Each year, MaxData recognizes the top students from each course in the Department of Informatics. The award is given during the Ciências ULisboa anniversary ceremony. This year, five LASIGE students were honoured for their academic achievements (MSc) and research contributions (PhD) during the 2023/2024 period.
David Gonçalves was awarded the MaxData Informatic Excellence award for his PhD research, which investigates digital gaming as a social and inclusive space. His work aims to: 1) maximize the benefits of gaming for social interaction and well-being, and 2) create an inclusive medium that is accessible and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of their abilities, preferences, and lifestyle. Since beginning his PhD in 2021, he has published three full papers on the subject:
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“My Zelda Cane”: Strategies Used by Blind Players to Play Visual-Centric Digital Games”, presented at CHI 2023 (Best Paper), characterizing the practices, challenges, and strategies of blind gamers when playing mainstream games.
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“Social Gaming: A Systematic Review”, published in Computers in Human Behavior (2023), detailing the different theories, methods, and contexts considered in research focusing on the social side of gaming.
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“The Trick is to Stay Behind?: Defining and Exploring the Design Space of Player Balancing Mechanics”, presented at CHI 2024, exploring player balancing mechanics to address skill disparity in a gaming group.