An empirical study of early access games on the Steam platform

“Early access” is a release strategy for software that allows consumers to purchase an unfinished version of the software. In turn, consumers can influence the software development process by giving developers early feedback. This early access model has become increasingly popular through digital distribution platforms, such as Steam which is the most popular distribution platform for games. The plethora of options offered by Steam to communicate between developers and game players contribute to the popularity of the early access model. The model is considered a success by the game development community as several games using this approach have gained a large user base (i.e., owners) and high sales. On the other hand, the benefits of the early access model have been questioned as well. In this paper, we conduct an empirical study on 1,182 Early Access Games (EAGs) on the Steam platform to understand the characteristics, advantages and limitations of the early access model. We find that 15% of the games on Steam make use of the early access model, with the most popular EAG having as many as 29 million owners. 88% of the EAGs are classified by their developers as so-called “indie” games, indicating that most EAGs are developed by individual developers or small studios. We study the interaction between players and developers of EAGs and the Steam platform. We observe that on the one hand, developers update their games more frequently in the early access stage. On the other hand, the percentage of players that review a game during its early access stage is lower than the percentage of players that review the game after it leaves the early access stage. However, the average rating of the reviews is much higher during the early access stage, suggesting that players are more tolerant of imperfections in the early access stage. The positive review rate does not correlate with the length or the game update frequency of the early access stage. Based on our findings, we suggest game developers to use the early access model as a method for eliciting early feedback and more positive reviews to attract additional new players. In addition, our findings suggest that developers can determine their release schedule without worrying about the length of the early access stage and the game update frequency during the early access stage.     

Fuzzy AHP for determining the key features and cognitive differences of mobile game development among designer and game player

Previous studies have assessed the elements of a game design from game players’ viewpoints. Scant research has been conducted from the perspectives of both game players and game developers. This study explored the cognitive difference among game players and game developers in the importance of online game designs by employing the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) to analyze the importance of puzzle game designs. The online game design hierarchical framework comprising 3 systems, 9 components, and 29 factors was established. The research findings are summarized as follows: 1) System quality is the most crucial design component. 2) Game development should primarily focus on technology followed by aesthetics. 3) A gap exists in the perception of game players and game developers on the design component “service quality.” Finally, researchers can adopt the multiple criteria decision-making model used in this current study to rank the importance of design contents for cultural and creative industries.     

嵌入式五子棋游戏设计

随着嵌入式技术及游戏软件的发展,手机游戏业也进入了一个新的移动游戏时代。好多大学设置了嵌入式游戏设计课程,五子棋游戏设计是在嵌入式系统环境下,使用标准C语言编程实现五子棋游戏。游戏中包含双人对战下棋功能、人机对战下棋功能、存盘读取记录功能、悔棋功能、记录下棋步数功能、判断胜负功能等。对培养适应社会需求的嵌入式技术人才有着重要意义。     

Improving player experience in Computer Games by using players' behavior analysis and linguistic descriptions

Understanding player behavior has an interest to computer games researchers and developers since it allows them to improve the design and implementation of computer games and also to ensure that players have the expected experiences. Currently this knowledge is not usually reported to players as feedback, although sometimes it is already used as an analysis tool. This paper presents a novel technology for automatically generating linguistic reports and immediate feedback from actions performed by players during play sessions. These reports allow developers to provide players with a more complete and personalized feedback about their behaviors, abilities, attitudes, skills or movements. In order to show and explore the possibilities of this new technology, we have incorporated it in the core of a computer game. We have evaluated positively that the incorporation of this kind of feedback into the core of YADY computer game allows us to improve the overall player experience.     

Blowtooth: a provocative pervasive game for smuggling virtual drugs through real airport security

In this paper, we describe a pervasive game, Blowtooth, in which players use their mobile phones to hide virtual drugs on nearby airline passengers in real airport check-in queues. After passing through airport security, the player must find and recover their drugs from the innocent bystanders, without them ever realising they were involved in the game. The game explores the nature of pervasive game playing in environments that are not, generally, regarded as playful or “fun”. This paper describes the game’s design and implementation as well as an evaluation conducted with participants in real airports. It explores the players’ reactions to the game through questionnaire responses and in-game activity. The technologies used in Blowtooth are, intentionally, simple in order for the enjoyment of the game to be reliant more on the physical environment rather than the enabling technologies. We conclude that situating pervasive games in unexpected and challenging environments, such as international airports, may provide interesting and unique gaming experiences for players. In addition, we argue that pervasive games benefit most from using the specific features and nature of interesting real-world environments rather than focusing on the enabling technologies.     

Digital Game Dynamics Preferences and Player Types

In this study, we examine digital game preferences by identifying game dynamics, i.e. player–game interaction modes, of 700 contemporary digital games, and players' (N = 1717) desire to play games with specific types of dynamics. Based on statistical analysis of the data, 5 game dynamics preference categories (“assault,” “manage,” “journey,” “care,” and “coordinate”) and 7 player types were revealed. The results show that identifying player types requires including both preferred and undesired game dynamics categories in the analysis. The findings unveil digital gaming as a more multifaceted phenomenon than common stereotypes suggest. The original game preferences model we present in this study can be conceptualized as a complementary approach for motivations to play and player behavior studies.     

Avatar economies: affective investment from game to platform

ABSTRACT

Video game avatars have been understood as a key site of players’ “affective investment” in play and games. In this article, we extend this conversation to explore the avatar’s role in engaging players with gaming platforms. Through a case study of Team Fortress 2 (Valve Software, 2007) and the Steam platform, we demonstrate the avatar’s function beyond gameworlds as a tool for encouraging certain kinds of play. Team Fortress 2, we argue, is a crucial testing ground for Valve’s experiments with gaming economies via the Steam platform. By extension, we show the importance of video game avatars for encouraging affective investment in platforms more broadly, including Microsoft’s Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and even workplace dashboards.     

Toward the construction of fun computer games: Differences in the views of developers and players

Even though most games have been developed so that users have fun, there has been little research to address the elements of games that create the perception of being fun. The objectives of this research are to focus on which features people think provide fun, and then analyse these aspects both qualitatively and quantitatively. This study first identified important design factors that may contribute to making a computer game fun, which is then organised as an analytic hierarchy. Based on the hierarchy, we surveyed both game developers and game players about how important they thought some factors are in making a game fun. The comparison between game players and developers indicates that the relative preferences about the game design factors are not the same between the two groups. This study concludes with limitations and implications of study results in the development of fun computer games     

Game accessibility: a survey

Over the last three decades, video games have evolved from a pastime into a force of change that is transforming the way people perceive, learn about, and interact with the world around them. In addition to entertainment, games are increasingly used for other purposes such as education or health. Despite this increased interest, a significant number of people encounter barriers when playing games due to a disability. Accessibility problems may include the following: (1) not being able to receive feedback; (2) not being able to determine in-game responses; (3) not being able to provide input using conventional input devices. This paper surveys the current state-of-the-art in research and practice in the accessibility of video games and points out relevant areas for future research. A generalized game interaction model shows how a disability affects ones ability to play games. Estimates are provided on the total number of people in the United States whose ability to play games is affected by a disability. A large number of accessible games are surveyed for different types of impairments, across several game genres, from which a number of high- and low-level accessibility strategies are distilled for game developers to inform their design.     

Perceived control and gender difference on the relationship between trialability and intent to play new online games

With the growing number of online game players and the increasing of new online games development, it is imperative for marketers to develop a better understanding of players’ new game adoption decisions. This study examines perceived control as a mediator of trialability-product adoption relationship, and gender difference as a moderator of the relationship between trialability-product adoptions. A field survey was conducted to test the hypotheses of the study. Respondents were graduate students from Taiwan universities. A total of 411 undergraduate students with massively multiplayer online gaming (MMOGs) experience participated in this study. The structural equation model (SEM) method was employed to analyze the data. The findings indicate that perceived product trialability has a direct influence on intent to play new games, and indirect effects through perceived process control. Gender differences also moderate the trialability effects on the adoption of new online games. Perceived trialability had more of an effect on intention to play new online games for female players than for male players. To develop an effective product development and communication strategy, the finding suggests that online game firms should focus on new product characteristics and consider consumer gender differences.     

An R&D Investment Game under Uncertainty in Real Option Analysis

One of the problems of using the financial options methodology to analyse investment decisions is that strategic considerations become extremely important. So, the theory of real option games combines two successful theories, namely real options and game theory. The investment opportunity and the value of flexibility can be valued as a real option while the competition can be analyzed with game theory. In our model we develop an interaction between two firms that invest in R&D. The firm that invests first, defined as the Leader, acquires a first mover advantage that we assume as a higher share of market. But, several R&D investments present positive externalities and so, the option exercise by the Leader generates an “Information-Revelation”, that benefits the Follower.     

信息增值机制下在线医疗隐私保护策略

近年来我国经济水平和人民生活水平飞速发展,医疗水平和医疗技术相继取得了突破。随着“互联网+”对各大领域商业模式创新的不断推动和深化,“互联网+”医疗发展得到了快速推动。机器学习、数据挖掘等数据处理技术不断发展,在线医疗过程中用户个人医疗隐私数据泄露风险引起了广大研究者的关注。考虑信息的可推断性,采用贴现机制以描述博弈不同阶段间用户隐私信息价值的变化;结合在线医疗隐私保护动机领域研究现状,通过博弈分析以从隐私保护动机层面探究如何调动博弈双方主体的积极性。针对用户有强意愿继续使用在线医疗平台、间断性提供隐私的博弈特征,采用重复博弈方法以更好地刻画用户与在线医疗平台之间的博弈过程。得出博弈双方主体的倾向变化规律,分析不同模型参数条件下博弈模型的混合策略纳什均衡及随着博弈阶段的进行双方博弈策略的变化趋势,给出当参数满足 2(c_p-c_n)≥l_p(p_n-p_p)时,用户开始由选择“同意共享隐私数据”转为选择“拒绝共享隐私数据”的重复博弈阶段,并通过仿真实验对上述结论进行了验证。基于以上结论,分别从在线医疗平台视角和用户视角,针对在线医疗过程中如何从博弈双方隐私保护动机层面实现隐私保护给出了可行的政策性建议。     

Computer games' influence on scientific and information visualization

The breakneck pace of consumer graphics development has yielded an unexpected dividend: using commodity graphics boards in high-end scientific applications. Historically, the visualization community has been a driving force in high-end computer graphics innovation, fostering technologies that have gradually filtered down to the consumer market. In recent years, however, the financial growth of the computer games market has made it the driving force in the development of consumer graphics applications and hardware. While scientific and information visualization focus on knowledge, computer games focus on play. Thus, the type of play a game depicts strongly affects the graphics it requires. Popular game environments span many classifications, including fast-paced first-person shooting games, massively multiplayer roleplaying games, computer translations of classic board games like chess and backgammon, and construction simulations that let players create a city or even an entire world. Regardless of their differences, each game type facilitates the development of visual thinking concepts. Thinking visually in three dimensions, benefits the sense of wonder and user interaction connected with the application of scientific and information visualization technologies.     

A review of: “HUMANIZED INPUT” Tom Gilb and Gerald M. Weinberg Winthrop Computer Series,Winthrop Publishing,Cambridge, Mass. 1977 383 pages $4.00 ISBN 0-87626-345-7

Kayles is a nonpartizan two-person game. In such games the moves available to both the players are the same and either the player on move wins or the previous player wins. In the “normal form” of the game, the last player who can make a move is declared the winner. In the “misere form” of the game, the player who makes the last move is declared the loser. The complete analysis of the normal form of the game of Kayles has been described by Berlekamp, Conway, and Guy. This paper completes their analysis of the misere form of Kayles. This is done on the basis of certain properties of what have been called “wild” positions of misere games.     

IOCP机制在P2P网络游戏中的应用

大型网络游戏作为一种分布式系统在高峰时要承载巨量用户在线负荷,这就对大型网络游戏通信系统的设计提出了非常高的要求。如何提高系统玩家承载量,使系统具有良好的伸缩性,以及如何利用有限的带宽为玩家带来一致而平滑的游戏已成为人们关注的焦点。通过对当前游戏开发技术的考察发现:在传统的网络游戏开发过程中,多是基于C/S模型,服务器在多人在线的情况下承受着巨大的压力。虽然也有基于P2P的网络游戏,但是对多个玩家同时在线支持不够。针对上述问题,文章提出将IOCP的模型应用在对等网络(P2P)模型的客户端中,以增强对等网中每个节点计算机的承载能力,从而降低主服务器的负载量。     

Flash游戏开发研究

随着Flash动画设计技术的发展,越来越强大的F1ash功能使得提高制作互动游戏的复杂性成为可能。Flash的出现将设计、美术、动画、程序有机的组合在了一起,任何掌握F1ash使用技巧和方法的游戏设计开发人员,制作一款游戏将非常容易。由于F1ash在互动游戏中的媒体传输优势,传统游戏开发人员越来越多的转到F1ash开发方面,Flash游戏给广大闪客带来了游戏娱乐的同时,也被商家应用于产品推广和销售：     

A model of cognitive loads in massively multiplayer online role playing games

Being one of the most commercially successful entertainment software applications, massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) continue to expand in term of the revenue they generate as well as the involvement of users who congregate in their virtual space and form communities around them to support each other. Unlike conventional offline computer games, or networked games with limited numbers of players, MMORPGs are not merely software applications as they are usually seen as a space with complicated dynamics of social interactions. Hence, it is believed that playing these games might cause cognitive overload problems among the players as they have to constantly interact with the game world as well as with other users. We conducted an exploratory study using qualitative methods to explore cognitive overloads in Maple Story, a typical MMORPG. Our results reveal that several types of cognitive overloads emerge during the game playing. While some of these overloads pose serious problems even to expert players, players seem to develop strategies to overcome them. It is found that some forms of cognitive load are actually desirable in order to make the game challenging. We have also created a set of recommendations that can help game developers handle cognitive load problems in MMORPGs.     

移动游戏平台的设计与实现

移动游戏为人们提供了新型的娱乐形式,也创造了一个深具潜力的广阔市场。伴随着市场的成长,越来越多的厂商和开发人员加入到移动游戏开发的队伍中。移动游戏平台为开发者提供底层的基础部件,并为开发和运营提供一个性能好、可靠性高、可扩展的技术支撑平台,使游戏开发人员避免底层关键技术的重复开发,从而将精力集中于具体游戏逻辑的设计实现上,提高游戏的可玩性和稳定性。针对移动游戏平台的设计目标,对Client/Server模式的移动游戏平台进行探讨,逐步深入研究移动游戏平台的架构和功能,设计出一个可行的Client-Server移动游戏平台模型。     

Creating scalable location-based games: lessons from Geocaching

Location-based games seek to move computer gaming out from behind the PC and into the “real world” of cities, streets, parks, and other locations. This real-world physicality makes the experience fun for game players, yet it brings the unique challenge of creating and orchestrating such a game. That is, location-based games are often difficult to create, grow, and maintain over long periods of time. Our research investigates how location-based games can be designed to overcome this challenge of scalability. We studied the well-established location-based game of Geocaching through active participation and an online survey to better understand how it has succeeded in maintaining user involvement and growth over the last decade. Findings show that Geocaching benefits by having players directly create game content, including both lightweight and elaborate creations. Geocaching has also made it simple for players to perform game orchestration by monitoring game content, other players, and even non-players. We then characterize location-based games according to various attributes and suggest how the lessons learned from Geocaching could be applied more generally to the design of other location-based games and in which cases they should not be applied.