[Air-L] Air-L Digest, Vol 79, Issue 26

[Olli Sotamaa]

Hi all,

Game Studies: The International Journal of Computer Game Research has 
just published its latest issue (Volume 11, Issue 1, February 2011).

All articles are available at: http://gamestudies.org/1101

Enjoy!

Olli Sotamaa / guest co-editor


-- 

Olli Sotamaa // Postdoctoral Researcher
School of Information Sciences // University of Tampere
olli.sotamaa at uta.fi // Skype: olli.sotamaa // +358 50 420 1472




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EDITORIAL
Special Issue - Game Reward Systems

by guest editors Mikael Jakobsson and Olli Sotamaa
The guest editors introduce this special issue on game reward systems by 
discussing its origin, the focus, the need for further studies, and by 
presenting the included papers.

http://gamestudies.org/1101/articles/editorial_game_reward_systems

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ARTICLES
Hats of Affect: A Study of Affect, Achievements and Hats in Team Fortress 2

by Christopher Moore
Virtual millinery items were introduced as achievement based rewards for 
players of Team Fortress 2 in 2009. With attention to these highly 
sought after items, this article is concerned with promoting attention 
to the many ‘affects’ involved in the design and play of First Person 
Shooter (FPS) games.

http://gamestudies.org/1101/articles/moore

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Achievements, Motivations and Rewards in Faunasphere

by Jason Begy, Mia Consalvo
Multiple frameworks for examining the motivations and achivements of MMO 
players exist, but many are based on assumptions about what kinds of 
fictional worlds these games contain. Using examples from the casual MMO 
Faunasphere, this paper argues that any such examinaton must start with 
the particular game’s fiction and rule systems.

http://gamestudies.org/1101/articles/begy_consalvo

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The Achievement Machine: Understanding Xbox 360 Achievements in Gaming 
Practices

by Mikael Jakobsson
Xbox 360 achievements are explored through casuals, hunters and 
completists. The dichotomy between MMOs and console games is questioned 
by framing Xbox Live as a MMO. The ambiguity towards achievements is 
seen as a result of deeply rooted ideas of what games should be; while 
at the same time appealing to some of games' most fundamental pleasures.

http://gamestudies.org/1101/articles/jakobsson

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Unlocking the Gameworld: The Rewards of Space and Time in Videogames

by Alison Gazzard
By exploring ideas surrounding exploration, obstacles and avatar death, 
this article seeks to understand the various ways in which both space 
and time create reward systems in the gameworld. New categories of 
rewards are defined in relation to how goals may be constructed within 
different genres of videogames.

http://gamestudies.org/1101/articles/gazzard_alison

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Player Dossiers: Analyzing Gameplay Data as a Reward

by Ben Medler
This article presents a framework for understanding player dossiers, 
data-driven visual reports comprised of a player’s gameplay data. The 
framework describes how dossier systems validate player motivations and 
contextualize recorded gameplay allowing players to analyze or share the 
resulting data.

http://gamestudies.org/1101/articles/medler

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Balancing Risk and Reward to Develop an Optimal Hot-Hand Game

by Paul Williams, Keith V. Nesbitt, Ami Eidels, David Elliott
This paper outlines the development of a top-down shooter designed to 
investigate the psychological phenomenon known as the ‘hot hand’. Such a 
game requires a well-balanced risk and reward structure. We chronicle 
the iterative tuning process, focusing on quantitative analysis of how 
players adapt their risk taking under varying reward structures.

http://gamestudies.org/1101/articles/williams_nesbitt_eidels_elliott

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Brutally Unfair Tactics Totally OK Now: On Self-Effacing Games and 
Unachievements

by Douglas Wilson
This article presents a case study of designing an intentionally 
“broken” console party game. Using Henning Eichberg’s concept of the 
“impossible game” and Bernie DeKoven’s notion of the “Well-Played game,” 
the article argues that “self-effacing” games of a certain type can help 
nurture a distinctly self-motivated and collaborative form of play.

http://gamestudies.org/1101/articles/wilson

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