Rule Changes in Water Polo – History, FINA 2018 New Rules, and Literature Review

Water polo has recently encountered extensive challenges, including possible banishment from the Olympics. To meet the challenges, major rule changes have been implemented. This perspective is to provide a literature review of the impact of rule changes on water polo gameplay. An emerging and relatively small body of research has demonstrated significantly enhanced game dynamics and outcomes as intended by recent rule changes. The water polo community needs more analytical research on the impact of the latest rule changes approved in 2018.

Degree of Satisfaction-based Adaptive Interaction in Spatial Prisoner's Dilemma

To study why the altruistic cooperation behavior can emerge and maintain among egoistical individuals, researchers across several disciplines have made great contributions for the solutions of this fascinating problem. Ordinarily, the spatial structure is a most-often used framework to investigate the cooperative dynamics of evolutionary game. However, very few researchers take into account the reaction of evolutionary game dynamics to interactive intensity between individuals. On account of this, we propose a computational model of automatic adjustment the interactive intensity based on individual’s degree of satisfaction to study the iterated prisoner’s dilemma game in a two-dimensional square lattice. In this model, selfish individual considers whether the benefits obtained from the other party satisfies its own requirements to determine the intensity of interaction from it to the other party. More specifically, the interactive intensity from an individual x to its some neighbor y is driven by the relations between x obtained current benefit from y (denoted by Px→y) and x’s satisfaction payoff (denoted by Sp). If Px→y > Sp, x will increase the intensity of interaction from itself to y; On the contrary, if Px→y < Sp, x will weaken the intensity of interaction; Other scenario remain the same. Simulation results show that the proposed mechanism can effectively promote the emergence and maintain of cooperation in population, and the satisfying coefficient α (0 < α < 1) plays an essential role on cooperation. Interestingly, we found that there are some optimal values α can lead to the best promotion of cooperation. But individual’s overclaim (α > 1) is not conducive to the effective promotion of cooperation between selfish individuals even for some very small temptation to defect. Our results may contribute to the understanding of cooperative dynamics by considering the reaction of evolutionary game dynamics to network.

Gamification Model Framework and its Use in E-Learning in Higher Education

The manuscript that we examined contains the introduction of gamification into e-learning lecture activities in universities. A literature study will explain conceptual differences between the techniques and methods of mechanics and game dynamics used by students. Gamification will be combined into e-learning at a university, and this has various benefits in the learning process, such as higher motivation, more fun learning, and active learning. This Paper shows the importance of gamification in learning, including in higher education. The manuscript that we created presents a different perspective on the concept of gamification in the University. The innovation in this paper describes incorporating characteristics of gamification and e-learning that can demonstrate the practical use of gamification in e-learning. The method used is a literature study. Further research expected that this framework can be applied in various universities.

Some Assembly Required: Player Mental Models of Videogame Avatars

In playing videogames, players often create avatars as extensions of agency into those spaces, where the player-avatar relationship (PAR) both shapes gameplay and is the product of gameplay experiences. Avatars are generally understood as singular bodies; however, we argue they are functional and phenomenological assemblages—networks of social and technological components that are internalized by players as networks of knowledge about the avatar. Different PARs are based on different internalizations (i.e., mental models) for what an avatar is and why it matters. Toward illuminating nuances in PARs, we examine the content and structure of players’ internalizations of avatars as evidenced by descriptions of those digital bodies. Secondary analysis of N = 1,201 avatar descriptions parceled them by PAR type (avatars as asocial Objects, psychologically merged extensions of Me, hybrid me/other Symbiotes, and authentically social Other). Aggregated descriptions for each PAR type were subjected to semantic network analysis to identify patterns in salient avatar components, and then qualitatively compared across the four PARs. Results indicate component clusters that are universal to PARs (demographics and body features), common to three of four PARs (time, appearance, clothing, and player agency), and idiosyncratic to specific PARs (significance, character narratives, game dynamics, liminality, and gratifications). Findings signal the importance of theoretically engaging avatars as assemblages both (a) influenced by player-avatar sociality and (b) that contribute (in part and whole) to antecedents, processes, and effects of gameplay.

GAMES DYNAMICS: CHARACTERISTIC OF COMPONENTS AND PECULIARITIES OF THEIR USE IN THE PROCESS OF THE CREATION OF DIGITAL GAMES BY THE TUTOR AND STUDENTS

The paper presents gamification of the learning process in higher education as a means of forming various competencies in students through the possibilities open by digital technologies. It also contains a brief description of the components of game dynamics as part of their outline created by teachers and students.

Technology as gamification means in mathematics learning

Discrete Mathematics is a highly complex university subject. His classes are taught in a traditional way, so in many cases they do not motivate students. This study develops dynamics of gamification to promote a better learning of Discrete Mathematics, in the same way, it seeks to influence the engagement of students in this university subject. 178 students participate in this quasi-experiment (90 in the control group and 88 in the experimental group). The pretest and posttest data of the academic performance and engagement of the experimental group and the control group display that, in terms of progress, the experimental group showed significant progress compared with the control group. The study is concluded by raising the possibility of applying other games and game dynamics that promote a greater variety of gamified activities. In this sense, it is proposed to investigate the effects of the use of games in mobile application format on both engagement and academic performance in Discrete Mathematics.

Timing Matters

This article studies the equilibrium states that can be reached in a network design game via natural game dynamics. First, we show that an arbitrarily interleaved sequence of arrivals and departures of players can lead to a polynomially inefficient solution at equilibrium. This implies that the central controller must have some control over the timing of agent arrivals and departures to ensure efficiency of the system at equilibrium. Indeed, we give a complementary result showing that if the central controller is allowed to restore equilibrium after every set of arrivals/departures via improving moves , then the eventual equilibrium states reached have exponentially better efficiency.