Boar's Head Studio

Boar’s Head Studio’s Game Design Document (GDD)

Doug — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:18:32 +0000

Some studios like short and simple, some like it more detailed. Personally, I love having a more detailed GDD. It helps to solidify the design of the game early, when mistakes are less costly. The deeper you get into development, the more expensive changes become.

https://www.boarsheadstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/BH-GDD-Template.docx

Feel free to download and copy!

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Scrolling UV Shader Graph (scrolling texture/material)

Doug — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 02:39:22 +0000

Here is how you can create a scrolling texture or material. Useful for many purposes such as having a box with a scrolling arrow on it or having a scrolling image on a plane so it looks like your side-scroller game never ends.

First, you need to create a sub-shader graph. Right-click in your assets folder, select Create > Shader Graph > Sub Graph. Give it a name. I like to start all my names with BH_. This way, when I’m searching, I can type BH_ and immediately filter to just my custom content. I named it “BH_SG_ScrollUV”.

Now edit your sub-graph.

First, select the Output node. Change it from a Vector 4 to a Vector 2. Now, change the name (click on the name next to the =) to UV.

Now we need to add 3 variables:
– Vector2 named Tiling with Default values x = 1 and y = 1.
– Vector2 named ScrollSpeed
– Vector4 named UV

Now Right-click, select Create Node, and type Tiling. Double-click on the Tiling And Offset node.

Now, left-click and drag your UV and Tiling variables onto the design surface. Now attach them to UV(2) and Tiling(2) on your Tiling & Offset node by left-click and drag from the circles on your variable nodes to the corresponding points on the Tiling & Offset node.

Now, right-click on the design surface, select Create Node, type Time, and double click on the Time node.

Left-click and drag out from the circle on the Time node labeled Time(1). Release your mouse button on the design surface. Type Multiple. Double-click the Multiply: A(4) node. (If you double-click the B(4) node, then Time(1) will automatically connect to the B multiple node. Since you selected A(4), Time(1) automatically connects to the A node).

Now, drag out the ScrollSpeed variable and place it under the Time variable. Left-click and drag the circle from ScrollSpeed to the B(1) circle on the Multiply node.

Now connect Multiply: Out(2) to Tiling And Offset: Offset(2). Then, connect Tiling And Offset: Out(2) to Output: UV(2).

Click the SAVE button. (You MUST click the save button to save)

Now, right-click on the tab and select Close Tab.

Now that you have a sub-graph setup to scroll your textures, I’m going to leave it up to you to figure out the rest. Here’s a couple hints:
– Create a new Shader Graph.
– You can add your sub-graph if you Create Node and start to type the name of your sub-graph.
– Yes, you need to create variables to plug into your sub-graph.
– Create a new material and change the Shader to your new Shader Graph.
– Apply the material to a box. Set the ScollSpeed to a value other than 1.

– Sample Texture 2D is your image or texture.
– BaseColor set to white. You can use it to colorize your texture if you want in the scene Inspector.

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Basic setup for a URP scene

Doug — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 03:18:10 +0000

If you’re scene doesn’t already have a Global Volume, right-click in the Hierarchy, select Volume, then select Global Volume.

Select your Global Volume and look in the Inspector.

If your Global Volume says “None (Volume Profile)” then you do not have a volume profile defined. Click the New button to create one.

Now it should say “Global Volume Profile (Volume Profile)”. Double-click on it to open the profile.

Use the Add Override button to add Tonemapping and Bloom under Post-processing.

Click the checkbox for Tonemapping > Mode. Now set the dropdownbox to ACES.
Click the checkbox for Bloom > Threshold and set it to 0.66.
Click the checkbox for Bloom > Intensity and set it to 1.34.
Click the checkbox for Bloom > Scatter and leave at the default of 0.7.

Now, select the MainCamera in your scene. Scroll down to Rendering. Check the box to turn on Post Processing. I also like to turn on Anti-aliasing.

That’s all folks!

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Boar’s Head Studio’s Budget

Doug — Sat, 19 Oct 2024 18:53:55 +0000

Having a solid budget for a start-up indie game studio is critical. A clear budget ensures that you spend wisely and do not exceed the funds available. By planning out your expenses, both in the short and long term, you can ensure your income will cover both one-time purchases and ongoing costs.

This budget does not differentiate between one-time expenses and yearly renewal costs unless noted.

Prices are subject to change. Taxes, fees, and currency exchange rates vary by location.

Operating

Business License : $120
Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) formation : $200
Personal Salary : $50,000 – $200,000+ ($125,000+ is the goal, after all other expenses)
Health Insurance (family of 3) : $15,000 – $19,000
Dental Insurance (family of 3) : $1,200 – $2,000
Vision Insurance (family of 3) : $400 – $600
Internet : $1,000 – $2,000
Online Backup (CrashPlan Pro) : $100

Hardware

Development PC : $3,500 – $6,000
Meta Quest : $600
Xbox & accessories : $600

Development

3rd Party Assets
- Art : $2,500 – $10,000
- SFX : $250 – $500
- Music : $250 – $500
- Plug-ins / Code modules : $2,500
Software
- 3ds Max : $1,875 (or use Blender : Free (but not as feature rich yet))
- Maya : $1,875 (instead of 3ds Max, or use Blender)
- Articy:draft X : $80 (free version is great for starting (narrative design for interactive projects))
- Unity : $0
- Unreal Engine : $0
- Daz3d : $0
- Reallusion Character Creator Bundle : $1,400 (CC4, Headshot 2, SkinGen 4, Hair & Beards)
- Cascadeur : $450 (animation)
- Errant Photon : $300 (procedural content generation for Unreal Engine (landscape, biomes, paths)
- World Machine : $130 (indie) – $325 (pro) (procedural landscape generation)
- World Creator : $160 (casual) – $320 (pro) (procedural landscape generation)
- Adobe Substance 3D Collection : $600
- Adobe Photoshop : $300 (or use Gimp)
- Gimp : $0 (instead of Photoshop)
Source Code Control
- Microsoft Azure DevOps Repo : $0 (free with unlimited file counts or sizes)
- GitKraken Pro : $108 (or use GitHub Desktop or Sourcetree : $0)
Generative AI
- OpenAI ChatGPT Plus : $240
- OpenAI API : $250 (cost based on usage, will ramp up over time, current budget is generous)
- Convai : $180 (Indie Dev level, will ramp up with more usage (AI powered characters with in-game interactions & voice over)
- DeepL : $110 (AI driven localization (text translation between multiple languages))

Publishing & Marketing

Xbox Marketplace (ID@Xbox) Publishing : $0 – $100 (one-time fee)
Apple App Store Publishing : $100
Google Play Store Publishing : $25 (still a one-time fee?)

Testing & Quality Assurance (QA)

* Not identified at this time

Customer Support & Post-Launch Maintenance

* Not identified at this time

Staffing / Contract Services

* No additional staff. Extra labor will be contracted. This avoids employment-related expenses.

Contract staff : $0 – $50,000
Localization : $0 (using AI / machine localization) – $5,000

Professional Development (Learning)

Unreal Sensei Masterclass (Unreal Engine) : $500
Gamedev.tv Lifetime Membership : $400 (almost always on sale; $8,700 regular price. https://www.gamedev.tv/bundles/lifetime-membership)
LinkedIn Learning : $250
Internation Game Developers Association (IGDA) Membership : $60
Indie Game Developer Network Membership : $100
Game Developers Conference (GDC) : $500 – $2,500 (+ $2,000 for travel expenses)
Unreal Fest (Unreal Engine Conference) : $550 (+ $2,000 for travel expenses)
Unite (Unity Conference) : $??? (+ $3,000 for travel expenses (usually held in Europe, increasing travel cost for U.S.)

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Cheating in Online Video Games

Doug — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 05:18:16 +0000

Introduction
This research will look deeper into cheating in online video games through a qualitative and quantitative analysis of available academic and non-academic resources. Research will focus on how players cheat, how cheating can harm online video games, and how to combat cheating. This review will support the hypothesis that effectively combating cheating in online multi-player video games is extremely important to a game’s success.

Background
To better understand cheating in video games, we must first understand what it means to play a game and what elements make up a game that can be manipulated and exploited by a cheater. In the book The Grasshopper: Games, Life and Utopia, Bernard Suits develops the concept of what it is to play a game and the four elements that make up a game. In Suits’ initial definition, he states that “to play a game is to engage in activity directed towards bringing about a specific state of affairs, using only means permitted by rules, where the rules prohibit more efficient in favour of less efficient means, and where such rules are accepted just because they make possible such activity” (Suits, 2005, pp. 48–49). Suits further breaks down this statement into four key elements of game playing: the goal, the means of achieving the goal, the rules, and the lusory attitude (Suits, 2005, pp. 49–50). [The lusory attitude is the mentality a player brings to the game and the willingness to accept the rules of the game (Suits, 2005, p. 54).] These four elements provide a foundation to which we can associate cheating activities. However, we need first to establish Suits’ final definition, “To play a game is to attempt to achieve a specific state of affairs [prelusory goal], using only means permitted by rules [lusory means], where the rules prohibit use of more efficient in favor of less efficient means [constitutive rules], and where the rules are accepted just because they make possible such activity [lusory attitude]” (Suits, 2005, pp. 54–55). Simplified: “playing a game is the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles” (Suits, 2005, p. 55).

Now that we have a foundation for what it means to play a game, we need to label those who intend to play a game counter to its four elements. Suits utilizes three categories to group these players: triflers, cheats, and spoilsports (Suits, 2005, p. 60). Triflers “recognize rules but not goals,” according to Suits, and are the players who follow the rules but create their own goals, such as instead of working with my team to capture the flag, I’m going to run around and collect flowers (Suits, 2005, p. 60). Cheats are the players who look for ways to gain an advantage and accomplish the game’s goals through exploits, hacking, or other technical manipulation. They are described by Suits as players who “recognize goals but not rules” (Suits, 2005, p. 60). Finally, the spoilsports are the players who “recognize neither rules nor goals” and will utilize cheats and exploits to accomplish their own personal goals rather than the game’s defined goals (Suits, 2005, p. 60). While cheats and spoilsports are detrimental to a game’s community, spoilsports are the most toxic and damaging. For example, a spoilsport may utilize a hack to instantly kill players across the map and then utilize that hack to ensure the entire enemy team dies the moment they spawn. On the other hand, players follow the rules to achieve the goal and “acknowledge the claims of both the game and its institution, triflers and cheats acknowledge only institutional claims, and spoilsports acknowledge neither” (Suits, 2005, p. 60). Now that we understand the different types of counter-game players, let us explore their motivations, impact on the ludic culture of the game, and potential impact on the business that developed the game.

Throughout this examination of cheating, the focus will be on cheats and spoilsports, lumped together as cheaters, and the methods employed by cheaters, which are counter to the lusory means and constitutive rules of an online multiplayer video game. I will not examine the prelusory goal or lusory attitude except when such analysis would support a better understanding of cheaters and anti-cheat solutions.

Literature Review
There is limited academic research within the subfield of anti-cheating solutions for video games. Many papers lead back to the extensive research conducted by Mia Consalvo and published in the book Cheating: Gaining Advantage in Videogames. This book represents a compilation of multiple articles or chapters she wrote for other publications covering cheating methods, how players gain advantage in video games, and the study of games and ethics (Consalvo, 2007, p. vii). She establishes that cheating has always been a part of gaming culture, especially when professional-level gaming is involved (Consalvo, 2007). There is also existing research into esports gambling and its associated corruption, which is outside the scope of this paper (Kowert & Quandt, 2021, p. 73). There is extensive, non-academic content related to both sides of the dyad of cheat/anti-cheat. This non-academic content covers the ever-evolving field of study where players develop new cheats for video games, and video game companies work to develop new anti-cheat solutions. This research incorporates academic and non-academic resources to provide a more complete and current field analysis.

Methodology
My analysis of cheaters, cheat methods, and anti-cheat methods will be a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis. Qualitative analysis will be utilized to answer the questions: in what ways do players cheat in online video games? and is cheating in online video games harmful?. A quantitative analysis will help answer the question: what methods exist to combat cheating in video games?. Applying quantitative analysis for this last question will help identify the more popular and effective solutions. Answering these questions this way will help support the hypothesis and contribute to the field.

In what ways do players cheat in online video games?

Each of the four elements Suits defined can be a pathway for cheating. Within online multiplayer video games, cheats often target the lusory means and constitutive rules elements. These often focus on software modifications and specially designed apps or tricks the player can incorporate to gain an advantage outside the defined ludic elements. These cheats commonly include aimbots, wallhacks, lag switching, and movement scripts/autonomous bots (Spijkerman & Ehlers, 2020, pp. 87–88) (Edwards, 2023, p. 1).

One form of cheating involves a tool called an aimbot which is an autotargeting app that automatically aims the player’s weapon at the targeted character’s head, enabling the cheater never to miss a perfect shot. An aimbot is often coupled with a maximum-damage, long-range weapon, resulting in an instant kill. “Think how annoying it would be if you were playing a first-person shooter (FPS) online game and a player used an aimbot, able to get a headshot on you instantly with no chance of fighting back” (Edwards, 2023, p. 2).

Another form of cheating is wallhacks, “which provide the user with visual information they would not usually have … includes enemy players’ position, health, and equipment” (Spijkerman & Ehlers, 2020, p. 87). The most common form of a wallhack will highlight or place boxes around enemy players, irrespective of what obstacles may exist in the field of view, granting the cheating player the ability to know the location of every player. This advantage allows the cheat to anticipate enemy movements and be fully prepared to kill them. In more complex implementations, the wallhack can allow shooting through obstacles that should have been protecting the opposing player.

A third common form of cheating is lag switching. With this form of cheating, players are “deliberately cutting off supply to the internet at coordinated intervals that benefit them” (Edwards, 2023, p. 2). Such actions can trigger a delay in an online video game when the client stops sending data to the server, causing the server to use predictive algorithms to guess where the player’s character should be and transmit that location to nearby players. The cheating player then reconnects the internet connection after moving in a different direction. As the other players begin shooting at the predicted location, the player’s location data syncs with the server, and suddenly the cheating player’s character moves, making it impossible to hit them.

The final forms of cheating I will review are movement scripts and autonomous bots. These “allow a user to abuse game mechanics that increase player movement” or even allow the cheater to completely automate their character (Spijkerman & Ehlers, 2020, p. 88). I have coupled these two forms of cheating together due to the nature of fully autonomous bots being an evolved form of movement scripts, in my opinion. The simplest form of movement scripts are macros, which trigger rapid keystrokes or button combinations. These can enable the player to move and execute attacks faster than would normally be possible by non-cheating players. The evolution of movement scripts is to combine them with aiming and interaction scripts to fully automate a character’s interaction with the ludic elements. This allows the cheating player to level up their character or collect resources without being physically present.

Is cheating in online video games harmful?

Jeffery Grant, in his paper Video Game Anti-Cheat Software and Its Importance to a Game’s Success, examined video games that leveraged effective anti-cheat software and those that did not. His research determined that anti-cheat and anti-hacking software will “at some point in some way affect how the game will maintain an ability to grow or succeed” (Grant, 2022, p. 9). While it is possible for a game developer to create his/her own solutions for addressing these cheats and hacks, it requires considerable knowledge, experience, and time to keep up, and “as the ability to produce better technologies continues to grow, so does the power of the systems and software designed to alter or sabotage those systems” (Grant, 2022, p. 1). Instead, there is an ever-growing industry of third-party solutions whose primary business is to develop ways of identifying and addressing cheaters. Grant’s research examined the growth of the ludic community of two popular video games: Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and Valorant. Grant determined that “GS:GO was losing players long before Valorant had stepped on the scene due to their toxic cheating culture” due to a weaker anti-cheat system than what Valorant chose to implement (Grant, 2022, p. 8). According to Grant’s research, “a game can’t grow properly without a constantly growing and evolving player base that plays the game in a varied way…and gains players consistently to fund or fuel any relevant changes” (Grant, 2022, p. 9). Anti-cheat software reduces the negative influence cheaters bring to a ludic community, allowing the community to grow and the game to flourish.

What methods exist to combat cheating in online video games?

There are various options available to game developers and designers that can be implemented to address cheats and hacks both at the player’s end and at the online game’s hosted servers. Video game designers and developers need to consider the variety of ways a cheater can attack the ludic elements of their game and the various solutions available. These solutions vary in complexity and features provided and can be off-the-shelf third-party solutions or custom code written by the game developer.

Individual developers can write custom code into games to protect variables stored in memory, detect file tampering, detect speed hacks and time cheating, and encrypt data transmissions over the internet. Following industry best practices for secure software develop can help. Developers should familiarize themselves with the OWASP Top Ten, OWASP Cheat Sheet Series, OWASP SAMM, and the OWASP Web Security Testing Guide which provide detailed guidance on securing the components that enable online game communications between the client and the server (web applications) (OWASP, 2023). Various companies and independent developers have also published guidance or tools to help document secure software development practices or provide in-game protections:

Secure Software Development Lifecycle Resources

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) https://csrc.nist.gov/Projects/ssdf
Unity SSDLC https://github.com/UnityTech/unity-ssdlc
Microsoft Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/securityengineering/sdl/practices

Secure software development tools and platform-specific addons

Microsoft Security Engineering Resource List https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/securityengineering/sdl/resources
SCUE4 Anti-Cheat Solution – Unreal Engine Asset Store https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/product/scue4-anti-cheat-solution
Anti-Cheat Toolkit 2023 – Unity Asset Store https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/utilities/anti-cheat-toolkit-2023-202695

These solutions provide the developers and designers with solid software development practices and quick-to-implement solutions. Ultimately, while necessary foundational practices, these DIY solutions do not hold up to the cheat-stopping power of professional anti-cheat software.

Professional anti-cheat software is predominately available in server-side and kernel-level solutions, with both working towards the same goal: “to prevent cheats from being used in a game” (Edwards, 2023, p. 1). The most effective form, and the most controversial, is kernel-level anti-cheat software. This software “runs at the core of a computer’s operating system and can detect if a player is using an unauthorized process to give them an unfair advantage in a video game” (Pilipovic, 2023b, p. 1). However, running at this level on a computer also grants the anti-cheat software an unrestricted view of the activities that occur on the computer, which may have nothing to do with cheating.

In the article The Cost of Fair Play: Advancing Anti-Cheat Technology in Online Video Games Raises Data Privacy Concerns, law student Alex D’Aloisio explains that “developers have great incentive to keep the details of their anti-cheat methods a secret,” which results in a lack of visibility into how invasive anti-cheat software may be and can lead to opportunities for consumer privacy violations (D’Aloisio, 2021, p. 1). He explained that one challenge is applying data privacy laws like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to anti-cheat software, which relies on having access to private consumer data (D’Aloisio, 2021, p. 2). Another concern with kernel-level anti-cheat software is that software operating at this level within a computer can result in a crash, “an error in the kernel brings downs down the whole system, usually in the ubiquitous Blue Screen of Death” (Menegus, 2022, p. 1). A third concern with kernel-level drivers relates to the potential for exploitation by hackers who would gain unrestricted access to a computer system if a vulnerability in the anti-cheat software could be exploited at the kernel-level (Pilipovic, 2023a, p. 1). Despite these concerns, kernel-level anti-cheat software remains the go-to solution due to effective cheat detection capable of protecting the ludic integrity of a game (Grant, 2022).

Figure 1
Kernel-level anti-cheat software implementations by game count.

(Pilipovic, 2023b, p. 3)

Top anti-cheat solutions available for use by game developers/designers:

Easy Anti-Cheat, Epic Games, free for games utilizing Epic Game Services, https://www.easy.ac/, operates at kernel-level and is the most utilized solution world-wide (Epic Games, 2023a)(Epic Games, 2023b).
Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC), Valve Corporation, free for games published on Steam (part of Steamworks), Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) and Game Bans (Steamworks Documentation) (steamgames.com), does not operate at kernel-level, used by 500+ games (Steam, 2023a)(Steam, 2023b).
XIGNCODE3, Wellbia, paid, https://wellbia.com/, utilized by Korean game studios (Wellbia.com, 2023).
BattlEye, BattlEye Innovations, paid, https://www.battleye.com/, independent of any game studio (BattlEye Innovations, 2023).
PunkBuster, Even Balance Inc., paid, http://punkbuster.com/, possibly abandoned (Even Balance, 2023).
nProtect GameGuard, INCA Internet Corp., paid ($30,000 per game per year), https://gameguard.nprotect.com/en/index.html, utilized by Korean game studios (INCA Internet Corporation, 2023).

(Pilipovic, 2023b)(SteamDB, 2023)(AreWeAntiCheatYet, 2023)

Multiple free and paid solutions are available to meet the anti-cheat needs of game designers and developers. The top solutions are free to implement at the cost of utilizing their respective platforms or distribution solutions. While this may be viewed as limiting market reach, a game designer needs to weigh that limitation against the potential gains.

Results / Discussion
Based on the research, players will always be working to find ways to cheat in online video games. It is also equally clear that game designers and developers will struggle to keep up without implementing professional anti-cheat solutions. While individual developers can and should include secure software development practices in the software development lifecycle, such activities will not be enough. Incorporating a quality anti-cheat software solution that is actively maintained is critical to the growth of an online video game’s ludic community.

Conclusion
Given the results of this research, it is clear that the cheat/anti-cheat research subject will require ongoing research efforts at the academic level. The players developing and using novel cheat methods will continue to grow, necessitating an equally strong response from game designers and developers to ensure the possibility of prosperity in the online ludic community. Anti-cheat software developers and game designers should seek cybersecurity best practices for additional methods to block and address cheating. It is also necessary to closely monitor the new developments in generative AI and the potential impact on cheat and anti-cheat software development.

References

AreWeAntiCheatYet. (2023). AreWeAntiCheatYet. Retrieved December 4, 2023, from https://areweanticheatyet.com/

BattlEye Innovations. (2023). BattlEye. BattlEye. Retrieved December 5, 2023, from https://www.battleye.com/

Consalvo, M. (2007). Cheating: Gaining advantage in videogames (Annotated ed.). The MIT Press.

D’Aloisio, A. (2021, October 4). The cost of fair play: Advancing anti-cheat technology in online video games raises data privacy concerns. Journal of High Technology Law at Suffolk University Law School. Retrieved December 4, 2023, from https://sites.suffolk.edu/jhtl/2021/10/04/the-cost-of-fair-play-advancing-anti-cheat-technology-in-online-video-games-raises-data-privacy-concerns/

Edwards, B. R. (2023, June 17). What is anti-cheat software, and how does it work? MakeUseOf. Retrieved November 30, 2023, from https://www.makeuseof.com/what-is-anti-cheat-software/

Epic Games. (2023a). Anti-cheat interfaces. Epic Games ONLINE SERVICES. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://dev.epicgames.com/docs/game-services/anti-cheat/anti-cheat-interfaces

Epic Games. (2023b). Easy ANTI-CHEAT. Easy ANTI-CHEAT. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://www.easy.ac/en-us/

Even Balance. (2023). PunkBuster. PunkBuster. Retrieved November 20, 2023, from https://www.evenbalance.com/index.php

Grant, J. (2022). Video game anti-cheat software and its importance to a game’s success. ADMI 2022: The Symposium of Computing at Minority Institutions. Retrieved November 8, 2023, from https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10344948-video-game-anti-cheat-software-its-importance-game-success

INCA Internet Corporation. (2023). nProtect GameGuard. nProtect. Retrieved November 22, 2023, from https://gameguard.nprotect.com/en/index.html

Kowert, R., & Quandt, T. (2021). The video game debate 2. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429351815

Lukas, M., Tomicic, I., & Bernik, A. (2022). Anticheat system based on reinforcement learning agents in unity. Information, 13(4), 173. https://doi.org/10.3390/info13040173

Menegus, B. (2022, January 30). What’s the deal with anti-cheat software in online games? WIRED. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://www.wired.com/story/kernel-anti-cheat-online-gaming-vulnerabilities/

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Ludic. Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved November 29, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ludic

OWASP. (2023). OWASP Projects. Retrieved November 29, 2023, from https://owasp.org/projects/

Pilipovic, S. (2023a, March 24). What kernel-level anti-cheat is and why you should care. Levvvel. Retrieved November 30, 2023, from https://levvvel.com/what-is-kernel-level-anti-cheat-software/

Pilipovic, S. (2023b, August 9). Every game with kernel-level anti-cheat software. LEVVVEL. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://levvvel.com/games-with-kernel-level-anti-cheat-software/

Spijkerman, R., & Ehlers, E. M. (2020). Cheat detection in a multiplayer first-person shooter using artificial intelligence. CIIS ’20: Proceedings of the 2020 3rd International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Intelligent Systems, 87–92. https://doi.org/10.1145/3440840.3440857

Steam. (2023a). Steam game search filtered by Valve Anti-Cheat enabled. Retrieved December 6, 2023, from https://store.steampowered.com/search/?sort_by=Released_DESC&category2=8

Steam. (2023b). Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) System. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/571A-97DA-70E9-FF74

SteamDB. (2023). What are games built with and what technologies do they use? Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://steamdb.info/tech/

Suits, B. (2005). The grasshopper: Games, life and utopia. Broadview Press.

Wellbia.com. (2023). Wellbia XIGNCODE3. Wellbia. Retrieved November 22, 2023, from https://www.wellbia.com/

Douglas Evans
Lindenwood University
CAH 51000
Dr. Jeremy Painter
December 8, 2023

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Game Design Features That Encourage Female Engagement

Doug — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 05:42:04 +0000

Introduction

This paper will explore the game design elements and culture surrounding the video game The Sims 4 which may encourage a more robust female player base. First, the current state of the video game industry will be explored along with the benefits of gameplay. Next, a description of the video game The Sims 4 will be provided. This will be followed by an explanation of why video games represent an entirely different form of art. Next, a hypothesis will be provided. This will be followed with the critical analysis of The Sims 4 through feminist and culture/counterculture lenses.

The video game industry has exploded over the last 50 years since its inception in the early 1970’s. Today, over 3 billion people play video games worldwide (Entertainment Software Association [ESA], 2023a). Every week, over 212.6 million Americans play a video game, including nearly two-thirds of adults and 76% of children, with 96% of adults seeing the value of gameplay even if they don’t play regularly. (Entertainment Software Association [ESA], 2023b). Within this player base, 53% identify as male, 46% identify as female, and 1% identify as other; with an ethnic breakdown of 72% White, 10% Hispanic, 8% Black/African American, 6% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 4% identifying as Other (ESA, 2023b). From a financial perspective, the video game industry of today represents $56.6 billion dollars in U.S. consumer spending per year, significantly eclipsing the movie industry (ESA, 2023b) (Wolf, 2007).

Physical & Mental Health Benefits

According to an international study of video game players, the top three reasons cited for playing video games include: “to have fun, to pass the time, and stress relief/relaxation” (ESA, 2023a). No longer reserved for just entertainment, video games have exploded over the past 50 years, with demonstrated physical and mental health benefits being identified globally (ESA, 2023a). The top mental health reasons for playing video games globally include “help me feel less stressed” and “provides me with a healthy outlet from everyday challenges” (ESA, 2023a, pp. 5–6). Additionally, numerous improvements in “creativity, problem solving, cognitive, and collaboration skills” resulting from video game play have been identified as shown in figure 1 (ESA, 2023a, p. 7).

Figure 1 (ESA, 2023a, p. 7)

Another benefit of playing video games comes in the form of socialization. 67% of global players believe “video games can introduce people to new friends and new relationships” with 46% believing “video games help me stay connected to friends/family” (ESA, 2023a, p. 8). While the arcades of the past served as a social gathering space, they have morphed into new social experiences. These include “lobbies” where players hang out before a match begins (ESA, 2023a, p. 11), or even vast online communities or “culture scenes” that form around a popular video game (Grimes, 2014).

The Sims 4

This paper will perform a critical analysis of the social simulation video game The Sims 4 developed by Maxis, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts. The Sims franchise consists of four core video games, The Sims 1 – 4. The Sims 4 also includes an extensive online store of additional content grouped as expansion packs, game packs, stuff packs, kits, and bundles (EA: The Sims 4, n.d.). This video game was released in North America on September 2, 2014 for Microsoft Windows-based computers, in February 2015 for Apple OS X-based computers, and in November 2017 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One gaming consoles and is rated by the ESRB as T for Teen due to crude humor, sexual themes, and violence (The Sims 4, n.d.), (EA: The Sims 4, n.d.). A general synopsis of the high-level actions of playing The Sims 4 consists of (1) “create unique Sims” where the player creates a family consisting of one to eight members with each member being fully customizable in gender, looks, clothing, interests, and behavior; (2) “build the perfect home” where the player selects a plot of land in a neighborhood, constructs a home from the foundation to the roof, and decorates the home with furnishings and landscaping with a limited amount of starting funds (or purchase a predesigned and furnished home within budget); (3) “explore vibrant worlds” where the player controls the daily activities of the Sims they created where actions may include waking up, bathing, bodily functions, eating, going to school or work, playing, sleeping, dating, and traveling to other locations for new collections of actions and experiences; and (4) “add new experiences” through the “gallery” (in-game store) where extensive options for expanding the game can be purchased for real-world currency (EA: The Sims 4, n.d.). New features introduced by Maxis in The Sims 4 included improved character creation with an expanded and diverse set of options, in addition to new emotion and personality systems to create a deeper simulation (The Sims 4, n.d.). The Sims 4 quickly reached commercial success, reaching the top of the 2014 video game charts and ultimately “received over 70 million players worldwide as 2023” (The Sims 4, n.d.). The Sims 4 is unique in achieving the top spot in multiple lists of video games based on the size of the female player base (Women’s Day – Female Gamers Report, 2021), (Yee, 2017).

Video Game Critical Theory

A video game represents a unique form of art due to the potential combination of art forms that could be represented in a video game and the actions that take place. One video game may be comprised entirely of text-based narrative, the next may be void of narrative and comprised entirely of graphical elements, while a third video game could manifest with deep narrative, captivating graphical elements, and a rich musical score. Due to this, the video game industry and video games in general are often compared with the movie industry and may share the same storylines, special effects, and actors that films use (Wolf, 2007, p. 1). Video games are rated by the ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) or the AAMA (American Amusement Machine Association), just as the film industry is rated by the MPPDA (Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association. Despite this, “there are still some who question whether video games are an art, or worth studying academically” (Wolf, 2007, p. 1). While there are clear similarities between the video game and movie industries, video games represent a unique cultural artifact requiring adaptation of existing critical theories or the development of entirely new critical theories for proper analysis.

Alexander Galloway in his book Gaming – Essays on Algorithmic Culture clearly defines how a video game is different from other forms of art and media. Galloway differentiates video games from photos or movies when stating, “if photographs are images, and films are moving images, then video games are actions” (Galloway, 2006, p. 2). Unlike a choose-your-own-adventure story or movies where the viewer decides a course of action and actively changes the story, within a video game, “the operator and the machine play the video game together, step-by-step, move by move” (Galloway, 2006, p. 2). Not only does the player act by pressing a mouse or joystick button or pressing a key on a keyboard, the video game’s algorithm also acts in response to the player’s action, and the machine on which the video game is playing acts based on the actions of both the player and the video game’s algorithm. Galloway further clarifies that video games are an active medium, further differentiated from “a theory of ‘interactivity’ or the ‘active audience’ theory of media. Active audience theory claims that audiences always bring their own interpretations and receptions of the work. … An active medium is one whose very materiality moves and restructures itself – pixels turning on and off, bits shifting in hardware registers, disks spinning up and spinning down. … I avoid the word “interactive” and prefer instead to call the video game, like the computer, an “action-based” medium’ (Galloway, 2006, p. 3). It is due to this active nature of video games that traditional forms of critical theory must be adapted or new forms of critical theory developed for effective critical analysis of this action-based medium. Based on this understanding, I will be adapting several critical theories for the study of the video game, The Sims 4, based on the work of previous scholars for the respective theories.

Hypothesis

My hypothesis is that the incorporation of female player and non-player characters (PC and NPC, respectively) with diverse attributes and body types, coupled with a robust ludic scene (cultural scene), will encourage stronger female representation in a video game’s player base.

This hypothesis will be evaluated through a review of the video game The Sims 4. This review will first examine how several suggestions proposed by Elena Bertozzi for encouraging female gameplay have been incorporated into The Sims 4. Next, the culture surrounding The Sims 4 will be analyzed from a ludic scene (cultural scene) lens. Finally, a small amount of counterculture will be incorporated.

Feminism

In the article ‘You play like a girl!’ Cross-gender competition and the uneven playing field, Elena Bertozzi presents multiple reasons for lower female participation in gameplay for specific types of video games. Through this discussion, Bertozzi presents four suggestions to attract women. The following is a review of these four suggestions with an analysis of how each may or may not be implemented within The Sims 4:

Normalize cross-gender play and competition by making it frequent, routine and pleasurable. Bertozzi’s research indicated that this kind of multi-player gaming and competition is not socially encouraged or acceptable for women, and games that require it will potentially have a lower female player base. (Bertozzi, 2008, pp. 474–479). Based on this research, video games that do not force cross-gender play and competition will potentially have a higher female player base. This is demonstrated through The Sims 4 topping the charts for female players as described above and an unofficial reference to a job posting by Maxis describing The Sims 4 player base consisting of 60% female players aged 18-24.
Create a broad range of non-playable female characters and female avatars who have attributes not stereotypically considered ‘female’. A lack of non-player characters (NPCs) whose gender matches with the player and a lack of avatar options related to gender or non-stereotypical attributes discourages female participation (Bertozzi, 2008, pp. 474, 479–480, 482). The Sims 4 implements this suggestion through highly customizable avatars and an equal balance of male and female NPCs of various ages and body types.
Reinforce emerging perceptions of physically strong, competitive, aggressive females as sexually desirable. Bertozzi explains how cultural norms restrict women from appearing strong or competitive and calls for the video game industry to work towards changing these norms. While The Sims 4 does not directly support this suggestion, it is indirectly supported through the player’s ability to create their own highly customized player characters.
Increase the number of female players and female avatars in digital games. Bertozzi explains how games like Second Life and Sims have a larger number of female avatars and a larger number of female players (Bertozzi, 2008, p. 484).

(Bertozzi, 2008, p. 484)

This analysis demonstrates the designers of The Sims 4 implemented designs and actions that support and encourage female play.

Cultural and Counterculture

A ‘cultural scene’ is described as “particular networks of cultural activities, collaborative meaning-making practices, and social ‘happenings’ associated with specific geographical (predominantly urban) locales” (Grimes, 2014, p. 380). Sarah Grimes, in her paper Little Big Scene, uses this as the foundation for identifying a pseudo-cultural scene that forms around popular video games. Grimes attributes this concept to popular video games when players come together to form an online community consisting of player-generated video content (i.e., YouTube, Twitch, etc.), online communication platforms (i.e., forums, Discord communities, etc.), user-generated content (i.e., fan art, fan fiction, fan-created dolls, etc.), and having strong corporate and legal structures (Grimes, 2014, p. 380). Grimes ultimately proposes that these cultural happenings are not ‘cultural scenes’ because they lack the geographical ‘locale’ that a traditional cultural scene would encompass (Grimes, 2014, p. 394). She instead likens these cultural happenings to the concept of a non-place as defined by Au M. Augé in Non-places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity and instead labels them “non-scene: a cultural scene that only functions as such when it falls within the parameters set by its (corporate) operators. It is an amalgam of non-public, private, commercial and commercially informed spaces that aims to foster DIY-inspired forms of cultural participation, in the interests of generating brand loyalty and identity” (Grimes, 2014, pp. 395–396). While I agree this concept is in alignment with Augé’s definition of a non-place, “such as theme parks and malls, function as public places only during designated hours of operation. There is nothing as eerie as an airport at three o’clock in the morning, or a theme park after closing hours” I believe a more applicable term would be ludic scene. The prefix ‘non-’ attached to the place or scene denotes a form of negation similar to a dyad representing positive and negative terms which, in this situation, is less than ideal with the intended application since the non-place is still a place and the non-scene is still a scene. I therefore propose and will utilize the term ludic scene when discussing the various activities and cultural artifacts that a ludic community participates in or creates. This incorporates the playfulness denoted by the term ludic and the existence of a pseudo-cultural scene. There also exists an additional cultural artifact commonly generated by ludic communities that could be considered part of a ludic scene: mods.

The concept of countergaming is proposed by Galloway as an adaptation of the “countercinema of the 1960s” and applied to video games (Galloway, 2006, p. 108). Galloway describes countergaming as “a new avant-garde, a ‘countergaming’ movement … in opposition to and outside the gaming mainstream” known within the ludic community as ‘modding’ (Galloway, 2006, pp. 107–108). Galloway goes on to define three ways in which video games can be modified (modded, modding, mod): “(1) at the level of its visual design, substituting new level maps, new artwork, new characters models, and so on; (2) at the level of the rules of the game, changing how gameplay unfolds – who wins, who loses, and what the repercussions of various gamic acts are; or (3) at the level of its software technology, changing character behavior, game physics, lighting techniques, and so on” (Galloway, 2006, pp. 107–108). While I understand the reasoning behind Galloway’s arguments, I challenge that modding should only be considered a form of countergaming in extreme cases and should otherwise be considered an aspect of ludic culture. Even in the extreme cases proposed by Galloway, it would be plausible to argue that modding a game engine to that extent could result in a re-classification of the artifact from a video game (ludic artifact) to a creative tool (utilitarian artifact). Grimes included corporate control within her description of a cultural scene when she discusses video game design studios intentionally including tools and resources that encourage player modding of the game (Grimes, 2014, p. 383-384). Therefore, I am including modding as a cultural artifact within a ludic scene.

Through analysis of resources available on the Internet, there exists a strong ludic scene surrounding The Sims 4, consisting of countless cultural activities and artifacts.

Artifact category	Discovered artifacts
Player-generated video content	Twitch – 59 live streams, 1.5k active viewers, 6.4 million followers; YouTube – 137 million videos
Online communication platforms	Discord – 223 servers tagged SIMS (167 tagged SIMS-4), Online forums – 100s, Reddit – TheSims4, 59k members, ranked Top 2% by size
User-generated content	DeviantArt – 60.5k artifacts; ArtStation – 52 artists, 256 artifacts;
Strong corporate & legal structures	EA – fan art kits, 3d printable files, Spark Something, Sims Sessions (YouTube series where music artists record songs in Simlish, the Sims language), Simspiration Places (photo tours of physical locations)
Modding	CurseForge – 24,705 projects; NexusMods – 1,108 projects

This analysis demonstrates a strong, vibrant, and active ludic scene generating thousands of ludic artifacts. This ludic scene provides necessary resources to ease the entry into play by giving guidance on various ways to play, encouraging social participation, and providing modifications to adjust the gameplay in favor of specific player desires.

Conclusion

The critical analysis of the video game The Sims 4 through both a feminist and cultural lens was conducted to determine if the hypothesis that the incorporation of diverse female PCs and NPCs, coupled with a robust ludic scene, would encourage more women to play a video game. When evaluating the game through a feminist lens, four qualities were assessed, with all four qualities found to exist within the game. When evaluating through a culture/counterculture lens, significant ludic artifacts were identified, demonstrating a solid and vibrant ludic scene. Based on the results of this analysis, the hypothesis is supported. It would be beneficial to evaluate additional games to determine if the hypothesis continues to be supported.

References

Bertozzi, E. (2008). ‘You Play Like a Girl!’ Cross-gender competition and the uneven playing field. The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 14(4), 473–487. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856508094667

EA : The Sims 4. (n.d.). Electronic Arts. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4

Ellis, L. A., Lee, M. D., Ijaz, K., Smith, J., Braithwaite, J., & Yin, K. (2020). COVID-19 as ‘Game Changer’ for the physical activity and mental well-being of augmented reality game players during the pandemic: mixed methods survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(12), Article e25117. Retrieved October 10, 2023, from https://doi.org/10.2196/25117

Entertainment Software Association. (2023a). Power of play global report 2023. https://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/PowerOfPlay2023_Final.pdf

Entertainment Software Association. (2023b). 2023 Essential facts about the U.S. video game industry. https://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ESA_2023_Essential_Facts_FINAL_07092023.pdf

Galloway, A. R. (2006). Gaming: Essays on algorithmic culture. University Of Minnesota Press.

Grimes, S. M. (2014). Little big scene. Cultural Studies, 29(3), 379–400. https://doi.org/10.1080/09502386.2014.937944

Lucas, K., & Sherry, J. L. (2004). Sex differences in video game play: a communication-based explanation. Communication Research, 31(5), 499–523. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650204267930

Ogletree, S. M., & Drake, R. (2007). College students’ video game participation and perceptions: Gender differences and implications. Sex Roles, 56(7-8), 537–542. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9193-5

The Sims 4. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sims_4

Wolf, M. J. P. (2007). The study of video games. In The video game explosion: A history from pong to playstation and beyond (pp. 21–28). Greenwood.

Women’s Day – Female gamers report. (2021, March 8). Kinguin. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from https://blog.kinguin.net/female-gamers-report

Yee, N. (2017, January 19). Beyond 50/50: Breaking down the percentage of female gamers by gender. Quantic Foundry. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from https://quanticfoundry.com/2017/01/19/female-gamers-by-genre/

Douglas Evans
Lindenwood University
CAH 50000
Dr. Steven Cody
October 13, 2023

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