Research Projects

Spartan Remix (Summer 2011 - Fall 2011)
Spartan Remix is a web-based music construction game that allows players to interactively build, mix, and share their own version of the Michigan State University fight song. The game was developed for the MSU Alumni Association to help build...read more
Grumpy Snowmen (Fall 2011 - Spring 2012)
The Grumpy Snowmen Holiday Edition was made as a 2011 holiday game for alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends of the College of Communication Arts & Sciences at Michigan State University.  Due to the popularity of the game, in...read more
Tanzanian Trader (Spring 2010 - Spring 2011)
Tanzanian Trader is a game designed for Standard 7 students in Tanzania, Africa.  The game helps students prepare for the standardized national exam students must take to receive their primary school certificate.  The game also helps...read more
Olympus (Short and Long Term Effectiveness of Exergames for Young Adults) (Fall 2009 - Spring 2011)
Olympus is a fantasy role-playing game that allows players to immerse themselves in the wondrous time of Ancient Greek history and myth. Players can rise through the ranks of the citizenry, honing their skills by competing in athletic events; then...read more
Investigaming.com (An on-line portal on gender and gaming for academic and industry professionals) (Spring 2011)
Although video games are fairly commonplace to the current generation of students, the reality is that the video game industry is still in its infancy. While gaming has historically been a male dominated pass-time, game designers are beginning to...read more
Motivation and Serious Gaming (Spring 2011)
This research project will develop a gaming motivation profile based on survey response and game play behavior, assess baseline data, and experiment with the effect on learning and enjoyment when a player's preferred play style is not...read more
GameStar Mechanic (Spring 2011)
Gamestar Mechanic aims to be a fun and accessible environment for kids to follow their passion for games and game design. The game and the companion learning guides are being designed to allow teachers to use the principles of game design to...read more
Fun in Brain Games (Fall 2010)
Brain games have emerged as a new segment of games within serious games, over the last few years there is some research being done as to whether they are effective. This project aims to analyze current brain games from a game design perspective to...read more
Deliberative Games (Fall 2010)
Deliberative games can become a new genre of serious games (games with a purpose beyond entertainment) that provides an urgently needed, non-partisan, trustworthy medium which supports personal and public deliberation about difficult yet crucial...read more
Dealertown Ford (Fall 2009 - Summer 2010)
In late 2009, Ford Credit, the vehicle financing subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, approached Spartasoft about creating a fun, educational web-based game to place on their website. The goal was to teach players about personal and vehicle financing...read more