My aim in this case study has been to create a method for creature design to test this method in a production and evaluate the results. To achieve this I studied and analyzed the methods of three concept artists and illustrators named James Gurney, Neville Page and Iain McCaig. From the analysis of these artist´s methods, combined with my own personal experience, a new method was formed. To test this method a creature was designed based on directives given by a Game design group in the process of creating a table top role playing Game in a fictitious world. These directives where given for the creature´s role and its living conditions.

In Game development, performance is everything and the Playstation 3 provides a unique platform for utilizing parallelization of code to achieve extremely high performance. In this master?s thesis the issue of animation with smooth skinning is migrated from being a GPU process to becoming a parallelized and 358% faster process. This method is incorporated in an existing commercial Game engine and integrated in a currently in development title for the Playstation 3. An in-depth study covers parallel processors, the CELL processor, used in the Playstation 3, and how contemporary industry leading Game developers are utilizing the same unique architecture to increase their own Games? performance..

The aim of this essay is to investigate the function and development of non-player characters (NPC) in the TV/computer Game Dragon Age: Origins. The NPCs are analysed in order to see if their development is affected by the player character?s (PC) background and interactions. The Game?s ethics is also investigated by studying how the NPCs treat the PC and what significance they give to his background and actions.The results show that the NPCs are affected by the PC?s interactions, and furthermore, that they are round characters, which is unusual in TV/computer Games.

In this study we examine how much latency is required in an RTS-Game (Real-Time Strategy) before the player quits the Game. In the study latency is simulated in the Games Age of Mythology and Starcraft: Brood War with the program WANem, and then the testplayers are asked ?Do you want to quit because of latency??. This data is then gathered and compiled into graphs to show the results. These results show that the limit for when players want to quit differs between the two Games and that there are two factors that play into this.

This project report describes a supplement for character creation in a tabletop role-playing Game ?Dragons and Demons." The purpose of this project is to improve the character creation for the players? trough the narrative elements such as character?s background story. The applied qualitative methods such as a test panel and a questionnaire were conducted for the evaluation of theories used during character creation and to get feedback on the supplement?s creative value for the players. The aim of the questionnaire was to see how the method for the character creation differs from the regular way of making a character for a tabletop role-playing Game and if this idea improves user experience during the tabletop role-playing Game.The results of the evaluation are based on answers from novice and experienced players, and conclude that the additional background story creates an insight into the character's past, which makes it easier for novice players to get quick started with character creation.

Purpose: To examine how video-Game releases affect the share price, and if video-Game reviews have any impact on the share price of gaming corporations. Method: A quantitative deductive research approach is applied with event study methodology used as basis. The investigated companies were the five largest gaming companies listed on the U.S. NASDAQ exchange. A total of 29 video-Game launches and 85 reviews where examined.  Theory: The study is based on The Efficient Market Hypothesis, Agent Theory, Public Relations Theory, Nextopia and previous research.Results: The result contains 114 observations in five companies.

In this study we pose the question if you through finding patterns in implementation of checkpoints can find ways to tailor the experience of the Game A Story About My Uncle to hardcore Gamers. To find out the answer we had hardcore players playing a modified level from the Game A Story About My Uncle that was used as stimulus material for the following focus group interview. The analysis of the gathered material resulted in four patterns that can be used when implementing checkpoints to tailor the experience of the Game A Story About My Uncle to hardcore Gamers. Elements of checkpoints that our study showed to be important when it comes to how the Game is experienced are density, placement and clearness..

Detta arbete har utformats för att besvara frågeställningen: ?Kan Game Approachability Principles (GAP) upptäcka användbarhets-, spelbarhets- och åtkomlighetsproblem i tidiga stadier av utvecklingsprocessen av ett spel??. Teorier om användbarhet, åtkomlighet, spelbarhet, olika utvärderingsmetoder och användartestning samt Game Approachability Principles studerades för att skapa en teoribildning inom området. Två prototyper av ett spel skapades: en hi-fi prototyp och en lo-fi prototyp. Den första representerar det senare stadiet i utvecklingen av ett spel och den andra representerar det tidigare stadiet.

This study examines the in-Game encyclopaedia Codex as it appears within the videoGame Mass Effect. The purpose of this study is to analyse the Codex with emphasis on how the reading process is affected by the videoGame medium. In this regard the study seeks to uncover what characterises the Codex as a fictional encyclopaedia, what it entails and how it interacts with the rest of the Game. The theoretical basis of this study is derived from a combination of the writings of Wolfgang Iser concerning the process of reading, Jesper Juul's writings on the relationship between Games and narratives, and the concept of intermediality as discussed by Hans Lund and Jørgen Bruhn.      This study is based on a close examination of the PC and Playstation 3 versions of the videoGame Mass Effect, created by Bioware, with particular emphasis placed on the Codex. Mass Effect is a science fiction third-person shooter and RPG set in a future where mankind has begun interacting with aliens civilizations and colonising new planets.

I denna text diskuterar jag produktionen av Hearty Horrors, ett spel programmerat och designat helt i flash. Jag diskuterar svårigheterna för de olika delarna i att skapa ett spel. Tankar och jämförelser mellan onda och goda karaktärer och vad man, som speldesigner, bör och inte bör göra för att få spelare att känna sig manade att spela vidare. In this text I discuss the production of Hearty Horrors, a Game programmed and designed completly in flash. I discuss the difficulties of diffrent parts in the making of a Game.

Denna rapport har undersökt om Game metrics genom heat maps kan användas för att hitta en choke point i en bana gjord till spelet Team Fortress 2. Game metrics och kvantitativa  metoder  erbjuder  ett  objektivt  och  nästan  automatiserat  alternativ  till kvalitativa metoder när det kommer till balansering. En bana har konstruerats med en choke point och har speltestats för att generera en heat map. För att undersöka om det går att hitta en choke point med hjälp av en heat map så har en enkät gjorts där respondenter   bads   hitta   choke   pointen   med   hjälp   av   den   heat   mapen   som genererades från speltestningen av banan. Alla respondenter lyckades hitta mitten av choke  pointen  med  hjälp  av  heat  mapen.  I  framtiden  skulle  arbetet  kunna  utökas genom  att  undersöka  om  användandet  av  bottar  eventuellt  skulle  helt  kunna automatisera  balanseringsprocessen.  Det  skulle  också  gå  att  undersöka  hur  olika klasser rör sig i en bana..

This paper deals with the difficulties of applying user-centered design practices as an independent developer, based on the visualization of a Game concept in the form of a prototype. The aim is to evaluate the usability of user-centered design practices, specifically in the field of Games development. Throughout this paper, I will give an account of the methods used for testing, as well as a review of previous research done in this field of study. Finally, I will end with a discussion regarding the pros and cons of user-centered design, as well as some thoughts about its importance in similar projects..

An alternate reality Game, often abbreviated as ARG, is a mix between a Game and a crossmedia interactive story using mainly the Internet as a platform. The Game is built around the idea of teamwork among its participants. The players cooperate to solve puzzles allowing them to go forward in the story of the Game. The marketing element is in different ways included in the story.A few Alternate Reality Games such as The Beast, The Art of the H3ist and The Lost Ring have previously been launched as marketing campaigns. This bachelor thesis aims to examine the possibilities of Alternate Reality Games as an alternative marketing tool for profit-driven companies.

Time changes, so also in sport. The small venues become larger and more modernized. As stadiums grows, so also does sponsorship and its popularity, around them. Is it enough as a sponsor only to expose yourself these days, or does the new times require more creativity to stand out from all the media?This work is done for Stadium AB in Norrköping, and treats questions such as; what type of sposnorcummunication that is proper to use around the soccer stadium, and if it is possible for new ideas in the future when Stadium is hosting a Game? To answer these questions theory has been read about sponsorship and data has been gathered through qualitative interviewswith soccer clubs and sponsorship consultants.The work result shows that there are some general rules that the company should follow tosucceess when hosting a Game.

Dataspelsproblematik är ett eskalerande problem som har visat sig påverka många unga människors utveckling och välbefinnande. Syftet med denna studie var därför att undersöka ungas dataspelsproblematik, vilka konsekvenser ett överdrivet dataspelande medför samt vilken behandling som ges till unga med dataspelsproblematik. Empirin erhölls genom kvalitativa intervjuer med professionella som arbetar med denna typ av problematik vid verksamheterna Game Over och Theory in Action. Resultatet visade att dataspelsproblematik idag inte har en bestämd definition och att det är ett problem som inte är tillräckligt uppmärksammat. Synen på orsaker till dataspelsproblematik hos unga är komplext då det kan tänkas bero på många olika faktorer.