Outside Japan, games (in particular chess) have been the subject of research for a long time. Numerous technological advances of search algorithms, planning, machine learning, and collaborative problem solving were made with the aim of creating strong game-playing programs. Also in Japan, with its world-wide recognized games like Shogi and Go, research in game programming has gained a solid footing.
In particular, recent advances of search algorithms and machine learning in Shogi have brought the strongest Shogi programs close to the level of the best human players. Also, new methods like Monte Carlo-based approaches in Go have drastically improved the performance of computer programs. Many important technological advances have also been achieved in computational approaches to puzzles, table games, incomplete information games, etc.
The Game Programming Workshop has been held almost every year since 1994 and has attracted many participants from Japan and abroad, providing a
space in which researchers interested in game programming can discuss the latest developments. Since 1999 it has become an official research meeting
of the Game Informatics Research Group of the Information Processing Society of Japan, which has lead to further widening its scope and audience.
This year, we solicit original papers offering novel contributions on topics including (but not limited to):
- Game playing programs
- Algorithms for solving puzzles
- Programs for creating puzzles
- Cognitive science of game playing
- Learning game strategies
- Video games
- Games on the Internet
- Analysis of human behavior with game theory
- Multi-agent games (e.g. soccer)
- Analysis of game histories with computers
- Developing novel games with computers
- Computer architecture suitable for games
- Computer-aided game-skill development
Notes for participants from abroad:
- Typically, more than 90% of the presentations during the workshop
will be given in Japanese. We do accept and welcome English papers and
presentations, but some level of familiarity with Japanese will be required
to fully appreciate the full workshop program.
