Madjid Merabti

Title: A Platform for the Development and Integration of Distributed Game Environments

Abstract: In this talk we propose to present the platform Homura IDE, which provides a game development engine and environment, whereby games can disperse their resources within and across networked environments. The platform has a number of advantages over existing gaming solutions. First, it allows the development of complex games as Eclipse project including the game logic, the game resources, and the game components such as AI, physics, renderer, etc... . Second, it will allow the components a game provides to be dispersed as ad-hoc peer-to-peer services. Third, it will allow games to discover and utilise shared components using XML data streams and ontologies. And Fourth, it will allow games to self-adapt to user interaction and the influx of gaming components to evolve virtual gaming worlds, including strategic game play and strategic behaviours. This research is supported by the BBC R&D in preparation for the next generation of online content, web-based games and user generated content applications.

Biography: Madjid Merabti (http://www.cms.ljmu.ac.uk/; mailto:M.Merabti@ljmu.ac.uk ) is Professor of Multimedia Networked Systems and Director of the School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences, at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. He has over 15 years experience in conducting research and teaching in the areas of Computer Networks (fixed and wireless), Mobile Computing, and Computer Network Security. Prof. Merabti is widely published, over 100 publications, in these areas and leads the Distributed Multimedia Systems and Security Research Group, which has a number of UK Government, EU, and industry supported research projects. He is principal investigator in a number of current projects in Digital Rights Management, Games Technology, Multimedia Networking, Mobile Networks Security and Privacy Architectures and Protocols, Secure Component Composition in Ubiquitous Personal Networks, Networked Appliances, Mobile and Ad-Hoc Computing Environments, and Sensor Networks. He is Co-Editor in-Chief for the International Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications (JPCC), Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Multimedia, Area Editor for Networked Appliances and Home Networking for IEEE Communications Magazine, and a Member of Editorial Board for the International Journal on Computer Communications. Madjid Merabti has been technical programme chair for several international conferences since 2000. Madjid Merabti is a member of the EPSRC Peer College and Coordinator of a UK EPSRC funded Network on the Convergence of Telecommunications, Networking, and Broadcasting and which involves some of the major UK Universities and Industry.