Search Results

< Back Dr Ben Kirman University of York iGGi Training Coordinator Supervisor Available to supervise non-iGGi students for 2024 intake Ben is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Prof) in Interactive Media at the University of York, who has over 20 years' experience as a creative technologist. Since his first programming job fixing Y2K bugs (you're welcome), he has worked with dozens of organisations, large and small, in design and prototyping playful experiences. His research uses game design and playful design as a way to explore the complex effects of emerging technologies through novel and unexpected interactions and experiences. Most often, this is through the design and development of games, digital/physical prototypes, and design fictions. Ben has applied this in topics ranging from immersive theatre, dog technology, non-league football, radical cycle delivery, and time travelling robots, to educational games, esports, new situationism and magic. The unifying theme is play – as a topic of study, a way of working, for research insight, and as expression or output in games or playful experiences. This work, especially the more bizarre stuff, has often been covered by traditional media, including the BBC, New Scientist, Wired, The Guardian, TIME, Metro, the New York Times, and Your Cat magazine. Ben is keen on supervising students with strong creative drives, with an interest in making, design, experimentation, and a broad perspective on games and play. This might be a project about playful props in immersive theatre, or a project about context in locative and site-specific games, or any other project that looks to explore new possibilities and new implications of emerging technology through the lens of play. Research themes include: Game Design Applied Games Computational Creativity Sports with an E and without an E Player Experience Email ben.kirman@york.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Themes Applied Games Creative Computing Design & Development Esports Player Research - Previous Next

< Back Dr Catherine Flick iGGi Responsible Innovation Lead Supervisor Catherine Flick is a Reader in Computing and Social Responsibility at De Montfort University and has a particular interest in the ethics of emerging technologies (including video games). Her video game research is largely interdisciplinary and focused on the social and ethical impacts of and ethics in design of video games. Previous video game research and talk topics includes on Pokemon Go and mental health, design of moral decision making systems in Bioware games, the representation of chickens in video games, the philosophy of zombie games, desirability of lootboxes, serious games for the hearing impaired, etc. She regularly attends and speaks at PAX East, and has spoken on games and similarly weird things at various conferences and events internationally. She is also the responsible innovation lead for the IGGI programme, so has a particular interest in development of codes of ethics or ethical design principles for games, having worked on the updated ACM Code of Ethics and run EU funded projects that developed responsible innovation guidelines in the fields of healthcare IT, smart homes/smart health, cyber security, nanotechnology & biomedicine. She is particularly interested in students who are excited about the intersection of video games and society from a critical philosophical perspective, or from a social sciences perspective. Research themes: Ethical Game Design Games with a Purpose Player Experience Gamification Social/Ethical Impact of Games Diversity & Inclusion in Games Philosophy & Games Email catherine.flick@staffs.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Themes Accessibility Applied Games Player Research - Previous Next

< Back Dr Alena Denisova University of York Supervisor Alena Denisova is a Lecturer in Computer Science at the University of York, UK. She is actively involved in collaborative and interdisciplinary projects that involve conceptualising and measuring user experience of video games and designing and building educational and persuasive interactive media. Her research explores the role of the `placebo effect’ of technology in shaping player experiences, perceived challenge and uncertainty in video games, and, more recently, emotionally impactful player experiences - understanding how these experiences are shaped with the view to inform the design of games that promote these experiences. Alena is an active member of the games HCI community: she is a co-chair of the IEEE Task Force on Automatic Gameplay Evaluation and a member of the Programme Committee for the annual CHI and CHI Play conferences. She is interested in supervising students that have qualitative, mixed method or design experience that they wish to apply to studying digital games. Possible research topics include exploring what makes choices in games meaningful for players, how perceived uncertainty, risk-aversion, and luck affect decision making in games, and how skill is acquired and advanced throughout while playing video games. She is also keen to work with students who wish to work on games with a purpose. For instance, designing and developing games that promote informed decision-making about moral and ethical choices, such as promoting sustainable lifestyle, reflecting on important real-life issues, developing personally, etc. Email alena.denisova@york.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Themes Applied Games Design & Development Player Research - Previous Next

< Back Dr Kevin Denamganaï University of York iGGi Alum Available for post-PhD position After graduating as an Engineer from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l'Electronique et de ses Applications (ENSEA), France, with two double-degree diplomas, a MEng in Electrical Engineering and Information Science from the Osaka Prefecture University (OPU), Japan, and a MRes in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics from the Université de Cergy-Pontoise (UCP), France, Kevin Denamganaï spent a year accumulating experience as a Robotics & Machine Learning freelancer. He is now putting those skills at use in the IGGI PhD program, that, among other things, gives him the opportunity to reunite with video games. Indeed, it was thanks to a keen interest towards video game creation that he started learning programming around 12. His research interests are about everything psychology, neuroscience, AI, (deep) reinforcement/imitation learning, robotics, and natural/artificial language emergence and understanding as well as human-computer interfaces, challenging the question what are the necessary components of artificial agents to be able to converse with human-beings in an engaging manner and to be able to cooperate with them towards a pre-defined goal, e.g. clearing a level in a given video game. Email kevin.denamganai@york.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Supervisor(s): Dr James Walker Featured Publication(s): ETHER: Aligning Emergent Communication for Hindsight Experience Replay Visual Referential Games Further the Emergence of Disentangled Representations Meta-Referential Games to Learn Compositional Learning Behaviours A comparison of self-play algorithms under a generalized framework On (Emergent) Systematic Generalisation and Compositionality in Visual Referential Games with Straight-Through Gumbel-Softmax Estimator ReferentialGym: A Nomenclature and Framework for Language Emergence & Grounding in (Visual) Referential Games A generalized framework for self-play training Coupled Kuramoto oscillator-based control laws for both formation and obstacle avoidance control of two-wheeled mobile robots Obstacle avoidance control law for two-wheeled mobile robots controlled by oscillators Themes Game AI - Previous Next

< Back Rory Davidson University of York iGGi PG Researcher Available for post-PhD position Learning and Strategy Acquisition in Digital Games Given the success and impact of games and the gaming industry, it is unsurprising that it has become the centre of a significant body of academic research and other literature. However, while the cognitive effects of gameplay have been extensively studied, this has typically been done from a “black-box” perspective – that is, looking at the effects of gameplay as a whole upon some other task or metric, such as ability to strategize or proclivity to violence – leaving the inner mechanisms of cognition during gameplay much less understood. In particular, while the idea of learning from games is an area of continued interest in educational psychology, very little literature exists on the subject of how learning in games actually occurs on a cognitive level. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap by examining the ways in which player learning and strategy acquisition occur within games. This examination will have two main hierarchical goals. In the first phase, the study will use experimental methods inspired by analysis of learning methods used in games as well as literature review of more general theories of learning and cognition, such as the dual-process account or the CLARION model, in order to form a model better specialized for the field of digital gaming. In the second phase, it will analyse how such a theory may be put to practical use to inform the design of games and game-like experiences. These two phases can be summed up in the following main research questions: Phase 1: How can strategy acquisition in digital games most effectively be explained as a cognitive process? Phase 2: How can this understanding be put into practice in the development of games with specific desirable characteristics? By linking a more complete understanding of cognition and learning during games with measurable or observable gameplay characteristics, this study will further research on gameplay experience, such as that on immersion. The first phase of research additionally has relevance to the field of AI, in which human responses to difficult and complex problems such as digital games may be mimicked or otherwise used to inform the design of new techniques, as well as to gamification, which attempts to elicit such responses in non-game contexts. Email rd553@york.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Supervisor: Prof. Paul Cairns Featured Publication(s): Automatic Game Tuning for Strategic Diversity Themes Applied Games Design & Development Player Research - Previous Next

< Back Dr Laura Helsby University of York iGGi Alum Laura Helsby is a HCI researcher with a background in psychology, currently examining how features of games might be beneficial to wellbeing and mood. She is particularly interested in how people with persistent low mood play and experience games, and what this might mean for their wellbeing. So far, she has conducted one interview study asking people with low mood what they play and why, and one diary study investigating the 'in the moment' effects and motivations for gaming. Future plans involve making more direct measures of the impact of particular games on wellbeing, as well as looking further into the FPS and simulation genres to unpack what about these games might make them appealing to people with persistent low mood. Laura has achieved an MSc in Foundations in Clinical Psychology from Newcastle University and a BSc in Psychology from the University of York. In her spare time, Laura enjoys denying she is a computer scientist at all. Her hobbies include reviewing books professionally, board game nights and of course, playing video games. Email laura.helsby@york.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Supervisors: Prof. Paul Cairns Dr Jo Iacovides Featured Publication(s): "Leave our kids alone!": Exploring Concerns Reported by Parents in 1-star Reviews Do People Use Games to Compensate for Psychological Needs During Crises? A Mixed-Methods Study of Gaming During COVID-19 Lockdowns Themes Applied Games Player Research - Previous Next

< Back Dr Daniel Gomme University of Essex iGGi Alum Players have underlying expectations of the opponents they play against in strategy games: don't break the rules, provide a sense of tension, be able to communicate plans... AI doesn't always fulfil these. Dan's focus is on finding ways to better fulfil those expectations - and even to overtly change them - in order to improve player experience. With qualitative tools and in-game testing, he's found several concrete design mechanisms that can further that goal. Email daniel.gomme@yahoo.co.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Supervisor Prof. Richard Bartle Featured Publication(s): Player Expectations of Strategy Game AI Playing with Dezgo: Adapting Human-AI Interaction to the Context of Play Strategy Games: The Components of A Worthy Opponent Distributed Social Multi-Agent Negotiation Framework For Incomplete Information Games Tools To Adjust Tension And Suspense In Strategy Games: An Investigation Themes Design & Development Game AI Player Research - Previous Next

< Back Francesca Foffano University of York iGGi PG Researcher Available for post-PhD position Francesca is finalising her PhD at the University of York, specialising in UX, player experience and design. Their work spans game experience (e.g. getting stuck), safeguarding the design's impact on players (e.g. emotional accessibility), design recommendations (e.g. emotional design) and game development (e.g. adaptive games). They primarily use qualitative research and mixed methods to gain an in-depth understanding of the player experience. They are currently open to collaborations with industry and academia for funding applications. A description of Francesca's research: When it comes to emotions in video games, players should feel like they are enthusiastically part of the experience. However, at times, players risk feeling forced or overwhelmed. So, how to design these experiences correctly? Through a dual approach, I explore how to design emotional experiences at their extremes. On the one hand, I examine which design components create recognisable emotional experiences. On the other hand, I examine how design can overwhelm players to the point where they struggle to finish a game, as the design makes it impossible for them to process the emotions presented. Email ff716@york.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Supervisor: Prof. Paul Cairns Featured Publication(s): A Survey on AI and Ethics: Key factors in building AI trust and awareness across European citizens. When Games Become Inaccessible: A Constructive Grounded Theory on Stuckness in Videogames Artificial intelligence across europe: A study on awareness, attitude and trust When Games Become Inaccessible: A Constructive Grounded Theory on Stuckness in Videogames Investing in AI for social good: an analysis of European national strategies European Strategy on AI: Are we truly fostering social good? Changes of user experience in an adaptive game: a study of an AI manager Themes Player Research - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8xdnkjVL2c Previous Next

< Back Dr Carlos Gonzalez Diaz University of York iGGi Alum Carlos is finishing his PhD at the University of York. He holds an MSc in Serious Games at the University of Skövde (Sweden) and a BSc in Software Engineering (Spain). He is been closely connected with industry throughout his PhD, having worked in the last years for Microsoft Research, Sony Interactive Entertainment R&D, Musemio Ltd R&D and Goldsmiths, UoL; as well as done consulting for tech companies such as Unity Technologies. A description of Carlos' research: The purpose of my PhD research is to advance game technologies by democratising the use of ML techniques among non-experts through innovative tools and plugins for game engines. I developed ML specific visual scritping languages and used mixed-methods research approaches to understand how to better support developers in creating VR interactions and the challenges behind human-AI interaction. I had several technical jobs throughout my PhD, as my expertise is highly applicable in both industry and academia. Thanks to the broad range of expertise that I gathered through many years of industrial work and academic study, I can tackle the challenges emerging from the inter-disciplinary nature of modern work: where user psychology, immersive technology and artificial intelligence intersect. Please refer to my website for completely up-to-date information regarding publications. Feel free to reach out if you want more information or want to chat about my/your work. I am looking for positions starting on February 2023 onwards. Email carlos.gonzalezdiaz@york.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Supervisor(s): Prof. Sebastian Deterding Featured Publication(s): Embodied, in-medium design of VR game motion controls using interactive supervised learning Automatic Game Tuning for Strategic Diversity Programming by Moving: Interactive Machine Learning for Embodied Interaction Design InteractML: Node Based Tool to Empower Artists and Dancers in using Interactive Machine Learning for Designing Movement Interaction Movement interaction design for immersive media using interactive machine learning Using Machine Learning to Design Movement Interaction in Virtual Reality Interactive machine learning for more expressive game interactions Making Space for Social Time: Supporting Conversational Transitions Before, During, and After Video Meetings InteractML: Making machine learning accessible for creative practitioners working with movement interaction in immersive media Interactive Machine Learning for Embodied Interaction Design: A tool and methodology Bodystorming in SocialVR to Support Collaborative Embodied Ideation Themes Creative Computing Design & Development Game AI Immersive Technology https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taVry9IQUjE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkKU3MyBspM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHiPav2l5gA Previous Next

< Back Remo Sasso Queen Mary University of London iGGi PG Researcher I hold a BSc and MSc in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Groningen (NL) and am currently a PhD student at the Queen Mary University of London under the supervision of Paulo Rauber. In addition to my academic work, I have worked as a Machine Learning engineer, and am currently the Head of AI at xDNA, an AI/Cybersecurity-based start-up from the Netherlands. Here I'm leading the initiative Project Aletheia, where we develop AI-driven tools to optimize the workflow of professional fact-checkers, with the overarching goal of ensuring information integrity in the world. Foundation World Models and Foundation Agents for Reinforcement Learning My research focuses on developing reinforcement learning algorithms that are both scalable and sample-efficient through Bayesian methods and model-based approaches, recently with a particular emphasis on Large Language Models (LLMs). My previous research focused on principled, efficient and scalable exploration algorithms for reinforcement learning, e.g. Poster Sampling for Deep Reinforcement Learning (ICML 2023), where we developed a reinforcement learning algorithm that can be considered state-of-the-art in Atari games. Currently I'm particularly interested in the integration of LLMs in the reinforcement learning framework, both as decision-making agents and simulators. My current research, called "Foundation World Models and Foundation Agents for Reinforcement Learning" investigates this integration in-depth and shows that large models show significant potential in various reinforcement learning tasks, ranging from decision-making in stochastic environments to serving as world models. Email r.sasso@qmul.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Supervisor: Dr Paulo Rauber Featured Publication(s): VDSC: Enhancing Exploration Timing with Value Discrepancy and State Counts Making Connections: Neurodevelopmental Changes in Brain Connectivity after Adverse Experiences in Early Adolescence Multi-Source Transfer Learning for Deep Model-Based Reinforcement Learning Simultaneous multi-view object recognition and grasping in open-ended domains Posterior Sampling for Deep Reinforcement Learning Themes Game AI - Previous Next

< Back Prof. Simon Colton Queen Mary University of London iGGi Co-Investigator Supervisor Simon Colton is an AI researcher with particular focus on issues of Computational Creativity, where we engineer software to take on creative responsibilities in art and science projects. He undertakes projects advancing the state of the art in generative technologies such as evolutionary approaches and deep learning, and uses these to help develop software such as The Painting Fool, The WhatIf Machine, the Wevva game designer, the HR3 automated code generator, and the Art Done Quick casual creator for visual art. In turn, these software systems and their output are used in cultural projects such as a poetry readings, art exhibitions, game jams, and even the production of a West-End musical. This enables Simon to undertake much public engagement, with coverage from the BBC, The Guardian, MIT Tech Review, The New Scientist and many others. These practical and cultural projects inform an evolving philosophical discourse around what it means for machines to be creative, and Simon has co-authored numerous essays driving forward our understanding of this important topic. In this way, he has helped to introduce ideas such as automated framing of products and processes, issues of authenticity and the notion of the machine condition, i.e., what the lived experience of a machine is, and how this could be expressed by that machine through creative production. He is particularly interested in supervising students in project where we apply generative technologies to applications in videogame design, visual art, software engineering, music and text generation. One particular current interest is stretching the boundaries of both what can be achieved by, and our understanding of, generation deep learning methods such as generative adversarial networks (GANs) and auto encoders. Another current interest is the design of casual creators, which are creativity support tools where the focus is on users having fun, rather than on efficient, professional production of artefacts. He is currently developing a casual creator for visual art called Art Done Quick for public release, which employs evolutionary and deep learning techniques to deliver a fun-first experience while users make decorative art pieces. Any project involving generative technologies is of interest to Simon. Research Areas: Game AI Game Audio and Music Game Design Computational Creativity Player Experience Casual Creators Generative Deep Learning Email s.colton@qmul.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Themes Accessibility Creative Computing Game AI Game Audio Player Research - Previous Next

< Back Guilherme Matos de Faria University of York iGGi Alum I am a Portuguese student with a background in Artificial Intelligence. In 2016 I started attending video game tournaments and learned to analyse my matches and improve from it. When I did my masters in AI, I noticed that I could join my professional skills and my hobbies together to create something relevant to AI and competitive gaming. A description of James' research: I am looking to better understand which actions and decisions have the biggest impact on the outcome of a game. Currently, I am particularly focused on competitive turn based card games. What are the best players doing to win? How can players adapt to improve their chances of success? These are the questions I am hoping to help answer, giving players a better understanding of the game and how to improve. Please note: Updating of profile text in progress Email Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Themes Game AI - Previous Next