Dias nummer 1

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Serious Games researchPhD student Simon
Egenfeldt-NielsenIT-University
CopenhagenGame-research.com24th November 2004,
Malmö
develop games which contain advanced content,
operate according to sound pedagogical
principles, enable classroom customisation, and
create real excitement within the core game
market - Henry Jenkins
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Background
Masters Degree in Psychology PhD scholar at
IT-University of Copenhagen, Written two Danish
books and several articles on computer games and
learning. Heavily involved in game community
Digra, Game-studies, Game-research, AOIR, DAC,
IGDA Earlier consulting Framfab, Incircle, EQ,
Game-Research. Still consult on computer game
related issues. Reports on eSports, online
gaming, risks in online games, and research on
computer game risks.
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Bluffers Guide to Computer Games Research
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Brief history of game research
1970s The early years Nobody really talks
about researching computer games yet.. 1980s
The beginning Research into beneficial and
especially harmful effects. Triggered by the
growing popularity of computer games and public
debate. The majority of research resources go
into answering questions like
Do computer games increase aggression, violence,
asocial behaviour, learning etc.?Do computer
games support stereotyped gender perception?
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Brief history of game research
1990s The seed is sown Research broadens with
academics flocking from all disciplines, the
numbers increasing up through the late 1990s
with conferences, magazines, courses and
web-sites popping up. Research is broadening
with every given subject with the slightest
connection to computer games. 2000 Growing
all men to battle stations
A beginning qualification and specialization of
the field through university courses, ph.d.
education, basic framework/ structures, and
establishment of peer-reviewed journals. The
focus of research is still controlled by
researchers early academic training but times are
changing. The challenge is coherence!
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Brief history of game research
Two different paradigms, both approach computer
games as far back as the 1980s Simulation
Gaming Games, simulations, education, structural
properties, limitations, learning starting
point in traditional games/simulations.
Computer game studies Game design,
narratology, ludology, hypertext, learning,
violence starting point in computer games.
Cross-communication sparse Historical
awareness limitedAwareness of canons and
classics missing Methods weak and in development
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Some overview of topics
Some areas are beginning to crystallize. The
Effects of Games (psychology, education, social,
ethnography,...) Aesthetics in Games(narrative,
interactivity, visual aspects, art, language,
themes/genres...) Cultural issues of
Games(gender, identity, violence, ideology,
communities, nationality, regulations...) Games
in themselves (definitions of games, gameplay,
structure, time, multiplayer, platforms, case
studies...) Inspired by Susana Tosca (2002)
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Light houses in game research
Computer Game Centres Games-To-Teach
(MIT) Laboratory for Advanced Computing
Initiatives (Georgia Tech) Center for Computer
Games Research Copenhagen (Denmark) Play Research
Group (Sweden) Zero Game (Sweden) IC CAVE
(Scotland)Game Research Lab (Finland) Lab 130
(US) Computer Game academic sites
Ludology.org Joystick101.org Game-research.com Ga
me-culture.com Terra Nova Digiplay.org.uk
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Light houses in game research
Computer Game Journals Simulation Gaming An
Interdisciplinary Journal of Theory, Practice and
Research Game studies the international journal
of computer game research International Journal
of Intelligent Games Simulation Computer Game
Conferences CGDT / CGDC (Copenhagen,
Tampere) DIGRA (Utrecht, Vancouver) COSIGN
(Surrey, Amsterdam, Augsburg, Middlesbrough) Manch
ester, Bristol, London, Edinburgh (UK) Chicago,
Lodz, Edmonton
WE NEED ONE BIG LIGHTHOUSE DIGRA?
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Collaboration between industry and research
Concept art from the game.
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Global Conflicts an example
Set-up network the right people Build the
framework for project Conflict in the
Middle-East Good funding chance with the
industry Design philosophy for the computer game
Concept art from the game A control post in game
where the player must get through or hinder other
people from getting through.
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Global Conflicts The gameplay

• Breathing universe modelled close to reality
• Transfer links Newspapers, TV-spots, radio.
• Variation in difficulty, complexity and play
  style
• Strong reporting system
• Personal vs. strategic
• Avoid aggression
• Different roles
• Make education manual
• New Scenarios

Concept art from the game.
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Global Conflicts Goals
18 months research project that is to achieve
took the same to put together the consortium.

• Explore, develop and implement a prototypical
  educational computer game examining the
  challenges and possibilities in development
  process and the educational use of such a title
• Provide a foundation for a serious games industry
  through a prototype convincing other developers
  of the potential in developing educational
  computer games beyond low-budget titles
• Explore whether educational computer games have a
  future in the educational system and the form it
  may take.

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Global Conflicts Partners
IT-University Copenhagen Anchor point for the
research part. Provides space for the research
project, sparring with relevant game researchers,
and a plug-in to a research network,
MediaMobsters Hub for development of the
prototype the physical manifestation of the
research project. They provide the entire
technical development. Danish United Nation
Association Provide content, sparring, and
connections with experts and organizations in the
field. Alinea Publishing Provide input on
content, sparring, subject experts, and feedback
on special didactic challenges in the educational
system, and barriers towards use of computer
games. Schools in Gentofte Kommune The test
bed for the practical experiments towards the end
of the project with school classes.
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Global Conflicts Whats in it..

• Evaluation of the educational outcome
• Documentation of production process
• Matured industry and market
• Integration of subject areas
• Support for the educational part
• Testing of the game in schools
• Free market information
• Access to most recent research
• Informed game design

Concept art from the game.
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Adaptive Game Music- collaborative RDPhD
student Troels Brun FolmannIT-University
Copenhagenwww.deffmute.com 24th November 2004,
Malmö
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Agenda

• Personal background
• Game Audio
• Game Audio
• Game Music
• Concerns regarding Game Music
• Collaborative RD
• What is Collaborative RD?
• Example of Collaborative RD
• Potential areas of Collaborative RD
• Time-line of Collaborative RD

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Background
Masters Degree in Information Technology PhD
scholar at IT-University of Copenhagen, Owner of
www.deffmute.com company specialized in Game
Audio Clients EIDOS/CRYSTAL DYNAMICS, CAPCOM,
UNIVERSAL SONY Street cred ZX-Spectrum, C64,
AMIGA 512, PC, XBOX, PS/PS2... Earlier
consulting 4 years of experience with executive
search selection
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Game Audio in general
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Adaptive Game Music
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Concerns related to Game Music

• Lack of consistent terminology for communicating
  Music
• Client to Composer communication
• Composer to Client communication
• Music often serves as the make-up - not a tool
• ...Just make it sound like Gladiator...
• Stereotypical usage
• Music is often low prioritized in production (In
  the shadow of visuals)
• Lack of contextual understanding on appliance of
  Music
• Repetitive issues
• Quality issues (Sound- and compositional
  BEEP-BEEP quality)

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What is Collaborative RD?

• The idea of making the scientific and industrial
  communities collaborate

Why Collaborative RD?

• Aspire change in nordic political climate to
  invest more into the game sector
• Increase growth on the market
• Academia needs to produce candidates for a
  potential market
• Industry needs highly qualified candidates w/
  industrial experience
• Academia can offer time (do time-consuming
  things) Time CAN be money.
• Industry can offer practical knowledge
• Both can potentially offer investment

Why not Collaborative RD?

• Because the academical world got no
  understanding of reality
• Because the industry got no interest in academia
• Just because!

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Example of Collaborative RD

• Client side
• American client needs Full Cinematic Soundtrack
• Client produces upcoming AAA title for PS2, XBOX
  PC
• Client interested in collaborative RD, if
• Client gets full access to all scientific
  documentation and analysis
• End-product is a high-end adaptive soundtrack
• Production costs are kept down
• University side
• University interested in investing resources
  into collaboration
• University interested in letting researchers get
  hands-on experience
• University needs industrial collaboration (does
  the industry too?)

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Selected areas of potential collaboration

• Software development
• Game-engines, algorithmic programming, networks
  etc.
• Visuals
• Level design, character design, texture-design,
  low-poly modelling etc.
• Audio
• Sound design, music composition, adaptive audio
  etc.
• User-testing game products by academic standards
  (MS / Fulton)
• Cognitive research, Interview sessions, Focus
  group interviews
• Qualitative and quantitative user studies
• Extensive (time-consuming) analysis of potential
  markets
• Extensive (time-consuming) analysis of potential
  product users
• Academic analysis of diversified markets
• Refinement of conceptual development
• Pre-conceptual development
• Extensive user-testing during pre- and
  conceptual development stages
• Keeping prototype costs down

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Collaborative research time-line
INDUSTRIAL WORLD
ACADEMIC WORLD
SEPERATION
SEPERATION
TRANSPARENCY
TRANSPARENCY
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
COLLABORATION
COLLABORATION
MISSION COMPLETED
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Game ResearchPhD, Assistant Professor Jesper
JuulIT-University Copenhagenwww.jesperjuul.dk
24th November 2004, Malmö
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Do you understand this?

• Much of the current critical and theoretical
  literature on new media, including video and
  computer games, assumes both the conceptual
  transparency of the video or computer screen and
  the absolute authority of a rational scientific
  order. ... Given the multifaceted experiential
  component of games, an uncritical conception of
  spatial phenomenology and the verisimilitude of
  linear perspective fails to explain how video
  games operate.
• No? Dont worry.

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Game studies can make sense

• Much knowledge in universities, but you need to
  look.
• We understand player learning, how stories work,
  how to understand community, how genres develop,
  graphics, code, sound, etc...
• Vocabulary We can take the time to explain why
  nobody gets emergent gameplay.
• We have time to pick things apart.

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University research

• Some research is relevant to the game industry,
  some is not.
• This is the way it will be The researcher caters
  to an internal market (universities) and an
  external market (society/industry). This is OK.
• We make the fun boring.
• Expectation management.
• Some research is incomprehensible - but don't let
  that put you off. There are gold nuggets to be
  found.
• The Sims should have been created as a university
  project. (Innovation / new audiences / long
  time-to-market.) We didn't.

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Industry needs to fix

• Better production management.
• Less "not-invented-here".
• Better playtesting.
• Better audience awareness.
• Sims is the best-selling game (series) of all
  time.
• Why is there only 1 Sims clone?

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Educating students for game development

• Early problems with game courses
• Bad assignment 1 Make something that is almost
  a game, but don't make a game. (Make San Andreas
  before making Pac Man.)
• Bad assignment 2 Make a bad copy of a 4-year
  old game.
• A better model, we think
• The process from idea to implementation.
  (Everybody has great ideas, but do they work?)
• Follow a standard format Concept - design
  document - prototype/playtesting - production -
  playtesting/QA.
• Actual relevant programming and art skills.
• Critical awareness vocabulary - learn to think
  and talk about games.
• Students should come out, knowing how to talk
  about games, understanding the process from idea
  to product, aware that there are more to games
  than CD-ROMs.

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Now and future?

• Fairly bad at university-industry collaborations.
  Lack of precedence.
• This goes both ways Universities bad at
  presenting research and industry bad at
  listening.
• We need a Nordic indie game jam!
• Why are all the keynote speakers at Game
  Developers Conference or the academic conferences
  American or British?

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Thanks for listening
Questions or comments sen _at_ itu.dk folmann _at_
itu.dk jjuul _at_ itu.dk Slides at
http//www.itu.dk/people/sen
Links http//game.itu.dk http//www.deffmute.com
http//www.jesperjuul.dk/ http//www.game-resear
ch.com