ECE 4526 - Video Game Design and Engineering (3C)

Advanced concepts in the development and engineering of modern 2-D and 3-D real-time interactive computer video games. Topics include non-player character (NPC)behavior learning, search and planning, player modeling, procedural content generation, AI-assisted game design.

The pervasive nature of video games in our culture has made the industry grow at nearly 10% annually, reaching a multi-billion dollar industry. The concepts of video game design go beyond games into related areas of computer animation, simulation, and interactive learning environments. Video game design and engineering requires the understanding of game architecture, game mechanics and interaction, software development, computer graphics, strategy, machine learning and artificial intelligence. The presentation of his broad knowledge base on video game design required the time available in a two-course sequence. This second course in the sequence builds on the material by developing behavioral models for non-player characters and automatic game content generation via machine learning techniques.