Workshop: Research Directions and Challenges in Computer Games and Virtual World Environments

University Of California-Irvine, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

The Center for Computer Games and Virtual Worlds at the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences will host an interdisciplinary workshop on advancing the agenda for research and education in computer games and immersive environments. Speakers from academia will be drawn from the computer science, film and media arts, social sciences, education and humanities; industry presenters will be drawn from the digital games and virtual world industries that span entertainment, enterprise applications, and training. The over-arching aim will be to craft research agendas and future directions for research and educational programs for computer games and immersive environments. Structured as a research summit, this event will engage both speakers and attendees in an interdisciplinary dialog on the creative, social, technical, and businesses challenges posed by the "beyond-the-next generation" of immersive computer games. The focal topics to be addressed in the workshop include: (a) Multi-core technologies for computer games and virtual worlds; (b) Massively multiplayer online games and virtual worlds as objects of empirical study; (c) Computer games and virtual worlds as complex systems with high socio-economic consequence; (d) Computer games and virtual worlds as new tools for supporting scientific research in other fields; and (e) Computer games and virtual worlds for future education and learning needs. Computer games are already a major industry of great economic significance, but the scientific and educational potential of the technology has not yet been realized fully. The goal of the workshop is to bring together current researchers and scholars interested in these problem areas, and to elicit, capture, and document what this community finds are the critical research needs and grand challenges that help articulate a national research agenda going forward over the next 3-10 years.