Seminar on Game Development with Agents
Saarland University — Winter Semester 2026

The course will provide an overview of state-of-the-art research on topics covering game development with agents. The course consists of the following components: (i) research papers and exercises, (ii) project, and (iii) final presentation. Further details about the course structure and logistics are provided below.

Organizers

Timeline and Updates

  • Until end of September 2026: Register for the seminar course at https://seminars.cs.uni-saarland.de.
  • 20 October 2026: We have a new course mailing list. To reach out to organizers/tutors, you should send an email to gamedevagents-w26-tutors@mpi-sws.org (instead of contacting via individual emails).
  • 27 October 2026: Paper assignments for reading and writing reports are finalized by this date. The list of papers is provided below and split into three parts (Part A, Part B, and Part C). For each part, pick one paper and write a report, for a total of three reports. Parts A and B also include exercises whose results should be included in the respective reports.
  • 27 October 2026: We will meet on 27 October (Tuesday) 2026, 11am-12pm. Details have been sent to enrolled students via email.
  • Until 16 November 2026: After being allocated a slot in the seminar, you will have to register for the seminar course examination in the LSF at Saarland University. You should register for the seminar course examination by 16 November 2026; this is also the deadline to withdraw by emailing us. If the LSF registration is not possible for you (e.g., as a visiting student or from another department), you can confirm your participation by directly emailing us.
  • 2 November 2026: The report for Part A is due. You can pick any one paper in this part for writing a report.
  • 9 November 2026: The report for Part B is due. You can pick any one paper in this part for writing a report.
  • 16 November 2026: The report for Part C is due. You can pick any one paper in this part for writing a report.
  • 23 November 2026: Project proposals are due by this date.
  • 24 November 2026: We will meet on 24 November (Tuesday) 2026, 11am-12pm. You will present your project ideas to the class.
  • 25 November to 1 December 2026: Tutors with organize one-on-one meetings with students to discuss project proposals.
  • 7 December 2026: Project details will be finalized by this date.
  • 8 February 2027: Project report and materials are due.
  • Between 15 February and 19 March 2027: Final presentations will take place. The exact dates will be finalized in discussion with enrolled students. Slides will be due before the presentation date.

Overview of Course Structure

The course consists of the following main components:
  • Research papers and exercises: During the first three weeks, students will read research papers, finish exercises, and write a short report. This component carries one-sixth of the final score.
  • Project proposals: During the next three weeks, students will submit project proposals and pick a concrete project in discussions with tutors. This component carries one-sixth of the final score.
  • Project: During the second half of the semester, students will work on a project. This component carries one-third of the final score.
  • Final presentation: At the end of the semester, students will give a presentation based on the project, along with relevant research papers related to your project. This component carries one-third of the final score.
Tutors will arrange meeting sessions and office hours during the semester — further information will be communicated to enrolled students as we move along in the semester. You can also reach out to us anytime by sending an email to gamedevagents-w26-tutors@mpi-sws.org.

Important Note: Your submissions (i.e., reports, proposals, project, and presentation) should be based on work done individually by you. Moreover, you should appropriately acknowledge and credit any resources used in preparation of your submissions (e.g., online tutorials, generative AI tools, or any peers who helped you). You should provide this information at the end of your reports under an Acknowledgements section.

Detailed Instructions

Reading research papers, finishing exercises, and writing reports

  • Each student has to write reports for a total of three parts (Part A, Part B, and Part C). The details about the structure and length of the report for each part are provided below.
  • Each report should be submitted as a PDF file by sending an email to gamedevagents-w26-tutors@mpi-sws.org. You should name your PDF files as lastname_paper#.pdf (e.g., lastname_paperA1.pdf, lastname_paperB3.pdf, and so on).
  • Reports should be written in LaTeX using the following NeurIPS style files.
  • In case you are unfamiliar with writing reports in LaTeX, we recommend using Overleaf (an online LaTeX editor).
  • You can provide Acknowledgements by adding a section \section*{Acknowledgements} in the LaTeX source.
  • These reports will correspond to one-sixth of the final score.

Project proposals

  • The project will be centered around the seminar theme of game development with agents. Students will have the freedom to pursue a project of their choice. To begin, each student will submit project proposals; the timeline for proposal submissions is listed above. The project proposals could be related to the seminar papers, or could also be new directions you are most excited about.
  • You should submit one PDF file (compiled using the LaTeX style files used for reports). Following the naming convention of reports, please name your PDF file as lastname_proposal.pdf. We suggest putting one or two project plans in this PDF file. Each project plan could be about half to one page long. For instance, in case you have two project plans, you can name the first section as "Project Plan 1" and the second section as "Project Plan 2".
  • Based on your project proposals and discussions with tutors, a concrete project will be finalized.
  • This component will correspond to one-sixth of the final score.

Project

  • You will have to submit a project report and related material (e.g., code, app, or survey). Each student will work on the project separately (no teams).
  • The project will correspond to one-third of the final score.

Presentations

  • You will prepare a presentation of about 25 minutes. Your presentation will be based on the project, along with relevant research papers related to your project.
  • At the end of the semester, you will give a final presentation. These final presentations will be mandatory to complete the course. We will block time spread across two days for the presentations. The exact dates will be finalized in discussion with enrolled students.
  • The slides and presentation will correspond to one-third of the final score.

Part A

The report for Part A is due on 2 November 2026. In Part A, you need to write a report that includes a review of one paper you have selected and your results from the exercise in this part.

I. Pick one paper

You can pick any one paper below for writing a report. Please download the PDF files from the specific links provided below to avoid confusion about different versions.

II. Finish the exercise

In this exercise, you will have to first get familiar with Pyxel game development and then develop games. Follow the steps below to finish the exercise:

  • Step 1 (Warm-up): Go to https://kitao.dev/pyxel/showcase/ and pick some examples. Run the code to get familiar with Pyxel.
  • Step 2 (Propose a game idea): Think of a game you would like to develop using Pyxel.
  • Step 3 (Propose specification methods): Propose three different methods for specifying your game to an AI agent. You are free to choose different formats and levels of detail.
  • Step 4 (Develop a game): Create three specifications for your game idea, one using each specification method from Step 3. Try each specification separately with a generative AI tool to create a draft of your Pyxel game. Compare the three drafts and choose the most promising one. Then, continue working with the AI tool to develop it into a final game. Keep all three drafts, as you will evaluate them in Part B.

Useful References:

III. Write the report

Structure the report for Part A into two sections as follows:

  • In the first section, write down a review of the paper, including a short summary of the paper, a discussion on how the paper extends state of the art, and the main strengths and weaknesses of the paper. This section could be about one-page long.
  • In the second section, present your exercise results, including: a) your game idea; b) your three specification methods; c) your reflections on which methods worked well or poorly, and why; and d) screenshots and a brief description of your final game. There is no specific page limit for this section.

Part B

The report for Part B is due on 9 November 2026. In Part B, you need to write a report that includes a review of one paper you have selected and your results from the exercise in this part.

I. Pick one paper

You can pick any one paper below for writing a report. Please download the PDF files from the specific links provided below to avoid confusion about different versions.

II. Finish the exercise

In this exercise, you will have to evaluate games you developed in Part A. Follow the steps below:

  • Step 1 (Design evaluation rubrics): Think about what makes a good game. Propose evaluation rubrics that capture different aspects of a game.
  • Step 2 (Evaluate games manually): Manually evaluate the three draft games you developed in Part A using your rubrics.
  • Step 3 (Evaluate games with AI): Use generative AI to evaluate the same three draft games using your rubrics.
  • Step 4 (Compare evaluation results): Compare your manual and AI evaluation results.

III. Write the report

Structure the report for Part B into two sections as follows:

  • In the first section, write down a review of the paper, including a short summary of the paper, a discussion on how the paper extends state of the art, and the main strengths and weaknesses of the paper. This section could be about one-page long.
  • In the second section, present your exercise results, including: a) descriptions of the three draft games you evaluated; b) your evaluation rubrics; c) your manual evaluation methods and results; d) your AI evaluation methods and results; and e) a comparison of the manual and AI evaluation results, discussing where they agree or disagree and why. There is no specific page limit for this section.

Part C

The report for Part C is due on 16 November 2026. In Part C, you need to write a report that includes a review of one paper.

I. Pick one paper

You can pick any one paper below for writing a report. Please download the PDF files from the specific links provided below to avoid confusion about different versions.

II. Write the report

The report for Part C should include a review of the paper, including a short summary of the paper, a discussion on how the paper extends state of the art, and the main strengths and weaknesses of the paper. This could be about one-page long.



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