Proposal: The Formation of a Game Technologies Task Force

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ProposalThe Formation of a Game Technologies
Task Force

• For the IEEE Computer Society
• Technical Activities Board (TAB) O1 November
  2006

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Video/Computer Games

• Entertainment
• Communication
• Advertising
• Medicine
• Education/Training

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Video/Computer Games

• Video games are a new and distinct medium.
• Technology includes many topics in computer
  engineering/Computer Science.
• As a business, worth 10s of billions each year,
  many thousands of developers.

This is a significant sector of the economy and
of the base of technical workers.
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Why a Task Force? (1)
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Why a Task Force? (2)
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Why a Task Force? (3)
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Why a Task Force? (4)
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Why a Task Force? (5)
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Why a Task Force? (5)
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What Does Game Engineering Add?

• - Specific focus on real-time rendering.
• Audio display, storage, synthesis.
• Special interest and skill in portable computer
  systems.
• Its a Multidisciplinary application area and
  research/development focus that is currently
  pushing the design of desktop PCs, portables,
  cell phones, PDAs, processors, AI and graphics
  methods.

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but mainly
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Serious Games
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Serious Games
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Serious Games
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Is It Really All This?

• PC/Desktop computer games
• No two PCs are the same! Games play the same
  on multiple computers, even when in
  communication. Speed is constant, quality ditto.
• Consoles Playstation, Xbox, Wii
• Focus on high speed, high-resolution
  rendering, new interface technology. Dedicated
  computer system. Near instant boot.
• Massively Multiplayer hundreds of thousands of
  players simultaneously.
• The technical problems are huge and
  obvious here. We have significant experience with
  creating and maintaining large online
  communities.
• Portables
• 200 million Game Boy devices cell phones, PDAs.

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Activities
CONFERENCES - Initially, we will sponsor Game
Engineering sessions within existing IEEE
Computer Society conferences, focused on
relevant aspects of graphics, audio, video,
artificial intelligence, networking,
human-computer interaction, education and those
other fields already supported within the IEEE
CS community. This will help establish linkages
within the IEEE CS and will help to connect the
new game TF members to established IEEE CS groups.
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Activities
CONFERENCES We will sponsor Game Engineering
technical conferences in both traditional and
virtual on-line conference formats. We propose
to begin by assisting and enhancing a few
existing Conferences (E.G. Futureplay)
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Activities
PUBLICATIONS We propose explicit sections in
existing journals to group Game related
articles. Publication of an online journal with
an optional hardcopy format. Publication of a
reference tool consisting of a table of contents
of IEEE CS articles related to Game Engineering.
Books related to game technology and design.
(Sawyer, Parker, and others already have books
in this area)
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Other
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People - Coordinating

• We would like to help with the Coordinating
  Committee
• TCCC Computer Communications
• TCLT Learning Technology
• TCMC Multimedia Computing      
• TCVG Visualization and Graphics
• IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Games
  Technical Committee
• Here today
• TFHIS Human Centered Info. Systems Nahum
  Gershon, TFHIS n.gershon_at_computer.org
• Also Suggested
• TCCA Computer Architecture
• TCCGM Computer Generated Music
• TCDP Distributed Processing
• TCSIM Simulation Systems
• TCWEAR Wearable Information Systems

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People Executive (initial)

• Executive Committee Acting Chair
• Dr. J.R. Parker, University
  of Calgary, Canada
• Executive Committee Members
• Mr. Ben Sawyer, Co-founder of Serious Game
  Movement, Digital Mill
• Dr. Ian Bogost, School of Literature,
  Communication, Culture, Gerogia Tech
• Dr. Nahum Gershon, The MITRE Corp. IEEE
  TAB
• Ms. J.C. Herz, Joystick Nation Inc.
• Mr. Lawrence Holland, Founder, President and
  Creative Director, Totally Games
• Dr. Michael Macedonia, Director, Disruptive
  Technology Office, Entertainment Computing Column
  Editor, IEEE CS Computer Magazine

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People Executive (initial)

• Executive Committee Members (continued)
• Dr. Andrew Phelps, RIT
• Dr. Michael Van-lent, Institute for Creative
  Technologies
• Mr. Doug Whatley, CEO, BreakAway
• Mr. Bill Fisher, CEO, Quicksilver
• Mr. Don Black, Founder, Digital
  ChoreoGraphics
• Mr. Gene Alexander, Founder and CEO, MaMoCa,
  Inc.

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Budget

• We expect that Game Industry sponsors will defray
  costs.
• - Advertising and web site development.
• - Meetings and videoconferences for executive,
  advisory, and coordinating committees.
• - Need to begin fund raising for game engineering
  conference and symposia.
• - Encouraging local chapter activities.

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Next Steps

• 1. Get approval of official executive committee.
• 2. Have a meeting of the official executive
  elect a permanent chair.
• 3. Form subcommittees, start on agenda
• Fundraising - local SIGs
• Web site - activities

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Questions/Comments
Jim Parker Don Black Nahum Gershon