Artificial Intelligence and Playable Media

This  book introduces readers to artificial intelligence (AI) through the  lens of playable media and explores the impact of such software on  everyday life.

From video games to robotic companions  to digital twins, artificial intelligence drives large sectors of the  culture industry where play, media and machine learning coexist. This  book illustrates how playable media contribute to our sense of self,  while also harnessing our data, tightening our bonds with computation  and realigning play with the demands of network logic. Author Eric  Freedmanexamines a number of popular media forms - from the Sony AIBO robotic dog, video game developer Naughty Dog’s Uncharted and The Last of Us franchises,  to Peloton’s connected fitness equipment - to lay bare the  computational processes that undergird playable media, and addresses the  social, cultural, technological and economic forces that continue to  shape user-centered experience and design. The case studies are drawn  from a number of related research fields, including science and  technology studies, media studies and software studies.

This  book is ideal for media studies students, scholars and practitioners  interested in understanding how applied artificial intelligence works in  popular, public and visual culture.