Why Games? Use of Massively Multiplayer Online Games in English andBusiness CoursesinHigherEducation

The Phenomenological study investigated the perceptions of 4 Community College administrators and 2 faculty, who experienced for the first time, the process of curricular modification using Massively Multiplayer Online Games or MMOs in their Business and English programs. Since administrators and faculty are key stakeholders of any initiative for technology integration in curricular modification, the study contributed to filling the gap in the literature regarding such stakeholder perceptions and added new insights regarding easy and affordable ways to successfully and effectively integrate MMOs within the curriculum in Higher Education disciplines.

Vocabulary Learning Strategies in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

<p>This small‐scale case‐study used research processes inherent in Grounded Theory to identify and explain vocabulary learning strategies used by players in MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role‐playing games), an informal second language learning context. This investigation was in response to informal reports of second language vocabulary gains from gamers at Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) and the University of Twente (The Netherlands). Data was collected from observations of, interviews with, and elicited texts from six participants, and three types of extant texts from World of Warcraft. Constant comparative analysis was used to allow patterns and processes to emerge from the data to explain social phenomena. Participants identified fifteen vocabulary learning strategies and aspects of MMORPGs that affect these strategies. Vocabulary learning strategies in MMORPGs are affected by play, which affects learning processes and motivation; MMORPG culture, which affects participants’ interaction, curiosity, and independent learning; and the range and use of language in MMORPGs, which affects participants’ language use, attitudes, and vocabulary learning strategies. Findings were compared to Gu’s (2005) model of vocabulary learning strategies in contexts, and Gu’s model was adapted to suit this MMORPG second language learning context. Aspects of MMORPGs affect second language vocabulary learning strategies gamers develop, select and use. This study highlights the need to value MMORPGs as contexts for learners’ vocabulary learning strategies and argues for further study into MMORPGs as contexts of vocabulary learning strategies.</p>

Developing Multiplayer Online Game “KNIGHT FANTASY ONLINE”

Knights Fantasy Online is a massively multiplayer online game with role-playing game genre. This game was developed using ActionScript 3.0 of Adobe Flash for client and Java for its server, while the design of the game was designed using Adobe Illustrator. This research is intended to make multiplayer online games using Adobe Flash. In this game, Players start their adventure in a world called Edenia as a knight from a kingdom called Aurum, the player is in charge of controlling the population of monsters. Players can take on quests, collect equipment and improve their character's ability. The game was tested by using Blackbox, alpha, beta and stress test. Through the results of a questionnaire distributed to 40 people. The test results shows that Knights Fantasy Online has an interesting gameplay, easy to understand and also has enough features as a massively multiplayer online game.

Tác động của giá trị chức năng, xã hội và cảm xúc đối với ý định chơi lại game: Vai trò điều tiết của cường độ sử dụng

Nghiên cứu nhằm kiểm định vai trò điều tiết của mật độ chơi game lên các mối quan hệ của giá trị chức năng, xã hội và cảm xúc đối với ý định chơi lại trò chơi nhập vai trực tuyến nhiều người chơi (Massively multiplayer online role-playing games - MMORPs). Để xây dựng mô hình nghiên cứu, tác giả sử dụng lý thuyết ý định hành vi của người tiêu dùng và học thuyết giá trị cảm nhận. Mẫu khảo sát gồm 223 người chơi game từ 18 đến 35 tuổi tại Việt Nam. Sử dụng thống kê mô tả, kiểm định độ tin cậy thang đo, phân tích nhân tố khám phá (EFA) và hồi quy (OLS) với biến tương tác, kết quả nghiên cứu cho thấy nhân tố ảnh hưởng mạnh mẽ nhất đến ý định chơi lại game là giá trị cảm xúc; sau đó là nhân tố giá trị xã hội và cuối cùng là giá trị chức năng. Ngoài ra, sự tác động điều tiết của cường độ chơi game sẽ làm suy yếu mối quan hệ giữa giá trị xã hội và ý định chơi lại game. Kết quả nghiên cứu là cơ sở giúp các nhà quản trị trong ngành công nghiệp game tham chiếu nhằm đưa ra các giải pháp liên quan đến hành vi người chơi game, góp phần mở rộng thị phần và nâng cao hiệu quả kinh doanh.

Massively Multiplayer Online Games and Well-Being: A Systematic Literature Review

Background: Massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) evolve online, whilst engaging large numbers of participants who play concurrently. Their online socialization component is a primary reason for their high popularity. Interestingly, the adverse effects of MMOs have attracted significant attention compared to their potential benefits.Methods: To address this deficit, employing PRISMA guidelines, this systematic review aimed to summarize empirical evidence regarding a range of interpersonal and intrapersonal MMO well-being outcomes for those older than 13.Results: Three databases identified 18 relevant English language studies, 13 quantitative, 4 qualitative and 1 mixed method published between January 2012 and August 2020. A narrative synthesis methodology was employed, whilst validated tools appraised risk of bias and study quality.Conclusions: A significant positive relationship between playing MMOs and social well-being was concluded, irrespective of one's age and/or their casual or immersed gaming patterns. This finding should be considered in the light of the limited: (a) game platforms investigated; (b) well-being constructs identified; and (c) research quality (i.e., modest). Nonetheless, conclusions are of relevance for game developers and health professionals, who should be cognizant of the significant MMOs-well-being association(s). Future research should focus on broadening the well-being constructs investigated, whilst enhancing the applied methodologies.

A Developer Chooses, a Player Obeys: a Study of the Enactment of Objectivism in BioShock

In 2003, Espen Aarseth proposed a framework for analyzing computer and video games, saying current methodologies borrowed too much from literature and film criticism, writing that video games exist in a “virtual environment” and that “this label fits games from Tetris to Drug Wars to EverQuest” (Aarseth, 2003, p.2). While it is fair to say that both Tetris and EverQuest are video games, this is all they have in common: Tetris is a game where a single player sorts falling geometric shapes while EverQuest is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game with millions of players and a fantasy world similar to J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

A Developer Chooses, a Player Obeys: a Study of the Enactment of Objectivism in BioShock

In 2003, Espen Aarseth proposed a framework for analyzing computer and video games, saying current methodologies borrowed too much from literature and film criticism, writing that video games exist in a “virtual environment” and that “this label fits games from Tetris to Drug Wars to EverQuest” (Aarseth, 2003, p.2). While it is fair to say that both Tetris and EverQuest are video games, this is all they have in common: Tetris is a game where a single player sorts falling geometric shapes while EverQuest is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game with millions of players and a fantasy world similar to J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

Server Allocation for Massively Multiplayer Online Cloud Games Using Evolutionary Optimization

In recent years, Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) are becoming popular, partially due to their sophisticated graphics and broad virtual world, and cloud gaming is demanded more than ever especially when entertaining with light and portable devices. This article considers the problem of server allocation for running MMOG on cloud, aiming to reduce the cost on cloud gaming service and meanwhile enhance the quality of service. The problem is formulated into minimizing an objective function involving the cost of server rental, the cost of data transfer and the network latency during the gaming time. A genetic algorithm is developed to solve the minimization problem for processing simultaneous server allocation for the players who log into the system at the same time while many existing players are playing the same game. Extensive experiments based on the player behavior in “World of Warcraft” are conducted to evaluate the proposed method and compare with the state-of-the-art as well. The experimental results show that the method gives a lower cost and a shorter network latency in most of the time.