http://www.computer.org/portal/web/computingnow/swcfp5

Submission Deadline: 1 February 2011
Publication: September/October 2011

As large and complex software projects, modern computer games pose many software engineering challenges, with complex and performance-intensive design and implementation choices. As entertainment products, games also rely heavily on less well-defined, abstract properties such as playability and fun. The influence of soft, thematic, and aesthetic requirements on precise and practical designs introduces a variety of interesting development constraints and goals. This requires novel solutions to design, workflow, and specific technical problems, but it also allows approaches that optimize performance by exploiting the greater latitude afforded to entertainment products.

In this special issue, we invite researchers and practitioners to submit work that addresses the practical development of modern computer games. We especially invite papers that consider the multimedia nature, requirements, and abstract playability goals of game development, their integration and development within a complex, performance-oriented software context, as well as potential transfer to other software domains. Topics include but are not limited to

* Game design, software architectures
* Workflow: multimedia integration, prototyping systems
* Development processes, modular component design and integration
* Console, hand-held, multi-platform requirements
* Quality assurance, monitoring and preserving game properties
* Formalization and verification of game properties or processes
* Techniques for ensuring immersive game-play
* Game AI: perception-based and simplified designs, natural movements, practical techniques
* Multiplayer and networked systems: designs, fault-tolerant and scalable techniques
* Consistency and latency issues
* Cheat detection
* Testing, including scripting and automated designs
* Performance and optimization
* Content generation; techniques and processes

Submissions may take the form of traditional research articles, developing a relevant topic or solution in depth, or short, practical, or expository 
articles (3-5 pages) that describe best practices or address a specific technical or development concern related to modern game development. Where appropriate, we strongly encourage submissions that include supplemental multimedia material for online publication.

For more information about the focus, contact the guest editors:

* Clark Verbrugge, McGill University
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* Paul Kruszewski, GRIP Entertainment
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Website: http://www.computer.org/portal/web/computingnow/swcfp5

For general author guidelines: www.computer.org/software/author.htm

For submission details:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

To submit an article: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/sw-cs