Autumn 2021 Meet-ups
Thursday, June 10th, 2021We meet around twice per month to talk about research that is related to games. We alter between having a seminar with an agenda with presentations or topics we want to discuss, and between meeting for lunch.
Most of the times we meet Wednesday, but sometimes on Thursdays if there is a clash.
Google Calendar link here for your convenience!
2021-08-25 11:30 – 12:30. Lunch.
We meet at the restaurant at the bottom floor of Noden
2021-09-15 13:00 – 14:30 Seminar
Developers from Ionbite.se give a show-and-tell about their upcoming horror game featuring procedural content generation.
2021-09-29 11:30 – 12:30. Lunch.
We meet at the restaurant at the bottom floor of Noden
2021-10-13 13:00 – 14:30 Seminar
Henrik Warpefelt: the UX of AI
In this talk I will describe how players interpret and understand what they encounter in games, and why this makes it so hard to design believable and engaging AI experiences in games. Lurking at the core of the problem is the finicky nature of human cognition, which acts as a constant confounder for designers and players alike. Along the way, I will discuss why No Man’s Sky flopped, why game AI is perpetually struggling, and possibly ruin sports cars and Hollywood blockbusters for everyone.
Dr Henrik Warpefelt studies the user experience of artificial intelligence in games, focused on expanding the understanding of how players perceive and interpret game design, as well as identifying good design practices for how AI technologies should be applied in games. His previous research includes social believability for non-player characters, and usability and design heuristics for games.
Henrik is currently employed as an Assistant Professor of Game Design and Development at Kennesaw State University. Hereceived his PhD from the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences at Stockholm University in 2015, and was previously at the Department of Game Design at Uppsala University and the Department of Media Technology at Södertörn University.
2021-11-03 11:30 – 12:30. Lunch.
We meet at the restaurant at the bottom floor of Noden.
2021-11-18 13:00 – 14:30 Seminar. Obs on a Thursday! Room: M20, at the 3rd floor of Noden.
Henrik Engström: Game Development Research in the Wild
In this talk I will talk about the gap between academic studies of games and applied game development – as it is conducted in the wild. Game research has seen a strong growth the last 20 years and there has been a lot of interest in studies of games, players, and the effect gaming has on individuals and the society. There has also been a huge interest in using games for functional purposes. Educational games, serious games and gamification have received a lot of attention from researchers. The processes behind “regular” games have received very little interest. Some aspects of game development, like software engineering and management, have been studied to some extent but other areas, like narrative design and animation, are almost unexplored in the wild. I will talk about this and a book I have written on the topic (https://gamedevresearch.se).
Henrik Engström is a professor at the University of Skövde. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Exeter and has conducted game-related research since 2001. His research focuses on the game development process and, in particular, its entangled, multidisciplinary nature. In a research context, Henrik has served as project manager, producer and developer in a number of game projects.
Link to video recording of the talk:
2021-12-01 11:30 – 12:30. Lunch.
We meet at the restaurant at the bottom floor of Noden
2021-12-15 13:00 – 14:30 Seminar
Guest speaker:
Associate Professor Petri Lankoski, Södertörn University:
Topic: Constructive alignment in teaching games
2021-12-22 11:30 – 12:30. Lunch.
We meet at the restaurant at the bottom floor of Noden
Here is a list of deadlines for submissions to technical game conferences – courtesy of Mark Nelson: https://www.kmjn.org/notes/game_confs_2021.html