On social networks and game theory, some research problems

Seminar given as part of social networking course, to give a brief overview of some applied examples game theory used in social network simulation

Interactive report writing from Edinburgh Napier University

Short general guide to report writing with drag and drop activities and sequenced (multiple choice) questions

Game Theory

The 2013 Version of the Game Theory Presentation, now with an extra game.

On lions, impala, and bigraphs: modelling interactions in Ubiquitous Computing

As ubiquitous systems have moved out of the lab and into the world the need to think more systematically about how there are realised has grown. This talk will present intradisciplinary work I have been engaged in with other computing colleagues on how we might develop more formal models and understanding of ubiquitous computing systems. The formal modelling of computing systems has proved valuable in areas as diverse as reliability, security and robustness. However, the emergence of ubiquitous computing raises new challenges for formal modelling due to their contextual nature and dependence on unreliable sensing systems. In this work we undertook an exploration of modelling an example ubiquitous system called the Savannah game using the approach of bigraphical rewriting systems. This required an unusual intra-disciplinary dialogue between formal computing and human- computer interaction researchers to model systematically four perspectives on Savannah: computational, physical, human and technical. Each perspective in turn drew upon a range of different modelling traditions. For example, the human perspective built upon previous work on proxemics, which uses physical distance as a means to understand interaction. In this talk I hope to show how our model explains observed inconsistencies in Savannah and ex- tend it to resolve these. I will then reflect on the need for intradisciplinary work of this form and the importance of the bigraph diagrammatic form to support this form of engagement. Speaker Biography Tom Rodden Tom Rodden (rodden.info) is a Professor of Interactive Computing at the University of Nottingham. His research brings together a range of human and technical disciplines, technologies and techniques to tackle the human, social, ethical and technical challenges involved in ubiquitous computing and the increasing used of personal data. He leads the Mixed Reality Laboratory (www.mrl.nott.ac.uk) an interdisciplinary research facility that is home of a team of over 40 researchers. He founded and currently co-directs the Horizon Digital Economy Research Institute (www.horizon.ac.uk), a university wide interdisciplinary research centre focusing on ethical use of our growing digital footprint. He has previously directed the EPSRC Equator IRC (www.equator.ac.uk) a national interdisciplinary research collaboration exploring the place of digital interaction in our everyday world. He is a fellow of the British Computer Society and the ACM and was elected to the ACM SIGCHI Academy in 2009 (http://www.sigchi.org/about/awards/).

Introduction to Game Design and Development

This is the introductory lecture to COMP3218. We introduce ourselves, cover the philosophy of the course, the structure and assessment process, and lead an initial game design exercise.

The Poetics of Game Narratives

In this final week we will look at the tensions between ludology and narratology in games design, in effect how the agency of games has been reconciled with the dramatic requirements (and lack of agency) in narrative. I will argue that there are two broad approaches, the mainstream method of concentrating in the Fabula, and a method pioneered by many indie games of fusing narrative and play. We will look in more detail at what this might mean in terms of thematic cohesion, diegetic choices, and mechanics and metaphor. Finally we look at Spec Ops: The Line, as a rare example of a AAA title that takes this fusion approach. Looking at how the game uses many of the techniques we have explored.