Tokyo Institute of Technology

Link, User-Centred Designer: Game Characters as Transcendent Models

The analysis explores the intersection of game character design and professional design methodologies, specifically focusing on how game characters serve as conduits for complex, nondiegetic value models.

Meaningful Play and Malicious Delight: Exploring Maldaimonic Game UX

Maldaimonia represents a distinct facet of game user experience characterized by egocentric, destructive, or exploitative behavior that provides players with a sense of self-actualization.

• Maldaimonia—an orientation toward egocentric, destructive, or exploitative behavior—is a valid experiential construct in video games, with participants reporting that these acts provide genuine enjoyment and self-fulfillment.
• Empirical validation of the concept was achieved through a survey of 51 US adults, confirming that all four of Waterman’s theoretical criteria for maldaimonia (positive valence, identity formation, mastery, and personal expressiveness) occur within gaming environments.
• Maldaimonic experiences are distinct from 'dark participation' or toxic social behavior, as only 16% of reported incidents involved negative human-to-human interactions, suggesting the phenomenon is primarily a form of personal creative expression rather than interpersonal abuse.

Super Synthesis Pros: Why CHI PLAY Needs Research Synthesis

Games user research is currently at a critical juncture, characterized by a rapid increase in publication volume that threatens to outpace the field's ability to synthesize knowledge effectively.

Kawaii Game Vocalics: A Preliminary Model

The perception of cuteness in video game characters is fundamentally shaped by specific vocal attributes that transcend visual design.