Project description
Data-driven insights into gameplay and player experience
In today’s rapidly evolving gaming landscape, understanding the intricate connection between gameplay mechanics and player experience poses significant challenges. Traditional methods falter due to fragmented datasets and difficulties in aligning human and AI gaming data. The ERC-funded GAMECHAR project aims to create scalable, data-driven methodologies, as well as standardise gameplay characterisation, providing tools to analyse diverse games comprehensively. The project will deliver a rich gameplay data repository and AI capable of automated testing, enhancing gameplay evaluation. This initiative not only targets improving game quality to meet societal needs but also aligns with EU goals for AI excellence and digital health, potentially influencing regulatory practices to mitigate exploitative gaming.
Objective
GAMECHAR addresses a critical gap in gameplay characterization of video games by developing scalable, data-driven methods that link gameplay mechanics to player experiences. Current methodologies face limitations due to fragmented approaches, small datasets, and challenges in comparing human-generated and AI-generated gameplay data. Existing tools struggle to standardize the characterization of gameplay, making it difficult to extract meaningful insights from diverse games. Additionally, the emergent and interactive nature of gameplay requires systematic, scalable solutions for comprehensive analysis.
To overcome these challenges, GAMECHAR will develop innovative methodologies to characterize gameplay data, establishing standardized descriptors and classification models. This approach will automate gameplay data collection, processing, and feature engineering, enabling researchers and developers to distinguish between restorative and harmful gameplay. The project will contribute to gameplay evaluation and advance the quality of gameplay developed to address societal needs, e.g. healthcare. The project contributes to the EU goals for AI excellence and digital health.
Key outcomes will include a comprehensive gameplay data repository, AI agents capable of automated gameplay testing, and classification models that generalize across different game environments. Methods and processes will provide researchers with tools for gameplay analysis, enabling more effective comparative studies and predictors of player experience. The PI’s pathways to regulatory authorities have the potential for broad societal impact, applying the developed approach in policy and regulation of exploitative gameplay.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project has not yet been classified with EuroSciVoc.
Be the first one to suggest relevant scientific fields and help us improve our classification service
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-STG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
5612 AE Eindhoven
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.