Renata Ntelia, PhD student from the Institute of Digital Games at the University of Malta, has published a Chapter in Lindsay Grace’s new book, titled ‘Love and Electronic Affection: A Design Primer’, published by Routledge Creative Media & the Arts.  

Her chapter, the 4th in the collaborative publication, is called ‘In the Mood for Love: Embodiment and Intentionality in Non-Player Characters' (NPCs), and covers the patterns and practice of love and affection in games.  

More specifically, Ms Ntelia analyses the interactions and players’ mental states towards NPCs. 

The publication is the result of collaborations with thought leaders in romance and affection games, with the authors applying a combination of game analysis and design experience in affection play for both digital and analog games. 

The various chapters of the book were collected by Lindsay Grace, one of the leading scholars studying the social impact of games, whose work has received awards and recognition from the Games for Change Festival, the Digital Diversity Network, the Association of Computing Machinery's digital arts community , Black Enterprise and others. 

Considering how love and affection in games are products of both player and designer age, the research and recommendations in this publication are intersectional in nature.  

In fact, the book combines game studies with game design to offer a foundation for incorporating affection into playable experience. 

More information on the publication can be accessed online.