Mixed-Initiative in Computer Games

1
Mixed-Initiative in Computer Games

• Presenter Liam Doherty
• Simon Fraser University
• Authors
• Liam Doherty, Max Whitney, Jurika Shakya, Mayo
  Jordanov, Patrick Lougheed, David Brokenshire,
  Shilpi Rao, Samir Menon, Vive Kumar
• Funded by the LearningKit project (SSHRC-INE) and
  the LORNET project (NSERC).

2
Background

• 4th year undergraduate student in the School of
  Interactive Arts Technology at Simon Fraser
  University
• Interested in computer games and AI
• Introduced to MI in April 2005

3
Overview

• Why investigate games MI?
• MI in current computer games.
• Why are games interesting to MI research?
• How are game design ideas useful to MI?
• How is MI useful to game design?

4
Motivation

• MI does not have a general theory
• Computer games need new models of interaction
  that can support complex communication
• Games have many different styles of
  interactivity, some of which are interesting to MI

5
Hypothesis

• Computer game design and mixed initiative
  techniques have commonalities that should be
  explored.

6
What is MI in Computer Games?

• Computer games are about interaction
• Player/Agent and Agent/Agent interaction
• Implicitly goal-oriented interaction

7
Examples of Implicit MI in Computer Games

• Bargaining
• Human-like interaction
• Tutoring in games

8
Why are Games interesting for MI Research?

• Provide case studies
• Provides an environment for experimentation
• Forgiving of failures
• Some similarities between game design theories
  describing 'interactivity' and the techniques of
  'mixed-initiative'.
• Commercial / real-world applications

9
Applying Game Design Concepts to Mixed-Initiative

• Game design provides some interesting ideas for
  analyzing MI interaction
• Time-constrained interaction
• Optimal learning curves

10
MI Techniques are useful to Game Design

• Helpful for problem of rich interactivity
• Helpful for building realistic human characters
• Game AI is recognized in the game industry as the
  upcoming focus for game designers

11
Conclusions

• Games are an interesting area where MI theories
  can be applied and tested.
• MI can be applied to game design, especially in
  next-generation game types.
• Game design theory and MI interaction have areas
  of overlap that can yield interesting hypotheses
  in both fields.

12
Thank You

• Liam Doherty, Max Whitney, Jurika Shakya, Mayo
  Jordanov, Patrick Lougheed, David Brokenshire,
  Shilpi Rao, Samir Menon, Vive Kumar
• Simon Fraser University
• Funded by the LearningKit project (SSHRC-INE) and
  the LORNET project (NSERC).