Artificial Intelligence has come on leaps and bounds in recent years while the gaming industry continues to dominate the entertainment sector, raking in more revenue than TV and movies combined. It stands to reason that these two digital powerhouses would combine.

Through AI gaming, players are now being treated to more immersive gameplay, virtually unending stories, and huge potential for other innovations and improvements. And it isn’t just the games themselves that are improving, with publishers and retailers being able to use AI in their marketing and their analysis of game performance, shaping future business decisions.

AI Game Design

We may be some way off AI creating full, expansive games like Starfield. Starfield is a hugely expansive game with more than 1,000 planets across 100 systems. It also has several thousand named Non-Player Characters (NPCs) that need to knit together seamlessly to create an immersive and enjoyable game.

But, simpler games are not outside the scope of artificial intelligence. Slot machines, a commonly played form of iGaming, use relatively similar algorithms and calculations and their artwork and audio are simple enough that artificial intelligence could be used to make these games. It could also be used to test the random number generators and ensure a playable experience for gamers. As new real-money slots come in dozens of forms with various motifs and features, players are flocking to these platforms globally. Many offer no-deposit free spins, for starters, with fast payouts, with crypto or traditional payment methods (source:Techopedia). AI-assisted game development will help slot game providers and players follow the gaming patterns, track their stats, and enjoy an even more immersive playing experience. 

Realistic NPC Behavior

NPCs can turn average games into immersive experiences. Games like the Fallout series have long relied on their characters to help further improve the experience they offer. But, even in games like Fallout, glitched and odd behaviors can ruin the illusion and break immersion, even if they do make for entertaining content.

AI-enabled NPCs can better simulate the behavior of real players, even mimicking the actions of some of the best players. Call Of Duty practice games against bot opponents could become a real challenge and actually prepare players for multiplayer experiences.

Procedural Generation

Games like Minecraft and No Man’s Sky use procedural generation in their game design. In the case of the block-building game Minecraft, it ensures that biomes go on virtually forever, and thanks to the use of this technique in No Man’s Sky, there are supposedly 18 quintillion planets for players to potentially explore.

Using AI to generate game worlds can ensure they aren’t glitchy and even that they match the player’s play style. And it isn’t just worlds and terrain that can be generated. AI could be used to continuously generate new storylines and additional content so that players can continue to experience the game even after they have played the main quest line.

Individual Storytelling

AI can pick up on performance patterns. It can determine the type of levels, missions, or gameplay that individuals enjoy. This further enables it to be able to create new levels and gameplay tailored specifically to each player’s individual preferences.

If you prefer boss battles to grind, AI would recognize this and provide you with more and more bosses to fight. If you enjoy heading out and farming kills, the AI would ramp up farming requirements. If you’re the type of player who enjoys chatting to NPCs and making decisions that shape the game, you could expect more storylines based around this format.

Game Difficulty Personalization

Artificial Intelligence would also be able to determine whether you’re finding a game too easy or too difficult. You wouldn’t need to head into the settings and lower difficulty: the game would do that for you.

Sony has filed a patent for exactly this kind of system, but rather than just ramping up or lowering the overall difficulty, Sony’s proposed system would determine what players are struggling with and what they find easy. If it determines that a player struggles to make headshots, it might increase the size of the hit box. If headshots are second nature, it might reduce the damage multiplier for making the perfect hit.

Image Upscaling

AI has already been used in some games to improve the visuals. In particular, AI image upscaling can be a great way of turning low-resolution images into higher-resolution alternatives.

The technique is used in Cyberpunk 2077 to improve frame rates and offer better-looking visuals to its players without ramping up production costs to unsustainable levels.

AI Artwork

The use of AI to create game artwork is somewhat controversial. AI can effectively be used to replicate images and artwork created by others, which can be very beneficial to game producers. However, critics state that it is unfair that AI modeling can take and use artist’s work without giving them credit or compensation.

With permission from game artists, however, AI could be used to create more visual artwork for use within games.

AI Analytics

More than 3 billion people play games of some sort each day, which means a massive amount of data is generated by players. The data that is generated is invaluable to game developers because it shows what gamers like and what they dislike.

Businesses can use AI to help them identify trends within the gaming industry, and within games themselves, and then apply this information to their business efforts. It also means that gamers themselves are more likely to be presented with the type of games they enjoy.

Cheat Detection

Cheating in video games is fairly common. The cry of “hacker” can be heard across most gamers’ houses, and gaming companies invest a lot of money in identifying and taking action against cheaters.

AI can monitor and analyze the patterns of players, ultimately determining whether players are cheating and how they are doing it. Player Unknown Battleground uses this technology already and has gone some way to eliminate cheaters from its massively popular game.

Conclusion

Artificial Intelligence is a disruptive technology that has the potential to change our lives in a myriad of ways. It is already being put to use in the gaming industry and is used to help drive business and marketing decisions while also being implemented in game design and development.

As the technology continues to improve, it won’t be too long before we are presented with a game made almost entirely using artificial intelligence.