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Continuing with pt. 2 of GS1: Game Studies in Action, a whole conference of student research by game design grad students! (see thread below for talks from this morning, and gstudies.one for abstracts & author names)

Comparing UI design conventions in game HUDs with prior research about human cognitive models of information hierarchy; different HUDS (StarCraft 2, Halo Infinite) organize & enhance information for different effect but also follow human psychology; HUDs may be under-utilized as meaning space!

How do deck-building games diverge by platform? Dominion (analog) and Slay the Spire (digital) compared; the former heavily emphasizes immediate physical affect and multiplayer interaction (e.g. attack cards) while the latter focuses more on letting the player self-optimize through synergy

The procedural rhetoric of Destiny 2 raids and progression, as reinforced by the player community, allows players to convert repetitive labor and time investment into social prestige and the appearance of “victory”

Ultrakill’s aesthetics of play analyzed as about more than just speed and violence; rather, affordances of the mechanics (movement, parrying, blood as fuel, lack of scarcity) address player anxiety/fear and foster a courageous emotional affect

How do “poetic roguelikes” such as Returnal and Hades resemble poetry? Similar to e.g. Dickinson, they have a kind of anaphora, with recurring motifs, language, sensory elements. Deleuze’s Difference and Repetition highly useful to understand cyclical gameplay; imagination draws out difference

Böhme’s theory of atmospheres applied to games; “much like user experience you can’t create atmosphere directly.” Atmosphere is intersubjective, depends on positionality, arises from sensory stimuli or emotions, created by labor. Gone Home (gothic) & Edith Finch (bittersweet) used for rich examples.

Parasociality with gacha game characters and how it affects the $$$ players are willing to spend. Small survey of players (mostly Genshin, Honkai, ZZZ). Appearance, utility & personality are all important; using a character increases attachment (76%)

Manifesto on the integral (shouldn’t be vestigial or an afterthought) and dynamic nature of audio systems and narrative systems in games! “We currently lack the vocabulary” to talk about how various disciplines can harmonize & intersect meaningfully.

“Slow violence” (usually vs. environment) used as a lens for the erosion & neoliberal victimization of indigenous culture, under threat of violence. MH: Wilds as example, with indigenous-amalgam darker-skinned “natives” who suddenly rely on saviors vs. monsters. Where’s inclusivity beyond aesthetic?

Poorly and well-done representation of India/South Asia nations in games. The appropriated term “avatar,” Dhalsim as nonsensical fighting-yogi festooned with skulls, saviors of tiny fictional nations. Positive: specific details of personal life, practices, relationships and life journeys in Venba.

The queer femme’s body (horror) in the retro-future clone-soldier indie game, Signalis. Drawing on Reyes & other theorists ideas of body horror as illuminating & reconstituting othered bodies; process of alienation, corruption, transformation & liberation for Signalis’ militarized protagonist

Magical Realism cited as a literary form that can mirror historical moments too tumultuous for realism; a tricky concept in games due to player agency and lack of narration. KR0 as a successful example due to how it handles ambiguity, repeating exposure without explaining