Optimists at Heart: Why Do We Research Game AI? (Extended Version)
This work addresses systemic challenges in the game AI research community, aiming to improve its direction and impact, though it is incremental as it builds on existing critiques without introducing new methods.
The paper surveys motivations in game AI research by analyzing publications, researchers, and institutions, identifying negative effects from external forces and institutionalized behaviors, and suggests community-driven solutions to address these issues.
In this paper we survey the motivations behind contemporary game AI research by analysing individual publications, the researchers themselves, and the institutions that influence them. In doing so, we identify some negative effects on our field, caused both by external forces outside of our control as well as institutionalised behaviours that are easily overlooked. We suggest how we might begin to address some of these issues as a community, and reassert ourselves as the primary driving force behind the field.