AUSTIN (KXAN) – A computer science professor at the University of Texas at Austin stopped by KXAN to talk about his research on computer gaming and the human brain. Dr. Risto Miikkulainen is studying the brain to figure out how it works and translate that knowledge to making better computer games.
He even entertained questions around the blockbuster movie, “Pixels,” exploring the idea of using gaming technology as a weapon.
As for why he and his students study games, Dr. Miikkulainen says, ” First, they are a great stepping stone: What we learn from games often transfers to real-world problems in robotics, economics, and psychology. Second, games are an important application on their own right: Better game agents make games more engaging. Third, if the aliens really do attack us with game agents, we’ll be ready.”