Game Design Commons^™

Using Implied Spaces To Influence Combat Engagement, Sisi Li

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates how implied spaces in level design influence combat engagement. The researcher hypothesized that players prefer areas with more implied space types over areas with less or no implied space types. More implied space types create more opportunities for varied tactical choices and dynamic combat. To test this hypothesis, the researcher created a custom arena level in Half-Life 2. The level is divided into four distinct zones, each designed with a different combination of implied space types. The researcher conducted playtest sessions to analyze playtesters’ perception of implied spaces and those spaces’ impact on combat encounters.

Using Object Density To Modulate Tension Responses, Yidi Edith Wang

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the connection between object density and player tension in video games. Expanding on Canny Yuan’s work, “Using Spatial Composition to Influence Player Tension”, the researcher introduced a quantitative approach to measuring room density and posits that increased navigable space can lower player tension. To test this hypothesis, the researcher developed a custom single-player level, “Veylmoor”, in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The level is composed of rooms with systematically varied spatial layouts and navigable areas, allowing for controlled analysis of spatial density. The researcher quantified room density using four methodologies implemented through custom C# scripts. The …

Sounds Of The World: Guiding And Motivating Players Through Sound Valences, Kirk Baltzell

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to integrate sound design techniques and practices into the larger level and game design process to provide greater support and motivations for players. The researcher created a custom single-player level in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim that tasks the player with navigating an enchanted castle, relying on sound valences to guide their path. The researcher gathered data on the implemented sound valences by observing testers’ playtests, the navigational choices the testers made throughout the level, and the connotations of the sound valences themselves.

Using Generative Ai To Procedurally Populate Assets In An Ascii Level, Tianxing Jiang

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on how to make use of generative AI in game level development by procedurally populating assets at a code-based level in a video game. The researcher aims to enhance developers’ efficiency in aesthetic milestone by adapting a pipeline in which generative AI handles decoration process that has less impact on gameplay. Consequently, the researcher creates a pipeline outlining the best practices for conducting the pipeline using generative AI. The researcher constructed a game level in Left 4 Dead 2 to explore the effectiveness of this pipeline. Testers play the level and provided feedback regarding their experiences, especially …

Perspectives On Gaming Throughout The Years, Noh Fekre

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

Video games are a lot younger of an art form compared to other mediums like books or movies which means how they fit into our culture isn’t really set in stone yet. They have existed for a while but got their first big boom through arcades and home consoles. I want to look at how video games present themselves differently to other mediums and how that might have affected their perception amongst the general populace while also looking at how that perception has changed over time due to how games have changed themselves.

When The Audience Takes The Controller: How Streaming Is Changing The Way We Play Games, Lea Wilhelmer

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

For decades, video games have been understood as solitary experiences. A player would sit alone or with a small group, controller in hand, navigating digital worlds where every action, decision, and outcome was shaped by their own input. At its core, gaming was personal. The lines between the audience and player were clearly drawn. The player was the one actively involved in the game, while everyone else was an observer, watching from the sidelines. This traditional model has seen significant transformation in the last decade, as the rise of streaming platforms like Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and other similar services radically …

Redefining Fun: How Realism And Effort Engage Players In Video Games, Marsel Abdullin

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

In the current era of video game development, the gaming industry frequently pursues instant gratification, creating a landscape for immediate and empowering rewards. Current trends clearly show that experiences allow players to become superhuman or extraordinary beings with very little difficulty, satisfying a common desire for escapism and power. This suggests that “fun” is commonly associated with ease, speed, and constant positive feedback. However, my counter-argument is the emergence of games such as Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Red Dead Redemption 2. These games operate with a different game design and philosophy. In fact, they embrace slowness, hardship, and the detailed …

The Evolution Of Video Game Collectibles And Marketplaces, Leland Lee

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

Digital Collectibles such as weapon skins, avatar skins, emotes, and in-game art were created as a playful surprise for the video game experience. Many years later, it has produced a multibillion-dollar economy in the gaming industry and is also responsible for the high demand for intriguing in-game collectibles. Although these cosmetic features were initially meant for looks, they have evolved into something of actual value that has completely changed the landscape of games and how they are played. As a result, this has created an intricate environment where players are able to buy, trade, and sell in-game collectibles in both …

Nothing Is Off Limits, But Not Everything Is Done Right: Exploring Ineffability, Alejandro Maciel

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

Games are capable of addressing absolutely anything. No topic is too big, too controversial, or too emotional. but not everything is done well; the problem isn't the subject, it's always the delivery. When the developers approach heavy topics without care, they risk doing harm. bwhen they do their research and consult communities and write with purpose, the result can be transformative. Representation, when handled with attention, isn't political correctness; it's simply good storytelling. it's how games become more than entertainment. They become tools for empathy, education, and more valuable connections

Best Practices: Reusing Space To Enhance Narrative Immersion, Yuning Yang

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the relationship between traditional storytelling techniques and the reuse of space and attempts to evaluate the relationship’s effectiveness in enhancing the player’s immersion in both narrative and gameplay. The researcher investigates various concepts, such as mental mapping, spaced learning, and thematic affordances, to understand how players remember previously visited spaces. Based on these practices, the researcher built a custom single-player level in Dying Light, where players assist a trapped non-player character (NPC) in searching for his coworkers. As players complete objectives, they simultaneously familiarize themselves with the environment and revisit spaces guided by narrative signifiers. To assess …

Implementing Defamiliarization Techniques To Enhance Quest-Based Storytelling, Yi Zhong

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

Defamiliarization is a technique originating from literary theory that can be used to subvert player expectations and create novel and thought-provoking experiences. This thesis explores how players react to defamiliarization and how defamiliarization enhances players’ narrative experiences. The researcher designed two levels in Fallout 4. One level contained no unusual or unexpected elements, serving as a baseline, while the other level built on the same structure as the first level, but incorporated five selected defamiliarization techniques. By analysing player reactions and feedback, the researcher gained insights into how game designers can effectively leverage defamiliarization to craft more engaging and …

Composition Strategies To Motivate Player Exploration, Wilbur Wang

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the impact of different composition techniques on player exploration motivation in open-world games. The Researcher forms assumptions regarding good composition strategies, then utilizes the suggested best practices in a composition-focused level in Metro Exodus using Exodus SDK and validates this hypothesis through analysis of playtest results.

Best Practices: A Framework For Modulating Melee And Ranged Combat Styles, Aidi Hu

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the impact of video game environmental design, resource abundance, and fault tolerance on players' in-game combat styles between melee and ranged. The researcher integrates all three aspects into a single-player level, "Dam Escape," built using Dying Light Developer Tools, to collect quantitative and qualitative player behavior data. By aligning predicted outcomes with actual gameplay data, this research seeks to refine actionable insights for balancing player agency with intentional level design. The results, derived from regression analysis and iterative calibration, will be presented in the data and conclusions.

An Exploration Into Liminal Spaces And Their Effects On Player Tension, Zane Herrera

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how liminal spaces can be used in video games by analyzing their design and impact on player tension. How can designers create transitional or ambiguous environments that contribute to a sense of unease, anticipation, and tension? What are some of the common design elements that help build an effective liminal space, which the researcher calls distortions, and how do those distortions affect player tension? The researcher created a series of levels that explore the different elements of liminal spaces to test how they affect player tension while playing the level.

Presenting Rewards With Effective Pacing To Heighten Engagement, Titus Thompson

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This thesis (1) builds a theory of rewards as a pacing device by synthesizing principles of games and theatre and (2) posits that linear regression can model engagement. The paper aims to establish a preliminary empirical basis for both by gathering data from an original video game. It covers the theory’s application to the game and other essential considerations in the design process.

Exploring The Relationship Between Architectural Accuracy And Gameplay Flow And Its Impact On Player Immersion, Daniel Leon

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This thesis topic discusses the relationship between architectural accuracy and gameplay flow and the impact it has on the player’s immersion. The researcher created two levels, a control and a test level, to compare a level that is focused primarily on architectural accuracy and another level that breaks down or “warps” the architectural accuracy in favor of improving gameplay flow. The researcher aimed to explore the important aspects of level building, specifically the aesthetics, architectural accuracy, and gameplay in each space and how those qualities affect the player’s immersion.

The Cost Of Creative Freedom: Comparing Aaa And Indie Game Development, Andrei Morgunov

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

The independent development model provides developers with creative freedom and personal fulfillment because it enables them to learn through hands-on experience while creating distinctive experiences and developing diverse skills. It provides them with both long-term ownership of their work and the chance to achieve remarkable success through their own efforts while allowing them to maintain direct communication with players who appreciate their creative output. The choice between AAA and indie depends on individual career goals, but developers who view games as more than just products of entertainment can find greater meaning in the indie path, Long-term triple-A developers who want …

David B. Smith Chats With Monday 1.0, David B. Smith

Publications and Research

This document is an edited archival transcript of extended conversations between David B. Smith and an AI persona (“Monday 1.0,” GPT‑4o based) conducted in Spring 2025, prepared as a foundational primary source for subsequent scholarly and creative work. It records the emergence and testing of concepts related to human–AI collaboration (including “Balanced Blended Space”), as well as applied explorations in areas such as generative AI, quantum computing and music, virtual orchestras, multimodal performance, pedagogy, and the rhetoric of “pushback” in conversational systems. It also contains an extended section in which Monday and DB Smith co-curate a set of student research …

Space Odyssey Mobile App And Board Game For Vaping And Smoking, Brittany J. Baker

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Brittany Baker

Belmont University

March 29, 2025

Abstract

Space Odyssey is a creative initiative designed to reduce the stigma around vaping and smoking while raising awareness of their risks and healthier alternatives. Due to negative judgment, open conversations about vaping and smoking are often avoided, leading to a lack of education and awareness. To address this, Space Odyssey combines a social mobile app and an interactive board game. The app offers a safe digital space for education and discussion, while the board game encourages social interaction and community dialogue. By blending technology with personal connection, Space Odyssey aims to empower …

Hominoid, Robin Van Bree

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

Hominoid is an experimental game about the choices that people make and the stories they tell themselves as they go throughout experiences in life. The player experiences the game as a being between human and animal, implied to be a coyote. The core loop of the game is simple: the player finds objects hidden in a vast desert and dig them up. They then choose to experience its story or not, and in doing so also choose between becoming closer to humanity, or more animalistic. The real substance in the game comes from the stories attached to each game that …