Perhaps the PhD student wasn't trying to make an AI that wins at pac-man, but investigating something else. They mention "maximizing control over environment".
One of the most typical scenarios studied in those wolf/sheep models (like http://www.netlogoweb.org/launch#http://ccl.northwestern.edu... ) is to find the best conditions for "balance" between sheep and wolf: Too many wolves and the sheep go extint and later the wolf starve. Too many sheep and then the sheep don't get enough food and also die, taking the wolves with them..