Large-Scale Cross-Game Player Behavior Analysis on Steam
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Designing a User Interface for Musical Gameplay
Designing a User Interface for Musical Gameplay An Interactive Qualifying Project submitted to the faculty of WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science Submitted by: Tech Side: Hongbo Fang Alexander Guerra Xiaoren Yang Art Side: Kedong Ma Connor Thornberg Advisor Prof. Vincent J. Manzo Abstract A game is made up of many components, each of which require attention to detail in order to produce a game that is enjoyable to use and easy to learn. The graphical user interface, or GUI, is the method a game uses to communicate with the player and has a large impact on the gameplay experience. The goal of this project was to design a GUI for a music oriented game that allows players to construct a custom instrument using instruments they have acquired throughout the game. Based on our research of GUIs, we designed a prototype in Unity that incorporates a grid system that responds to keypress and mouse click events. We then performed a playtest and conducted a survey with students to acquire feedback about the simplicity and effectiveness of our design. We found that our design had some confusing elements, but was overall intuitive and easy to use. We found that facilitation may have impacted the results and should be taken into consideration for future development along with object labeling and testing sample size. 1 Acknowledgements We would like to thank Professor Vincent Manzo for selecting us to design an important feature of his game and for is support and encouragement throughout the duration of the project. -
Empirical Investigation on Measurement of Game Immersion Using Real World Dissociation Factor
Thesis no: MSCS-2016-13 Empirical Investigation on Measurement of Game Immersion using Real World Dissociation Factor Gadila Swarajya Haritha Reddy Faculty of Computing Blekinge Institute of Technology SE–371 79 Karlskrona, Sweden This thesis is submitted to the Faculty of Computing at Blekinge Institute of Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science. The thesis is equivalent to 20 weeks of full time studies. Contact Information: Author(s): Gadila Swarajya Haritha Reddy E-mail: [email protected] University advisor: Prof. Sara Eriksén Department of Creative Technologies Faculty of Computing Internet : www.bth.se Blekinge Institute of Technology Phone : +46 455 38 50 00 SE–371 79 Karlskrona, Sweden Fax : +46 455 38 50 57 Abstract Context. Games involve people to a large extent where they relate them- selves with the game characters; this is commonly known as game immer- sion. Generally, some players play games for enjoyment, some for stress relaxation and so on.Game immersion is usually used to describe the degree of involvement with a game. When people play games, they don’t necessar- ily realize that they have been dissociated with the surrounding world. Real world dissociation (RWD) can be defined as the situation where a player is less aware of the surroundings outside the game than about what is happen- ing in the game itself. The RWD factor has been expected to measure the losing track of time, lack of awareness of surroundings and mental trans- portation. Objectives. In this thesis, we measure and compare the difference in game immersion between experienced and inexperienced players using RWD fac- tor. -
Now We Are All Sons of Bitches
Now We Are All Sons of Bitches MICHAEL BONTATIBUS “Wake up, Mr. Freeman. Wake up and smell the ashes,” the enigmat- ic G-Man murmurs as he leers into the camera, finishing an eerie opening monologue—and so begins Half-Life 2, Valve Corporation’s flagship game. The last time we saw Gordon Freeman, the protagonist, the same rigid and mysterious (though more poorly animated, since the prequel was released six years earlier) G-Man was handing him a job offer after witnessing the former scientist transform into a warrior, bent on escaping from the besieged Black Mesa Research Facility alive. Now, suddenly, Freeman finds himself on a train. No context.1 Is it a prison train? The three other individuals on it wear uniforms like those the inmates wore in Cool Hand Luke. The train soon stops at its destination, and we realize that it is a prison train, in a way—Freeman has arrived at the Orwellian “City 17,” where the ironically named Civil Protection abuses and oppresses, where antagonist Dr. Breen preaches poet- ic propaganda from large monitors hung high above the town. In the years since scientists at the facility accidentally opened a gateway between dimen- sions and allowed a bevy of grotesque creatures to spill into our universe, Earth has been taken over by the Combine, an alien multiplanetary empire. Breen is merely Earth’s administrator—and we realize that the ashes the G- Man spoke of were the ashes of the prelapsarian world. It’s classic dystopia, complete with a Resistance, of which Freeman soon finds himself the “mes- sianic” leader (HL2). -
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Equity Analyst Report
Merrimack College Merrimack ScholarWorks Honors Senior Capstone Projects Honors Program Spring 2016 Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Equity Analyst Report Brian Nelson Goncalves Merrimack College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/honors_capstones Part of the Finance and Financial Management Commons Recommended Citation Goncalves, Brian Nelson, "Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Equity Analyst Report" (2016). Honors Senior Capstone Projects. 7. https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/honors_capstones/7 This Capstone - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors Program at Merrimack ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Senior Capstone Projects by an authorized administrator of Merrimack ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Running Head: TAKE-TWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE, INC. EQUITY ANALYST REPORT 1 Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Equity Analyst Report Brian Nelson Goncalves Merrimack College Honors Department May 5, 2016 Author Notes Brian Nelson Goncalves, Finance Department and Honors Program, at Merrimack Collegei. Brian Nelson Goncalves is a Senior Honors student at Merrimack College. This report was created with the intent to educate investors while also serving as the students Senior Honors Capstone. Full disclosure, Brian is a long time share holder of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. 1 Running Head: TAKE-TWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE, INC. EQUITY ANALYST REPORT 2 Table of Contents -
The Development and Validation of the Game User Experience Satisfaction Scale (Guess)
THE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE GAME USER EXPERIENCE SATISFACTION SCALE (GUESS) A Dissertation by Mikki Hoang Phan Master of Arts, Wichita State University, 2012 Bachelor of Arts, Wichita State University, 2008 Submitted to the Department of Psychology and the faculty of the Graduate School of Wichita State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2015 © Copyright 2015 by Mikki Phan All Rights Reserved THE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE GAME USER EXPERIENCE SATISFACTION SCALE (GUESS) The following faculty members have examined the final copy of this dissertation for form and content, and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Psychology. _____________________________________ Barbara S. Chaparro, Committee Chair _____________________________________ Joseph Keebler, Committee Member _____________________________________ Jibo He, Committee Member _____________________________________ Darwin Dorr, Committee Member _____________________________________ Jodie Hertzog, Committee Member Accepted for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences _____________________________________ Ronald Matson, Dean Accepted for the Graduate School _____________________________________ Abu S. Masud, Interim Dean iii DEDICATION To my parents for their love and support, and all that they have sacrificed so that my siblings and I can have a better future iv Video games open worlds. — Jon-Paul Dyson v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Althea Gibson once said, “No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you.” Thus, completing this long and winding Ph.D. journey would not have been possible without a village of support and help. While words could not adequately sum up how thankful I am, I would like to start off by thanking my dissertation chair and advisor, Dr. -
An Exploration of Zombie Narratives and Unit Operations Of
Acta Ludologica 2018, Vol. 1, No. 1 ABSTRACT: This document details the abstract for a study on zombie narratives and zombies as units and their translation from cinemas to interactive mediums. Focusing on modern zombie mythos and aesthetics as major infuences in pop-culture; including videogames. The main goal of this study is to examine the applications The Infectious Aesthetic of zombie units that have their narrative roots in traditional; non-ergodic media, in videogames; how they are applied, what are their patterns, and the allure of Zombies: An Exploration of their pervasiveness. of Zombie Narratives and Unit KEY WORDS: Operations of Zombies case studies, cinema, narrative, Romero, unit operations, videogames, zombie. in Videogames “Zombies to me don’t represent anything in particular. They are a global disaster that people don’t know how to deal with. David Melhart, Haryo Pambuko Jiwandono Because we don’t know how to deal with any of the shit.” Romero, A. George David Melhart, MA University of Malta Institute of Digital Games Introduction 2080 Msida MSD Zombies are one of the more pervasive tropes of modern pop-culture. In this paper, Malta we ask the question why the zombie narrative is so infectious (pun intended) that it was [email protected] able to successfully transition from folklore to cinema to videogames. However, we wish to look beyond simple appearances and investigate the mechanisms of zombie narratives. To David Melhart, MA is a Research Support Ofcer and PhD student at the Institute of Digital do this, we employ Unit Operations, a unique framework, developed by Ian Bogost1 for the Games (IDG), University of Malta. -
Valve Corporation Tournament License
VALVE CORPORATION DOTA 2 TOURNAMENT LICENSE AND PAID SPECTATOR SERVICE AGREEMENT By pressing “Submit” you and/or the party you represent in submitting this web form (“Licensee”) agree to be bound be the terms of this Dota 2 Tournament License and Paid Spectator Service Agreement (the “Agreement”). It is entered into and effective by and between Valve Corporation, a Washington, U.S.A. corporation (“Valve”), and the Licensee as of the day that Valve accepts and confirms the submission by making it accessible through the Paid Spectator Service. 1. Definitions 1.1 “Adjusted Gross Revenue” mean the gross revenue actually received by Valve from Valve’s sale of the Tournaments via the Paid Spectator Service, less (a) actual costs resulting directly from returns, discounts, refunds, fraud or chargebacks; (b) taxes that are imposed on a customer of the Paid Spectator Service on the distribution, sale or license of the Tournaments (such as sales, use, excise, value-added and other similar taxes) that are received from such customer by Valve for payment to governmental authorities. 1.2 “Confidential Information” means (i) any trade secrets relating to Valve’s product plans, designs, costs, prices and names, finances, marketing plans, business opportunities, personnel, research development or know-how; (ii) any unreleased Valve products; and (iii) any other information that Valve designates to Licensee as being confidential or which, based on the nature of such information and the circumstances surrounding its disclosure, ought in good faith to be treated as confidential. 1.3 “Game” means the game Dota 2. 1.4 “Game-Related Intellectual Property,” means the Dota™ trademark and Dota 2 logo. -
Panthera Download Dayz
Panthera download dayz Author Website: .. Guest have the lowest downloadspeeds and will download from our public file servers. Day-Z - How To Install | EPOCH 'PANTHERA' MOD | Simple takes 2 mins . Download dayz commander. Parameters: mod=@Panthera Panthera Map: and does it have epoch in it or need i to download sepretly. Hey Guys, its Milzah here this is just a simple tutorial on how to install Panthera Island. If this helped you how about drop in a sub and a like. Download link for all. Panthera is an unofficial map for DayZ. It was created by a user named IceBreakr. Like other DayZ maps, the island of Panthera is fictional, but. DayZ Panthera ?action=downloads;sa=view;down= ISLA PANTHERA FOR ARMA 2 Version: v Release date: Dec 27 Awesome downloading now, thank you, ill post some screens later of the. Download DayZ here with the free DayZCommander utility and join over Taviana ()DayZ NamalskDayZ LingorDayZ PantheraDayZ. What's in this release: Panthera: Updated to the latest Panthera patch (). INSTRUCTIONS: First of all, download DayZ Commander if you. Hey we are running a quite successfull Dayz Epoch Chernarus Anybody knows where to download Panthera files manually that. Also remember to download the DayZ Epoch mod off of DayZ DayZRP mod, DayZ Epoch , DayZRP Assets and Panthera. A map of Panthera Island for DayZ, showing loot spawns and loot tables. Installing DayZ Epoch Panthera using PlayWithSix Launcher. To start off, go to ?PlaywithSIX to download the launcher. Greetings Arma 2 players! I have been trying for days to download Epoch Panthera Mod through DayzCommander, as i cant find it. -
Exploiting Steam Lobbies and Matchmaking by Luigi Auriemma
Revision 1 EXPLOITING STEAM LOBBIES AND MATCHMAKING BY LUIGI AURIEMMA Description of the security vulnerabilities that affected the Steam lobbies and all the games using the Steam Matchmaking functionalities. TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Introduction ______________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Steam lobbies and security risks _______________________________________________________________________ 2 Description of the issues ________________________________________________________________________________ 4 The proof-of-concept ____________________________________________________________________________________ 7 FAQ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8 History ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9 Company Information __________________________________________________________________________________ 10 INTRODUCTION Introduction STEAM "Steam1 is an internet-based digital distribution, digital rights management, multiplayer, and communications platform developed by Valve Corporation. It is used to distribute games and related media from small, independent developers and larger software houses online."2 It's not easy to define Steam because it's not just a platform for buying games but also a social network, a market for game items, a framework3 for integrating various functionalities in games, an anti-cheat, a cloud and more. But the most important and attractive -
Permadeath in Dayz
Fear, Loss and Meaningful Play: Permadeath in DayZ Marcus Carter, Digital Cultures Research Group, The University of Sydney; Fraser Allison, Microsoft Research Centre for Social NUI, The University of Melbourne Abstract This article interrogates player experiences with permadeath in the massively multiplayer online first-person shooter DayZ. Through analysing the differences between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ instances of permadeath, we argue that meaningfulness – in accordance with Salen & Zimmerman’s (2003) concept of meaningful play – is a critical requirement for positive experiences with permadeath. In doing so, this article suggests new ontologies for meaningfulness in play, and demonstrates how meaningfulness can be a useful lens through which to understand player experiences with negatively valanced play. We conclude by relating the appeal of permadeath to the excitation transfer effect (Zillmann 1971), drawing parallels between the appeal of DayZ and fear-inducing horror games such as Silent Hill and gratuitously violent and gory games such as Mortal Kombat. Keywords DayZ, virtual worlds, meaningful play, player experience, excitation transfer, risk play Introduction It's truly frightening, like not game-frightening, but oh my god I'm gonna die-frightening. Your hands starts shaking, your hands gets sweaty, your heart pounds, your mind is racing and you're a wreck when it's all over. There are very few games that – by default – feature permadeath as significantly and totally as DayZ (Bohemia Interactive 2013). A new character in this massively multiplayer online first- person shooter (MMOFPS) begins with almost nothing, and must constantly scavenge from the harsh zombie-infested virtual world to survive. A persistent emotional tension accompanies the requirement to constantly find food and water, and a player will celebrate the discovery of simple items like backpacks, guns and medical supplies. -
Steganography in Steam Game Files
May 2nd,2012 Christopher Hale Dr. Cihan Varol – Graduate Advisor A NEW VILLAIN: INVESTIGATING STEGANOGRAPHY IN SOURCE ENGINE BASED VIDEO GAMES Table of Contents . History behind platform . Impact of platform . Creating game levels with hidden data . Investigating these levels to recover information . Conclusion . Future Work The Source Engine . Created by Valve . Two ex-Microsoft Employees started in 1996 . Began with the release of Half Life in 1998 . Originally a modified version of the Quake gaming engine . Known initially as $Gldsrc . Modified further into Source engine The Source Engine – Cont’d . More commercial success . Counter-Strike released in 2000 Most actively played online game in the world . Need to aggregate and control game patches . Steam was released in 2003 The Source Engine – Cont’d . One of the leading game engines in the world . Released titles such as: Half Life 1 & 2 Portal 1 & 2 Left 4 Dead 1 & 2 . Ongoing constant development What is Steam? . PC based gaming solution . Store . Game Management . Statistic Aggregation . Patch Aggregation . Social network . Currently in Development – Steamworks API The Steam Interface Steam Usage . 1523 games available . 40 million active user accounts . 5 million concurrent players on January 2, 2012 . 70% of the digital distribution market in 2009 . Continual growth Hammer . Official level (map) creation tool . Used on all Source games . Free with Source games Tools Within Hammer . Hammer is a set of tools to create, develop, and publish Source maps . Main game creation interface . Game logic . Tools to compile map data into playable levels Exploiting the Source Engine . Main focus of this project . Use video game files to hide data . -
Finishing Move Inc
FINISHING MOVE INC. VIDEO GAMES & INTERACTIVE MEDIA MICROSOFT FLIGHT Microsoft Studios/Asobo SIMULATOR 2020 *Composer BORDERLANDS 3: PSYCHO KRIEG Gearbox/2K AND THE FANTASTIC FUSTERCLUCK *Composer BORDERLANDS 3: REVENGE OF Gearbox/2K THE CARTELS *Composer BORDERLANDS 3: TAKEDOWN AT Gearbox/2K THE MALIWAN BLACKSITE *Composer BORDERLANDS 3 Gearbox/2K *Composer CRACKDOWN 3 Microsoft Studios *Composer + Interactive Implementation + Sound Design FRACTURED LANDS Pound Sand *Composer HALO WARS 2: AWAKING THE 343i/Microsoft NIGHTMARE *Composer/Producer/Score-Supervisor HALO WARS 2 343i/Microsoft *Composer/Producer/Score-Supervisor XBOX HALO CHANNEL 343/Microsoft Studios *Composer MASSIVE CHALICE Double Fine *Composer HALO 2: ANNIVERSARY 343/Microsoft Studios *Re-Adapted Score + Producer/Score Supervisor The Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency, Inc. (818) 260-8500 1 FINISHING MOVE INC. OVERDRIVE Anki *Composer + Interactive Implementationb OVERDRIVE: SUPERTRUCKS Anki *Composer + Interactive Implementation OVERDRIVE: FAST AND FURIOUS Anki EDITION *Composer COZMO Anki *Producer/Score Supervisor + Interactive Implementation TILT BRUSH Google *Composer DROPCHORD Double Fine *Composer CALLING Hudson Soft *Composer MICROSOFT FLIGHT Microsoft Studios *Additional music GHOST RECON FUTURE SOLDIER *Synth programming HALO COMBAT EVOLVED 343/Microsoft Studios ANNIVERSARY *Re-Adapted Score + Programming BORDERLANDS 2 *Guitars + Synth Programming ASSASSIN'S CREED BROTHERHOOD Ubisoft *Guitars BORDERLANDS *Guitars + Synth Programming ASSASSIN'S CREED REVELATIONS Ubisoft *Guitars + Synth Programming The Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency, Inc. (818) 260-8500 2 FINISHING MOVE INC. NEED FOR SPEED SHIFT *Additional Music ASSASSIN'S CREED II Ubisoft *Guitars TIGER WOODS 2004 *Additional Music The Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency, Inc. (818) 260-8500 3 .