Aprendizagem de coordenação em sistemas multi-agente

The ability for an agent to coordinate with others within a system is a valuable property in multi-agent systems. Agents either cooperate as a team to accomplish a common goal, or adapt to opponents to complete different goals without being exploited. Research has shown that learning multi-agent coordination is significantly more complex than learning policies in singleagent environments, and requires a variety of techniques to deal with the properties of a system where agents learn concurrently. This thesis aims to determine how can machine learning be used to achieve coordination within a multi-agent system. It asks what techniques can be used to tackle the increased complexity of such systems and their credit assignment challenges, how to achieve coordination, and how to use communication to improve the behavior of a team. Many algorithms for competitive environments are tabular-based, preventing their use with high-dimension or continuous state-spaces, and may be biased against specific equilibrium strategies. This thesis proposes multiple deep learning extensions for competitive environments, allowing algorithms to reach equilibrium strategies in complex and partially-observable environments, relying only on local information. A tabular algorithm is also extended with a new update rule that eliminates its bias against deterministic strategies. Current state-of-the-art approaches for cooperative environments rely on deep learning to handle the environment’s complexity and benefit from a centralized learning phase. Solutions that incorporate communication between agents often prevent agents from being executed in a distributed manner. This thesis proposes a multi-agent algorithm where agents learn communication protocols to compensate for local partial-observability, and remain independently executed. A centralized learning phase can incorporate additional environment information to increase the robustness and speed with which a team converges to successful policies. The algorithm outperforms current state-of-the-art approaches in a wide variety of multi-agent environments. A permutation invariant network architecture is also proposed to increase the scalability of the algorithm to large team sizes. Further research is needed to identify how can the techniques proposed in this thesis, for cooperative and competitive environments, be used in unison for mixed environments, and whether they are adequate for general artificial intelligence.A capacidade de um agente se coordenar com outros num sistema é uma propriedade valiosa em sistemas multi-agente. Agentes cooperam como uma equipa para cumprir um objetivo comum, ou adaptam-se aos oponentes de forma a completar objetivos egoístas sem serem explorados. Investigação demonstra que aprender coordenação multi-agente é significativamente mais complexo que aprender estratégias em ambientes com um único agente, e requer uma variedade de técnicas para lidar com um ambiente onde agentes aprendem simultaneamente. Esta tese procura determinar como aprendizagem automática pode ser usada para encontrar coordenação em sistemas multi-agente. O documento questiona que técnicas podem ser usadas para enfrentar a superior complexidade destes sistemas e o seu desafio de atribuição de crédito, como aprender coordenação, e como usar comunicação para melhorar o comportamento duma equipa. Múltiplos algoritmos para ambientes competitivos são tabulares, o que impede o seu uso com espaços de estado de alta-dimensão ou contínuos, e podem ter tendências contra estratégias de equilíbrio específicas. Esta tese propõe múltiplas extensões de aprendizagem profunda para ambientes competitivos, permitindo a algoritmos atingir estratégias de equilíbrio em ambientes complexos e parcialmente-observáveis, com base em apenas informação local. Um algoritmo tabular é também extendido com um novo critério de atualização que elimina a sua tendência contra estratégias determinísticas. Atuais soluções de estado-da-arte para ambientes cooperativos têm base em aprendizagem profunda para lidar com a complexidade do ambiente, e beneficiam duma fase de aprendizagem centralizada. Soluções que incorporam comunicação entre agentes frequentemente impedem os próprios de ser executados de forma distribuída. Esta tese propõe um algoritmo multi-agente onde os agentes aprendem protocolos de comunicação para compensarem por observabilidade parcial local, e continuam a ser executados de forma distribuída. Uma fase de aprendizagem centralizada pode incorporar informação adicional sobre ambiente para aumentar a robustez e velocidade com que uma equipa converge para estratégias bem-sucedidas. O algoritmo ultrapassa abordagens estado-da-arte atuais numa grande variedade de ambientes multi-agente. Uma arquitetura de rede invariante a permutações é também proposta para aumentar a escalabilidade do algoritmo para grandes equipas. Mais pesquisa é necessária para identificar como as técnicas propostas nesta tese, para ambientes cooperativos e competitivos, podem ser usadas em conjunto para ambientes mistos, e averiguar se são adequadas a inteligência artificial geral.Apoio financeiro da FCT e do FSE no âmbito do III Quadro Comunitário de ApoioPrograma Doutoral em Informátic

Interactivity, Ethical Behaviors, and Transmediation in Esports: An Analysis of Pokémon Through Uses and Gratifications Theory

Nintendo’s Pokémon is a family-friendly transmedia franchise that recently added esports to its diverse forms of entertainment. This thesis analyzes how the esports practices of Pokémon maintain an inclusive community along with the cultural values and ideology of its company. Elihu Katz et al.’s framing of uses and gratifications theory is used to analyze Pokémon esports practices and its transmediation because it emphasizes the importance of fulfillment and belonging for media consumers based on their needs. By examining Pokémon esports competitions through uses and gratifications theory, I argue Pokémon increases interactivity, promotes ethical behaviors, and expands its brand value across media to address its community’s specific needs. My research furthers the work of media studies scholars Yu-Ling Lin et al., Tanner Higgin, Henry Jenkins, and others. By examining how Pokémon’s gaming franchise is inclusive and accessible to players, the thesis broadens existing scholarship on the social, ethical, and entertainment aspects of esports

Reinforcement learning para videojuegos

En este proyecto, se hará uso de técnicas de aprendizaje por refuerzo para desarrollar un agente inteligente capaz de jugar batallas Pokémon en el servidor de Pokémon Showdown. Se hará una pequeña introducción acerca del tema, además de desarrollar agentes simples en entornos clásicos y de Atari, para después terminar creando el agente de Pokémon

Mental Health | Atmospheres | Video Games

Gaming has never been disconnected from reality. When we engage with ever more lavish virtual worlds, something happens to us. The game imposes itself on us and influences how we feel about it, the world, and ourselves. How do games accomplish this and to what end? The contributors explore the video game as an atmospheric medium of hitherto unimagined potential. Is the medium too powerful, too influential? A danger to our mental health or an ally through even the darkest of times? This volume compiles papers from the Young Academics Workshop at the Clash of Realities conferences of 2019 and 2020 to provide answers to these questions

Mental Health - Atmospheres - Video Games: New Directions in Game Research II

Gaming has never been disconnected from reality. When we engage with ever more lavish virtual worlds, something happens to us. The game imposes itself on us and influences how we feel about it, the world, and ourselves. How do games accomplish this and to what end? The contributors explore the video game as an atmospheric medium of hitherto unimagined potential. Is the medium too powerful, too influential? A danger to our mental health or an ally through even the darkest of times? This volume compiles papers from the Young Academics Workshop at the Clash of Realities conferences of 2019 and 2020 to provide answers to these questions

Mental Health | Atmospheres | Video Games

Gaming has never been disconnected from reality. When we engage with ever more lavish virtual worlds, something happens to us. The game imposes itself on us and influences how we feel about it, the world, and ourselves. How do games accomplish this and to what end? The contributors explore the video game as an atmospheric medium of hitherto unimagined potential. Is the medium too powerful, too influential? A danger to our mental health or an ally through even the darkest of times? This volume compiles papers from the Young Academics Workshop at the Clash of Realities conferences of 2019 and 2020 to provide answers to these questions

miHoYo: the open-world journey of an Otaku

In this case study, we analyze the key factors to growth, success, and maintenance of the Chinese gaming company, miHoYo. Before the company's mission, culture, and future goals were established, there was much trial and error. From financial difficulties to figuring out innovative marketing strategies, miHoYo truly found their niche and exhibited that all throughout their company, products, and people. Battling against gaming giants like Tencent and NetEase, miHoYo managed to define their target audience and market purely to what they call ‘tech otakus’. Evident in their storyline and character development process, miHoYo places a large emphasis into its characters. The gacha system paired with charming characters make it so users have no choice but to spend money. But there’s a nuance here. Unlike other mobile / online games, many of the upgrades are optional. It’s all a matter of how much a user is tempted to upgrade; marketing at its finest. Additionally and with endless updates and new worlds to explore, miHoYo quickly achieved international success, actively engaging with users through social media platforms and appealing to global audiences through culturally respectful advertisements. Although faced with financial difficulties in the early stages and harsh criticism from users about plagiarism, miHoYo managed to stay true to the company vision and continue developing as one team. Now rebranded as HoYoverse, the company strives to take gaming to the next level by investing millions into their research and development. miHoYo recognizes the importance of virtual reality in gaming to increase sensory feelings and enhance the gaming experience. For this reason, the company partnered with a hospital to research brain-computer interfaces hoping to create a virtual world in which people are willing to live in by 2030. What started as a project funded by competition scholarship money turned into three founders paving the way towards ground-breaking technologies in the gaming industry.Published versio

Current, February 06, 2012

https://irl.umsl.edu/current2010s/1098/thumbnail.jp

Business Creation for Active Lifestyles in the Finnish Sport-Based Companies : Enabling a Sustainability Transformation Through Ecosystem Thinking

Sedentary behaviours and inactive lifestyles are global issues. Physical inactivity causes several illnesses and encourages environmentally damaging behaviour via excessive car usage. Therefore, physical inactivity could threaten social, environmental, and economic sustainability globally and in Finland. Historically, physical activity promotion has been in the hands of municipalities and sports clubs, and the potential of the private companies operating in the Finnish sports business ecosystem has received less attention. This thesis concentrates on sport-based companies and their potential in promoting physical activity. It explores business opportunities for physical activity promotion, systemic barriers to business creation, and sustainability perceptions of the sport-based companies. The methodology takes inspiration from design science and builds on 25 semi-structured interviews thematised with qualitative content analysis. The results of this thesis reveal four possible business opportunities for physical activity promotion: tailored wellness packages, programme and adventure services, urban design, and gamification. Moreover, the results uncover the organisational, institutional, and cultural barriers to physical activity promotion. Finally, the results section unveils the current attitudes of the sport-based companies towards corporate sustainability. The discussion reviews the thesis results through corporate sustainability, sustainable business model innovation, and entrepreneurial ecosystem literature. Based on the theoretical implications, the thesis suggests that creating a physical activity ecosystem could address the need for physical activity promotion, create opportunities for trans-sectoral collaboration and new physical activity business, and help the sport-based companies transition towards corporate sustainability.Liikkumattomuus on globaali ongelma. Arkiliikunnan vähäisyys aiheuttaa useita sairauksia ja kannustaa ihmisiä ympäristölle haitalliseen käyttäytymiseen, kuten autoiluun. Siksi liikkumattomuuden voikin ajatella olevan sosiaalinen, taloudellinen ja ympäristöllinen uhka kestävälle kehitykselle niin globaalisti kuin Suomessa. Aiemmin arkiliikuntaa on edistetty Suomessa kuntien sekä urheiluseurojen toimesta eikä liikuntaliiketoiminnasta kumpuavaa potentiaalia ole juuri huomioitu. Tämä pro gradu -tutkielma keskittyy suomalaisiin liikunta-alan yrityksiin ja niiden mahdollisuuksiin edistää arkiliikuntaa. Tutkielmassa paneudutaan arkiliikunnan liiketoimintamah-dollisuuksiin, liiketoiminnan esteisiin sekä liikunta-alan yritysten näkemyksiin vastuullisesta liiketoiminnasta. Tutkielma inspiroituu tulevaisuusorientoituneesta suunnittelutieteestä ja rakentuu kahdellekymmenelleviidelle (25) puolistrukturoidulle haastattelulle, jotka tematisoidaan sisällönanalyysin keinoin. Tämän tutkielman tulokset paljastavat neljä arkiliikunnan liiketoimintamahdollisuutta: räätälöidyt hyvinvointipaketit, seikkailu- ja elämyspalvelut, kaupunkisuunnittelun ja pelillistämisen. Lisäksi tulokset tuovat esiin yritysten sisäisiä, institutionaalisia ja kulttuurisia esteitä arkiliikuntaliiketoiminnalle. Lopuksi tulososio esittelee liikunta-alan yritysten tämänhetkisiä asenteita vastuullista liiketoimintaa kohtaan. Tutkielman pohdinta tarkastelee tuloksia vastuullisen liiketoiminnan, vastuullisten liiketoimintamallien ja yrittäjyysekosysteemikirjallisuuden näkökulmista. Päätelmien perusteella tutkielma ehdottaa arkiliikuntaekosysteemin luomista. Tutkielman perusteella liiketoimintaekosysteemi loisi lisäkeinoja arkiliikunnan edistämiselle, monialaiselle yhteistyölle sekä arkiliikuntaliiketoiminnalle. Ekosysteemiyhteistyö voisi myös siivittää suomalaisia liikunta-alan yrittäjiä kohti vastuullisen liiketoiminnan murrosta