Frank Pourvoyeur

Independent game developer. Graduated in Game Studies in 2020

Meaningful coincidences in games with synchronicity

FROG 2020 – Poster Presentation

Coincident is a frequently used method to get items into the possession of players. Synchronicity according to C G Jung can be used to assess the randomness of such an event. In accordance with the Suspension of Disbelief, a concept is presented that shows how believability can vary due to abstraction.

Simon Wimmer

Simon Wimmer holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology and a Master’s degree in Game Studies. Since 2017 he works at the Center for Applied Game Studies at the Donau-Universität Krems. His focus is on storytelling, conceptual- and narrative design. When he is not working, he is probably…playing video games or …taking a walk or …eating greasy food or …camping somewhere.

(Online-) SNEAK GAMING – a low-threshold opportunity for players and devs in times of COVID19

FROG 2020 – Poster Presentation

Co-Authors:
Natalie Denk (Danube University Krems)
Constantin Kraus (Danube University Krems)

The poster presentation highlights the newly established event format SNEAK GAMING by the Center for Applied Game Studies in cooperation with SUBTORON (www.sneakgaming.at). SNEAK GAMING is based on the concept of sneak previews in the film industry. Game developers can submit their projects which, if accepted, will be presented, tested and discussed at SNEAK GAMING. Which games are presented is only revealed to the participants at the start of the session. SNEAK GAMING is supposed to offer a low-threshold opportunity for developers to present, test and promote the game projects of any kind. In the same way, players will have a low-threshold opportunity to try out unpublished and experimental projects, give feedback and talk to the developers. For game researchers, the event format provides an opportunity to stay up to date with the latest trends in emerging game production, the needs of players and the challenges and opportunities of contemporary game production. With the Covid 19 pandemic, the event concept faced a challenge. Even before the very first SNEAK GAMING session in March 2020, it became clear that this date could not take place as planned on site in an event room in the Museumsquartier Vienna. The concept had to be adapted for an online presence.. The poster presentation shows how game developers and interested people meet in the online space, how exchange can take place there and also which specific effects have been caused by the virtual holding of these events. Furthermore, we want to announce and present the concept of the next planned online-event: “SNEAK GAMING XL”.

Lukas Prader

Lukas Prader is a graduate of the master course “Game Studies” at the Danube University Krems. He wrote his final thesis about Clash of Clans. Lukas Prader works as a 3D artist for the Austrian game company Purple Lamp Studios.

The success of Clash of Clans

FROG 2020 – Poster Presentation

The poster presentation and the book contribution in the planned anthology analyses one of the most successful mobile games, Clash of Clans (Supercell), which is available as an app for Apple’s iOS operating system since 2012 and for the Android operating system since 2013. The mobile market is developing rapidly from year to year and has been the strongest economic success in the gaming industry. As social games increasingly became available on the smartphone and were no longer bound to a social platform, such as Facebook, Clash of Clans quickly evolved into one of the first mobile games to attract the masses worldwide. The mobile game has enormous appeal regardless of gender and age. This paper includes the description of the game and the research in the form of an online survey and two focus groups with 8 players* of the Clash of Clans Clan “Ludoholics”, who thoroughly discussed the results of the survey. Briefly said, the success of the game is based on the factors of easy entry, regular player expansion, social factor, monetization and presence in the media.

Thomas Wernbacher

Thomas Wernbacher is a media psychologist and works as Senior Scientist at the Center for Applied Game Studies at the Danube University Krems. He is founder of Picapipe GmbH and teaches at the TU Vienna. In his work he researches the use and effects of playful approaches and emerging technologies in the context of mobility, education and health. His fields of expertise includes behavioral concepts in the form of gamification and nudging with a special focus on incentive models. The current focus of his research is on the communication of sustainable development goals in the context of urban development and climate change.

Cycle4Value

FROG 2020 – Poster Presentation

Co-Authors:
Alexander Pfeiffer (Danube University Krems)
Constantin Kraus (Danube University Krems)
Alexander Seewald (Seewald Solutions)
Mario Platzer (yverkehrsplanung)

Despite a variety of measures to promote cycling, the overall share of bicycle traffic in Austria has changed only slightly in favour of the bicycle in recent years (BMVIT 2017 and 2013). As part of its mobility strategy, the Austrian government has therefore set itself the goal of doubling the proportion of bicycle traffic in 7 years. In times of COVID a total of 866,263 cyclists were registered by Vienna’s automatic counting stations in April 2020. Compared to the same month of the previous year, 20.2 percent more Viennese have thus taken to the bike. However, the sustainability of this effect is declining, so incentives must be created for a permanent modal shift. In course of the research project“Nice Rides” we aimed at promoting bike commuting in the urban area by developing a gamification framework which involves both cooperative and competitive game elements. In order to reach a meaningful playing experience we implementedfindings from game design and motivational models. Our key goal was to achieve a change in long established behavioural patterns (choosing the car for commuting) by enhancing the safety and attractivity of biking. 10 years later, the peak of gamification has been left behind, incentive tracking apps broadly adopted gamified mechanics as well as incentive systems. With “Cycle4Value” as follow-up project a transparent and low-threshold reward model for the promotion of cycling based on the blockchain technology is being tested. The economic, health and ecological advantages/effects of cycling are are converted into a real value (=cycle tokens). These value units are stored in a digital wallet and can be paid for in a marketplace. The research project surpasses conventional incentive systems, since on the one hand the storage of the value units as well as the redemption process is decentralized, tamper-proof and transparent and on the other hand the real economic benefit of active cycling is monetarized.

Constantin Kraus

Constantin Kraus BEd, studied teacher training for elementary schools at the Kirchliche Pädagogische Hochschule Graz. He is currently in the master’s program MediaPlayPedagogy at the Danube University Krems. In addition to his work in an afternoon care center at an elementary school, he has been working as a sound designer, graphic designer and motion designer for several years.

Ride2Park

FROG 2020 – Poster Presentation

Co-Authors:
Thomas Wernbacher
Simon Wimmer

When talking about individual mobility the negative effects on the environment and health such as congestion, urban heat, bad air quality and climate relevant emissions are well known and regularly discussed within the political as well as scientific community. Costs related to these factors include certificates for carbon dioxide on the state level as well as costs for infrastructure such as parking space provided by companies. The modal and behavioral shift needed is not on the horizon, in cities such as Judenburg up to 72% of citizens still use the car to get to work or to school. With Ride2Park we offer a gamified solution for solving the climate crisis by motivating employees of medium to large companies to use carpools for getting to work. Drivers and co-drivers can collect rewards as well as can take part in weekly lotteries to win prizes provided by the employer or respective company. Next to principles of gamification our framework also includes nudging as motivational boost. Ride2Park is the first step in our plan to use insights from psychology, game studies and social anthropology to achieve a positive impact on mobility choices of employees. To achieve this goal we plan to enhance existing business solutions by building an additional layer in terms of design, metrics and incentives. For the quantification of our reward system we plan to include the results from established services such as “BlaBlaCar” or “Bike Citizens” (as application for tracking active mobility) on the one hand and user-driven inputs on the other hand.


Natalie Denk

Natalie Denk has a degree in Educational Science (University of Vienna) and Game Studies (Danube University Krems). Her research focuses on Game-based Learning, Educational Game Design and the examination of age and gender aspects in relation to digital games. Since 2014 she has been involved in several national and international research projects at the Center for Applied Game Studies at the Danube University Krems. Furthermore, she is responsible for the university courses “Game Studies”, “Media Game Pedagogy” and “Action Oriented Media Pedagogy”. Since July 2019 she acts as Head of the Center.

Esports and related phenomena of today’s gaming culture – opportunity, challenge and necessity for educational work

FROG 2020 – Poster Presentation

Co-Authors:
Alexander Pfeiffer (Danube University Krems)
Thomas Wernbacher (Danube University Krems)

Digital games have long since become an important part of today’s youth culture and for a large proportion of young people, gaming is a popular leisure activity – regardless of gender, social and cultural background. Around this fascination for digital game(s) a “gaming culture” has developed. However, here, not only the mere consumption of digital games plays a role. It is rather about active participation in a media landscape shaped by digital games. Young people exchange information (online and offline) about their favorite games and trends, watch, create and share “Let’s Play” videos and gameplay streams or follow their favorite gamers on various social media channels. Of growing importance in the gaming culture of young people (in Austria and worldwide) is also Esports – the organized competitive play of digital games. Active participation in the gaming culture reveals a number of competences, for example in ICT or creativity. Furthermore, the gaming culture and the resulting phenomena have a significant influence on everyday life, but also on the development of pupils and, as a consequence, shape our society. It is therefore high time to pay attention to these developments in the educational sector, to take up potentials and also to face up to the associated challenges. The poster contribution sheds light on the topic of esports and related phenomena in educational work from different perspectives and provides insights into ongoing projects – above all the E-Sport Schulliga Wien 21/22.


Alexander Pfeiffer

Alexander Pfeiffer is recipient of a Max Kade Fellowship awarded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences to work with The MIT Education Arcade. His research focus as a postdoctoral fellow is on blockchain technologies and their impact to society. Before joining MIT, Alexander headed the center for applied game studies at Danube-University Krems, Austria, for eight years. At the beginning of 2021, he will move back from MIT to Danube-University Krems with the aim to establish the new Emerging Technologies Lab at the University and assist with establishing the Space21Future Lab in Vienna.

Life as a magic circle. A reflection with special consideration of our situation during the Covid-19 crisis.

FROG 2020 – Poster Presentation

I justify this with the fact that a Magic Circle is basically a system with independent rules. It does not necessarily, but can of course, be a game environment. Magic Circles with game reference are (A) a clearly defined game (B) a hybrid game world, like Alternate Reality or Urban Games and (C) games that are experienced by one person as a game, even if it is not a game for the other persons. Typical Magic Circles would also be clearly marked places like the tennis court, the soccer field, the board game, the games app etc. But also places like the swimming pool or the streetcar are Magic Circles, because there are special rules which are accepted at the entry and end at leaving. One can go so far as to consider life itself as a big Magic Circle, which offers thousands of play and non-play related, closed, semi-open and open Magic Circles. In the context of the poster presentation and my book chapter I would like to go into more detail about the underlying reasons for this point of view and would like to further point out a particular look at magic circles that have arisen and will arise for us in the context of the Covid-19 situation with all its rules, laws, regulations, the lockdowns, family life, working life, media use and so forth.


Erwin Cetl

Erwin Cetl worked as a nurse for a long time and took care of people in need when he decided in 2016 to direct his academic career towards a combination of healthcare and technology. Now he is responsible for development of medical devices and studies part-time at the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences. As part of the Master’s degree program Digital Healthcare, he and his interdisciplinary team, consisting of software and hardware developers, occupational therapists, and physiotherapists, have the opportunity to combine technology and healthcare and to improve the world of healthcare sustainably using innovative digital approaches.

Development of the gamification application PENguin used by children to perform graphomotor movements with the STABILO® ErgoPen

FROG 2020 – Poster Presentation

Co-Authors:
Erik Sommer (Project Team Member)
Mario Heller (Project Coach)
Jens Barth (STABILO)
Tim Hamann (STABILO)

In recent years it has been observed that with the increasing use of computers, tablets, or mobile devices, traditional handwriting with pencil and paper has been more and more replaced by digital writing implements such as keyboards or stylus pens. The increased use of digital media also affects sensorimotor skills and their influence on children’s reading and writing performance. Children who have problems with writing skills often cannot keep up with the amount of written work required in primary schools. This may affect their academic progress and leads to decreased self-esteem and behavioral problems. Typically, these children are mostly viewed as uncooperative or lazy, which leads to further frustration and disappointment. Since there are many different approaches for teaching handwriting in primary schools, both the type and duration of the instructions are major external factors influencing handwriting performance. In many different areas of health care, playful training approaches are used as an alternative to conventional training methods in order to increase motivation and fun. Therefore, as part of the Master´s degree program, Digital Healthcare at the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences and in cooperation with STABILO® International GmbH the interactive software PENguin was developed to perform graphomotor movements with the STABILO® ErgoPen in a playful way. For this purpose, the user utilizes a special pen, which is equipped with numerous sensors to convert manual movements of the hand into digital signals to control the game. By executing three different graphomotor movements with the ErgoPen, a PENguin is controlled within the application in almost real-time to either move forward or backward, jump or throw snowballs at opponents.


Michael Fleischhacker

Michael Fleischhacker is a teacher and media educator who has been working intensively with the use of digital tools and games in the educational sector for the last few years. Besides the further development of Flipped Classroom in the classroom, he was co-founder of the first Floridsdorf esport school league. Furthermore, he implements numerous Minecraft projects in the Austrian education sector and is founder of the digital innovation lab “Space 21 Future” in Floridsdorf.

Building a cross-school media lab based on playful learning principles for children and young people in the midst of the Covid-19 situation. A field report.

FROG 2020 – Poster Presentation

Co-Authors:
Sandra Stella-Pfeiffer (Danube University Krems)
Alexander Pfeiffer (Danube University Krems / MIT Education Arcade)

The Covid-19 crisis has clearly shown that despite attempts by committed teachers and administrative officials, applied media education is not yet where it should be in order to achieve lifeworld and practice-oriented teaching in elementary and middle schools. Therefore, it was decided in Vienna to set up the Space 21 Future as an interdisciplinary cross-school lab and to develop concepts that take into account the didactic and organizational aspects of such a project. This report shows the considerations behind this project and how to build such a lab in the midst of the Covid-19 situation and its inherent limitations in times of the crises. Especially the aspect of playing-learning as a didactic principle of this project is addressed. Furthermore, it will show how the goals can be achieved despite a possible constant change between classroom teaching and home schooling.

Minecraft in the Covid-19 crisis connects

FROG 2020 – Poster Presentation

The Covid 19 crisis and the lockdown had a major impact on learning behaviour and time management in individual families. During the close living together in their own four walls, conflicts often arose regarding the play consumption of their own children. For this reason the Minecraft Environmental Challenge 2020 was developed to support families in their learning process and play consumption. The aim of this project was also to show the educational sector how valuable play can be in educational processes. The present report shows the approaches and processes of this project, which was supported at federal and provincial level. Furthermore, it is shown how a distance learning process is supported with a sandbox game, which effects this has on the family situation and which creative processes were triggered in pupils. Furthermore, the skills of the pupils are highlighted and the change between home schooling and classroom is discussed.


Yvonne Scheer

Yvonne Scheer is a multiple national champion in computer games and has worked on several events, such as the Gamecity, in recent years. As a licensed esports referee she has also already supervised major esports tournaments (including eBundesliga). Recently she was elected as gender representative of the austrian esports federation (ESVÖ). Her main goal is the promotion and networking of the female gamers in the gaming/esports scene.

Empowering girls and women in Esports and gaming

FROG 2020 – Poster Presentation

Studies have shown, that nearly half of all gamers are female. But a lot of girls and women are facing gender discrimination and/or sexual harassment in the gaming and esports scene. There are still gender clichés and prejudice towards female competitors in esports as well as in the gaming scene in general – as was very publicly shown in the wake of the #metoo movement. One wonders why? Especially in gaming/esports there is no need to make distinctions based on gender, sexual orientation, skin-color, height, weight or religion of a person. Everyone starts at the same level. There is still a long way to go for this to become a reality. Therefore, it’s fundamental to show successful female role models in the gaming/esports scene and to promote and talk about them. Because it’s easier for others to follow someone’s footsteps than to have to forge a path all on their own. Talking about this issue is one important part. The other being educating the media and people of all ages about equal treatment. With this educational work we will have an increase of successful girls and women in esports sooner rather than later.