Inductive general game playing

General game playing (GGP) is a framework for evaluating an agent’s general intelligence across a wide range of tasks. In the GGP competition, an agent is given the rules of a game (described as a logic program) that it has never seen before. The task is for the agent to play the game, thus generating game traces. The winner of the GGP competition is the agent that gets the best total score over all the games. In this paper, we invert this task: a learner is given game traces and the task is to learn the rules that could produce the traces. This problem is central to inductive general game playing (IGGP). We introduce a technique that automatically generates IGGP tasks from GGP games. We introduce an IGGP dataset which contains traces from 50 diverse games, such as Sudoku, Sokoban, and Checkers. We claim that IGGP is difficult for existing inductive logic programming (ILP) approaches. To support this claim, we evaluate existing ILP systems on our dataset. Our empirical results show that most of the games cannot be correctly learned by existing systems. The best performing system solves only 40% of the tasks perfectly. Our results suggest that IGGP poses many challenges to existing approaches. Furthermore, because we can automatically generate IGGP tasks from GGP games, our dataset will continue to grow with the GGP competition, as new games are added every year. We therefore think that the IGGP problem and dataset will be valuable for motivating and evaluating future research.

     

A playmate robot system for playing the rock-paper-scissors game with humans

We have developed a playmate robot system for playing the rock-paper-scissors game with humans. The playmate robot recognizes the hand motions of a human using image processing without attaching any additional units to the human. The playmate robot system consists of three parts: a game management part, a hand motion recognition part, and a robot hand control part. The system functions as follows. (1) Before the game is played, the game management part decides on the motion of the robot hand from amongst rock, paper, and scissors. After the game is played, the robot develops a reaction using speech and facial expressions depending on the result of the game. (2) The hand motion recognition part recognizes the hand motion of the human. It does not use any additional units on the human’s body, only a camera on the robot. (3) The robot hand control part shows the motion of the robot hand. A robot hand has four fingers that are controlled independently. We have played the rock-paper-scissors game with this playmate robot.     

Gender differences in students’ mathematics game playing

The investigation monitored the digital game-playing behaviours of 428 primary-aged students (aged 10–12 years). Chi-square analysis revealed that boys tend to spend more time playing digital games than girls while boys and girls play quite different game genres. Subsequent analysis revealed statistically significant gender differences in terms of the types of mathematics-rich games students prefer to play. Girls preferred to play games that required problem solving, quantitative computations and the interpretation of graphs. Boys preferred games that required visual/spatial engagement. Given the fact that boys outperform girls on spatial tasks and mathematics assessment items that contain graphics, this study has implications for the development of students' mathematics sense making.     

Multistage stochastic linear differential game with decision-time constraint

In this work, we consider a class of multistage stochastic linear differential game with quadratic cost function subject to a post initial measurement decision constraint, Secure strategies, in the sense of minimax and maximin, are derived for each player by applying dynamic programming. Both of the minimax and maximin controls are shown to be of linear feedback form. It is demonstrated that both the certainty equivalence principle and the separation theorem from stochastic control theory hold. The derived algorithm, even for the multistage and stochastic nature of the problem, is of closed form and can be employed in real-time applications     

An overlapping generations stochastic differential game

The paper presents a noncooperative stochastic differential game played by an infinite number of overlapping generations of players. The number and types of players in future generations are uncertain and the state dynamics are given by a stochastic differential equation. A Markovian Nash equilibrium is characterized by a verification theorem of the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman type. A resource extraction game is offered as an illustration.     

Evolution of iterated prisoner's dilemma game strategies in structured demes under random pairing in game playing

We discuss the evolution of strategies in a spatial iterated prisoner's dilemma (IPD) game in which each player is located in a cell of a two-dimensional grid-world. Following the concept of structured demes, two neighborhood structures are used. One is for the interaction among players through the IPD game. A player in each cell plays against its neighbors defined by this neighborhood structure. The other is for mating strategies by genetic operations. A new strategy for a player is generated by genetic operations from a pair of parent strings, which are selected from its neighboring cells defined by the second neighborhood structure. After examining the effect of the two neighborhood structures on the evolution of cooperative behavior with standard pairing in game-playing, we introduce a random pairing scheme in which each player plays against a different randomly chosen neighbor at every round (i.e., every iteration) of the game. Through computer simulations, we demonstrate that small neighborhood structures facilitate the evolution of cooperative behavior under random pairing in game-playing.     

Gender differences in Taiwan high school students’ computer game playing

The purpose of this study is to explore gender differences among adolescents who play computer games: key areas of study include hours played, motivation, enjoyment experienced, and the impacts on the students’ lives. The data were obtained from 535 Taiwan high school students. Results indicated that males spent more time playing computer games than did females and also enjoyed it more. Results also indicated that male students are more strongly motivated to play computer games. Gender differences exist in both the frequency and the types of games the subjects played. It is interesting to note that even with significant gender differences, both genders overwhelmingly concluded that playing computer games has helped the quality of their friendships. Finally, results also showed a slight gender difference regarding the predictors of Taiwan high school students’ game playing enjoyments.     

基于状态演算的通用游戏系统的自动推理

为提高通用游戏系统的自动推理能力,提出了基于状态演算的通用游戏系统的自动推理方法,并将其作为推理模块构建了通用游戏系统模型.利用状态演算逻辑程序设计语言(state calculus executor,STEX)实现通用游戏的状态更新与动作推理,给出了基于状态演算的通用游戏系统模型的功能模块设计,最后利用prolog语言实现了各功能模块,调试系统并进行实例验证.实验结果表明,采用了基于状态演算的自动推理方法,得到较好的游戏成绩,提高了游戏系统的自动推理能力.     

On a discrete-time linear jump stochastic dynamic game

In this paper we optimally solve a stochastic perfectly observed dynamic game for discrete-time linear systems with Markov jump parameters (LSMJPs). The results here encompass both the cooperative and non-cooperative case. Included also, is a verification theorem. Besides being interesting in its own right, the motivation here lies, inter alia, in the results of recent vintage, which show that, for the classical linear case, the risk-sensitive optimal control problem approach is intimately bound up with the H     

On the definition of a stochastic differential game

Theory of Computing Systems -     

Distinguishing addiction and high engagement in the context of online game playing

This study considered whether the distinction between core and peripheral criteria for behavioral addiction, previously drawn with respect to computing activities in general, applies in the specific area of Massively Multiplayer Online Game playing. Questionnaire items were administered over the Internet to 442 game players. Factor-analysis of the data supported the previous findings for computing in general. An addiction factor loaded on items tapping previously identified core criteria (conflict, withdrawal symptoms, relapse and reinstatement and behavioral salience) and a (non-pathological) engagement factor loaded on items tapping previously identified peripheral criteria (cognitive salience, tolerance and euphoria). Analysis of response frequencies supported the existence of a developmental process whereby peripheral criteria are met before core criteria. Players who might be considered addicted using a monothetic classification system involving only the core criteria were shown to spend a significantly greater amount of time playing per week than those endorsing only the peripheral criteria. It is concluded that the study supports the idea that it is inappropriate to use some of the previously used criteria for addiction when researching or diagnosing computer-related addictions. Implications of the present findings for Internet-mediated data collection methodologies are also discussed.     

Strategic adaptation of humans playing computer algorithms in a repeated constant-sum game

This paper examines strategic adaptation in participants’ behavior conditional on the type of their opponent. Participants played a constant-sum game for 100 rounds against each of three pattern-detecting computer algorithms designed to exploit regularities in human behavior such as imperfections in randomizing and the use of simple heuristics. Significant evidence is presented that human participants not only change their marginal probabilities of choosing actions, but also their conditional probabilities dependent on the recent history of play. A cognitive model incorporating pattern recognition is proposed that capture the shifts in strategic behavior of the participants better than the standard non-pattern detecting model employed in the literature, the Experience Weighted Attraction model (and by extension its nested models, reinforcement learning and fictitious play belief learning).     

A cooperative stochastic differential game of transboundary industrial pollution

Though cooperation in environmental control holds out the best promise of effective actions, limited success has been observed because existing multinational joint initiatives fail to satisfy the property of subgame consistency. A cooperative solution is subgame consistent if the solution optimality principle is maintained in any subgame which starts at a later time with any feasible state brought about by prior optimal behaviors. This paper presents a cooperative stochastic differential game of transboundary industrial pollution with two novel features. The first feature is that industrial production creates short-term local impacts and long-term global impacts on the environment. Secondly, a subgame consistent cooperative solution is derived in this stochastic differential game together with a payment distribution mechanism that supports the subgame consistent solution. This is the first time that pollution management is analyzed in a cooperative stochastic differential game framework under these novel features.     

The impact of perceived risk,intangibility and consumer characteristics on online game playing

Online game is the most popular entertainment application in the virtual world and online gamers demonstrate high attachment to playing online games. Previous studies have linked to the numerous negative outcomes in playing online games. The factors contribute to the negative consequences on using online game have been relatively neglected. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of perceived risk, intangibility, gender and age (adolescent/adult) difference on online game playing consequences and intentions. Past usage frequency is also made to look into the influence additional purchase intention. A total of 1418 useful questionnaires (including 1018 from public interview and 400 from online questionnaire feedback) were collected for final data analysis. The results demonstrated the important roles that time risk, psychological risk, financial risk, physical intangibility, mental intangibility and generality play on the negative consequences associated with online game playing. The results also indicated that male and adolescent individuals spent much more time on online game and intented to act the entertainment more than females and adults did. Finally, past online game playing frequency was showed to be a positive predictor of future online game playing intention.     

Validating the distinction between computer addiction and engagement: online game playing and personality

This article considers validatory evidence for the previously made distinction between (pathological) computing-related addictions and (non-pathological) high engagement in computing activities, and an associated distinction between core and peripheral criteria for diagnosing computing-related addictions. Using data provided by 388 players of a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) via an online questionnaire, psychometric measures of engagement and addiction to the MMORPG taking into account the distinction between core and peripheral addiction criteria are shown to be differentially related to personality factors (extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, negative valence, and attractiveness). Addiction scale scores are shown to increase as negativity on all five personality characteristics increases, with these characteristics predicting 20% of the variance in addiction scores, but the same pattern is shown to occur for only one characteristic (negative valence) for the engagement scale, with personality characteristics predicting only around 2% of the variance in engagement scores. It is concluded that there is reasonable support for the distinctions between addiction and engagement and between core and peripheral criteria. Implications are discussed.     

A partial information non-zero sum differential game of backward stochastic differential equations with applications

This paper is concerned with a new kind of non-zero sum differential game of backward stochastic differential equations (BSDEs). It is required that the control is adapted to a sub-filtration of the filtration generated by the underlying Brownian motion. We establish a necessary condition in the form of maximum principle with Pontryagin’s type for open-loop Nash equilibrium point of this type of partial information game, and then give a verification theorem which is a sufficient condition for Nash equilibrium point. The theoretical results are applied to study a partial information linear-quadratic (LQ) game and a partial information financial problem.     

An application of the stochastic automaton to the investment game

An application of the stochastic automaton to the investment game is considered. It is shown that the use of the stochastic automaton with learning properties is an efficient method for the investment game.