DOCSLIB.ORG

Analyzing Games Chapters 2-3,5 in the Book

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Analyzing Games Chapters 2-3,5 in the Book Analyzing Games chapters 2-3,5 in the book [email protected] Reasons to analyze games Common structures Deeper understanding of what games are Identify differences What works and what doesn’t work Prove hypothesis Find or isolate problems Learn how a game works How it affects people How one can reproduce the effects, i.e. design games Exercise: Quake and Go Fish Quake and Go Fish Comparison to understand what games consist of Identify formal and dramatic elements Book uses this to “find” a definition Closed, formal system Engages players in structured conflict Resolves in an unequal outcome Quake and Go Fish, cont. Formal elements Dramatic elements Players Challenge Objectives Play Procedures Premise Rules Character Resources Story Conflict Boundaries Outcome Ways of studying games, cont. Ways of studying games, cont. Games Ways of studying games, cont. Gamers Ways of studying games, cont. Gaming Focus for this course Gaming Specifically gameplay, i.e. rule constructs, gameplay Games mechanisms Systems Systems: basic concepts “Set of interacting or interdependent entities” System Objects Properties Behaviors Relationships Open and closed systems Economies Exchange of something (e.g. objects) Agents of exchange Methods of exchange (actions) Systems: basic concepts State machine State Initial End Goal Events (or rules) update the state can be initiated by actions from players or previous events Games as emergent systems Types of systems Fixed Periodic Complex Chaotic Emergent systems generate unpredictable patterns of complexity 1+1=3 (the sum is more than the parts) Coupled and Context-dependent (Orthogonal Unit Differentiation) Players can create emergence Bluffing in Poker Second-order effect as gameplay Example: Game of Life Rules to apply per turn 'populated‘ spaces Neighbors <= 1 -> remove Neighbors >= 4 -> remove 'empty‘ spaces Neighbors = 3 -> add Turing equivalent Games as cybernetic systems “the science of communication and control theory that is concerned especially with the comparative study of automatic control systems” Components A sensor which provides input to A comparator which directs a An activator that changes the environment detected by the sensor Negative feedback loop Bring the sensor value to a stable value Positive feedback loop Bring sensor value to an extreme value Games as cybernetic systems, cont. Uses in games Negative feedback Balancing Effects Prolongs the game Magnifies late successes Positive feedback Destabilizes the game Shortens the game Magnifies early successes Feedback loops can be emergent features Feedback system take control away from players Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment Example: SimWars SimWar -Production -Offense -Defense Cost : 5 50/50 Cost : 1 Cost : 2 Short term Long term Risk - Reward High Low Types of Rules From Rules of Play Additional distinctions Operational Rules “Rules of Play” Instantiation Level Written rules in traditional games Game rules Constitutive Rules Gaming rules Underlying formal structures Consequences and emergent features Explicitly changed rules Implicit Rules House Rules Good sportsmanship Let other player “take back” a move Explain options and consequences Rules of Play example: Tic-Tac- Toe Rules of Play example: Tic-Tac- Toe Operational Rules X starts; alternate placing one symbol on free space; wins if three-in-a-row; draw if no free spaces Constitutive Rules Unwinnable if both players play optimally Implicit Rules Not tell other player constitutive rules? No Thanks! (pay attention – this game is part of assignment 2) Tools for analyzing games [email protected] Design Languages J. Rheinfrank & S. Evenson in Bringing Design to Software (Ed. T. Winograd) Purpose and Use Allows designers to embed meaning into artifacts Allow artifacts to express meaning to people Related to the concept of affordances Allow artifacts to be assimilated into peoples’ lives Components Collection of elements Principles of organization How the elements relate and interact with each other Qualifying situations When is it suitable to use components Gameplay design Deals with an abstract and emergent feature – interaction Needs to deal with both the interaction itself and that which enables the interaction Elements can help explain system parts more efficiently Gameplay Mechanics Sicart, M. Defining Game Mechanics. Game Studies, volume 8, issue 2, December 2008. ISSN:1604-7982. http://gamestudies.org/0802/articles/sicart Often called game mechanics… Everyday concept for discussing gameplay E.g. roll and move, co-op, turn-taking, cards, catch-up, roleplaying, worker placement, victory points, … Mixes different types of concepts Components, actions, goals, compounds of these One definition (Sicart 2008): “methods invoked by agents, designed for interaction with the game state” “best way of understanding mechanics as methods is to formalize them as verbs” This sharpens but limits the concept; others needed… Gameplay Design Patterns Björk, S., Lundgren, S. & Holopainen, j. Game Design Patterns. DiGRA '03 - Proceedings of the 2003 DiGRA International Conference: Level Up, 2003, Volume: 2. ISBN / ISNN: ISSN 2342-9666. http://www.digra.org/digital-library/publications/game-design-patterns/ Originally an concept developed for Architecture but applied to many fields… A way to describe components on all levels within the design language Support understanding existing designs Offers possible explanations to why these design choices have been made Codify unintentional features so they can be intentional choices in later designs Support making design choices What is required to make a pattern emerge What consequences do a pattern have? Not only problem solving http://virt10.itu.chalmers.se/index.php/Main_Page Game Design Pattern Examples Power-Ups Boss Monster Paper-Rock-Scissor Cut Scenes Role Reversal Parallel Lives Orthogonal Unit Differentiation Social Interaction Game Design Pattern - Format Name Introduction One line description Short stand-alone description Examples Using the Pattern Consequences Relations Instantiates – Instantiated by Modulates – Modulated by Possibly Conflicting with Minimal requirements: name, definition, relations Examples of relations between GDPs Surprises Limited Foresight Analysis Paralysis Randomness Luck Fixed Distributions Drawing Stacks Cards Dice D4 D6 D8 D10 D12 D20 Mechanics & Patterns - what is the difference?!? Basically, two things Relations Sicart talk about the need to trace relationships but does not argue for documenting these Provides specific ones found in specific games Patterns includes more abstract phenomena Not only verbs Observable features and experiences For example, Surprises and Spectacular Failure Enjoyment Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics http://algorithmancy.8kindsoffun.com/ Marc LeBlanc (Ultima Underworld II, System Shock, Flight Unlimited, Terra Nova, Thief I-II, Deus Ex, NFL 2K2, NBA 2K2, Oasis, Field Commander) MDA - overview Games are state machines Games are programs Code Rules Mechanics Processes Game Sessions Dynamics Requirements “Fun” Aesthetics MDA – Comments about aesthetics “We need to understand the emotional requirements of our software” Fun, challenge, sense of achievement, sorrow, frustration Regarding requirements “With productivity software, the user brings his goals to the application” “With games, the application brings goals to the user” Regarding goals “As designers, we can choose certain aesthetics as goals for our game design” Aesthetics of gameplay? “As with other software, our process is driven by requirements, not features” MDA - Eight Kinds of "Fun" 1. Sensation 5. Fellowship Game as sense-pleasure Game as social framework 2. Fantasy 6. Discovery Game as make-believe Game as uncharted territory 3. Narrative 7. Expression Game as drama Game as self-discovery 4. Challenge 8. Submission Game as obstacle course Game as pastime Examples of relations between GDPs Surprises Limited Foresight Analysis Paralysis Randomness Luck Fixed Distributions Drawing Stacks Cards Dice D4 D6 D8 D10 D12 D20 Assignment 2 Game Analysis using Machinations and i* Some necessary parts introduced in the next lecture… Analyze No Thanks & Catan You should answer the following questions for these two games: What design structures are used to keep players engaged with the game, both regarding interest and regarding actively doing actions? What design structures are used to make the games typically end near the stated time (given players that know the rules)? What design structures are used to make players interact with each other, or at least have a feeling that they have been playing a game together? What design structures exist to make players feel that they are achieving something while they are playing? Analyze No Thanks & Catan Requirements of the text: Have descriptions of the games and their gameplay making use of game mechanics and gameplay design patterns (core gameplay should be covered, the whole games cannot be covered) and relate these to the MDA model Have clear explicit use of game mechanics and gameplay design patterns (i.e. marked with italics, bold, or SMALL CAPS; explain marking style) Patterns and mechanics you have identified should be defined, others should have references Models of both games in i* that showing how players' goals work towards winning states as well as can work against each other (use
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Poetics of Reflection in Digital Games
    © Copyright 2019 Terrence E. Schenold The Poetics of Reflection in Digital Games Terrence E. Schenold A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2019 Reading Committee: Brian M. Reed, Chair Leroy F. Searle Phillip S. Thurtle Program Authorized to Offer Degree: English University of Washington Abstract The Poetics of Reflection in Digital Games Terrence E. Schenold Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Brian Reed, Professor English The Poetics of Reflection in Digital Games explores the complex relationship between digital games and the activity of reflection in the context of the contemporary media ecology. The general aim of the project is to create a critical perspective on digital games that recovers aesthetic concerns for game studies, thereby enabling new discussions of their significance as mediations of thought and perception. The arguments advanced about digital games draw on philosophical aesthetics, media theory, and game studies to develop a critical perspective on gameplay as an aesthetic experience, enabling analysis of how particular games strategically educe and organize reflective modes of thought and perception by design, and do so for the purposes of generating meaning and supporting expressive or artistic goals beyond amusement. The project also provides critical discussion of two important contexts relevant to understanding the significance of this poetic strategy in the field of digital games: the dynamics of the contemporary media ecology, and the technological and cultural forces informing game design thinking in the ludic century. The project begins with a critique of limiting conceptions of gameplay in game studies grounded in a close reading of Bethesda's Morrowind, arguing for a new a "phaneroscopical perspective" that accounts for the significance of a "noematic" layer in the gameplay experience that accounts for dynamics of player reflection on diegetic information and its integral relation to ergodic activity.
    [Show full text]
  • Learning Board Game Rules from an Instruction Manual Chad Mills A
    Learning Board Game Rules from an Instruction Manual Chad Mills A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science University of Washington 2013 Committee: Gina-Anne Levow Fei Xia Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Linguistics – Computational Linguistics ©Copyright 2013 Chad Mills University of Washington Abstract Learning Board Game Rules from an Instruction Manual Chad Mills Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Gina-Anne Levow Department of Linguistics Board game rulebooks offer a convenient scenario for extracting a systematic logical structure from a passage of text since the mechanisms by which board game pieces interact must be fully specified in the rulebook and outside world knowledge is irrelevant to gameplay. A representation was proposed for representing a game’s rules with a tree structure of logically-connected rules, and this problem was shown to be one of a generalized class of problems in mapping text to a hierarchical, logical structure. Then a keyword-based entity- and relation-extraction system was proposed for mapping rulebook text into the corresponding logical representation, which achieved an f-measure of 11% with a high recall but very low precision, due in part to many statements in the rulebook offering strategic advice or elaboration and causing spurious rules to be proposed based on keyword matches. The keyword-based approach was compared to a machine learning approach, and the former dominated with nearly twenty times better precision at the same level of recall. This was due to the large number of rule classes to extract and the relatively small data set given this is a new problem area and all data had to be manually annotated.
    [Show full text]
  • 2K Games and Irrational Games Announce Bioshock(R) Infinite
    2K Games and Irrational Games Announce BioShock(R) Infinite August 12, 2010 2:01 PM ET Creators of original BioShock(R) look to the sky in the next chapter of the award-winning franchise NEW YORK, Aug 12, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- 2K Games announced today that BioShock(R) Infinite, a first-person shooter, is currently in development at Irrational Games, the studio behind the original BioShock(R) which has sold over 4 million units worldwide. Set in 1912, BioShock Infinite introduces an entirely new narrative experience that lifts players out of the familiar confines of Rapture and rockets them to Columbia, an immense city in the sky. BioShock Infinite is currently planned for release during calendar 2012. Originally conceived as a floating symbol of American ideals at a time when the United States was emerging as a world power, Columbia is dispatched to distant shores with great fanfare by a captivated public. What begins as a brand new endeavor of hope turns drastically wrong as the city soon disappears into the clouds to whereabouts unknown. The player assumes the role of former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, sent to the lost city to rescue Elizabeth, a young woman imprisoned there since childhood. He develops a relationship with Elizabeth, augmenting his abilities with hers so the pair may escape from a city that is literally falling from the sky. DeWitt must learn to fight foes in high-speed Sky-Line battles, engage in combat both indoors and amongst the clouds, and harness the power of dozens of new weapons and abilities. "We are excited to expand the world of BioShock, which is one of the industry's most critically acclaimed and beloved franchises," said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K.
    [Show full text]
  • Games and Rules
    Requirements for a General Game Mechanics Framework Imre Hofmann In this article I will apply a meta-theoretical approach to the question of how a game mechanics framework has to be designed in order to fulfil its task of ade- quately depicting or modeling the reality of game mechanics. I had two aims in mind when starting my research. I studied existing game theories and three game mechanics theories in particular in order to evaluate the state of the art of game mechanics theory. (Descriptive aim) The second aim followed on from these studies. With the results of my research I wanted to define the attributes a com- prehensive and general game mechanics theory might or – rather – needed to have. What are the general properties that such a theory should display? (Norma- tive aim) In my opinion the underlying mechanics of a game may be regarded in some way as its centerpiece. The reasons for this shall become clear over the course of this article. To begin with, I would like to make two terminological clarifications. First, I am not going to examine different game mechanics and typologies or categories of game mechanics. Instead, I will take a theoretical step backwards, so to speak, on the meta-level by analyzing and comparing different theories of game me- chanics (which themselves suggest categories and typologies). Secondly, I will use the expressions “game mechanics theory” “(game mechanics) framework” and “(game mechanics) model” synonymously. In my research I focused mainly on the following three key theories of game mechanics: 1. Carlo Fabricatore’s Gameplay and Game Mechanics Design (2007) 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Week 3 Day 1: Designing Games with Conditionals
    INTRODUCTION | CYBER ARCADE: PROGRAMMING AND MAKING WITH MICRO:BIT 3-1 | ELEMENTARY WEEK 3 DAY 1: DESIGNING GAMES WITH CONDITIONALS INTRODUCTION This week makers continue to use the Micro:bit microcontroller and begin coding and designing interactive games and art. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS • How can we use code and math to create a fun game? • What is a conditional statement? • How do artists, engineers, and makers solve problems when they’re working? LEARNING OUTCOMES 1. Learn how to use code and conditionals to create a game. 2. Engage in project-based learning through problem-solving and troubleshooting by creating a game using a Micro:bit microcontroller and code. TEACHERLESSON | RESOURCE CYBER ARCADE: | CYBER PROGRAMMING ARCADE: PROGRAMMING AND MAKING AND WITH MAKING MICRO:BIT WITH MICRO:BIT 3-23-2 | | ELEMENTARY ELEMENTARY VOCABULARY Conditional: Set of rules performed if a certain condition is met Game mechanics: Basic actions, processes, visuals, and control mechanisms that are used to make a game Game designer: Person responsible for designing game storylines, plots, objectives, scenarios, the degree of difficulty, and character development Game engineer: Specialized software engineers who design and program video games Troubleshooting: Using resources to solve issues as they arise TEACHERLESSON | RESOURCE CYBER ARCADE: | CYBER PROGRAMMING ARCADE: PROGRAMMING AND MAKING AND WITH MAKING MICRO:BIT WITH MICRO:BIT 3-33-3 | | ELEMENTARY ELEMENTARY MATERIALS LIST EACH PAIR OF MAKERS NEEDS: • Micro:bit microcontroller • Laptop with internet connection • USB to micro-USB cord • USB flash drive • External battery pack • AAA batteries (2) • Notebook TEACHER RESOURCE | CYBER ARCADE: PROGRAMMING AND MAKING WITH MICRO:BIT 3-4 | ELEMENTARY They can also use the Troubleshooting Tips, search the internet for help, TEACHER PREP WORK or use the tutorial page on the MakeCode website.
    [Show full text]
  • Computer Game Flow Design, ACM Computers in Entertainment, 4, 1
    LJMU Research Online Taylor, MJ, Baskett, M, Reilly, D and Ravindran, S Game theory for computer games design http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/7332/ Article Citation (please note it is advisable to refer to the publisher’s version if you intend to cite from this work) Taylor, MJ, Baskett, M, Reilly, D and Ravindran, S (2017) Game theory for computer games design. Games and Culture, 14 (7-8). pp. 843-855. ISSN 1555-4139 LJMU has developed LJMU Research Online for users to access the research output of the University more effectively. Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Users may download and/or print one copy of any article(s) in LJMU Research Online to facilitate their private study or for non-commercial research. You may not engage in further distribution of the material or use it for any profit-making activities or any commercial gain. The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of the record. Please see the repository URL above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription. For more information please contact [email protected] http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/ Game theory for computer games design Abstract Designing and developing computer games can be a complex activity that may involve professionals from a variety of disciplines. In this article, we examine the use of game theory for supporting the design of game play within the different sections of a computer game, and demonstrate its application in practice via adapted high-level decision trees for modelling the flow in game play and payoff matrices for modelling skill or challenge levels.
    [Show full text]
  • Deus Ex (2000) by Ion Storm Inc
    A zeitgeist game is reflective of its corresponding social climate. Titles that gain zeitgeist status have in some way challenged the norms of their associated era and revolutionised a pre-established genre by bending traditional conventions. Thus, zeitgeist titles are also timeless. They transcend time, remaining popular and famous due to the societal standpoints they raise and the impact their innovation has on the wider gaming communities and markets. Sci-Fi cyberpunk FPS/RPG Deus Ex (2000) by Ion Storm Inc. is an example of one such title that has built upon its sociological, artistic and technical influences to create a game that resonates innovation through its unique application of emergent gameplay; driven by character interaction and choice. Through analysis of these three fundamental influences in relation to the unique emergent gameplay construction of Deus Ex and correspondingly by comparing the game with its peers gives insight into how this game achieved zeitgeist status. Deus Ex was not the first game to challenge the norm by hybridising FPS/RPG genres. It was inspired by the gameplay of previous FPS/RPG 90’s games Ultima Underworld (1992) and System Shock (1994) by Looking Glass. (Spector, 2000). However, Spector also states he wanted to build upon the foundation laid by these games. He goes on to say his influence for the setting of the game came from his research into millennial conspiracies and his wife’s obsession with the X-Files. (2000). The game world of Deus Ex acts as a basis for the innovative success of its emergent gameplay. Without a lively game world gameplay choices would feel uninspiring.
    [Show full text]
  • Games and Rules
    Games as a Special Zone Motivation Mechanics of Games René Bauer PLAY AS POSSIBILITY SPACE In games, sheep might speak, mountains fly, spaces move, moons disappear and faces morph; men can shrink, avatars can be moved, time rewound or frogs blown up. What would be regarded as delusional laws, imaginations and crazy ideas in other areas, as described for example in Dr. Daniel Schreber’s 1903 book “Denkwürdigkeiten eines Nervenkranken” (Memories of a Neuropath), is a tangible and interactive reality in many games. It is the special zone in which games operate that makes these divergent rules and laws culturally possible. Huizinga identified a number of playful special zones such as arenas, card tables, “Magic Circles”, stages or temples. They are all playgrounds. “The arena, the card-table, the magic circle, the temple, the stage, the screen, the tennis court, the court of justice, etc, are all in form and function play-grounds, i.e. forbidden spots, isolated, hedged round, hallowed, within which special rules obtain. All are tempo- rary worlds within the ordinary world, dedicated to the performance of an act apart.” (Huizinga 1955: 5) Thus, games (temporarily) position themselves against the ‘analog’ world with its fixed continuous rules that are based on atoms and their properties. The ana- log space surrounding us is bijective and continuous. It comes with three spatial dimensions, a continuous time and various resulting ‘laws’. The same applies to social and cultural conditions, which can also override or subvert games. This analog space and its rules become a complex, special set of rules in the much 36 | René Bauer more powerful possibility space of the games – or in other words: the analog space turns into another one of many game systems.
    [Show full text]
  • Security in Online Gaming Bachelor Thesis Information Science
    RADBOUD UNIVERSITY NIJMEGEN Security in online gaming Bachelor Thesis Information Science Rens van Summeren January 26, 2011 Online gaming has gone through an explosive growth in popularity during the last decade, and continues to grow at a great speed. With this growth in popularity and thus in the amount of players, the need for security also becomes increasingly clear. This thesis aims to provide a definition of security in online gaming, as well as security analysis for the various threats with examples and countermeasures. The goal is to help players and game developers assess online gaming security, and inform security experts about existing issues. CONTENTS 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 Definition ............................................................................................................................... 1 Preface .................................................................................................................................. 1 2 Online Gaming ............................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Why Look at the Security of Online Games? ................................................................... 2 2.2 Types of Online Games and Business Models ................................................................. 2 2.3 Massive Multiplayer Online Games ................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Learning Mechanics and Game Mechanics Under the Perspective of Self-Determination Theory to Foster Motivation in Digital Game Based Learning
    Proulx, J. N., Romero, M., & Arnab, S. (2016). Learning Mechanics and Game Mechanics Under the Perspective of Self-Determination Theory to Foster Motivation in Digital Game Based Learning. Simulation & Gaming, 1046878116674399. Learning Mechanics and Game Mechanics Under the Perspective of Self-Determination Theory to Foster Motivation in Digital Game Based Learning. Jean-Nicolas Proulx1, Margarida Romero1, Sylvester Arnab2 Abstract Background: Using digital games for educational purposes has been associated with higher levels of motivation among learners of different educational levels. However, the underlying psychological factors involved in digital game based learning (DGBL) have been rarely analyzed considering self-determination theory (SDT, Ryan & Deci, 2000b); the relation of SDT with the flow experience (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) has neither been evaluated in the context of DGBL. Aim: This article evaluates DGBL under the perspective of SDT in order to improve the study of motivational factors in DGBL. Results: In this paper, we introduce the LMGM-SDT theoretical framework, where the use of DGBL is analyzed through the Learning Mechanics and Game Mechanics mapping model (LM-GM, Arnab et al., 2015) and its relation with the components of the SDT. The implications for the use of DGBL in order to promote learners’ motivation are also discussed. Keywords Digital game based learning, DGBL, education, flow, game mechanics, learning mechanics, LM-GM, LMGM-SDT, motivation, self-determination theory, SDT. 1 Université Laval, Québec, Canada 2 Disruptive Media Learning Lab, Coventry University, UK Corresponding Author: Jean-Nicolas Proulx, Department of Teaching and Learning Studies, Université Laval, Québec, Canada. Email : [email protected] Educational technologies and motivation One of the persistent educational myths is that technology fosters learners’ motivation by itself (Kleiman, 2000).
    [Show full text]
  • Florin Gheorghe Filip Constantin-Bălă Zamfirescu Cristian Ciurea Computer‐ Supported Collaborative Decision‐ Making Automation, Collaboration, & E-Services
    Automation, Collaboration, A C E S & E-Services Florin Gheorghe Filip Constantin-Bălă Zamfirescu Cristian Ciurea Computer‐ Supported Collaborative Decision‐ Making Automation, Collaboration, & E-Services Volume 4 Series editor Shimon Y. Nof, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA e-mail: [email protected] About this Series The Automation, Collaboration, & E-Services series (ACES) publishes new devel- opments and advances in the fields of Automation, collaboration and e-services; rapidly and informally but with a high quality. It captures the scientific and engineer- ing theories and techniques addressing challenges of the megatrends of automation, and collaboration. These trends, defining the scope of the ACES Series, are evident with wireless communication, Internetworking, multi-agent systems, sensor networks, and social robotics – all enabled by collaborative e-Services. Within the scope of the series are monographs, lecture notes, selected contributions from spe- cialized conferences and workshops. More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/8393 Florin Gheorghe Filip • Constantin-Bălă Zamfirescu Cristian Ciurea Computer-Supported Collaborative Decision-Making 123 Florin Gheorghe Filip Cristian Ciurea Information Science and Technology Department of Economic Informatics Section, INCE and BAR and Cybernetics The Romanian Academy ASE Bucharest—The Bucharest University Bucharest of Economic Studies Romania Bucharest Romania Constantin-Bălă Zamfirescu Faculty of Engineering, Department of Computer Science and Automatic Control Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu Sibiu Romania ISSN 2193-472X ISSN 2193-4738 (electronic) Automation, Collaboration, & E-Services ISBN 978-3-319-47219-5 ISBN 978-3-319-47221-8 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-47221-8 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016953309 © Springer International Publishing AG 2017 This work is subject to copyright.
    [Show full text]
  • Classification of Games for Computer Science Education
    Classification of Games for Computer Science Education Peter Drake Lewis & Clark College Overview Major Categories Issues in the CS Classroom Resources Major Categories Classical Abstract Games Children’s Games Family Games Simulation Games Eurogames (”German Games”) Classical Abstract Games Simple rules Often deep strategy Backgammon, Bridge, Checkers, Chess, Go, Hex, Mancala, Nine Men’s Morris, Tic-Tac-Toe Children’s Games Simple rules Decisions are easy and rare Candyland, Cootie, Go Fish, Snakes and Ladders, War Family Games Moderately complex rules Often a high luck factor Battleship, Careers, Clue, Game of Life, Risk, Scrabble, Sorry, Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Yahtzee Simulation Games Extremely complex rules Theme is usually war or sports Blood Bowl, Panzer Blitz, Star Fleet Battles, Strat-o-Matic Baseball, Twilight Imperium, Wizard Kings Eurogames (”German Games”) Complexity comparable to family games Somewhat deeper strategy Carcassonne, El Grande, Puerto Rico, Ra, Samurai, Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride Issues in the CS Classroom Game mechanics Programming issues Cultural and thematic issues Games for particular topics Game Mechanics Time to play Number of players Number of piece types Board morphology Determinism Programming Issues Detecting or enumerating legal moves Hidden information Artificially intelligent opponent Testing Proprietary games Cultural and Thematic Issues Students may be engaged by games from their own culture Theme may attract or repel various students Religious objections A small number of students just don’t like games Games for Particular Topics Quantitative reasoning: play some games! Stacks and queues: solitaire card games Sets: word games Graphs: complicated boards OOP: dice, cards, simulations Networking: hidden information, multiplayer games AI: classical abstract games Resources http://www.boardgamegeek.com http://www.funagain.com International Computer Games Association, http://www.cs.unimaas.nl/ icga/.
    [Show full text]