The conference will cover six core tracks and a number of peripheral tracks

Core Tracks

Game Development Methodology

Game Development Methodology, Game Design and Research Methods, Production Roles, Techniques and Process Management, Social and Technical Interactions in Art and Engineering, Participatory Media and Heterogeneous Development Approaches, Sociotechnical MOG Development, Communities and Sustainability, Business and Requirements Modeling for Game Projects, Software Architecture and Modeling in Games, Interaction Design and Usability in Game Contexts, Play Testing, Gameplay Experience Evaluation. Game Design using telemetry, cognitive ethnography, empirical phenomenology and causal network analysis.

Game Theory - Multi-Agent Systems

Game Theory- Multi-Agent Systems and their potential applications to computer games

Gamification and Social Game Mechanics

This track looks at adapting game-design elements and techniques to non-game contexts. This via the application of typical elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity, typically as an online marketing technique to encourage engagement with a product or service which cover business and social impact challenges in the real world. Applications fall within Authentication, Marketing, Health, Work, Education, Politics and Technology design

Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning

Designing (Extensible) AI Engines with Built-in Machine Learning Technologies, Procedural Generation with the cross-overs of Evolutionary (Genetic) approaches in Deep Learning, Using Adaptive Markov Models, Using Decision and Behaviour Trees, Hierarchical Task Networks, Production Rules and Learning, Using Fuzzy Logic for membership functions and inference procedures, Using Rule Based AI or a Finite State Machine (FSM), Using Fuzzy State Machines (FuSM) or Cascaded FuSMs ,Using Artificial Life and layered AI Techniques, Level-of-Detail AI, Using scripting languages and buddy AI to govern NPC Bots, synthetic characters, or believable agents, Controlling simulated characters (Group Behaviour control, Context Sensitive behaviours, Computational Behaviour, Unpredictable Behaviour, Human Behaviour Emulation, Human Evolutionary Behaviour) using f.ex. flocking algorithms based on extensible scripting systems, Language Comprehension and Response, Cognitive Modeling: (combining geometric models and inverse kinematics to simplify key-framing. physical models for animating particles. Bio-mechanical modeling, behavioral modeling), Domain knowledge specification and character instruction, Creating AI Networks using supervised learning and genetic algorithms, and pathfinding, Terrain Reasoning Systems, Real-Time Strategy Models, Using Databases using the winnowing algorithm, Using Multi-user Data Management, Cloud AI.

Physics and Simulation

Collision detection, contact resolution and manifold generation (methods Lin-Canny, OBB Trees, I-Collide and Ray Tracing); Calculation optimization between objects; The closest point algorithm by Gilbert Johnson and Keerthi (GJK) between convex and union-of convex objects; Contact equation formulation (point-plane, edge-edge and sphere-plane); LCP (Linear Complementary problems) Based contact resolution; Iterative constraints and penalty methods for contact resolution, Micro-Collisions, Software Object Interaction.

Peripheral Tracks

3-D Scalability

MRM (Multi-Resolution Mesh) Technology and the Messiah and Lith Tech Engines; Scalable level of detail-oriented rendering ; Methods for scaling animation quality; Scaling animation quality, new animation steps, on interpolated key-frame animation or key-frame morphing; Bump mapping: emboss-dot product and environment mapped bump map (EMBM).

Facial Animation

Facial animation for Real-Time, Model Behaviour of 3D Modeling; Modelling the bone structure of faces, facial hair etc... Facial animation using animation engines (f.ex. Euphoria)

Skeletal Animation and Fully-Scaled Rendering

Physical Simulation, 3D Character Animation and physical controllers; Simulation performance; Rigid body physical animation and rigid body dynamics; Polygon Character Design and level of Detail under Technical Constraints; Particle systems, full polygonal models or sprites; Smooth rendered skins, soft skinning, head animations and full body animation (Skin, extrude and boolean, Design, composition and anatomy); Skeletal, skinning, single skin meshes; Creating Character Animation Assets; Real-Time motion Synthesis, Kinematics and Dynamics, Animating the real-time run cycle; T-Buffers and motion blur; Motion Capture Techniques.

3-D In-Game Animation

Creating and scaling special effects in Real-Time 3D: environmental weapon effects and general pyrotechnics, software used to produce single frame and animated textures, booth looping and linear, and the pivotal role of alpha channels. Modeling an animation of the geometry needed and the system used to encode additional engine-specific timing and trigger data into the files. The use of the engine particle system and scripting capabilities, Weighted vertices, Streaming SIMD Extension Overview (floating point instruction) ;Pre-rendered cinematics ; Scaling of special effects and texture tricks: particle systems for generating smoke and fire, texture tricks, for volumes, lens flares and onscreen pyrotechnics, Animation Blending.

Modelling of virtual worlds

Due to their complexity and size, virtual worlds used in next-gen games will have to be automatically generated, to a large extent, whether based on real data or fully imaginary. Representing objects and their relations in these worlds needs to take into account more data than simply their geometry or appearance. In addition, most objects in such worlds will typically require a high degree of adaptivity, in order to avoid most current rigid behaviours, as well as to cope with the need for really adaptive game-play in both entertainment and serious games. This theme focuses on tools and methods for achieving such goals.

AI and Simulation Tools

Silicon Graphics (MAYA, as a game prototyping environment), 3D Programming for Rage Programmable Shaders (Renderman), 3D Studio Max, Scratch, XNA, Delta 3D and other Open Source Games Software.

Design

Game Engine Design and game environment creation; Using rapid prototyping (NEMO-DEV) and generic technology (generic world building engine), portable code; Using Math for Game programming by solving simultaneous Equations; Using Modularity and isolation abstraction, data hiding, functional independence, cohesion and coupling; Using Java as an embedded Game scripting engine ; Procedural content placement, level design, enemy and entity placement; Using Databases in online Games; Programming in Linux, C++ and Visual Basic ; Programming Web Games in Java Scalable 3D games; Creating large 3D worlds; Creating Multiplayer online Games; Techniques for scaling game content, and approaches to scaling game content; C++ optimization Strategies and Techniques; 3D Engine optimization; Optimizing games for the MIPS RISC Architecture; Game design: User set set according to hard limits, pre-runtime profiling and runtime profiling History of Game Design.

Rendering

Rendering Equations and architectures; Real-Time Ray-Tracing (RTRT), Real-Time Path-Tracing (RTPT), Hybrid Rendering, Image Based Rendering (polygon counts (throughput) and overdraw (filtrate); Photorealistic rendering using Open GL and Direct 3D ; Multi texture tricks like gloss mapping, dynamic environment mapping, detail texturing and bump mapping Spatial aliasing and Anti-aliasing and accumulation buffers; Setup, Rendering and Transforms ; Full floating point setup ; Perspective-corrected texture mapping, multiple filtering modes, sophisticated texture blending for special effects and effective looking transparency ; Classical local illumination equations and colour theory; Creating Reflections and shadows with stencil buffers and Z-Buffers; Light maps and changing texture coordinates, shadow maps, projected shadow maps; Methods for scaling lighting and shadows, lighting calculations; Equation on a per pixel basis, pixel path and voxel animation; Procedural Texture Methods and Theory and Real-Time; Procedural Texture Implementation; Parametric Surfaces, Deforming surfaces, Curved surfaces and tri-linear flip-flopping Using NURBS (non-uniform rational B-splines) and other parametric surfaces for representing 3D Geometry; Matrix Manipulations; Methods for scaling geometry using parametric curves and surfaces in relation to polygonal models; Progressive meshes and subdivision surfaces; Mesh Shaders, Upscaling and Downsampling, Vertical Sync and Screen Tearing, Adaptive Vertical Synchronization, G-sync and FreeSync, Anti-Aliasing, Bilinear and Trilinear Filtering, Anisotrpic Filtering, Ambient Occlusion, High Dynamic Range Rendering, Depth of Field, Motion Blur and Bloom.

On-line Gaming and and online-gaming security

As online gaming becomes more and more popular security issues now come into the forefront of secure game play using public key cryptography, symmetric key cryptography, digital signatures, authentication and available cryptographic tool-kits. If you are designing or working on these issues you can,

Voice Interaction

Using Intelligent Speech Synthesis Algorithms, Speech Processing, Voice Interaction, Speech Synthesizer; Interaction with AI-NPC's, Voice-Over Net Technology (one to one, and one to many).

Cognitive Psychology

applied to games, based on player to game interactions and biometric data analysis.

Affective Computing and Emotional Gaming

Affective gaming, affective user modeling, player emotion recognition, Developing believable NPC, methods to improve emotional gameplay etc (see Milo soft f.ex.), Games for health, Games for well-being, Persuasive games, Music in games (and affective audio in games)

Artistic Input

Artistic input to game and character design.

Storytelling

Storytelling and Natural Language Processing, Interactive narrative generation, memorialization.

Game Analysis

Techniques, case studies, research etc etc...

Serious games and Gamification in different sectors

Serious games and gamification in different sectors; Organizational issues when implementing games; Designing games for learning; Technologies, tools and platforms for developing games for learning; Games to teach arts, science, or business; Social and collaborative aspects of game-based learning; Multi-modal aspects of game-based learning (e.g. audio, augmented reality, virtual reality, etc); Motivational aspects of game-based learning

Applications

    Wargaming methodology and techniques applied to strategic game design using Campaign managers, character generators, terrain generators. Multiplayer wargaming and Web Wargaming
    Serious Games applications
    Aerospace Simulations, Board Games etc...
    Games for training
    Games Console Design
    Gaming with Robots

Handheld Gaming Devices - Mobile Gaming and VR Gaming

Gaming with WII, Microsoft Kinect and other handheld devices such as phones, I-Pads, Datapads, Virtual Sat-Nav Gaming and App creation. Gaming using Oculus Rift, the Omni Move etc...

Perceptual User Interfaces for Games

Humans communicate using speech, gesture, and body motion, yet today's computers do not use this valuable information. Instead, computers force users to sit at a typewriter keyboard, stare at a TV-like display, and learn an endless set of arcane commands -- often leading to frustration, inefficiencies, and disuse.

The idea behind PUI is that a computer system "hears" users' voice commands and "sees" their gestures and body positions. Interactions are natural, more like human-to-human interactions. PUI use here machine perception to allow users to interact with computergames and within computer gaming environments. By reading gestures, motions and speech we should be able to in a much more natural way interact with the games.

But sensor systems deliver only raw position and pose information. For interface use, these are not the desired quantities we need to understand the abstractions appropriate for a natural interface and consider how the various perceptual input degrees of freedom should relate to available commands and options.