Game Design Commons^™

Domestic Travelers: Transparent Machines, Hollow Bodies, Hanyi Wang

Masters Theses

Digitization is not a modern invention. Derived from the concept of fingers, this mindset of packing information into quantifiable, interchangeable units sounds mechanical, yet eerily physical. Try to imagine: a ghostly hand with millions of fingers with the same length, likeness, and function. Under the worldview of Digital Narrative, we live in a digital simulation: everything is representable with quantifiable units, fluid across media. Yet under this spectacle of convenient abundance, something is missing. The Unknowables are replaced with arbitrary symbols, while the Uncategorizables are omitted. This is a framework that cannot accommodate human subtleties and complexities. One needs to …

From The Pages To The Gaming Table: Designing A Homebrew System To Adapt A Book Series Into A Ttrpg, Ricardo Victoria Uribe, Nazario Robles Bastida, Chris Birmingham

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

Adapting media properties, in particular fantasy, science fiction, and horror books, has been a staple of the development of tabletop role-playing games since their inception. Different properties, ranging from Lord of the Rings to Call of Cthulhu and everything in between has been undergoing this process. Developing an indie game based on indie and self-published books can be used as a promoting tool on overlapping audiences, which is the case for the selected book series for this design exercise. This paper has the aim of sharing these developing experiences during the early stages of creating a quick start guide supplement …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Gamifit, Sishu Wu

Masters Theses

How can we make fitness feel more like raising a pet than checking off a chore?

Gamifit is a playful system that helps beginners build exercise habits by blending AR fitness pets (Fitimals) with a simple physical reminder device (The Dock). Instead of tracking numbers and steps, it focuses on emotional motivation—your Fitimal eats, rests, and grows based on your workout consistency. Skip too many days, and they might get sick... or even leave.

This project uses gamification to bring short-term joy into a long-term challenge, creating a softer, kinder fitness journey—one that feels fun, forgiving, and actually worth sticking …

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 …

Juegos De Rol En El Desarrollo De Projectpipe: Una Inmersión En El Uso De Metodologías De Diseño, Julieth A. Gómez Hernández, Cristian C. Orozco Ospina, Nicolas Restrepo Henao

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

En el entorno digital actual, la evolución del concepto de juegos de rol ha llevado al desarrollo de aplicaciones web interactivas y educativas. En sintonía con este planteamiento, se presenta la siguiente propuesta, que adopta una metodología integrada para aprovechar la versatilidad del método de Bruno Munari y el Diseño Centrado en el Usuario (DCU). La metodología de Munari descompone la gestión macro del proyecto en pasos manejables; mientras que el DCU se enfoca en la creación de una interfaz intuitiva y funcional mediante prototipos iterativos y pruebas continuas de usabilidad. Como complemento a estas estrategias se integra la metodología …

Snapbot - The Enhanced Physical Play, Morong Li

Masters Theses

Snapbot is a building toy set. It investigates the integration of physical and digital mediums within the realm of play, addressing the dominance of video games in children’s entertainment. By merging Morong’s interests in toys, design, and psychology, this project aims to balance different play mediums to offer combined benefits without diminishing each one’s value.

To address screen time’s dominance, I developed a toy concept for 11- to 13-year-olds that merges physical and digital play. This concept allows for the physical construction of robotic toys that, when transferred to a digital environment, come alive and tackle digital challenges. In this …

Digital Transformation And Design For Maintainability In Industrial Design, Ahmed Tarek Mohamed Fathy, Salwa El Ghareeb, Yasser Shaban

Journal of Art, Design and Music

In this paper, we explore the impact of the rapid digital transformation in Applied Arts and Design and its influence on the realm of Maintainability. We examine how CAD, 3D modeling, have revolutionized the conceptualization and prototyping stages, enabling precise idea communication and immersive representations. Specifically, we focus on Design for Maintainability (DfMn) and its critical aspects such as repairability, serviceability, maintainability, and reliability, which significantly affect cost and user satisfaction. By leveraging this tool, designers can create highly maintainable and user-friendly products. The transformative potential of this tool in industrial design is highlighted, providing promising avenues for future research …

(Re)Producing Orientalism: Industry Logic Of Chinese Mobile Game Re-Skins In The Global App Empire, Yizhou Xu

Communication & Theatre Arts Faculty Publications

Through the case study of the mobile title Game of Sultans, this article examines the proliferation of iterative and copycat games through the practice of reskins in the mobile game industry. Based on year-long autoethnographic fieldwork working in a Chinese mobile game company, I provide an on-the-ground perspective of how Orientalist representations in reskinned games are instrumentalized through the roles of “cultural brokers” and the work of localization for Western markets. By taking a theoretical and technological understanding of reskins, I argue that reskinned games, as a form of industrial mimicry, while an important aspect of standardized game production, …

Barbershop Brand Redesign, Fady Tawfik

Graphic Communication

My friend Julz has been a barber for 6 years and I recognized the opportunity to assist him in rebranding his barber business. I faced challenges such as finding a brand identity that aligned with the business owner’s preferences while effectively representing the business to the target audience. Despite encountering some delays in completing initial deliverables, such as logo design and brand guidelines, these challenges were essential to ensure thorough research and crafting of a compelling brand strategy. The project encompassed redesigning the website, creating an enticing logo and brand identity, developing a cohesive color palette, and selecting appropriate typefaces. …

Developing A Prototype Of A Playfulness Toolkit, Hanneke Hovels

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Playfulness is the ability to reframe situations, seeing new possibilities. A playful mind-set increases our mental flexibility, resilience, empathy, and our overall well-being. Unfortunately, growing up most of us lose part of our playfulness. How can we facilitate adults to live a (more) playful life? To ignite playfulness in adults’ lives, we first have to raise awareness for the benefits of playfulness, and then help people to develop a playful mind-set and integrate playfulness into their lives. In this project I combine my knowledge of creativity and playfulness with my experience in service and behavior design. I developed a prototype …

Toys Are For Adults, John Wippler

Theses

This paper explores the concept of toys, what they are and for whom they are made. The paper also provides a brief history of designer toys and pop culture, and how pop culture helped fuel the designer toy industry. The psychology of collecting is also referenced, and a direct correlation is made between the act of collecting toys and toy popularity.

The book I wrote is also mentioned and is a vital part of the purpose for the thesis. The book is an introductory guide to resin toymaking and is integral to the expansion of the designer toy community.

Cognitivevr: Memory Training For Dementia Patients, Daniel Phill

Postgraduate

Around 50 million people suffer from dementia worldwide (World Health Organisation, 2019). One of the worst symptoms of dementia is memory loss as it affects not only the sufferer but their family as well. Recent studies have demonstrated that the immersion of virtual reality has the potential to improve memory in the general public (Krokos, Plaisant, Varshney, 2018) and that dementia patients are able to use virtual reality (Flynn, Schaik, Blackman, Femcott, Hobbs & Calderon, 2004). In this paper, I examine the literature linking virtual reality and dementia care and explain how I used this in my creative practice to …

The Magic Circle: An Essential Experience Through Virtual Theatre, Brandon Roye

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the similarities of video game design elements within the world of theatrical scenic design. Using my 2019 scenic design of Marc Camoletti’s bedroom farce Boeing Boeing as the backdrop, I discuss the core concepts of game design. I then describe the scenic process of the production and the journey from concept all the way through to a virtual reality recreation of the design. The study of game design in theatre has the potential to open a wide new world of opportunities in the scenic design industry. This paper examines how the theatre can benefit from game design …

Simply Mo., Marjolijn Jaliene Oskam

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Small portfolio presentation of design work by Marjolijn Oskam, branded under simply mo. The poster includes school work as well as professional work.

Ready, Set, Play! Disrupting Our Preconceptions Of Classroom Learning Through Innovative Teaching Practices., Heather Shaw

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

What is play in the context of an undergraduate classroom? For our purposes, play is an attitude and an approach to making work. Both inside and outside of the classroom, there are many ways in which play can serve as a base for serious problem-solving.

As educators, we choose to create a learning environment that provides enjoyment to the people who conduct activities within it. Play does not need to be frivolous — it encourages curiosity, constructive and critical discourse, and provides a safe environment to fail. Framing work within the context of “play” allows students to go beyond their …

Good Game, Greyory Blake

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis and its corresponding art installation, Lessons from Ziggy, attempts to deconstruct the variables prevalent within several complex systems, analyze their transformations, and propose a methodology for reasserting the soap box within the display pedestal. In this text, there are several key and specific examples of the transformation of various signifiers (i.e. media-bred fear’s transformation into a political tactic of surveillance, contemporary freneticism’s transformation into complacency, and community’s transformation into nationalism as a state weapon). In this essay, all of these concepts are contextualized within the exponential growth of new technologies. That is to say, all of these semiotic …

Reconnect: Designing To Touch, Dana Seros Rohani

Theses and Dissertations

Our everyday lives are surrounded by gadgets and digital devices that help us perform our daily chores with ease and efficiency. However, these digital devices can also separate us from what we should do ourselves. Although children who are exposed to high levels of technology might become attuned to the latest and the best gadgets, they might not learn to use their physical abilities. Another implication of a child’s over dependence on technology is that parental interactions such as encouragement, tutoring and reinforcement are provided by gadgets rather than living, breathing parents. Research done by Padma Ravichandran and Brandel France …

Visual Metaphor In Games Of Chance: What You See Is What You Play, Stephen Andrade

Computer Graphics Department Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Visual images have been a key element in the development of wager-based games. The legacy of visual metaphor in gaming can be traced through paper ephemera such as playing cards and lottery tickets. Both paper and printing technology ushered the age of wide spread playing opportunities in the 19th and 20th centuries. Modern play behaviors have given way to Postmodern gaming norms in digital space. The digital age has presented a new set of challenges for gaming architecture in wager-based play. Action research in prototyping games is beginning to reveal a new and different set of game characteristics.

Possible Symbolics 33, Stephen Andrade

Computer Graphics Department Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Professor Steve Andrade is continuously experimenting in a wide range of visual arts and technology. He is an avid researcher in the areas of interactive technology, gaming, modern visual metaphor, archeology, fine arts, Western geology and the sociology of technology space.

When he is not teaching or conducting projects at the University, Professor Andrade can be found traveling or working in his studio (pictured here). His artwork includes digital imaging, graphic art posters, virtual space planning, information graphics, 2d and 3d sculpture, representational sketching, realism, video and his current passion - abstract modern painting with a hint of allegory. He …

The Risk Factors Of Alcohol Abuse Among College Athletes, Jacob Jones

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Self-concept theory was used as a theoretical basis to investigate the utility of social norms alcohol prevention programs designed for college athletes. The predictive relationship among alcohol use and athletic identity, competitiveness, drinking game participation, and level of sport participation was investigated. It was discovered that drinking game participation is a significant predictor of total weekly alcohol use above and beyond the other predictors. In addition, drinking game participation and organized recreational sport participation were significant predictors of total binge drinking episodes. While controlling for drinking game participation and competitiveness, no significant differences were found in the amount of alcohol …

The Impact Of Cooperative Video Games On Team Cohesion, Greg Anderson

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In today’s economy, productivity and efficiency require collaboration between employees. In order to improve collaboration the factors affecting teamwork must be examined to identify where changes can be made in order to increase performance. One factor contributing to teamwork is team cohesion and represents a process whereby members are joined by a common bond in the pursuit of a common objective. A popular social bonding activity sweeping the world is playing cooperative video games. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of playing cooperative video games on team cohesion. Subjects (N=56) were randomly placed into 15 teams …

Teaching Design And Communication Through Project-Based Service Learning: Past, Present And Future, Ulrike Gencarelle, Laura Gabiger

Computer Graphics Department Faculty Publications and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Sae Magazin : Das Magazin Von Sae Institute Und Sae Alumni Association 2008|1, Sae Institute

SAE Magazine (2007-2011)

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Characteristics Of Intelligence Apparent In Free-Design, Harry C. Friley

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.