Games can be made interesting by setting the difficulty to match the player's skill level. Players feel difficult and drop out from game playing when the game is too difficult. However, we considered that the subjective difficulty of players is not limited to difficulty. We conducted qualitative and quantitative surveys on the experience that players feel difficult in gameplay. As a result, we found that the subjective difficulty of players is different from difficulty of games.

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This paper proposes a supporting method for improving beginners' playing skills of rhythm games with dropping notes type for smartphones. In previous research, for improving beginners' playing skills, automatically generated learning chart have been studied, and support for skill improvement of beginner during play of rhythm games have not been studied much. Therefore, this paper proposes support functions for improving playing skills by focusing on the player's notes tapping accuracy and chart recognition ability in playing rhythm games, and shows effectiveness of proposed functions.

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This study investigated the skills acquisition afforded by playing the guitar playing music game Rocksmith and the associated challenges. The detailed examination of Rocksmith players who had acquired advanced skills suggested that there were support elements that needed supplementation and confirmed that when conducting learning activities using commercial games, it is important to learn the support technology built into the game and the skills needed to interact with others in the community support environment.

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The purpose of this study is to develop a game genre scale—the Preference Game Genre Scale—based on the preferences of students specializing in game development and to explore the relationship between each factor of the scale and creativity. With the aim of establishing a methodology to enhance creativity by working on favorite games, we surveyed the degree to which students specializing in game development valued each of the 19 game genre items and their creativity. As a result, six factors were extracted: “concentration on thinking,” “immersed in the story,” “competitive and results-oriented,” “instantaneous judgment,” “role-playing and process-oriented,” and “rhythmic and accuracy-demanding.” “Role-playing and process-oriented” and “rhythmic and accuracy-demanding” were found to be related to creativity, while “concentration on thinking,” “immersed in the story,” “competitive and results-oriented,” and “instantaneous judgment” were not related to creativity. With these results, we were able to provide some basic insights into the characteristics of games that are associated with creativity.

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The global market size of eSports in 2019 was about $9.58 billion. In comparison, the size of the Japanese e-sports market is low at about 6.12 billion yen, lagging behind overseas markets. In order to provide suggestions for the development of eSports in Japan into “Media Entertainment” based on viewing on video sharing platforms, the current status of eSports in Japan was investigated from the aspect of viewing. In conclusion, among male teenagers, fighting games were viewed less, while FPS/TPS made overseas were viewed more frequently. The gap in popular titles between Japan and overseas is becoming smaller. Foreign eSports titles are becoming more popular among younger generations.

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The discussion on game archives does not seem to be sufficiently connected to other fields, except in terms of technology. There are few references to game archives from the perspective of archival research. However, this is also one of the reasons why game archives have traced the ethical issues that have been discussed in archival research. This paper examines the problems of game archives and ways to deconstruct them by referring to Derrida's discussion, one of the major discourses on archives in the humanities. The former deals with the power of the archivist and his passion for the origin of the archive, while the latter deals with the indexical interface that introduces the horizon of emotion. Both of them resist the tyrannical formulation of authentic history through inter-subjectivity. Rethinking the archives of games, which are representative examples of bone digital media and have a close relationship with CGM, can serve as an indicator for considering the relationship between digital archives and users today.

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In this session, taking the Serious Board Game Jam (SBGJ) held in 2018 and 2019 at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature as a case study, (1) The organizers of the event, as well as the participants who developed games for the event, will report on their original plans and what unexpected events they experienced, and through discussion between reporters and Q&A with the audience, and (2) contribute to a multifaceted understanding of the events and factors surrounding SBGJ and its events, in other words, the “ecosystem” of game jams. Although many interviews and questionnaires have been conducted for (2), there are few examples of attempts to take the form of (1). In this session, many discoveries are expected due to discrepancies in recognition rather than consensus.

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Currently, four people including the author (Otani) are making a board game. The title of the boardgame is “Manner Dining Table”. This game started production in the wake of the “Serious Board Game Jam” held at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature in September 2019, and is still in production as of 2021. Two versions of this game have been created so far, but in this article, I will report on the process of production of this “Manner Dining Table”.

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The act of playing a game is an act that takes place in the secondary reality (magic circle), which is different from that of the primary reality, but in fact it is not completely separated from the way players are in the primary reality. In this study, we conducted a content analysis of the play data of “GTA3” in order to detect gender gap in violent behavior, especially during gameplay. The results showed that the frequency of aggressive behavior toward in-game characters differed between male and female.

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This study explores how gender is involved in player-character choice in FPS (first person shooter) games where victory is crucially important for players. We selected 3 representative FPS games and analyzed: (1) how female characters are designed in these games, and (2) how the leading players in e-sports competitions of these games choose their player- characters. The design of female characters in these 3 FPS games reflects some gender bias and stereotypes. Nevertheless, top-level professional gamers chose their player-characters based on the in-game abilities, not gender, of them. And we discuss some implications regarding gender issues in games based on these findings.

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When testing the spatial recognition of men and women, gender differences are often observed. On the other hand, it is possible that gender differences can be reduced by training. In the U.K. and U.S., it has been reported that playing action games regularly for more than an hour a day reduces/eliminates gender differences in spatial recognition. However, in Japan, there are no empirical tests for the same purpose. Therefore, we will confirm whether the gender difference is reduced by game playing in Japan by using a MRT. The results showed that there was no significant difference in MRT by gameplay, but they did indicate the possibility of its improvement.

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Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a concept that is useful not only for automating office work but also for game development. “Machine Heads” is a tool that was developed to control games and embedded systems in an RPA-like manner. In this paper, we will use “Machine Heads” as an example to explain how RPA can be used along with AI to improve game development. Then, we will analyze prospects of how the synergy of RPA and AI can contribute to the game industry as a whole, in our society where AI is constantly evolving.

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MCS-AI Dynamic Cooperative Model (Meta-Character-Spatial AI Dynamic Cooperative Model) in digital game AI is a dynamic system to co-operate three autonomous AIs such as meta-AI, character AI, ands Spatial AI. Spatial AI is an extended model of Navigation AI and acts as an agent to recognize an environment in digital game and inform them for the other AIs. This model can decompose game requirements into functions of three AIs. It acts as a system to stores AI techniques and re-use them. It stores functions of three AIs. The advantages of the model is presented.

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The purpose of this research is to clarify the current state of the game playing environment for youth. This presentation will mainly focus on the statistical data and mass media survey articles on the game playing time and frequency of youth. In the presentation, we will identify and organize the relevant items in the survey. We will then analyze the differences and changes in each item, and attempt to verify and discuss the current status and changes in the game playing time of youth.

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Since 2000, exhibitions of games have been held in various museums and art galleries. These exhibitions are often “game exhibitions” in which games are displayed and (depending on the object) can be played. However, there is a fear that this bias may limit the possibilities of game exhibitions. In order for games, which are mass-produced industrial products, to be used as exhibition materials in museums and as preservation materials, it is necessary to reconfirm the importance of game exhibition as well as to define game materials. For this purpose, it is necessary to consider the diversification of game exhibition from “displaying games” to “displaying with games”. In this presentation, I introduced an exhibition that the author and his colleagues worked on as a case study, and discussed the importance of diversifying game exhibition from “exhibiting games” to “exhibiting with games,” and that the necessity of “exhibiting with games” will increase in the future.

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There are many prior examples of database design for music materials, including Matsushita (1999), Ito (1997), and Toriumi (2010). And Kanai (2015) describes the process of effective metadata design based on the characteristics of music materials. Based on the above, in this study, we will examine the characteristics of game acoustics, which are linear (and interactive) music materials, and organize the issues for the preservation of game music.

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How was the game industry formed? And how have the changes in game hardware and the emergence of smartphones impacted the game industry? In this preliminary study, we present the results of our analysis of the game industry in Japan, including the timing of its establishment, the transition of major players, and the trends of market entry and exit, by combining the RCGS collection constructed by the Game Research Center of Ritsumeikan University and the firm database, with which Hitotsubashi University collaborates.

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In Japan, we are aiming to realize individualized and optimized learning using information and communication technologies. As the number of learners is rapidly increasing, it is necessary to organize the means and attitude for proactive technical learning in the future. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a continuous security learning environment using gamification. In this research, we report on the results of the online trials so far. In addition, we have studied a simulated problem-solving environment for actual information security and constructed a learning environment. We also evaluate the usefulness of the online security learning environment through this approach. These results suggest that the use of an online learning environment with game-like features may improve the learning motivation of beginning learners.

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The development of science and technology has been accompanied by the emergence of a variety of social problems. As a result, universities are now required to provide education on science and technology to students who do not specialize in the field of science and technology. Implement of learning with game was oftenly found in analog games, which has been becoming difficult to implement with the impact of COVID-19. In this study, “nocobon online”, an online version of “nocobon”, a card game teaching material on science, technology, and society, was practiced on 61 undergraduate and graduate students. The result suggests that the practice using “nocobon online” had the effect of increasing interest and literacy in science, technology, and society.

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Recently, the growth of serious games (SGs) and their use has increased across various fields such as education, military, healthcare, and advertising. In this presentation, we will focus on what kinds of information expected users (e.g., researchers, game developers, and educators) need for information retrieval. For this purpose, we will primarily focus on board games used for educational purposes. Through literature reviews and user interviews, we will analyze and indicate the identifiers (identifying elements) of games needed for educational board games.

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Digital game and its related circumstances have become complicated year by year. Furthermore, influence of digital game on other fields and existences such as serious game for social problems, application of game engine’s for non- game development and the so-called game addiction relating to human. If these complicating systems can be considered as is the case in natural ecosystems, digital games can be as “meme” replicating entity (that like a life form based on “meme”, not on gene). In this paper, digital games as “meme” replicating entity by “meme” is discussed for future game science.

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When creating a deck for a trading card game, cards are selected based on the players’ strategy. If the players do not know the name of the card, they usually use the card search system. It is difficult for beginner players to use the existing card search site because the search depends on technical terms. In this paper, we constructed a card search system that allows beginner players to search cards even if they have ambiguous information needs. We constructed a database with 1,181 cards with 7 attributes prepared as search facets and applied it our ring-structured graphical search interface. Intuitive and flexible search is provided by simple ring operation. Users can add, delete and adjust search keys by adding, deleting and rotating rings. We performed a usability test comparing an existing card search site with 36 participants. The result reveled the proposed system allowed users with ambiguous information needs to search efficiently and accurately.

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This paper proposes a match play analysis interface for fighting game based on frequency used of characters' skills according to the distance between characters and the arbitrary time period during the match time. Conventional analysis of match play and watching support have been considered on the distance between characters, but have not been considered about arbitrary time period during match time of user's focused. However, this paper develops a match play analysis interface that allows users to dynamically control the distance between characters and arbitrary time period during the match time, and evaluates effectiveness of the system through evaluation experiments.

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This is a practical research using Unreal Engine to study the time efficiency of applying assets instead of making the whole game original only. We will create a map with the assets applied, and then create an original map within the converted time constraints. User testing of both maps will be conducted, and semi-structured interviews will be conducted to check for differences in completion and playability. Based on the above steps, we will develop the final content including both the assets only map and the original + assets map, and summarize the final comparison in the research paper.

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The “Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design” is a collection of patterns for board game mechanics. The authors attempted to construct a pattern language by focusing on the references between the patterns in the book. First, we confirmed the centrality of categories (chapters in the target book) by network analysis of graph structures. Next, we extracted the parent-child relationships found in patterns, focusing on categories with high centrality. In addition, we analyzed the network of patterns that are used simultaneously. By feeding these results back to the pattern descriptions, the relationships between patterns can be more easily understood, and a pattern language can be constructed.

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The number of publicly funded videogames planned by local governments and developed by private companies for the purpose of regional revitalization is increasing. This paper defines these games as “revitalization games” and clarifies their status and prospect.

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“Continuing” is a big issue in learning. It is challenging to continue if the content is hard or covers broad area. In this study, we prototyped a VStudy app which is intended to study information science, combined with the game as a means for extrinsic motivation keeping method. Regarding to the content part for learning, we considered that various learning materials can be expanded or replaced to be used.

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RPA is an epoch-making tool that is useful not only for automating office work but also for game development. “Machine Heads” was developed by integrating AI technology into RPA. This paper shows the concrete example of how “Machine Heads”​＜1＞ ​can be used in actual game development. And we report on the prospects for how can use “Machine Heads” in the future.

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RPGs are a popular game genre in Japan. We hypothesized that the play style is unique in Japan and that the interests that motivate people to play are different. Therefore, we conducted a qualitative survey on the impressions of RPGs that drive interest. As a result of the analysis, the following factors were extracted: “high engagement” and “experience and growth” that attract interest, “antipathy to the system” and “dislike of the system” that reduce interest, and “devotion to the title” and “character preference” that are related to both of these factors.

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Multiplayer games are divided into roles based on job or class. Players choose a role to play the game, but the selection index is less clear. We conducted a survey on the roles that players prefer to play, to make proper level design by the index. As a result of our analysis, we were able to extract unique elements that can be used as selection indicators for each role.

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Players start playing games they are interested in, and this motivates them to continue playing. However, the style of play in Japan is unique, and the motivating factors are likely to be diverse. Therefore, we conducted a qualitative survey on the sources of motivation. As a result, we found factors that have not been identified in existing research, and the factors classified as “immersion” are subdivided.

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Communication ability and cooperativeness are necessary for adults. However, university students who are not involved in organizations are not good at them. Therefore, in this study, we developed a prototype of the serious game called “Colors Passport”, which aims to improve cooperation by the experience of teaming activity. As a motif of the game, we have applied the overseas trip of a group. In this paper, we report the outline of the game and the evaluation results.

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There is research on new sensory interfaces that can be felt with the body to enhance the experience of interactive content. One of them is a device that gives force feedback to the player's whole body through vibration stimulation when the player is hit by a bullet in a game. However, it is difficult to reproduce more realistic sensation of being hit by a bullet with a single feedback by vibration stimulus. In this research, we investigated the sensation of being hit by a bullet and focused on the bleeding. Then we developed the HaT Vest (Haptic and Thermal Vest), which presents the sensation of being shot by thermal stimuli and is linked to the game. As a result of the evaluation experiment, it was found that this method can present the sensation of bleeding at the point of being shot.

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The fun of a horror game lies in the player's experience of fear. Surprises are often used to help the player experience a high level of fear. However, there is a problem that players become accustomed to the stimuli that surprises provide. If the player becomes accustomed to the stimuli, the goal of the horror game, which is to give the player a sense of fear, may not be achieved. In this study, we developed a system that can avoid the player's habituation. In the proposed system, we measured the player's heart rate in real time during gameplay, and changed the timing and type of surprises depending on the value of the heart rate.

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The planning process is important in game production. For this reason, there are studies that have attempted to improve the planning skills of game production. Most of them are done in groups, and it is difficult for students and beginners in game development to work on them actively and continuously. Therefore, this study focused on gamification to support the training of individual game idea generation. Using gamification, we developed the GTIGA system, which enables individuals to enjoy repeated training of idea generation. Then we conducted an evaluation experiment using the system. As a result, 80% of the users enjoyed the system. In addition, 80% of the users stated that they would like to continue using the system.

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In recent years, there has been a great deal of studies on how to design games that follow the emotions of the players in various games. In this study, we focused on the voice that players make during gameplay. During gameplay, players may utter speech at will. We use the acoustic features of these speech sounds as input information to infer emotions. We developed a DAAF system that dynamically controls the difficulty level of the game by taking the emotions into account. Furthermore, we created a demo game using the DAAF system and conducted experiments. As a result, we were able to adjust the difficulty level for each player.

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Covid-19 is a disease infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus, a new type of coronavirus. There are seven similar genetic sequence coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, there are the possibility that some people have gained immunity to the old types of coronavirus. As the recent studies show, coronaviruses are spread by bat, so the simulation of bat movement might show us some hint to solve the Covid-19 problems. In this report, we show the overview of the bat simulation and visualization system which is to show the virus propagation process by the contact of the bat group in the local area.

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