| Nowadays, computer and video games are growing fast and are becoming more and more sophisticated in terms of the quality of graphics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Both of these elements increase the level of immersion and believability, and therefore enjoyment, of a game. However, most users remain in front of their computer or television playing games for a long time, which is unhealthy both physically, due to lack of exercise, and mentally, due to the fact that certain games cause users to be isolated from society and even their family.;This thesis presents a thorough literature review on the state of the art on electronic entertainment, with particular regard to computer and video games. A new type of gameplay is proposed for solving the above-detailed issues that includes the characteristics of ubiquity, interactivity, and believability. The thesis contains a proposal for a framework implementing a new type of gaming concept, and a prototype to demonstrate the concept. The thesis also proposes a new game evaluation model that can be used to estimate the entertainment value of a computer game from the design stage to the final product.;This thesis proposes a new type of gameplay, one which allows users to play a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) regardless of the player's location or connection to the Internet. In addition, the gameplay is integrated with the concept of rich social interaction which allows many users to participate simultaneously with the game and with each other in both the game and physical worlds.;This research also proposes a general framework for the new gameplay using mobile agent technologies as the main architectural element of the framework, which is generic enough to be able to be adapted and extended into future applications. To demonstrate the soundness of the concepts at the basis of the general framework, a prototype is developed: "Ramakian Online Game (ROG).";A solution to these problems is to create games that take advantage of the high level of immersion of current games while turning users away from their computers or televisions in order to let them experience social interaction and physical activities in the real world, thus expanding the games interactivity model. The hypothesis of this thesis is that adding ubiquity, an expanded interactivity model, and believable in-game characters to current games can bring new experience, engagement, enjoyment, and immersion for users, while simultaneously promoting both exercise and socialization. |
