Gametable Network: Unveiling the Past, Embracing the Future Through AI-Driven Archaeological Research
(2024) 30th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists — Location: Rome, Italie (28.August.2024)
Files
eaa24.pdf
Open Access - Adobe PDF
- 1.21 MB
Details
- Authors
- Abstract
- Games, as a subject of study, span diverse disciplines, often in isolation. In computer science and mathematics, games stand as testbeds for pioneering methodologies, shaping state-of-the-art techniques in economics, engineering, and AI. Simultaneously, archaeologists, historians, and anthropologists explore the motivations underlying human play, dissecting its social implications on both individual and societal levels. Games have not only been instrumental in pedagogical development but are gaining recognition as integral components of humanity's intangible cultural heritage. However, this recognition is tinged with a poignant realization: much of the world's game heritage has been lost, overshadowed by colonialism, imperialism, and commercialization. Against this backdrop, the paper introduces the GameTable Network, an EU-funded COST Action overcoming disciplinary divides. The network's research integrates AI techniques, archaeology, and gaming research, into a cohesive framework. In doing so, the network aspires to rekindle the essence of games not only as mere entertainment but also as repositories of cultural richness and historical narratives. The aim is not only to uncover the mysteries of the past, but to acknowledge and rectify the gaps hindering a holistic understanding of games. Our objectives span from reconstructing historical games to advancing AI methodologies, from fostering educational programs to embracing community involvement in digital initiatives. Key challenges include innovative approaches for studying, reconstructing, and preserving heritage games, reconstructing missing rules in incomplete games, simulating play at a human level, applying AI to study historical games, developing novel methods to identify unrecognized games measuring their evolution across space and time, developing pedagogical tools, and leveraging Game AI in a culturally diverse way, all crucially contributing to the study of heritage games. Through this interdisciplinary lens, our aspiration is to enrich scholarly dialogue within the Eastern Mediterranean, Europe and beyond, advancing our collective understanding of the historical and cultural dimensions embedded in games through AI-driven research.
- Affiliations
Citations
Dorina Moullou, Walter Crist, Timothy Penn, & Piette, E. (2024). Gametable Network: Unveiling the Past, Embracing the Future Through AI-Driven Archaeological Research. 30th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists, Rome, Italie. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/253809