2023
Alha, Kati; Leorke, Dale; Koskinen, Elina; Paavilainen, Janne
Augmented Play: An Analysis of Augmented Reality Features in Location-based Games Journal Article
In: Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, vol. 29, iss. 2, 2023, ISSN: 1354-8565.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Augmented reality, Location-based game, Mobile games
@article{Alha2023b,
title = {Augmented Play: An Analysis of Augmented Reality Features in Location-based Games},
author = {Kati Alha and Dale Leorke and Elina Koskinen and Janne Paavilainen},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202303223074
},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565231156495},
issn = {1354-8565},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-02-13},
urldate = {2023-02-13},
journal = {Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies},
volume = {29},
issue = {2},
abstract = {As well as popularising location-based games, Pokémon GO helped connect location-based play with augmented reality (AR), bringing this still-nascent technology into the mainstream. Despite growing use of AR, its long-promised revolutionary potential remains stifled by limited innovation, technical barriers and lack of uptake by users. To explore how AR figures into location-based games, we analysed 11 location-based games with AR features. We identify four overarching ways these games incorporate the physical environment into gameplay: through superimposition, blending, immersivity and materiality. Our findings show that AR is most commonly a gimmick rather than a central element of the game experience and remains substantially hindered by technical glitches and limitations. While more advanced and deeply integrated AR mechanics are emerging, its use in location-based games remain far from the ‘technological imaginaries’ that have accompanied its development as AR continually oscillates between its status as a ‘mundane’ and ‘always-imminent’ technology.},
keywords = {Augmented reality, Location-based game, Mobile games},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
As well as popularising location-based games, Pokémon GO helped connect location-based play with augmented reality (AR), bringing this still-nascent technology into the mainstream. Despite growing use of AR, its long-promised revolutionary potential remains stifled by limited innovation, technical barriers and lack of uptake by users. To explore how AR figures into location-based games, we analysed 11 location-based games with AR features. We identify four overarching ways these games incorporate the physical environment into gameplay: through superimposition, blending, immersivity and materiality. Our findings show that AR is most commonly a gimmick rather than a central element of the game experience and remains substantially hindered by technical glitches and limitations. While more advanced and deeply integrated AR mechanics are emerging, its use in location-based games remain far from the ‘technological imaginaries’ that have accompanied its development as AR continually oscillates between its status as a ‘mundane’ and ‘always-imminent’ technology.
2022
Järvenpää, Hanna
Interpretation, Negotiation, Play: A Multiple Case Study of Playful Reader Engagement with an Augmented Reality Picturebook Journal Article
In: Barnboken, vol. 45, 2022, ISSN: 0347-772X.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Aesthetics and pedagogy, Augmented reality, Digital children’s literature, Picturebook apps, Playfulness, Shared reading
@article{Järvenpää2022,
title = {Interpretation, Negotiation, Play: A Multiple Case Study of Playful Reader Engagement with an Augmented Reality Picturebook},
author = {Hanna Järvenpää},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202210114843},
doi = {10.14811/clr.v45.717},
issn = {0347-772X},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-10-06},
urldate = {2022-10-06},
journal = {Barnboken},
volume = {45},
abstract = {Augmented reality (AR) picturebooks combine printed children's literature with augmented reality. This study examines the shared reading of the Finnish AR picturebook Mur, eli karhu (2016) by Kaisa Happonen and Anne Vasko. The main aim of the study is to explore the playful reading experience of three Finnish families with children between the ages of 4 and 6. Three main categories of engagement with the book are discussed in the article: interpretation, negotiation, and play. The findings of the study suggest that children are skilled users of mobile digital media but may not understand the content of AR without parental mediation. In addition, parents and educators are required to have substantial pedagogical and aesthetic knowledge to successfully support children’s engagement with hybrid and multimodal literary works. This knowledge involves understanding both children’s literature and the digital medium.},
keywords = {Aesthetics and pedagogy, Augmented reality, Digital children’s literature, Picturebook apps, Playfulness, Shared reading},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Augmented reality (AR) picturebooks combine printed children's literature with augmented reality. This study examines the shared reading of the Finnish AR picturebook Mur, eli karhu (2016) by Kaisa Happonen and Anne Vasko. The main aim of the study is to explore the playful reading experience of three Finnish families with children between the ages of 4 and 6. Three main categories of engagement with the book are discussed in the article: interpretation, negotiation, and play. The findings of the study suggest that children are skilled users of mobile digital media but may not understand the content of AR without parental mediation. In addition, parents and educators are required to have substantial pedagogical and aesthetic knowledge to successfully support children’s engagement with hybrid and multimodal literary works. This knowledge involves understanding both children’s literature and the digital medium.
2021
Arjoranta, Jonne; Koskimaa, Raine; Siitonen, Marko
Immersive Gaming as Journalism Book Section
In: Uskali, Turo; Gynnhild, Astrid; Jones, Sarah; Sirkkunen, Esa (Ed.): Immersive Journalism as Storytelling: Ethics, Production, and Design, pp. 136-147, Routledge, 2021, ISBN: 978-1-138-33764-0.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Augmented reality, Digital games, Digital technology, Gamification, Immersiivinen journalismi, Immersion, Immersive gaming, Immersive technology, Journalism, Osallistaminen, Virtual reality
@incollection{Arjoranta2021,
title = {Immersive Gaming as Journalism},
author = {Jonne Arjoranta and Raine Koskimaa and Marko Siitonen},
editor = {Turo Uskali and Astrid Gynnhild and Sarah Jones and Esa Sirkkunen},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202005043035},
doi = {10.4324/9780429437748-15},
isbn = {978-1-138-33764-0},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-13},
booktitle = {Immersive Journalism as Storytelling: Ethics, Production, and Design},
pages = {136-147},
publisher = {Routledge},
abstract = {As a field, journalism constantly strives to connect with its audiences and find ways to utilize emerging media technologies in its operations. Sometimes this is done simply to reach audiences that have ceased to use traditional media, or to invite new audiences in, but often it is also a matter of perceived benefits related to using the affordances of certain technological solutions. One recent example is the interest surrounding the concept of immersion. For example, recent research has explored the question of whether there is a connection between the immersiveness of a technology and the users’ empathetic responses (Archer & Finger 2018; Herrera et al. 2018). While some of these explorations are done specifically within the context of journalism, there is a considerable amount of overlap between different fields of interest, warranting a broader look at how the concept of immersion has been theorized.
},
keywords = {Augmented reality, Digital games, Digital technology, Gamification, Immersiivinen journalismi, Immersion, Immersive gaming, Immersive technology, Journalism, Osallistaminen, Virtual reality},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
As a field, journalism constantly strives to connect with its audiences and find ways to utilize emerging media technologies in its operations. Sometimes this is done simply to reach audiences that have ceased to use traditional media, or to invite new audiences in, but often it is also a matter of perceived benefits related to using the affordances of certain technological solutions. One recent example is the interest surrounding the concept of immersion. For example, recent research has explored the question of whether there is a connection between the immersiveness of a technology and the users’ empathetic responses (Archer & Finger 2018; Herrera et al. 2018). While some of these explorations are done specifically within the context of journalism, there is a considerable amount of overlap between different fields of interest, warranting a broader look at how the concept of immersion has been theorized.
2020
Alha, Kati
The Rise of Free-to-Play: How the Revenue Model Changed Games and Playing PhD Thesis
2020, ISBN: 978-952-03-1774-4.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Attitudes, Augmented reality, Ethics, Evaluation, Experience, Facebook, Free-to-play, Freemium, Future, Game industry, Grossing, Heuristics, Literature review, Metascore, Mobile gaming, Paying, Playability, Pokémon Go, Reviews, Sales, Social games, Social networks, Virtual goods
@phdthesis{Alha2020,
title = {The Rise of Free-to-Play: How the Revenue Model Changed Games and Playing},
author = {Kati Alha},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-1774-4
},
isbn = {978-952-03-1774-4},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-12-11},
abstract = {Free-to-play games have permanently transformed the game industry. Offering a game for free and gaining income through voluntary purchases during gameplay have proven to be the most successful way to gain revenue. Due to the model, more people than ever before play games, and the economic significance of games as business has multiplied. Simultaneously, the model has received a backlash for offering inferior, imbalanced game experiences that take advantage of players, manipulating them into playing and paying.
Despite the criticism and changes in game experiences, the research on free-to-play games is still heavily focused on economic aspects, with the goal to maximize revenue and find the best practices by which to implement the model. The voices of players are measured mostly through log data or quantitative surveys, while exploratory, qualitative research has been in the minority. The significance of free-to-play games and their connection to our game culture and society are still lacking critical inspection.
This dissertation takes up the challenge by studying free-to-play games from various perspectives through multiple methods, concentrating on qualitative approaches. The work shows the broad view of how and why free-to-play games have become so successful, how they have transformed games, and what problematic aspects are connected to them. The main claims of this dissertation are connected to: 1) the undervaluation of free-to-play games; 2) the unique challenges between money and gameplay experience; 3) the different framings of fairness and equality; 4) the need for transparency and legislation; and 5) the transformative power of free-to-play games on the consumption and creation of games.
The results show that while free-to-play games are played extensively, they are less valued than other games. This is especially true with mobile or casual free-to-play games and is descriptive of how we appraise and evaluate games. The lack of appreciation is connected to the nature of many free-to-play games, which are often never-ending and slow-paced, and offer challenges that differ from other games. The experiences that these games offer are different from the traditional, meritocratic values we have come to expect from games, and especially allowing advancement with money is in direct conflict with these values. The devaluation is shown in how the games are discussed, how they are reviewed (or not reviewed at all) by game journalists, and how they are studied. The players who engage with these games can also be excluded from gaming communities and gaming identities. At the same time, the challenges of the revenue model have resulted in new, creative solutions that bring diversity into game experiences and offer flexible playing for wider audiences.
The ethical issues connected to free-to-play games do need to be taken seriously. Problems connected to a lack of transparency, problematic playing, a resemblance to gambling, marketing to under-aged players, and privacy issues raise valid concerns. While free-to-play companies need to be especially mindful in giving players enough information and to implement tools to prevent accidental purchases and problematic playing, the industry also needs regulation that comes from outside itself. Thus, to create fair and functional legislation, we need academic and industry expertise in the committees doing the legislative work.
Despite the challenges and undervaluation that free-to-play games encounter, it is an indisputable fact that their impact on the game industry and on game consumption is both formidable and irreversible. They therefore deserve our attention and a critical exploration as a legitimate part of game culture. If you do not know free-to-play games, you do not know games.},
keywords = {Attitudes, Augmented reality, Ethics, Evaluation, Experience, Facebook, Free-to-play, Freemium, Future, Game industry, Grossing, Heuristics, Literature review, Metascore, Mobile gaming, Paying, Playability, Pokémon Go, Reviews, Sales, Social games, Social networks, Virtual goods},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
Free-to-play games have permanently transformed the game industry. Offering a game for free and gaining income through voluntary purchases during gameplay have proven to be the most successful way to gain revenue. Due to the model, more people than ever before play games, and the economic significance of games as business has multiplied. Simultaneously, the model has received a backlash for offering inferior, imbalanced game experiences that take advantage of players, manipulating them into playing and paying.
Despite the criticism and changes in game experiences, the research on free-to-play games is still heavily focused on economic aspects, with the goal to maximize revenue and find the best practices by which to implement the model. The voices of players are measured mostly through log data or quantitative surveys, while exploratory, qualitative research has been in the minority. The significance of free-to-play games and their connection to our game culture and society are still lacking critical inspection.
This dissertation takes up the challenge by studying free-to-play games from various perspectives through multiple methods, concentrating on qualitative approaches. The work shows the broad view of how and why free-to-play games have become so successful, how they have transformed games, and what problematic aspects are connected to them. The main claims of this dissertation are connected to: 1) the undervaluation of free-to-play games; 2) the unique challenges between money and gameplay experience; 3) the different framings of fairness and equality; 4) the need for transparency and legislation; and 5) the transformative power of free-to-play games on the consumption and creation of games.
The results show that while free-to-play games are played extensively, they are less valued than other games. This is especially true with mobile or casual free-to-play games and is descriptive of how we appraise and evaluate games. The lack of appreciation is connected to the nature of many free-to-play games, which are often never-ending and slow-paced, and offer challenges that differ from other games. The experiences that these games offer are different from the traditional, meritocratic values we have come to expect from games, and especially allowing advancement with money is in direct conflict with these values. The devaluation is shown in how the games are discussed, how they are reviewed (or not reviewed at all) by game journalists, and how they are studied. The players who engage with these games can also be excluded from gaming communities and gaming identities. At the same time, the challenges of the revenue model have resulted in new, creative solutions that bring diversity into game experiences and offer flexible playing for wider audiences.
The ethical issues connected to free-to-play games do need to be taken seriously. Problems connected to a lack of transparency, problematic playing, a resemblance to gambling, marketing to under-aged players, and privacy issues raise valid concerns. While free-to-play companies need to be especially mindful in giving players enough information and to implement tools to prevent accidental purchases and problematic playing, the industry also needs regulation that comes from outside itself. Thus, to create fair and functional legislation, we need academic and industry expertise in the committees doing the legislative work.
Despite the challenges and undervaluation that free-to-play games encounter, it is an indisputable fact that their impact on the game industry and on game consumption is both formidable and irreversible. They therefore deserve our attention and a critical exploration as a legitimate part of game culture. If you do not know free-to-play games, you do not know games.
Despite the criticism and changes in game experiences, the research on free-to-play games is still heavily focused on economic aspects, with the goal to maximize revenue and find the best practices by which to implement the model. The voices of players are measured mostly through log data or quantitative surveys, while exploratory, qualitative research has been in the minority. The significance of free-to-play games and their connection to our game culture and society are still lacking critical inspection.
This dissertation takes up the challenge by studying free-to-play games from various perspectives through multiple methods, concentrating on qualitative approaches. The work shows the broad view of how and why free-to-play games have become so successful, how they have transformed games, and what problematic aspects are connected to them. The main claims of this dissertation are connected to: 1) the undervaluation of free-to-play games; 2) the unique challenges between money and gameplay experience; 3) the different framings of fairness and equality; 4) the need for transparency and legislation; and 5) the transformative power of free-to-play games on the consumption and creation of games.
The results show that while free-to-play games are played extensively, they are less valued than other games. This is especially true with mobile or casual free-to-play games and is descriptive of how we appraise and evaluate games. The lack of appreciation is connected to the nature of many free-to-play games, which are often never-ending and slow-paced, and offer challenges that differ from other games. The experiences that these games offer are different from the traditional, meritocratic values we have come to expect from games, and especially allowing advancement with money is in direct conflict with these values. The devaluation is shown in how the games are discussed, how they are reviewed (or not reviewed at all) by game journalists, and how they are studied. The players who engage with these games can also be excluded from gaming communities and gaming identities. At the same time, the challenges of the revenue model have resulted in new, creative solutions that bring diversity into game experiences and offer flexible playing for wider audiences.
The ethical issues connected to free-to-play games do need to be taken seriously. Problems connected to a lack of transparency, problematic playing, a resemblance to gambling, marketing to under-aged players, and privacy issues raise valid concerns. While free-to-play companies need to be especially mindful in giving players enough information and to implement tools to prevent accidental purchases and problematic playing, the industry also needs regulation that comes from outside itself. Thus, to create fair and functional legislation, we need academic and industry expertise in the committees doing the legislative work.
Despite the challenges and undervaluation that free-to-play games encounter, it is an indisputable fact that their impact on the game industry and on game consumption is both formidable and irreversible. They therefore deserve our attention and a critical exploration as a legitimate part of game culture. If you do not know free-to-play games, you do not know games.
Nansen, Bjørn; Apperley, Thomas H.
The Postdigital Playground: Children's Public Play Spaces in the Smart City Book Section
In: Leorke, Dale; Owens, Marcus (Ed.): Games and Play in the Creative, Smart and Ecological City, pp. 116-132, Routledge, 2020, ISBN: 978-0-367-44123-4.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Augmented reality, Children, Mobile media, Playgrounds, Postdigital play, Public space, Smart city
@incollection{Nansen2020b,
title = {The Postdigital Playground: Children's Public Play Spaces in the Smart City},
author = {Bjørn Nansen and Thomas H. Apperley},
editor = {Dale Leorke and Marcus Owens},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202102091989},
doi = {10.4324/9781003007760},
isbn = {978-0-367-44123-4},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-11-16},
urldate = {2020-11-16},
booktitle = {Games and Play in the Creative, Smart and Ecological City},
pages = {116-132},
publisher = {Routledge},
abstract = {This chapter examines the integration of children’s public play spaces into the infrastructures of the smart city. While prior research has focused on personal mobile devices, this chapter examines deliberate design interventions that digitally augment children’s play spaces. Drawing on perspectives from children’s geography and game studies to conceptualise childhood play in the smart city, the chapter highlights the sometimes-contradictory relations that emerge. These contradictions arise in the smart city through the digital augmentation of spaces historically and culturally designated as play-spaces. We introduce the notion of the postdigital to emphasisze the blurring of boundaries of digital and non-digital play in children’s play in playgrounds and conceptualise the integration of playgrounds into digital infrastructures in
relation to the broader impact that the smart city has on the uses of public space.
This chapter explores this ongoing integration of playgrounds into the smart city through two recent examples of interactive play designs that digitally augment public playgrounds and parks: HybridPlay, and Disney Fairy TrailTrails. These examples of postdigital play in public playgrounds are analysed in terms of their functionality, representation, and online reception. Operating within along a broader trajectory of smart city infrastructures characterised by the blurring of discrete spaces of sociality, these examples of postdigital play highlight tensions associated with the cultural sensibilities and historical meanings attached to public play spaces, digital technologies, and childhood.},
keywords = {Augmented reality, Children, Mobile media, Playgrounds, Postdigital play, Public space, Smart city},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
This chapter examines the integration of children’s public play spaces into the infrastructures of the smart city. While prior research has focused on personal mobile devices, this chapter examines deliberate design interventions that digitally augment children’s play spaces. Drawing on perspectives from children’s geography and game studies to conceptualise childhood play in the smart city, the chapter highlights the sometimes-contradictory relations that emerge. These contradictions arise in the smart city through the digital augmentation of spaces historically and culturally designated as play-spaces. We introduce the notion of the postdigital to emphasisze the blurring of boundaries of digital and non-digital play in children’s play in playgrounds and conceptualise the integration of playgrounds into digital infrastructures in
relation to the broader impact that the smart city has on the uses of public space.
This chapter explores this ongoing integration of playgrounds into the smart city through two recent examples of interactive play designs that digitally augment public playgrounds and parks: HybridPlay, and Disney Fairy TrailTrails. These examples of postdigital play in public playgrounds are analysed in terms of their functionality, representation, and online reception. Operating within along a broader trajectory of smart city infrastructures characterised by the blurring of discrete spaces of sociality, these examples of postdigital play highlight tensions associated with the cultural sensibilities and historical meanings attached to public play spaces, digital technologies, and childhood.
relation to the broader impact that the smart city has on the uses of public space.
This chapter explores this ongoing integration of playgrounds into the smart city through two recent examples of interactive play designs that digitally augment public playgrounds and parks: HybridPlay, and Disney Fairy TrailTrails. These examples of postdigital play in public playgrounds are analysed in terms of their functionality, representation, and online reception. Operating within along a broader trajectory of smart city infrastructures characterised by the blurring of discrete spaces of sociality, these examples of postdigital play highlight tensions associated with the cultural sensibilities and historical meanings attached to public play spaces, digital technologies, and childhood.
2019
Koskinen, Elina; Alha, Kati; Leorke, Dale; Paavilainen, Janne
Middle-aged Players’ Memorable Experiences with Pokémon GO Proceedings Article
In: DiGRA '19 - Proceedings of the 2019 DiGRA International Conference: Game, Play and the Emerging Ludo-Mix, DiGRA, 2019, ISSN: 2342-9666.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Augmented reality, Location-based game, Middle-aged players, Older gamers, Player experience, Pokémon Go
@inproceedings{Koskinen2019b,
title = {Middle-aged Players’ Memorable Experiences with Pokémon GO},
author = {Elina Koskinen and Kati Alha and Dale Leorke and Janne Paavilainen},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202009016828},
issn = {2342-9666},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-08-06},
booktitle = {DiGRA '19 - Proceedings of the 2019 DiGRA International Conference: Game, Play and the Emerging Ludo-Mix},
publisher = {DiGRA},
abstract = {As the first location-based augmented reality game to gain mainstream popularity, Pokémon GO also reached an older demographic of players that have traditionally played less and whose play experiences are under-researched. In this article, we present the findings of a qualitative survey study (n=349) focusing on the middle-aged (40–65-year-old) Pokémon GO players’ memorable experiences from the time when the game’s popularity was at its peak and its player base likely most diverse. We analyzed the open-ended survey responses with thematic analysis, resulting in 7 categories and 88 thematic codes. The categories constructed were Game Play & Game Content, People & Sociability, Location, Circumstances & Context, Negative Events, Feelings and Other Codes. Through our analysis and findings, we provide insights to understand the play experiences of middle-aged players through Pokémon GO. These findings also capture the memorable moments of a massive, unique social phenomenon at its peak from the perspective of a traditionally overlooked demographic.},
keywords = {Augmented reality, Location-based game, Middle-aged players, Older gamers, Player experience, Pokémon Go},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
As the first location-based augmented reality game to gain mainstream popularity, Pokémon GO also reached an older demographic of players that have traditionally played less and whose play experiences are under-researched. In this article, we present the findings of a qualitative survey study (n=349) focusing on the middle-aged (40–65-year-old) Pokémon GO players’ memorable experiences from the time when the game’s popularity was at its peak and its player base likely most diverse. We analyzed the open-ended survey responses with thematic analysis, resulting in 7 categories and 88 thematic codes. The categories constructed were Game Play & Game Content, People & Sociability, Location, Circumstances & Context, Negative Events, Feelings and Other Codes. Through our analysis and findings, we provide insights to understand the play experiences of middle-aged players through Pokémon GO. These findings also capture the memorable moments of a massive, unique social phenomenon at its peak from the perspective of a traditionally overlooked demographic.