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From the introduction: "Three dimensional graphics hardware is fast becoming, not merely a staple of computer systems, but an indispensable component. Many operating systems directly use and even require some degree of 3D rendering hardware. Even in the increasingly relevant mobile computing space, 3D graphics hardware is a standard feature of all but the lowest power devices. Understanding how to make the most of that hardware is a difficult challenge, particularly for someone new to graphics and rendering."

"In this episode of the Ars Technicast, we talk about where we think the industry is headed and which new players might have real impact. Senior Apple Editor Jacqui Cheng, Social Editor Cesar Torres, and Senior Reviews Editor Lee Hutchinson join Kyle in a discussion about hardware, software, and indie development issues."

Abstract: "Collision avoidance and multi-agent navigation is an important component of modern video games. Recent developments in commodity hardware, in particular the utilization of multi-core and many-core architectures in personal computers and consoles are allowing large numbers of virtual agents to be incorporated into game levels in increasing numbers. We present the hybrid reciprocal velocity obstacle and optimal reciprocal collision avoidance methods for reciprocal collision avoidance and navigation in video games and described their implementations in C++ as HRVO Library and RVO2 Library. The libraries can efficiently simulate groups of twenty-five to one thousand virtual agents in dense conditions and around moving and static obstacles."

Abstract: "Cloud gaming now makes any computer game playable on a thin client without the previous worries and frustrations about the hardware requirements. It frees players from the need to frequently upgrade their computers as they can now play games that are hosted on remote servers with a broadband Internet connection and a thin client. However, cloud games are intrinsically more susceptible to latency than online games because game graphics are rendered on cloud servers and thin clients do not possess game state information that is required by delay compensation techniques. In this paper, we investigate how the response latency in cloud gaming would affect users' experience and how the impact of latency on players' experience varies among different games. We show that not all games are equally friendly to cloud gaming. That is, the same degree of latency may have very different impacts on a game's quality of experience depending on the game's real-time strictness. We thus develop a model that can predict a game's real-time strictness based on the rate of players' inputs and the game screen dynamics. The model can be used to simultaneously enhance players' gaming and optimize the operation cost of data centers."

""The sixteen essays in this collection offer critical examinations of the issue of control in video games, including different ways to theorize and define control within video gaming and how control impacts game design and game play. Close readings of specific games consider how each locates elements of control in their structures"--Provided by publisher. Excerpted in Google Books. Published 2012.

Abstract: "Herein is proposed the creation of an Application Program- ming Interface (API) for the Unity 3 and 4 video game de- velopment engine that not only reads behavioral measures from traditional video game input devices (such as if there has been an increase in mouse movements and clicks) but also takes into account physiological measures from biomet- ric devices (such as an increase in respiratory rate). The API parses these inputs based on study results that correlated player performance and engagement with physio- logical signs across several dierent game genres. Through the use of several rudimentary machine learning algorithms, raw physiological data is transformed into data relevant to a developer, including player engagement. The results of these calculations allow a game designer to have powerful tools for detecting when players experience certain emotions, and al- low for the design of aective games. Furthermore, the API also exposes the raw data to de- velopers wishing to propose and utilize their own learning algorithms, to allow for a rich development environment for developers of all skill levels. These development tools will enrich the game experience for the player, as well as prepare designers for the use of the next wave of non-traditional in- put hardware. This report serves to illustrate the current status of the API. A brief overview of the signicance of galvonic skin re- sponse (GSR), heart rate (HR), and respiratory rate (RR) in detecting player performance and engagement will be fol- lowed by a discussion of the API itself and the design choices therein."

Abstract: "With the increasing potential for gaming hardware and peripherals to support biometrics, their application within the games industry for software and design should be considered. This pa per assesses the ability to use a form of biometric measurement, heart rate, in real - time to improve the challenge and enjoyment of a game by catering it to individuals of varying ability . While the findings of this study are valuable to game developers in terested in providing additional dimensions to gameplay and testing, they may also be useful for those researching medical or the rapeutic applications for games . The results suggest that although the tested game was inherently challenging and enjoyable, t he adaptive affective gameplay was not altering the game enough to induce strong physiological or emotional responses from participants. Biofeedback games lend themselves to medical applications, but adaptive affective games can be used to respond sympathe tically to the player without requiring direct control of physiological responses as a form of input."

from the introduction: "Collision avoidance and navigation among virtual agents is an important component of modern video games. Recent de- velopments in commodity hardware, in particular the utiliza- tion of multi-core and many-core architectures in personal computers and consoles are allowing large numbers of vir- tual agents to be incorporated into game levels in increasing numbers and with increasing fidelity. As a result, there is a need for efficient techniques to automatically generate real- istic behaviors for such groups of virtual agents"

From the abstract: "Model Driven Engineering (MDE) goes some way to provide the techniques required to generate a wide variety of interoperable serious games software solutions whilst encapsulating and shielding the technicality of the full software development process. In this paper, we present our Game Technology Model (GTM) which models serious game software in a manner independent of any hardware or operating platform specifications for use in our Model Driven Serious Game Development Framework."

From the introduction: "With the sudden and massive influx of mobile technologies, the need for efficient agile techniques in the video game de- velopment industry has amplified further. With relatively short lifecycles and unique input, size, and performance constraints, as well as dealing with a wide range of device hardware, the industrys development process as a whole has had to adapt in order to survive. We present a subset of these adopted methods and technologies as they pertain to agile development in the video game industry."

"In November, Nintendo will release Wii U, the first update to the groundbreaking motion-controlled gaming console that took the industry by storm in 2006. Pundits and developers presume Sony and Microsoft will quickly follow suit with their own updated game consoles - also the first in years - though neither have confirmed it."

"The U.S. government has hired a California-based company to hack into video game consoles, such as Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, to watch criminals, especially child predators, and learn how to collect evidence against them."

DICE Summit talk from Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney on exponentially increasing computing power and its impact on games

14 of 25 titles launched on Sony's new Vita console are reviewed here

"Abstract. While building a game engine in Microsoft XNA 4 that pow- ered a RTS (real-time strategy) tower defense type game, we were faced with the issue of increasing the amount of visual feedback received by the player and adding value to the gameplay by creating a more immersive atmosphere. This is a common goal shared by all games, and with the recent advancements in graphics hardware (namely OpenGL, DirectX and the advent of programmable shaders) it has become a necessity. In this pa- per we will build upon the shadowing techniques known as VSM (variance shadow map) and LVSM (layered variance shadow map) and discuss some of the issues and optimizations we employed in order to add real-time soft shadowing capabilities to our game engine."

A patent application describing "display devices visible to a limited number of players," that could even be "worn on the forearm," for strategic games

Exposing young children to retro games and equipment and observing the results

Trying to build on the success of the Wii, Nintendo game designer Shgeru Miyamoto talks about new directions for his company's games, the next console, 3D and competition from smartphones and mobile games

First of a two part series on the console's tenth anniversary