Artificial Game – 3rd International Conference of Video Game Studies

Conference 17.12.2024.
Time 10:00 - 18:00
Language English
Location Svilara cultural station, 6b Đorđa Rajkovića
Price Free

Artificial Game – 3rd International Conference of Video Game Studies

For the third time, researchers of video game studies from various countries are gathering in Novi Sad, this year to consider the problem posed by "artificial" games. The issue of artificial intelligence is important both theoretically and production-wise, and this time the academic community will speak side by side with representatives of the gaming industry.

The topic of this year’s SVI conference touches on the area that has defined video games since their historical roots. Alan Turing was among the first to wonder whether machines could master imitation rather than whether they were able to think, and his followers and other scientists developed these ideas further, by creating computer games such as tic-tac-toe, nim, checkers and chess. Today, artificial intelligence is the driving force behind many questions concerning some of the most diverse aspects of human life, from its role in production, education, medicine, art, ethics, law, communications, transportation, finance, all the way to the development of video games.

This situation has inspired countless new conferences and led to a renewed interest in the social sciences and humanities, which were invited to reflect on the fundamental issues of the acceleration of technological development. In our case, this situation has caused a double reflection and inspired questions about what artificial intelligence as a technology brings to video games (and vice versa), but also what video games themselves represent as artifacts that are simultaneously programmed technological creations and nevertheless more complex than the sum of their parts.

The topics of this year’s SVI conference are grouped into three areas: technology and production of 1. video games, 2. culture and 3. reality. The presentations are divided into sessions, of which the ones that take place on December 17 are live at Svilara cultural station, 6b Đorđa Rajkovića, and on December 18 the presentations are online, and part of the program is live. A link to online presentations will be available at conference website.

The whole program is available here.

The conference will be opened on December 17 at 10 a.m., after which the program will begin, and we highlight the most important items:

December 17

  • 10.10 keynote presentation: one of the most important scholars of video game studies in the world, Espen Aarseth, will give a presentation Brave New Games: A Brief History of Game Technologies, From the Colosseum to AI.
  • 10.40 keynote presentation: the president of the Game Only cluster from Lyon, Julien Millet, will speak on the topic of Creating Games in 2030.
  • 13.20 panel: representatives of the academic community and the gaming industry will present their opinions on the panel Ethical Considerations and Player Experience – AI in Video Games.

December 18

  • 11.00 book promotion: the participants will present a new book in the Serbian language that is coming soon as a new Clio edition – Video game studies and educational concepts – among the chapters of which there will be a text by Espen Aarsett.
  • 12.30 plenary presentation: the unofficial face of data analytics in the gaming industry in our country, Nikola Vasiljević will speak on the following topic: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning on Video Game Production.
  • 13.00 plenary presentation: in his presentation – Artificial Stupidity and Difficulty Control in Mobile Games – Marko Jevremović will show us that AI is not necessarily intelligent.
  • 15.45 exhibition of student games: students of the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad will present their five games.

SESSIONS

December 17 (live)

  • 11.40 Gaming Industry Challenges
  • 11.40 New Game Mechanics
  • 15.50 Game Creation
  • 15.50 New Meanings

December 18 (online)

  • 10.00 Cultural and Technological Dynamics in Gaming.
  • 14.30 Game design and narrative in the age of AI.

See you at the conference!

Espen Aarseth,
Dean and Chair Professor of Game Studies, School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong
About the lecturer

 

Julien Millet,
President of the Game Only cluster, Lyon, France
About the lecturer

Julien Millet is an AI engineer with 25 years of experience, known for founding multiple studios and leading award-winning projects. He currently serves as president of the Game Only cluster and co-founder of United Bits Games. Julien is spearheading a comprehensive study on the transformative impact of AI technologies within the gaming industry, focusing on innovation and future developments. His extensive expertise in both technology and creative leadership has contributed to shaping the next generation of interactive experiences.

Nikola Vasiljević,
Head of Insights, Mad Head Games
About the lecturer

Nikola Vasiljević is Head of Insights at Mad Head Games and a passionate data advocate. With 13 years in research and analytics, he has worked as an analyst/consultant at GfK and held insights and innovation management roles at Henkel and Molson Coors. At Mad Head Games, he cultivates a data-driven culture, leveraging data to build a great games portfolio and support designers in creating better games. His expertise spans quantitative and qualitative research, big data analytics, machine learning and data visualization. His mission is to promote data-driven culture and spearhead data transformation in modern businesses.

Marko Jevremović,
Co-founder, Asemic Analytics
About the lecturer

Marko Jevremović is a seasoned Data Scientist in the mobile games industry and a co-founder of Asemic Analytics. He is focused on developing advanced data warehouse-native product analytics platforms. His dedication to product development, both as a Product Data Scientist and creator of data tools, fuels this innovative venture aimed at equipping developers with essential tools. Marko previously led the Analytics and AI team at Two Desperados and spent nine years at Nordeus, bringing extensive experience to emerging AI trends.