Search Results

< Back iGGi Conference 2022 Mark the date - the next iGGi conference is coming your way! 06 - 07 September 2022 at York The iGGi Conference is an annual event organised by Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs) and Staff of the iGGi Centre for Doctoral Training. This year, iGGi CON will take place 06-07 September in York (in-person event). What happens at iGGi CON? iGGi PGRs showcase their current projects Keynotes, Talks, Panels, and Workshops involving members from games industry and academia who discuss future developments in digital games and other issues relevant to the community Networking Food, drinks, conversation, entertainment Who can attend? iGGi CON 2022 is a public event particularly aimed at members of the games industry (registration required). Come along and find out about new ideas, meet future employees, and steer the direction of research in the world’s largest games PhD programme. Registration now open! Follow this link for more info. Previous 8 Jun 2022 Next

< Back iGGi Seminar - Alexander Swords Alexander Swords is visiting us at Empire House to speak about: Narrative Design of Totem Teller Wednesday, 22 June 2022 @ 16:00-17:30 Abstract Alexander Swords is the writer and narrative designer on the transmedia video game experience Totem Teller as well as the creator of The Forest Paths Method For Narrative Design. In this talk he’ll cover how the Method has been indispensable in the development of the game, bringing together the more tangible requirements of game development and the transcendental form on which the game is based. It will include a behind the scenes look at the narrative design patterns used in development, as well as footage of gameplay yet to be made public. Bio Alexander Swords is a writer and narrative designer working across emotional games, games for change, the adaptation and evolution of stories moving to new mediums, and advocating for the power of interactive narrative and the need for diverse future storytellers. With 20 years experience working with stories, creators, and their audiences, he’s currently wielding this experience as a writer and narrative design director on Totem Teller and Anytown: Garage Sale Monsters. He’s also the creator of the Forest Paths Method for Narrative Design; a structuralist approach to understanding story in an approachable and collaborative way. Moderated by Timea Farkas (iGGi PhD) For further info and/or if you are an iGGi-external who would like to attend, please contact s.binder@qmul.ac.uk Previous 15 Jun 2022 Next

< Back iGGi Open Evening at QMUL iGGi QMUL is spontaneously running an Open Evening event on 15 December 2021 at 6pm Empire House (Whitechapel Campus) https://goo.gl/maps/dquCpQHtSuTN7YD9A We will showcase some of the ongoing research of the QMUL Game AI research group the iGGi Centre for Doctoral Training the AIM Centre for Doctoral Training which are all part of QMUL's School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science. It will be a great opportunity to speak face-to-face to some of the Researchers and Staff relevant to iGGi (and you can also consider our "competitor" AIM who offer fully funded scholarships in a similar way to iGGi). There will also be pizza and drinks! If you can/want to attend: Fill in this form: https://forms.gle/mGmWeoGUtH4sZmz86 Note that you will be required to wear a face mask for the duration of the event, and you will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative covid test taken within the last 48h of event start. We look forward to seeing you there! Previous 8 Dec 2021 Next

Academic Pathways into Games iGGi is a collaboration between Uni of York + Queen Mary Uni of London: the largest training programme worldwide for doing a PhD in digital games. Academic Avenues into Games You are interested in pursuing Games as an academic career or would like to complement your CV with an academic degree in Games. But.. ...iGGi is no longer recruiting! "What now??" you ask. iGGi has recruited its last of (a total of) 10 cohorts in 2023 as the 2x5 years of scheduled intakes have been completed, and there is no funding for any further cohorts. Many of you have since contacted us to ask if there are other academic avenues into Games. So we thought we'd dedicate a page (this one) to this very topic, and lay out the options available to you via the iGGi partner universities. At Queen Mary University of London Bachelor Degree: BSc Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Masters Degree: MSc Computer Games PhD: The Game AI Research Group (GAIG) at Queen Mary University of London Also check out our list of suitable supervisors at QMUL on our iGGi Supervisor page (you can filter by location, and/or research theme) At the University of York Bachelor Degree: BSc Interactive Media Masters Degree: MA Digital Media and Culture MA Social Media and Management PhD: For suitable supervisors at UoY check out our iGGi Supervisor page (you can filter by location, and/or research theme) At the University of Essex Bachelor Degree: BSc Computer Games BSc Computer Games (incl. foundation year) Masters Degree: MSc Computer Games PhD: For suitable supervisors at Essex check out our iGGi Supervisor page (you can filter by location, and/or research theme) At Goldsmiths, University of London Bachelor Degree: BSc Games Development BSc Computer Games Programming BSc Creative Computing BSc Digital Arts Computing Masters Degree: MA Games and Playful Design MA Computer Games: Art & Design MA Computational Arts MA/BSc Virtual & Augmented Reality PhD: MPhil/PhD Arts & Computational Technology at Goldsmiths For suitable supervisors at Goldsmiths check out our iGGi Supervisor page (you can filter by location, and/or research theme) Funding Funding your studies can be a challenging endeavor at any level, but given our existing scope of Postgraduate level, the below points relate specifically to financing PhD studies. In the UK, there are six different types of funding sources to consider for financing a PhD: Government Funding through organisations such as the UKRI (iGGi, for instance, is a PhD programme funded by the EPSRC , which is one of UKRI's nine councils) >>> check out the UKRI Funding Finder Postgraduate Research Loans , available to individual PhD students >>> check out gov.uk's Doctoral Loan info page Most universities offer a very limited amount of their own "Studentships " and it is best to contact the respective university (or even the department) directly to find out more Charities and Trusts support individual PhD students through the award of Scholarships and Bursaries >>> check out the turn2us search tool which offers a custom-search-able database of grants you might qualify for Companies may directly investing in research projects that are of business interest to them and partner with a relevant university, or directly sponsor a PhD student And of course, if this is an option available to you, you can try and self-fund your course Games Courses at non-iGGi Universities There are many other universities in the UK that offer games-related courses, the below links are but a small selection, just to give you a starting point. Please note that this is not intended to be a ranking or particular recommendation in any way, and that the listing is merely based on our recent collaborations, interactions, and existing contacts with individuals or specific projects at these institutions. King's College London >> King's Institute for Artificial Intelligence University of Abertay >> Department of Games and Arts University College London >> Cinematic and Videogame Architecture University of the Arts London >> Game Design University of Hertfordshire >> 3D Games Art & Design University of East London >> Game Programming University of Staffordshire >> Games Courses Birmingham City University >> Game Studies You can also check out this games map website from Ukie which lists, among other games-relevant entities, academic institutions that offer games courses.

< Back iGGi Game Jam 2025 and Awards! iGGi successfully concluded its 11th Game Jam on Friday, and it’s been EPIC! A total of 9 groups worked on a variety of game types, all based on this year’s theme: idiom 🔊 /ˈɪdɪəm/ iGGi PGRs appreciated the (in comparison to previous years) extended and therefore more relaxed format of the iGGi GJ 2025; while the the event itself spread over 72 hours, an extra day on either end afforded plenty of socialising between cohorts, and there was ample time for play testing. A special thank you goes out to the four iGGi Industry Advisory Board members who donated some of their time and who could be contacted online by groups via the iGGi GJ Discord server: A HEARTFELT THANKS !!! For the iGGi GJ 2025 Awards , participants could assign matching idioms (or twists on existing idioms) to each group. The resulting idioms were then used to label jars (one per group) containing 3D-printed keyboard keys with an “iGGi 2025” engraving (to fit the tab key on a mechanical keyboard) which were given out as prizes on Friday after the presentations. What's more, as a revelation that came completely unexpectedly to the researchers, the iGGi Game Jam had a far larger-scale secret Surprise Award still up its sleeve thanks to….. ...…SONY Interactive Entertainment !!!! SONY very generously sponsored the main award – a PS5 !!! – see pictures below showing its enthusiastic reception! - BIG MASSIVE THANKS from all of us to SONY! And here’s a rundown of the groups, games, and their award title: Game: “ Catan Got Your Tongue ” A Catan mod. Game: “ Stochastic Reward Engine ” This game is trying to decompose Catan into its core elements providing the players with a fun time optimising their probability choices in a binary choice environment. All created by: Connor Watts, Peyman Hosseini, Ruizhe Yu Xia, Tom Wells Award title: “Settle for less” Game: “ The Frankenwurst ” A fun 2D adventure game choke full of idioms. Created by: Nicole Levermore, Owen Crucefix (iGGi-ext.), Tamsin Isaac Award title: “When pigs… die…” Game: “ Hammer to Fall ” Grab your hammer and hit as many nails as possible. A tiny VR game about hitting nails with a hammer. Nothing nefarious going on here. Fun for the entire family! Created by: Dominik Jeurissen, Karl Clarke, Philip Smith, Toby Best Award title: “Hammer Time!” Game: “ Hexed or Vexed ” A spooky social deduction murder mystery. Created by: Alex Flint, Océane Lissillour, Prakriti Nayak, Tania Dales Award title: “Let’s burn that bridge when we come to it” Game: “ love & CLAW ” >> A beautiful fusion of balanced gameplay with a unique theme.. >> A furry good card game. Created by: Bobby Khaleque, Daniel Cooke, Dimitris Menexopoulos, Florence Smith Nicholls, Francesca Foffano, George Long, Luiza Stepanyan, Remo Sasso, Sahar Mirhadi, Sunny Thaicharoen Award title: “A Furry in the hand is worth two in the bush.” Game: “ ⏃⏁⎎⊑⍀⋏⊬⏃ ” A music toy. Created by: Cameron Johnston, Doruk Balcı Award title: “(Key-)stroke a chord” Game: “ Pick Up ” Find a Cube in this open world, pick up and put it back! Game Win! Created by: Yiping Han (iGGi-ext.) Award title: “Rinse and repeat” Game: “ Piggioms ” Created by: Alan Pedrassoli Chitayat, Lauren Winter, Steph Carter Award title: “Seeing how the sausage is made” Game: “ snaaaaaa...(300x)...aaaake ” A 1 dimensional snake game controlled using a Pi Pico and 300 LED string. Created by: Ben Kirman (iGGi Supervisor) Award title: “BITE ITTTTT for snake’s sake!” Lastly, a hearty THANKS to the four PGR GJ Organisers Doruk Balcı, Karl Clarke, Lauren Winter, and Tamsin Isaac , to the Supervisor GJ Organiser Ben Kirman , and a special mention goes to the iGGi Admin Team , in particular to Helen Tilbrook who went above and beyond to make it all happen! The next iGGi Game Jam will take place in January 2026 - exact dates tba - and we can't wait!! Photo Gallery - iGGi Game Jam 2025 Awards: Photo Gallery - iGGi Game Jam 2025 Moments: Itch.io link to all submissions here Previous 13 Jan 2025 Next

< Back iGGi 2021 CON The iGGi 2021 Conference concluded last week and we look back on two days that were fully packed with Talks Keynotes Panels Workshops the customary iGGi Buzz Talks knowledge exchange + networking and not to forget, a much-needed dose of socialising + fun If you've missed some or (hopefully not) all of it - we've compiled selected recordings, so that you can catch up via YouTube at your own leisure. A MASSIVE THANK YOU to the team of conference organisers: Nick Ballou , Timea Farkas , Dan Gomme , Joe Hesketh , Bobby Khaleque , Charlie Ringer , Michael Saiger , Evelyn Tan , Marko Tot , Kyle Worrall - this could not have happened without your dedication, effort, and creative input!This year's IGGI 2021 CON took place online on gather.town : with customisable avatars and an engaging conference map it felt like the next best option to an in-person event. Having said that, we can't wait to run IGGI 2022 as a face-to-face experience again, and we are very much hoping to see you there!! Previous 17 Sept 2021 Next

< Back Joint Writing Retreat - November 2023 Another fantastic Joint Writing Retreat was had with our colleagues at MAT , CDE and AIM this week at the beautiful High Leigh. Feedback from the event, was, as always really positive with: 100% of respondents saying the retreat was useful and beneficial to their research/progress 96% saying they would recommend it to others 95% saying they produced more content than expected With comments about the primary benefit of the retreat being: Scheduled writing time and not having to worry about preparing food, chores etc Refreshing and networking with people in a similar but different sphere made me reframe I feel good writing in a big group. And I have good mood in here Very focused working time and environment. More productive than the office. Very quiet and focused. Not having to think about what food to buy and to prepare and to cook takes the mental load off to just focus on writing. It's surprising how much fretting about food preparation for the week takes out of your day. Here is the word cloud created from the Mentimeter “poll of 3 words” to describe the retreat: Previous 24 Nov 2023 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 iGGi Research Retreat "Unconference" Group Outcomes Social Simulation Game on a Graph / Network The "Problem" Starting from the idea of a cellular automaton (consider for example Conway's Game of Life) we investigated how such a simple structure - considered as a group of agents - could be rendered as a playable simulation of social dynamics. Specifically, we ended up simulating the behaviour of people and ideas at a research retreat similar to the one at Darwin Lake, to investigate how groups form and evolve, and ideas are discussed, spread and refined. What we did We considered the NetLogo simulation software, and designed agents that (1) represented ideas, and the evolution of each idea; (2) represented research participants at the retreat; and (3) modelled the conversations of participants in a way that allowed for the capture of changes and refinements to an abstract idea. I think our primary innovation was from (3) where, through ethnomethodological analysis of the way that we discussed the ideas behind this project, we found a transactional model of conversation. Hence it was meta, man. The "Outcome" We didn't get past paper prototypes and deep discussions. The idea might be taken further - but we ran out of time to do that. Previous Next Previous Next

< Back IGGI 2021 Conference start The IGGI 2021 Conference will kick-start tomorrow with a promising looking schedule of exiting speakers for our Panels, 18 Talks, 2 Workshops, and the traditional IGGI Buzz Talks, all spread over two days. Don't miss out and join us online on Gather.Town Previous 7 Sept 2021 Next

< Back Experimental Game Workshop - GDC 2023 "The Game Developers Conference is a whole lot of fun. Every year tens of thousands of games industry people come together to talk, listen and party. Deal-makers abound – you can spot them a mile away – but the majority remains those that derive a simple joy in the urge to create games and explore ideas of new ways that people can get pleasure from interacting with games." writes iGGi Director Peter Cowling after his recent attendance of GDC 2023. You can read the full blogpost here: http://www.petercowling.com/egw-2023/ Previous 19 Apr 2023 Next

< Back iGGi Talk at Develop:Brighton - Dominik Jeurissen iGGi PG Researcher Dominik Jeurissen held a talk on " LLM Agents For QA - Potential & Limitations " at this year's Develop:Brighton conference. Abstract: With tight deadlines and a constantly evolving game, properly testing a game is challenging. Using AI agents to simplify this work sounds promising, but machine learning is often too slow, and manually implementing the agents takes time. As such, one particularly exciting application for QA is to use Large Language Models (LLMs) as zero-shot game-playing agents. LLM-based agents can play games without pre-training, making them a valuable asset to test a constantly changing game. But how well do they play games? What are their strengths, and what do they struggle with? In this session, we will review how to implement zero-shot agents with LLMs and show examples of existing LLM-based game-playing agents. We will also show that although these agents have many limitations, they have the potential to be a valuable tool for QA to automate many repetitive tasks. The objectives of Dominik's talk were to provide the audience with an overview of the cutting-edge research on LLM-based zero-shot game-playing agents show what these agents can do well and what their limitations are give practical tips on how to utilize LLM agents as QA tools Dominik's talk has been recorded and will be made available to Develop ticket holders. Please contact Dominik directly if you have any queries regarding the presentation. Previous 11 Jul 2024 Next