Wondering what's happening out there in the university research labs that might give your game an edge? Hoping to make your game's characters more interesting and engaging for a broader audience? Experimenting with new platforms that provide capabilities you never had before, and wondering how to take advantage of this? This one-hour lecture will provide you with a guided tour of some of the most promising developments in research labs, explained in practical terms, with pointers for following up towards incorporating them into development. Topics will include technical advances such as facial recognition and synthesized speech, as well as social science findings that affect design choices, such as the study of social dynamics and emotional flow. Each example will include recommendations for how game designers can take advantage of the techniques and findings, with specifics about genre, audience, and platform, and in some cases, early adopter commercial examples. You will leave with inspiration as well as pointers that can lead to action.