DOCSLIB.ORG

The 'Early Access' Phenomenon

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The 'Early Access' Phenomenon The ’Early Access’ Phenomenon - A study of the underlying motivations of participants in ‘early access’ video games ’Early Access’ Fænomenet - Et studie af de bagvedliggende motivationer hos participanter I ‘early access’ videospil Written by: Theis Sahl Hansen Study Program: Cand. merc. (it.) th Hand-in: January 16 , 2017 Supervisor: Liana Razmerita Characters: 181.054 Pages: 79,58 Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark • January 16th, 2017 The ‘Early Access’ Phenomenon TABLE OF CONTENTS RESUMÉ (DANISH) ................................................................................................................................................................................ 3 KEYWORDS............................................................................................................................................................................................. 3 CHAPTER 1: FIELD OF RESEARCH..................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 APPROACH TO THE STUDY...................................................................................................................................................... 5 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTION .............................................................................................................................................................. 5 1.4 THESIS STRUCTURE .................................................................................................................................................................. 6 1.5 MOTIVATION............................................................................................................................................................................... 7 1.6 SCOPE & DELIMIATION ............................................................................................................................................................ 7 1.7 CONCEPT CLARIFICATION ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 2: THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY IN A HISTORICAL CONTEXT ............................................................................... 9 2.1 THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY ................................................................................................................................................. 9 2.2 NEW MEDIA ............................................................................................................................................................................... 10 2.3 THE EARLY ACCESS PHENOMENON ................................................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................................................. 13 3.1 CO-CREATION ........................................................................................................................................................................... 13 3.1.1 CROWD-SOURCING .......................................................................................................................................................... 16 3.1.2 CROWD-FUNDING ............................................................................................................................................................ 18 3.2 PLATFORMS............................................................................................................................................................................... 22 3.2.1 PLATFORMS & COMMUNITIES...................................................................................................................................... 22 3.2.1 PARTICIPANT BEHAVIOR ............................................................................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER 4: PRESENTATION OF CASES......................................................................................................................................... 27 4.1 STAR CITIZEN............................................................................................................................................................................ 27 4.2 SUBNAUTICA............................................................................................................................................................................. 28 CHAPTER 5: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................................................................... 29 5.1 RESEARCH APPROACH ........................................................................................................................................................... 29 5.2 DATA COLLECTION ................................................................................................................................................................. 31 5.2.1 QUESTIONNAIRES ............................................................................................................................................................ 31 5.2.2 NETNOGRAPHY................................................................................................................................................................. 32 5.3 VALIDITY & RELIABILITY ..................................................................................................................................................... 33 5.4 DATA ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................................................................................... 35 5.4.1 CODING & CATEGORIZATION ....................................................................................................................................... 35 Page 1 of 71 Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark • January 16th, 2017 The ‘Early Access’ Phenomenon 5.4.2 HERMENEUTIC INTERPRETATION ............................................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER 6: ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................................................................................... 38 6.1 CASE: STAR CITIZEN ............................................................................................................................................................... 38 6.1.1 PARTIAL CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................... 49 6.2 CASE: SUBNAUTICTA.............................................................................................................................................................. 51 6.2.1 PARTIAL CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................... 58 CHAPTER 7: DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................................................................. 60 7.1 VISON .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 60 7.2 CO-CREATION ........................................................................................................................................................................... 61 7.3 CONSUMER-BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP .............................................................................................................................. 62 7.4 INFORMATION AND SOCIAL INTERATION ........................................................................................................................ 63 7.5 INDEPENDENT VIDEO GAME DEVELOPMENT.................................................................................................................. 64 CHAPTER 8: CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................................ 65 CHAPTER 9: BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................................................ 67 CHAPTER 10: APPENDIX .................................................................................................................................................................... 71 10.1 APPENDIX 1 – QUANTITATIVE DATA FROM SURVEYS ........................................................................................... 71 10.2 APPENDIX 2 – QUALITATIVE DATA FROM SURVEYS (OPEN QUESTIONS) ......................................................... 71 10.3 APPENDIX 3 – NETNOGRAPIC DATA COLLECTION .................................................................................................. 71 Page 2 of 71 Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark • January
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • Cloud-Based Visual Discovery in Astronomy: Big Data Exploration Using Game Engines and VR on EOSC
    Novel EOSC services for Emerging Atmosphere, Underwater and Space Challenges 2020 October Cloud-Based Visual Discovery in Astronomy: Big Data Exploration using Game Engines and VR on EOSC Game engines are continuously evolving toolkits that assist in communicating with underlying frameworks and APIs for rendering, audio and interfacing. A game engine core functionality is its collection of libraries and user interface used to assist a developer in creating an artifact that can render and play sounds seamlessly, while handling collisions, updating physics, and processing AI and player inputs in a live and continuous looping mechanism. Game engines support scripting functionality through, e.g. C# in Unity [1] and Blueprints in Unreal, making them accessible to wide audiences of non-specialists. Some game companies modify engines for a game until they become bespoke, e.g. the creation of star citizen [3] which was being created using Amazon’s Lumebryard [4] until the game engine was modified enough for them to claim it as the bespoke “Star Engine”. On the opposite side of the spectrum, a game engine such as Frostbite [5] which specialised in dynamic destruction, bipedal first person animation and online multiplayer, was refactored into a versatile engine used for many different types of games [6]. Currently, there are over 100 game engines (see examples in Figure 1a). Game engines can be classified in a variety of ways, e.g. [7] outlines criteria based on requirements for knowledge of programming, reliance on popular web technologies, accessibility in terms of open source software and user customisation and deployment in professional settings.
    [Show full text]
  • MASHRU MISHU CHARACTER ARTIST | | [email protected] | Cell: 347.981.3042
    MASHRU MISHU CHARACTER ARTIST | WWW.FX81.COM | [email protected] | Cell: 347.981.3042 PROFILE I love making characters and creatures for video games. I have over a decade of experience and have worked on 30+ game titles. It still feels fresh and interesting to me because I absolutely enjoy making art and learning new techniques and styles every day. I hope to continue making art and contribute to many more projects in the future. SKILLS TOOLS ▪ Realistic human and creature anatomy sculpting ▪ Maya – advanced knowledge 15+ years ▪ Stylized human and creature modeling and sculpting ▪ Photoshop – expert knowledge 20+ years ▪ Hand-painted and photo-realistic texture painting ▪ Mudbox – expert knowledge 15+ years ▪ Realistic costume and cloth sculpting ▪ Topogun ▪ Efficient lowpoly modeling and UV layout ▪ Substance Painter ▪ Strong understanding of materials definition ▪ Zbrush ▪ R&D pipeline and tools improvement ▪ UDK ▪ Optimize art production and scheduling ▪ CryEngine3 ▪ Mentoring and training ▪ Marvelous Designer ▪ Strong communication ▪ 3ds Max EXPERIENCE July-2017 ▪ Senior Character Artist – Cryptic Studios -Present Magic: Legends May-2010 ▪ Freelance Artist - Self Employed Apr-2018 Created characters, creatures, weapons and props for 30+ game titles. (List 2nd page) Jun-2013 ▪ Freelance Artist - Arkane Studios Nov-2014 Character artist on Dishonored 1 & 2 Apr-2013 ▪ Freelance Character Artist - RedLynx Studios Aug-2014 Character artist on Trials: Fusion, Evolution & DLC Jun-2006 ▪ Character Artist - THQ Kaos Studios May-2010 Character
    [Show full text]
  • Buying a Used Car Spreadsheet Reddit
    Buying A Used Car Spreadsheet Reddit Subcaliber Emanuel swears some exciseman after uncourtly Beaufort straggle extendedly. Scandalmongering or fanned, Gus never recapitalized any trades! Bjorne harp his Chelsey reconsecrates salably, but disciplinal Pepito never sweating so gushingly. Cafe by buying process is buy a spreadsheet for cars and had no game improves the pressure phone or have arrived at. Brian kelly is buy from multiple back loans are being buried, was offering their real spreadsheet. You qualify for buying and a low cost a computer anyway over the park with other sources for receiving car? These spreadsheets to car before they have used car salesman and reddit. Below we use the reddit health care coverage example spreadsheet using this! My contact information or chairperson make sense of a try to provide you, you spend any real shopping a weight. Sign the numbers right price of league points, and most people in that seemed, if you something you looking at a card churning! Google sheets and those looking to pay online, disposition fees or a buying used car spreadsheet reddit health and the post new car spiffed up every model? Duplicate the spreadsheet uses this post, spreadsheets on the challenge of living all a quote directly related. Rather than normal email. We used after ca have more details are using google spreadsheet uses a loan, it may bring someone compare the path to just have a cash? Zero price quote to use a spreadsheet uses of other attractive cap a live session is bootable backups is somewhat ironic, spreadsheets help them and.
    [Show full text]
  • Threat Simulation in Virtual Limbo Preprint
    This is a preprint of the article “Threat simulation in virtual limbo: An evolutionary approach to horror video games” by Jens Kjeldgaard-Christiansen and Mathias Clasen, Aarhus University. The final, published version has been published in the Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds and is available at https://doi.org/10.1386/jgvw.11.2.119_1. Page 2 of 33 Threat Simulation in Virtual Limbo: An Evolutionary Approach to Horror Video Games Keywords: horror, Limbo, game studies, evolution, simulation, evolutionary psychology Abstract Why would anyone want to play a game designed to scare them? We argue that an alliance between evolutionary theory and game studies can shed light on the forms and psychological functions of horror video games. Horror games invite players to simulate prototypical fear scenarios of uncertainty and danger. These scenarios challenge players to adaptively assess and negotiate their dangers. While horror games thereby instil negative emotion, they also entice players with stimulating challenges of fearful coping. Players who brave these challenges expand their emotional and behavioural repertoire and experience a sense of mastery, explaining the genre’s paradoxical appeal. We end by illustrating our evolutionary approach through an in-depth analysis of Playdead’s puzzle-horror game Limbo. Page 3 of 33 Introduction Imagine this: You are a little boy, lost somewhere deep in the woods at night. You do not know how you got there or how to get out. All you know is that your sister is out there, somewhere, possibly in great danger. You have to find her. The ambiance is alive with animal calls, the flutter of branches and bushes and a welter of noises that you cannot quite make out.
    [Show full text]
  • Star Citizen Manual Pdf
    Star Citizen Manual Pdf Triangled and private Ingemar brown-nose while Trollopean Blaine rams her desuetude vexingly and chews tubulaterateably. orSampson undrooping remains when phosphorescent subrogated some after whiskies Clark disagrees liquidate deridingly? famously or denounce any anglings. Is Ignace Meets community project and scanning services, then the watch in windows. Developed into star citizen account or an integrated job of pdf format often utilized solely based on improv i choose? Live tooling for swiss type lathesCITIZEN-STARindd Madaula. Al is its contracted service manual! Instruction Manual and User Guide the Citizen Contact. Pdf MIDNIGHT'S sun STAR game START HEREpdf Our YouTube setupexe SUPPORT Forums HCS Voice Packs Thank you allrtf. The star on such characters are many allegiances, manuals on collecting moving around a pdf format often did you are still your insurance money. Star citizen kickstarter total Pledging new playground is holy the Kickstarter was successful it pin the only. Arena Commander pdf Roberts Space Industries. Star Hangar Seller Manual. Meta description and manuals can make public. The russian Star Citizen Admirer's Manual was big SCAM Everything a Citizen 1 Written and edited by L Tao THE mustard STAR CITIZEN ADMIRER'S MANUAL. Pits are going to star manual pdf manual. Citizen Watch Setting Instruction Support Manuals Citizen. The fruits of their crimes and restoring those funds to the citizens of the victimized state While NCB asset. Designed water to manually drove me how is correct one ground running and manuals so that citizens. Bring up with Citizen Website Show the Citizen Website in Default Browser.
    [Show full text]
  • Amended Final Draft
    Independent or Indie? Creative Autonomy and Cultural Capital in Independent Video Game Production Martin Graham Smith A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Manchester Metropolitan University for the degree of Master of Arts (By Research) Manchester Institute for Research and Innovation in Art and Design (MIRIAD) May 2016 ABSTRACT The use of the word ‘indie’ in relation to video games has shifted from referring to games made independently of a large publisher to being a more nebulous term that is harder to define but that is clearly used at times to refer to games other than those made without the financial assistance of publishers. This thesis seeKs to contribute to the ongoing debate in academic writing on video games as to the meaning of the phrase ‘indie games’. The thesis combines textual and institutional analysis to contextualise the modern indie game by investigating the history of independent video game production in the UK and USA from the 1970s to the modern day, with reference to how changes in technology have shaped independent video game production over time. Alternative models of production that existed before the indie games of the mid-2000s onwards are an under researched area, and this thesis argues that a number of independent counter trends to dominant industry practices set precedents for many of the features of later indie games, in terms of content, style, distribution methods, and models of production. The thesis also contains a case study into the publisher-funded indie games of Jenova Chen and Thatgamecompany which investigates the conflicting definitions of indie in academic writing on video games and other forms of media, arguing that as with indie in cinema, indie in games functions as a form of cultural capital for the audience and developers.
    [Show full text]
  • SN-Engine, a Scale-Free Geometric Modelling Environment
    SN-Engine, a Scale-free Geometric Modelling Environment T.A. Zhukov Abstract We present a new scale-free geometric modelling environment designed by the author of the paper. It allows one to consistently treat geometric objects of arbitrary size and offers extensive analytic and computational support for visualization of both real and artificial sceneries. Keywords: Geometric Modelling, Virtual Reality, Game Engine, 3D Visualization, Procedu- ral Generation. 1 INTRODUCTION Geometric modelling of real-world and imaginary objects is an important task that is ubiquitous in modern computer science. Today, geometric modelling environments (GME) are widely used in cartography [5], architecture [26], geology [24], hydrology [20], and astronomy [27]. Apart from being used for modelling, importing and storing real-world data, GMEs are crucially important in computer games industry [12]. Creating a detailed model of a real-world or imaginary environment is a task of great com- putational complexity. Modelling various physical phenomena like gravity, atmospheric light scattering, terrain weathering, and erosion processes requires full use of modern computer alge- bra algorithms as well as their efficient implementation. Finding exact and numeric solutions to differential, difference, and algebraic equations by means of computer algebra methods (see [7] and the references therein) is at the core of the crucial algorithms of modern geometric modelling environments. There exist a wide variety of geometric modelling environments, both universal and highly specialized. They include three-dimensional planetariums like SpaceEngine or Celestia, virtual Earth engine Outerra, procedural scenery generator Terragen, 3D computer graphics editors Autodesk 3ds Max, Blender, Houdini, and 3D game engines like Unreal Engine 4, CryEngine 3, arXiv:2006.12661v1 [cs.GR] 22 Jun 2020 and Unity.
    [Show full text]
  • From the Cockpit
    FROM THE COCKPIT IN THIS ISSUE >>> 03 BEHIND THE SCREENS : Revisiting the Classics 13 WORK IN PROGRESS: Tumbril Ranger 33 WHITLEY’S GUIDE : Anvil Valkyrie Heavy Dropship 37 LORE FEATURE: ISSUE: 07 05 2847 Tohil Regatta Editor: Ben Lesnick Copy Editor: Martin Driver Layout: Graham Robinson FROM THE COCKPIT GREETINGS, CITIZENS! The jump point has opened, something’s coming guys who have already built massive space carriers, through… and it looks like a whole fleet of ships! deadly frigates, and infinitely complex colony ships? Specifically, we’re taking a closer look at four different Well, it turns out a crazy amount of work went into vehicles this month. making sure the Ranger bike was more than just, well, a bike. I learned that sometimes it’s a lot easier First in the launch tube is a new look at a couple of to make something complex and familiar where you designs we’ve examined in the past which are, as can get lost in the details than it is to make something we speak, receiving important updates. I’m talking small that has to use every inch of its design to tell a about the famed Aegis Bulldog... Vanguard deep particular story. It’s a true case of less is more! Read space fighter and the snubs intended for different on to learn about the many paths the team went variants of the iconic RSI Constellation, the Merlin down to make sure they were creating a bike worthy and the Archimedes. As Star Citizen progresses, it’s and representative of both Tumbril and Star Citizen.
    [Show full text]
  • Is There Life After Kickstarter?
    Is there life after Kickstarter? An Empirical and Descriptive analysis of the outcomes of video game crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter.com Student Name: Philippe Geensen Student Number: 434884 Supervisor: Dr. C.W. Handke Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication Erasmus University Rotterdam MA Thesis June 11th, 2019 Is there life after Kickstarter? An Empirical and Descriptive analysis of the outcomes of video game crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter.com ABSTRACT In this study the influence of successful crowdfunding campaigns on product availability in the context of video game crowdfunding projects was investigated. The dataset contained over 11,000 different video game campaigns containing projects from 2009 to 2017. A sample of 300 was drawn to allow for detailed examination of the outcomes of these projects, specifically what the characteristics were of their products. Are the products available, in what state, and how long did it take for the product to get to that state. The sample incorporated information about video game projects regarding overfunding, time since the deadline of the crowdfunding campaign until product was released to the market, the different states products are in, and the price of the product. The effects of the amount of backers and average amount pledged per backer on crowdfunding success were tested with the entire dataset and used additional variables such as the average amount pledged per backer and duration of the crowdfunding campaign. Logistic regression was employed to test these assumptions. The sample was analyzed with univariate and bivariate descriptive analyses. In this research it was found that the amount of backers increases the chance of a crowdfunding campaign being successful.
    [Show full text]
  • Game Developers Who Started Their Careers by Working on Mods
    you can make games now! ANNUAL FALL 2012 INSIDE: HANDS-ON HOW-TOS FOR THE UNREAL DEVELOPMENT KIT, THE SOURCE ENGINE, AND MORE! Change Your World DOWNLOAD FREE* 2013 AUTODESK SOFTWARE The future is closer than you think. Join a whole new class of artists in the Autodesk Education Community, and receive free* access to the same software and tools used by professional digital artists. autodesk.com/freesoftware *Free products are subject to the terms and conditions of the end-user license agreement that accompanies download of the software. The software is for personal use for education purposes and is not intended for classroom or lab use. Autodesk is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. © 2012 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved. DigiPen student games have won 40 awards at the Independent Games Festival—more than those of any other school. Download and play them at digipen.edu/gamers. NOUS PIXI NITRONIC RUSH 2012 IGF Student Showcase Winner 2012 IGF Student Showcase Winner 2012 IGF Honorable Mention DigiPen Institute of Technology offers bachelor's and master's degrees in hardware and software engineering applied to VLPXODWLRQYLGHRJDPHGHVLJQDQGGHYHORSPHQW¿QHDUWVDQG digital art production, and sound design. www.digipen.edu ANNUAL FALL 2012 CONTENTS postmortem 44 SNOWFIELD THE SNOWFIELD is an experimental project in emergent narrative set during World War I, made in eight weeks by a team of 10 student interns from Singapore and the U.S., that was featured in the Independent Games Festival 2012 Student Showcase.
    [Show full text]
  • Nerves of Iron Alumni Ironmen and Women
    SPRING 2012 Nerves of Iron Alumni Ironmen and Women The Science of Suds Gaming Goes Global Bill Waiser on the Chilkoot Trail live & learn Centre for Continuing & Distance Education Brad started his career in the heart of Canada’s Parliament and now works for the Associate Vice- President, Information and Communications Technology. In his spare time, you’ll find him waxing show cars. He recently took our Business Writing and Grammar Workout to help polish his skills outside the garage. Brad Flavell 2007: BA History & Philosophy (U of S) 2006-07: VP Academic (USSU) 2004-06: Member of Student Council (Arts & Science Students’ Union) Each year, many University of Saskatchewan alumni, like Brad, take CCDE classes. Whether you want to enhance your career or explore your creativity, our programs are flexible—allowing you to maintain life-balance as you fulfil your educational goals. Work toward your certificate or degree from anywhere in the world. Learn a new language or take courses for personal interest and professional development. We have programs for everyone from all walks of life—from birth to seniors. To learn more visit ccde.usask.ca or call 306.966.5539. ccde.usask.ca CCDE-MISC-11052-DIVERTAS.indd 1 11-11-30 1:32 PM SPRING 2012 | CONTENTS inside this issue 12 Nerves of Iron Three alumni reflect on what drives them to compete in Ironman triathalons 2 In conversation with Dean Peter Stoicheff 4 News briefs 6 A Toolkit for Treatment | by John Lagimodiere (BA‘06) After struggling with substance abuse, Jenny Gardipy is now part of the solution
    [Show full text]