Ready Player One: Gaming with Responsible Data Science

Video games have come a long way from the early days of Pac-Man and Donkey Kong.

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While many of us grew up on the original PlayStation and Nintendo’s Game Boys, players today use far more modern technology, like the highly coveted PS5 or the Meta Quest 2 VR Headset.

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The gaming industry is ever-evolving, especially with tech like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, and Augmented Reality at the forefront. Companies are striving to keep up and define what the next generation of games looks like, and they’re using data to do so.

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Data Science Alliance (DSA) decided to bring in the experts to take a deeper look at data science’s role in enhancing the player experience and innovating game development. From Activision Blizzard, Inc. to Roblox, representatives from various industry leaders spoke at our “Level Up with Responsible Data Science” Summer Mixer on July 20, 2023, giving us insight into the past, present, and future of gaming.

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Executive Director Patricia Lopez provided a warm welcome to kick off the event. She shared DSA’s mission to foster a Responsible Data Science (RDS) ecosystem and encouraged the audience to join in on the important work that sets the standard for RDS in San Diego and beyond.

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She thanked the audience for their support, and in building the excitement for the rest of the event, data scientist Leslie Joe and DSA intern Daphne Fabella took the stage to demo the alpha version of the RDS Game—a video game the DSA team is working on to educate, engage, and empower people through a fun and interactive experience. The game’s overall story is broken down into four parts, one for each of the four pillars of RDS: fairness, transparency, privacy, and veracity.

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Inspired by the innovative way the RDS game could combine gaming and data science, the crowd was ready for more conversation.

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Our esteemed panelists took their seats at the front of the theater: Jay Martin, Director of Data Science at Roblox; Zhen Zhai, Senior Manager of Data Science at Blizzard Entertainment; Shyna Khurana, User Safety Data Science Tech Lead at Roblox; Daisha McDaniel, DE&I Talent Integration Advisor at Activision Blizzard, Inc.; Zsuzsa James, Senior Trade Commissioner for interactive media and related technologies with the Consulate General of Finland in Los Angeles; and Jani Penttinen, CTO and Co-founder at Roleverse.

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Panel moderator Di Le, an AI Ethicist and Human Centered AI Strategist at ServiceNow, began by asking how many gamers were in the room—yes, Wordle counted. It was safe to say nearly every hand went up in the air.

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And so the conversation began with a topic that related to almost everyone in the room: safety and privacy.

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The panelists discussed how there is no singular right or wrong way to protect players’ privacy and safety, and how the need for protecting people—especially children—who play interactive games is nuanced. On the one hand, gaming companies want to be able to verify that people are who they say they are, and collecting their biometric data would help achieve that goal. On the other hand, that type of data collection increases the risk of phishing and data theft.

If a game uses a Large Language Model (LLM) to monitor appropriate behavior online, the model needs to understand context (e.g. the difference between conversations between 13-year-olds versus 17-year-olds). Otherwise, the LLM could inadvertently diminish the gamer experience. The common consent was that “blanket safety” doesn’t do the job.

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Now, safety can be defined in many ways. Game platforms can give people a safe space to feel comfortable and be themselves. The audience learned that in order to promote such spaces and encourage comfort, some companies have hired staff to push for accessibility and inclusivity in games and even out the playing field for everyone, bringing more minorities into the tech world.

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The panelists analyzed how entry barriers to gaming and game creation can be further lowered, thus paving the way for even more people to enter STEAM careers.

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There was a sentiment that many people in the world have a game in their mind. They don’t necessarily have the skills or tools to create it though, which is why it’s so exciting that current platforms and technology are making it easier for people to enter the game development field. When larger audiences get access to these tools, we’ll see a wider variety of new ideas. Generative AI allows people to create a game without the high threshold of learning to code, so really anyone with an imagination could make a game. The intersection between gaming and data science is making that a fact more and more each day.

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The panelists agreed on the importance of continuing to find collaborations between the two fields. So much of their work is fueled by the genuine passion of gamers, game developers, and game data scientists alike, and they urged everyone to continue being creative and trying new things.

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In the midst of all these possibilities with game data science, AI, machine learning, etc., the panel was keen on discussing the concerns that come with them and how they are being addressed.

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One example was the European Union (EU)’s AI Act. The European Parliament has said the act would be the world’s first comprehensive AI law. If the EU enacts it, the law would require Generative AI—such as ChatGPT—to comply with transparency requirements, like disclosing that the content was generated by AI [1]. The law would also require developers and engineers to prevent the model from generating illegal content and publishing summaries of copyrighted data used for training. In line with that, it would also ban intrusive and discriminatory uses of AI, like “real-time” remote biometric identification systems in publicly accessible spaces [2].

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The panelists noted how the EU is moving at a slower, more cautious pace with this type of technology compared to other countries like the U.S. and will likely be a global leader regarding AI legal regulation. In many ways, we are only beginning to see how much the game industry will change alongside these continuous tech developments. But even with the many intricacies and legalities still to be determined, the consensus was that the future of game data science looks bright.

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Whether the attendees were students or working professionals, they walked out of the theater with fresh curiosity. Everyone gathered outside to network and have open dialogues about the panel. There were also laptops available for a hands-on demo of the RDS Game at several tables. An electric buzz was in the air as data and game enthusiasts came together and shared their thoughts on the trajectory of data science in the gaming industry.

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One of the biggest takeaways from our summer mixer? The gaming industry is rapidly changing. It’s important for companies and players to stay updated on how the latest tech can be used appropriately and inclusively for a more responsible data-driven world. DSA looks forward to watching what happens next and continuing to promote RDS for gamers and beyond.

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