A Game to Promote Understanding about UCD Methods and Process

The User-centered design (UCD) game is a tool forhuman-computer interaction practitioners to demonstrate the key user-centered design methodsand how they interrelate in the design process in an interactive and participatory manner. The target audiences are departments and institutions unfamiliar with UCD but whose work is related to the definition, creation, and update of a product or service.

Detectings low introgression of invasive alleles in an extensively restocked game bird

Interbreeding of two species in the wild implies introgression of alleles from one species into the other only when admixed individuals survive and successfully backcross with the parental species. Consequently, estimating the proportion of first generation hybrids in a population may not inform about the evolutionary impact of hybridization. Samples obtained over a long time span may offer a more accurate view of the spreading of introgressed alleles in a species" gene pool. Common quail (Coturnix coturnix) populations in Europe have been restocked extensively with farm quails of hybrid origin (crosses with Japanese quails, C. japonica). We genetically monitored a common quail population over 15 years to investigate whether genetic introgression is occurring and used simulations to investigate our power to detect it. Our results revealed that some introgression has occurred, but we did not observe a significant increase over time in the proportion of admixed individuals. However, simulations showed that the degree of admixture may be larger than anticipated due to the limited power of analyses over a short time span, and that observed data was compatible with a low rate of introgression, probably resulting from reduced fitness of admixed individuals. Simulations predicted this could result in extensive admixture in the near future.

On the structure of cooperative and competitive solutions for a generalized assignment game

We study cooperative and competitive solutions for a many- to-many generalization of Shapley and Shubik (1972)'s assignment game. We consider the Core, three other notions of group stability and two al- ternative definitions of competitive equilibrium. We show that (i) each group stable set is closely related with the Core of certain games defined using a proper notion of blocking and (ii) each group stable set contains the set of payoff vectors associated to the two definitions of competitive equilibrium. We also show that all six solutions maintain a strictly nested structure. Moreover, each solution can be identified with a set of ma- trices of (discriminated) prices which indicate how gains from trade are distributed among buyers and sellers. In all cases such matrices arise as solutions of a system of linear inequalities. Hence, all six solutions have the same properties from a structural and computational point of view.

Innovaattorin dilemma - Kehittäminen vs. Parantaminen

Työssä tutkimme parantamis- ja kehittämisstrategiaa ja niiden yhteiskäyttöä eli ambidekstriaa. Tavoitteenamme on tuoda parantamis- ja kehittämisstrategian erot esille ja sijoittaa strategiat tuotteen elinkaarelle. Esittelemme organisaation ambidekstrian hallintaa ja vaikeuksia. Esittelemme ensin parantamis- ja kehittämisstrategian termit, eri innovaatiostrategiat ja tuotteen elinkaari mallit ja ambidekstrian kirjallisuuden pohjalta. Tämän jälkeen esittelemme case materiaalimme. Materiaalin pohjalta sijoitamme strategiat tuotteen elinkaarelle ja tuomme casessa esiintyneitä ambidekstrian ominaisuuksia esille. Tavoitteemme pohjalta voimme sanoa, että tuotteen elinkaaren vaiheilla ja parantamis- ja kehittämisstrategioilla on selvä yhteys ja strategiat sijoittuvat hyvin elinkaarelle. Ambidekstrian hallitseminen, eli parantamis- ja kehittämisstrategian tasapainon löytäminen ei ole helppoa, sillä strategiat ovat hyvin erilaisia keskenään. Hallinta vaatii paljon työtä, hyvän reagointikyvyn ja ennustamisen taidon, jotta yritys pysyy mukana muutoksessa ja mielellään hieman edellä, jos mielii teknologiajohtajaksi.

Managerial decision-making style : India, Bangladesh, and Finland : cultural side of the game

Julkaisumaa Intia 356 IN IND

Finnish game developers’ perception on public and private funding sources: a survey analysis

The aim of this study is to find out how game companies perceive the three traditional funding sources and how well their opinions and needs are reflected on the choices they make. To accomplish this, 20 game companies were questioned about multiple topics with the help of Tekes and Neogames. The results of this study show that game developers clearly differentiate the three major funding sources and the public sector ends up being the most significant source of external funding. This study also points out that most game companies are indeed facing issues in acquiring funding as well as various other resources.

Stock Price Reactions on M&A, Dividends and Game Releases. Evidence from Gaming Industry.

A rapidly growing gaming industry, which specializes on PC, console, online and other games, attracts attention of investors and analysts, who try to understand what drives changes of the gaming industry companies’ stock prices. This master thesis shows the evidence that, besides long-established types of events (M&A and dividend payments), the companies’ stock price changes depend on industry-specific events. I analyzed specific for gaming industry events - game releases with respect to its subdivisions: new games-sequels, games ratings and subdivision according to a developer of a game (self-developed by publisher or outsourced). The master thesis analyzes stock prices of 55 companies from gaming industry from all over the world. The research period covers 5 year, spreading from April 2008 to April 2013. Executed with an event study method, results of the research show that all the analyzed events types have significant influence on the stock prices of the gaming industry companies. The current master thesis suggests that acquisitions in the industry affect positively bidders’ and targets’ stock prices. Mergers events cause positive stock price reactions as well. But dividends payments and game releases events influence negatively on the stock prices. Game releases’ effect is up to -2.2% of cumulative average abnormal return (CAAR) drop during the first ten days after the game releases. Having researched different kinds of events and identified the direction of their impact, the current paper can be of high value for investors, seeking profits in the gaming industry, and other interested parties.

Designing a user interface for game developers to enter game specific information

Designing user interfaces for novel software systems can be challenging since the usability preferences of the users are not well known. This thesis presents a usability study conducted for the development of a user interface for game developers to enter game specific information. By conducting usability testing, the usability preferences of game developers were explored and the design was shaped according to their needs. An assessment of the overall usability of the final design is provided together with the main findings that include the usability preferences and design recommendations. The results showed that the most valuable usability preferences are quickness, error tolerance and the ability to constantly inspect the entered information.

Reaching influential early adopters effectively in Finland : Rock Science – new generation board game

Innovations diffuse at different speed among the members of a social system through various communication channels. The group of early adopters can be seen as the most influential reference group for majority of people to base their innovation adoption decisions on. Thus, the early adopters can often accelerate the diffusion of innovations. The purpose of this research is to discover means of diffusion for an innovative product in Finnish market through the influential early adopters in respect to the characteristics of the case product. The purpose of the research can be achieved through the following sub objectives:  Who are the potential early adopters for the case product and why?  How the potential early adopters of the case product should be communicated with?  What would be the expectations, preferences, and experiences of the early adopters of the case product? The case product examined in this research is a new board game called Rock Science which is considered to be incremental innovation bringing board gaming and hard rock music together in a new way. The research was conducted in two different parts using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. This mixed method research began with expert interviews of six music industry experts. The information gathered from the interviews enabled researcher to compose the questionnaire for the quantitative part of the study. Internet survey that was sent out resulted with a sample of 97 responses from the targeted population. The key findings of the study suggest that (1) the potential early adopters for the case product are more likely to be young adults from the capital city area with great interest in rock music, (2) the early adopters can be reached effectively through credible online sources of information, and (3) the respondents overall product feedback is highly positive, except in the case of quality-price ratio of the product. This research indicates that more effective diffusion of Rock Science board game in Finland can be reached through (1) strategic alliances with music industry and media partnerships, (2) pricing adjustments, (3) use of supporting game formats, and (4) innovative use of various social media channels.