Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Pawn System: How Procedurally Adaptive Webbed Narratives Create Stories, Steven T. Bordelon

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes the design, implementation, and testing of a novel procedural narrative system called the Procedurally Adaptive Webbed Narrative (PAWN) system. PAWN procedurally generates characters and, responding to choices made by the player, produces more responsive characters and relationships involving the player and these narrative agents. Initially, this thesis discusses other interactive narrative types that exist, such as emergent or event-driven narratives, along with their strengths and weaknesses. It then examines each aspect of PAWN, starting with initial actor generation, then moving to the capturing of game events and translating them into logical objects called Occurrences. These Occurrences are …

By The Campfire: How Representation In Video Games Can Be Improved, Hunter Smith

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

By the Campfire is a video game designed with accurate and thorough representation in mind from the start of development. Its purpose is to showcase the ways in which the player character in a video game can accurately represent anyone who plays it, and that the non-player characters in a video game can be generated in a way that diverse groups can be represented without harmfully misrepresenting them. This project includes a document that explains the process by which this game was created and why certain choices were made when implementing the games systems. The document details a survey that …

Cooperative Deep Q -Learning Framework For Environments Providing Image Feedback, Krishnan Raghavan, Vignesh Narayanan, Sarangapani Jagannathan

Publications

In this article, we address two key challenges in deep reinforcement learning (DRL) setting, sample inefficiency, and slow learning, with a dual-neural network (NN)-driven learning approach. In the proposed approach, we use two deep NNs with independent initialization to robustly approximate the action-value function in the presence of image inputs. In particular, we develop a temporal difference (TD) error-driven learning (EDL) approach, where we introduce a set of linear transformations of the TD error to directly update the parameters of each layer in the deep NN. We demonstrate theoretically that the cost minimized by the EDL regime is an approximation …

Lingering Effects Associated With The Consumer Use Of Virtual Reality, John Porter Iii, Andrew Robb

Open Access Publishing Fund

Since the release of the Oculus Rift CV1 in 2016, millions of VR headsets have made their way into consumers’ homes. Since then, users have created large quantities of data about their experiences in VR through posts made to online discussion forums. We examine this data to gain insights on what sorts of “lingering effects” users report having experienced after VR, and on the progression of these effects over time. We found three major categories of lingering effects (besides simulator sickness) during our qualitative analysis: perceptual effects, behavioral effects, and changes in dreams. The perceptual and behavioral categories were further …

Engaging Students During Research Through The Use Of Games, Francisco Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Engaging students during a research seminar/meeting can be a difficult challenge, and as as student myself, I can attest to how difficult actively listening to a presentation can be. As such, upon researching more ways to have an audience engaged, one of the most promising concepts is the use of games. Games, in any form, can be very engaging to a person, and even more so if there is active engagement and participation within an audience group. With this concept in mind, I decided to take it upon myself to create a game based around a theoretical computer …

Predicting League Of Legends Ranked Games Outcome, Ngoc Linh Chi Nguyen

Senior Projects Spring 2022

League of Legends (LoL) is the one of most popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games in the world. For LoL, the most competitive way to evaluate a player’s skill level, below the professional Esports level, is competitive ranked games. These ranked games utilize a matchmaking system based on the player’s ranks to form a fair team for each game. However, a rank game's outcome cannot necessarily be predicted using just players’ ranks, there are a significant number of different variables impacting a rank game depending on how well each team plays. In this paper, I propose a method to …

Humans And The Core Partition: An Agent-Based Modeling Experiment, Andrew J. Collins, Sheida Etemadidavan

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Although strategic coalition formation is traditionally modeled using cooperative game theory, behavioral game theorists have repeatedly shown that outcomes predicted by game theory are different from those generated by actual human behavior. To further explore these differences, in a cooperative game theory context, we experiment to compare the outcomes resulting from human participants’ behavior to those generated by a cooperative game theory solution mechanism called the core partition. Our experiment uses an interactive simulation of a glove game, a particular type of cooperative game, to collect the participant’s decision choices and their resultant outcomes. Two different glove games are considered, …

Difficulty In Video Games, Jason Bechdolt

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

Throughout time games have been utilized for a great variety of purposes: relaxing leisure, competitive activity, intellectual exercise, and many other sources of enjoyment. The element of difficulty has existed in various degrees throughout all of those game styles, usually found through the skill of an opponent, but lately many games have been designed to have a digital opponent to provide that difficulty. With access to more information than ever before, people have gotten the chance to witness lives and worlds that they can never physically enjoy, and this has led to a considerable market for games that can provide …

Deeprepair: Style-Guided Repairing For Deep Neural Networks In The Real-World Operational Environment, Bing Yu, Hua Qi, Guo Qing, Felix Juefei-Xu, Xiaofei Xie, Lei Ma, Jianjun Zhao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Deep neural networks (DNNs) are continuously expanding their application to various domains due to their high performance. Nevertheless, a well-trained DNN after deployment could oftentimes raise errors during practical use in the operational environment due to the mismatching between distributions of the training dataset and the potential unknown noise factors in the operational environment, e.g., weather, blur, noise, etc. Hence, it poses a rather important problem for the DNNs' real-world applications: how to repair the deployed DNNs for correcting the failure samples under the deployed operational environment while not harming their capability of handling normal or clean data with limited …

Universal Biological Motions For Educational Robot Theatre And Games, Rajesh Venkatachalapathy, Martin Zwick, Adam Slowik, Kai Brooks, Mikhail Mayers, Roman Minko, Tyler Hull, Bliss Brass, Marek Perkowski

Systems Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Paper presents a concept that is new to robotics education and social robotics. It is based on theatrical games, in motions for social robots and animatronic robots. Presented here motion model is based on Drift Differential Model from biology and Fokker-Planck equations. This model is used in various areas of science to describe many types of motion. The model was successfully verified on various simulated mobile robots and a motion game of three robots called "Mouse and Cheese."

A Highly-Parameterized Ensemble To Play Gin Rummy, Masayuki Nagai '22, Kavya Shrivastava '23, Kien Ta '22, Steven Bogaerts, Chad Byers

Computer Science Faculty publications

This paper describes the design and training of a computer Gin Rummy player. The system includes three main components to make decisions about drawing cards, discarding, and ending the game, with numerous parameters controlling behavior. In particular, an ensemble approach is explored in the discard decision. Finally, three sets of parameter tuning and performance experiments are analyzed.

Evaluation Of Algorithms For Randomizing Key Item Locations In Game Worlds, Caleb Johnson

LSU Master's Theses

In the past few years, game randomizers have become increasingly popular. In general, a game randomizer takes some aspect of a game that is usually static and shuffles it somehow. In particular, in this paper we will discuss the type of randomizer that shuffles the locations of items in a game where certain key items are needed to traverse the game world and access some of these locations. Examples of these types of games include series such as The Legend of Zelda and Metroid.

In order to accomplish this shuffling in such a way that the player is able to …

Cyber Security Framework For Vehicular Network Based On A Hierarchical Game, Hichem Sedjelmaci, Imane Horiya Brahmi, Nirwan Ansari, Mubashir Husain Rehmani

Publications

The growth of electronic devices in connected vehicles and their connections to the untrusted network, present unprecedented exposure to attacks. Therefore, a reliable and efficient cyber security framework is mandatory to protect vehicular networks against the cyber attackers. Thereby, we propose a cyber defense framework based on a hierarchical cooperative game to secure legitimate vehicles from attacks. In the proposed hierarchical game, there are two kinds of players, the head agent and secondary agents that cooperate between each other to detect, predict and react efficiently against suspected attacks. The Intrusion Detection System (IDS), Intrusion Prediction System (IPS), and Intrusion Reaction …

Investigating The Adoption Of Hybrid Encrypted Cloud Data Deduplication With Game Theory, Xueqin Liang, Zheng Yan, Robert H. Deng, Qinghu Zheng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Encrypted data deduplication, along with different preferences in data access control, brings the birth of hybrid encrypted cloud data deduplication (H-DEDU for short). However, whether H-DEDU can be successfully deployed in practice has not been seriously investigated. Obviously, the adoption of H-DEDU depends on whether it can bring economic benefits to all stakeholders. But existing economic models of cloud storage fail to support H-DEDU due to complicated interactions among stakeholders. In this article, we establish a formal economic model of H-DEDU by formulating the utilities of all involved stakeholders, i.e., data holders, data owners, and Cloud Storage Providers (CSPs). Then, …

Recreating The Virtual Bullets That Pierces Through The Soul Of Gaming: Video Games And Its Cultural Perception On America’S Violent Homefrontier, Brandon Palomino

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

For the past fifty years, video games have been around as a form of entertainment we consume on a daily basis. Unlike the books and movies seen in pop culture today, video games take us on virtual journeys where people participate in unique gameplay objectives based on player involvement. Because the idea of player engagement was rare at the time, it was inevitable that video games would revolutionize the way we view entertainment onwards. With video games becoming increasingly popular throughout the years, the debate of whether they are truly violent in nature has rubbed many people like myself the …

Publication And Evaluation Challenges In Games & Interactive Media, Elizabeth L. Lawley

Presentations and other scholarship

Faculty in the fields of games and interactive media face significant challenges in publishing and documenting their scholarly work for evaluation in the tenure and promotion process. These challenges include selecting appropriate publication venues and assigning authorship for works spanning multiple disciplines; archiving and accurately citing collaborative digital projects; and redefining “peer review,” impact, and dissemination in the context of creative digital works. In this paper I describe many of these challenges, and suggest several potential solutions.

Comparing Procedural Content Generation Algorithms For Creating Levels In Video Games, Zina Monaghan

Dissertations

Procedural Content Generation (PCG) is used frequently in games to increase replayability by introducing variety to playghrough of a game and reduce development time by allowing complex game worlds to be developed by a smaller team over a more limited amount of time.

Forensic Analysis Of Immersive Virtual Reality Social Applications: A Primary Account, Ananya Yarramreddy, Peter Gromkowski, Ibrahim Baggili

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Our work presents the primary account for exploring the forensics of immersive Virtual Reality (VR) systems and their social applications. The Social VR applications studied in this work include Bigscreen, Altspace VR, Rec Room and Facebook Spaces. We explored the two most widely adopted consumer VR systems: the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift. Our tests examined the efficacy of reconstructing evidence from network traffic as well as the systems themselves. The results showed that a significant amount of forensically relevant data such as user names, user profile pictures, events, and system details may be recovered. We anticipate that this …

The Evolution Of Nintendo Company, Yaochen Wei

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

Through consistent innovation, investment in quality, research, and diversification, Nintendo managed to evolve from a playing card manufacturer to a world-leading video game company.

Plentiful Possibilities For Pen, Pencil, And Paper Play, Todd W. Neller

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Neller presented games such as Dots and Boxes, Sprouts, Jotto, Chomp, and Pentominoes in order to illustrate the diversity of existing pencil and paper games. Additionally, he presented his own pencil and paper game design, Paper Penguins, and discussed the game design process.

A Cloud-Based Architecture For Multimedia Conferencing Service Provisioning, Abbas Soltanian, Fatna Belqasmi, Sami Yangui, Mohammad A. Salahuddin, Roch Glitho, Halima Elbiaze

All Works

Multimedia conferencing is the real-time exchange of multimedia content between multiple parties. It is the basis of several interactive multiuser applications, such as distance learning and multimedia multiplayer online games. The cloud-based provisioning of the conferencing services on which these applications rely on can have several benefits, including the easy provisioning of new applications, efficient use of resources, and elastic scalability. This paper proposes a holistic cloud-based architecture for conferencing service provisioning, which covers both the infrastructure and platform layers of the cloud. The proposed infrastructure layer offers conferencing substrates-as-a-service (e.g., dial-in signaling, video mixing, and audio mixing), instead of …

Towards A Conceptual Framework For The Development Of Immersive Experiences To Negotiate Meaning And Identify In Irish Language Learning, Naoise Collins, Brian Vaughan, Keith Gardiner, Charlie Cullen

Conference papers

The onset of virtual reality systems allows for new immersive content which provides users with a sense of presence in their virtual environment. This paper provides the conceptual framework for a larger study examining how designed virtual reality experiences can be utilised to transform Irish language meaning making and a user's personal Irish language identity.

Sensory Seduction And Narrative Pull, Nina Lyons, Matt Smith, Hugh Mccabe

Conference papers

User experience design is a process that has been defined, developed and refined over the last few decades. It is a process of shaping a user's movements through a website or mobile application. It is user-focussed, prioritising utility, ease-of-use and efficiency. It is widely used and has helped advance the way in which users interact with websites and mobile applications, making it far less frustrating. User experience design is a key element in how the internet and mobile technology have become ubiquitous in our daily lives. Given this success, it would seem that continuing to use this process for new …

Proceedings Of The Cuny Games Conference 4.0: The Interactive Course, Robert O. Duncan, Joe Bisz, Julie Cassidy, Kathleen Offenholley, Maura A. Smale, Carolyn Stallard, Deborah Sturm, Anders A. Wallace, Cuny Games Network

Publications and Research

Proceedings of the CUNY Games Conference, held from January 22-23, 2018, at the CUNY Graduate Center and Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Critical Play with History (Panel) - Composition & Storytelling - Health & Cognitive Sciences - Gaming Anthropology: Teaching Culture and Power Through Games and Design (Panel) - Twine & Writing Games - Easy Ideas II - STEM Games - Global Games for Change Catalog (Panel) - Comics & Active Learning - Fact Checking & Research - Computer Science & Game Design - SimGlobal: Building a Serious Roleplay Course for the Social Sciences (Panel) - Role Playing Games, Narrative, …

Is There Joy Beyond The Joystick?: Immersive Potential Of Brain-Computer Interfaces, Elias Solomon Posen

Senior Projects Spring 2018

Immersion, the state of being fully engaged in one's current operation, is a descriptor commonly used to appraise user experience in computer games and software applications. As the use of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) begins to expand into the consumer sphere, questions arise concerning the ability of BCIs to modulate user immersion. This study employed a computer game to examine the effect of a consumer-grade BCI (the Emotiv EPOC) on immersion. In doing so, this study also explored the relationship between BCI usability and immersion levels. An experiment with twenty-seven participants showed that users were significantly more immersed when controlling the …

The Birds Of A Feather Research Challenge, Todd W. Neller

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Neller presented a set of research challenges for undergraduates that allow an excellent formative experience of research, writing, peer review, and potential presentation and publication through a top-tier conference. The focus problem is the analysis of a newly-designed solitaire card game, Birds of a Feather, so potentials for discovery abound. Open access talk slides, research code, solvability data sets, research tutorial videos, and more are also available at http://cs.gettysburg.edu/~tneller/puzzles/boaf .

Amazons, Penguins, And Amazon Penguins, Todd W. Neller

Computer Science Faculty Publications

This talk discussed a family of games based on Amazons (1988), a distant relative of Go (area control) and Chess (queen-like movement), innovated with the introduction of move obstacles. Hey! That’s My Fish! (2003) restricted the addition of obstacles and added varying points for position visits. Introducing original related game designs (e.g. Amazon Penguins (2009) and Paper Pen-guins (2009)), we demonstrated how game mechanics are like genes that mutate, crossover, and invite evolution of new games.

Game Design & Development Curriculum: History & Future Directions, Elizabeth L. Lawley, Roger Altizer, Tracy Fullerton, Andrew Phelps, Constance Steinkuehler

Presentations and other scholarship

It has been nearly twenty years since the first undergraduate degree program in computer game development was established in 1998. Since that time, the number and size of programs in game design and development have grown at a rapid pace. While there were early efforts to establish curricular guidelines for the field, these face a number of challenges given the diverse range of academic homes for game-related programs. This panel will address the history of curricular development in the field, both in individual programs and across institutions. It will also explore the potential risks and rewards of developing curricular and/or …

Mhealth Games As Rewards: Incentive Or Distraction?, Kevin Gary, Ryan Stoll, Pooja Rallabhandi, Mandar Patwardhan, Derek Hamel, Ashish Amresh, Armando Pina, Kevin Cleary, Zenaide Quezado

Ashish Amresh

Playful Ai Education, Todd W. Neller

Computer Science Faculty Publications

In this talk, Neller shared how games can serve as a fun means of teaching not only game-tree search in Artificial Intelligence (AI), but also such diverse topics as constraint satisfaction, logical reasoning, planning, uncertain reasoning, machine learning, and robotics. He observed that teachers teach best when they enjoy what they share and encouraged AI educators present to teach to their unique strengths and enthusiasms.