Gaming Meets Data Science: USC Professor Dmitri Williams Unpacks Social Influence at NCCU

The College of Communication at National Chengchi University (NCCU) welcomed Professor Dmitri Williams from the University of Southern California (USC) for a two-day academic exchange on May 26 and 27, 2025. The lecture series, hosted by Distinguished Professor Tammy Jih-Hsuan Lin, Director of the International Master’s Program in International Communication Studies (IMICS), offered students and faculty a unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge perspectives on digital media, data science, and social influence.

On the first day, Professor Williams delivered a lecture titled “Working with Industry Data,” where he addressed the practical challenges of conducting academic research with corporate data. He emphasized that while data access is crucial for empirical research, it cannot be obtained without trust and relationship-building. Successful collaboration between academia and industry requires emotional intelligence, credibility, and the ability to align research objectives with business goals—particularly revenue generation and customer retention. Drawing from his leadership experience in USC’s research labs, he illustrated how long-term partnerships are often built on mutual understanding and strategic alignment, rather than transactional agreements.

The second lecture, titled “The Importance of Other People: Findings from Games and Beyond,” introduced a methodological approach known as Social Value Network Analysis (SVNA). This framework examines how individuals’ decisions within digital networks—such as joining a game, making a purchase, or donating money—are influenced by their relationships with others. Unlike traditional bell-curve distributions, Williams explained that digital behavior often follows power-law patterns, where a small number of highly influential individuals shape the majority of network activity. SVNA aims to quantify these patterns and provide actionable insights into how social influence operates at both macro and micro levels.

Throughout both lectures, Professor Williams encouraged students to see data not just as numbers, but as narratives—stories that reflect human behavior, values, and systems of power. He also acknowledged the ethical complexities involved in working with private-sector data, including the challenges of transparency, privacy, and navigating non-disclosure agreements. These realities, he noted, require researchers to balance methodological rigor with professional responsibility.

Both sessions concluded with lively Q&A discussions, as students across degree levels engaged the speaker on research ethics, machine learning applications, and career development in communication and data science. His visit offered valuable insights for students and reflected NCCU’s ongoing efforts to connect academic learning with real-world impact.

南加大教授 Dmitri Williams從遊戲行為看社會影響力

國立政治大學傳播學院於 2025 年 5 月 26 日與 27 日，迎來美國南加州大學（USC）傳播學院的 Dmitri Williams 教授，進行為期兩天的學術交流。此次系列講座由傳播學院國際傳播英語碩士學位學程（IMICS）主任、林日璇特聘教授主持，為師生們帶來數位媒體、數據科學與社會影響力交會的嶄新觀點。

在第一天的演講「與業界數據合作的挑戰」中，Williams 教授點出學術研究在取得企業數據時所面臨的實務困難。他強調，資料取得雖為實證研究的關鍵，但若缺乏信任與關係建立，便無從談起。要成功促成產學合作，需具備情緒智慧、可信度，並能將研究目標與企業追求的成果，例如收益成長與顧客留存，進行有效對接。以他在南加大研究團隊中的經驗為例，他指出真正長遠的合作來自雙方的理解與策略共識，而非短期的交易性關係。

第二場演講「他人的重要性：來自遊戲與其他領域的發現」，則介紹了一套名為「社會價值網絡分析」（Social Value Network Analysis, SVNA）的方法論。此方法觀察個體在數位網絡中（如參與遊戲、購物或捐款）行為的決策過程如何受到他人影響。不同於常見的鐘形分布，Williams 教授指出數位行為更常呈現「權力法則分布」（power-law），亦即少數關鍵人物掌握大多數的網絡動能。SVNA 旨在量化這些模式，進而揭示社會影響力如何在微觀與宏觀層次中運作。

在兩場講座中，Williams 教授皆鼓勵學生將數據視為敘事而非僅是數字——它反映的是人的行為、價值與權力結構。他同時提醒，使用來自企業的資料也伴隨倫理挑戰，包括資訊透明、隱私保護以及如何在簽署保密協議（NDA）下維持研究的誠信與公開性。這些現實要求研究者在方法嚴謹與專業責任間取得平衡。

兩場活動皆以熱烈的問答環節作結，學生們踴躍提問，議題涵蓋研究倫理、機器學習應用到未來職涯規劃等。Williams 教授的到訪，不僅為政大師生帶來寶貴的學術啟發，也展現出政大傳播學院持續連結學術與實務、拓展國際視野的努力。

傳播學院國傳碩主任林日璇教授(前排左一)與南加大教授Dmitri Williams(前排中)擺出象徵國立政治大學（NCCU）的俏皮「C」字手勢，並比出臉頰愛心手勢。（照片提供：IMICS）

Williams 教授展示曾與他合作研究的科技與遊戲公司。他過去的合作對象包括 Wargaming（《World of Tanks》／《坦克世界》）、Thatgamecompany（《Sky: Children of the Light》／《Sky光·遇》）以及募資平台 Moore，該平台透過遊戲促進公益捐款。（照片提供：IMICS）

Williams教授（左）與林日璇教授（右）進行友好的禮物交換。（照片提供：IMICS）