1. 1 The UCI Game Culture and Technology Laboratory: Towards a Center of Excellence in Games and Visualization Robert Nideffer and Walt Scacchi {nideffer, wscacchi}@uci.edu UCGameLab.Net June 2006

2. 2 Overview Our goals Game Lab people and partners Current research projects Recent/upcoming events Educational initiatives Vision and research opportunities

3. 3 Goals Establish Calit2, Game Lab, and partner network as world-leading center in networked games and visualization Lead the investigation, prototyping, and deployment of the Web 3.0 Partner with industry-leading firms, government agencies, and others that want to go there with us.

4. 4 UCGameLab.net

5. 5 UCI Game Lab People (Faculty) Studio Art: Robert Nideffer (Director), Antoinette LaFargeStudio Art: Robert Nideffer (Director), Antoinette LaFarge Computer Science: Paul Dourish, Magda El Zarki, Dan Frost, Bonnie Nardi, Andre van der HoekComputer Science: Paul Dourish, Magda El Zarki, Dan Frost, Bonnie Nardi, Andre van der Hoek Engineering: Tara Hutchinson, Falko Kuester, Joerg MeyerEngineering: Tara Hutchinson, Falko Kuester, Joerg Meyer Arts, Computation, Engineering: Beatriz de Costa, Simon Penny, Bill TomlinsonArts, Computation, Engineering: Beatriz de Costa, Simon Penny, Bill Tomlinson Institute Software Research: Celia Pearce, Walt Scacchi (Research Director),Institute Software Research: Celia Pearce, Walt Scacchi (Research Director), Others: Tom Boellstorf (Anthropology), Christopher Dobrian (Music), Peter Krappe (Humanities/Film Studies), Charlie Zender (Earth Systems Science)Others: Tom Boellstorf (Anthropology), Christopher Dobrian (Music), Peter Krappe (Humanities/Film Studies), Charlie Zender (Earth Systems Science)

6. 6 Game Lab People (partial) Sky Frostenson: Art, Computation & Engineering (ACE) Adrian Herbez: Art, Computation & Engineering (ACE) Eric Kabisch: Art, Computation & Engineering (ACE) Eric Cho: Art, Computation & Engineering (ACE) Derric Eady: Studio ArtSky Frostenson Adrian Herbez Eric Kabisch Eric Cho Derric Eady Nick UrreaNick Urrea: Information and Computer Science Kenny Lai: Information and Computer Science Mirko Kiric: Information and Computer Science Alex Szeto: Information and Computer Science Dan Repasky: Studio Art Andrew Khoury: Information and Computer Science Young Kang: Information and Computer Science James Jennings: Information and Computer Science Kenny Lai Mirko Kiric Alex Szeto Dan Repasky Andrew Khoury Young Kang James Jennings Calvin Lee: Information and Computer ScienceCalvin Lee Annie Jiu: Information and Computer ScienceAnnie Jiu UC San Diego Supercomputer Center Steve Cutchin: Visualization Services Manager Natalie Rubin: Game Grid Website Developer Tak (Sunny) Chu: Game Grid Lead Programmer Steve Cutchin Natalie Rubin Tak (Sunny) Chu

7. 7 Game Lab Faculty Collaborators David Theo Goldberg (UCHRI) Anne Balsamo (USC)Anne Balsamo Jean-François Blanchette (UC Los Angeles)Jean-François Blanchette Adriene Jenik (UC San Diego)Adriene Jenik Henry Lowood (Stanford)Henry Lowood Greg Niemeyer (UC Berkeley)Greg Niemeyer Jackie Stevens (UC Santa Barbara)Jackie Stevens Noah Wardrip-Fruin (UC San Diego)Noah Wardrip-Fruin Sheldon Brown (UC San Diego) Kane Kim (Hosoe University)

8. 8 Game Lab Partners and Sponsors California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology: Calit2 at UCI-UCSDCalifornia Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology: Calit2 at UCI-UCSD San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at UCSDSan Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at UCSD UCI Center for Graphics, Visualization and Imaging TechnologyUCI Center for Graphics, Visualization and Imaging Technology UCI Creative Interactive Visualization LaboratoryUCI Creative Interactive Visualization Laboratory UCI Institute for Software ResearchUCI Institute for Software Research UCI Arts, Computation, and Engineering (ACE) ProgramUCI Arts, Computation, and Engineering (ACE) Program UCSD Experimental Game LabUCSD Experimental Game Lab Calit2 ACTION LaboratoryCalit2 ACTION Laboratory Center for Digital Industry Promotion, Daegu, Korea (2006-09)Center for Digital Industry Promotion, Daegu, Korea (2006-09) Discovery Science Center, Santa Ana, CA (2004-06)Discovery Science Center, Santa Ana, CA (2004-06) National Science Foundation (2000-2008)National Science Foundation (2000-2008) UC Humanities Research Institute (2006)UC Humanities Research Institute (2006) Sun Microsystems (2004-05)Sun Microsystems (2004-05) and othersand others

9. 9 Current research projects Unexceptional.net, a heterogeneous game network (Robert Nideffer) Open Source Software Development for Networked Games (Walt Scacchi, ISR team) Science Learning Games (Nideffer and Scacchi, Discovery Science Center team) Collaboration infrastructure for game culture research (Nideffer and Scacchi) Advanced Networked Games (Scacchi and Nideffer, DIP Game Lab team, Daegu, Korea)

10. 10 Heterogeneous gaming in Unexceptional.net

11. 11 Game Modding via Open Source Software Development

12. 12 Game Modding via Open Source Software Development sequence Test { action Execute automatic test scripts { requires { Test scripts, release binaries } provides { Test results } tool { Automated test suite (xtest, others) } agent { Sun ONE Studio QA team } script { /* Executed off-site */ } } action Execute manual test scripts { requires { Release binaries } provides { Test results } tool { NetBeans IDE } agent { users, developers, Sun ONE Studio QA team, Sun ONE Studio developers } script { /* Executed off-site */ } } iteration Update Issuezilla { action Report issues to Issuezilla { requires { Test results } provides { Issuezilla entry } tool { Web browser } agent { users, developers, Sun ONE Studio QA team, Sun ONE Studio developers } script { Navigate to Issuezilla Query Issuezilla Enter issue } }

13. 13 Science Learning Games Physical interaction quest environment: DinoQuest –Life-size dinosaurs (e.g.,120’ Argentinosaurs) –Gesture-based, embedded electronic media activation (via user IR wand) Online science games: DinoQuest Online –Addressing CA science education standards for K-6 –Content and API-level interoperation with DinoQuest –DSC Goal: migrate to MMOSLG DSC planning new SLG exhibits through 2010 –>$35M investment –DSC developing network of three more DSCs (Korea, Turkey, Irvine)

14. 14 Collaboration Infrastructure

15. 15 Current research projects EcoRaft and Virtual Raft (Bill Tomlinson) HIPerWall (Falko Kuester) Earth and Planetary Systems Science Game Engine (Kuester, Brown-Simmons, and Zender) Immersive Classroom (Falko Kuester and Tara Hutchinson) Fantastic Voyage, a cardio-vascular navigation game (Joerg Meyer) GLYPH, a game authoring environment (Celia Pearce) Mobile Games in Java (Frost and Pearce) Ethnographic studies of MMOGs (Pearce, Boellstorff, and Nardi)

16. 16 Game Lab Events Shift+Ctrl (2001) exhibition devoted to games and game art Game Grid Workshop (2003) ArtModJam (2004) at Game Dev Conf. ALT+CTRL (2004) juried game art festival MASSIVE: Research Summit of Future of Networked Multiplayer Games (2006) Corporate Opportunities for Multiplayer Game Technology (2006)

17. 17 MASSIVE Research Summit

18. 18 Educational initiatives UCI Arts, Computation, and Engineering (ACE) program offering graduate-level courses and degree program addressing game culture and technology UCI Game Lab faculty currently offering nearly 20 graduate and undergraduate courses in computer game culture and technology UCI now offers undergraduate degree in CS/Studio Art with a concentration in Game Culture and Technology

19. 19 Vision Developing the Web 3.0 – the Game Web –Future Web sites as game world servers –Users/visitors “put/create/update” content in world/site Multiple Game Web/Visualization research rooms –HIPerWall –Interactive Classroom –Software/Enterprise Systems Observatory –Multi-sensor observational systems –Collaboration warrooms

20. 20 Game Web/Visualization Rooms

21. 21 Game Web Research Opportunities Massive Game Grid network –Linking game labs, science centers, libraries, etc. –Creating social, humanistic, artistic, economic, and technologic cyberinfrastructure (i.e.,national R&D testbed) Game Web application areas –enterprise systems (e.g., supply chain management) –distributed systems/software engineering work –massively multiplayer art/performance spaces –multi-site knowledge management –education & training –stadium-area network games –etc.

22. 22 Stadium Area Games

23. 23 Closing remarks We want to create a Center of Excellence in Games and Visualization. –Sample research problems of interest Citing and Indexing game play experiences OSS Summer of Game Code Immersive 3D workspaces (cf. Miramar at Intel) We welcome your questions and comments. –Please contact us if you have any questions.