Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2003, Educational Policy and Leadership

The purpose of this study was to examine student preferences for and performance on gender-oriented versus gender-neutral educational computer games. As a secondary purpose, this looked at the issue of whether educational computer games affect girls' and boys' perceptions of the study of mathematics and the relevance of mathematics to their lives. Some theorists have stated that gender-neutral educational media do not have the same appeal to students as gender-oriented media. This study sought to answer the specific question of whether students preferred using gender-neutral or gender-oriented computer games related to the subject of math. A descriptive-correlational research design combined with a qualitative research data-collection approach was used. Data included pre-game-playing and post-game-playing interviews, performance data based on computer game scores, and the researcher's observations. The study was conducted in the spring of 2003 with the two fourth-grade classes at a Midwestern public elementary school. Study participants were asked to play three specific computer games: a female-oriented game, a male-oriented game, and a gender-neutral game. The gender orientation of the three games had been determined by the researcher based on an in-depth study of the body of relevant literature on gender-related characteristics of video and computer games. The findings showed that participants, both the girls and the boys, identified Mind Twister Math, the gender-neutral game as their favorite game. When participants were asked to name their second favorite game, their responses were along gender lines, i.e., the girls chose Phoenix Quest, the female-oriented game as their second favorite, while the boys chose NFL Math, the male-oriented game, as their second favorite. Findings indicated that boys scored higher on all three computer games; however, with repeated sessions of play, the girls' scores increased significantly and the girls' final scores were drawing cl (open full item for complete abstract)

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2012, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Curriculum and Instruction

Teachers' beliefs and perceptions are very critical to the integration of video games in the classrooms. This study was conducted to investigate the perceptions of pre-service teachers in using video games as one of their teaching tools. Along with this initial purpose, the intent was to understand the anticipated barriers involved in integrating video games into the learning environment. A web-based online survey with 50 items was prepared and sent via email using a listserv along with a detailed cover letter and information sheet that explained the research protocol. The results were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics to answer the research questions. This study specifically investigated the following questions: (1) What experience do pre-service teachers have with video games? (2) Do pre-service teachers believe that the use of video games will enhance learning? (3) What barriers, if any, do pre-service teachers foresee in the integration of video games? (4) If provided opportunities, would teachers be willing to integrate video games in their learning environment? Findings from this study indicated that pre-service teachers believe that they have positive experiences playing video games, although they did not play video games on a daily basis. Further, most of the pre-service teachers believed that integration of video games in their classrooms would help their students develop social and academic skills. However, they responded that finding the appropriate educational video games, technical assistance in installation, and the cost of purchasing video games are barriers in the integration of video games. If provided opportunities, however, pre-service teachers expressed that they would be comfortable in integrating video games in their curriculum with the help of school administrators. To implement such technology, it is recommended that pre-service teachers be provided with adequate training in choosing the appropriate video games and ho (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2024, Design

Endogenously educational games seek to embed real-world or educational content into every game element, including the gameplay mechanics. Designing mechanics that are both fun and accurate can be a challenge. It becomes more difficult when the subject matter is both complex and unfamiliar to the game designer. In this paper, I explore this design challenge through a case study of a year-long interdisciplinary board game design project about watershed management in the Lake Erie basin. I examine the participation and contributions of a subject matter expert to the project. I discuss the challenges of adapting content while making gameplay changes. I then propose a recommended framework for future designers who want to create endogenously educational games collaboratively.

Master of Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 2018, EMC - Mechanical Engineering

Tangible Geometric Games (TAG-Games) were developed initially for automated cognitive assessment using custom sensor-integrated blocks (SIG-Blocks). Building on this existing technology, Music Blocks focuses on incorporating music and audio feedback in TAG-Games to examine the potential of tangible games for cognitive training and assessment. New block enclosure and game board designs implement textures that portray information tangibly. Game algorithms support real-time gameplay and data collection. For preliminary game evaluation, a small scale human subject study was conducted involving 17 participants. Among the five Music Blocks games created, Direction Blocks, MineSweeper, and Password Blocks were tested along with three subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test – Fourth Edition (Block Design, Digit Span, and Matrix Reasoning). Initial assessment concluded that tangible games pair best with audio-visual stimuli. Individual games correlated well with some subtests from WAIS-IV. Other results, the limitations, and conclusions of this study are discussed within the text.

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Ohio University, 2015, Political Science

This thesis explores how dominant gender norms in video game subculture are challenged by independent game development communities, promoting gender equality. It begins with a review of the literature on video games and gender and continues with original qualitative research on various online game communities, including Gamergate, Games and Play (a private progressive indie developer community), and the queer games scene. The thesis argues that, through the internet, noncapitalist modes of production and niche political communities are made possible, transforming gaming subculture from one in which political activism is nearly impossible to one in which activism is entrenched within it.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2008, Graduate School

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2023, English

A major focus of this paper is to demonstrate that adults can benefit from educational video games in literacy classrooms. By reviewing studies on video games in education, I aim to determine the importance of educational video games by observing and interviewing English language learners who play adventure and commercial video games. Moreover, I examine the language and literacy in games such as Fifa, Fortnight, Call of Duty, Black Ops, and Apex Legends. Teachers lack experience and knowledge regarding video games that can serve educational purposes, resulting in existing limitations. Based on my review of the current literature, I confirm Heins' claim that adventure video games would not replace the teaching of core content, but rather reinforce concepts and skills. As confirmed by Lacasa, Martinez, and Mendez (2008), the objective was to explore concepts and themes, demonstrating how it could be used to promote literacy skills and promote multimodal communication. Considering this, it is my hope that educators can integrate educational video games into their teaching practices to improve student achievement. Last but not least, I suggest future research and recommendations for student learning and instruction.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2021, Communication

This study used semi-structured interviews to examine how players chose to customize their avatars in social video games. Thematic coding of 28 interviews revealed the common threads with which players create and maintain or update their avatars over time in many different game worlds. The effects of different toolsets that players use to construct these avatars is examined, along with the special role that players assign to the gender of their avatars. The behavioral effects of avatars are briefly explored, along with the way players regard the relationship between themselves and their avatars.

Specialist in Education, Miami University, 2019, Educational Psychology

Today professions and post-secondary opportunities in the United States in the areas of science, technology, and engineering are continuously growing and requiring students to have complex understandings of mathematical concepts. As the demand for these professions continues to grow, mathematic achievement scores in the U.S. continue to decline. The current study seeks to examine if an alternative to explicit instruction, such as play, through a multiplication fluency game, can improve mathematic motivation and multiplicative fluency. Students in two third grade classrooms were given pre and posttest curriculum-based fluency tests and surveys focused on their attitude toward math to compare results between the treatment and control classrooms. The treatment classroom played a multiplication fluency game for three days a week for four weeks while the control classroom engaged in traditional instruction. Results were examined qualitatively and quantitatively to conclude that the play intervention appears to have no significance when compared to instruction without a fluency game on mathematical fluency scores.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2017, American Culture Studies

Forum-based role-playing games are a rich, yet barely researched subset of textbased digital gaming. They are a form of storytelling where narratives are created through acts of play by multiple people in an online space, combining collaboration and improvisation. This dissertation acts as a pilot study for exploring these games in their full complexity at the intersection of play, narrative, and fandom. Building on theories of interactivity, digital storytelling, and fan fiction studies, it highlights forum games' most unique features, and proves that they are is in no way liminal or secondary to more popular forms of role-playing. The research is based on data drawn from a large sample of forums of various genres. One hundred sites were explored through close textual analysis in order to outline their most common features. The second phase of the project consisted of nine months of participant observation on select forums, in order to gain a better understanding of how their rules and practices influence the emergent narratives. Participants from various sites contributed their own interpretations of forum gaming through a series of ethnographic interviews. This did not only allow agency to the observed communities to voice their thoughts and explain their practices, but also spoke directly to the key research question of why people are drawn to forum gaming. The main drawing power of forum games is their focus on creative, collaborative writing. Players interested in writing with others in a playful setting, and engaging with their favorite popular culture texts through composition, are drawn to these sites because of the narrative freedom they offer compared to other gaming platforms. In addition, their narratives born from play are consciously, intentionally, and enthusiastically multimodal. Multimodality offers a wide range of creative opportunities for telling stories in a digital space, and it also has connections to older, oral forms of (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2015, Instructional Technology (Education)

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the nexus of video games, mobile devices, and augmented reality in an educational light. This is accomplished in part by studying the self-reported demographics, attitudes, habits, and motivations of players of Google's commercial augmented reality mobile game Ingress. An application of a review of the literature informs how games like Ingress can be leveraged for educational means. Presented is a review of relevant literature, including the historical development of the nature of play and learning, the history and educational usage of massively multiplayer online games and simulations, the use of mobile devices in games and learning, how augmented reality is developing and being used in educational and noneducational settings, and what effects playing video games may have on the player, including problematic gameplay and addiction, gendered concerns, aggressive thoughts and actions, and physical changes identified in gamers or promoted using games. Also included is an examination of a theoretical framework of discovery learning that ties instructional design, learning, and games to Ingress. Data is gathered with an online survey of Ingress players worldwide. A total of 2,276 cases from 59 countries were analyzed. The instrument used has been modified from an original aimed at other massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). The results presented here showed significant demographic and motivational differences between players and between games. Principle component and multiple regression analyses revealed a number of components that describe the motivations of players and related predictors. By comparing these components to scores on an addiction scale, self-reports on interpersonal skills and learning items, valid and reliable predictors emerged. The components identified differ from those found when surveying players of other massively multiplayer online games. Reliable scales for components, an (open full item for complete abstract)

PHD, Kent State University, 2015, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

This study sought to understand how people satisfy needs by engaging in console-based video games and ultimately help counselors understand clients' need fulfillment by video games. Data has been collected on the players' experiences and thoughts on how console-based video games meet the four basic psychological needs of choice theory. After reviewing the participants' data, patterns and themes have been generated and reported from the dialog of the participants. These patterns and themes were used to inform professional counselor readers how to assist video game playing clients understand their basic psychological needs more efficiently.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2004, Theatre

As technology is altering the world, electronic games are changing the face of popular entertainment, infecting spectators with a craving for spectacle and interaction. Games allow viewers to become active participants in dramatic narrative, transforming audience into performer. The game player is joining in a mediatized theatrical experience that reshapes notions of performance, theatre, and audience. The first theatre scholar to connect theatre, computers, and performance was Brenda Laurel. Speculating on the nature of user interaction with the computer, Laurel used the Aristotelian elements of dramatic structure to create a new poetics for interactive fantasy generated in the computer realm. Since Laurel's initial work in 1986, games have evolved beyond those of her pioneering study, creating a level of theatrical experience worthy of critical examination. The games from the late 1990's and into the current century show a level of complexity in design and narrative that compels a re-examination of what has been dismissed by many as escapist entertainment. The electronic game industry has adopted theatrical devices and principles to produce a live, non-repeatable, and new form of theatrical experience. My research draws from traditional theatre theorists (such as Aristotle, Bertolt Brecht, Adolphe Appia, and Augusto Boal), modern theatre and performance theorists (such as Brenda Laurel, Janet Murray, Gay McAuley, and Richard Schechner), and game design theorists (such as Steven Poole, Bob Bates, and Richard Rouse), to assess the electronic game as a new and distinctive form of performance. This dissertation will examine a variety of computer and video games from five perspectives: 1) space 2) plot structures, 3) character, 4) theme, and 5) interactivity, with a view to articulating the modes of kinship between games and live performance. In recognizing and articulating such relationships, both gaming and theatre benefit, strengthening the aesthetic and structural (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2010, English

This thesis examines the connection between video games and composition pedagogy. Video games are defined generally, and then specifically outlined in relation to writing classrooms. The remainder of the thesis outlines three distinct examples of ways composition pedagogy might connect with the interdisciplinary field of game studies. Chapter 2 outlines a heuristic of interrelated approaches – contextual, narrative, and procedural – to analyze video games as rhetorical objects. Chapter 3 introduces “serious games” as an enactment of the heuristic and as a type of video game that fits with composition's goals of citizenship education. Chapter 4 discusses a class unit wherein students programmed/wrote text-based video games, arguing that writing and programming overlap and suggesting this overlap is a fruitful space to explore in writing classrooms.

Master of Applied Communication Theory and Methodology, Cleveland State University, 2012, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

The goal of this study is to add to the literature that extends the theory of cultivation into the realm of video games. Video game studies incorporating cultivation stress the importance of specifying a single genre of video games and measuring the cultivation effect, due to the lack of homogenous content between video games. It is possible that video games are actually an antithesis to the theory of cultivation because of content that is user-generated, which not only dissolves homogeneity between different games, but also the same game. Cultivation research has also suggested that second- order cultivation effects (on attitudes and beliefs) are moderated by factors that affect the experience during the encounter of information. This study looks at exposure to military-style video games to help better understand how video games may lead to a variety of cultivation effects. It includes measures of the independent variables of video game habits, gaming skill, traditional media use, political orientation, and contact with the military, and the dependent variables of first- and second-order cultivation effects, and self-efficacy.

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2024, Design

Git Gud: A Braided Comic About the Good, Bad, and Ugly in the Video Games Community (2024) is a creative inquiry into presenting research in a comic format. Comics-based research refers to a broad set of practices that use the comics form to collect, analyze, and disseminate scholarly research. The unique design aspects of this project include the creation of a braided comic about harassment in video games, which adapts the principles of a braided essay into a visual braid of three strands: a narrative short story, research on harassment in video games, and my autoethnographic experiences with harassment as a video game player. This paper reviews the development of the braided comic as a format to present these three strands of harassment in video games. This paper then documents the process of creating this research-informed comic and reflects on creative inquiry and design discoveries from working within this comic-making process.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Economics

This dissertation makes use of laboratory experiments to investigate behavior in social and strategic settings. Chapters 2 and 3 look at Market Entry games which are regularly used in empirical industrial organization. Chapter 4 looks at public goods games. In Chapter 2 titled "Global Games with Strategic Substitutes: An Experimental Investigation," we experimentally investigate the theory of global games in a simultaneous three-agent market entry game with strategic substitutes. The payoff from staying out is constant, whereas the payoff from entering depends on a random state, a heterogeneous cost of entry, and decreases in the number of entrants. The game predicts multiple Nash equilibria for intermediate state values. The (global) game, however, where agents observe a noisy but precise private signal about the state has a unique equilibrium where agents adopt threshold strategies that are ordered by the entry cost. This equilibrium persists in the limit and characterizes the unique equilibrium that is selected in the game without noise. The experiment provides support for the theory. Aggregate and individual behavior follow comparative static predictions. A majority of subjects adopt threshold strategies with few mistakes. Finally, a majority of outcomes in the game without noise correspond to the equilibrium selected by the theory. Chapter 3 titled "Understanding Entry Games using Laboratory Experiments (joint with John Rehbeck)," examines behavior in the two-player one-shot complete information entry game of Bresnahan and Reiss (1990) while varying payoff parameters. This entry game is regularly used in empirical industrial organization, but has not been examined experimentally. We find that subjects regularly play dominant strategies (98.2% on average), however there are violations of iterated dominance (13.6% on average). We find more coordination in regions of multiple equilibrium when there are payoff asymmetries (67.3% on average) compared to payoff (open full item for complete abstract)

Bachelor of Science of Media Arts and Studies (BSC), Ohio University, 2022, Media Arts and Studies

Prosocial video games and, by extension, non-player characters are positively associated with empathy and learning prosocial values. Therefore, if designed with believability in mind, persistent non-player characters can create unique player-focused stories that inspire real-life change. Companion is a role-playing game that focuses on cultivating believable relationships between the player and non-player follower characters to increase empathy and teach players prosocial values that will transfer into reality.

Master of Fine Arts, Miami University, 2022, Art

This research project outlines the mental health benefits of art-making and establishes exposure to artistic domains as essential to the art-making process. Understanding the role of intent in behavioral change established the need for external motivators, such as gamification, in the adoption of new habits. Pokemon Go players in Cincinnati, Ohio were studied to understand the relationship between virtual gameplay and physical spaces. Feminist geography and the principles of meaningful gamification informed the design solution, a location-based augmented reality game (LARG) that utilizes artwork by women as elements of gameplay to mitigate patterns of underrepresentation in the arts. The research showed that a LARG would not only increase engagement for those new to the arts but also for those already engaged by providing a new perspective on familiar experiences; travel between locations of gameplay also offers an additional landscape for cultivating meaningful engagement.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Economics

This dissertation uses econometric methods to introduce an estimator and develop models to estimate the effect of the internet on bank branches. Chapter 1 introduces the nested pseudo likelihood estimator to estimate dynamic discrete choice models in continuous time. Chapter 2 uses this estimator to estimate the impact of the internet penetration on brick-and-mortar bank branches. In Chapter 3, I provide additional evidence on the effect of the internet in banking industry by examining the effect of Community Connect Broadband Grant Program, which helps rural areas to establish broadband service, on bank branches. In Chapter 1, we introduce a sequential estimator for continuous time dynamic discrete choice models (single-agent models and games) by adapting the nested pseudo likelihood (NPL) estimator of Aguirregabiria and Mira (2002; 2007), developed for discrete time models with discrete time data, to the continuous time case with data sampled either discretely (i.e., uniformly-spaced snapshot data) or continuously. We establish conditions for consistency and asymptotic normality of the estimator, a local convergence condition, and, for single agent models, a zero Jacobian property assuring local convergence. We carry out a series of Monte Carlo experiments using an entry-exit game with five heterogeneous firms to confirm the large-sample properties and demonstrate finite-sample bias reduction via iteration. In our simulations we show that the convergence issues documented for the NPL estimator in discrete time models are less likely to affect comparable continuous-time models. We also show that there can be large bias in economically-relevant parameters, such as the competitive effect and entry cost, from estimating a misspecified discrete time model when in fact the data generating process is a continuous time model. Chapter 2 examines the effect of the internet on market structure and consumer welfare in the US retail banking industry. The internet is (open full item for complete abstract)