09:30 Workshops / Panel
Student-led workshops.
IGGI Workshop 1
Bayesian Methods for Reinforcement Learning
Abstract: Bayesian reasoning represents a theoretically founded method to encode uncertainty and provides powerful tools for learning agents. This workshop aims at presenting several ways to apply Bayesian methods in reinforcement learning. The main focus is on investigating how to exploit the strengths and to alleviate the weaknesses. For example, Bayesian agents handle the exploration/exploitation tradeoff optimally, but they are typically computationally intractable and so it is necessary to recur to approximate inference.
IGGI Workshop 2
How to be a Disgruntled Cynic about the Literature
(or: Intro to QRPs and Open Science)
by Nick Ballou
Abstract: In a wide range of academic disciplines—in particular those that often test hypotheses using statistics, such as psychology, human-computer interaction, and more—researchers have been grappling with the fact that known biases make the literature a poor reflection of truth. After himself becoming radicalized at the beginning of his PhD, Nick takes you on a whirlwind hands-on tour of problems that affect whether we can trust scientific literature, such as publication bias, questionable research practices, and fraud. If he’s in a good mood, we will practice some tentative solutions as well.
IGGI
Panel 1
Innovations in Game Music & Audio for Game Jams
A panel discussing current research into music and sound for games, as well as answering questions about making audio for your game jams.
11:30 Talks
Selected IGGI PhD researchers deliver a 15min pitch on a topic of their interest. Single track.
Talk 10
11:30
Hey Ref, the AI is Cheating! Agents vs Professional Players
by Marko Tot
Abstract: The presentation provides insight into the most popular gaming competitions between the AI agents and the best human players, focusing on the AlphaStar and OpenAI Five. These two agents have been showcased during major gaming events and have beaten many professional players. Following the competition, many concerns have been raised throughout the gaming community about the validity and the robustness of AI agents. During the talk multiple concerns about the AI are presented and discussed, as well as the restrictions imposed on the game in order to make the playing field as fair as possible.
Talk 11
11:50
Automating Generative Deep Learning for Computational Creativity
Abstract: A central goal of computational creativity is to increase the creative autonomy of a generative system. This challenge can be understood as granting a system more creative responsibilities in a co-creative process. Such processes can be found in generative deep learning pipelines for art production. The framework presented in this talk provides opportunities to hand over creative responsibilities in the form of targets for automation. For the definition of targets, the framework draws from automated machine learning and an analysis of generative deep learning in standard and artistic settings. The framework is further informed by an analysis of the relationship between automation and creative autonomy.
Talk 12
12:10
Modelling and Assessment of Agent Believability
Abstract: A discussion on the author’s latest studies. It explores a new methodology for assessing believability which sees moment-to-moment evaluation being introduced. This technique is not only compared to the existing ones but also used for the modelling of human-like behaviour. The results of this research present promising paths to AI development and game design.
13:30 Talks
Selected IGGI PhD researchers deliver a 15min pitch on a topic of their interest. Single track
Talk 13
13:30
Why You Should Care About Video Game Broadcast
Abstract: Video game broadcasts have become extremely popular. For example Twitch.tv has seen a nearly four-fold increase in viewers over the last four years, with close to three million views on average, and in 2018 31% of YouTube videos were gaming-focused. This talk will introduce the various forms of video games broadcasts, not just platforms like Twitch.tv, and Youtube but also the emergence of these broadcasts in wider society, e.g. through traditional television broadcasts. Additionally, the challenges and opportunities that these mediums present both for video games developers and for the research community will be discussed.
Talk 14
13:50
Challenges in Regulating Microtransactions in Video Games
Abstract: In-game environments are famously immersive and complex, leading to players developing equally complex communities, behaviours and relationships within these environments which contribute to a billion-dollar industry. However, the regulations and ethical guidelines about game design for revenue generation and the relationship between players and developers remain underdeveloped in comparison to other aspects of law. In this talk, I will discuss this issue in the context of my own work on in-game purchases, providing existing findings and directions for moving forward.
Talk 15
14:10
How To Support Learning in Multiplayer Games
by Joe Hesketh
Abstract: This talk will briefly discuss how players learn to play games based on academic research and then focus on how you can utilise these findings to design systems to help newer and more experienced players learn to play multiplayer games. This talk has been written for a non-academic audience and will be light on methodology and academic terminology. In the end, you’ll hear about the kinds of learning that occur more specifically in multiplayer games, you’ll be given a small exercise to assess where your games currently do and do not meet learning needs, and ideas and examples on how to better design learning environments or integrate community content into your games.
Talk 16
14:30
Games for Motor Rehabilitation: Taxonomy and Current Status
Abstract: Video games have proven to be a useful aid to motor rehabilitation, as they create an environment that helps keep patients engaged and committed to their therapy. New devices and technologies such as virtual reality are being increasingly introduced in clinics. However, not all games have an equally beneficial effect on a patient's recovery. This talk summarizes the current state of video games for motor rehabilitation, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the different kinds.
14:50 Student Rep Vote Results
15:30 Talks
Selected IGGI PhD researchers deliver a 15min pitch on a topic of their interest. Single track.
Talk 17
15:30
Fingerprinting Tabletop Games
Abstract: This presents some initial work on characterizing multi-player tabletop games (Dominion, Exploding Kittens, Diamant etc.) using a visual ‘fingerprint' generated from several independent optimisation runs over the parameters used in Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS). This fingerprint provides a tool to compare games, and create a map of ‘game-space’ for these games.
Talk 18
15:50
Recipe-ography: Generating Fictional Recipes From the Ground Up
by Amy Smith and Younès Rabii
Abstract: Have you ever thought about what people eat in your favorite fictional universe? Amy and Younès will combine their presentation time to discuss a group project that has given rise to the ‘Recipe-ography Machine’ : a multi-layered system that generates a fictional world, from its map, to its plants, to its food recipes. The project explores how to combine simple PCG techniques (Cellular Automatas, Markov Chains, and Grammars) to create an interactive cookbook embedded in a world where everything - from the countries to the recipes - is procedurally generated. As a bonus, you’ll get to see one generated recipe come to life!
16:40 Wrap up
Laurissa Tokarchuk (QMUL), Debbie Maxwell (UoY)