"Designing Video Games with Social, Physical, and Authorship Gameplay

Abstract

"Today's video games have undergone many changes that have turned them from niche hobbies into ubiquitous and popular activities. Modern games now utilize physical interaction as the primary modality for controlling the game, they have become more casual and social activities, and they have enabled players to express their creativity through the authorship of content. In this thesis, we investigate the use of physical interaction, socialization, and authorship of content in the design of video games. We have created a design framework that can be used as a guide for designing new games and have designed three games to investigate the successes and limitations of each of the three themes: Film Karaoke, Joke's On You, and Social Comics. Through our evaluation of Social Comics, we have come to conclude that physicality, sociability, and authorship are powerful design themes for enhancing the player's experience and for creating new forms of gameplay."