title: A survey of players’ opinions on the interface customization in world of warcraft

authors: Deaker, Chris

subjects: computer games

abstract: Massively multiplayer online role-playing games, such as World of Warcraft, have become very popular in recent years. These types of games often provide the player with a wide range of game abilities, weapons, tools, options, stats, etc which grow in number as the player progresses through the game. This in turn makes the user interface of the game more complex and difficult to interact with games such as World of Warcraft attempt to combat this by providing mechanisms (e.g add-ons) for interface customization by the player however, it is unclear which aspects of the game interface players prefer to customize, or what effects those customizations have on their gameplay experience. In this paper we present a survey of World of Warcraft players to identify their opinions on game interface customization preferences. The results of this survey are likely to apply to other massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

text: A survey of players’ opinions on the interface customization in world of warcraft Massively multiplayer online role-playing games, such as World of Warcraft, have become very popular in recent years. These types of games often provide the player with a wide range of game abilities, weapons, tools, options, stats, etc which grow in number as the player progresses through the game. This in turn makes the user interface of the game more complex and difficult to interact with games such as World of Warcraft attempt to combat this by providing mechanisms (e.g add-ons) for interface customization by the player however, it is unclear which aspects of the game interface players prefer to customize, or what effects those customizations have on their gameplay experience. In this paper we present a survey of World of Warcraft players to identify their opinions on game interface customization preferences. The results of this survey are likely to apply to other massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

year: 2012

title: Strangers, sojourners, selves: the intercultural communication experiences of ethnic Chinese students in western tertiary education

authors: Holmes, Prue

abstract: This study describes the intercultural communication experiences of Confucian heritage culture students in a western tertiary setting. Exploring the intercultural communication encounters enabled an understanding of how these ethnic Chinese students socially constructed their everyday lives. In addition, the study focused on their reconstruction and renegotiation of cultural identity and the extent to which they built a third culture. Thus, it is a study of intercultural communication, culture, and cultural identity.

Principles of ethnography and inductive inquiry provided the exploratory means to uncover these intercultural communication experiences. The context of this study was a university in New Zealand, and the 14 participants were from China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Some were newly arrived. Others were permanent residents. Prolonged investigation in the field enabled themes to emerge, providing a thick description of the participants’ lifeworlds and the basis for theory building.

The contribution of this thesis is in the following key areas: the enactment of intercultural communication in the negotiation of a new learning environment; the process of adaptation and accommodation of the cultural other; cultural identity change as participants negotiate the host environment; and the initiation of third culture building. Participants from China, who had or sought permanent residence, showed adaptation and renegotiation of social worlds and the desire to acculturate. By contrast, the undergraduate students from Malaysia, who saw their future in their first cultures, demonstrated a going back mentality and less desire to accommodate and understand the host society. Thus, the study contributes towards an understanding of cultural difference as it created, maintained, and reconstructed and renegotiated in intercultural communication.

text: Strangers, sojourners, selves: the intercultural communication experiences of ethnic Chinese students in western tertiary education This study describes the intercultural communication experiences of Confucian heritage culture students in a western tertiary setting. Exploring the intercultural communication encounters enabled an understanding of how these ethnic Chinese students socially constructed their everyday lives. In addition, the study focused on their reconstruction and renegotiation of cultural identity and the extent to which they built a third culture. Thus, it is a study of intercultural communication, culture, and cultural identity.

Principles of ethnography and inductive inquiry provided the exploratory means to uncover these intercultural communication experiences. The context of this study was a university in New Zealand, and the 14 participants were from China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Some were newly arrived. Others were permanent residents. Prolonged investigation in the field enabled themes to emerge, providing a thick description of the participants’ lifeworlds and the basis for theory building.

The contribution of this thesis is in the following key areas: the enactment of intercultural communication in the negotiation of a new learning environment; the process of adaptation and accommodation of the cultural other; cultural identity change as participants negotiate the host environment; and the initiation of third culture building. Participants from China, who had or sought permanent residence, showed adaptation and renegotiation of social worlds and the desire to acculturate. By contrast, the undergraduate students from Malaysia, who saw their future in their first cultures, demonstrated a going back mentality and less desire to accommodate and understand the host society. Thus, the study contributes towards an understanding of cultural difference as it created, maintained, and reconstructed and renegotiated in intercultural communication.

year: 2000

title: Te Kahautu Maxwell  | Te Matatini Mātaatua representative [Interviewed by Dale Husband]

authors: Maxwell, Te Kahautu

abstract: This weekend in the Bay of Plenty, twenty-two kapa haka teams, including the reigning Te Matatini winners, showcased some of the nation’s best kapa haka performers during the Mātaatua senior regional tournaments.

text: Te Kahautu Maxwell  | Te Matatini Mātaatua representative [Interviewed by Dale Husband] This weekend in the Bay of Plenty, twenty-two kapa haka teams, including the reigning Te Matatini winners, showcased some of the nation’s best kapa haka performers during the Mātaatua senior regional tournaments.

year: 2024