< Back Dr Tom Collins University of York Supervisor Tom runs the Music Computing and Psychology Lab in the Music Department at University of York, and so makes a good supervisor for game audio projects, but he has wider interests in media (e.g., podcasts) and sport (especially football), and in sport how AI can be leveraged to enhance analytics that lead to new insights into, and competitive advantages in, individual and team performance. Tom is internationally recognised for his work in automatic music generation, web systems for music, and information retrieval. His research has been featured by the BBC (BBC Click), The Times, and Financial Times among others. Tom is interested in supervising students who have a background in at least one of the following areas, and who are interested in acquiring knowledge of the others: Data science and machine learning (especially deep learning); One of music, podcasts, or sport; Software engineering (especially full-stack JavaScript development). Email tom.collins@york.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Themes Esports Game AI Game Audio Game Data Player Research - Previous Next

< Back Dr Yizhao Jin Queen Mary University of London iGGi Alum Currently a student at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), I have delved deep into the realms of artificial intelligence and game design. With a passion for understanding the complexities behind real-time strategy (RTS) games and their dynamic, unpredictable nature, I have committed myself to contribute novel insights to this domain. Research: My primary research area is Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning (HRL) for Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games. RTS games, known for their intricate mechanics and vast decision spaces, present a formidable challenge for traditional AI approaches. By employing HRL, I aim to develop agents that can not only understand the multi-layered tactics and strategies of these games but also learn to adapt to ever-changing game scenarios efficiently. The main objectives of my research are: Better Generalization: To create agents that can seamlessly transition between different RTS games or various maps within the same game without extensive retraining. This involves understanding common strategic threads across multiple game domains. Efficient Training: RTS games are inherently time-consuming due to their vast decision spaces and prolonged gameplay. My research seeks ways to optimize the training process, ensuring that AI agents can learn faster and with fewer computational resources. Email acw596@qmul.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Supervisors: Prof. Greg Slabaugh Prof. Simon Lucas Themes Game AI Previous Next

< Back Immersive Technology How might we advance the use and understanding of VR, XR, AR, and other immersive technologies in games? Project areas include: Generating 3D game assets from 2D images Using machine learning to enhance interaction with virtual characters in games << Previous Theme page Next Theme page >> iGGi >>> People <<< relevant to this Theme: Dr Guifen Chen Supervisor Creative Computing, Design & Development, Immersive Technology, Player Research Read More Dr Cristina Dobre iGGi Alum Game AI, Immersive Technology Read More Dr Ildar Farkhatdinov Supervisor Design & Development, Game AI, Immersive Technology, Player Research Read More Dr Miles Hansard Supervisor Game AI, Immersive Technology, Design & Development, Game Data Read More Karl Clarke iGGi PG Researcher Available for placement Design & Development, Immersive Technology, Player Research Read More Dr Abi Evans Supervisor Design & Development, Immersive Technology, Player Research Read More Luke Farrar iGGi Alum Immersive Technology Read More Dr Patrik Huber Supervisor Applied Games, Game Data, Immersive Technology, Player Research, Esports Read More Tania Dales iGGi PG Researcher Available for placement Game AI, Design & Development, Immersive Technology, Player Research Read More Dr Timea Farkas iGGi Alum Player Research, Creative Computing, Immersive Technology Read More Dr Carlos Gonzalez Diaz iGGi Alum Immersive Technology, Game AI, Design & Development, Creative Computing Read More Dr Yul HR Kang Supervisor Game AI, Player Research, Creative Computing, Immersive Technology Read More Load More iGGi People working in this Theme iGGi >>> Publications <<< relevant to this Theme: Prototyping by Moving for Virtual Reality N Plant, C Hilton, CG Diaz, R Fiebrink, P Perry, R Gibson, B Martelli, ... 2025 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops (VRW) Dr Carlos Gonzalez Diaz View Details The Sky's the Limit: Relightable Outdoor Scenes via a Sky-Pixel Constrained Illumination Prior and Outside-In Visibility JAD Gardner, E Kashin, B Egger, WAP Smith European Conference on Computer Vision, 126-143, 2024 James Gardner Evgenii Kashin View Details Embodied, in-medium design of VR game motion controls using interactive supervised learning C Gonzalez Diaz University of York, 2023 Dr Carlos Gonzalez Diaz View Details Making Space for Social Time: Supporting Conversational Transitions Before, During, and After Video Meetings C Gonzalez Diaz, J Tang, A Sarkar, S Rintel 2022 Symposium on Human-Computer Interaction for Work, 1-11, 2022 Dr Carlos Gonzalez Diaz View Details InteractML: Making machine learning accessible for creative practitioners working with movement interaction in immersive media C Hilton, N Plant, C González Díaz, P Perry, R Gibson, B Martelli, ... Proceedings of the 27th ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and …, 2021 Dr Carlos Gonzalez Diaz View Details Interactive Machine Learning for Embodied Interaction Design: A tool and methodology N Plant, C Hilton, M Gillies, R Fiebrink, P Perry, C González Díaz, ... Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded …, 2021 Dr Carlos Gonzalez Diaz View Details Load More iGGi Publications for this Theme Previous Next

< Back Sarah Masters University of York iGGi PG Researcher Available for post-PhD position Sarah is an artist, game developer and researcher. They have an MA in Indie Game Development from Falmouth University (Distinction). They are an active part of the games community taking part in game jams and running their own commercially focused game studio working on the debut title Moth Terra. A description of Sarah's research: Sarah’s work takes a research-through-design approach focused on exploring meaning in games and ecogames. Alongside a portfolio of games, their previous work includes running a workshop on Solarpunk vs Grimdark concepts, presenting the Cute Ecologies talk Moth Magic, and contributing to the development of Treescapes: A NERC-Funded Mobile Game exploring the social, cultural, and emotional values of trees. Their work also explores sustainable design approaches to games and interactive experiences. Email sarah.masters@york.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Supervisor: Prof. Paul Cairns Featured Publication(s): Radical Alternate Futurescoping: Solarpunk versus Grimdark Better Dead than a Damsel: Gender Representation and Player Churn Themes Applied Games Design & Development Player Research Eudaimonia: A solarpunk city-building choice and consequence game - Save the world in eight years!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zKcgFluR24 Fatalis - a witchy gardening game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR_OMidgk14 Previous Next

< Back Dr Timea Farkas Goldsmiths iGGi Alum Timea is a researcher striving to understand how people engage with technologies—broadly defined—in their everyday lives, and how new technologies can enhance people's experiences of play, creative expression, and beyond. She has always been drawn to learning new things, with a background ranging from creative arts through games to science, which allows her to apply an interdisciplinary outlook towards research. She holds an MA in Sonic Arts from the University of Sheffield and has graduated with a First Class (Hons) degree in music composition and technology with a special award for outstanding achievement and collaboration. A description of Timea's research: This research project centres around understanding board game players' relationship with the immersive capabilities of hybrid board games - board games with a digital component - through finding novel interactions which strengthen the sensory elements of tabletop games. By focusing on physical board game pieces as alternative input devices to touch screens, the goal is to explore the design space of analogue-digital hybrids with a player-centric approach. Email farkasmarimba@gmail.com Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Featured Publication(s): Exploring the Design Space of Analogue-Digital Hybrid Boardgames Using a Player-Centric Approach How Boardgame Players Imagine Interacting With Technology The Effects of a Soundtrack on Board Game Player Experience A Grounded Analysis of Player-Described Board Game Immersion Themes Creative Computing Immersive Technology Player Research - Previous Next

< Back Self-Determination Theory in HCI: Shaping a Research Agenda Link Author(s) N Ballou, S Deterding, A Tyack, ED Mekler, RA Calvo, D Peters, ... Abstract More info TBA Link

< Back Dr Mariana Lopez University of York Supervisor Dr Mariana Lopez is a researcher in the field of sound design. She works on two main fields: accessibility and heritage. Her work on accessibility focuses on how sound design can be used to create accessible experiences for film and television audiences with sight loss, providing an alternative to traditional Audio Description practices. She was the Principal Investigator of the project Enhancing Audio Description funded by the AHRC. In the field of heritage, she focuses on acoustical heritage, by exploring how acoustic measurement techniques, computer modelling and the recreation of soundscapes can help us understand the sonic experiences of our ancestors. She was the Principal Investigator of the British Academy-funded project – The Soundscapes of the York Mystery Plays. Related to these fields she is supervising and has supervised projects in the field of mental health in connection to the creative arts; interactive installations; serious gaming and its impact on sustainability; accessibility and gaming; and sound design in participatory theatre, among others. Research themes: Game Audio and Music Games with a Purpose Sound and accessibility Equality and social justice Acoustical heritage Sound installations Email mariana.lopez@york.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Themes Applied Games Game Audio - Previous Next

< Back Océane Lissillour University of York iGGi PG Researcher Available for placement I started my journey as an undergrad in psychology specialising in ergonomics. It was then that I realised that I could study video games for a living. This led me to relocate myself to the south of France to, mostly enjoy the sun, but also undertake my dream MSc in Technological Innovation and Cognitive Psychology. As part of my master’s internship I had the pleasure to work in collaboration with researchers from the CLLE, a laboratory branch of the national research centre. This helped me develop my knowledge and awareness of video games and motivational processes and convinced me that if I could survive the bureaucracy of the French Government I could probably do a PhD. Afterwards, I moved on to work in Aeronautics for a brief time but landed back to academia in 2024 to join the wonderful iGGI community as a postgraduate researcher. A description of Océane's research: My research focuses on the act of taking a regular activity and ‘gamifying’ it by applying mechanics commonly found inside video games (such as points). This technique has been widely applied within research but its psychological aspects have seldom been studied. The aim of this thesis is to assess the efficacy and applicability of this technique, particularly the score element mechanic. It focuses on understanding the functionalisation of numerical values in games as this has not been studied previously in the literature. This research hopes to contribute to the better understanding of the impact of the design of points on motivation and behaviour. It has been proposed in precedent literature that the use of gamification will provide a partial solution to the critical decline in learners’ motivation and engagement the schooling system faces today. Email oceane.lissillour@york.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Supervisors: Dr Abi Evans Prof. Sebastian Deterding Themes Design & Development Player Research - Previous Next

< Back Luke Farrar University of York iGGi Alum Luke Farrar is an iGGi PhD student at The University of York undertaking research in Flexible and Realistic Character Animations in Complex and Dynamic Environments. Luke's research focuses through his bachelor's and master's degrees were on applying machine learning to interesting and unique settings. In his bachelor's he focused on creating an application for individuals that suffered from cognitive impairments through the use of the "Microsoft HoloLens" and machine learning to allow those individuals to maintain a semblance of everyday life. In his postgraduate Luke focused on using machine learning to generalise high-fidelity scientific simulations to rapidly generate predictions for parameter combinations that had not yet been sampled in order to accelerate the production of new results. Luke revels in all things AI, knowing that there is always more to learn and seeks to continually deepen his understanding around AI. A description of Luke's research: Modern games have an increasing focus on hyper-realism and immersion to better capture the attention of players. One of the ways that games can break this immersion is by having animations that break the flow of movement or actions through the use of predefined animations. Motion matching is a solution for predicting the best next frame of an animation by looking at the pose and user trajectory. The downside however, is that when you increase the amount of possible animations in the database the runtime cost also increases. A solution was proposed known as 'learned motion matching' (Holden et al., 2020) which takes the positive properties of motion matching but also achieves the scalability of neural-network-based generative models. This project will explore and improve the learned motion matching method through implementation of memory layers to improve accuracy without the sacrifice of increasing runtime costs. A restructuring and adaptation of the existing machine learning neural network used could also improve the learned motion matching method as breaking down each step of the learned motion matching at each step could uncover optimisations that are not initially visible. Another way restructuring could improve the learned motion matching is through creating a more succinct all-in-one approach which may streamline the process. Email lukebfarrar@gmail.com Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Supervisors: Dr Miles Hansard Dr Patrik Huber Dr James Walker Themes Immersive Technology - Previous Next

< Back “That Darned Sandstorm”: A Study of Procedural Generation through Archaeological Storytelling Link Author(s) F Smith Nicholls, M Cook Abstract More info TBA Link

< Back Dr Elena Gordon-Petrovskaya University of York iGGi Alum Elena specialises in novel forms of 'predatory' monetisation in digital games and its effects on players and is particularly interested in the links of game design to gaming disorder. She uses her background in psychology and human-computer interaction to take a player-centric perspective: developing knowledge bottom-up and working directly with players as the primary stakeholder. Her work spans ethics, wellbeing, and the lived experience of technology and its use. In her work so far, Elena has conducted a qualitative study with 1000+ players to create a taxonomy of microtransactions that players perceive to be unfair, aggressive, or misleading, and carried out a prevalence assessment of these techniques across the most popular desktop and mobile games. Most recently, her work discovered several types of harms which emerge from player interaction with games perceived as 'designed to drive spending'. Additionally, Elena has contributed to government calls for evidence around game regulation, given talks at seminar series and conferences, and collaborated on a variety of related topics, such as loot box spending, esports betting, and changes to gameplay during COVID. Email elepetrovs@gmail.com Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Supervisors: Prof. Sebastian Deterding Dr David Zendle Featured Publication(s): Learnings from the case Maple Refugee: A dystopian story of free-to-play, probability, and gamer consumer activism. Four dilemmas for video game effects scholars: How digital trace data can improve the way we study games Adapting and Enhancing Evolutionary Art for Casual Creation. The many faces of monetisation: Understanding the diversity and extremity of player spending in mobile games via massive-scale transactional analysis The relationship between psycho-environmental characteristics and wellbeing in non-spending players of certain mobile games Why microtransactions may not necessarily be bad: a criticism of the consequentialist evaluation of video game monetisation The lived experience of Internet Gaming Disorder: core symptoms, antecedents and consequences as based on a qualitative analysis of Reddit posts. Prevalence and Salience of Problematic Microtransactions in Top-Grossing Mobile and PC Games: A Content Analysis of User Reviews Predatory Monetisation? A Categorisation of Unfair, Misleading and Aggressive Monetisation Techniques in Digital Games from the Player Perspective Designing Personas for Expressive Robots: Personality in the New Breed of Moving, Speaking, and Colorful Social Home Robots A large-scale study of changes to the quantity, quality, and distribution of video game play during the COVID-19 pandemic How do loot boxes make money? An analysis of a very large dataset of real Chinese CSGO loot box openings Defining the esports bettor: evidence from an online panel survey of emerging adults The Battle Pass: a Mixed-Methods Investigation into a Growing Type of Video Game Monetisation Casual Creators in the Wild: A Typology of Commercial Generative Creativity Support Tools Not all fun and games: The design and evaluation of a game to increase intrinsic motivation in learning programming Exploring the multiverse of analysis options for the Addiction Stroop "These People Had Taken Advantage of Me”: A Grounded Theory of Problematic Consequences of Player Interaction with Mobile Games Perceived as “Designed to Drive Spending" Themes Player Research - Previous Next

< Back Prof. Marian Ursu Goldsmiths Supervisor Marian Ursu has a first degree in Computer Science, a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, and has worked over the past twenty years in the development of new forms of mediated expression and interaction, in the space of convergence of digital technology with creative practice. He worked at Goldsmiths, University of London, pioneering “creative computing”, a term denoting a fundamental link between digital technologies, the arts and media. At York, he led the development of the Interactive Media subject area in the department of Theatre Film Television and Interactive Media, inherently interdisciplinary, building on Computer Science, User Experience Design, Media Practice and Cultural Studies. He is a co-founder and the Director of the Digital Creativity (DC) Labs ( https://digitalcreativity.ac.uk ), a centre of excellence in impact-driven research in creativity for games, narrative media and the rich space of media convergence that lies in between, and Co-Director of XR Stories ( https://xrstories.co.uk ), a creative industries partnership working across film, TV, games, media arts, heritage, advertising and technology to champion a new future in storytelling, in which he leads on Research and Development. His personal research is situated in the area of narrative experiences in scree media – shared screens (film, TV), personal screens (games, social media), stories in VR, XR narrative experiences – drawing from and building on established narrative art-forms and media including film and TV, radio, theatre, and opera. One of his key research objective is to explore the creative process that emerges in dialogue between humans and machines (AI). On one hand, this is necessary for the authoring of more complex narrative experiences that truly exploit the affordances of interactive and immersive digital media technologies. On the other hand, this is a yet poorly untapped space of opportunities, potentially conducive to significant findings. He is particularly interested in supervising students interested in exploring creativity in dialogue with AI and/or the development of novel narrative experiences, in topics including: Conceptualising the space of interactive storytelling Developing authoring tools and techniques for interactive storytelling Creating new forms of narrative engagement Analysing the concept of creativity in interactive media which emerges in conversation with AI Research themes: Narrative Games; Narrative Experiences Storytelling with Convergent Media Object-Based Media Computational Creativity Live mediated experiences (performance, sports, esports) Entertainment media and mental health Games and Theatre Email marian.ursu@york.ac.uk Website LinkedIn Mastodon BlueSky GitHub Other Link Themes Creative Computing Player Research - Previous Next