Queen Mary University of London to Host iGGi Con 2023: A Conference and Showcase for Research in Digital Games

The iGGi Con is a unique platform for the games industry to meet researchers who are undergoing training to become experts in key areas of game development, including game AI and games user research. Many of these researchers are interested in pursuing careers in the games industry post-PhD and looking for new collaborations, and the conference presents the perfect platform for valuable connections to be made. 

The conference stretches over two days, and attendees are welcome to attend the full event or just a single day. The programme includes: 

• talks on AI design tools, serious games, machine learning, and narrative design; 
• workshops on as green games, procedural audio, Dungeon Master, and failure in games play; 
• two panels – one on engaging the next generation, and one presenting iGGi Researchers’ Knowledge Exchange projects; 
• keynotes by games researchers Vanessa Volz from modl.ai, Aleena Chia from Goldsmiths, and iGGi Alumnus Joe Cutting from the University of York; 
• poster and game demo sessions presenting recent and current projects of iGGi Researchers and “friends of iGGi”. 

In parallel with the talks track, the conference will also feature an Industry Meet & Greet “Mini Expo” on Thursday, September 14, where iGGi industry partners/members of the games industry are invited to host a stand and network with the conference attendees and the wider community of Queen Mary students and staff. 

“The event will be a celebration of iGGi’s strong links with the UK games industry. We want to showcase the value of iGGi Con by providing a unique platform for attendees to network and make valuable connections. In the past, the iGGi Con has had industry participants from prominent companies such as Microsoft Research, Sony Entertainment, and Creative Assembly, among many others. This year, we aim for even bigger and better, not least by particularly encouraging participation from SMEs, newstarters, and NPOs such as BAME in Games, Safe in Our World, and the IGDA Climate community. Notably, iGGi has become Women in Games Education Ambassadors last month, which represents one further step to help create a more level playing field for all the groups which are currently underrepresented in the games industry and academia.” says Susanne Binder, iGGi Research Programme Manager. 

To register for the conference or learn more about iGGi Con 2023, visit the conference website at https://www.iggi2023.org/ 

About iGGi 

The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Intelligent Games and Game Intelligence (iGGi) is a collaboration between Queen Mary University of London, the University of York, Goldsmiths, and the University of Essex. The center is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and aims to train the next generation of game researchers, embracing an interdisciplinary approach. iGGi particularly focuses on two lines of work: 

• Intelligent Games: Unlocking the value of research for the entertainment games industry, creating new engaging gameplay agents as well as new data- and AI-assisted tools and methods for making games and studying players 
• Game Intelligence: Unlocking the value of games for wellbeing, learning, and science by advancing the design of applied or ‘serious’ games and gamification, the use of game data to understand the human condition, and our understanding of the positive and negative uses and effects of games.  

iGGi has worked with the games industry for over nine years with iGGi Researchers going on placements at companies, with many alumni now working in the games industry. iGGi Industry Partners include Creative Assembly, SONY SIE, Google DeepMind, Sumo Digital, Square Enix, Bossa Studios, Digital Catapult and Microsoft Research, as well as many smaller indie studios.