Game Design Commons^™

Using Multi-Staged Puzzles To Improve Backtracking In Level Design, Yufei Tian

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the potential best practices in using multi-staged puzzles, which involve backtracking, in video games. The researcher focused on enhancing the players’ experiences by applying elements of the flow theory to an artifact level in Dying Light 2. Playtesters’ feedback suggested that best practices in multi-staged backtracking puzzles improve flow state entry and increase enjoyment.

Best Practices: Implementing Dense Level Design Through Reuse Of Space, Shuo Zhang

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the correlation between Dense Level Design and the Reuse of Space in video games. It provides assumptions about best practices for implementing Reuse of Space to attain Dense Level Design. To evaluate these best practices, an artifact level is developed for Dying Light 2: Stay Human. The practices are evaluated through an analysis of survey results.

Using Graph Theory To Create A 3d Miniscaped, Non-Linear Level, Donghua Li

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on how to use the Graph Theory and the Dominion Theory to design a three-dimensional (3D) non-linear, miniscaped level layout in a video game. Using these theories, the researcher aimed to aid players in navigating non-linear levels (which are notoriously difficult to traverse). Consequently, the researcher created a methodology outlining the best practices for constructing a level using Graph Theory and Dominion Theory. The researcher constructed a game level in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to explore the effectiveness of this methodology. Testers played the level and provided feedback regarding their experiences. The researcher analyzed this data …

Best Practices: Modulating Tension Using Contrast Lighting, Jaye Marie Williams

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this thesis is to determine the best practices for modulating tension in a level through the use of contrast lighting. To test their theories, the researcher used variations of high and low contrast lighting when creating the artifact to elicit responses to tension from the player.

Prospect And Refuge: Modulating Level Pacing Through Spatial Composition, Yifan Li

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the concepts of Prospect space and Refuge space in video games and their influences on game pace. Based on the assumption that a Prospect space increases pacing while a Refuge space decreases pacing, the researcher created a custom level artifact (using both space types) to achieve an ideal pacing curve. By analysing playtesters’ experiences, the researcher was able to examine the influence of Prospect and Refuge space on pacing and formulate a set of best practices to help game designers modulate pacing through spatial composition.

Using Push And Pull Principles To Improve Non-Linear Level Navigation, Aiwen Zhang

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This thesis studies the Player’s habits of navigation when they are in an open-world environment. It incorporates assumptions of best practices utilizing the Push and Pull level design theory that guides the Player in a free-flowing, exploratory environment and utilizes these practices in an open-world level in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Best Practices: Using Semiotics In Environmental Storytelling, Conger He

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores an aspect of environmental storytelling known as “semiotics.” Semiotics conveys information and relevant interconnections to an individual through visual representations. There are diverse types of semiotic elements, including symbols, icons, and indexes. The researcher examined the use of semiotics in video games and derived seven best practices for conveying story beats and relaying aspects of a video game’s narrative. The researcher implemented these semiotic-related practices into a custom Fallout 4 level, gathered testers to play the level, and asked the testers to give their opinions on the experience. The researcher analysed the tester’s feedback to conclude whether …

Unveiling New Realms: Enhancing Procedural Narrative Generation And Npc Personalization Using Ai, Tanishq Chawla

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

A System Design Framework used to train GPT - based agents can significantly help improve current Procedural Narrative and Character (NPC) Personality Generation Models in games. This approach can lead to a Richer Gameplay Experience that allows players to craft their own Personalized and Unique stories.

Shipwrecked Spaceship With Undersea Overgrowth And Dynamic Weather System, Konstantine Soldatos

Art Theses and Dissertations

This artifact depicts an underwater overgrowth scene featuring coral, barnacles, sea urchins, and various sea-life enveloping the iconic Slave-1 ship from Star Wars. The ship exhibits visible damage to its hull and substructures, resulting from missile impacts and prolonged decay subsequent to a crash landing in the ocean. Consequently, remnants of destroyed substructures are interspersed with coral growth, transforming the ship into an artificial reef. The artifact comprises four distinct scenes: an initial pristine underwater environment teeming with flourishing kelp, vibrant sea life, and animated corals; a subsequent chaotic scene depicting a vortex that evacuates the water from the environment; …

A Deep Dive On The Groundbreak Role Of Role Playing Games, Lawton Fong

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

Role-playing games (RPGs) have revolutionized the gaming industry, fundamentally altering the way we engage with and perceive games. RPGs are defined by their emphasis on narrative-driven gameplay, character development, and immersive worlds. Originating from tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), RPGs have evolved into complex digital experiences that allow players to interact with richly detailed virtual environments and storylines. This genre's growth has been propelled by advances in technology, expanding from simple text-based adventures to fully realized 3D worlds. Overall, role-playing games have significantly influenced the gaming landscape and transformed our perceptions of games as interactive experiences by advancing …

Utilizing Valence Theory To Influence Player Navigation In First-Person Shooter Multiplayer Maps, Yousha Qu

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This research explored tactical & visual valences, different valence weights and the transformation of valences under different circumstances in first-person shooter multiplayer maps, then incorporated them into a level artifact, utilizing the valences to influence player navigation.

Using Spatial Composition To Influence Player Tension, Canny Yuan

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on how space and level geometry in a video game influence a person’s tension. The researcher explored a few potential best practices, which a level designer might utilize when employing spatial composition in video games. By modifying a space's density, size, and openness, a designer can effectively increase or decrease the player’s spatial tension. To explore the effectiveness of the best practices and the related spatial methodology, the researcher recruited playtesters to play the thesis artifact, a customized game level in Dying Light called, “A Way Out.” The researcher then analyzed the heart rates and experiences of …

Best Practices For Teaching Shifting Gameplay Styles, Matthew Grabowski

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores four different methods (Golden Path, Punishers & Reinforcers, Teaching in Threes, and Forced Teaching) for teaching players how to engage with shifting gameplay styles within video games using Nico Fridja’s Valence Theory [1]. Using the Far Cry 5 Arcade Editor, the researcher created a single-player video game level in which all four teaching methods were tested in tandem with one another. The goal of creating this level was to evaluate the validity of the teaching methods and their ability to shift gameplay valences, specifically between stealth-focused gameplay and push-forward firefight combat gameplay.

Best Practices: Encouraging The Modality Between Melee And Ranged Combat Styles, Austyn Wiles

Level Design Theses and Dissertations

This thesis aims to determine what gameplay factors encourage and discourage players from switching between melee and ranged playstyles while in combat scenarios. The practices for the artifact were found in action-focused video games and then incorporated into a standalone level in a Dying Light mod.

Finding Identities: Identities In Video Games From A Gender, Race, And Identity Representation, Osayame Erinmwingbovo

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

In this paper I will bring light to the exploration of gender, race, and identity in video games. While also having a focus on how the representation crosses with social and cultural contexts. I will be researching different games from many different genres, which will show light to the way video games reflect and shape societal attitudes towards gender, race, and identity. When using close textual analysis and theoretical framework from topics that include critical race theory, media, and feminist theory. This research will help to seek to explore the nuances and complexities of representation in gaming which implicates video …

Spirits Of The King, Ali Al-Ani

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

Spirits of the King (SotK) is a 1v1 card game where players use essential resources to conjure spirits from a shared pool to defeat their opponent. Players must make strategic sacrifices to keep themselves from danger or to threaten their opponent, ultimately revealing how much they are willing to risk for victory. The themes, mechanics, and material design of SotK are very heavily inspired by information found in Aleister Crowley’s The Lesser Key of Solomon.

Athalea: Fear And Hate, Santiago Posada-Jaramillo

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

Athalea: Fear and Hate is a single-player 2D role-playing video game (RPG) for PC using pixel art and a minimalistic aesthetic. Through conversations, environmental storytelling, and the main character’s own thoughts, the game explores, through a critical lens, fascist rhetoric and the way that fascists use power in order to help the player to be better equipped to properly understand how fascism operates. Different from traditional portrayals in media that tend to use an easily identifiable set of symbols and historical references, Athalea: Fear and Hate exposes fascism in a different context with the goal of making the core of …

Candy Costume Royal, Nala Scott

Game Design

A board game where player compete to be the best dressed on the board. Players race to make the best outfit and reach the end of the board first.

Treasure Quest, Dani Rosenberger

Game Design

A competitive board game where players are pit against each other to find a lost treasure on a mysterious island. Who will be the first to claim great riches?

Narrative World Building: Creative Applications For Gamification In Study Abroad, Ashley Lear

Publications

This study examined a cohort of 12 study abroad participants taking a course on video game topography and narrative in Salamanca, Spain, to determine how inhabiting and co-creating narrative worlds as part of the coursework might impact the experiences of the students inside and outside of the classroom as they engaged in mandated and optional cultural engagement activities, such as museum tours and excursions to historical sites. Students completed two gameful learning activities: 1) they co-created their own narrative game world in a group game proposal assignment drawing upon research from storytelling through game environments, and 2) they created independent …

Afterlight: Game Design And The Power Of Narrative, Elio Hollenbeck

Undergraduate Research Symposium

In the last few decades we as a society have watched the evolution of games as a storytelling medium. From Candyland to The Last of Us, all games use some form of narrative to bring players into the world of the game. Over the course of the last six months, I’ve been developing a tabletop card game with the working title of Afterlight. In this presentation, I will be explaining my process as I’ve worked on designing and refining this game. I will also talk about why I feel game design can be an effective way to engage people with …

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 …

Lost & Found (Game Series) [Book Chapter], Owen Gottlieb

Articles

Description of game series for use in the classroom with best practices.

Seasons Of Change, Ray Vergara

Game Design

Seasons of Change is a Unity-based video game with a spooky, cartoonish aesthetic, inspired by the fall season. Developed within the constraints of Lindenwood University's Game Development course, the project was built upon through structured weekly modules, focusing on game mechanics, level design, interactivity, programming, and audio integration. The game's developmental journey was enriched by extensive research, experimentation, and constructive feedback, resulting in a cohesive final product. Key challenges included adapting Unity's Starter Asset Package, troubleshooting ProBuilder limitations, and debugging interactive elements like audio and UI for various platforms. Despite time constraints and technical hurdles, the iterative development process facilitated …

(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, …

Crusading For Fun And Profit: An Examination Of Ludohistorical Mode In The Crusader Kings Community, Kirk M. Lundblade

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

How do participants in communities of play centered around digital games engage with history? The historiographic influences of ludic form have been closely scrutinized in recent years, but little attention has been paid to the digital cultures—to the communities of play— which center the discussion and play of these historical games. My study aimed to closely examine one such community centered around the grand strategy game Crusader Kings III, released by Paradox Interactive in 2020. I use discourse analysis together with grounded theory to examine the game Crusader Kings III alongside two primary sites found on reddit and Paradox …

The Regenarrative: How To Change The Story In Order To Change The Future, S. Rose Bigheart O'Leary

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Abstract

In the era of Climate Change, many are concerned that the end of the Anthropocene, or the end of the era of human life on Earth, is upon us. Western European colonialism and its subsequent systems (settler-colonialism, colonial-capitalism, and globalization - sometimes termed “neocolonialism”) have all been implicated in contributing to unsustainable behaviors linked to accelerating climate change. In searching for possible solutions, some have called for listening to Indigenous Peoples, citing ethics of sustainability found among many Indigenous cultures. However, the cultural products of settler-colonialism are still dominant in ways that do not allow for Indigenous worldviews to …

Playing To Grow. Roundtable Interview On Games, Education, And Character, Owen Gottlieb, Matthew Farber, Paul Darvasi

Articles

In this roundtable interview moderated by Paul Darvasi, lecturer at the University of Toronto and co-founder of Gold Bug Interactive, Owen Gottlieb and Matthew Farber discuss research and practice at the intersection of religion, character education, and games in schools. Gottlieb is an associate professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, founder and lead faculty at the Initiative in Religion, Culture, and Policy at the MAGIC center, and founder and director of the Interaction, Media, and Learning Lab at RIT, where he specializes in interactive media, learning, religion, and culture. Farber is an associate professor of educational technology and coordinator …

An Analysis Of The Debate And How It Changed Everything: Narratology Vs. Ludology, Robert Veloya

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

Video games will rot your brain. Something that people have told us during its inception into the modern world; however, little did they know that the video game industry will one day take its place in the world as one of the best mediums to tell a story and challenge its audience. The video game industry is an ever-growing industry where innovation flows through its veins causing it to grow into a field that is more immersive and compelling. Video games have also evolved into a field of study, a discipline that dives deep into what makes them a unique …

Exploring The Shift In Player Enthusiasm Towards Games, David Daniel

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

Video games, providing a constant source of excitement have been an integral part of the lives of many enthusiasts, helping shape childhoods and providing a source of entertainment and social interaction between friends and strangers. From the joy of unboxing the Wii with siblings back in the day, all the way to playing multiplayer battle royales and among us with our friends over the pandemic, the gaming platform has been an ever changing and dynamic experience. However, with time, a noticeable split emerged among peers who once shared the same joy of running home and putting on the headset. Some …