Tübingen is a university town in the center of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with a population of about 90.000 people and one of the oldest universities in Europe, founded in 1477. The urban life of Tübingen is strongly influenced by its academic focus, with over 27.000 students, 18.000 university co-workers (including university hospital staff), and more than 2000 co-workers at other renowned academic research institutes such as the three Max-Planck Institutes. Due to its rather minor militaric importance during Second World War, and because it was declared a hospital district at the last moment, Tübingen's beautiful old town was almost completely spared from destruction.
At the present day Tübingen is an international hotspot for machine learning research. The University of Tübingen and the Max Planck Institute collaborate in many AI-related initiatives. This is how the Cyber Valley came about, which is Europe's largest research consortium in the field of artificial intelligence. It aims to create a stimulating ecosystem for technology transfer in the field of Artificial Intelligence through a new model of cooperation between science and industry.
Quantum Gaming is a spin-off of the University of Tuebingen that was founded with support of the Innovation Grant of the Excellence Initiative and a part of the Cyber Valley Startup Network. We aim at transfering cutting-edge AI resarch into games. Our current project is co-funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.
Learn more about our team and collaborations below!
Frounder & CEO @ Quantum Gaming
fabian@q-gaming.com
Scientific Homepage: cm.inf.uni-tuebingen.de/staff/fabian-schrodt
CV: My background in computer modeling of cognitive systems began, viewed benevolently, when I was around eight years old, programming a hearing test via PC speaker output in Q-Basic on my father's computer. I think after this double success (it worked and I had very good ears) computers were my thing. After school years and a few semesters of orientation, I studied cognitive computer science in Bielefeld and ultimately computer science with a focus on machine learning and a minor in economics in Tübingen. In Tübingen I also became a scientific assistant at the Chair for Neurocognitive Modeling, where I wrote my master's thesis on imitation learning and finally completed my doctorate on "mirror neurons" -- or more precisely, the neurocomputational principles of social intelligence. In addition to my dissertation studies, I led a research and teaching project in which the character "Super Mario" was equipped with artificial intelligence. This project gained international attention in social and online media. The public discussion about our project was very inspiring for my insight into how the media can convey scientific content and what reservations, expectations and interpretations society can have about AI. For my research in the field of AI in games and the mental development of social intelligence, I ultimately received academic prizes and financial support and was invited to give several lectures in industry and science. Through these developments, in 2018 I set myself the goal of founding a company with funds from the University's Innovation Grant and with my own small group, to show a large and most diverse audience in practical ways what intelligence is and what artificial intelligence can be.
Everyone should have their own AI!
Game Dev @ Quantum Gaming
adrian@q-gaming.com
CV: My long-term private and academic goal is to promote the implementation of innovative computer game ideas. To achieve this goal, I completed my Bachelor of Arts in Media Concept and my Master of Science in Media Informatics at the University of Furtwangen, Germany. This enabled me to get to know many aspects of game development, including theoretical processes, conceptual and creative processes, and prototype development. Various programming languages and development environments were used at the university, including Flash, Java, Python and Unity 3D. During my studies I worked on many different prototypes and was able to put the procedures I had learned into practice. Also in my bachelor thesis I addressed the conceptual aspects of computer games. Furthermore, I took over the game design lecture, in which certain aspects of games were discussed and worked out. As a technical assistant, I gathered practical experience in supervising students as an examiner, as well as experience in dealing with VR technologies such as the HTC Vive. Aside from my professional career and work, I also dealt with games of all kinds. By means of my academic career, I was able to acquire a trained eye for which elements of a game have a positive effect on a player's experience. I also regularly take part in the Global Game Jam, which is an annual event where you develop a game prototype on a specific topic in 48 hours. After successfully completing my studies, I became an employee for a Quantum Gaming project.
Game Dev @ Quantum Gaming
rouven@q-gaming.com
CV: After graduating from high school, I moved to Stuttgart in 2016 and started my studies at the Media University in the Audiovisual Media study course, as I was very interested in this world. After my technical undergraduate studies, I worked on a VFX sci-fi short film as a unit manager and then supported the team as a VFX artist, taking over a VFX shot of the short film and editing it in Nuke. After also completing my internship semester in a small film and media company, I decided to spend the next two semesters developing a game and set up a team for it. As a project manager, I made sure everyone was working towards the same goal, and in programming, I directly influenced the game. I worked my way into the game engine Unreal Engine 4 and realized that game development is a lot of fun for me, because you work creatively and technically. Besides the work on the game, as well as the realization of the animated game intro, I initiated two interdisciplinary projects. First, with the help of the Print and Media course, we 3D printed our game character (a snowman) and sent him on a journey to the North Pole with a cooperation partner. In the second semester, we developed an individual Collectors Edition as a team in cooperation with the students of the Packaging Technology course, which contained our game, a children's book, an artbook, a cap with logo and many other goodies. We then gave away this Collectors Edition to players of our game at the “MediaNight” at our university. I've been consuming video games since I was a kid and I'm glad that today I can influence games myself and incorporate my ideas.
Game Dev @ Quantum Gaming
francesco@q-gaming.com
CV: I've always had an incredible passion for video games and their development. I'm a gamer who loves to be immersed in the stories of games and I really appreciate it when the game wants to convey a message and teach, like Applied Games do, for example. To achieve my goals, I took the Event Horizon Game Programming Course at TheSign Comics & Arts Academy in Florence and trained my skills in C# and Unity to become a game programmer. In the course of my career I have programmed several games in different teams and situations. In fact, I am a seasoned Game Jam programmer who took part in the Global Game Jam in Pisa twice, Adventure Game Jam 2020 and several Game Jam exams during my training. I am fascinated by new technologies such as virtual reality or artificial intelligence and how mobile gaming can prepare these technologies for a wider audience. At Quantum Gaming, I design and implement multiplayer systems and virtual markets for a game that I believe can be a big step in the application of artificial intelligence. I think AI will be a more integral part of our everyday life, and I want to be part of this important process and "ludically" contribute to it.
Marius Sauter, 3D Models
Alexandra Gurtner, Concept Art
Holger Klitzke, Webdesign
Carl Kliefert, Database Systems
Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure
Invalidenstraße 44
10115 Berlin
Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen
Geschwister-Scholl-Platz
72074 Tübingen, Germany
University of Tuebingen
Department of Computer Science
Neurocognitive Modeling
Sand 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
Manfred Schrodt
Gecksbergstr. 2
34123 Kassel, Germany
Quantum Gaming GmbH
https://q-gaming.com
info@q-gaming.com