Games are a simplified model of reality and often serve as a favored platform for Artificial Intelligence (AI) research. Much of the research is concerned with game-playing agents and their decision making processes. The game of Guandan (literally, "throwing eggs") is a challenging game where even professional human players struggle to make the right decision at times. In this paper we propose a framework named GuanZero for AI agents to master this game using Monte-Carlo methods and deep neural networks. The main contribution of this paper is about regulating agents' behavior through a carefully designed neural network encoding scheme. We then demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework by comparing it with state-of-the-art approaches.

If you remember Pimp My Ride, the long-running TV show in which rapper Xzibit modified people's cars with gigantic speakers, horrible decals and velvet seats, you may also recall that the programme spawned a particularly daft meme. "Yo dawg," the original joke went, "I heard you like cars, so I put a car in your car so you can drive while you drive". It was, of course, a reference to the show's habit of building each owner's interests into their remodelled car – however laboured the connection happened to be. The meme was absurd and recursive, but it's probably how mini-games – those little nuggets of alternative gameplay hidden within a larger experience – came about. "We heard you like games," the developers of the first ever example may have said, "so we put games in your games so you can play while you play."

Some are calling this Nintendo's last chance. The veteran console manufacturer, creator of smash-hit games machines since the original Nintendo Entertainment System in 1983, suffered an ignoble commercial failure with its Wii U console. Announced last year, but revealed in full on Friday, the new Nintendo Switch machine has a lot to prove. Described as a hybrid system, it works as a traditional home console – plugging into your TV – but it can also be slid out of its dock and played on the go, via a built in screen. The concept is fascinating – merging the portable and home experiences into one product – but what about the practice?

"Minecraft" for console has just been given three new maps for its Battle mode. In addition, Mojang's sandbox video game has just received its first mini game for the console version, titled "Tumble." On Tuesday, "Minecraft" senior marketing manager Jaime Limon took to the official Xbox blog and PlayStation blog to announce the new additions to the popular dig-and-build game. Limon stated in his posts that for the console version of the game, players will now have the chance to enjoy three new levels by purchasing the Battle Map Pack #3, which costs 2.99 in the Xbox store. He then wrote that the new maps are called the terrifying Invasion, the colossal Castle and the incredible Shipyard.

It was a catastrophe the likes of which London had never seen, starting when a fire broke out in an East End bakery in July 1666. The fire quickly spread and went on to burn for days, engulfing swatches of the city and claiming thousands of homes. Now gamers are being offered a first person view of The Great Fire of London, thanks to a number of specially made maps which can be played in the hit game Minecraft. The Museum of London has produced the Minecraft maps to mark 350 years since the blaze broke out. Players can navigate the burning city through a series of mini games.