The industry session is a session with topics provided by and focused on
the games industry and how it links to research in games.
The industry session will include:
Invited keynote talks from top figures in the field.
Industry talks from game companies and developers. Each industry talk
will be delivered on-demand through a pre-recorded 20-minute video,
maybe plus a pre-recorded 5-minute demo video dependent on speakers.
Speaker
Affiliation
Talk Title
Adam Streck
DZNE
Medical Device Regulation - certifying VR for use in healthcare
Ana Fernández del Río
UNED
Understanding player conversion and churn: from game dynamics to individual player predictions
Hwanhee Kim
NC
Technical Game Design Tools at NCSOFT
Mitsuhiro Odaka
Japanese Contemporary Artists Team
The gamification of SIR model-based simulation of COVID-19 epidemics
Radoslaw Gwarek
Self-taught developer (tied with 11 bit studios)
Scaling your AI
Shuo Diao and Lauryn Porte
Unity Technologies
“Overpowered, Cheap, and Unfair”: Game Balancing and AI-Driven Simulations
Keynotes
Remi Driancourt
Square Enix Japan
Ross Finman
Niantic Inc
Aya Matsuyama
Imacocollabo
Selma Rizvic(joint with Sylvain Grain, Stereopsia)
Professor, University of Sarajevo
Remi Driancourt
Square Enix Japan
Biography
Remi Driancourt is the General Manager of the Advanced Technology Division in Square-Enix, Tokyo. He joined Square-Enix in 2009 after a decade of experience in Cognitive Science, Robotics and Natural Language Processing. There, he rapidly fell in love with Animation and Computer Graphics. After two years working as a R&D engineer, Remi became the Graphics Lead on the “Agni’s Philosophy” tech demo showcased at E3 2012. Beginning 2014, Remi handed back his programmer’s hat and took the head of the Advanced Technology Division, whose main mission is to perform applied R&D and provide technical support to Square Enix projects.
Challenges of a Research, Development & Support division in the game industry
In recent years, the virtual space of digital games has gradually become “bigger”, “more dynamic”, and “more realistic”. As a result of this steady evolution, there is also a steady increase in the complexity of the technology necessary to create AAA game titles, as well as the cost of development. In order to tackle these issues, and keep an edge in an ever more competitive environment, it has become a necessity for top video game companies such as Square Enix to invest in Research and Development.
The Advanced Technology Division is a central, international and expert division of Square Enix Japan, mandated with conducting such R&D across all disciplines necessary for game production, as well as providing technical support laterally to all Square Enix projects.
In this talk, division General Manager Remi Driancourt will describe the ongoing transformation of the Advanced Technology Division and the human and technical challenges to be faced when conducting applied Research & Development & Support for games, with cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural teams in Japan.
Ross Finman
Niantic Inc
Biography
Ross Finman currently leads AR Strategy at Niantic. He was previously Co-founder and CEO of Escher Reality, acquired by Niantic in early 2018. He is a current Forbes 30 under 30 and previously spent a decade working in computer vision at MIT and CMU. He has worked at NASA and SpaceX, all after growing up on a llama farm.
The Intertwined Future of AR and Gaming
Augmented Reality is heralded to be the next computing medium, but is still in its infancy today. There are fundamental new problems from all sides, from optical physics to interactive UI which are of a different breed than PC or mobile before. In this talk we will discuss the current state of AR and gaming within it. We will go into the deep tech problems and opportunities when building experiences that interact with the real world. We will finally conclude with how these problems make gaming not just a stepping stone for AR, but the foundation of this next computing medium.
Aya Matsuyama
Imacocollabo
Biography
Aya Matsuyama (PhD)is a Darwin-based coordinator and certified facilitator of Imacocollabo Global Team. The team is reaching out to the world with the 2030 SDGs Game to transform our world and ourselves. She is an advocate of meaningful learning through experience; therefore, believes in the potential of the game to bring transformation to ourselves and the world.
She has gained a great variety of work and cross-cultural experiences, starting with working as an engineer designing inspection devices for nuclear power plants in Japan and U.S, an environmental scientist working with Aboriginal communities in Australia to develop groundwater maps, a lecturer/teacher/facilitator at all levels of education. She also works as a consultant providing her experience to support a few philosophy-driven social enterprises.
2030 SDGs Game and Your Gut ("hara")
The 2030 SDGs Game is a simulation game that offers something more than a good time. Its aim is not only to introduce the SDGs and inspire action, but also has the deeper intention to bring transformation to our world and ourselves.
The game was conceived and developed in Japan, and has now been experienced by over 150,000 people in over 25 countries worldwide. In corporate, governmental, community, and educational settings, participants simulate what could happen in our world going up to the year 2030.
Why has there been so much enthusiasm for this game experience from people in all sectors of society?
I will share my analysis and discoveries regarding the game, and unveil its secrets — which I hope you will not just understand, but fully get in your "hara"—(that's your gut).
Selma Rizvic (joint with Sylvain Grain, Stereopsia)
Professor, University of Sarajevo
Biography
dr Selma Rizvić is a Professor of Computer Graphics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Sarajevo. For 23 years she has been teaching there at Bachelor, Masters and PhD study programs. From 2005-2010 she has been engaged as well at the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, where she established computer graphics courses and Digital Media Center laboratory.
At the University of Sarajevo she founded in 2004 the Laboratory for Computer Graphics - Sarajevo Graphics Group. It is a research group that specialises in the use of 3D technologies for the presentation of cultural heritage. The SGG research group is multidisciplinary, it includes computer graphics experts and works with archaeologists, historians, visual artists, writers, film professionals, in order to design and implement virtual cultural heritage applications which have both educational value and are engaging, entertaining and attractive at the same time.
The unique expertise of SGG in interactive digital storytelling embedded in a number of virtual archaeology projects brought them invitations in major EU consortiums. From 2011-2015 they have been a partner in the FP7 NoE Virtual Museum Transnational Network V-MusT.net and presently they are involved in H2020 iMARECULTURE and EACEA Creative Europe Real Heroes project.
She is included as expert in future digital based research and innovation activities on ICT and Cultural Heritage in the framework of the next work programme of the European commission.
The XR4ALL project is an initiative funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme to strengthen the European XR technology industry and to accelerate its growth. One of the objectives is to create a pan-European (XR-tech) community and expand it world wide. Sylvain Grain will present the main goals and activities of the project.
Within XR4ALL there are 12 Special Interest Groups gathering experts around particular XR sub topics. Selma Rizvic is chairing the SIG9: XR for Digital Heritage Presentation. She is an expert in interactive digital storytelling and she will present the work of her research group and SIG 9 activities.
