How AI Enhances Video Games

The gaming market, an essential pillar of the modern entertainment industry, has witnessed tremendous growth since introducing the first products in the mid-90s, primarily driven by technological improvements. The Internet has also played a significant role in transforming gaming since many players can now connect online via different devices, ranging from phones to PCs and tablets. As a matter of fact, users can stream games directly from the cloud to their devices, playing whenever, wherever, as long as they have a subscription and a good Internet connection.

Going forward, innovations like artificial intelligence, AI for short, improve how games are developed and played, to say nothing of the fact that they’re redefining the landscape. Tech Giant NVIDIA is revolutionizing gaming with its introduction of AI-powered NPC , first illustrated in a demo within the game Mecha Break , while industry heavyweights such as Electronic Arts are investing in the technology. Enthusiasm for AI is uneven. Some game developers are thrilled about its possibilities, but others are rather skeptical, cautious, and worried about its impending impact on the industry.

AI Has Been A Common Theme At GDC Presentations In Past Years

Over the last few years, the Moscone Center has welcomed banner advertisements from game companies exhibiting their use of the latest technology, such as blockchain, NFTs, and Web3. A handful of games reward players by paying them in digital tokens. Before interacting with one, though, you have to learn how to buy cryptocurrency . This year, companies took pride in their AI integrations, which foster sustained player engagement by offering a unique level of difficulty that corresponds with users’ abilities. Since the 1950s, AI has been leveraged to create opponents that could compete against humans using simple algorithms in games like tic-tac-toe or chess, so the use of the technology isn’t a new one.

In spite of the push for generative AI, the 2024 AI Summit at the Game Developers Conference mostly focused on classic game AI techniques since those are the ones used across the industry. Unfortunately, innovative upstarts and trusted veterans are reluctant to commit to including AI in their plans due to the additional work it requires to be functionally productive. A frequent concern is that AI will minimize, rather than enable, the work of creatives. Hollywood video game performers have decided to go on strike after nearly two years of negotiations, pointing out reservations about protections from generative AI.

It Can’t Create Entire Games Yet, But AI Drives Enhanced Experiences

From the very first, AI was used to make file sizes small enough for storage. Then, a while later, the technology was mobilized to broaden the possibilities of the world or map size and player/NPC strategy, extending its impact to enhancing graphics and audio effects and lending a vibrancy to storytelling. Developers can use AI to produce distinct and memorable voices for characters, which can mimic the accuracy of different accents, emotions, and speaking styles. Users can take screenshots of a game or a character and create fan art, paying tribute to and even making money from an original work.

AI retains past knowledge while learning new information, which translates into the fact that it can personalize gameplay in real-time, guaranteeing that no two gamers have the same experience. It can develop dynamic quests, dialogues, stories, and environments that maintain player interest, fostering a loyal gaming community. Video games are meticulously designed objects, part of a multibillion-dollar industry, and AI gives rise to new kinds of in-game interactions that are open-ended, in which the rules aren’t predefined by the designer but rather left open to the player’s interpretation. The game doesn’t always have to end.

Putting More Sophisticated NPCs In Games Is Possible, But It Costs A Lot Of Money

The reason why AI technology isn’t used for everything is that it’s expensive and requires lots of data, testing, and time. Project costs are influenced by various factors, including but not limited to development, hardware, feature complexity, and integration with existing systems. AI is coming, but it may take years to embrace the new innovation. If gaming studios fail to improve the player’s experience, they lose an incentive to make it happen because negative publicity travels fast and can hurt their reputation in no time. Nevertheless, some developers push on with NPC enhancements, struggling to make characters more believable and human-like.

With Generative AI, Those Who Create Games Can Revolutionize How They Work

For some time now, designers have resorted to AI to generate pieces of content, such as characters, sound, animation, texture, and objects, offloading tasks to nearby high-performance devices, which has become a standard practice in the industry. Generative AI can help create better content at a faster pace in a way that’s respectful of intellectual property while protecting proprietary data. Most of the universe in No Mans’s Sky (planets, solar systems, weather systems, etc.) is procedurally generated. Soon enough, games will be able to respond to a player’s voice or generate new content apropos of their behaviour.

Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest independent video game publishers, has published several Triple-A games like Assassin’s Creed. In case you didn’t already know, Ubisoft uses Ghostwriter, an in-house AI tool developed by its research and development department, that alleviates some of the video game writer’s most arduous tasks – writing “barks,” i.e., short lines of dialogue delivered mostly by NPCs. Ghostwrite generates countless options when it comes to background chatter, from which the human writer can select or polish. Put simply, it supports the creative journey, so it’s possible to navigate it a little more easily.

Game development lives in its own technical world, which means it has its own idioms, skills, and challenges. Pac-Man was developed for UC Berkeley’s introductory AI course, and its popularity wouldn’t have been the same without Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde, aka the Ghost Gang, who could alternate between different roles, whether neutral, aggressive, or elusive. The technology in most modern games addresses basic needs – the ability to move characters, make decisions about where they go, and think tactically and strategically.

All in all, AI promises to unlock new frontiers, but it won’t replace the human soul and spirit.