Division of Games Technology and Mathematics

BSc (Hons) Computer Games Technology

BSc (Hons) Computer Game Applications Development

We run an MSc Computer Games Technology course that gives you the skills and expertise needed to enter the Video Games Industry. Topics includes:

• Mathematics & Artificial Intelligence
• Procedural Content Generation
• Programming for Games
• Network Programming

Please see below for our areas of research focus in this Division.

Or, if you are looking for something specific, visit the full list of university-wide research opportunities in our course list.

Virtual and augmented realities present unique challenges and opportunities for interactive experiences and the Division is exploring modes of interaction with these technologies and their convergence with e.g. film and artificial intelligence. With industry partners we are exploring the enterprise applications of Augmented and Virtual Realities for real-time data visualisation. We are developing AR and VR experiences on a range of technology platforms and are testing these platforms in different contexts. We are especially interested in combining games technology and play with virtual and augmented platforms. With colleagues in the Division of Cybersecurity we are evaluating qualitatively and quantitatively, through psychophysiological measures, the user experience to measure how users engage with AR/VR experiences.

Linked to our AR/VR research is our work in virtual production, which sits at the interface between film and games. We have designed and developed a custom 3D camera rig to speed up in-game asset generation from film and eliminate 3D stereo artefacts which arise from using an off-the-shelf stereo camera. We are part of VIPROS (an Erasmus+ project) to develop educational material for the next generation of creative industry professionals on developing content with Virtual Production technology. In addition, VIPROS will define the cost and environmental sustainability benefits of virtual over physical production processes. Our SmartView project (see Systems Modelling) is using AR (Microsoft Hololens) for real-time information provision.

Linked to Systems Modelling is the exploitation of computer graphics technologies for interactive visualisation of large-scale cloud-based simulations. Building on our GPGPU expertise we are exploring GPU efficiencies for high fidelity real-time games and simulations across diverse hardware. Our focus is how new raytracing technology and GPGPU programming may be leveraged, creating new acceleration structures and rasterization formats. This includes applying continuous functional representations and grammars with raytracing instead of traditional polygonal rendering. Applications include virtual cancer spheroid visualisation and, more generally, any digital twin visualisation at any scale.

Modern computer games supported by networks provide a rich ecosystem of social interactions. Within-game and beyond-game social mechanisms are often developed with the aim of increasing in-game purchasing and deepening user data collection. This data collection exercise prompts questions that we are exploring, including whether players know what data they are sharing and why, how data might be leveraged and whether algorithmic manipulation mechanisms of controls drive particular player behaviour.

Network technologies also afford opportunities for distributed computing through cloud computing and compute-clusters. Our research enables us to simulate models of complex systems, and in particular cancer cells, at spatial scales that far exceed what is possible on a single machine. Our approach uses message passing (MPI) and results show good scaling on both local area networks and the high-performance compute resource ARCHER. This distributed computing capacity combined with our GPGPU interactive visualisation allow us to simulate and visualise complex models of real-world systems and provide a foundation for the implementation of sophisticated large-scale digital twins.

Abertay’s Emergent Technology Centre houses a 5G pilot core and Abertay has access to a 5G R&D Testbed in Slessor Gardens at the Dundee Waterfront. Working with colleagues in the Divisions of Cybersecurity together with Games and Arts, we will explore the possibilities afforded by 5G connectivity in games and interactive experiences. Key areas of investigation are machine learning for network management, dynamical systems modelling, the Internet of Things and 5G-backed interactive experiences.

Systems Modelling explores complex phenomena over multiple scales and interactive visualisation in computer games, environmental science, physics, and health. Our overarching agenda is the construction of interactive, real-time and playable simulations in both entertainment and non-entertainment contexts that bring to life systems models through simulation, i.e., digital twins. This playability allows domain experts to investigate complex systems in an intuitive way and supports discovery of new insights.

We combine game engines and physics research, focusing on high-precision simulation of multi-scale dynamical systems: for example, we exploit games engine efficiencies for molecular dynamics simulations for plasma processing, have procedurally generated clouds and lightning in games, and our lightning model is being used in planetary Global Circulation Models. In the environment, a central challenge is to safeguard the UK’s water, energy and food security – three of the UK’s most valuable resources that are rapidly running out. We have used our expertise in complex systems modelling and interactive visualisation and simulation to help stakeholders determine the impact of different sustainability initiatives and policies across water, energy and food, that might interact to deliver solutions that will work for the system as a whole.

For health, we have worked with psychologists to develop an app (Tapology, on the App Store) to introduce tablets and smartphones to individuals who find touch screens intimidating in a playful way to help people build confidence and share good practice in internet use. Our collaborative and cross-disciplinary approach with life scientists and health practitioners has enabled us to characterise tumour tissue and cell signalling dynamics in response to therapeutic interventions and oncological mutations. Our games technologies enable life scientists to conduct virtual experiments exploring the impact of anti-cancer drugs on cell behaviour, and cancer-causing mutations can be added, allowing for exploration of the dynamics of cell signalling pathways in a way that has not been possible before.

A growing area of research is the combination of systems modelling, data analytics and artificial intelligence. For example, in a partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support and the Digital Health and Social Care Innovation Centre we are using a combination of artificial intelligence and interactive visualisation to improve cancer support provision across the UK. We are using generative adversarial networks to automatically generate user interfaces and how models of game play and data analytics can improve the player experience, including game balancing. Finally, we are working with AgriEpi Innovation Centre and Pocket Sized Hands to develop an AI-powered Augmented Reality tool underpinned by machine learning to improve animal health and productivity.