Transactions of the Digital Games Research Association, 2018
This article examines which bodies have access to participate in Digital Games Research Associati... more This article examines which bodies have access to participate in Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA) events, and to DiGRA as an organization. It is based on a survey (N=174), among subscribers to the DiGRA 'Gamesnetwork' mailing list. The survey included questions on age, gender, location and career level to gain insight into who is included in the DiGRA community, with further questions on problems and challenges faced by those who have had trouble accessing DiGRA. This paper does not proceed solely by statistical methodology, but draws on feminist theories of embodiment and qualitative methods. Through this diverse methodological approach, the paper analyzes which bodies have difficulties accessing DiGRA�s academic communities and conferences, which practices cause these difficulties, and which policies might be introduced to address these. The survey indicates that young, early-career and women�s bodies are in particularly precarious positions. This situation is pe...
Game studies scholars have focused on many aspects of culture in digital games [16] [20] [26] and... more Game studies scholars have focused on many aspects of culture in digital games [16] [20] [26] and related areas in game production [4] [23]. This study, however, focuses on culture from a game designer’s perspective and on the cultural narrative game designers communicate through their designs. This study will examine 1) The ways in which game designers reflect on the concept of culture 2) The choices game designer’s make in designing a game and 3) The ways in which game designers reflect on how culture may inform game design. This work extends beyond game studies, as it is applicable the design of other interactive technologies like websites and mobile applications and informs cultural studies in the design of technology products.
This article reports on a study with 11 bit studios and their game, This War of Mine. Rather than... more This article reports on a study with 11 bit studios and their game, This War of Mine. Rather than a formal analysis of the game, our objective was to situate the research in game production studies by documenting the design context (gamework) and designer perceptions about the game that inform morally complex gameplay. The research was conducted with four team members of 11 bit studios: a senior game designer, a writer, a senior writer (with stakes in marketing), and a quality assurance lead. We employed reflective interviewing techniques and visual methods to better understand how moral gameplay was designed. Our analysis illustrates the roles underlying narratives in the design process and balancing everyday work negotiations play in the design of moral gameplay, how a designer’s research informs the vision to create emotional realism in the game, and the importance of a player-centered iterative design process to produce morally engaging gameplay.
Proceedings of the 20th International Academic Mindtrek Conference, 2016
In this article, the notion of game design value is proposed and explored utilizing three design ... more In this article, the notion of game design value is proposed and explored utilizing three design theory frameworks: Holm's design values, Lawson's guiding principles and Schön's appreciative systems. Game design, as other design fields, is affected by the designers' personal attitudes, beliefs and values. To gain a deeper understanding of design work by game developers it is imperative to introduce the consistence and development of these design philosophies to the field of game development. The proposed framework assists the organization of future research into game design values.
For this summer school project, four student teams in different cities across the world worked si... more For this summer school project, four student teams in different cities across the world worked simultaneously on the same VR assignment, about visualizing the role of digital technology in society in the year 2030.
Extended Abstracts Publication of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play, 2017
Games are designed with different objectives in mind. Some primarily for entertainment, others al... more Games are designed with different objectives in mind. Some primarily for entertainment, others also to educate, motivate or persuade its players. Games with the latter objective, that of persuasion, are designed not only to be entertaining, but also with the intent to shape how players think and feel about issues in reality. However, despite the growing interest in persuasive games, we still lack the design insights and strategies that support their production, particularly for those using immersive technologies. To address this gap, we organize a hands-on workshop and bring together academic and industry experts to explore persuasive game design. Through making we generate knowledge in the form of insights and examplar work, and subsequently formulate best-practises and design strategies for future design and research.
In this chapter, we derive a framework for discussing various ethical considerations in serious g... more In this chapter, we derive a framework for discussing various ethical considerations in serious game design, based on a Zagal's categorization of ethical areas in game design, and regarding the different contexts of their design and use. Focusing on the context of design and the context of use, we propose five suggestions to support ethical stewardship in serious game design. We conclude by discussing a number of specific areas in which ethics tie into serious game design, such as when working with games in a military context, when considering privacy issues, or when pinning down particular game design choices.
Games and culture: a journal of interactive media, Aug 29, 2017
This article reports on a study with 11 bit studios and their game, This War of Mine. Rather than... more This article reports on a study with 11 bit studios and their game, This War of Mine. Rather than a formal analysis of the game, our objective was to situate the research in game production studies by documenting the design context (gamework) and designer perceptions about the game that inform morally complex gameplay. The research was conducted with four team members of 11 bit studios: a senior game designer, a writer, a senior writer (with stakes in marketing), and a QA lead. We employed reflective interviewing techniques and visual methods to better understand how moral gameplay was designed. Our analysis illustrates: the roles underlying narratives in the design process and balancing everyday work negotiations play in the design of moral gameplay, how a designer’s research informs the vision to create emotional realism in the game, and the importance of a player-centered iterative design process to produce morally engaging gameplay.
In this article, the notion of game design value is proposed and explored utilizing three design ... more In this article, the notion of game design value is proposed and explored utilizing three design theory frameworks: Holm's design values, Lawson's guiding principles and Schön's appreciative systems. Game design, as other design fields, is affected by the designers' personal attitudes, beliefs and values. To gain a deeper understanding of design work by game developers it is imperative to introduce the consistence and development of these design philosophies to the field of game development. The proposed framework assists the organization of future research into game design values.
Game studies scholars have focused on many aspects of culture in digital games [16] [20] [26] and... more Game studies scholars have focused on many aspects of culture in digital games [16] [20] [26] and related areas in game production [4] [23]. This study, however, focuses on culture from a game designer's perspective and on the cultural narrative game designers communicate through their designs. This study will examine 1) The ways in which game designers reflect on the concept of culture 2) The choices game designer's make in designing a game and 3) The ways in which game designers reflect on how culture may inform game design. This work extends beyond game studies, as it is applicable the design of other interactive technologies like websites and mobile applications and informs cultural studies in the design of technology products.
Transactions of the Digital Games Research Association, 2018
This article examines which bodies have access to participate in Digital Games Research Associati... more This article examines which bodies have access to participate in Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA) events, and to DiGRA as an organization. It is based on a survey (N=174), among subscribers to the DiGRA 'Gamesnetwork' mailing list. The survey included questions on age, gender, location and career level to gain insight into who is included in the DiGRA community, with further questions on problems and challenges faced by those who have had trouble accessing DiGRA. This paper does not proceed solely by statistical methodology, but draws on feminist theories of embodiment and qualitative methods. Through this diverse methodological approach, the paper analyzes which bodies have difficulties accessing DiGRA�s academic communities and conferences, which practices cause these difficulties, and which policies might be introduced to address these. The survey indicates that young, early-career and women�s bodies are in particularly precarious positions. This situation is pe...
Game studies scholars have focused on many aspects of culture in digital games [16] [20] [26] and... more Game studies scholars have focused on many aspects of culture in digital games [16] [20] [26] and related areas in game production [4] [23]. This study, however, focuses on culture from a game designer’s perspective and on the cultural narrative game designers communicate through their designs. This study will examine 1) The ways in which game designers reflect on the concept of culture 2) The choices game designer’s make in designing a game and 3) The ways in which game designers reflect on how culture may inform game design. This work extends beyond game studies, as it is applicable the design of other interactive technologies like websites and mobile applications and informs cultural studies in the design of technology products.
This article reports on a study with 11 bit studios and their game, This War of Mine. Rather than... more This article reports on a study with 11 bit studios and their game, This War of Mine. Rather than a formal analysis of the game, our objective was to situate the research in game production studies by documenting the design context (gamework) and designer perceptions about the game that inform morally complex gameplay. The research was conducted with four team members of 11 bit studios: a senior game designer, a writer, a senior writer (with stakes in marketing), and a quality assurance lead. We employed reflective interviewing techniques and visual methods to better understand how moral gameplay was designed. Our analysis illustrates the roles underlying narratives in the design process and balancing everyday work negotiations play in the design of moral gameplay, how a designer’s research informs the vision to create emotional realism in the game, and the importance of a player-centered iterative design process to produce morally engaging gameplay.
Proceedings of the 20th International Academic Mindtrek Conference, 2016
In this article, the notion of game design value is proposed and explored utilizing three design ... more In this article, the notion of game design value is proposed and explored utilizing three design theory frameworks: Holm's design values, Lawson's guiding principles and Schön's appreciative systems. Game design, as other design fields, is affected by the designers' personal attitudes, beliefs and values. To gain a deeper understanding of design work by game developers it is imperative to introduce the consistence and development of these design philosophies to the field of game development. The proposed framework assists the organization of future research into game design values.
For this summer school project, four student teams in different cities across the world worked si... more For this summer school project, four student teams in different cities across the world worked simultaneously on the same VR assignment, about visualizing the role of digital technology in society in the year 2030.
Extended Abstracts Publication of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play, 2017
Games are designed with different objectives in mind. Some primarily for entertainment, others al... more Games are designed with different objectives in mind. Some primarily for entertainment, others also to educate, motivate or persuade its players. Games with the latter objective, that of persuasion, are designed not only to be entertaining, but also with the intent to shape how players think and feel about issues in reality. However, despite the growing interest in persuasive games, we still lack the design insights and strategies that support their production, particularly for those using immersive technologies. To address this gap, we organize a hands-on workshop and bring together academic and industry experts to explore persuasive game design. Through making we generate knowledge in the form of insights and examplar work, and subsequently formulate best-practises and design strategies for future design and research.
In this chapter, we derive a framework for discussing various ethical considerations in serious g... more In this chapter, we derive a framework for discussing various ethical considerations in serious game design, based on a Zagal's categorization of ethical areas in game design, and regarding the different contexts of their design and use. Focusing on the context of design and the context of use, we propose five suggestions to support ethical stewardship in serious game design. We conclude by discussing a number of specific areas in which ethics tie into serious game design, such as when working with games in a military context, when considering privacy issues, or when pinning down particular game design choices.
Games and culture: a journal of interactive media, Aug 29, 2017
This article reports on a study with 11 bit studios and their game, This War of Mine. Rather than... more This article reports on a study with 11 bit studios and their game, This War of Mine. Rather than a formal analysis of the game, our objective was to situate the research in game production studies by documenting the design context (gamework) and designer perceptions about the game that inform morally complex gameplay. The research was conducted with four team members of 11 bit studios: a senior game designer, a writer, a senior writer (with stakes in marketing), and a QA lead. We employed reflective interviewing techniques and visual methods to better understand how moral gameplay was designed. Our analysis illustrates: the roles underlying narratives in the design process and balancing everyday work negotiations play in the design of moral gameplay, how a designer’s research informs the vision to create emotional realism in the game, and the importance of a player-centered iterative design process to produce morally engaging gameplay.
In this article, the notion of game design value is proposed and explored utilizing three design ... more In this article, the notion of game design value is proposed and explored utilizing three design theory frameworks: Holm's design values, Lawson's guiding principles and Schön's appreciative systems. Game design, as other design fields, is affected by the designers' personal attitudes, beliefs and values. To gain a deeper understanding of design work by game developers it is imperative to introduce the consistence and development of these design philosophies to the field of game development. The proposed framework assists the organization of future research into game design values.
Game studies scholars have focused on many aspects of culture in digital games [16] [20] [26] and... more Game studies scholars have focused on many aspects of culture in digital games [16] [20] [26] and related areas in game production [4] [23]. This study, however, focuses on culture from a game designer's perspective and on the cultural narrative game designers communicate through their designs. This study will examine 1) The ways in which game designers reflect on the concept of culture 2) The choices game designer's make in designing a game and 3) The ways in which game designers reflect on how culture may inform game design. This work extends beyond game studies, as it is applicable the design of other interactive technologies like websites and mobile applications and informs cultural studies in the design of technology products.
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