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Escapism in Animal Crossing: New Horizons in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic
Martinů, Patricie ; Švelch, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Švelch, Jan (referee)
1 Abstract This Master's thesis aims to explore the impact of the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons released in March 2020 for the Nintendo Switch console on players during the Covid-19 pandemic by analyzing forum posts and articles. The thesis further typifies the community of players of the game that post on the forums Animal Crossing Community and The Bell Tree Forums, their motivations for playing, and the ways in which the game provided them with an escape from the reality of the pandemic. Furthermore, the thesis partly focuses on media reflection of this phenomenon through the analysis of articles describing their own experience with the game. This thesis intends to achieve this through qualitative research methods, specifically through a case study using the method of analytical induction. The first chapters in the theoretical part of the thesis show that the existing knowledge about the impact of games and media in general on the mental health of people, and adolescents in particular, is contradictory. However, the research part of the thesis, which is divided into chapters based on the individual research questions, shows that in the case of this particular period, i.e. from the release of the game during the months of the most severe pandemic measures to their temporary easing in the summer of...
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Language Influencers on Czech Social Media
Láznička, Helena ; Švelch, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Švelch, Jan (referee)
The present work is concerned with social network accounts that can be termed language influencers. These profiles post interesting language facts (e.g. the origin of words and semantic change) or address language phenomena that are often used incorrectly. The work presents the first quantitative and qualitative characterization of three such profiles that are concerned with the Czech language, viz. Červená propiska (Instagram), Češtinářské špeky (Facebook), and Jazykovědma (Twitter). The subject of the analysis were posts published by these profiles in the year 2021. The data consists of 37 Instagram, 91 Facebook, and 224 Twitter posts. The posts were categorized based on the language phenomena that they address and analyzed. The analysis showed that all the profiles in question concern predominantly the following four language areas: etymology, orthography, lexicology, and morphology. The qualitative analysis addressed comments under the posts, with particular focus on the types of the reactions. Four main categories of comments were established based on more than 2100 comments published under nine most commented posts from 2021: Emotions aroused by the post, Personal story, Language development, and Prescriptivism and language authorities. Furthermore, a descriptive analysis of interactions...
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Perception and preferences of gender in game character creation from a MMORPG player's
Malaťaková, Eva ; Fousek Krobová, Tereza (advisor) ; Švelch, Jan (referee)
This thesis focuses on the analysis of the connection between the choice of avatar gender in the game environment and the player's personality in the virtual world. The thesis focuses on the environment of online games of the MMORPG genre, more specifically on the game titles World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2. The subject of the thesis is the experience of gender from the perspective of the players of these games and how the chosen gender influences their gaming personality. The research method used is qualitative analysis using semi-structured interviews. Interviews are conducted with eleven respondents over the age of eighteen who are active players of MMORPGs. Respondents expressed their reasons for choosing a particular gender and described how their choice influenced the personality of the character created. Thematic analysis is used to evaluate the interviews. The aim of this thesis is to find connections between the choice of a particular gender and the creation of a player personality in a virtual world. For the purpose of this thesis Bartle's test of gamer psychology is used.
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Experimental study of the influence of user behaviour on the output of the Instagram algorithn
Holubová, Jitka ; Švelch, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Švelch, Jan (referee)
Social networks are a driving force in today's society and affect more things than one might think at first glance. These include the creation of opinion bubbles, rabbit holes, the breakdown of public discourse, and more. User behavior used there varies, and its influence on the evolution of social networks, and hence its impact on their algorithms, has been described rather superficially so far. This paper will examine the influence of user behavior on the transformation of the Instagram social network algorithm. The aim of this thesis is to determine whether and to what extent the Instagram algorithm responds to different types of user behaviour through experimental research.
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The practical and procedural side of the current video game rating system and its impact on player experience
Bundzik, Richard ; Švelch, Jan (advisor) ; Fousek Krobová, Tereza (referee)
Main topic of this thesis is to gather information how videogame journalists approach writing about videogame difficulty for the readers, given the wide skill range of the players. In the theoretical part the thesis deals with topics that results from difficulty of videogames and methods how developers approach it, accessibility options and influence of reviews not only for their authors but also for the developers. In the empirical part is a practical research consisting of the interviewing few videogame reviewers whom were given half-structured questions on topics included in the theoretical part of the thesis.
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Reception of Czech games in local and foreign media
Dovole, David ; Švelch, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Švelch, Jan (referee)
Recently, both skilled individuals and large game studios can devote themselves to the development and creation of digital games. In the last decade, the gaming industry has established itself as the most profitable branch of the entertainment industry. Its annual turnover reached 180 billion USD, while the film industry generates annually 100 billion USD less. However, achieving success with your project on a global scale is not an easy challenge in this very competitive environment. Nevertheless, a relatively large number of projects have succeeded in the Czech Republic, regardless of how small a country we are. Five of them, each representing a different game genre, form the basis of the research corpus of this work, the purpose of which is to observe firstly whether the geographical origin of the game is a factor to which foreign game journalists attach a certain importance, and secondly to try to find common characteristics of the observed games, that led to their worldwide success, and to analyze whether it is possible to trace the influence of our shared socio-cultural environment in them. The analysis shows that although the Czech origin of the monitored games does not play a significant role for the authors of the collected texts, from the characteristics with which the games are described...
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Analysis of video game magazines Level and Score and their influence on a local game development scene
Bartlová, Natálie ; Švelch, Jan (advisor) ; Švelch, Jaroslav (referee)
This thesis examines how the game magazines Level and Score cover the Czech and Slovak game development scene. The thesis uses mixed-method research, combining quantitative content analysis with semi-structured interviews. The research is based on two hypotheses, that Level magazine will cover the local developer scene more than Score, and that it will contain fewer advertisements than Score. The methodological part is preceded by a theoretical part that explores games journalism and its connection to the games industry and the gaming community. The history of gaming magazines in the country is also outlined, with an emphasis on Level and Score magazines. There is also a chapter on the domestic development scene, which sheds light on the local issues of this profession. The main challenges are finances, lack of formal education, and the overall difficulty of working in the video game industry. However, a look at the problems of the industry on a global scale is also included. The methodological part presents the methodology and the sample, which consists of randomly selected issues from both magazines that were published in 2020. The quantitative analysis and subsequent interviews with the editors of both Level and Score proved the validity of both hypotheses. The discussion of the results and the...
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The post-pandemic situation in czech esport leagues
Veverka, Martin ; Švelch, Jan (advisor) ; Fousek Krobová, Tereza (referee)
This thesis focuses on the phenomenon of esports, i.e. professional computer gaming, after the coronavirus pandemic. The theoretical part is devoted to the industry as such, focusing on the development of global esports, offline tournaments and broadcasting platforms. The practical part uses mixed-methods research to explore in depth the Czech esport, its transformation during the pandemic and its state in 2023.
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Persuasive technology and gamification elements on the Twitch.tv streaming platform
Stehlík, František ; Švelch, Jan (advisor) ; Švelch, Jaroslav (referee)
Persuasion technologies and gamification elements are part of a large number of modern applications and internet platforms. The reasons for using these features are varied and differ based on the nature of the application or platform. The use of persuasion techniques and gamification elements can be an effective way to achieve target user behaviour. This bachelor thesis examines the use of persuasion techniques and gamification elements on the streaming platform Twitch.tv. The aim of the thesis is to explore the purposes of the different elements implemented in the user interface of this platform and to analyse the different elements that have gamification and persuasion characteristics. The theoretical part of this thesis is devoted to theories of persuasion and the categorization of gamification elements. In the practical part, the Twitch.tv platform is analyzed using the walkthrough method from the perspective of a common user, where the different elements are analyzed, following the chapters in the theoretical part. This thesis provides useful insights for users and creators of similar platforms.
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The convergence of esport and streaming in professional trajectories on the Czech gaming scene
Jerman, Petr ; Švelch, Jan (advisor) ; Švelch, Jaroslav (referee)
The thesis focuses on the topic of the convergence of esports and streaming on the Czech gaming scene. Its aim is to find specific areas and activities which connect the two seemingly different, but closely linked areas of media entertainment and video game industry. The theoretical part presents the phenomena of esport and streaming, including both their unique connecting and dividing elements. The thesis focuses primarily on the role of streamers and streaming platforms in esports, but also on their common connection to media entertainment and creative work in digital or video game culture. In the research section, the data is collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews focused on streamers and esports participants or employees who have experience or operate within both industries. Subsequent data analysis and final discussion answer the established research questions. It thus uncovers common areas and activities that contribute to the convergence of esports and streaming. The thesis also addresses monetization methods as well as the current situation and working conditions in the Czech esports environment. The presented results point to the mutual cooperation between the two sectors, with an emphasis on the more independent role of streaming compared to esports, which in turn tries to...
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