What if we used video games to run experiments? | Mike Ambinder | TEDxBoston
Video Games create virtual environments, provide feedback, dynamically alter a generated experience, respond to player inputs, provide access to measured player behavior, and offer desirable goals to motivate players. These qualities are often used solely in pursuit of entertainment, but maybe it is time to broaden their focus (and their utility). This talk covers the potential of adaptive gameplay (driven by advances in statistics, machine learning, and AI) to foster prosocial behavioral outcomes outside of games. What if games could do more than just entertain? What if they could teach, simulate, provide therapeutic benefit, perform research, or aid skill development? They can still entertain while all of this occurs, but perhaps we can shape them to do just a little bit more...Cognitive science, Entertainment, Innovation, Machine Learning, Research, Video Games Mike spent 15 years at Valve leading research efforts in applied psychology and game design, data science and machine learning, user research, non-invasive Brain-Computer Interfaces, and economic systems design among other things. He currently leads research efforts at August Interactive hoping to use gameplay to generate some positive change in the world. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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