Meaningful Play 2010 Conference Proceedings

Overview

Meaningful Play 2010 took place October 21 - 23, 2010 in East Lansing, MI, USA on the campus of Michigan State University. It was hosted by the MSU Serious Games Program.

Peer Review Process

All paper submissions were peer-reviewed by at least three members of the program committee (see below) specializing in the area of the paper topic.

Top Paper Awards

Paper submissions were considered for Top Paper awards by the program committee. Top Paper awardees were invited to submit a modified manuscript to the Meaningful Play 2010 Special Issue of the International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations (IJGCMS). The International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations (IJGCMS) is a peer-reviewed, international journal devoted to the theoretical and empirical understanding of electronic games and computer-mediated simulations.

Papers

Below are the papers included in the electronic proceedings. Follow the links to view the abstracts or complete papers when available.

  • Adventure Games, Role Play, & Forced Play

    Adventure Games Design: Insight and Sense-making
    By: Clara Fernandez Vara and Scot Osterweil
    view abstract- view paper

    Impacts of Forced Serious Game Play on Vulnerable Subgroups (Top Paper Award)
    By: Carrie Heeter, Yu-Hao Lee, Brian Magerko and Ben Medler
    view abstract- view paper

    Role Player's Perspectives on Learning
    By: David Simkins
    view abstract

  • Assessing Games for Health

    A Mobile Game Aiming to Evoke Arousal Effects of Nicotine
    By: Jessica Mezei, Azadeh Jamaian, Pazit Levitan, Jessica Hammer and Charles Kinzer
    view abstract- view paper

    Assessing At-Risk: Strategies for evaluating a training simulation-based game for suicide prevention
    By: Ron Goldman
    view abstract

    Life and Death in the Age of Malaria: A risk-reduction game for study abroad students
    By: Laurie Hartjes
    view abstract

  • Body-Centered Interaction

    Body Centred Interaction: Meaningful Design and Aesthetic Distance
    By: Mitu Khandaker
    view abstract- view paper

    Gaming in Physical Liberation: Three Case Studies
    By: John Eulenberg and Chelsea Marks
    view abstract- view paper

  • Communities & social gaming

    Computer Visualizations of Social Learning Affinity Spaces in "Sploder"
    By: Alex Games and Chandan Sarkar
    view abstract

    Tabletop gaming among strangers in public places: Forecasting who will play and why
    By: Becky Scott, Shasha Zhang, Carrie Heeter and Chandan Sarkar
    view abstract

    Who Spends Money on Virtual Items
    By: D. Yvette Wohn and Eun-Kyung Na
    view abstract- view paper

  • Design research methods for serious games

    Bringing Families Closer - Designing a Game for a Complex Social Situation
    By: Amani Naseem and Ida Marie Toft
    view abstract- view paper

    Worked Examples and Playpower.org: Proposed Methods for Video Game Design Research
    By: Derek Lomas and Kishan Patel
    view abstract

  • Ethical Reflection in Games

    Constructive Carnage - Violent Gameplay as Affective Ethical Instruction
    By: M.-Niclas Heckner
    view abstract- view paper

    First Person Victim - Using Tragedy and Engagement to Create Awareness about the Consequences of War
    By: Henrik Schoenau-Fog, Luis Emilio Bruni, Faysal Fuad Khalil and Jawid Faizi
    view abstract- view paper

    Videogames and the Ethics of Care (Top Paper Award)
    By: John Murphy and Jose Zagal
    view abstract- view paper

  • Gaming & Climate Change: 3 diverse lenses

    Challenging Games or Digital Textbooks? Content analysis of message structure and learning principles in serious games
    By: Yu-hao Lee
    view abstract- view paper

    What Erotic Tetris Has to Teach Serious Games About Being Serious? Design implications of an experiential ontology of game content
    By: Olli Tapio Leino
    view abstract- view paper

  • Intrinsic Motivation, Exercise, and Exergaming

    Defining Exergames & Exergaming
    By: Yoonsin Oh and Stephen Yang
    view abstract- view paper

    Developing a Video Game to Increase Intrinsic Motivation to Exercise
    By: Wei Peng, Brian Winn, Karin Pfeiffer, Julia Crouse and Jih-Hsuan Tammy Lin
    view abstract- view paper

    World of Workout: Towards pervasive, intrinsically motivated, mobile exergaming
    By: Katelyn Doran, Shaun Pickford, Cory Austin, Tory Walker and Tiffany Barnes
    view abstract- view paper

  • Learning by Making Games

    Examining the evolution in the Game Design and Computer Science Discourse practices of Middle School Students in the Globaloria Learning Environment
    By: Alex Games
    view abstract- view paper

    Service Learning and Computer Games
    By: Bruce Maxim, Matthew Sable, Margaret Turton and John Cristianio
    view abstract- view paper

  • Multiple Media, Third Spaces, & Magic

    Magic: The Gathering in material and virtual space: An ethnographic approach toward understanding players who dislike online play
    By: Aaron Trammell
    view abstract- view paper

    Museum Games and the Third Space
    By: Elizabeth Goins
    view abstract- view paper

    Television, Games, and Mathematics: Effects of Children's Interactions with Multiple Media (Top Paper Award)
    By: Sandra Crespo, Vince Melfi, Shalom Fisch, Richard Lesh and Elizabeth Motoki
    view abstract- view paper

  • Optimizing Emotion, Believability, & Choice

    Optimizing the Psychological Benefits of Choice: Information Transparency & Heuristic Use in Game Environments (Top Paper Award)
    By: James Cummings and Travis Ross
    view abstract- view paper

    The Art of Nailing Pudding To The Wall - Strategies on Modeling Abstract Concepts in Games
    By: Doris Carmen Rusch
    view abstract- view paper

    What Do You Mean by Believable Characters? : The Effect of the Character Newness, Rating and Evilness on the Perception of the Character Believability
    By: Michael Lee and Carrie Heeter
    view abstract- view paper

  • Player Literacy, player biographies, & player criticism

    Calling on Your Peers: Collective Information Literacy in World of Warcraft
    By: Crystle Martin and Constance Steinkuehler
    view abstract- view paper

    Let's Play: Vernacular Video Game Criticism and the Composition Classroom
    By: Kevin Rutherford
    view abstract

    Playful Learning Experiences. Meaningful learning patterns in players' biographies (Top Paper Award)
    By: Konstantin Mitgutsch
    view abstract- view paper

  • Problem solving games

    Enhancing Performance in the "Force Concept Inventory" Test Using Homework Gameplay While Involving Physics Teachers in the Level Design Process: Spacefart
    By: Patrice Potvin, Martin Riopel, Julien Mercier, Patrick Charland, Alexandre Ayotte and Francois Boucher-Genesse
    view abstract- view paper

    Online Games as Social-Computational Systems for Solving NP-complete Problems
    By: Charles Cusack, Jeff Largent, Ryan Alfuth and Kimberly Klask
    view abstract- view paper

    Scotty in the Engine Room - A Game to Help Learn Digital System Design
    By: Peter Jamieson
    view abstract- view paper

  • Serious game design case studies

    'I play, therefore I learn?' Measuring the Evolution of Perceived Learning and Game Experience in the Design Flow of a Serious Game
    By: Frederik De Grove, Jan Van Looy, Cedric Courtois and Lieven De Marez
    view abstract- view paper

    Developing a Face-to-Face Highly Creative Play Experience
    By: Benjamin Miller
    view abstract- view paper

    System Design Evolution of The Prepared Partner: How a Labor and Childbirth Game Came to Term
    By: Alexandra Holloway and Sri Kurniawan
    view abstract- view paper

  • The Science of Rehabilitation

    Game-based motor rehabilitation: Moving beyond the Wii
    By: Belinda Lange
    view abstract

    Implementing neuroplasticity principled training paradigms with rhythmic exer-games for all ages and disease processes
    By: Shaw Bronner, Adam Noah and Atsumichi Tachnibana
    view abstract- view paper

    Neural feedforward and feedback mechanisms of meaningful game play
    By: Adam Noah, Shaw Bronner and Atsumichi Tachibana
    view abstract

Panels

Below are the panels included in the electronic proceedings. Follow the links to view the abstracts.

  • Alternate Reality Games: Interdisciplinary Designers, Designing Interactions
    view abstract

    Beth Bonsignore, iSchool, University of Maryland
    Rachel Donahue, iSchool, University of Maryland
    Georgina Goodlander, Luce Foundation Center, Smithsonian American Art Museum
    Kari Kraus, iSchool and Department of English, University of Maryland
    Marc Ruppel, Department of English, University of Maryland

  • Educational Game Design for Everyone: Successes, Challenges and Insights of using Game Design as Pedagogy within Formal and Informal Learning Setting
    view abstract

    Alex Games, Michigan State University
    Kirk Riley, Information Technology Empowerment Center
    Rachel Schiff, Microsoft Fuse Labs
    Idit Caperton, World Wide Workshop Foundation
    Scott Quibell, Kodu Club at Explorer Elementary, Kentwood Public Schools
    Kurt Squire, University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • From Research to Practice: Digital Media and Games as Meaningful Tools for Learning
    view abstract

    Constance Steinkuehler, University of Wisconsin-Madison
    Danielle Herro, University of Wisconsin-Madison
    Elizabeth King, University of Wisconsin-Madison
    Crystle Martin, University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • Games for Rehabilitation: How do we find the balance between play and therapy?
    view abstract

    Belinda Lange, Institute for Creative Technologies, University of Southern California
    Debra Lieberman, University of California, Santa Barbara and Health Games Research
    Sheryl Flynn, Physical therapist and research consultant, CEO of Blue Marble Game Co
    Jamie Antonisse, Game designer Vaguley Spectacular and Peanut Gallery Games

  • Games-Based Affinity Spaces: Connecting Youth to 21st Century Writing Practices
    view abstract

    Constance Steinkuehler, University of Wisconsin-Madison
    Alecia Marie Magnifico, University of Wisconsin-Madison
    Jayne C. Lammers, Arizona State University
    Elizabeth King, University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • Growing the Game Industry in Michigan: Two Years Later
    view abstract

    Brian Winn (moderator), Michigan State University
    Nathaniel McClure, CEO, Scientifically Proven Entertainment
    Jared Riley, CEO, Hero Interactive
    Gjon Camaj, CEO, Image Space
    Matt Toschlog, President, Reactor Zero
    Ken Droz, Former Communications Consultant, Michigan Film Office

  • Mapping the Sandbox: Freedom and Boundaries in Player Choices
    view abstract

    Ted Freeseman, Bowling Green State University
    Tim Bavlnka, Bowling Green State University
    Menghan Liu, Bowling Green State University
    Nicholas Ware, University of Central Florida

  • Social Responsibility: Musings on Harnessing the Power of Social Games for Good
    view abstract

    James Portnow, Rainmaker Games
    Nick Fortugno, Playmatics
    Neils Clark, Digipen

  • Taboo: Are there areas in which meaningful play must not, cannot tread?
    view abstract

    Lindsay Grace, Miami University
    Braxton Soderman, Brown University
    Shira Chess, Miami University

  • Teaching Meaning: The Challenge (or lack thereof) of Encouraging Student Designers/Developers to Make Meaningful Play
    view abstract

    Shira Chess, Miami University
    Lindsay Grace, Miami University
    Peter Jamieson, Miami University
    William Brinkman, Miami University

  • Zombies vs. Knaves: Playing Games in Cultural Institutions
    view abstract

    Georgina Goodlander, Smithsonian American Art Museum
    Amanda Ohlke, International Spy Museum
    Margeaux Johnson, University of Florida Libraries
    Jesse Heinzen, Minnesota Historical Society
    Susan Edwards, J. Paul Getty Trust
    Erin Branham, J. Paul Getty Museum

Organizers

Organizing Committee

Program Committee