New Technologies of Games

Video game design and production is a fast paced, hit-driven, technology-based field. Hardware used in game consoles and personal computers continues to improve, getting faster and cheaper at a dizzying pace. Video game developers start each new project with increased computational resources, and a long list of cool features they would like to incorporate. Since they normally work on very tight production schedules, they have little or no time to experiment with untested technology. Results from recent research help to bridge that gap.

Researchers, working largely in academia and occasionally in industry, are motivated by exploring new technology.  To be published, research must be novel: either a completely new idea or a significant improvement on an old idea.  Commercial game development can provide a rich stream of "...it would be nice if..." ideas which can inspire new research projects.  This focus on novelty in the research world contrasts with the commercial world.  There, while novelty is good, what really matters is an enjoyable, engaging experience.  A sequel can be a hit while a strikingly original game may not.

These two communities have conflicting goals and very different cultures.  Yet a mutually beneficial symbiotic relation can exist between them.  With luck this page may lead to cross-fertilization and perhaps some beneficial collaborations.

Nisha and Gulnar