Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 2

Mohawk College and Shaftesbury Lucid Inc. (Shaftesbury) will collaborate to co-design and further develop, train, and test a proprietary adaptive game system. Shaftesbury will integrate the results into their horror entertainment Virtual Reality (VR) video game, Lucid VR (Lucid). The project will develop an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to optimize players' in-game entertainment experiences for the maximum 'immersive effect'. The desired immersive effect is optimum player engagement in the three-dimensional (3D) video game. The project team will achieve that by providing game Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment (DDA) based on the ANN outputs. Players' in-game motions are different and require ANN assessment of their level of immersion and DDA to adjust game play accordingly. To do this effectively, the ANN, which is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) technique, requires iterations of testing and adjustment, development, training and game testing.The goal is an improved ANN that tracks a player's physical movements via controller motions during Lucid gameplay, and in response to those motions, Lucid will provide an adjusted gameplay experience. A player's physical controller movements represent a player's level of engagement with the game and correlate to their emotional responses and state. Shaftesbury also plans to use the project's outputs to improve player immersion for their upcoming VR games. Video game players are loyal and demanding, therefore it is important to provide optimum immersion to ensure quality player (gamer) engagement, responses, and positive word of mouth. A horror game must entertain and scare its players. Word of mouth is critical to video game success, and early positive reviews from engaged experiences are key to commercial success.The Entertainment Software Association of Canada reported that in 2017, the Canadian video game industry employed 40,600 people with direct and indirect full-time equivalent positions, and the industry contributed $3.7 billion annually to the Gross Domestic Product. This project's outcomes will help Shaftesbury further establish its place within the industry to further contribute to the jobs provided and GDP created.