Mixed-initiative co-creativity

Creating and designing with a machine: do we merely create together (co-create) or can a machine truly foster our creativity as human creators? When does such co-creation foster the co-creativity of both humans and machines? This paper investigates the simultaneous and/or iterative process of human and computational creators in a mixed-initiative fashion within the context of game design and attempts to draw from both theory and praxis towards answering the above questions. For this purpose, we first discuss the strong links between mixed-initiative co-creation and theories of human and computational creativity. We then introduce an assessment methodology of mixed-initiative co-creativity and, as a proof of concept, evaluate Sentient Sketchbook as a co-creation tool for game design. Core findings suggest that tools such as Sentient Sketchbook are not mere game authoring systems or mere enablers of creation but, instead, foster human creativity and realize mixed-initiative co-creativity.