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Avatars are used more and more in online communication, in both games and socialmedia. At the same time technology for facial puppetry, where expressions of the user aretransferred to the avatar, has developed rapidly. Why is it that facial puppetry, despite this,is conspicuous by its absence? This thesis analyzes the available and upcoming solutions for facial puppetry, if a com-mon framework or library can exist and what can be done to simplify the process for de-velopers who wants to implement facial puppetry. A survey was conducted to get a better understanding of the technology. It showedthat there is no standard yet for how to describe facial expressions, but part of the marketis converging towards a common format. It also showed that there is no existing inter-face that can handle communication with tracking devices or translation between differentexpression formats. Several prototypes for recording and streaming facial expression data from differentsources were implemented as a practical test. This was done to evaluate the complexity ofimplementing real-time facial puppetry. It showed that it is not always possible to integratethe available tracking solutions into an existing project. When integration was possible itrequired a lot of work. The best way to get tracking right now seems to be to implement astandalone program for tracking that streams the tracked data to the main application. In summary it is the poor integrability of the solutions that makes it problematic forthe developers, together with a wide variety of facial expression formats. A software thatacts like a bridge between the tracking solutions and the game could allow for translationbetween different formats and simplify implementation of support. In the future, instead of working towards making all tracking solutions output stan-dardized tracking data, research further how to build a framework that can handle differ-ent configurations., Examensarbetet är utfört vid Institutionen för teknik och naturvetenskap (ITN) vid Tekniska fakulteten, Linköpings universitet

Avatars are used more and more in online communication, in both games and socialmedia. At the same time technology for facial puppetry, where expressions of the user aretransferred to the avatar, has developed rapidly. Why is it that facial puppetry, despite this,is conspicuous by its absence? This thesis analyzes the available and upcoming solutions for facial puppetry, if a com-mon framework or library can exist and what can be done to simplify the process for de-velopers who wants to implement facial puppetry. A survey was conducted to get a better understanding of the technology. It showedthat there is no standard yet for how to describe facial expressions, but part of the marketis converging towards a common format. It also showed that there is no existing inter-face that can handle communication with tracking devices or translation between differentexpression formats. Several prototypes for recording and streaming facial expression data from differentsources were implemented as a practical test. This was done to evaluate the complexity ofimplementing real-time facial puppetry. It showed that it is not always possible to integratethe available tracking solutions into an existing project. When integration was possible itrequired a lot of work. The best way to get tracking right now seems to be to implement astandalone program for tracking that streams the tracked data to the main application. In summary it is the poor integrability of the solutions that makes it problematic forthe developers, together with a wide variety of facial expression formats. A software thatacts like a bridge between the tracking solutions and the game could allow for translationbetween different formats and simplify implementation of support. In the future, instead of working towards making all tracking solutions output stan-dardized tracking data, research further how to build a framework that can handle differ-ent configurations., Examensarbetet är utfört vid Institutionen för teknik och naturvetenskap (ITN) vid Tekniska fakulteten, Linköpings universitet

Rapporten bygger på tre delstudier med olika datainsamlingstekniker: En bibliometristudie av svensk spelforskning baserad på data från Scopus respektive SwePub. En enkätstudie över svenska spelforskningsmiljöer. En intervjustudie om svenska spelforskarmiljöer. Bibliometristudiens ansats har varit bred. Materialet inkluderar därmed även poster som endast har en perifer koppling till spel, men returnerar i fallet SwePub färre än 3000 poster. Spelforskning bedrivs på många lärosäten i Sverige och publiceras inom många ämnesområden. Totalt 95 forskare har en publicering som omfattar 10 eller fler spelpublikationer1. Det finns starka lokala kluster av forskare som sampublicerar men sampubliceringen mellan svenska och nordiska lärosäten är inte så omfattande. Jämfört med Finland har Sverige färre publikationer med ett tydligt fokus på spelforskning. Enkätstudien visar att spelforskarmiljöerna oftast består av ett antal forskare med olika ämnesmässig bakgrund där de själva definierar sig som spelforskare snarare än att organisationen som sådan gör det. Miljöerna har sammantaget och högt räknat runt 30 aktiva doktorander men siffran är osäker. 94% av respondenterna anger att deras forskning ligger inom ”spel för andra områden än underhållning” och endast 6% anger ”spelteknikfokus”. 44% anger ”spelbranschen”. Det är tydligt att spel för just underhållning inte ligger fokus för svensk spelforskning. Detta är remarkabelt då den svenska datorspelsindustrin är en multimiljardindustri fokuserad på just spel som underhållning. Det finns alltså en mycket stor diskrepans mellan industri och svensk spelforskning. Intervjustudien ger en bild av att spelforskningen bedrivs inom splittrade miljöer, av forskare med olika ämnesmässig bakgrund. Det finns en tydlig upplevd brist på forskningsfinansiering inom adekvata områden och det finns brister i de finansieringsinstrument som finns idag. Detta påverkar såväl vilken typ av fo

This thesis showcases the development of a client-server architecture for multiplayer using the Godot Game Engine. The implementation is for an in-development top-down RPG game by Giantsbane AB, a local indie game development company. The core implementation is designed as an arena for developers to engage in player versus player (PVP) combat for testing and a potential commercial use for the final game release. The implementation supports multiple concurrent instances, data synchronisation, and poor networking conditions for a seamless multiplayer experience. Significant achievements of this project include the practical implementation of a robust client-server model designed to support multiple concurrent game instances. Customizable game settings and configurations were developed, increasing the system's flexibility and adaptability for different gameplay styles and scenarios. The project established a solid foundation for future development, focusing on scalability. This paper details these implementations and discusses the challenges encountered, offering solutions and suggestions. It serves as an essential resource for developers seeking to utilize the Godot Engine for sophisticated multiplayer game functionalities.

In the modern world, people are not moving enough. People can sit down for multiple hours in a row at an office job, which can lead to multiple health risks like obesity, depression and cancer. One way of counteracting this sedentary behavior is to encourage people to move more by playing exergames, video games that require the player to move and exert themselves to play. The benefit of playing exergames does, however, only apply when they are continually played over a longer period of time. To see how well exergames work over a longer period of time, two casual physics based exergames were developed. Each exergame was then played 100 times each by both authors to see how score and movement changed over time. It was found that both games required greater movement to get higher scores. The movement amount of the exergames slightly decreased over time in some cases but, most often, stayed at the same level or increased over time.

Creating a convincing and elaborate game world to provide an engaging and immersive player experience is not straightforward and can involve many different approaches. Across game genres, these worlds are populated by other players or deterministic non-playable characters (NPCs). NPCs can enhance the game's realism and contribute significantly to the player experience, engagement, and immersion. One way to influence the player's experience with NPCs is by creating a cooperative experience. The primary aim of this thesis is to design and implement cooperative gameplay mechanics that positively impact the player experience. The research includes a comprehensive literature review to identify suitable cooperative design patterns for NPCs, which were then adapted and integrated into the “Core Keeper” game developed by Pugstorm AB. The development of multiple cooperative gameplay mechanics followed a structured approach, including the design, implementation along three high-level game design patterns, and evaluation of the player experience with game developers and experts. The evaluation was conducted through user testing and divided into two phases. The two phases allowed a comparison between the player experience of the native gameplay and gameplay with the implemented cooperative NPC features, using the Player Experience of Needs Satisfaction (PENS) questionnaire. Additional insights were gathered through observations during the evaluation. The results indicate a significant improvement in the player experience compared to the native gameplay. This work contributes to the field by providing a set of design patterns for creating a cooperative experience with NPCs and valuable insights for researchers and game developers.

The aim of this paper was to find what informative tools exist in which information about game mechanics can be visually communicated to the player. Moreso, a simplistic puzzle game consisting of five levels was created to test the different tools in how productive they are for game testers to understandand be immersed by. The test was conducted to see which tool would make the game testers experience a state of Flow. Observers were asked to comment on how the game testers reacted during the puzzle solving in the levels to give an outsider perspective on the development. The results showed that two tools were considerably more immersive than the others, and were also found to improve the quality on more levels than one. In conclusion, the tools can be used together for a better user experience, and the chosen tools for a game should be adapted accordingly to the type of game and the target audience.

The aim of this paper was to find what informative tools exist in which information about game mechanics can be visually communicated to the player. Moreso, a simplistic puzzle game consisting of five levels was created to test the different tools in how productive they are for game testers to understandand be immersed by. The test was conducted to see which tool would make the game testers experience a state of Flow. Observers were asked to comment on how the game testers reacted during the puzzle solving in the levels to give an outsider perspective on the development. The results showed that two tools were considerably more immersive than the others, and were also found to improve the quality on more levels than one. In conclusion, the tools can be used together for a better user experience, and the chosen tools for a game should be adapted accordingly to the type of game and the target audience.

The aim of this paper was to find what informative tools exist in which information about game mechanics can be visually communicated to the player. Moreso, a simplistic puzzle game consisting of five levels was created to test the different tools in how productive they are for game testers to understandand be immersed by. The test was conducted to see which tool would make the game testers experience a state of Flow. Observers were asked to comment on how the game testers reacted during the puzzle solving in the levels to give an outsider perspective on the development. The results showed that two tools were considerably more immersive than the others, and were also found to improve the quality on more levels than one. In conclusion, the tools can be used together for a better user experience, and the chosen tools for a game should be adapted accordingly to the type of game and the target audience.

The aim of this paper was to find what informative tools exist in which information about game mechanics can be visually communicated to the player. Moreso, a simplistic puzzle game consisting of five levels was created to test the different tools in how productive they are for game testers to understandand be immersed by. The test was conducted to see which tool would make the game testers experience a state of Flow. Observers were asked to comment on how the game testers reacted during the puzzle solving in the levels to give an outsider perspective on the development. The results showed that two tools were considerably more immersive than the others, and were also found to improve the quality on more levels than one. In conclusion, the tools can be used together for a better user experience, and the chosen tools for a game should be adapted accordingly to the type of game and the target audience.

The aim of this paper was to find what informative tools exist in which information about game mechanics can be visually communicated to the player. Moreso, a simplistic puzzle game consisting of five levels was created to test the different tools in how productive they are for game testers to understandand be immersed by. The test was conducted to see which tool would make the game testers experience a state of Flow. Observers were asked to comment on how the game testers reacted during the puzzle solving in the levels to give an outsider perspective on the development. The results showed that two tools were considerably more immersive than the others, and were also found to improve the quality on more levels than one. In conclusion, the tools can be used together for a better user experience, and the chosen tools for a game should be adapted accordingly to the type of game and the target audience.

The aim of this paper was to find what informative tools exist in which information about game mechanics can be visually communicated to the player. Moreso, a simplistic puzzle game consisting of five levels was created to test the different tools in how productive they are for game testers to understandand be immersed by. The test was conducted to see which tool would make the game testers experience a state of Flow. Observers were asked to comment on how the game testers reacted during the puzzle solving in the levels to give an outsider perspective on the development. The results showed that two tools were considerably more immersive than the others, and were also found to improve the quality on more levels than one. In conclusion, the tools can be used together for a better user experience, and the chosen tools for a game should be adapted accordingly to the type of game and the target audience.

In the modern world, people are not moving enough. People can sit down for multiple hours in a row at an office job, which can lead to multiple health risks like obesity, depression and cancer. One way of counteracting this sedentary behavior is to encourage people to move more by playing exergames, video games that require the player to move and exert themselves to play. The benefit of playing exergames does, however, only apply when they are continually played over a longer period of time. To see how well exergames work over a longer period of time, two casual physics based exergames were developed. Each exergame was then played 100 times each by both authors to see how score and movement changed over time. It was found that both games required greater movement to get higher scores. The movement amount of the exergames slightly decreased over time in some cases but, most often, stayed at the same level or increased over time.

Interactive sound design technology for dance performance often use instant auditive movement feedback which may create the illusion of the dancer causing the sound as well as being a limitation in space for the dancer. This report describes the iterative development of an interactive sound system which instead aims to produce reciprocity between movement input and sound. Using the framework of Model Based Sonification a data processing model is built in a game engine where input data is accumulated before modulating sound assets, creating an interactive electroacoustic composition. Sonification and it's common usages are presented, as well as it's relation to game audio and adaptive music. The role of sonification frameworks in challenges for present day game audio is also discussed.

This thesis showcases the development of a client-server architecture for multiplayer using the Godot Game Engine. The implementation is for an in-development top-down RPG game by Giantsbane AB, a local indie game development company. The core implementation is designed as an arena for developers to engage in player versus player (PVP) combat for testing and a potential commercial use for the final game release. The implementation supports multiple concurrent instances, data synchronisation, and poor networking conditions for a seamless multiplayer experience. Significant achievements of this project include the practical implementation of a robust client-server model designed to support multiple concurrent game instances. Customizable game settings and configurations were developed, increasing the system's flexibility and adaptability for different gameplay styles and scenarios. The project established a solid foundation for future development, focusing on scalability. This paper details these implementations and discusses the challenges encountered, offering solutions and suggestions. It serves as an essential resource for developers seeking to utilize the Godot Engine for sophisticated multiplayer game functionalities.

This study seeks to bridge the gap between the past and the future, drawing inspiration from 18th century phantasmagoria performances and modern VR game design. Through a combination of quantitative analysis, measuring physiological responses and player feedback, as well as qualitative analysis of interviews and observations, this research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of a combination of phantasmagoria performance elements and VR on player immersion through a unique horror gaming experience. Ultimately, by incorporating this forgotten art form within today’s digital landscape, this study hopes to create opportunities for VR technology to redefine the boundaries of horror gaming, potentially creating new avenues for storytelling, gameplay mechanics, and player engagement. The findings of this study will contribute to the ongoing discourse in the field of VR gaming and pave the way for further advancements and innovations in this exciting domain.

Serious games are well known for their application outside the games, but how they are developed is seldom explored. This study looks at the development process for an advergame for an outside client and what challenges and opportunities presented themselves when creating it. By looking at the context of development the study finds an understanding for what affected the development and how it affected it. The results show that the development context can have varying effects on development. Part of this is the motivations and background behind the project and goals of the company. The developers’ work can become dependent on the project company and work can be halted if the connection is not maintained. Further the study proposes guidelines based on the results that developers can use when working with interdisciplinary collaboration.

Creating a convincing and elaborate game world to provide an engaging and immersive player experience is not straightforward and can involve many different approaches. Across game genres, these worlds are populated by other players or deterministic non-playable characters (NPCs). NPCs can enhance the game's realism and contribute significantly to the player experience, engagement, and immersion. One way to influence the player's experience with NPCs is by creating a cooperative experience. The primary aim of this thesis is to design and implement cooperative gameplay mechanics that positively impact the player experience. The research includes a comprehensive literature review to identify suitable cooperative design patterns for NPCs, which were then adapted and integrated into the “Core Keeper” game developed by Pugstorm AB. The development of multiple cooperative gameplay mechanics followed a structured approach, including the design, implementation along three high-level game design patterns, and evaluation of the player experience with game developers and experts. The evaluation was conducted through user testing and divided into two phases. The two phases allowed a comparison between the player experience of the native gameplay and gameplay with the implemented cooperative NPC features, using the Player Experience of Needs Satisfaction (PENS) questionnaire. Additional insights were gathered through observations during the evaluation. The results indicate a significant improvement in the player experience compared to the native gameplay. This work contributes to the field by providing a set of design patterns for creating a cooperative experience with NPCs and valuable insights for researchers and game developers.

Roleplay is used in many industries, including the video game industry, as a creative method to explore ideas. This could be applied to the creation of narratives in games and thus utilized as a collaborative narrative tool for developing creative ideas. This can especially occur in pre-production where many narrative ideas are generated. However, a formalized version of this concept is missing. This leads to the development and testing of the scenario-based roleplay methodology which has the purpose of gathering data from a series of roleplayed scenarios. Testing showcases the potential use cases and types of scenarios individuals could encounter, and the viability of the methodology is tested for usability during pre-production. This culminates in scenario-based roleplay being evaluated as a narrative methodology that helps specify narrative details, hinders scheduling, and dependent on the team, can either assist in narrowing scope, or overly expand it, thus becoming a liability., Det finns övrigt digitalt material (t.ex. film-, bild- eller ljudfiler) eller modeller/artefakter tillhörande examensarbetet som ska skickas till arkivet.There are other digital material (eg film, image or audio files) or models/artifacts that belongs to the thesis and need to be archived.

Claymation is an animation technique developed around a century ago and featured inseveral video games. However, traditional claymation production is not most accessible togame developers due to its specialized skill requirements. This research aims to make theclaymation visual style more accessible by digitally emulating its characteristics usingmethods widely used in game development. Our approach involved developing and iteratingdigital techniques to replicate the surface texture of clay models and the jittery animationquality in a 3D physics-based game, the emulated results of which were evaluated throughinternal and external playtesting. The research team concluded that a combination ofdisplacement maps, normal maps, and color adjustments could be used to emulate realisticclay surface textures. Meanwhile, 3D animation and physics-based animation approacheswere explored to recreate the jittery animation look. The team found that, within 3Danimation, strategic use of still frames and manual motion variance addition to each in-motionpose are effective jitter emulation methods, with the latter being more effective. With physics-based animation, adding a randomized value to an object’s physically simulated motionsimulates motion jitters. The research compiled the emulation process into steps, serving asemulation guidelines for future projects.

In a fast paced and ever evolving industry where video games have become an important partof consumers' everyday life, game development can be tricky. The process of developmentcontains challenges that can either make or break a game. This study aims to shed some lighton the indie game development process, what challenges it has, how an independent video gamedeveloper would approach this process and to give the reader a greater understanding of whatbusiness models are used within the video game industry.To gather data a semi-structured interview was conducted with indie game developers so thatthey could give their perspective on the process of developing games, the challenges andbusiness models within video game industry. The data was then analyzed using the thematicanalysis approach to find themes and relate the results to what literature had to say about thearea.The conclusion of this study show that indie development usually starts with an idea, which isthen created into an early protype for testing purposes as well as to gather feedback whetherthis idea could become a fully-fledged game. The conclusion also shows that one challengewith using the free-to-play business model is the fact that many game companies have startedusing this specific business model, because of this there is more competition amongst gamesutilizing the business model.

Boid-based systems are typically used to simulate flocks of animals in nature, such as avian flocks or fish schools. The naïve implementation has a time complexity of $O(n^2)$, as each boid perceives and reacts to every other, and thus scales poorly with flock size. Several optimizations and strategies have previously been explored to mitigate this fact, such as space partitioning of the game world where the simulation runs. This thesis explores the performance bottlenecks in an implementation utilizing some of these optimizations, mainly spatial hashing. The findings indicate that the major performance bottleneck is the aggregation of positions and headings required to enact the boid steering behaviors. This performance bottleneck can be alleviated by spatially hashing the game world, using a cell-based neighborhood, and parallelizing the computations over these cells. In addition, parameters controlling the simulation can be tweaked and upper-bound limits imposed on the number of interactions to further improve performance.

Scrum är ett arbetssätt som implementeras för att främja kommunikation och produktivitet för företaget. I många fall används Scrum inte korrekt hos dataspelsföretag och dessa företag väljer medvetet eller omedvetet att inte implementera några av de viktiga delarna. Scrum tappar då effektivitet och kan i värsta fall bli ett negativt påverkande verktyg. Denna studie menar att undersöka och kartlägga hur Scrum används i spelutvecklingen i Skövde och har därmed behandlat frågeställningen “Vilka är de framträdande utvecklingsriktningarna i användandet av Scrum inom Spelutveckling?”Scrumpraxis kartlades hos de intervjuade företagen. Resultatet för studien är att scrum inte används korrekt i spelindustrin i Skövde och att många av de viktiga delarna förkastas eller görs mer sällan än vad de borde. Ett exempel på detta är sprintåterblick och sprintgranskning som används av väldigt få företag och är en väsentlig del av Scrum. Studien har även identifierat en generell avsaknad av en scrummaster bland de intervjuade företagen.

Otome games are most simply described as Japanese games in which players play through a romance story as a female protagonist wooing a male love interest, the game equivalent of a romance novel. Indie otome games are otome games made in English, and the developers of these games have created a unique development community that is casually observed to be majority female, majority LGBTQ+, and is motivated to make games in part by the lack of romance games available and is only incidentally motivated by the possibility of earning money. After a background discussion on what otome games are, this unique community is examined through survey and interview answers to understand what they consider otome games to be and why they make otome games, while differences from the mainstream game development industry are highlighted. Survey results demonstrate that women make up the majority of developers in the space and that the majority of developers identify as LGBTQ+. The survey and subsequent follow-up interviews show that while a gap in the market of games is a motivating factor for these developers, for a large portion of developers it is not the primary factor, and they would still be making games regardless. The survey also provides insights into how the indie otome developer community defines itself and suggests that the community is still in the process of growing and defining itself.

The release of ChatGPT from OpenAI in late 2022 became many peoples first hands-on introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI). Since then, several new and increasingly powerful AI systems have been released to the public, such as Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Midjourney, and Sora from OpenAI to mention some. These new AI tools are often labeled as Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI or GAI for short). As the name suggests, Generative AI is about generating, for example, text, images, audio and video that are seemingly novel. This is done through the use of Natural Language Processing (NLP), Machine Learning (ML), and training data. Although many have been amazed by the capabilities of Generative AI, some hoping that it will be able to solve some of humanity’s most pressing problems, there have also been critical voices. Concerns have for example been raised about privacy, ethics, biases, legal aspects, lack of transparency, and the potential consequences for future jobs and people's well-being. One field that correlates to a large extent with the capabilities of Generative AI is the Game Industry. The risk of layoffs seems imminent when Generative AI can produce narration in the style of Tolkien, graphics in the style of Simon Stålenhag, and music in the style of Luwdig Göransson. However, just because Generative AI can produce content in the style of an eminent creator does that make it good? Is it useful in the process of design and development? And if so, which parts? This presentation will explore the opportunities and challenges with AI for supporting game design and development. The discussion will draw on personal experiences in using Generative AI for developing educational games (serious games), as well as findings from previous research. The presentation will highlight examples of where AI can support game design and development, where there are challenges, and where more research is needed.

Rapporten bygger på tre delstudier med olika datainsamlingstekniker: En bibliometristudie av svensk spelforskning baserad på data från Scopus respektive SwePub. En enkätstudie över svenska spelforskningsmiljöer. En intervjustudie om svenska spelforskarmiljöer. Bibliometristudiens ansats har varit bred. Materialet inkluderar därmed även poster som endast har en perifer koppling till spel, men returnerar i fallet SwePub färre än 3000 poster. Spelforskning bedrivs på många lärosäten i Sverige och publiceras inom många ämnesområden. Totalt 95 forskare har en publicering som omfattar 10 eller fler spelpublikationer1. Det finns starka lokala kluster av forskare som sampublicerar men sampubliceringen mellan svenska och nordiska lärosäten är inte så omfattande. Jämfört med Finland har Sverige färre publikationer med ett tydligt fokus på spelforskning. Enkätstudien visar att spelforskarmiljöerna oftast består av ett antal forskare med olika ämnesmässig bakgrund där de själva definierar sig som spelforskare snarare än att organisationen som sådan gör det. Miljöerna har sammantaget och högt räknat runt 30 aktiva doktorander men siffran är osäker. 94% av respondenterna anger att deras forskning ligger inom ”spel för andra områden än underhållning” och endast 6% anger ”spelteknikfokus”. 44% anger ”spelbranschen”. Det är tydligt att spel för just underhållning inte ligger fokus för svensk spelforskning. Detta är remarkabelt då den svenska datorspelsindustrin är en multimiljardindustri fokuserad på just spel som underhållning. Det finns alltså en mycket stor diskrepans mellan industri och svensk spelforskning. Intervjustudien ger en bild av att spelforskningen bedrivs inom splittrade miljöer, av forskare med olika ämnesmässig bakgrund. Det finns en tydlig upplevd brist på forskningsfinansiering inom adekvata områden och det finns brister i de finansieringsinstrument som finns idag. Detta påverkar såväl vilken typ av fo

Rapporten bygger på tre delstudier med olika datainsamlingstekniker: En bibliometristudie av svensk spelforskning baserad på data från Scopus respektive SwePub. En enkätstudie över svenska spelforskningsmiljöer. En intervjustudie om svenska spelforskarmiljöer. Bibliometristudiens ansats har varit bred. Materialet inkluderar därmed även poster som endast har en perifer koppling till spel, men returnerar i fallet SwePub färre än 3000 poster. Spelforskning bedrivs på många lärosäten i Sverige och publiceras inom många ämnesområden. Totalt 95 forskare har en publicering som omfattar 10 eller fler spelpublikationer1. Det finns starka lokala kluster av forskare som sampublicerar men sampubliceringen mellan svenska och nordiska lärosäten är inte så omfattande. Jämfört med Finland har Sverige färre publikationer med ett tydligt fokus på spelforskning. Enkätstudien visar att spelforskarmiljöerna oftast består av ett antal forskare med olika ämnesmässig bakgrund där de själva definierar sig som spelforskare snarare än att organisationen som sådan gör det. Miljöerna har sammantaget och högt räknat runt 30 aktiva doktorander men siffran är osäker. 94% av respondenterna anger att deras forskning ligger inom ”spel för andra områden än underhållning” och endast 6% anger ”spelteknikfokus”. 44% anger ”spelbranschen”. Det är tydligt att spel för just underhållning inte ligger fokus för svensk spelforskning. Detta är remarkabelt då den svenska datorspelsindustrin är en multimiljardindustri fokuserad på just spel som underhållning. Det finns alltså en mycket stor diskrepans mellan industri och svensk spelforskning. Intervjustudien ger en bild av att spelforskningen bedrivs inom splittrade miljöer, av forskare med olika ämnesmässig bakgrund. Det finns en tydlig upplevd brist på forskningsfinansiering inom adekvata områden och det finns brister i de finansieringsinstrument som finns idag. Detta påverkar såväl vilken typ av fo

Rapporten bygger på tre delstudier med olika datainsamlingstekniker: En bibliometristudie av svensk spelforskning baserad på data från Scopus respektive SwePub. En enkätstudie över svenska spelforskningsmiljöer. En intervjustudie om svenska spelforskarmiljöer. Bibliometristudiens ansats har varit bred. Materialet inkluderar därmed även poster som endast har en perifer koppling till spel, men returnerar i fallet SwePub färre än 3000 poster. Spelforskning bedrivs på många lärosäten i Sverige och publiceras inom många ämnesområden. Totalt 95 forskare har en publicering som omfattar 10 eller fler spelpublikationer1. Det finns starka lokala kluster av forskare som sampublicerar men sampubliceringen mellan svenska och nordiska lärosäten är inte så omfattande. Jämfört med Finland har Sverige färre publikationer med ett tydligt fokus på spelforskning. Enkätstudien visar att spelforskarmiljöerna oftast består av ett antal forskare med olika ämnesmässig bakgrund där de själva definierar sig som spelforskare snarare än att organisationen som sådan gör det. Miljöerna har sammantaget och högt räknat runt 30 aktiva doktorander men siffran är osäker. 94% av respondenterna anger att deras forskning ligger inom ”spel för andra områden än underhållning” och endast 6% anger ”spelteknikfokus”. 44% anger ”spelbranschen”. Det är tydligt att spel för just underhållning inte ligger fokus för svensk spelforskning. Detta är remarkabelt då den svenska datorspelsindustrin är en multimiljardindustri fokuserad på just spel som underhållning. Det finns alltså en mycket stor diskrepans mellan industri och svensk spelforskning. Intervjustudien ger en bild av att spelforskningen bedrivs inom splittrade miljöer, av forskare med olika ämnesmässig bakgrund. Det finns en tydlig upplevd brist på forskningsfinansiering inom adekvata områden och det finns brister i de finansieringsinstrument som finns idag. Detta påverkar såväl vilken typ av fo

Boid-based systems are typically used to simulate flocks of animals in nature, such as avian flocks or fish schools. The naïve implementation has a time complexity of $O(n^2)$, as each boid perceives and reacts to every other, and thus scales poorly with flock size. Several optimizations and strategies have previously been explored to mitigate this fact, such as space partitioning of the game world where the simulation runs. This thesis explores the performance bottlenecks in an implementation utilizing some of these optimizations, mainly spatial hashing. The findings indicate that the major performance bottleneck is the aggregation of positions and headings required to enact the boid steering behaviors. This performance bottleneck can be alleviated by spatially hashing the game world, using a cell-based neighborhood, and parallelizing the computations over these cells. In addition, parameters controlling the simulation can be tweaked and upper-bound limits imposed on the number of interactions to further improve performance.

Claymation is an animation technique developed around a century ago and featured inseveral video games. However, traditional claymation production is not most accessible togame developers due to its specialized skill requirements. This research aims to make theclaymation visual style more accessible by digitally emulating its characteristics usingmethods widely used in game development. Our approach involved developing and iteratingdigital techniques to replicate the surface texture of clay models and the jittery animationquality in a 3D physics-based game, the emulated results of which were evaluated throughinternal and external playtesting. The research team concluded that a combination ofdisplacement maps, normal maps, and color adjustments could be used to emulate realisticclay surface textures. Meanwhile, 3D animation and physics-based animation approacheswere explored to recreate the jittery animation look. The team found that, within 3Danimation, strategic use of still frames and manual motion variance addition to each in-motionpose are effective jitter emulation methods, with the latter being more effective. With physics-based animation, adding a randomized value to an object’s physically simulated motionsimulates motion jitters. The research compiled the emulation process into steps, serving asemulation guidelines for future projects.

Scrum är ett arbetssätt som implementeras för att främja kommunikation och produktivitet för företaget. I många fall används Scrum inte korrekt hos dataspelsföretag och dessa företag väljer medvetet eller omedvetet att inte implementera några av de viktiga delarna. Scrum tappar då effektivitet och kan i värsta fall bli ett negativt påverkande verktyg. Denna studie menar att undersöka och kartlägga hur Scrum används i spelutvecklingen i Skövde och har därmed behandlat frågeställningen “Vilka är de framträdande utvecklingsriktningarna i användandet av Scrum inom Spelutveckling?”Scrumpraxis kartlades hos de intervjuade företagen. Resultatet för studien är att scrum inte används korrekt i spelindustrin i Skövde och att många av de viktiga delarna förkastas eller görs mer sällan än vad de borde. Ett exempel på detta är sprintåterblick och sprintgranskning som används av väldigt få företag och är en väsentlig del av Scrum. Studien har även identifierat en generell avsaknad av en scrummaster bland de intervjuade företagen.

Otome games are most simply described as Japanese games in which players play through a romance story as a female protagonist wooing a male love interest, the game equivalent of a romance novel. Indie otome games are otome games made in English, and the developers of these games have created a unique development community that is casually observed to be majority female, majority LGBTQ+, and is motivated to make games in part by the lack of romance games available and is only incidentally motivated by the possibility of earning money. After a background discussion on what otome games are, this unique community is examined through survey and interview answers to understand what they consider otome games to be and why they make otome games, while differences from the mainstream game development industry are highlighted. Survey results demonstrate that women make up the majority of developers in the space and that the majority of developers identify as LGBTQ+. The survey and subsequent follow-up interviews show that while a gap in the market of games is a motivating factor for these developers, for a large portion of developers it is not the primary factor, and they would still be making games regardless. The survey also provides insights into how the indie otome developer community defines itself and suggests that the community is still in the process of growing and defining itself.

Game development is a multifaceted field that involves both traditional software practices and creative work. It is characterized by its iterative and time-consuming process where prototypes are created and then evaluated. This is especially true for creating 3D environments, where it is difficult to evaluate the quality before it is completed. This means that time-consuming and repetitive tasks often have to be redone during the design process of a game. This is an experimental study to analyze the process of creating procedural generation tools for level artists by identifying key problems in their workflow and defining guidelines for how to work with or around them. This was done by interviewing designers to identify common problems in their workflow. This information was then used to create a prototype which was designed to solve some of the problems identified. A user study was then performed involving developers, mainly level artists. The user study assessed the usability of the tool, and whether or not it had the potential to solve any of the stated problems. The user study and the construction process were used to further analyze the key problems when creating PCG tools for designers and artists. In the end, four main problems were identified. The first is the importance of iteration and how any artist-oriented tool has to work with the iteration workflow. The second is that artists do not necessarily have the technical knowledge to intuitively understand a highly algorithmic tool. The third is that all PCG doesn’t have to create finished products, instead creating something almost right that can be manually adjusted can be enough to improve the workflow. The final key problem is that artist value control over their tools highly so it doesn’t impact their artistic vision negatively, so it is important to give them many options in how they can customize and control the tool., Spelutveckling är ett mångfacetterat område som involverar både traditionell mjukvarupraxis och kreativt arbete. Det kännetecknas av sin iterativa och tidskrävande process där prototyper skapas och sedan utvärderas. Detta gäller särskilt för att skapa 3D-miljöer, där det är svårt att utvärdera kvalitén innan den är fullskapad. Detta innebär att tidskrävande och repetitiva uppgifter ofta måste göras om under designprocessen av ett spel. Detta är en experimentell studie med syftet att analysera processen att skapa procedurgenereringsverktyg för nivåkonstnärer genom att identifiera nyckelproblem i deras arbetsflöde och definiera riktlinjer för hur man arbetar med eller runt dem. Detta gjordes genom att intervjua designers för att identifiera vanliga problem i deras arbetsflöde. Denna information användes sedan för att skapa en prototyp som utformades för att lösa några av de identifierade problemen. En användarstudie genomfördes sedan med utvecklare, främst nivåkonstnärer. Användarstudien bedömde verktygets användbarhet och om det hade potential att lösa något av de angivna problemen eller inte. Användarstudien och byggprocessen användes för att ytterligare analysera nyckelproblemen när man skapade PCG-verktyg för designers och konstnärer. Till slut identifierades fyra huvudproblem. Den första är vikten av iteration och hur alla konstnärsorienterade verktyg måste fungera med iterationsarbetsflödet. Det andra är att konstnärer inte nödvändigtvis har den tekniska kunskapen för att intuitivt förstå ett mycket algoritmiskt verktyg. Det tredje är att alla PCG inte behöver skapa färdiga produkter, i stället kan det räcka att skapa något som är nästan rätt som kan justeras manuellt för att förbättra arbetsflödet. Det sista nyckelproblemet är att konstnärer värderar kontroll över sina verktyg högt så det inte påverkar deras konstnärliga vision negativt, så det är viktigt att ge dem många alternativ för hur de kan anpassa och kontrollera verktyget.

The digital age has launched numerous opportunities for game developers, yet the transition from traditionaltabletop games to digital platforms presents a unique set ofchallenges. This thesis delves into the intricacies of this transition.Guided by the Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM),the study focuses on the serious tabletop game ”Futuroscopio,”aiming to convert it into a digital format.The research investigates the challenges encountered duringthe digital conversion process, from the implementation of gamemechanics to the design of a digital interface.Utilizing the Unitygame engine and the C# programming language, a digital artifactis developed to closely mimic the original tabletop game.The study contributes to the growing field of game developmentby providing insights for developers and designers. It servesas a guide for those interested in the digital conversion ofserious tabletop games, shedding light onto the benefits, aswell as drawbacks of such conversion. The thesis concludesby emphasizing the research’s utility for future studies and itsrelevance to a broader audience interested in the domain ofserious games.

This paper aims to investigate the effect of AI-generated content (AIGC) when it starts to be applied in game development. AIGC in games refers to the generation of game content through artificial intelligence, a concept that has recently recieved a high level of attention due to the latest rapid developments in artificial intelligence, and in traditional research, AIGC can be categorized as an advanced approach to Procedural Content Generation (PCG), i.e., Deep Learning Method. Procedural Content Generation is the creation of game content through algorithms with limited or indirect user input. Its traditional approach has been widely used in games. Recently, however, the AIGC method has also started to be used by a large number of game companies, and its impact has exceeded expectations. A questionnaire survey of 40 game developers revealed a general interest in AIGC but also concerns. Further interviews explored the use of AIGC in game development and some of the problems it has encountered and predicted future trends in its development. The result of this study provide guidance on whether and how AIGC needs to be used in future game development.

This paper analyses the players’ perception of the feedback and polling systems of OldSchool RuneScape to determine what level of participatory design is achieved by the feedback and polling systems used in the game. The aim of the research is to increase the availability of knowledge regarding participatory design in live-service games, as only limited coverage of the topic exists. The study uses an adapted survey created by Segalowitz and Chamorro-Koc that uses three different metrics to measure genuine participation. The survey was presented to in-game players and users of the game’s different forums. It was determined that a high level of genuine participation and participatory design is achieved.

This article examines level design processes and challenges at professional game stu- dios. Thematic analysis of data, recorded through field studies and semi-structured interviews, identify four key themes: level design as an interdisciplinary effort; who is the level designer; the role of narrative in level design; and challenges of managing creativity in the level design process. Results indicate that while the role called level designer is often assigned to specific disciplines, the process of level design is usually highly interdisciplinary. Furthermore, this interdisciplinary collaboration requires management to maintain both creativity and efficient pipelines, by distributing owner- ship and facilitating communication and planning. The level design process seems par- ticularly vulnerable to suboptimal interdisciplinary communication and planning, due to significant reliance on narrative design, game design, art, sound design, and tool development. While this article addresses level design specifically, most observations are comparable to previous findings on game development in general., CC BY 4.0Corresponding author(s): Tobias Karlsson, School of Informatics, University of Skövde, PO Box 408, 541 28 Skövde, Sweden. Email: tobias.karlsson@his.seThe author(s) received nofinancial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication ofthis article.

This article examines level design processes and challenges at professional game stu- dios. Thematic analysis of data, recorded through field studies and semi-structured interviews, identify four key themes: level design as an interdisciplinary effort; who is the level designer; the role of narrative in level design; and challenges of managing creativity in the level design process. Results indicate that while the role called level designer is often assigned to specific disciplines, the process of level design is usually highly interdisciplinary. Furthermore, this interdisciplinary collaboration requires management to maintain both creativity and efficient pipelines, by distributing owner- ship and facilitating communication and planning. The level design process seems par- ticularly vulnerable to suboptimal interdisciplinary communication and planning, due to significant reliance on narrative design, game design, art, sound design, and tool development. While this article addresses level design specifically, most observations are comparable to previous findings on game development in general., CC BY 4.0Corresponding author(s): Tobias Karlsson, School of Informatics, University of Skövde, PO Box 408, 541 28 Skövde, Sweden. Email: tobias.karlsson@his.seThe author(s) received nofinancial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication ofthis article.

This study examines the understanding of cybersecurity, with a distinct focus on the culture and awareness of cybersecurity within the Swedish game development industry. Utilising a qualitative research design, five semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals in the domain, and the results are discussed and compared with relevant prior studies. The findings reveal a variance in cybersecurity cultures between larger and smaller organisations, largely dictated by resource availability; security measures are frequently implemented in a reactive rather than proactive manner. Moreover, the study identifies ransomware as the most significant threat in the studio’s threat landscapes. Companies’ perceptions and responses to this threat differ; smaller enterprises often rely on informal security policies, while larger organisations implement regular backup procedures and more sophisticated security measures.

If you want procedurally generated content in your games, you often have to rely on your own ability to develop the desired tools. This can be limiting for newer game developers, leading to certain types of gameplay not being considered when designing games. One instance of this problem regards procedurally generated planets, a rather uncommon type of game world, with a lack of tools online to create your own. To improve upon the issue, this paper sets out to explore how a tool can be developed to supply game developers with worlds in the form of planets. This resulted in Planet Designer, a Unity tool for quickly generating diverse planets with the potential to be used in a variety of game concepts. The tool utilizes layers of manipulated noise to generate wide ranges of terrain, which can be populated with trees, bushes, stones, etc. using a brush. By playing around with the terrain and ocean shaders, the user can give each planet a unique aesthetic through different colors, textures, and thresholds. The paper features an extensive description of how the tool’s features were implemented, and how the tool was evaluated, as well as a discussion about why the tool is considered a valid solution to the problem.

This study has examined what in virtual characters movement invokes negative sensations associated with the Uncanny Valley. This was done through a study involving semi-structured interviews, open-ended surveys and eye tracking during which the 10 participants observed gameplay and dialogue clips from three different games. A literature review was performed regarding the topics of Game User Experience, Immersion, Animation, Motion capture, Uncanny Valley and Body language studies. The results of the study indicate that it is possible for participants to identify what details in virtual characters’ movements induce these negative sensations to them, which strengthen previous research of the topic. The results of this study did not show a great deal of variation between the participants yet showed a unique set of motivations and examples about what influenced their perception. However, with such a small sample, the results can only be applied to this study and merely provide the groundwork for future studies of the topic. However, it does provide more detailed information about the uncanny valley that can help game developers to make informed decisions when choosing to work with realistic animation

Often writers have to work on topics where they might have limited or no personal experience. This paper seeks to explore one of the ways that this can be done. By seeking the assistance of experts in the relevant topic and having them give advice, guide, and assist in the writing process the writer may be able to write something that will work for the media that they are using. By utilizing workshops and interview the goal of this paper is to find out how a non-queer writer could work together with queer community members to be able to create not only a believable story or character but also one that will provide a good representation of queer individuals. The paper shows that with a modified card sorting method a workshop can supply the writer with a good startingpoint.

This paper analyses the players’ perception of the feedback and polling systems of OldSchool RuneScape to determine what level of participatory design is achieved by the feedback and polling systems used in the game. The aim of the research is to increase the availability of knowledge regarding participatory design in live-service games, as only limited coverage of the topic exists. The study uses an adapted survey created by Segalowitz and Chamorro-Koc that uses three different metrics to measure genuine participation. The survey was presented to in-game players and users of the game’s different forums. It was determined that a high level of genuine participation and participatory design is achieved.

This work introduces a data model, compiler and runtime interpreter to drive the logic of animation graphs in game engines. The primary purpose of an animation graph is to allow for animation logic to be evaluated in a data driven way, which enables game programmers and animators to work iteratively and in parallel. The combination of animation blend trees and hierarchical state machines serves to empower animators to break down the complexity into simpler units with precise and predictable control over animation sampling and the transitions between them. Additionally, the system also serves as a synchronization point between game play elements and animation with input parameters and output events which can potentially trigger other systems such as audio and visual effects. The result is a standalone library which can be used as a foundation in a project and expanded with additional functionality as required., Detta arbete introducerar en data model, kompilator och körmiljö för att driva logiken av animationsgrafer i spelmotorer. Huvudsyftet av en animationsgraf är att tillåta datadrivet animationslogik vilket möjliggör spelprogrammerare och animerare att arbeta iterativt och parallellt. Kombinationen av animationblandningsträd och hierarkiska statmaskiner ger animerare ett sätt att bryta ner komplexa problem till mindre enheter med exakt och förutsägbar kontroll av animationer och övergångar mellan dem. Systemet verkar också som en synkroniseringspunkt mellan spelelement och animation med inmatningsparameterar och utgående händelser som potentiellt kan utlösa andra system som ljud- och visuella effekter. Resultatet är ett fristående programbibliotek som kan användas som en startpunkt i ett projekt och vars funktionalitet kan utökas vid behov.

The modern office environment requires employees to perform stationary work. This can cause them several health issues due to being sedentary for long periods of time. An exergame was developed with the aim to remedy these issues by encouraging short motion controlled game sessions during breaks. The game was a farming game developed using the Godot game engine and the ML based skeletal tracking software Mediapipe. The game was played for 86 two-minute sessions where data was collected to evaluate how to use farming game tropes within the design for more movement to yield better results. It was also used to evaluate how the game mechanics could be distributed throughout the game session to promote sustained exertion during an average session. It was concluded that for farming exergames, if the goal is to reward players who exert themselves more, the in-game rewards should not make the game easier to play effectively as they generally do in typical farming games. Furthermore, it was also concluded that interactions happening in a sporadic order help with keeping the average exertion consistent, in addition to the aspect that players always have something to do during the allotted game session time.

Procedurell generering är ofta använt av spelutvecklare i dagens moderna samhälle. Generellt så används procedurell generering mestadels till att generera terräng och texturer, vilket är ett välutforskat område, men det är bara början till vad det kan användas till. Därför är den här artikeln istället fokuserad på användandet av procedurell generering för att generera förmågor som kan användas till ett spel i MOBA genren, i ett försök att sprida kunskap och utveckla andra användningsområden för procedurell generering. För att utforska den möjliga metodiken till användandet av procedurell generering för att generera förmågor så dokumenterar artikeln först redan existerande metoder, sedan föreslås en ny metod för att göra upp för bristerna i den existerande metoden och slutligen så implementeras den nya metoden i en spelprototyp för att undersöka dess funktionalitet. För att validera resultaten av den nya metoden för procedurell generering av förmågor så jämförs den direkt med de redan existerande metoderna för att klargöra vad för- och nackdelarna är med den nya metoden. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att den nya metoden är långt ifrån felfri, men den är duglig nog för att vara ett alternativ till de existerande metoderna. I slutet av artikeln så tas möjligheten av att kombinera den nya och den existerande metoden för procedurell generering av förmågor upp i syfte att göra upp för varandras brister., Procedural generation is commonly used by game developers in today's modern world. Generally procedural generation gets mostly used for generating terrain and textures, which is a well explored area, but that is merely scratching the surface of possible use cases. This article therefore instead focuses on the usage of procedural generation to generate abilities to be used in a MOBA game, in an attempt to spread knowledge and develop other use cases for procedural generation. To explore possible methodologies of using procedural generation to generate abilities this article first documents already existing methods, then proposes a new method to make up for the shortcomings in the already existing methods and finally implements the new method in a game prototype to test its viability. To validate the results of the new method for procedural generation of abilities implemented in the game prototype it is directly compared to the already existing methods to ascertain what the pros and cons are of using the new method. The results of the research show that the new method for procedural generation of abilities is not the end all solution, but it is a viable alternative to the already existing methods. To tie things up this article brings up the possibility of combining both the existing methods for procedural generation of abilities and the newly designed one in the future in an attempt to mitigate the methods shortcomings.

The consumers of today have become used to a constant flow of new content. Whether the content being music, film and series, games or other forms of media. This has created a strain on the developers and creators, to create new and original content for an ever demanding audience. Creating original content can be a costly and time consuming process. Today there are tools to help in this process, many that build on the idea of procedurally generated content. But with these tools alone it can be hard for the creator to leave their mark on the content, since most of it will look all the same from the same tool. We propose CLAPPY, or Collaborative Learning Algorithm for Predicting Personal Yield. The AI colleague that will learn the patterns of the creator, and help them express themselves in their content, regardless of the tool. Controlled experiments were conducted where subjects were given a content creation tool in the form of a terrain generator for games. The thesis then compares the results of the content creation tool when the subjects used it on their own and with an AI-collaborator.

In this paper, we reflect upon the development process of three videogame ‘promotypes’, prototypes designed to promote the game production pipeline service in development at Aalto University. In the process of developing example games for potential internal clients of the university, we aimed to set out realistic project goals for given resources to better communicate the scope and potential level of the delivered outcomes. Our lessons in this project were, at large, general lessons in game development, including how motivation and proficiency with production tools, alongside the anticipated expectations of clients and players for polished games, affected the game development processes. In addition, we explore how the pursuit for academic accuracy and the model of a non-intensive process of academic game development posits additional challenges in the development of a realistically balanced production pipeline.

The consumers of today have become used to a constant flow of new content. Whether the content being music, film and series, games or other forms of media. This has created a strain on the developers and creators, to create new and original content for an ever demanding audience. Creating original content can be a costly and time consuming process. Today there are tools to help in this process, many that build on the idea of procedurally generated content. But with these tools alone it can be hard for the creator to leave their mark on the content, since most of it will look all the same from the same tool. We propose CLAPPY, or Collaborative Learning Algorithm for Predicting Personal Yield. The AI colleague that will learn the patterns of the creator, and help them express themselves in their content, regardless of the tool. Controlled experiments were conducted where subjects were given a content creation tool in the form of a terrain generator for games. The thesis then compares the results of the content creation tool when the subjects used it on their own and with an AI-collaborator.

The development of video games is a long and expensive process, and it is not uncommon for studios to require their workers to work overtime to meet deadlines, resulting in stressful work environments and reduced worker performance. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) research have people excited that perhaps this might change. Perhaps AI could supplement game developers, saving time and resources. A case study was performed to explore the use of AI models Chat-GPT and DALL-E in computer game development, assessing their viability in different computer game development areas such as programming, game development and 2D art. With predetermined criteria, based on feedback from professionals and students within the area of game development, the AI models were tasked with ten separate challenges for each category. The results showed that the AI models are not yet ready to become full-fledged developers. However, they are viable collaborative partners for a wide array of game development tasks.