Procedural content generation via Machine Learning (PCGML) is the umbrella term for approaches that generate content for games via machine learning. One of the benefits of PCGML is that, unlike search or grammar-based PCG, it does not require hand authoring of initial content or rules. Instead, PCGML relies on existing content and black box models, which can be difficult to tune or tweak without expert knowledge. This is especially problematic when a human designer needs to understand how to manipulate their data or models to achieve desired results. We present an approach to Explainable PCGML via Design Patterns in which the design patterns act as a vocabulary and mode of interaction between user and model. We demonstrate that our technique outperforms non-explainable versions of our system in interactions with five expert designers, four of whom lack any machine learning expertise.

We introduce the problem of generating Let's Play-style commentary of gameplay video via machine learning. We propose an analysis of Let's Play commentary and a framework for building such a system. To test this framework we build an initial, naive implementation, which we use to interrogate the assumptions of the framework. We demonstrate promising results towards future Let's Play commentary generation.

Automated game design has remained a key challenge within the field of Game AI. In this paper, we introduce a method for recombining existing games to create new games through a process called conceptual expansion. Prior automated game design approaches have relied on hand-authored or crowd-sourced knowledge, which limits the scope and applications of such systems. Our approach instead relies on machine learning to learn approximate representations of games. Our approach recombines knowledge from these learned representations to create new games via conceptual expansion. We evaluate this approach by demonstrating the ability for the system to recreate existing games. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first machine learning-based automated game design system.

The ability to extract the sequence of game events for a given player's play-through has traditionally required access to the game's engine or source code. This serves as a barrier to researchers, developers, and hobbyists who might otherwise benefit from these game logs. In this paper we present two approaches to derive game logs from game video via convolutional neural networks and transfer learning. We evaluate the approaches in a Super Mario Bros. clone, Mega Man and Skyrim. Our results demonstrate our approach outperforms random forest and other transfer baselines.

In this paper we describe a level design editor designed as an interface to allow different AI agents to creatively collaborate on level design problems with human designers. We intend to investigate the comparative impacts of different AI techniques on user experience in this context.

We present an unsupervised process to generate full video game levels from a model trained on gameplay video. The model represents probabilistic relationships between shapes properties, and relates the relationships to stylistic variance within a domain. We utilize the classic platformer game Super Mario Bros. to evaluate this process due to its highly-regarded level design. We evaluate the output in comparison to other data-driven level generation techniques via a user study and demonstrate its ability to produce novel output more stylistically similar to exemplar input.

The AIIDE Playable Experiences track celebrates innovations in how AI can be used in polished interactive experiences. Four 2016 accepted submissions display a diversity of approaches. Rogue Process combines techniques for medium-permanence procedurally generated hacking worlds. Elsinore applies temporal predicate logic to enable a time-traveling narrative with character simulation. A novel level generator uses conceptual blending to translate Mario Bros. design styles across levels. And Bad News uses deep simulation of a town and it's residents to ground a mixed-reality performance. Together these playable experiences showcase the opportunities for AI in interactive experiences.

In our work, a plot graph is a tuple G 〈E, P, M〉 where E is the set of plot events, P is a set of temporal ordering Interactive narrative is a form of storytelling in which users constraints between events, and M is a set of unordered affect a dramatic storyline through actions by assuming the mutual exclusion relations that indicate which events can role of characters in a virtual world.

Games With a Purpose can enable an intelligent agent to persistently and pervasively sense the real world by using game players as reconfigurable sensors. We propose a technique whereby an intelligent agent incentivizes players to collect data by translating data collection tasks into a series of quests played on a mobile device. In this paper, we define the concept of Proactive Sensing and provide a framework for Game-Based Proactive Sensing that can adapt games and narrative that optimizes for data collection and long-term player engagement.

Procedural game generation is the automatic creation of all aspects of a playable computer game. Procedural game generation systems require specialized knowledge, virtual worlds, and art assets. In this paper, we show how 3D graphical scenes for interactive fictions can be automatically generated with only knowledge that is readily available in existing knowledge bases or can be acquired via crowdsourcing. The key to 3D scene generation is commonly accepted spatial relationships between different types of objects in different types of scenes. We use a crowdsourcing game to automatically and rapidly acquire spatial relations. The spatial relations are used by an intelligent scene generation system that selects and configures 3D assets within a virtual geometric space.