Computing and Information Systems - Research Publications

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    A History of Voice Interaction in Games
    Allison, F ; Carter, M ; GIBBS, M (Digital Games Research Association, 2016)
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    Player Identity Dissonance and Voice Interaction in Games
    Carter, M ; Allison, F ; Downs, J ; Gibbs, M (Association for Computing Machinery, 2015)
    In the past half-decade, advances in voice recognition technology and the proliferation of consumer devices like the Microsoft Kinect have seen a significant rise in the use of voice interaction in games. While the use of player-to-player voice is widespread and well-researched, the use of voice as an input is relatively unexplored. In this paper we make the argument that notions of player and avatar identity are inextricable from the successful implementation of voice interaction in games, and consequently identify opportunities for future research and design.
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    Understanding eSports in Australia: Players, Fans, Recruits
    Gibbs, M ; Carter, M ; Witkowski, E (Association of Internet Researchers, 2017-10-19)
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    Those LED-Lit Water-Kooled Multi-Screen Streamline Battlestations
    Gibbs, M ; Carter, M ; Nansen, B (Association of Internet Researchers, 2017-10-19)
    Battlestations are customized desktop computers, typically devoted to gaming. In this paper we present analysis of the all-time top 50 up-voted battlestations on the /r/battlestations subreddit. Through an examination of these highly commended battlestations and the community criteria defining a “good” battlestation we provide insights into the material culture of computer customization and its significance within an internet gaming sub-culture.
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    Proxy Users, Use By Proxy: Mapping Forms of Intermediary Interaction
    Nansen, B ; Wilken, R ; Kennedy, J ; Arnold, M ; Carter, M ; Gibbs, M ; Ploderer, B ; Carter, M ; Gibbs, M ; Smith, W ; Vetere, F (ACM, 2015-12-17)
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    Introduction: What 'is' Australian Game Studies?
    GIBBS, M ; Carter, M ; Apperley, T ; Nansen, B ; Crawford, L (Digital Games, 2015)
    This special issue of the Transactions of the Digital Games Research Association Journal represent approaches by contemporary Australian scholars in the study of digital games. They responded to the provocation ‘What is Game Studies in Australia?’ the topic of the inaugural conference of the Digital Games Research Association Australia (DiGRAA). This event, held on 17th of June 2014, was a meeting of academic researchers, critics, designers, developers, and artists focused on developing a discussion of what game studies ‘is’ in Australia. The conference focused special attentiveness both to diversity and any particular regional issues that delegates chose to address. These articles illustrate the breadth and variety of approaches which were discussed.
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    Good Frustrations: The Paradoxical Pleasure of Fearing Death in DayZ
    Allison, F ; Carter, M ; Gibbs, M ; Ploderer, B ; Carter, M ; Gibbs, M ; Smith, W ; Vetere, F (ACM, 2015)
    The design of modern digital games has become increasingly oriented towards providing players with positive experiences such as fun and flow, and reducing negative experiences such as frustration and anger. DayZ is one notable exception, where negative experiences are central to its design. When a player is killed in DayZ, they lose their character with all its advancement, often equivalent to weeks of play, which can be an enormously frustrating and demoralising experience. However, the majority of its players view this as a positive and attractive feature, and one of the keys to the game's appeal. In this paper, we draw on 1,704 responses to a player motivations survey to unpack the complex player experience of permanent character death and demonstrate how this moment of negative affect contributes to the positive experience of DayZ more broadly.
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    Voice in Virtual Worlds: The Design, Use, and Influence of Voice Chat in Online Play
    Wadley, G ; Carter, M ; Gibbs, M (Taylor & Francis, 2014-12-22)
    Communication is a critical aspect of any collaborative system. In online multiplayer games and virtual worlds it is specially complex. Users are present over long periods and require both synchronous and asynchronous communication, but may prefer to be pseudonymous or engage in identity-play while simultaneously managing virtual and physical use contexts. Initially the only medium offered for player-to-player communication in virtual worlds was text, a medium well-suited to identity-play and asynchronous communication; less so to fast-paced coordination and sociability among friends. During the past decade vendors have introduced facilities for gamers to communicate by voice. Yet little research has been conducted to help us understand its influence on the experience of virtual space: where, when and for whom voice is beneficial, and how it might be configured. To address this gap we conducted empirical research across a range of online gaming environments. We analyzed our observations in the light of theory from human-computer interaction (HCI), computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) and computermediated communication (CMC). We conclude that voice radically transforms the experience of online gaming, making virtual spaces more intensely social but turning them into maelstroms of impression management, identity play, and ambiguity over what is being transmitted to whom.
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    Selfies at Funerals: Remediating rituals of mourning
    Gibbs, M ; CARTER, M ; Nansen, B ; Kohn, T (Association of Internet Researchers, 2014)
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    #funeral
    CARTER, M ; Gibbs, M ; Nansen, B ; Arnold, M (Association of Internet Researchers, 2014)
    In this paper we highlight preliminary findings from a study at the intersection of Instagram use and funerary practices. This study analyses photographs tagged with “#funeral” and contributes to research into death and digital media by extending the focus from social networking sites such as Facebook to consider the photo-sharing application Instagram, and how different media platforms are connected with the physical event of funerals. By categorizing photos tagged with “#funeral” on Instagram we show how media architecture and use shapes a complex ecology of grieving practices, with distinct differences from practices that have coalesced around other social media platforms. We consider the collision of digital culture and traditional memorializing practices, and suggest the need for further work that attends to the variety of social media being mobilized in death, grieving and commemoration, as well as to the ways platforms become entwined with physical places and rituals.