Chen, Sande (2008). Towards More Meaningful Games: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Gamasutra. At http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3736/towards_more_meaningful_games_a_.php.

In this thought-provoking design piece, writer Sande Chen (The Witcher) takes a look at how to ratchet up emotional intensity – through narrative design, visuals, and music – to create more meaningful games. (Gamasutra editors)

Calleja, G. (2007) Digital Games as Designed Experience: Reframing the Concept of Immersion. PhD Thesis, Victoria University of Wellington. Available at http://www.gordoncalleja.com/phdthesis.html.

I am working on a paper on a PS2 game, Project Zero (Tecmo, 2002). The game allows only three game saves to a memory card. As I want to go back to specific sections of the game later on, the limitation is awkward. Fortunately, the game runs on my PS3.

60G PS3 has a feature that it can used to play many PS2 games. What is really useful for a game researcher is that one can create memory cards to the disk of PS3 and use then instead of buying physical cards for 15–20€. This ability to save to hard disk comes handy when a game allows eight or three saves from a game to a card, and obviously saves money.

Currently, I have five memory cards set up in PS3 hard disk for the Project Zero saves, and more will be coming as those cover only the first night (there are four nights, I remember correctly). Still the saving process could be easier, but beats using PS2 for this.

For the future reference…

Free game engines for creating point-and-click adventure games:

• Adventure Game Studio (Editor in Windods; Engine for Windows, Linux, and OSX)
  
• Wintermute Engine (Windows)
  

Commercial game engines for creating 3D Games:

• Torque3D ( Editor in Windows?; can used to publish for OSX, Windows, Linux, Wii, and XBox360)
• Unity3D (Editor in OSX; can used to publish for OSX, Windows, Wii, IPhone)
• Quest3D (Windows only?)

I have only hands on experience with Unity3D. We are using it for building Lies and Seductions, a game relatting to my doctoral research. So far, I am quite happy with Unity3D.

Hagmann, Cammoun et al (2008). Mapping the Structural Core of Human Cerebral Cortex

In the human brain, neural activation patterns are shaped by the underlying structural connections that form a dense network of fiber pathways linking all regions of the cerebral cortex. Using diffusion imaging techniques, which allow the noninvasive mapping of fiber pathways, we constructed connection maps covering the entire cortical surface.

After promising to point some references for masters thesis at goth party some time ago. I got thesis couple of days ago, in which Arttu Reinikainen looks at a role-playing game system,  from the perspective of usability. The perspective is fresh and welcomed.

While I am not really buying the immersion and flow link to role-playing experience (I have presented some objections against the concept of immersion at Playing Roles seminar), the took on usability heuristics and focus groups seems mainly to be sound (I must note that haven’t played D&D 3.5, only briefly browsed the rules).

Reinikainen, A. (2008). Role-Playing Games and Usability. Masters Thesis. University of Tampere, http://tutkielmat.uta.fi/tutkielma.phtml?id=18273.