Thesis topics currently assigned in the Institute of Media Informatics:

[BA] Developing a Game for Music Ear Training utilizing Artificial Synesthesia

In this thesis it will be discussed how music visualization could affect music learning. Can synesthesia be learned? Can one's music hearing skills be enhanced via synesthetic training by receiving correspondent information of color and sound?

[BA] Player Type Knowledge Base for PCG in Serious Games:

Serious games are designed to train and educate players, rather than focusing only on entertainment. With this focus on the player‘s learning progress, most serious games attempt to provide a high degree of adaptivity to the player. For this purpose, there are a number of player type models in the relevant literature.
The main contribution of this thesis consists of the creation of a knowledge base for different player types, capable of depicting corresponding criteria for the procedural content generation (PCG) of game elements and mechanics. Finally, the association between player types and game elements should be implemented in an exemplary manner within a Unity-based game environment.

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 [BA] Developing a Tower Defense game to prevent critical food intake:

A balanced and individually tailored diet is essential for a person's health and well-being. However, every 5th child in Germany has eating disorders and weight problems.
The envisioned Tower Defense game shall inform about the build-up of our food and teach the basics of fats, carbohydrates, protein, fiber and vitamins in a visually appealing way. The goal is to sensitize players for potentially critical combinations in their daily food intake.

[BA] Classification of Player Types in Serious Games:

Serious games are designed to train and educate players, rather than focusing only on entertainment. With this focus on the player‘s learning progress, most serious games attempt to provide a high degree of adaptivity to the player. For this purpose, there are a multitude of player type models in the relevant literature.
This thesis focuses on an investigation into the current research regarding the classification of player types. This includes a comparison and assessment of relevant theories, and should result in a potential classification of player types in combination with design recommendations for the development of serious games.

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Previous thesis topics in the Institute of Media Informatics:

[BA] The Effects of Time Pressure on Motivation While Playing Serious Games:

This thesis focuses on motivation as an important design element of serious games, and examines potential connections between the player's motviation and differently designed forms of time pressure within a game. A jump & run serious game was implemented for this thesis, that teaches players Wolfgang Metzer's principles of shapes (Gestaltgesetze).

[BA] Game Engines for Serious Games:

This thesis examines current frameworks for computer-based game development and their suitability for serious games. An important goal of this thesis was to identify relevant criteria for the implementation of serious games, and offer recommendations for future developers.

[MA] Developing a software platform for serious games with procedural and adapative content generation:

Ein aktueller Trend in der Spieleentwicklung befasst sich mit der Bereitstellung variabler Spielinhalte. Diese sogenannte procedural content generation ermöglicht es, Spiele nicht nur mit einer höheren Wiederspielbarkeit durch zufällige Levelgestaltung auszustatten, sondern auch einzelne Spieldurchläufe gezielt an den jeweiligen Spieler anzupassen.
Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, ein Framework für zukünftige Serious-Games-Entwickler zu schaffen, das diese Erzeugung & Bereitstellung variabler Spielinhalte unterstützt.
Im Lauf der Arbeit werden aktuelle Frameworks zur Spielentwicklung hinsichtlich ihrer Eignung als Basis für das neue Framework untersucht. Ferner ist geplant, eine eigene Spielidee mithilfe des neuen Frameworks zu implementieren und den Aufwand zu dokumentieren.

[BA] Development and Evaluation of an Educational Game in the Field of Instructional Design

To investigate a game’s feasibility for new e-learning environments, a text-based solution of the same educational content poses as a candidate for comparison. Both learning media are developed in this thesis and analysed regarding their motivational and learning efficiency with regard to the time and cost spent creating them. Eventually, it is of particular interest to ascertain if such a game can surpass a traditional learning medium such as lecture notes.