The Scottish Government backs technology to take video games into the real world

Edinburgh-based firm Winterwell Associates has been awarded a SMART award to design artificial intelligence (AI) tools for the creative industries. The SMART:Scotland programme gives grants to small and medium sized enterprises to support R&D projects representing a significant technological advance for UK industry.

Founded by computer experts, Dr Joe Halliwell and Dr Daniel Winterstein, Winterwell provides research, development and consultancy on new media, web services, mathematical modelling and data mining. The SMART award will enable the company to develop intelligent technology for a new type of media: pervasive games - also known as alternate reality games (ARG), interactive drama, or more simply: adventures.

Like video games, pervasive games are highly interactive and story driven. But there's a key difference. "In a computer game or a TV show, you visit another world. In a pervasive game, another world comes to you!" says Winterstein who like Halliwell holds a PhD degree from the University of Edinburgh. "New technology allows us to take the real world as the arena. Our characters will have Facebook pages, they'll text and email players - even meet with some of them." The result is to bring a drama or advertising campaign very much to life.

Though thrilling for players, game creators have to work round-the-clock to breathe life into their characters. "Time costs and scalability are key problems, and that's where software can help," explains Halliwell. "Our systems will understand plot devices and characters. And they'll take the drudgery out of talking with players across different media platforms. Scotland is a world leader in video games. We believe it can become an international center for pervasive gaming too."

The creative and digital content industries are worth £5 billion to the Scottish economy and seen by many as crucial to the nation's future development. In a report published last week, innovation quango Nesta estimates they could create 150,000 jobs across the UK and deliver an £85 billion boost to the economy by 2013.

The photo above is (c) Slava Kozlov used under creative commons.