# video games Published articles for video games. This is one page of public article previews, not the complete archive. Follow Next page to continue. Summaries are not the original full articles. ## How theoretical computer science explains the complexity of puzzle games DevFeed: [How theoretical computer science explains the complexity of puzzle games]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2014-03-17T10:00:55Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Jeremy Kun]() Topics: [computational complexity](), [Algorithms, Complexity](), [Computer science](), [Algorithms](), [Mazes]() Tags: [algorithm](), [art-gallery-problem](), [bin-packing](), [board-games](), [computational-complexity](), [computer](), [computer-science](), [exp](), [game](), [games](), [games-on-graphs](), [graph-coloring](), [greedy-spiders](), [mario](), [nintendo](), [np](), [np-completeness](), [np-hard](), [pancake-flipping](), [pspace](), [puzzle](), [science](), [starcraft](), [video-games]() ### AI overview The article explains that NP-hardness in games describes worst-case computational complexity, not how difficult a game is for human players. It uses examples including Pokémon, Super Mario Bros., Candy Crush Saga, Pac-Man, Doom, Starcraft, Tetris, chess, checkers, and Go to discuss hardness results and practical algorithms. ### Source excerpt Two years ago, Erik Demaine and three other researchers published a fun paper to the arXiv proving that most incarnations of classic nintendo games are NP-hard. This includes almost every Super Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong, and Pokemon title. Back then I wrote a blog post summarizing the technical aspects of their work, and even gave a talk on it to a room full of curious undergraduate math majors. But while bad tech-writers tend to interpret NP-hard as "really really hard," the truth is more complicated. ## The Cellular Automaton Method for Cave Generation DevFeed: [The Cellular Automaton Method for Cave Generation]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2012-07-29T20:01:18Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [Jeremy Kun]() Topics: [Cellular automaton](), [procedural flowers](), [Game Development](), [Simulation](), [Computing]() Tags: [article](), [cellular-automata](), [computing](), [game-development](), [graphics](), [javascript](), [mathematica](), [procedural-generation](), [programming](), [simulation](), [video-games]() ### AI overview This article examines a practical application of cellular automata: procedural generation of cave-like levels in video games. It explains how randomized level generation can reduce hand-crafted design effort and increase replay value, placing the technique in the broader history of procedural content generation. ### Source excerpt Dear reader, this post has an interactive simulation! We encourage you to play with it as you read the article below. In our series of posts on cellular automata, we explored Conway's classic Game of Life and discovered some interesting patterns therein. And then in our primers on computing theory, we built up a theoretical foundation for similar kinds of machines, including a discussion of Turing machines and the various computational complexity classes surrounding them. ## Classic Nintendo Games are NP-Hard DevFeed: [Classic Nintendo Games are NP-Hard]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2012-03-22T18:34:56Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Jeremy Kun]() Topics: [Math and Logic](), [Computer science](), [infoarena]() Tags: [complexity](), [computational-complexity](), [computer-science](), [donkey-kong](), [games](), [mario](), [mathematics](), [metroid](), [np-completeness](), [np-hard](), [paper](), [pokemon](), [video-games](), [zelda]() ### AI overview The article explains research showing that generalized versions of several classic Nintendo games, including Mario Brothers, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Pokemon, and The Legend of Zelda, are NP-hard. Some are also classified as NP-complete or PSPACE-complete. It outlines reductions from 3-SAT using game-level gadgets for variables and clauses. ### Source excerpt Problem: Prove that generalized versions of Mario Brothers, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Pokemon, and Legend of Zelda are NP-hard. Solution: http://arxiv.org/abs/1203.1895v1 Discussion: Three researchers (including Erik Demaine, a computer science professor at MIT famous for his work with the mathematics of origami) recently finished a paper giving the complexity of a number of classic Nintendo games (the ones I loved to play). All are proven NP-hard, some are shown to be NP-complete, and some are PSPACE-complete.