Ali Alkhafaji, Ph.D.

Historically, videogame research has focused on how different videogame attributes (like challenge, fantasy, control, goals, etc.) impact the player experience. This type of research is important because it can provide insight into how to design an AI-based but more enjoyable videogames. However, very little exists within the current literature that focuses on mystery and its impact on the player experience. This study is concerned with providing the research community with a better… Show more

Historically, videogame research has focused on how different videogame attributes (like challenge, fantasy, control, goals, etc.) impact the player experience. This type of research is important because it can provide insight into how to design an AI-based but more enjoyable videogames. However, very little exists within the current literature that focuses on mystery and its impact on the player experience. This study is concerned with providing the research community with a better understanding of how mystery manifests in videogames and consequently impacts the player experience, specifically curiosity and motivation. The conclusions and outcomes of this research provide the gaming community with the knowledge on how to optimize mystery in videogame design which increases player curiosity and motivation. It also offers greater insight to the research community on the impact of mystery, as a videogame attribute, on the player experience. Show less

How Adobe wins and loses if they acquire Elastic Path! This article examines the benefits and drawbacks of a potential Adobe acquisition of Elastic Path commerce engine.

Organizations often find themselves in a rut, like a hamster in a hamster wheel. Every organization, at some point, will realize that a reactive approach to problem solving with its digital footprint might inch the organization forward but it will do so at snail speed. Knowing that the rest of the industry, especially competitors, are not waiting and not looking behind. The top goal for every CIO or CMO should be a way to break that cycle and become the trail blazer. Just like a plane would… Show more

Organizations often find themselves in a rut, like a hamster in a hamster wheel. Every organization, at some point, will realize that a reactive approach to problem solving with its digital footprint might inch the organization forward but it will do so at snail speed. Knowing that the rest of the industry, especially competitors, are not waiting and not looking behind. The top goal for every CIO or CMO should be a way to break that cycle and become the trail blazer. Just like a plane would never take off without a destination and a course, or a ship without a heading, organizations need a digital strategy and a roadmap to execute that strategy. Without that, they hold a compass that doesn’t point north.
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The Internet of Things (IoT) introduces difficult questions: How can someone manage all of his or her devices? A unified user interface? Are different companies and industries ready to standardize? What is the potential commercial value for IoT? How will we manage security and safety? Software compatibility?

To help your company create a road map for deploying a successful Content Management System, this white paper from Ali Alkhafaji at Virtusa takes you through the seven primary factors to consider during your journey. The paper defines each factor, the role it plays for CMS implementations and how the factor contributes to success.

Content Management Systems (CMS) have evolved tremendously in the last decade, maturing into an impressive list of offerings. As these offerings have grown in complexity, so too has implementation. Selecting the right solution for your company and a digital partner can mitigate these challenges, but once your implementation is underway a few common issues can cause havoc on the project.

This study will provide an alternative approach to game design and analysis by offering the gaming community with the initial foundations of a framework based on user experience. This approach is founded by measuring and operationalizing, during game- play, the different intrapersonal game attributes in successful commercial games across five popular game genres.

Long have studies attempted to bridge the gap between perception and reality for video games attributes. This study highlights the relationship between what a player perceives about certain game attributes (Challenge, Control and Mystery) and how those ele ments are actually portrayed in the game. We measured user perception with a post - game questionnaire and compare d that to the answers of pointed questions about those attributes at different time s during the game - play. We found high… Show more

Long have studies attempted to bridge the gap between perception and reality for video games attributes. This study highlights the relationship between what a player perceives about certain game attributes (Challenge, Control and Mystery) and how those ele ments are actually portrayed in the game. We measured user perception with a post - game questionnaire and compare d that to the answers of pointed questions about those attributes at different time s during the game - play. We found high correlation for the Challenge attribute but low er correlation for the Control and Mystery attributes. Show less

For over 40 years, researchers investigated utilizing video games for education. Some of that research focused on the type of pedagogical content to embed in a game and how to integrate it, while others emphasized how to preserve the inherent intrinsic motivation in games. One of the many factors that could affect motivation and learning in video games is the different intrapersonal elements and attributes of games. In order to test those attributes’ effect on motivation and learning we need to… Show more

For over 40 years, researchers investigated utilizing video games for education. Some of that research focused on the type of pedagogical content to embed in a game and how to integrate it, while others emphasized how to preserve the inherent intrinsic motivation in games. One of the many factors that could affect motivation and learning in video games is the different intrapersonal elements and attributes of games. In order to test those attributes’ effect on motivation and learning we need to be able to define them and clearly establish a method for measuring them. The object of this study is to establish a framework for measuring three of these attributes, Challenge, Control and Goals, based on user perception. This framework is an initial step to establish a clear metric for measuring those attributes in five different game genres: First-Person Shooter, Racing, RPG, Arcade and Sports. Show less

Video games can be highly engaging and motivating environments whose success is dependent upon teaching players how to play well. For many years, researchers have been exploring how to leverage this motivation for educational purposes. This article reviews the current state of research on human learning, motivation, and game design and explores how these topics intersect. These intersections provide useful synergies which can serve as jumping off points for designing a game. This article… Show more

Video games can be highly engaging and motivating environments whose success is dependent upon teaching players how to play well. For many years, researchers have been exploring how to leverage this motivation for educational purposes. This article reviews the current state of research on human learning, motivation, and game design and explores how these topics intersect. These intersections provide useful synergies which can serve as jumping off points for designing a game. This article illustrates these synergies by providing an initial design example for Tic-Tac-Math, a game designed to teach basic arithmetic to children. Show less