to make it possible for children to be more active in breaktimes – new research shows.Michael Graham, Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science, Teesside UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1763252022-02-04T13:09:21Z2022-02-04T13:09:21ZWant to master Wordle? Here’s the best strategy for your first guess<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444360/original/file-20220203-17-18vqztc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C5%2C3514%2C2334&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There are 2,315 five-letter words in Wordle's dictionary.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/wordle-game-displayed-on-a-phone-and-a-laptop-screens-is-news-photo/1237931947?adppopup=true">Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As Wordle has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/crosswords/nyt-wordle-purchase.html">skyrocketed in popularity</a>, multiple media outlets <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2022/01/wordle-how-to-win-strategy-crossword-experts.html">have published articles</a> <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/wordle-has-tur">that explore the best word</a> to use as your initial guess. </p>
<p>Often the authors of these pieces theorize that the word ought to be one that uses as many vowels as possible, contains letters that frequently appear in English or possesses features that regularly occur in the language.</p>
<p>Well, my finance students and I decided to tackle this question in as definitive a manner as possible by determining the optimal first word to play in Wordle. </p>
<p>Our analysis actually ran through all possible combinations of five-letter words and ran simulations across all possible iterations – over 1 million of them – to figure out the best starting strategy.</p>
<h2>A ‘tried’ and true approach</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.cnet.com/how-to/wordle-explained-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-viral-word-game/">In Wordle</a>, players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word. Each time the player makes a guess, they learn whether each letter is correct and in the right location, appears in the word in another location or isn’t in the word at all.</p>
<p>Players can have different approaches. Some might simply want to solve the word, even if it takes six tries. Others try to do it in as a few guesses as possible.</p>
<p>Based on our analysis, if you’re trying to win in as few guesses as possible, the top three words to go with are “slice,” “tried” and “crane.” Using any of these three words will produce an average number of word attempts of 3.90, 3.92, and 3.92, respectively, if you’re using an optimal strategy to play (more on that later).</p>
<p><iframe id="LTbA9" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/LTbA9/4/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>If, on the other hand, you’re simply trying to win within the allotted six guesses, the top three words to play are “adept,” “clamp” and “plaid.” Using any of these three words will yield an average success rate in winning the game of 98.79%, 98.75%, and 98.75%, respectively, if you’re playing the optimal strategy.</p>
<p><iframe id="MuBec" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/MuBec/4/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>And herein lies the first interesting distinction between playing to win and playing to win in as few guesses as possible. </p>
<p>If you’re playing to win in the allotted six guesses, it appears best to play a word that has just one vowel and four consonants in it, as six out of the top 10 words have just one vowel. But if you’re playing to win in as few guesses as possible, it’s best to play a word that has two vowels and three consonants: All of the top 10 have two vowels.</p>
<h2>Inside the simulations</h2>
<p>Other researchers, <a href="https://theconversation.com/wordle-the-best-word-to-start-the-game-according-to-a-language-researcher-175114">such as David Sidhu at University College London</a>, have tried to determine the “best first word” from a linguistic perspective. In these efforts, the best selection is decided by how often certain letters appear in the English language, or the frequency of where these letters are located in five-letter words. </p>
<p>While these approaches are noble, our analysis extends beyond them by actually performing simulations across all possible word options to find the best type of word to play first.</p>
<p>To perform this analysis, two of my students, Tao Wei and Kanwal Ahmad, constructed a program that went through all <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2022/01/wordle-how-to-win-strategy-crossword-experts.html">2,315 official five-letter words</a> in Wordle’s dictionary. The program attempted each possible word as a first guess and ran simulations across all possible end word solutions, checking how long each attempt would take to guess the correct end word – 1,692,265 total simulations. </p>
<p>We then averaged all attempts for each word to see how many guesses one could expect to make to get to the correct end word. </p>
<p>To perform this massive simulation requires a method for picking the optimal word on the second guess, third guess and so on. </p>
<p>To give yourself the best odds on each ensuing guess, it’s important to select letters that are most likely to appear in each position. So the program used the list of 2,315 total words to determine the frequency at which each letter appears. </p>
<p>After receiving the results from the previous guess, the program filtered down the possible words to those that meet the criteria. Say the first guess were “bloke,” and L and E were in the correct position, while B, O and K didn’t appear in the solution. The program would then narrow down the list of possible words to those like “flume” and “slate.”</p>
<p>The program then assigns a score to each word in this list, where the score is the sum of the frequency of its letters. The word “slate,” for example, has a score of 37% because the letter “S” appears 5% of the time in the full list, while the letter appears “A” 8% of the time, and so on. The word with the highest score is then submitted as the next guess.</p>
<p>Running this simulation over all possible first guesses and against all possible solutions yielded the results.</p>
<p>But maybe you don’t want to start with the same word every time you play. In that case – and if you want to win with the fewest guesses – try making sure your first guess has two vowels, with one of them at the end of the word.</p>
<p>If you’re just looking to win within the allotted six guesses, then you may want to consider a word with fewer vowels – and definitely a word that ends in a consonant.</p>
<p>Hopefully our mathematical approach to Wordle hasn’t sucked all the joy out of the game. At the very least, it’ll give you a leg up if you decide to put a friendly wager on tomorrow’s game.</p>
<p>[<em>Get fascinating science, health and technology news.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=science&source=inline-science-fascinating">Sign up for The Conversation’s weekly science newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176325/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Derek Horstmeyer 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>Whether you want to win with as few guesses as possible, or you just want to figure out the right word before running out of turns, a scholar offers some tips.Derek Horstmeyer, Professor of Finance, George Mason UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1751142022-01-28T11:46:57Z2022-01-28T11:46:57ZWordle – the best word to start the game, according to a language researcher<p>If you’ve been on any social media platform in the past two weeks, you’ve probably seen a grid of green, yellow and black squares. This is the latest pandemic phenomenon called Wordle – a free <a href="https://www.powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle/">online game</a> that gives users a new word puzzle each day. It was created by Josh Wardle for his crossword-loving partner. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/01/12/1071840091/wordle-word-game-tips">As of January 10</a>, the game has 2.7 million players.</p>
<hr>
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<p><em>You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, narrated by Noa, <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/audio-narrated-99682">here</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>In Wordle, players have six tries to guess a target five-letter word. Every time they make a guess, they are told which letters in their guess are in the word and in the correct position (green), and which letters are in it but in a different position (yellow). It’s sort of like the boardgame <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastermind_(board_game)">Mastermind</a> but with a key difference. In Mastermind, all six colours were equally likely to appear in the target. In Wordle, because guesses and targets all have to be real words, some letters are more likely to appear, making some guesses better than others.</p>
<p>This leads to a question that I’ve seen people <a href="https://twitter.com/ringer/status/1484568870971064323">discussing at length online</a>: what is the best first word to guess? </p>
<h2>How to find the best first guess?</h2>
<p>For now, let’s define the “best first guess” as the one that is most likely to share the most letters with the target word. What we need to know is: how common are each of the 26 letters in five-letter English words. And not just in any five-letter words, those that have a chance of showing up as targets. </p>
<p>Obscure words like “nisus” (a mental or physical effort to attain an end) or “winze” (a connection between different levels of a mine) need not apply. </p>
<p>I found a recent <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13428-018-1077-9">study</a> that looked at over 60,000 English words and how well-known they were. This sort of statistic is interesting for language researchers like me because it captures something about how easily a word can be processed: on average, more commonly known words are read faster.</p>
<p>I took all five-letter words that were known by at least 50% of those studied (if you knew “nisus” or “winze” – I certainly didn’t – you share that feat with only 7% of the sample). Then I counted the number of times each letter appeared at least once in a word.</p>
<h2>Letter frequencies</h2>
<p>The most common letter was “e”, appearing in 46% of words. This is a well-known pattern that applies to the <a href="https://norvig.com/mayzner.html">English language in general</a>. A notable exception is George Perec’s novel <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Void">A Void</a>, which was purposefully written without the letter “e”. This pattern was even used by Sherlock Holmes in <a href="https://sherlock-holm.es/stories/pdf/a4/1-sided/danc.pdf">The Adventure of the Dancing Men</a> to decode a cipher made up of dancing stick figures by reasoning that the most common symbol would be “e”. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A line of dancing stick figures." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442844/original/file-20220126-28-shin0m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442844/original/file-20220126-28-shin0m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=76&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442844/original/file-20220126-28-shin0m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=76&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442844/original/file-20220126-28-shin0m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=76&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442844/original/file-20220126-28-shin0m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=96&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442844/original/file-20220126-28-shin0m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=96&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442844/original/file-20220126-28-shin0m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=96&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The mysterious sequence of dancing stick figures that Holmes deciphers in The Adventure of the Dancing Men.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One reason that “e” is so common was the advent of <a href="https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/1979857.pdf">silent e’s at the end of words in the 16th century</a>, used to signal something about the preceding sounds. For example, “tone” is pronounced differently than “ton”.</p>
<p>The next most common letters were: “a” (39%), “r” (34%), “o” (29%), and “i” and “s” tied for fifth (28%). Out of these six letters, one word immediately “arose” as the best option! Want an especially bad first guess? Try “whump” (a dull thudding sound). That is just about the worst by this metric.</p>
<p>But while “arose” is most likely to get you letters in the target, they may not be in the correct positions.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442846/original/file-20220127-18-1f4erz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442846/original/file-20220127-18-1f4erz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=141&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442846/original/file-20220127-18-1f4erz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=141&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442846/original/file-20220127-18-1f4erz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=141&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442846/original/file-20220127-18-1f4erz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=177&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442846/original/file-20220127-18-1f4erz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=177&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442846/original/file-20220127-18-1f4erz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=177&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The most frequent letters, by position, in common five-letter words.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If we want a word that is most likely to get letters in their correct positions, the best option is “samey” (monotonous, repetitive, unvaried). But let’s not stop there. If we put these approaches together into one final score, we get a word that looks eyrie-ly familiar: “soare” (a young hawk) – “arose” but in a more strategic order.</p>
<p>One final thing to note. While writing this article I found that people had gotten into the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/wordle/comments/s4tcw8/a_note_on_wordles_word_list/">source code for the Wordle website</a> and found the actual list of words that can appear as targets. I decided not to use that list because I found it more fun to try and answer the question with available language resources. Also, that list might change and I wanted to find a more general answer. </p>
<p>But, just to put your mind at ease, when I do all of the above with that list of “official” Wordle targets, “soare” ends up being the best once again. So there you have it. Now what you do with guesses two through six is up to you.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Sidhu 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>Certain letters appear more frequently in words so starting with this one increases your chances of getting more correct letters on your first go.David Sidhu, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Psychology and Language Sciences, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1754332022-01-23T19:09:06Z2022-01-23T19:09:06ZMicrosoft buys Activision Blizzard: with the video game industry under new management, what’s going to change?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441917/original/file-20220121-9603-268giy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=70%2C64%2C4199%2C2778&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>In 1979, a group of disgruntled Atari employees decided to quit and create their own company. Activision was the world’s first “third-party” game development company, producing and publishing titles for other companies’ platforms.</p>
<p>Fast-forward 43 years and the company that is now Activision Blizzard has been bought by one of the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-19/microsoft-buys-activision-blizzard-call-of-duty-warcraft-maker/100765894">major platform owners in the industry</a>, Microsoft, for a blistering US$68.7 billion dollars (around A$95.6 billion) – the largest sale in the history of the video game industry.</p>
<p>This sale is also massive in terms of the game franchises Microsoft now has control over; it now owns blockbuster franchises such as Call of Duty, Diablo, Starcraft, Candy Crush and World of Warcraft. And tens of millions of fans of these titles will now be wondering: what does this change in ownership mean for them?</p>
<h2>Why now?</h2>
<p>Big dollar acquisitions aren’t new in the video game industry. Activision Blizzard itself became one of the largest video game companies in 2008, when Activision merged with Blizzard <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080801174639/http://wii.ign.com/articles/887/887251p1.html">in a US$18.9 billion dollar deal</a>. Microsoft and Sony regularly buy successful pre-existing development studios to take over their intellectual properties (IP) and make them available exclusively on their platforms.</p>
<p>But Microsoft has become particularly aggressive in its approach. In the last decade alone it has made a number of high-profile purchases, including <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-17/keogh-digging-for-gold-the-%242.5-billion-video-game/5749598">Minecraft developer Mojang</a> in 2014 for US$2.5 billion, and <a href="https://news.microsoft.com/2020/09/21/microsoft-to-acquire-zenimax-media-and-its-game-publisher-bethesda-softworks/">Elder Scrolls and Doom publisher ZeniMax</a> in 2020 for US$7.5 billion. With the Activision Blizzard acquisition, Microsoft is now the third-largest <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/18/22889258/microsoft-activision-blizzard-xbox-acquisition-call-of-duty-overwatch">company in the industry, behind TenCent and Sony</a>.</p>
<p>This is all part of Microsoft’s current video game business strategy, which is less about selling game products and more about increasing subscriptions to its Game Pass service. Similar to services like Netflix and Spotify, Game Pass gives subscribers access to a massive digital catalogue of games in exchange for a monthly fee.</p>
<p>In its announcement of the Activision Blizzard purchase, Microsoft also boasted Game Pass has <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/18/22406059/xbox-game-pass-subscribers-25-million-microsoft-activision">surpassed 25 million users</a>. With each user paying US$16 a month, that’s about US$400 million (or A$556 million) in monthly revenue.</p>
<p>With Activision Blizzard, Microsoft now owns a huge new range of franchises it can make available through Game Pass, attracting even more users.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441915/original/file-20220121-9469-6xr4is.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441915/original/file-20220121-9469-6xr4is.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441915/original/file-20220121-9469-6xr4is.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441915/original/file-20220121-9469-6xr4is.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441915/original/file-20220121-9469-6xr4is.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441915/original/file-20220121-9469-6xr4is.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441915/original/file-20220121-9469-6xr4is.jpeg?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">
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<span class="caption">While Microsoft owns Activision Blizzard, players can still play the company’s games on other consoles and platforms such as Sony’s PlayStation or Valve’s Steam, but it remains to be seen if this will continue.</span>
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<h2>Gaming landlords</h2>
<p>If it wanted, Microsoft might even make these franchises <em>only</em> available through Game Pass, forcing customers away from other consoles like PlayStation and distribution platforms like Steam. In other words, it could pull consumers into its own exclusive sphere.</p>
<p>This is now a common strategy. Now, through subscription-based digital platforms, we have all stopped being owners of product and instead have become renters.</p>
<p>This is also true of individual video games. Call of Duty, Hearthstone, Fortnite (and many others) are no longer games that players purchase once, but are instead their own ecosystems in which players are encouraged to continuously <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1469540521993930">spend money on battle passes, cosmetics and access to new content</a>. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the companies that own these titles can <a href="https://overland.org.au/2019/04/when-the-game-plays-you-dotaplus-and-surveillance-capitalism/">constantly farm new data from their millions of players</a>, further increasing their company value.</p>
<p>With the purchase of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has effectively purchased a city of existing renters in the player ecosystems of Call of Duty, Hearthstone, World of Warcraft and many other titles.</p>
<p>That’s tens of millions of players already committed to closed ecosystems, including many in the difficult-to-penetrate Chinese market playing Blizzard titles Hearthstone and World of Warcraft. All of these players can be farmed for more personal data and more rent.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-war-between-xbox-and-playstation-is-no-longer-about-consoles-its-about-winning-your-loyalty-150057">The war between Xbox and Playstation is no longer about consoles. It's about winning your loyalty</a>
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<h2>So what does it mean for players and developers?</h2>
<p>In the short term, probably not a whole lot.</p>
<p>Over the coming years, however, Microsoft might decide to keep more of these newly acquired franchises for its own platforms. For a PC player, this might simply mean having to transition away from Steam to the Microsoft Game Store if they want to access the franchises: an inconvenience, but hardly a radical change.</p>
<p>For PlayStation and Mac players, the situation could be more dire, and they might find themselves having to purchase a PC or an Xbox if they want to play new entries to these franchises in the future.</p>
<p>Some are also worried ongoing giant mergers will stifle creativity and innovation across the video game industry. But this is unlikely since the bulk of the revenue generated by the industry has always been concentrated in a relatively small number of risk-adverse companies. </p>
<p>In her book <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Global-Games-Production-Circulation-and-Policy-in-the-Networked-Era/Kerr/p/book/9780415858878">Global Games</a>, researcher Aphra Kerr estimated that in 2015, the top ten video game companies accounted for 49% of the entire industry’s revenue. In spite of this concentration of capital, the creativity and innovation that produces new genres almost always emerges at the periphery, in much smaller, independent groups working with far fewer resources. </p>
<p>The explosion of new and diverse genres we’ve seen over the past decade occurred, in large part, because independent creators are now able to access far more powerful tools, such as game engines Unity and Unreal, and greater audiences through digital marketplaces, such as Steam or Xbox Game Pass.</p>
<p>The situation is far from ideal, but the companies that control most of the capital in the video game industry – and the companies that are the most innovative – have rarely been the same. So this latest acquisition is unlikely to stifle creativity.</p>
<p>But there’s more at stake in this historic sale. Activision Blizzard is facing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/aug/08/activision-blizzard-lawsuit-women-sexual-harassment">accusations and lawsuits of harassment, abuse and sexism across its offices</a>, and CEO Bobby Kotick has been under <a href="https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-11-19-more-than-1300-activision-blizzard-staff-call-for-bobby-kotick-to-resign">intense pressure to resign for months</a>. Kotick is now set to walk away from the company <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/activision-ceo-bobby-kotick-400-million-payout-microsoft-acquisition-scandal-2022-1?r=US&IR=T">with US$400 million</a>; the allegations of a toxic workplace are now Microsoft’s responsibility to clean up.</p>
<p>Perhaps this is the important question coming out of the recent sale: not which piece of hardware will have access to which games, but whether Microsoft will take responsibility for improving the work culture and working conditions for game developers? We’ll have to wait and see.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/activision-blizzards-sexual-harassment-scandal-is-not-a-one-off-for-the-gaming-industry-166729">Activision Blizzard's sexual harassment scandal is not a one-off for the gaming industry</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brendan Keogh has previously received funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>The recent acquisition is the largest in video game history. Here’s what it will mean for players, developers and the future of video gamingBrendan Keogh, Senior Lecturer, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1731472021-12-20T22:05:27Z2021-12-20T22:05:27Z5 of the best home-grown games to play this summer<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435727/original/file-20211205-19-wvik77.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2560%2C1440&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Florence brings together lovely art and music and simple but meaningful puzzles.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Annapurna Interactive/Mountains Studio</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>This year’s Digital Australia report found, as a country, Australians spent <a href="https://igea.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/DA22-Report-FINAL-19-10-21.pdf">more time playing digital games</a> than watching free-to-air TV during the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns. </p>
<p>Whether you’re new to playing or you’re a seasoned gamer, what better way to celebrate Australia’s love for games than by exploring some of the best home-grown games you can play this summer. </p>
<p>Here are five of my most recommended Australian games, from beautiful story-based experiences you can sink into alone, to hilarious multiplayer games perfect for playing with family and friends. </p>
<h2>Florence (2018), Mountains Studio</h2>
<p>Available on Android, iOS, PC and Nintendo Switch, Mountains’ <a href="https://annapurnainteractive.com/games/florence">Florence</a> is a gorgeous game I return to time and time again.</p>
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<p>As you play you get to see inside Florence’s life, learning her hopes and dreams and watching her fall in love with a cello player named Krish. The game design brings together puzzles and narrative in a cohesive manner, which adds meaning and engages you in the story.</p>
<p>If you like personal stories, well-developed characters you really care about, lovely art and music, and simple but meaningful puzzles, you’ll love Florence.</p>
<h2>Fruit Ninja VR2 (2021), Halfbrick Studios</h2>
<p>Back in 2010, Queensland-based Halfbrick Studios released Fruit Ninja and, just like my two year old, had us all cutting up pieces of fruit. The premise of Fruit Ninja was simple: cut up the fruit, don’t cut the bombs.</p>
<p>On December 3, Halfbrick opened early access to <a href="https://www.halfbrick.com/games/fruit-ninja-vr-2">Fruit Ninja VR2</a>, a virtual reality version of Fruit Ninja where you can travel around a gorgeous zen-like world, cutting up virtual fruit. As well as your trusty sword you can now use <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-weapons-2058724#ref333230">ranged</a> weapons like a bow to shoot fruit far away. The early access mode of this game means it is still in development, so you might experience a few bugs, but the bonus is you get to play it early.</p>
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<p>If you like the idea of cutting up fruit in a zen world and not your kitchen (and you have a compatible VR headset), Fruit Ninja VR2 might be a great choice. You’ll need a Steam VR compatible headset to play early access, and Halfbrick will be announcing a release date soon for Oculus users.</p>
<h2>Crossy Road (2014), Hipster Whale</h2>
<p>In Melbourne-based Hipster Whale’s quirky 8-bit arcade style game <a href="https://www.crossyroad.com/">Crossy Road</a> (available on Android, iOS and online) your goal is to help cute cube-shaped characters to cross the road, avoiding various obstacles along the way. </p>
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<p>The endless arcade style of the game makes it easy to jump in and start playing and lets you play as long as you like. Interesting things to cross, like train tracks and rivers, keep the game engaging and the fast-paced levels ensure you are never bored while crossing the road.</p>
<p>You can unlock many more characters and situations as you play and Crossy Road is perfect if you like arcade-style games like Frogger and cute, stylised aesthetics. </p>
<h2>Rooftop Renegade (2022), Melonhead Games</h2>
<p>Expected to be released in early 2022 on PC and consoles (just in time to end your summer) Adelaide based studio Melonhead Games’ first game <a href="https://rooftoprenegade.com/">Rooftop Renegade</a> is a fast-paced neon-studded experience. I’ve been lucky enough to get to test Rooftop Renegade early: the game’s aesthetics drew me in immediately and the speed of the gameplay added a level of intensity that made my heart pump.</p>
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<p>Playing as Svetlana, the coolest hoverboarder you’ve ever seen (who can also travel through time), you need to speed across various locations to collect time crystals before you’re stopped by the evil Globacorp. </p>
<p>If you’re into speed running across rooftops and avoiding obstacles across gorgeous neon backdrops, Rooftop Renegade is a great pick for you. The game also has the ability to play in a multiplayer split screen mode, making it a solid choice to play with family and friends when it’s released.</p>
<h2>Untitled Goose Game (2019), House House</h2>
<p>Available on PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One, Melbourne-based studio House House’s <a href="https://goose.game/">Untitled Goose Game</a> is a multi-award-winning goose simulator experience.</p>
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<p>In Untitled Goose Game you play as a super cute but highly annoying goose, whose sole goal is to walk around a quaint English-style village and annoy as many people as possible. You can honk, run, duck, flap your wings and move objects around with your beak purely to annoy.</p>
<p>Another great choice to play with others, Untitled Goose Game has single player and local multiplayer modes. I am yet to show Untitled Goose Game to someone without them laughing within the first few minutes. I recommend the multiplayer because playing this game with someone else is hilarious.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/honk-if-you-love-untitled-goose-game-why-we-should-invest-more-in-our-indie-game-creators-124508">Honk if you love Untitled Goose Game: why we should invest more in our indie game creators</a>
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<p>In Australia, we are lucky to have a variety of AAA and indie game companies who are releasing interesting and unique titles all the time.</p>
<p>Whatever type of game you like to play, there’s bound to be an Australian title that will take your fancy and let you support our homegrown talent this summer.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173147/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susie Emery is an International Women in Games Ambassador. </span></em></p>In Australia we are lucky to have a variety of game companies releasing interesting and unique titles all the time.Susannah Emery, Lecturer, University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.