MEDIA ADVISORY


THE PROFESSOR’S BACK! CHECK THE MAD DOCTOR’S SECOND FALL MIT COURSE “AI IN VIDEO GAMES AND SERIOUS GAMES”

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Welcomes Back Dr. Davis

WHO:

Dr. Ian Lane Davis , CEO and Founder, Mad Doc Software, LLC

WHAT:

Fall MIT Course “AI in Video Games and Serious Games”

 

Course Description

Artificial Intelligence is the next great frontier in video game and serious game development. As the graphics in games progress inevitably towards photo-realism and beyond, more and more effort is going into developing the interactions between the player and AI characters. This course is designed to teach technically-oriented students the fundamental and experimental techniques of game AI and to show students how to exploit these techniques to create great game experiences and more compelling serious simulations.

 All students will participate in the review of the AI in existing games and simulations, including some of the most popular games and some of the more ground-breaking games. Detailed analyses will be required. We will study and define the role of AI in the current genres of games. Then we will discuss the unexploited genres of games that great AI can make possible in the future.

We will then study and learn the most important AI techniques for game development. We will examine the algorithms and implement systems for small projects. The class will then begin to design final projects that focus on using AI to improve games. Over the course of the semester, we will cover everything from the basic techniques of game AI to the more esoteric and forward-looking techniques, including:

  • Path Finding
  • Scripting for levels and characters
  • Decision making
  • Strategy Game AI
  • Learning Techniques
  • Speech Recognition
  • Natural Language Processing

Students will leave this course with an understanding of what AI goes into Computer and Video Games right now, but, more importantly, will have a view into what Interactive Entertainment can mean in the future. The Media Lab course schedule is here: http://www.media.mit.edu/mas/schedule.html
WHERE:

MIT Campus, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA

WHEN:

The class is MAS 963. (H) Davis/Roy, Special Topics in Media Technology: Al in Video Games and Serious Games, R 7-10pm in E15-235, Fall 2006

BIO:
Dr. Davis, former Technical Director at Activision Studios, is widely acknowledged as one of the top artificial intelligence experts in the video game industry. Davis is a trusted advisor to some of the most important publishers in the industry and is active in the gaming community, serving as a Peer Panel Leader for the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Peer Panel for Gameplay Engineering. Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Game Development, he is a highly sought speaker who presents in academic and game-focused venues, and has been interviewed for online, print and television media.
CONTACT:
Sandy O’Toole, Mad Doc PR, [email protected]