Chen, Sande (2008). Towards More Meaningful Games: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Gamasutra. At http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3736/towards_more_meaningful_games_a_.php.
In this thought-provoking design piece, writer Sande Chen (The Witcher) takes a look at how to ratchet up emotional intensity – through narrative design, visuals, and music – to create more meaningful games. (Gamasutra editors)
Calleja, G. (2007) Digital Games as Designed Experience: Reframing the Concept of Immersion. PhD Thesis, Victoria University of Wellington. Available at http://www.gordoncalleja.com/phdthesis.html.
I am working on a paper on a PS2 game, Project Zero (Tecmo, 2002). The game allows only three game saves to a memory card. As I want to go back to specific sections of the game later on, the limitation is awkward. Fortunately, the game runs on my PS3.
60G PS3 has a feature that it can used to play many PS2 games. What is really useful for a game researcher is that one can create memory cards to the disk of PS3 and use then instead of buying physical cards for 15–20€. This ability to save to hard disk comes handy when a game allows eight or three saves from a game to a card, and obviously saves money.
Currently, I have five memory cards set up in PS3 hard disk for the Project Zero saves, and more will be coming as those cover only the first night (there are four nights, I remember correctly). Still the saving process could be easier, but beats using PS2 for this.
For the future reference…
Free game engines for creating point-and-click adventure games:
Commercial game engines for creating 3D Games:
I have only hands on experience with Unity3D. We are using it for building Lies and Seductions, a game relatting to my doctoral research. So far, I am quite happy with Unity3D.
Hagmann, Cammoun et al (2008). Mapping the Structural Core of Human Cerebral Cortex
In the human brain, neural activation patterns are shaped by the underlying structural connections that form a dense network of fiber pathways linking all regions of the cerebral cortex. Using diffusion imaging techniques, which allow the noninvasive mapping of fiber pathways, we constructed connection maps covering the entire cortical surface.
After promising to point some references for masters thesis at goth party some time ago. I got thesis couple of days ago, in which Arttu Reinikainen looks at a role-playing game system, from the perspective of usability. The perspective is fresh and welcomed.
While I am not really buying the immersion and flow link to role-playing experience (I have presented some objections against the concept of immersion at Playing Roles seminar), the took on usability heuristics and focus groups seems mainly to be sound (I must note that haven’t played D&D 3.5, only briefly browsed the rules).
Reinikainen, A. (2008). Role-Playing Games and Usability. Masters Thesis. University of Tampere, http://tutkielmat.uta.fi/tutkielma.phtml?id=18273.
I have been reading Richard Dawkins’s The God Delusion, a light summer reading (non-work related, I though), which had some interesting stuff. Dawkins cites Gregory S. Paul who concludes: “higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy and abortion in the prosperous democracies”. (Cited in Dawkins 2006, pp. 263.)
On the other hand, if we look game sales and violent crimes rates seem not to correlate (see, Jesper Juul’s blog entry).
What we should conclude from these? Ban religions and promote games? At least, Paul’s research gives somereasons to be cautious on media effect studies.
References
I probably need these in the future:
Graveyard (Tale of Tales) is a small game (or one could say it is game-like thingie) in which player controls an old lady who visits a graveyard. All there is to accomplish is to walk to church and sit a bench next to, yet the game manages to keep you interested. If you buy a full version, there is a change that the lady dies. Designers of the game are writing a postmortem that is still unfinished, but, even in half-finished state, is an interesting read.
Petri Lankoski 