How AI is Changing the Way We Game

A decade ago, talk of artificial intelligence (AI) was the stuff of science fiction. While the technology existed, outside the tech world, few people were familiar with its potential and how it was used. All of that changed when ChatGPT made its debut in November of 2022. The chatbot made AI accessible to anyone who wanted to use it and promised to change how we worked and organized our lives. At the time, few of us thought about AI in the context of gaming. However, AI was working behind the scenes in most of the titles we played to deliver us a better experience. At the same time, the technology was helping developers be more productive by streamlining the game design process, all while adding to their creativity. In this article, we look at AI’s impact on gaming.

Personalizing Player Experiences

Gaming used to be a cookie-cutter experience. If two people played a game, they’d go through the exact same levels and battles, with the game ending the same way no matter who was playing it. AI is changing all of that by analyzing player behavior and preferences so that games can offer players a personalized experience.

Sometimes, this works by adjusting the difficulty level based on a player’s skill; that way, they don’t become frustrated and stop playing the game. At other times, the game may recommend a specific in-game item or upgrades based on the choices a player makes.

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You can see this at work in online casinos where AI algorithms suggest games or promotions based on how a player interacts with the platform. If a player gravitates to slots, the platform can recommend other titles within the genre, helping players find the games they most enjoy.

Improving Game Design

For years, game design was a labor-intensive intensive process. Designers spent hours on end creating game worlds, characters, and gameplay mechanics. From issuing invoices to gaming, automation has changed many fields. AI has automatized many of the manual tasks that game developers used to do. One of the most interesting content creation methods to come out of AI is procedural content generation (PCG). PCG automates the process of designing huge game worlds with detailed levels and a diverse cast of characters. If you’ve played games like Minecraft of No Man’s Sky, you have seen this technology at work.

Developers no longer have to manually design each game element. Instead, AI-powered PCG does it for them. AI algorithms can generate things like unique landscapes and dungeons, making sure everyone who plays the game experiences it differently. AI also helps with game mechanics by analyzing player interactions and feedback to create more intuitive gameplay.

Smarter Non-Player Characters (NPCs)

Sooner or later, every gamer encounters non-player characters (NPCs), and for years they left a lot to be desired. NPCs often followed highly predictable scripts with pre-programmed patterns that never changed in response to a player’s actions. If a player tried to interact with an NPC, they quickly learned the conversation wouldn’t get very far because their dialogue and actions were limited to a few fixed options.

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Things couldn’t be more different today. AI has led to the development of smarter, more responsive NPCs. These NPCs can adapt their behavior to what a player is doing in the game, learn from interactions, and even make decisions in ways that are similar to a human. The ability of AI-powered NPCs to adapt to the changing situations within a game has made gameplay more dynamic and unpredictable, which is much more fun for gamers.

In some games, AI-powered enemies can analyze a player’s strategy and adjust their tactics on the fly, making the game more challenging. Many games also have companion NPCs that can give players support based on their current situation, something that has resulted in more meaningful in-game alliances.

Along with these realistic NPCs, AI-powered tools are making graphics and animations better than ever before. Techniques like AI upscaling have improved the image quality in games, making visuals more realistic and immersive.

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