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< Back iGGi Game Jam 2023 The iGGi Game Jam has kicked off on 11 January 2023 and this year’s theme was TRANSFERENCE - check out what the jammers came up with! Here’s a quick summary of the submitted games (in no particular order): Prison of the Endless by James Goodman, Prasad Sandbhor, George Long Agony Haunt by Callum Deery, Sahar Mirhadi, Amy Smith, Florence Smith Nicholls, Sunny Thaicharoen Pseudo Judo by Toby Best, Bobby Khaleque, Dimitris Menexopoulos, Oliver Withington Trip to the Moon by Charline Foch, FrancescaFoffano, Carlos Gonzalez Diaz Outbalance by Yu-Jhen Hsu, Peyman Hosseini, Nirit Binyamini Ben-Meir, Dominik Jeurissen Move The Groove by Dan Cooke, Nathan John-McDougall Pitch ‘it by Michael Saiger Nick Cage's Face Off 2 by Adrián Barahona-Ríos, Matt Whitby Mind Shift by Remo Sasso, Michelangelo Conserva, James Gardner *hacker voice* I’M IN. –– A Hacking Mechanic Supplement by Younès Rabii I know that person by Madeleine Frister, Maximilian Croissant Harlan by Luke Farrar, Tom Wells, Lauren Winter, Evgenii Kashin General audio support to various games was lent by Erin Robinson. And links to all of these games can of course be found via the iGGi GAMES page here or alternatively also via this page on itch: https://itch.io/jam/iggi23/entries There even was a Mini Contest on the last jam day!! Prizes went to the following teams and categories: Agony Haunt won MUCH WOW Nick Cage's Face Off 2 won BUT… WHY? Harlan won LESS IS MORE Outbalance won GIT GUD Pseudo Judo won IT’S A FEATURE Many Congrats to the winners! Yet, it needs to be said: With so many little game gems, it’s nigh impossible to pick favourites! The Game Jam wrapped on Friday afternoon - see twitter thread: Previous 13 Jan 2023 Next

< Back iGGi Con 2024 - It's A Wrap Now in its 11th iteration, the iGGi Con once again proved to be a full success. Each year, the iGGi Con showcases latest advancements in games research and offers a networking platform where games industry members and academics working in games and adjacent fields can connect. The iGGi Con 2024 was held at the University of York in the Law and Sociology Building of Campus East and spanned over two days. Totaling 11 talks, 3 keynotes, 2 panels, 3 workshops, 3 buzz talk sessions and 28 posters. It hosted l 160 attendees from industry and academia. The iGGi Expo ran in parallel during the afternoon of conference day 1 and afforded conference attendees the opportunity to chat 1:1 with participating iGGi industry partners: a big thank you to everyone who took part! We were also excited to welcome a number of iGGi Alumni who joined the event and who were able to share stories and anecdotes from their time with as well as after iGGi, and we loved the insights and tips they offered! And of course, we're back next year, again at the University of York , so, make sure you SAFE THE DATE >>> 10-11 September 2025 <<< The galleries below show impressions of the two days. iGGi Talks iGGi Keynotes iGGi Posters iGGi Panels More impressions Previous 13 Sept 2024 Next

< Back How does machine learning affect diversity in evolutionary search? Procedural content generation of video games levels has greatly benefited from machine learning. In such complex domains, generative models can provide representation spaces for evolutionary search. But how expressive are such learned models? How many different levels would they be able to produce? A new paper, co-authored by IGGI PhD researcher Sebastian Berns and Professor Simon Colton, looks at the limitations of generative models in the context of multi-solution optimisation. The work will be presented at the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO) and is nominated for a best paper award . The study shows that quality diversity (QD) search in the latent space of a variational auto-encoder yields a solution set of lower diversity than in a manually-defined genetic parameter space. The authors find that learned latent spaces are useful for the comparison of artefacts and recommend their use for distance and similarity estimation. However, whenever a parametric search space is obtainable, it should be preferred over a learned representation space as it produces a higher diversity of solutions. Alexander Hagg, Sebastian Berns, Alexander Asteroth, Simon Colton & Thomas Bäck. (2021). Expressivity of Parameterized and Data-driven Representations in Quality Diversity Search. In Proceedings of the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference. Pre-print available on arXiv https://arxiv.org/abs/2105.04247Accompanying code repository available on Github https://github.com/alexander-hagg/ExpressivityGECCO2021 Previous 27 Jun 2021 Next

< Back IGGI on Industry Impact As the Easter Break is approaching fast, IGGI Year 1 students can report the successful conclusion of the last in a total of four modules: The Impact and Engagement Training. The course (usually held at Queen Mary University of London) was online this year, running over two weeks. The module encourages students to explore the potential impact of their research on the games industry in view of different aspects such as creativity, society, culture, economy, politics, etc. Students discuss feasibility and effectiveness of available engagement tools that can be utilised to create and maximise the envisaged impact. Rooted in the real-world, in true IGGI style, the training included talks by a wide range of invited guest speakers who brought their experience and expertise to the (virtual) table. On that note, a MASSIVE THANKS goes to AI Factory , Women in Games , BAME in Games , Sony , Game Republic , Fusebox Games , Player Research , UKIE , aiandgames.com , and Science Fiction author Matthew de Abaitua for their insightful talks and for representing the industry’s multifaceted perspective. A shoutout also to the IGGI academics and PhD students who contributed! Previous 1 Apr 2021 Next

< Back LAST EVER iGGi Cohort – Sep 2023 Start iGGi is proud to announce that we have now successfully recruited a total of 120 PhD researchers over its two funding runs (i.e., “IGGI 1” and “IGGI 2” which each granted funding for 5 years of new intake), resulting in a total of 10 cohorts of 12 new researchers on average per year. While this is sad news for those who were hoping to apply to the programme in future as there won’t be any further recruitment, we are excited about the high quality of work that iGGis on the programme have so far achieved and about what is still to come. Our last ever intake comprises a total of 16 new researchers who are about to start the programme officially at the beginning of this October (2023). We’ve seen teasers of their research projects during the “Year 1 Buzz” session of last week’s iGGi conference, and, diverse though they were in their topic areas, they all looked very promising. – We can’t wait to hear more of it!! If you are a new iGGi Year 1 and happen to read this: Here’s a warm welcome to you from the iGGi Community - to many years of shared work and fun! Previous 18 Sept 2023 Next

< Back 2021 iGGi Brochure Out now! The 2021 iGGi Brochure * lists profiles of all iGGi Researchers who actively participated in this year's iGGi Conference. Browse the linked pdf version (as well as the Students page on this site, of course) to find out more about individual iGGi PhD's current research. *Brochure design/layout by Timea Farkas Previous 8 Oct 2021 Next

< Back The AI and Games Conference IS BACK! It was the first event dedicated to game AI developers in Europe since 2017, and boy did the community embrace it. In the main organiser's (Tommy Thompson from AI and Games ) own words: "Nature abhors a vacuum and I'm the idiot big enough to try and fill it." - Tommy, you did achieve, and we thank you for that bold move from the bottom of our hearts! Big thanks also to all the sponsors, and specifically to our iGGi Industry Advisory Board Chair Duygu Ç acmak (Creative Assembly) who's a co-organiser. The one-day, double-track event took place on 08 November 2024 at Goldsmiths, University of London and featured international speakers from industry and academia who covered a broad spectrum of topics related to AI and Games in an informative and well-structured way. We're proud to say that we witnessed this launch with 13 iGGi PG Researchers and a whole bunch of iGGi Staff. We also spotted quite a few iGGi Alumni who had made it to the event independently. Moreover, Raluca Gaina and Diego Pérez-Liébana featured with a talk about their spin-off company " Tabletop R&D " >> If you've missed it, here's the Talk Recording We were really impressed about the level of organisation and attention to detail, and we're certainly hoping that the conference will be back again next year! >> Here's a link to all the the talks' recordings Previous 11 Nov 2024 Next

< Back iGGi/AIM/C4DM Spring Writing Retreat 2025 Last week’s 2025 Spring Writing Retreat was a great success! And the warm & sunny weather certainly landed like the cherry on top! The event brought together 16 PG Researchers from iGGi and AIM CDTs, and the C4DM. The three days were spent at High Leigh Conference Centre in Hertfordshire. According to feedback survey, all respondents found the retreat useful, and an overwhelming majority (75%) deemed the duration and number of participants to be just right. (The remaining 25% are equally split both ways, so we conclude that what was on offer hit the sweet spot.) Here is what participants replied to the question " What was the primary benefit of being away with your and other CDT members?" Made some new friends, got to work on my research in a very focused manner. Vitamin D & focused writing time A change of scenery and structure I could focus entirely on my project Focus, socialise, change environment, and being inspired by other people's research and knowledge Balanced and structured days with focused writing sessions Very concentrated environment A constructive environment Focus. No need to worry about food I felt a really supportive and productive environment spending sometimes with my colleagues and new ones away from the usual workplace. Many participants enquired if there will be another writing retreat soon, so we better get planning! Previous 7 May 2025 Next

< Back iGGi York is located just outside the City of York's centre, on University of York's East Campus. The Computer Science building (where our iGGi offices are) is located by the Lake. Please see map of the campus . How to reach the campus Details of how to reach the campus can be found on UoY web page Transport, maps and parkings . See also the information provided below. Arriving by car There is parking on Campus East. Please note that car parks are pay and display. The postcode for Campus East is YO10 5GY The nearest car parks to the venue are on Kimberlow Lane. Please see pay and display parking for location of the three car parks. There are usually plenty of spaces available. (Please note that when you view the map it automatically shows Campus West which also has a lake. You will need to swipe the map to the left to see Campus East). You will approach the car parks on Kimberlow Lane via Field Lane or Hull Road depending on which direction you are travelling from. (Please note that Lakeside Way is closed to traffic). When you view the map, the meeting and conference venue is near the small lake, which is named ‘Lake’ on the map and is just off Lakeside Way. Public Transport from York Train Station If you wish to use public transport from the hotel and/or from York Station to the campus, please see Map of York and campus Bus routes 66 and 67 go near the hotel and station and to the campus. You should alight at University of York, Campus East Coach Stop (see Field Lane on the map). Route 66 bus timetable & Timetable Route 67 bus timetable After getting off the bus, walk down the slope towards the lake. University of York (UoY) iGGi University of York Gallery Computer Science Building - University of York, Campus East Ron Cooke Hub - University of York, Campus East Piazza Building - University of York, Campus East Map of Campus East, University of York Previous Next

< Back iGGi Con 2025 - REGISTRATION NOW OPEN! The next iGGi Conference is happening soon! iGGi Con 2025 University of York 10-11 September REGISTER VIA THIS FORM iGGi Con 2025 website And you can obviously also follow the iGGi social media for related news and updates: LinkedIn BlueSky Please note that full coverage of the event will be mainly via our BlueSky account . Hoping to see many of you there! Previous 7 May 2025 Next

< Back UK Games Expo Birmingham With its focus (almost entirely) on board games, the UK Games Expo wasn't exactly an obvious choice for running an iGGi stand. But due to the fact that a considerable proportion of iGGi PG Researchers has involvement with tabletop games through their research in some form or other, the suggestion had been made for a few years now, and finally, iGGi decided to test the waters. As an added encouragement, Tabletop R&D - an SME that sprung off from our very own Game AI Group at QMUL - had offered to share a stand space with us. We (i.e., the 8 iGGis who attended) were positively surprised on more than one level, namely by the size of the expo (4 large, hangar-like exhibition halls) the welcoming and friendly vibes from the community (and the fact that it felt like a community gathering rather than a trade fair) the quality of conversations we had at the stand, which also made our presence feel relevant the new connections we forged just the charm of the whole thing We're definitely all rooting for coming back next year! Previous 3 Jun 2025 Next

< Back Nuffield Research Placement IGGI was taking part for the first time in the Nuffield Research Placement scheme this year: IGGI PhD researchers were supervising keen A-level students from across the country so that the students could gain an insight into scientific research work. The supervision schemes lasted two weeks per student and took place over the summer. The students benefited from the exposure to complex problems, and their involvement in the respective project may very well give them a significant boost to their prospective university applications. One of the participating IGGI PhD Researchers, Michelangelo Conserva , reported: "It was a pleasure for me to take part in the project! During the first week I did a series of seminars to introduce the student to the relevant topics; whereas in the second week we did a project on generating synthetic faces using Generative Adversarial Networks. I personally believe that this is a great initiative that will increase diversity in the next generation of researchers and I am proud of my little contribution to it. I think that mixing online and in person meetings would be great but I understand that it was not possible this year." Another participant, Nuria Peña Pérez , provided the following feedback: "Participating in the Nuffield Research Placement scheme has been a very enriching experience. During this programme, I supervised an A-level student on a project related to my work. Before starting the project, we had several discussions about the objectives to be pursued, to which the student significantly contributed with their own ideas. The project lasted two weeks, during which the student worked hard on the development of a video game for rehabilitation, a process that allowed the student to improve their technical skills while I gained supervising experience. This programme has therefore greatly benefited both of us.I think that through the Nuffield programme students can get practical experience in research topics that might otherwise be not necessarily accessible outside of academic environments or programmes. This benefits both academia, through the incorporation of external feedback and the possibility of improving communication, and students who can develop their technical and research skills and see if they enjoy these topics before committing to specific programmes. Unfortunately, this year the program took place online, which was not a problem for the project I suggested, but I can imagine many disciplines would benefit from in-person collaborations as this would give students access to physical research labs and their equipment." IGGI is planning to take part again in next year's round which will most likely be conducted in person or in a blended format. Read here to learn more about Nuffield and the Research Placement scheme. Previous 9 Oct 2021 Next