Branching Factor

In this episode of Branching Factor, Tommy and Mike sit down to celebrate 10 years of Dota 2. A game that Mike has thousands of hours in, and one that Tommy has observed with great interest, but has only played it for 87 minutes according to his Steam profile. So what better excuse than to mash these two people together to talk all about it! We discuss its origins, its impact on the games industry, and how its influence on AI persists despite the big headline news being in the rear-view mirror. --Use our promo code with NordVPN for an exclusive discount, complete with a 30-day money-back guarantee!http://www.nordvpn.com/aiandgames--Got a question or comment? Send an email to: branchingfactor@aiandgames.com

In this episode of Branching Factor, Tommy and Quang sit down with Mike and Gavin from the Bitmap Bureau to talk about their journey as indie game developers. Bitmap Bureau has been around since 2016, and has made a variety of games for modern platforms. But they're mostly known for 'Xeno Crisis': a game they kickstarted in 2018 and subsequently released on over a dozen platforms. From the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) and Neo Geo, all the way through to the Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One. We talk about what it's like to design and manufacture games like that for such a broad yet niche market, and all the fun that comes from running your own manual assembly line when sending off those Mega Drive cartridges to customers!--Use our promo code with NordVPN for an exclusive discount, complete with a 30-day money-back guarantee!http://www.nordvpn.com/aiandgames--Got a question or comment? Send an email to: branchingfactor@aiandgames.com

Tommy is back in a solo episode of Branching Factor, in which we also welcome our first-ever guests. With AI for game development becoming an ever-popular topic of discussion, we welcome modl.ai CEO Dr Christoffer Holmgard, alongside Dr Julian Togelius, one of the company’s heads of research. Modl.ai is working on AI tools that support game developers and dig into the realities of how AI can be used to help optimise and improve game production workflows.--Use our promo code with NordVPN for an exclusive discount, complete with a 30-day money-back guarantee!http://www.nordvpn.com/aiandgames--Got a question or comment? Send an email to: branchingfactor@aiandgames.com

In this month’s episode of Branching Factor, the whole team get together for the first time. Mike, Quang, George, Anne and Tommy meet up right before GDC in March to discuss games, gaming events, the gaming news and much more besides!--Use our promo code with NordVPN for an exclusive discount, complete with a 30-day money-back guarantee!http://www.nordvpn.com/aiandgames--Got a question or comment? Send an email to: podcast@aiandgames.comFollow 'AI and Games' for educational videos and essays:http://www.youtube.com/@AIandGamesFollow 'AI and Games Plus' is dedicated to bonus content, deep-dive analysis, revisiting old topics and more:http://www.youtube.com/@AIandGamesPlusWatch Livestreams: http://www.twitch.tv/aiandgamesJoin our Community: https://discord.aiandgames.comBuy our Merch: https://store.aiandgames.comFollow 'AI and Games' on social media.Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AIandGamesMastodon: https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@AIandGamesTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aiandgamesIf you're interested in working with us, check out the following:Business Enquiries: contact@aiandgames.comArrange Meeting: https://calendly.com/aiandgames

This episode is with our fourth, final, and equally amazing co-host: Dr Anne Sullivan. Anne is an Assistant Professor in Digital Media and head of the StoryCraft Lab at Georgia Tech. But more critically, she has years of experience in games both inside and outside of academia.In this episode, we get into the realities of figuring out what 'creative computing' can be as a career. The lessons learned from working on some of the biggest franchises in gaming at Electronic Arts, and why making hand turkeys with AI researchers may well be the professional highlight of Anne's career.You can follow Anne on Twitter at:https://twitter.com/annetropyWe'll be back soon with episode 5, in which we all sit down together on air for the first time.--Use our promo code with NordVPN for an exclusive discount, complete with 30-day money back guarantee!http://www.nordvpn.com/aiandgamesTo catch episodes of Branching Factor early and ad-free, be sure to support AI and Games on Patreon.http://www.patreon.com/aiandgames----Got a question or comment? Send an email to:podcast@aiandgames.comYou can listen to Branching Factor on:iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1662631817Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AfZ8o4QLsoQlGR35YfrYSAmazon: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/6902f3c5-98c5-4695-bc56-ae7aa743f4a9/branching-factorGoogle: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL2JyYW5jaGluZ2ZhY3RvcgRSS Feed: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/branchingfactor--AI and Games Plus is the second channel for AI and Games and the home of the video version of 'Branching Factor'Follow 'AI and Games' for educational videos and essays:http://www.youtube.com/@AIandGamesFollow 'AI and Games Plus' is dedicated to bonus content, deep-dive analysis, revisiting old topics and more:http://www.youtube.com/@AIandGamesPlusListen to my podcast 'Branching Factor', as I discuss game development and research with my co-hosts and guests:https://shows.acast.com/branchingfactorRead Written Versions of Episodes: http://www.aiandgames.comWatch Livestreams: http://www.twitch.tv/aiandgamesJoin our Community: https://discord.aiandgames.comBuy our Merch: https://store.aiandgames.com--You can support AI and Games via Patreon and YouTube memberships, and in return, you get bonus rewards!http://www.patreon.com/aiandgameshttps://www.youtube.com/@AIandGames/join--Follow 'AI and Games' on social media.Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AIandGamesMastodon: https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@AIandGamesTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aiandgames--If you're interested in working with us, check out the following:Business Enquiries: contact@aiandgames.comArrange Meeting: https://calendly.com/aiandgames#podcast #gamingpodcast #researchpodcast

In this episode, Tommy sits down with our third amazing co-host Dr Mike Cook, a senior lecturer at King's College London, on his career and perspectives in the field of automated game design. We discuss what automated game design actually is, what it means for AI to design games and interesting avenues you can pursue.Follow Mike on Twitter at:https://twitter.com/mtrc--Use our promo code with NordVPN for an exclusive discount, complete with 30-day money back guarantee!http://www.nordvpn.com/aiandgamesTo catch episodes of Branching Factor early and ad-free, be sure to support AI and Games on Patreon.http://www.patreon.com/aiandgames--You can listen to Branching Factor on:iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1662631817Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AfZ8o4QLsoQlGR35YfrYSAmazon: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/6902f3c5-98c5-4695-bc56-ae7aa743f4a9/branching-factorGoogle: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL2JyYW5jaGluZ2ZhY3RvcgRSS Feed: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/branchingfactor--Follow 'AI and Games' for educational videos and essays:http://www.youtube.com/@AIandGamesFollow 'AI and Games Plus' is dedicated to bonus content, deep-dive analysis, revisiting old topics and more:http://www.youtube.com/@AIandGamesPlusWatch Livestreams: http://www.twitch.tv/aiandgamesJoin our Community: https://discord.aiandgames.comBuy our Merch: https://store.aiandgames.com--Follow 'AI and Games' on social media.Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AIandGamesMastodon: https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@AIandGamesTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aiandgames--If you're interested in working with us, check out the following:Business Enquiries: contact@aiandgames.comArrange Meeting: https://calendly.com/aiandgames