Abstract
The main purpose of the article was to examine the ability to indicate the correct meaning of point symbols in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt without using the map legend by people participating in the study. The authors decided to check the relationship between gamers and non-gamers of video games in “The Witcher” series and due to the weekly time of playing video games. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a game produced in 2015 by Polish developer CD Projekt Red. It is an open-world RPG game. The game’s universe is based on the Middle Ages, adding elements of mythology and fantasy. The map included in the game is characterized by a large number of point symbols. By means of internal selection and pre-survey, ten symbols were selected whose meaning could pose the greatest problems in interpretation. The main part of the study was conducted in the form of an online survey using the Google Forms platform. Dissemination of the survey on various social media forums allowed to collect responses from various people around the world. After the collection and selection of responses, statistical tests were conducted to study the effectiveness in interpreting the meaning of the point symbols. It was shown that there was a correlation in indicating the correct meaning of the symbol by dividing the respondents into gamers or non-gamers of The Witcher series and due to the weekly time of playing video games. The authors drew attention to the need to continue research in the field of map symbology in video games.
Zusammenfassung
Der Hauptzweck des Artikels besteht darin, die Fähigkeit der an der Studie teilnehmenden Personen zu untersuchen, die korrekte Bedeutung von Punktsymbolen in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt anzugeben, ohne dabei die Kartenlegende zu verwenden. Die Autoren beschlossen, die Beziehung zwischen Spielern und Nicht-Spielern von Videospielen der „The Witcher”- Reihe und aufgrund der wöchentlichen Spielzeit von Videospielen zu untersuchen. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ist ein Spiel, das 2015 vom polnischen Entwickler CD Projekt Red produziert wurde. Es ist ein Open-World-RPG-Spiel. Das Universum des Spiels basiert auf dem Mittelalter und fügt Elemente der Mythologie und Fantasy hinzu. Die im Spiel enthaltene Karte zeichnet sich durch eine große Anzahl von Punktsymbolen aus. Mittels interner Auswahl und Vorauswahl-Umfrage wurden 10 Symbole ausgewählt, deren Bedeutung die größten Probleme bei der Interpretation bereiten könnte. Der Hauptteil der Studie wurde in Form einer Online-Umfrage über die Plattform Google Forms durchgeführt. Die Verbreitung der Umfrage in verschiedenen Social-Media-Foren ermöglichte die Erhebung Antworten von verschiedenen Menschen auf der ganzen Welt. Nach der Sammlung und Auswahl der Antworten wurden statistische Tests durchgeführt, um die Wirksamkeit bei der Interpretation der Bedeutung der Punktsymbole zu untersuchen. Es wurde gezeigt, dass eine Korrelation bei der Angabe der korrekten Bedeutung des Symbols durch bestand Aufteilung der Befragten in Spieler oder Nicht-Spieler der The Witcher-Reihe und aufgrund der wöchentlichen Zeit, in der Videospiele gespielt werden. Die Autoren machen auf die Notwendigkeit aufmerksam, die Forschung im Bereich der Kartensymbologie in Videospielen fortzusetzen.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baker S, Cousins RD (1984) Clarification of the use of Chi-square and likelihood functions in fits to histograms. Nucl Instrum Methods Phys Res 221:437–442. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-5087%2884%2990016-4
Batorski D, Olcoń-Kubicka M (2006) Conducting reseach online—principal methodological issues. Stud Socjol 3(182):90–132
Benjamini Y, Hochberg Y (1995) Controlling the false discovery rate: a practical and powerful approach to multiple testing. J R Stat Soc Ser B 57:289–300. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2517-6161.1995.tb02031.x
Bertin J (1983) Semiology of graphics: diagrams, networks, maps, Trans; Berg, W., Ed.; University of Wisconsin Press: Madison, WI, USA.
Bolboacă SD, Jäntschi L, Sestraş AF, Sestraş RE, Pamfil DC (2011) Pearson-fisher chi-square statistic revisited. Information 2:528–545. https://doi.org/10.3390/info2030528
Bowden A, Fox-Rushby JA, Nyandieka L, Wanjau J (2002) Methods for pre-testing and piloting survey questions: illustrations from the KENQOL survey of health-related quality of life. Health Policy Plan 17(3):322–330. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/17.3.322
Buckova Z (2019) Religious motives as part of virtual reality created by the digital game “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.” Eur J Sci Theol 15(1):223–233
Burian J, Popelka S, Beitlova M (2018) Evaluation of the cartogrpahical quality of urban plans by eye-tracking. ISPRS Int J Geo-Inf 7(5):192. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi7050192
Chądzyńska D, Gotlib D (2015) Mapy w grach komputerowych—spektrum zastosowań. Polski Przegląd Kartograficzny Tom 47(3):235–244
Couper MP (2000) Review: web surveys: a review of issues and approaches. The Public Opinion Quarterly 64(4):464–494
Cox MK, Key CH (1993) Post hoc pair-wise comparisons for the Chi-square test of homogeneity of proportions. Key Educ Psychol Meas 53:951–962. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164493053004008
Cybulski P, Krassanakis V (2022) The effect of map label language on the visual search of cartographic point symbols. Cartogr Geogr Inf Sci 49:189–204. https://doi.org/10.1080/15230406.2021.2007419
da Silva MJ (2019) Utilização do Google Forms na pesquisa acadêmica. Humanidades & Inovação 6(12):371–373
Edler D (2020) Where spatial visualization meets landscape research and “Pinballology”: examples of landscape construction in pinball games. KN J Cartog Geogr Inf 70:55–69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42489-020-00044-1
Edler D, Dickmann F (2017) The Impact of 1980s and 1990s video games on multimedia cartography. Cartogr Int J Geogr Inf Geovis 52:168–177. https://doi.org/10.3138/cart.52.2.3823
Gagunashvili ND (2010) Chi-square tests for comparing weighted histograms. Nucl Instrum Methods Phys Res Sect A 614:287–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2009.12.037
Gajos M (2010) Badanie potrzeb i zachowań informacyjnych użytkowników geoinformacji. Polskie Towarzystwo Informacji Przestrzennej, Roczniki Geomatyki VIII, 5(41).
Gawroński S, Bajorek K (2020) A real witcher—slavic or universal; from a book, a game or a TV series? In the circle of multimedia adaptations of a fantasy series of novels “The Witcher” by A. Sapkowski Arts 9(4):102. https://doi.org/10.3390/arts9040102
Greenfield P (1994) Video games as cultural artifacts. J Appl Dev Psychol 15(1):3–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/0193-3973(94)90003-5
Halik Ł (2012) The analysis of selected point-symbol visual variables of the Augmented Reality system for smartphone-type mobile devices. Geod Cartogr 61:19–30. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10277-012-0019-4
Halik Ł, Wielebski Ł (2023) Usefulness of plane-based augmented geovisualization—case of “The Crown of Polish Mountains 3D.” ISPRS Int J Geo-Inf 12:38. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi12020038
Halik Ł (2014) Zmienne graficzne sygnatur punktowych w mobilnym systemie rozszerzonej rzeczywistości. Zakład Graficzny UAM, Poznań.
Hendrikx M, Meijer S, Van Der Velden J, Iosup A (2013) Procedural content generation for games: A survey. ACM Trans. Multimedia Comput. Commun. Appl. 9, 1, Article 1 (February 2013), 22 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/2422956.2422957
Horbiński T, Zagata K (2022) View of Cartography in Video Games: Literature Review and Examples of Specific Solutions. KN J. Cartogr. Geogr. Inf. 72, 117-128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42489-022-00104-8https://www.thewitcher.com [dostęp: 04.07.2023]
Horbiński T, Zagata K (2021) Map symbols in video games: the example of “Valheim.” KN J Cartogr Geogr Inf 71:269–283. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42489-021-00085-0
Horbiński T, Zagata K (2022a) Interpretation of map symbols in the context of gamers’ age and experience. ISPRS Int J Geo-Inf 11:150. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11020150
Huang H, Schmidt M, Gartnera G (2012) Spatial knowledge acquisition with mobile maps, augmented reality and voice in the context of gps-based pedestrian navigation: results from a field test. Cartogr Geogr Inf Sci 39(2):107–116. https://doi.org/10.1559/15230406392107
Jański K (2018) Creation of the fictional world in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Games Research Association of Poland, Homo Ludens, 1(11), 117–133. https://doi.org/10.14746/hl.2018.11.7
Joe H, Maydeu-Olivares A (2010) A general family of limited information goodness-of-fit statistics for multinomial data. Psychometrika 75:393–419. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11336-010-9165-5
Keil J, Edler D, Dickmann F, Kuichinke L (2019) Meaningfulness of landmark pictograms reduces visual salience and recognition performance. Appl Ergon 75:214–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2018.10.008
Koch WG (1998) Zum Wesen der begriffe Zeichen, Signatur und symbol in der Kartographie, KN—. J Cartogr Geogr Inf 48:89–96. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03548767
Korpi J, Haybatollahi M, Ahonen-Rainio P (2013) Identification of partially occluded map symbols. Cartogr Perspect. (76):19–32. https://doi.org/10.14714/CP76.59
Krassanakis V, Cybulski P (2021) Eye tracking research in cartography: looking into the future. ISPRS Int J Geo-Inf 10:411. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10060411
Li G, Doss H (1993) Generalized pearson-fisher Chi-square goodness-of-fit tests, with applications to models with life history data. Ann Stat 21:772–797. https://doi.org/10.1214/aos/1176349151
Lutjens M, Kersten T, Dorschel B, Tschirschwitz F (2019) Virtual reality in cartography: immersive 3D visualization of the arctic clyde inlet (Canada) using digital elevation models and bathymetric data. Multimodal Technol Interact 3(1):9. https://doi.org/10.3390/mti3010009
MacEachren A.M (1995) How Maps Work: Representation, Visualization and Design; Guilford Press: New York, NY, USA.
Maier-Zucchino EJ (2023) Developing meaning: critical violence and eudaimonic entertainment in the seventh console generation. Games and Culture 18(3):380–401. https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120221100817
Majkowski T (2016a) King Solomon’s Mines (cleared): carto graphy in digital games and imperial imagination. Charting the digital: discourse, disruption, design, detours, Venice, University of Warwick, 55–72.
Martin CB, Deuze M (2009) The independent production of culture: a digital games case study. Games and Culture 4(3):276–295. https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412009339732
McClurg C, Powelson S, Lang E, Aghajafari F, Edworthy S (2015) Evaluating effectiveness of small group information literacy instruction for Undergraduate medical education students using a pre- and post-survey study design. Health Info Libr J 32:120–130. https://doi.org/10.1111/hir.12098
Medyńska-Gulij B (2021) Kartografia i Geomedia. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN: Warszawa, Polska.
Morrison JL (1974) A theoretical framework for cartographic generalization with emphasis on the process of symnolization. Int Yearbook Cartography 14:114–127
Nathan G (1972) On the asymptotic power of tests for independence in contingency tables from stratified samples. J Am Stat Assoc 67:917–920. https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1972.10481318
Neyman J, Pearson ES (1967) The testing of statistical hypotheses in relation to probabilities a priori. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp 186–202
O’Brien PC, Fleming TH (1979) A multiple testing procedure for clinical trials. Biometrics 35:549–556. https://doi.org/10.2307/2530245
Olberding H, Vetter M Dynamic 3D-Cartographic Symbols for VR Geovisualizations. (2023) KN J. Cartogr Geogr Inf https://doi.org/10.1007/s42489-023-00153-7
Ostrowski W (2008) Semiotyczne podstawy projektowania map topograficznych na przykładzie prezentacji zabudowy. Warszawa: Zakład Poligraficzny Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego.
Pardo L, Martín N (2009) Omogeneity/heterogeneity hypotheses for standardized mortality ratios based on minimum powerdivergence estimators. Biom J 51:819–836. https://doi.org/10.1002/bimj.200800158
Petrovič D, Mašera, P (2004) Analysis of user’s response on 3D cartographic presentations. In Proceedings of 7th meeting of the ICA Commission on Mountain Cartography (pp. 1–10).
Pirani N, Ricker BA, Kraak MJ (2020) Feminist cartography and the United Nations sustainable development goal on gender equality: emotional responses to three thematic maps. Can Geographer / Le Géographe Canadien 64:184–198. https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12575
Poplin A (2015) How user-friendly are online interactive maps? Survey based on experiments with heterogeneous users. Cartogr Geogr Inf Sci 42:358–376. https://doi.org/10.1080/15230406.2014.991427
CD Projekt (2015) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. CD Projekt RED, Warsaw.
Quiroga MA, Herranz M, Gómez-Abad M, Kebir M, Ruiz J, Colom R (2009) Video- games: Do they require general intelligence? Comput Educ 53(2):414–418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2009.02.017
Rosner B (2006) Fundamentals of Biostatistics. Chapter 10. Chi-Square Goodness of Fit, 6th ed.; Thomson Learning Academic Resource Center: Duxbury, MA, USA, pp. 438–441.
Schreier J (2018) Krew, pot i piksele. SQN: Kraków, Poland, pp. 306–307.
Siuda P (2016) Ankieta internetowa: zalety i wady—rekapitulacja [w:] Metody badań online, (red.) P. Siuda, Gdańsk, s. 28–81.
Słowińska M (2019) Wykorzystanie testu chi-kwadrat w badaniach preferencji żywieniowych konsumentów. Eng. Sci. Technol. 1, 24–38. https://doi.org/10.15611/nit.2019.1.02
Smith C B (1997) Casting the net: surveying an internet population. J Comput-Mediated Commun 3 (1). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.1997.tb00064.x
Stevens J (2020) Child of the elder blood: a semiotics of folkloridm in the soundtrack of the witcher 3: wild hunt. Games and Culture 16(5):538–556. https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412020914701
Suanrattanachai P, Phetchkamnerd J, Saraphaivanich K, Kamhongsa J, Khunnirong B (2002) Pre-survey of the Community to Formulate Implementation Plans and Activities of the LBCRM Project: Project Site in Pathew District, Chumporn Province. Training Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center.
Szyjewski Z, Szyjewski G (2017) Wiarygodność metod badawczych. w: Informatyka Ekonomiczna 2 (44), s. 118–131. https://doi.org/10.15611/ie.2017.2.10
Toups ZO, Lalone N, Alharthi SA, Sharma NH, Webb AM (2019) Making maps available for play: analyzing the design of game cartography interfaces. ACM Trans. Comput.-Hum. Interact. 26, 5, Article 30 (October 2019), 43 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3336144
Vasantha Raju N, N S Harinarayana (2016) Online survey tools: A case study of Google Forms. In National conference on scientific, computational & information research trends in engineering, GSSS-IETW, Mysore.
Wielebski Ł, Medyńska-Gulij B (2023) User evaluation of thematic maps on operational areas of rescue helicopters. ISPRS Int J Geo Inf 12(2):30. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi12020030
Wolf M (2011) Theorizing navigable space in video games. Digarec Series 6:18–49
Wolf MJP (2002) 3 Space in the video game. the medium of the video game, edited by mark J. P. Wolf, New York, USA: University of Texas Press, pp. 51–76. https://doi.org/10.7560/791480-005
Zagata K, Medyńska-Gulij B (2023) Mini-map design features as a navigation aid in the virtual geographical space based on video games. ISPRS Int J Geo-Inf 12:58. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi12020058
Zagata K, Gulij J, Halik Ł, Medyńska-Gulij B (2021) Mini-map for gamers who walk and teleport in a virtual stronghold. ISPRS Int J Geo-Inf 2021(10):96. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10020096
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Woźniak, J., Rymarkiewicz, W., Łyszczasz, D. et al. Effectiveness Study on the Correct Interpretation of Point Symbols Using the Online Survey Method on the Example of the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. KN J. Cartogr. Geogr. Inf. 74, 29–52 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42489-023-00158-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42489-023-00158-2