Personalized procedural map generation in games via evolutionary algorithms

In digital games, the map (sometimes referred to as the level) is the virtual environment that outlines the boundaries of play, aids in establishing rule systems, and supports the narrative. It also directly influences the challenges that a player will experience and the pace of gameplay, a property that has previously been linked to a player's enjoyment of a game [1]. In most industry leading games, creating maps is a lengthy manual process conducted by highly trained teams of designers. However, for many decades procedural content generation (PCG) techniques have posed as an alternative to provide players with a larger range of experiences than would normally be possible. In recent years, PCG has even been proposed as a means of tailoring game content to meet the preferences and skills of a specific player, in what has been termed Experience-driven PCG (EDPCG) [2].