Research Program at the     UCI Game Lab
Walt Scacchi
UCI Game Lab
and
Institute for Software Research
UCIrvine
Wscacchi@uci.edu
http://www.ics.uci.edu/~wscacchi/Presentations/GameLab

Overview
Research Problems
Approach
Related efforts
Conclusions

Game World Stats

Motivation
The Game Grid
a networked, clustered computing environment   for researching, developing, playing and              experiencing next generation (and beyond)         computer games and game worlds
Not just Web services framework and computing grid fabric
But a testbed, archive, and venue for new ways  of developing, deploying, and performing  game- based synthetic or mixed reality environments   across a variety of (heterogeneous) platforms
See http://www.calit2.net/meta-game/

(One) Research problem
What is the best way to rapidly create         networked game worlds and play experience?
“best” =>
faster, better, cheaper
open source (e.g., BSD style license)
(global) community-based development, contribution and support
Fun, enjoyable, intrinsically motivating, disruptive, etc.
modification, construction, or generation?

Proposed solutions
Modification
Hack existing game content, levels, engine
Repurpose content/data from other sources
Generation
Parameter value instantiation
Macro expansion
Language-directed (game) application generation
Meta-environments tailored for (game) domain
Construction
Scripting (UnrealScript vs. c-shell/Perl/Php/…)
Custom programming using SDK and other tools

Proposed solutions: evaluation
Modification and construction
Current/legacy (low-level) approach
Limited scalability
Rehosting, heterogeneity, interoperability are usually difficult and costly
Can be open source and community-based
Motivating for emerging game developers

Proposed solutions: evaluation
Generation
Alternative (high-level) approach
Architectural scalability by design
Platform parameterization
Can be open source and community-based
Faster, better, cheaper vs. current?      Fun? Intrinsically motivating?

Proposed solutions: evaluation
Generation
Modification
Construction

Approach
Investigate the development and use  of meta-environments for new game          domains
Support generation, modification, and      construction techniques and tools
Target (non-traditional) game domains       relevant to artists, scientists, humanists, software developers, gamers, etc.

Related R&D efforts
visual and performing arts
 e.g., machinima
science and technology education
 informal education in science museums
humanities and social sciences
 graphic narratives for storytelling
alternative game cultures and venues
 hot rod game machines and GameCon’s

Work in progress
(NSF) Open source software              development practices, processes, and communities
(NSF) Open source software quality
(NSF) Automating process discovery, modeling and recovery
(TBD) Visualizing work practices

More Game Lab R&D projects
The Game Preserve
 Ladera Ranch Digital Art Park
 FutureSpace! Aerospace Adventure World
 Game Ethnography Bots
 ArtCade Machines
 ISEA2004 (e.g., FLAN-I-Jam)

Game Lab research partners (sample)
Cal(IT)2 at UCSD and UCI
Schools of Fine Arts, Engineering, Computer Science, Humanties, GSM, etc.
Institute for Software Research
Center for Pervasive Communications and  Computing
Visualization & Interactive Systems Group
Discovery Science Center (Santa Ana, CA)

Game Grid Environment Collaborators
Walt Scacchi, ISR and GSM
Magda El Zarki, ICS
Dan Frost, ICS
Falko Keuster, EE and ICS
Antoinette LaFarge, Studio Art
Robert Nideffer, Studio Art and ICS
Celia Pearce, Cal(IT)2 NMA
Andre van der Hoek, ICS and ISR

Prior accomplishments
USC System Factory Project (81-91)
Large-scale software engineering
Involved 1-2% of all MS and PhD CS students in US (81-89)
USC ATRIUM Laboratory (93-98)
Modeled and reengineered system development and usage processes in telecomm, corporate      finance, military procurement, acquisition, film production, and interactive teleradiology
Developed process life cycle engineering
in addition to 25 sponsored projects

Conclusions
Jointly conducting R&D in computer game     culture and technology
Breaking down barriers between art, science, technology, culture through computer games, game environments, and experiences
Creating a new generation of informal            learning tools and techniques, together with a global community of developers and users.

References
W. Scacchi, Understanding the requirements for developing open source software systems, IEE Proceedings – Software, 149(1), 24-39, Feb 2002. (pdf)
W. Scacchi, Is open source software development faster,    better, and cheaper than software engineering?                   2nd Workshop on Open Source Software Engineering,            Orlando, FL, May 2002. (pdf)
A. Karrer and W. Scacchi, Meta-environments for software production, Advances in Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering , D. Hurley (ed.), Volume 4,  37-70, 1995. (pdf)

The End
Questions?
Contact me at Wscacchi@uci.edu or find details at http://www.ics.uci.edu/~wscacchi
Back up slides follow J

CERN Quantum Game

Cartoon Physics

MEMS mirror

MEMS-spider

Sims Intro

Sims Story(1)

Sims Story(2)

Hot rod PCs

QuakeCon

QuakeCon Room

PC Extreme