Rapid development of computer games in China

Abstract

Thousands of years ago, Go and Chinese chess were popular board games in China. The words “Chuhe Hanjie” that is often printed on Chinese chess game boards to divide the two player sides is a reference to the Chu-Han war; while it is far from proof that Chinese chess dates back to the Han dynasty, there is much evidence to show that the game has a long history. Computer game tournaments began comparatively late in China, but they have developed very quickly. This article summarizes the history of the development of computer game tournaments in China and discusses the reasons for the rapid development of computer game tournaments in China from several perspectives. Finally, we comment on the future of computer game tournaments in China.

1. Introduction

Since the first Chinese Computer Games Championship (CCGC) was successfully held in 2006, the CCGC has been held in 12 different years in China. In 2017, the number of games was expanded to 18, and there were 245 participants in this tournament. China is ranked first both in terms of the scale of the games played and the number of people who actually participate in computer games. Table 1 shows the rapid development of computer game tournaments in China in the past 12 years.

When the CCGC was first held in 2006, only one game, Chinese chess, was played. After 12 years of development, the number of games has increased to 18. These games are Chinese chess, Go 19×19, Go 13×13, Go 9×9, Jun Qi, Connect6, Gomoku, Dots and Boxes, EinStein würfelt nicht!, Surakarta, Hex, Amazons, Phantom Go, Two-on-one Poker, Checkers 10×10, Checkers 8×8, NoGo and Bridge. Moreover, the number of participating schools and companies has also increased each year. Figure 1 shows that the relevant numbers have continued to grow over the years.

Table 1
Summary information on each CCGC

Year Location of the CCGC Number of games New games Number of participants Number of schools and individuals

2006 China Science and Technology Museum 1 Chinese chess 18 7

2007 Chongqing University of Technology 4 Go, Go 9×9, Connect6 43 11

2008 CG 2008 conference and the 13^th Computer Olympiad 5 Phantom Go, Surakarta, Dots and Boxes 77 14^a

2009 University Town of Shenzhen 4 32 8

2010 Beijing Institute of Technology 8 Amazons 53 18

2011 University of Science and Technology Beijing 8 93 24

2012 Northeastern University 13 Go 13×13, NoGo, Checkers 10×10, EinStein Wuerfelt Nicht, Jun Qi 163 25

2013 Harbin Engineering University 13 168 24

2014 Chengdu University of Technology 14 Two-on-One Poker 203 35

2015 China Qiyuan 17 Bridge, Checkers 8×8, Gomoku 222 35

2016 Shenyang Aerospace University 17 Hex 225 40

2017 Chongqing University of Technology 18 245 42

Year	Location of the CCGC	Number of games	New games	Number of participants	Number of schools and individuals
2006	China Science and Technology Museum	1	Chinese chess	18	7
2007	Chongqing University of Technology	4	Go, Go 9×9, Connect6	43	11
2008	CG 2008 conference and the 13^th Computer Olympiad	5	Phantom Go, Surakarta, Dots and Boxes	77	14^a
2009	University Town of Shenzhen	4		32	8
2010	Beijing Institute of Technology	8	Amazons	53	18
2011	University of Science and Technology Beijing	8		93	24
2012	Northeastern University	13	Go 13×13, NoGo, Checkers 10×10, EinStein Wuerfelt Nicht, Jun Qi	163	25
2013	Harbin Engineering University	13		168	24
2014	Chengdu University of Technology	14	Two-on-One Poker	203	35
2015	China Qiyuan	17	Bridge, Checkers 8×8, Gomoku	222	35
2016	Shenyang Aerospace University	17	Hex	225	40
2017	Chongqing University of Technology	18		245	42

^a The ‘14’ represents 14 countries that include USA, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Australia, Sweden, China, etc.

This article gives a brief introduction to the early and recent development of computer games in China in Section 1. In Section 2, the main reasons for the rapid development of computer games in China in recent years are discussed in detail. In Section 3, a series of effective actions taken by the Technical Committee of Computer Games to promote the further development of the CCGC are described. Section 4 predicts the future development prospects of computer games in China.

Fig. 1.

A chart comparing the CCGCs held from 2006 to 2017.

2. Computer games development in China

2.1. Early development of computer games in China

The development of computer games began late in China, and there were no national computer game tournaments before 2006. However, there were some notable computer game-related events in the 1990s. For example, Prof. Chen Zhixing of Sun Yat-sen University became interested in computer games after his retirement, and his Go program (named Shoutan), which was written in assembly language, won six world champions in three years (1995∼1997); ZMBL, which was written by Tu Zhijian, won the Chinese chess gold medal in the 8^th Computer Olympiad (Chen et al. (2003)); ELP, which was written by Prof. Hsu Shun-Chin, won the Chinese chess gold medal in the 2^nd Computer Olympiad (1990); and Wu Ren won the Chinese chess gold medal in the 4^th Computer Olympiad (1992).

2.2. Increasing influence of the CCGC

In China, public research into computer games and computer game tournaments began at the beginning of this century. In the 2006 CCGC, Chinese chess programs first challenged first-class domestic players; the programs won the challenge 11:9. NeuChess, developed by Northeastern University, played Chinese chess against Xu Yinchuan, a grand master of Chinese chess, and a draw ensued. The CCGC has been held twelve times, and its influence has increased consistently. Sponsored by the International Computer Games Association (ICGA) and organized by the Technical Committee of Computer Games, Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence (CAAI-TCCG), the 2008 CG conference (i.e., the 13^th Computer Olympiad and the 3^rd CCGC) was successfully held in Beijing, China. The approximately 150 participants came from the USA, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Australia, Sweden, China, and Chinese Taiwan. This tournament has become the largest-scale and highest-level competition in the history of computer games, and it has strongly promoted the development of computer games in China (van den Herik, 2008a; 2008b). The 2015 CCGC was supported by the chess game management center and the State General Administration of Sports in China and was also included in the 3^rd Intellectual Games; thus, it represents a milestone in the development of computer games in China (Gao (2017)).

3. Factors leading to the rapid development of computer games in China

3.1. Substantial support from the CAAI and the CSC-CSTE

The development of the CCGC benefits greatly from the CAAI (Figs 2 and 3 show some leaders of the CAAI participating in opening ceremonies). The CAAI-TCCG was founded in 2004 with 48 members, and its director is Prof. Xu Xinhe. Under the leadership of the CAAI-TCCG, Chinese computer game researchers, some academic institutions and social unions contribute insights and make concerted efforts to promote the rapid development of computer games in China.

Since 2006, the CCGC has been held every year. Members of the CAAI-TCCG actively strive for the right to organize the tournament. The CCGC receives support from tens of colleges, including Northeastern University, Chongqing University of Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing and Shenyang Aerospace University; several companies support the tournament with funds and platforms to ensure that it is held successfully. In 2011, the CAAI-TCCG received the approval of the College Steering Committee of Computer Science and Technology Education (CSC-CSTE) and co-sponsored the CCGC with the CSC-CSTE. Many colleges organize school-wide computer game competitions, and only the winners of these competitions can participate in the CCGC. This type of competition makes great contributions to the development of computer games in China. Considering all of the teams at all of the participating schools, nearly 1000 teams with a total of 3000 members are carrying out research in computer games. Figures 4 and 5 show the venues of the CCGC.

Fig. 2.

The opening ceremony of the 2013 CCGC.

Fig. 3.

The opening ceremony of the 2014 CCGC.

Fig. 4.

The venue of the 2016 CCGC.

Fig. 5.

The phantom go competition.

3.2. Relevant training work and academic reports on computer games

To popularize and promote the development of computer game tournaments in China, the CAAI-TCCG has spent significant effort into training. Prof. Xu of Northeastern University was invited to give many academic reports on computer games at approximately sixty colleges in China and offered many nationwide training courses. Figure 6 shows Prof. Xu at a training site at Shenyang Aerospace University in 2005. Prof. Wang Yajie, the director of the CAAI-TCCG, also organized training for participants from colleges in Liaoning Province, China. These training sessions help the participants to learn the basic principles of computer games and then conduct in-depth research and development.

In October 2017, the CAAI-TCCG organized experts to write a series of white papers on Chinese artificial intelligence. The white papers cover a wide range of topics, including intelligent transportation, intelligent agriculture, intelligent driving, computer games, among others. They are particularly significant for the popularization of science, and more specifically, artificial intelligence research. Among these, the book titled A series of white papers on Chinese artificial intelligence – computer games is most relevant to the subject of this article. The main contents of this book include the present situation of computer games in China and abroad, the complexity of these games, classic search algorithms, the construction of platforms, computer games with complete and incomplete information, among other topics. This book comprehensively collects the relevant knowledge on computer games and presents them in an accessible manner. To help participants excel in search algorithms and the theory of computer games, the CAAI-TCCG has organized the committee members and students to develop platforms for Jun Qi, Bridge, Two-on-One Poker and Texas Hold’em.

Fig. 6.

A training session at Shenyang Aerospace University.

3.3. Interactions among computer games, college education and scientific studies

Because board games are interesting and challenging, they can instill a strong sense of curiosity and enthusiasm in students. For this reason, a number of Chinese universities have introduced computer game theory into computer instruction as projects or case studies, which turned out to be very popular among students.

Some students apply for College Students’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Projects based on computer games under the guidance of their teachers. These projects also drive teachers and their students to carry out in-depth research on computer games and improve the students’ ability to innovate and their capacity for scientific research. For example, some students of Shenyang Aerospace University applied for College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Projects with their work on Connect6 and Amazons.

Some teachers also take the opportunity to apply for funded projects based on computer games, declare research subjects, write scientific research papers and attend academic conferences. The achievements made by teachers in their scientific research then in turn further promote the development of computer game-related activities by college students. For example, Prof. Wang Jiao of Northeastern University is leading a project from the National Natural Science Foundation of China on Wargaming.

3.4. Academic exchanges on computer games

Computer games is one of the important branches of artificial intelligence: it is the one of the best experimental carriers of research on human cognition and consequently a ripe opportunity to investigate realizing “thought” on computers; additionally, it is also one of the important means of evaluating the progress of artificial intelligence research. However, at the moment there is still relatively few Chinese researchers in this field, with no suitable domestic academic journals to publish findings on computer games, and no special academic conferences. Thus, the CAAI-TCCG organizes invited sessions on computer games (CCDC-CG) at the Chinese Control and Decision Conference (CCDC) to conduct academic exchanges in this domain.

CCDC is an annual international academic conference that has been held 29 times as of 2017. CCDC-CG was held 7 times, and approximately 100 papers were exchanged in this seminar (shown in Table 2) and indexed by EI. CCDC-CG is therefore a key event that promotes the development of Chinese academic research on computer games. Figures 7 and 8 show the venues of CCDC-CG in two recent years.

Table 2
Number of papers published in CCDC-CG

Year Conference venue Number of papers

2011 Mianyang 10

2012 Taiyuan 7

2013 Guiyang 24

2014 Changsha 15

2015 Qingdao 16

2016 Yinchuan 22

2017 Chongqing 14

Total 108

Year	Conference venue	Number of papers
2011	Mianyang	10
2012	Taiyuan	7
2013	Guiyang	24
2014	Changsha	15
2015	Qingdao	16
2016	Yinchuan	22
2017	Chongqing	14
	Total	108

Fig. 7.

The venue of the 2015 CCDC-CG.

Fig. 8.

The venue of the 2017 CCDC-CG.

4. Effective actions that promote the development of computer games in China

China is a big country for computer games, but there is more potential for growth. Although the last several tournaments have featured more than 220 participants, a large gap remains when compared with the international top level in certain computer games such as chess, Go, Checkers and so on. There are not enough innovative research on the relevant theories such as computer game algorithms in China. Thus, the CAAI-TCCG has taken a series of effective actions to promote the development of computer games in China.

4.1. Prohibition of copycat programs

To ensure the healthy development of computer game competitions in China, the organizing committee proposed that copycat programs should be prohibited from participating in tournaments. In other words, the entries are not permitted to use open-source or non-open-source programs from other authors as the main component of their own programs to participate in competitions. An anti-plagiarism committee was established to implement the regulations. If a program is suspected to be a copycat, the author must submit the program’s documentation and show the source code to the committee, and accept judgment. Based on this rule, students have to study algorithms of computer games and develop programs by themselves. This action has achieved the desired effect and ensured the enthusiasm of students for research and participation (Gao and Xu (2013)).

4.2. Standardization of game record format and the development of corresponding programs

Game records are essential for studying games, and are also effective tools in research. A rich collection of game records can improve the level of play. AlphaGo, for example, was able to defeat human Go champions by studying approximately 30,000,000 Go game records. In 2017, the CAAI-TCCG organized experts and students to develop a standard format for every game played at the CCGC and to develop the programs used to produce the relevant records and to replay the corresponding games. CAAI has set up a project to carry out this work, the schedule of which is listed below:

1) Before December 10, 2017, the formats of the game records were provided. After soliciting opinions and revisions widely, we will enter the development stage.

2) CAAI will identify the projects after the development of the programs is finished by March 10, 2018.

3) The game record programs will be published officially on April 15, 2018 and will then be employed at the 2018 CCGC.

The CAAI-TCCG formulates the design requirements of these records and their programs to ensure their unification, scientific nature and practicality, which are listed as follows:

1) The formats of these records should be in line with international standards. Most of the games covered by these records (e.g., chess and Go) are very popular worldwide. The formats should therefore be consistent with the commonly used international formats.

2) The formats of these records should be scientific and reasonable, simple and intuitive, and easy to understand and use.

3) The formats of these records should be as uniform as possible. For the same type of game, the definition of the board should correspond to the moves. Moreover, the records of the process of each game should be as similar as possible, so that everyone can understand them.

4) The programs should judge which player has won and record the name of the player, the time and the location of the competition.

The format for each game has been developed, and the uniform naming rule for the manual files is: “code of the game-entry of the first player vs. entry of the second player -result.txt”.

The uniform format of the records is:

{game type, information on the game (including the name of each entrant, the result, the time and the location of the competition), and the record describing the game},

where the game type consists of an abbreviation of the game, (e.g. Connect6 is represented by C6), and the record describing the game is a character sequence that represents the whole game process (e.g. ‘B(J,10); W(J,11); W(I,11); B(K,11); B(I,9)...’ represents a game of Connect6, where ‘B’ stands for moves played by Black and ‘W’ for White, and the letter/number combination indicates a board coordinate).

All of the records from each tournament are accumulated to produce a mass of data. This data can then be converted to input data for use in deep learning methods.

4.3. Industry academia collaboration

CCGC promotes the development of the gaming and poker industry, and helps to foster the cultivation of artificial intelligence researchers. The organizing committee cooperates with some companies through technological exchanges, undergraduate internships, academic research, etc. For example, the Beijing Lianzhong Interactive Network Co., Ltd., provides the competition platform for the CCGC and offers employment opportunities to the students, and the Beijing New Ruiqiao Technology Co., Ltd., cooperates with the participants to develop mobile phone AIs.

5. Conclusion

Since the 2006 CCGC, rapid development of Chinese computer games has ensued. Recently a number of Chinese participants attended several World Computer Olympiad competitions organized by ICGA with many achievements. NEUChess, developed by Northeastern University, won two Chinese Chess Gold medals (Yen and Hsu (2006); Xu (2007)); the Beijing Institute of Technology won the Connect6 world Champion in the 14^th Computer Olympiad (Lin et al. (2009)), the Surakarta world Champion in the 16^th Computer Olympiad (van den Herik et al., 2012a; 2012b), the EinStein würfelt nicht! world champion, the Dots and Boxes world champion (van den Herik et al., 2013a; 2013b), the Surakarta runner-up (Lanctot (2013)) and the Connect6 second runner-up in the 17^th Computer Olympiad (Wei et al. (2013)), the Connect6 world champion and Gomoku world champion in the 19^th Computer Olympiad (2017); and the Shenyang Aerospace University won the Connect6 runner-up in the 17^th Computer Olympiad (Wei et al. (2013)). We believe that the Mainland Chinese participants are capable of further achievements in future international competitions. With the increasing influence of CCGC year by year more and more students are interested in computer games and the relevant research on theories and algorithms. These students then go on to develop new computer game programs. With a large and enthusiastic following, we project that China is poised to become a great power in computer games in the near future.

Footnotes

Acknowledgement

Supported by Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province of China, ID: 20180550146

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