AI in Gaming: Benefits and Potential Opportunities
If you look deep down at how video games are developed, AI in gaming has always been around since the arcade days. Since the 1980s, games like Pacman used AI to control the ghosts/enemies that chase the player around the screen. However, AI has evolved a lot since then, and now it can also help create games, not just play them. AI can assist game developers in many ways, such as generating scripts, voices, and art for games. This could save time and money and allow developers to focus more on creativity and innovation. The gaming industry is one of the most lucrative and innovative sectors in the world, with a global market size of $200 billion in 2023, according to Grand View Research. Gaming is also a domain where artificial intelligence (AI) plays a crucial role, both as a tool for creating and enhancing game content and as a feature for providing immersive and adaptive experiences for players. Reducing Costs and Saving Time AI in gaming is that it can reduce costs and save time for game production. AI can automate or semi-automate some tasks that are tedious, repetitive, or time-consuming for human developers, such as generating textures, landscapes, animations, sounds, music, dialogues, stories, levels, maps, characters, rules, and so on. AI can also optimize or improve some aspects of game performance, such as rendering, loading, networking, debugging, testing, and so on. By using AI, game developers can save money and resources, and focus more on the core aspects of game design and development. According to UBS Securities analyst Kenji Fukuyama, the investment of money and time for such projects can be sliced in half by AI. He also stated that “Nothing can reverse, stop, or slow the current AI trend” in the gaming industry. There has been a rise in companies that are using AI to reduce costs and save time for game production, such as MoonlanderAI and Futureverse. MoonlanderAI recently announced the alpha release of its AI-powered platform for building immersive 3D games and experiences. The platform leverages updated large language models (LLMs), machine learning algorithms, and generative diffusion models to streamline the game development pipeline. The platform also includes a “text-2-game” feature that lets anyone develop a 3D game based on a text description. Futureverse has raised $54 million in a new round of funding in an effort to marry AI and the metaverse. Futureverse is an AI and metaverse technology and content company that aims to empower developers and users to create and engage with interoperable content and applications previously unavailable within the metaverse. The company’s technology platform includes a suite of proprietary AI content generation tools designed to enhance the music, objects, characters, and animations that make up the metaverse. The company has also launched AI-powered consumer games, such as AI League in cooperation with FIFA and Muhammad Ali – The Next Legends in partnership with Muhammad Ali Enterprises. Increasing Variety and Quality of Game Content AI can generate game content that is diverse, novel, realistic, coherent, balanced, and fun. AI can also learn from existing game content or data and generate new content that is similar or different. AI can also adapt or modify game content based on the player’s preferences, behavior, mood, or feedback. By using AI, game developers can create more engaging and satisfying games for players. Ubisoft has used AI to create realistic landscapes for its open-world games, while Sony has patented a system that can generate music based on the player’s mood and preferences. Some game developers have also used AI to create novel genres or mechanics for games, such as card games that use natural language processing or platformers that use generative adversarial networks. Enabling Personalization and Adaptation of Game Experiences AI in gaming can enable the personalization and adaptation of game experiences. AI can tailor game experiences to each individual player’s needs, wants, and goals. AI can also adjust game difficulty, challenge, and pace to match the player’s skill, progress, and interest. AI can also provide feedback, guidance, and support to the player to enhance their learning, motivation, and enjoyment. By using AI, game developers can create more immersive and interactive games for players. For instance, Microsoft has used AI to make its games more accessible for players with disabilities, such as using eye-tracking technology to control games or using speech recognition to transcribe dialogues. Some game developers have also used AI to create adaptive narratives or characters for games, such as interactive fiction that uses natural language understanding or role-playing games that use emotional models. Fostering Creativity and Innovation in the Gaming Industry AI can inspire human developers and designers to explore new ideas, concepts, and genres for games. AI can also collaborate with human developers and designers to co-create game content or features. AI can also challenge human developers and designers to improve their skills, knowledge, and methods for game design and development. By using AI, game developers can create more original and innovative games for players. Recently, Agate’s R&D team has been exploring the use of procedural content generation (PCG) techniques to enhance its game development services. PCG is the process of using an AI system to author aspects of a game that a human designer would typically be responsible for creating, from textures and natural effects to levels and quests, and even to the game rules themselves. PCG creates game content algorithmically rather than manually, which can save time, resources and increase variety and replayability. PCG allows Agate’s game designers to create various types of game content using PCG algorithms, empowering them with more creative freedom and flexibility while ensuring the quality and coherence of the generated content. Conclusion AI is a game-changer for the gaming industry, but it also comes with some challenges and controversies. The gaming industry needs to embrace AI as a tool for creating and enhancing game content, but also as a feature for providing immersive and adaptive experiences for players. However, the gaming industry also needs to
