Playgrounds as 'workgrounds': How Real-money trading transforms the gaming experience

As the rise in popularity of online games, the users start exchanging rare items for real money. As RMT (Real Money Trade) is prevalent, GFG (Gold Farming Group) who abuse RMT shows up. GFG causes social problems such as identity theft, privacy leaks. Because they needs many bot characters to gather game items. In addition, GFG induce RMT that makes in-game problems such as a destroying game economy, account hacking. Therefore, It is very important work to collapse GFG at the perspective of social and in-game. In this paper, we proposed a fundamental method for detecting RMT buyers for the collapse of GFG at the perspective of buyer by Law of Demand and Supply. We found two type of RMT by analyzing actual game data and detected RMT buyers with high recall ratio of 98% by ruled-based detection.

The article examines identity in such digital spaces as video games and virtual reality. These digital spaces are defined as interactive artificial environment, autonomous from reality, with its own ontology, scenario, narrative and mythological context. Video games have an immersive experience that is enhanced in virtual reality due to the ability to integrate into the embodiment of the game's model. The type of digital identity that is defined by the video game designer in accordance with narrative and artistic goals is what we call a character. The opposite type is an avatar, it reflects strategies of self-presentation of an individual (user). Digital identity interests us primarily because of the ability to be independent (autonomous) from human physiology and from social categories that are attributed to the user in the real world. Digital identity can be constructed by the individuals in accordance with their preferences, which makes it possible to solve many gender, racial, and age problems. The possibility to integrate into an avatar embodiment and interact with in-game items it reinforces the distance from real embodiment. Moreover, in multiplayer games with the civil roleplay, it can exist in an artificial society and have introspective meaning for another members of the society. Another significant feature of digital identity is the relativism. Digital identity can be relativistic due to the which allow one to have different identities in different games or change the appearance of an avatar in one game during a play time. Autonomy and relativism can be the strategy for the implementation of projects of nomadic identity by Rosi Braidotti and Donna Haraway, in which subject is not sticked to any constants, but constantly defines and redefines oneself through performative acts.

Paying for loot boxes is linked to problem gambling, regardless of specific features like cash-out and pay-to-win

A Model of Russia's Virtual Economy

<p><b>Research problem – The average age of video game players is above 30 in many parts of the world, but the literature surrounding video games in public libraries often focuses on engaging children and teenagers. This suggests that there may be an underserved population of video game players in public libraries.</b></p> <p>In addition to this, successful video game ventures require organisers familiar with and knowledgeable about video games. It is unknown whether public library staff in general possess these qualities, or if they are engaged with video game services.</p> <p>This report aimed to investigate how public library staff in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) engage with video games and video game services.</p> <p>Methodology – Invitations to participate in an online questionnaire were sent to 20 public library systems and the NZ-Libs email list. Five organisations agreed to distribute the questionnaire to their staff. A sample size of 183 respondents was achieved. Questions were asked about video game experiences, perceptions, and library services.</p> <p>Results – NZ public library staff appear to engage with video games in a similar way to the general NZ population. In addition, there appears to be an overall positive perception of their place in public libraries (87% of respondents supported video games in public libraries).</p> <p>Video game players appear to think more positively about video games and be more aware of their impact on individuals compared to non-players. They also appear to be more confident in delivering related services and more likely to be running related events.</p> <p>Video game services in NZ public libraries seem to largely target younger age groups, mirroring the perceived main target audience for video games indicated by respondents. This revealed a potentially underserved population (video game players aged 46 – 84) for NZ public libraries that offer video game services.</p> <p>Implications – It appears that encouraging engagement with video games may improve staff confidence in delivering video game services, although further research is required to confirm this.</p> <p>In addition, there is a potentially underserved population of video game players aged 46 – 84, who account for nearly half of the 46 – 84 year old population. Evaluation of this potentially underserved population is an interesting topic for future research.</p>

<p>Based on the index of tourism Baidu search volume and total tourism income of 667 research units at county scale in Yellow River Economic Belt, this paper uses spatial classification, exploratory analysis of spatial data, nuclear density estimation and other methods to compare and analyze the spatial pattern of county tourism economy in the Yellow River Economic Belt, and then uses the geographical detector model to analyze the influencing factors. The results are drawn as follows. Firstly, from the perspective of spatial distribution pattern, the imbalance of the overall tourism economy is obvious, and the spatial pattern shows a “one big, three small” four core agglomeration pattern. Secondly, from the perspective of spatial correlation pattern, significant HH and LL areas are dominant whether virtual economy or a real economy, and spatial agglomeration effect is obvious. Real economic significant HH areas mainly distribute in the tourism economic developed areas of Shaanxi and Shandong, while real economic significant LL areas are mainly concentrated in the middle and east of Inner Mongolia, the south of Shanxi, most of Qinghai and the north of Ningxia, and scattered in Henan, Gansu and other places. Compared with the entity level, the HH areas of the virtual economy are significantly expanded, mainly distributing in Shandong, Shaanxi and the eastern part of Inner Mongolia. The number of significant LL areas is significantly increased and the distribution range has changed, and the distribution scope of low-value cluster areas mainly distributes in most areas of Qinghai, south and north of Shanxi, and sporadically distributes in Gansu. From the perspective of nuclear density, the spatial structure of virtual and real economy is similar, and the high-value counties mainly distribute in Shandong, Henan and Shanxi forming a high-value gathering area expanding into a core development area. It is worth noting that the virtual economy scope in the north of Shaanxi and the northeast of Inner Mongolia has formed many sub-cores, which indicates that the level of virtual economy in the region is rapidly rising. Finally, according to the results of the Geo-detector model and the coupling matching analysis model, we found the real economy is mainly affected by the resources support level. We also found virtual economy is mainly affected by the level of information technology.</p>

An empirical study on gender, video game play, academic success and complex problem solving skills

In 2006, the Nintendo corporation introduced its video game console in the United States, and it quickly became the most popular video game system in the country. Two major features of the gaming system drove its popularity: It introduced motion-controlled gaming into the mainstream and also introduced video game personalization to many people through the customization of miis, the avatars that represent video game players. Together, these features represent Nintendo's ongoing quest to revolutionize video gaming and create a family-friendly social gaming experience that anyone can enjoy. The corporation claims, Wii is not just a gaming console, it's a reason to get together with your friends and family and play today's hottest (What Is Wii?). Nintendo's is therefore constructed as more than a machine upon which one plays games; it is a means to play games with other people and an excuse to be social. As part of the marketing of the console as an opportunity to get friends and family together, Nintendo created the phenomenon of the Wii party. What better vehicle to demonstrate the social gaming philosophy of the corporation and the sociality of Nintendo's gaming experience than a party? These are not only opportunities for entertainment; they also are opportunities for outlets of self-expression as party throwers and party goers alike can become the nice neighbor or good parent or fun friend by hosting, attending, and participating at such festivities. However, have an additional ulterior- or sneaky - function that extends beyond providing people with tools for fun and self-realization. deploy the narratives of a commodity in order to allow party participants to craft their own personal narratives. In this context, the Wii becomes very important. Ultimately, are significant not simply because they are themed around a brand but because people's performances at such become constitutive of the brand. In order to explain one must first establish what a party is and how theming a party on a video game helps establish a narrative frame for such events. One must then document the character of Wii-themed and connect the experience that is to be had at to the idea of Nintendo's brand. What Makes a Gathering of Gamers into a Party? Wii can be understood as deliberately planned entertaining social gatherings (or parties for short) whose social capital and capacity to produce pleasure depend on the presence (and reputation) of the Nintendo corporation's gaming platform. The theme of the party/ gathering depends upon the (just as Oscar and Superbowl depend upon their respective entertainment spectacles). The premise of a party is that one invites others to mark some occasion by playing the and that the occasion will be made that much more memorable (and social) because of Wii-styled gameplay. Justification for this belief comes from the video game console itself. The console radically altered the way people played video games through the introduction of the Wii-remote (or Wii-mote). Nintendo integrated motion sensors into the Wii's remote controls in order to reproduce one's real world movements in the virtual world of the video game. Instead of memorizing and pressing a combination of buttons in order to do something in the game such as swinging a golf club, one literally swung the Wii-mote and saw the corresponding results on screen. The Wii-mote was made so simple and intuitive in order to allow anyone to play, which also made the experience of playing that much more fun. One would never confuse Wii-styled movements with the activity required to do the corresponding real-world actions, but one would also never confuse the sometimes frenzied physical activity of gameplay with the drowsy couch potato existence enabled by its competition (Cogburn and Silcox 18-19). …

Purpose This study aims to explore how video game design elements contribute to Flow experiences, shaping consumer attitudes and behaviors. By examining the psychological facets of video gaming, the research aims to inform the literature on Flow theory, as well as game development strategies that foster gamer loyalty, purchase intentions and sustained engagement. Design/methodology/approach Using Flow as a theoretical foundation, this study examines how specific dimensions of flow including concentration, interactivity, telepresence, collaboration, challenge and goals impact gamers’ Flow experiences and subsequent behavioral responses. Due to the “real-world” nature of this research, a self-reported survey was used to collect data from 201 Chinese video gamers via an online questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the Flow experience construct, and the relationships between Flow experience, behavioral intentions and game loyalty. Findings Concentration, interactivity and telepresence were found to facilitate Flow experience. However, collaboration, challenges and goals were not statistically significant in this context, suggesting that these dimensions may depend on extraneous variables such as the gaming environment or player motivation. Central to this examination, findings also show that Flow experiences positively influence video gaming loyalty and positive behavioral intentions. Originality/value This study advances understanding of Flow experiences in video gaming by identifying specific design elements that enhance player engagement and loyalty. These insights extend the application of Flow theory to video gaming and contribute to strategies for cultivating favorable consumer behavior and consumer loyalty in the video gaming industry.

When newbies and veterans play together: The effect of video game content, context and experience on cooperation

This chapter examines the cognitive and brain effects of playing a specific game genre—namely action video games. Video games are now played extensively around the world. Indeed, defying the common stereotype of video games being “just for kids” or “just for boys”, video games are played by an exceptionally broad swath of the population. When discussing the impact that video games have on the brain and cognition, it is important to recognize that the label “video games” encompasses an incredibly wide variety of experiences. To investigate the effects of action video game play on behavior, one—often initial—approach has consisted in utilizing a cross-sectional design. Demonstrating a causal relation requires running an intervention or training study. Intervention studies involve recruiting participants who have at most limited video game experience. The large difference in amount of action game experience is likely to at least partially explain the lower effect sizes in intervention as compared to cross-sectional studies.

This paper explores the issue of male dominance in the video game industry and gaming community. Female game characters in video games are often over-sexualized to suit male preferences due to mainstream social consciousness. This practice not only disregards the needs and experiences of female gamers, but also reinforces gender stereotypes and hurts gender equality. This kind of disrespect and harm to women further spreads to real social life, which is not conducive to women’s physical and mental health. The paper analyses how male hegemony is manifested through the marginalization of women, the distortion of women’s representation, and the objectification of women as objects of male desire from the perspective of social psychology. In addition, the paper explores how gaming mechanics control women in games and real life and further exacerbate this problem by creating ‘second selves’ that perpetuate gender norms. The paper argues for the need to challenge this male dominance and discusses how women can actively resist this dominance in society and the gaming community. Finally, the paper calls for a more inclusive and gender-equitable gaming culture to improve the gaming experience for all players, as well as to promote respect for women in society.

Currently, few studies focus on analysing the degree of the Player eXperience (PX) in video games. Video games have now become interactive entertainment systems with a high economic impact on society; these are interactive systems characterised by their subjectivity, which differ from other systems in that their main objective is to entertain and amuse the user (player). This work discusses the analysis and evaluation of the User eXperience (UX) in interactive entertainment systems, exploring how usability, given its definition, objectives and the fact it is one of the main dimensions of UX, is not sufficient to characterise the PX, giving rise to a new concept: Playability. In this paper, we present a framework for the analysis and evaluation of the UX in video games. The results show the need and importance of a framework to help us understand and measure the experience that players feel using these types of interactive systems, in order to improve the experience during play time. The proposed framework characterises the experience using attributes to identify and properties to measure UX. It thus provides a multifaceted analysis mechanism to assess the impact of the gaming experience and its relationship with the elements of a video game. We therefore present a system to represent UX based on this framework, with the aim of ensuring and measuring a satisfactory experience of the entertainment system. Finally, we discuss a practical experiment in which an evaluation of the playability of a commercial video game was carried out using the methods proposed in this work.

The article examines the gamification of politics, the process of integrating game elements and mechanics into the political sphere, as well as the use of video games as a tool for influencing public opinion. The subject of the study is video games as a sociocultural and political phenomenon, their role in shaping public opinion and political education. The purpose of the research is to study the role of video games as a tool for influencing public opinion. The authors aim to identify the mechanisms of gamification in politics, assess the potential of video games in manipulating public consciousness, and forecast some trends in the development of this sociocultural phenomenon. The research tasks include analyzing the theoretical aspects of political gamification, investigating video games as a tool for political communication, assessing their educational potential, and developing recommendations for promoting national interests. The main hypothesis of the research is that video games are not only an entertainment product but also a tool for influencing public opinion, capable of manipulating consciousness, political education, and preserving historical memory. The methodological foundation of the research is the theoretical analysis of domestic and foreign studies dedicated to public opinion and the gamification of politics. Qualitative methods are used, including case studies (when analyzing cases involving video games). The sources include academic articles, statistics from the gaming industry, official regulatory legal acts, and statements from Russian authorities regarding the regulation of the video game industry. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the comprehensive analysis of video games as a tool for shaping public opinion and political education. The article shows that video games contain political symbols, images, and discourses capable of engaging players and influencing their consciousness. The global video game market is estimated at $185 billion, and in Russia, 88 million people over 18 have tried playing video games at least once. Cases such as "Black Myth: Wukong" and "Immortal Symphony" demonstrate the educational potential of video games and their impact on cultural preferences. In conclusion, it is noted that video games are an important element of modern political communications and require government support to create competitive products, especially in the context of sanctions. It is recommended to develop mechanisms for controlling the content of video games and continue research on their impact on political communications.

IntroductionDigital 3D exoscopes are novel alternatives for operating microscopes in microneurosurgery. We studied the potential benefits of a background in video gaming on adaptation to exoscopic microsurgery. Such effects have not been reported before.MethodsTwenty preclinical medical and dental students with no surgical experience participated in our study. Eleven (gamer group) were proficient (> 1000 h) in video gaming, whereas nine (control group) had no to very little gaming experience (< 500 h). We developed a microsurgical training model for evaluating adaptation to exoscope use in a manual task. Each student completed the task thrice in a row. We evaluated handling of the exoscope, fine motor skills, and the duration of each performance.ResultsPrior video gaming experience correlated with superior adaptation to the exoscope. Gamers moved and tilted the exoscope camera less often than the control group but nevertheless obtained good visuals. The gamer group also completed all tasks faster (median 10 min 14 s) than the control group (median 13 min 01 s). All students improved in their task completion times over the test period. Similar fine motor skills were observed in both the gamer and the control group.ConclusionPrior experience in video gaming was associated with better adaptability to the exoscope. This may be due to superior 3D perception, acquired playing video games.