6 ms·

The demographic overlap between "gamer" and "machine learning researcher" is likely very high.

by gcp 10y ago

angry_octet 10y ago
Likely how??
- mappu 10y ago
  I guess: University students.
  - madeofpalk 10y ago
    University students can afford $700 graphic cards? I would assume they have (or have access to) a computer fitted out in a research lab or something which would be seperate from their "gaming rig".
    - detaro 10y ago
      For many students, I suspect the "computer fitted out in a research lab" is some dell desktop box someone shoved a gaming GPU in 3 years ago and that they have to share with 5-20 other students. Better not break it. If you are into the topic and want to work on things outside of assigned projects or course work, upgrading a personal machine doesn't seem far-fetched if you can make room in the budget for it. $700 isn't cheap, but doable for many as a one-off purchase if they want it.
- sangnoir 10y ago
  > Likely how?? Those who are predisposed to buying & installing high-end graphics cards are likely to be either gamers, interested in machine learning or both
Torn 10y ago
That's not quite correct - it might be fair to say 'machine learning researchers are likely to be gamers', but it's not fair to say 'gamers are likely to be machine learning researchers'
- visarga 10y ago
  or P(X|Y) != P(Y|X)
- gcp 10y ago
  Yes, that would have been a better way to state it.
madeofpalk 10y ago
Im assuming most machine learning researchers who have big computers with expensive graphics cards for research wouldn't have it in a personal computer they can easily game on. While I'm sure your statement is true for persons, I doubt its true for the computers themselves.
nostrebored 10y ago
This sort of baseless statement happens all the time in our field. Gaming is not technical. Gaming has no relationship with programming, unless you are programming games, which is a completely different subset of people. The misuse of "nerdy" to refer to people who consume a mainstream source of entertainment is baffling to me. Nobody would say someone is nerdy for using social media for hours a day, and yet they both require the same amount of technical proficiency. Most people I know who got into the field via gaming were either completely incompetent and have since left, or do not label themselves as 'gamers' anymore.
- derefr 10y ago
  The common label is "graphics programmers", a.k.a. "demoscene people." There's a large overlap between those and a certain kind of gamer—the ones that create Tool-Assisted Speedruns, for example.
- gcp 10y ago
  It's a simple matter of demographics. Who are the majority of machine learning researchers? PhD students in CS (aka majority male) between 22 and, what, 26 years? What percentage of male computer science students between 22 and 26 years DOESN'T play games?

The demographic overlap between "gamer" and "machine learning researcher" is likely very high.

by gcp 10y ago

The demographic overlap between "gamer" and "machine learning researcher" is likely very high.

angry_octet 10y ago

Likely how??

mappu 10y ago
I guess: University students.
- madeofpalk 10y ago
  University students can afford $700 graphic cards? I would assume they have (or have access to) a computer fitted out in a research lab or something which would be seperate from their "gaming rig".
  - detaro 10y ago
    For many students, I suspect the "computer fitted out in a research lab" is some dell desktop box someone shoved a gaming GPU in 3 years ago and that they have to share with 5-20 other students. Better not break it. If you are into the topic and want to work on things outside of assigned projects or course work, upgrading a personal machine doesn't seem far-fetched if you can make room in the budget for it. $700 isn't cheap, but doable for many as a one-off purchase if they want it.
sangnoir 10y ago
> Likely how?? Those who are predisposed to buying & installing high-end graphics cards are likely to be either gamers, interested in machine learning or both

Torn 10y ago

That's not quite correct - it might be fair to say 'machine learning researchers are likely to be gamers', but it's not fair to say 'gamers are likely to be machine learning researchers'

visarga 10y ago
or P(X|Y) != P(Y|X)
gcp 10y ago
Yes, that would have been a better way to state it.

madeofpalk 10y ago

Im assuming most machine learning researchers who have big computers with expensive graphics cards for research wouldn't have it in a personal computer they can easily game on. While I'm sure your statement is true for persons, I doubt its true for the computers themselves.

nostrebored 10y ago

This sort of baseless statement happens all the time in our field. Gaming is not technical. Gaming has no relationship with programming, unless you are programming games, which is a completely different subset of people. The misuse of "nerdy" to refer to people who consume a mainstream source of entertainment is baffling to me. Nobody would say someone is nerdy for using social media for hours a day, and yet they both require the same amount of technical proficiency. Most people I know who got into the field via gaming were either completely incompetent and have since left, or do not label themselves as 'gamers' anymore.

derefr 10y ago
The common label is "graphics programmers", a.k.a. "demoscene people." There's a large overlap between those and a certain kind of gamer—the ones that create Tool-Assisted Speedruns, for example.
gcp 10y ago
It's a simple matter of demographics. Who are the majority of machine learning researchers? PhD students in CS (aka majority male) between 22 and, what, 26 years? What percentage of male computer science students between 22 and 26 years DOESN'T play games?