Making video games with AI

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in video game development is expanding rapidly and has significant advances and an adoption rate in this industry. It is forecast that the profitability of AI technology in video games will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 45% from 2021 to 2026.

Artificial intelligence is becoming one of the essential components of game design. Generating relevant content, automatically adjusting the difficulty level of game stages, creating realistic behaviors for non-player characters (NPCs), and delivering unique experiences from personalized games point to a promising future for this technology in the video game industry. Ongoing advances in artificial intelligence also promise more immersive and engaging gameplay in next-generation games. Although game developers' uptake of using artificial intelligence in the video game industry has been growing, some critics believe that the hidden challenges in AI will harm the future of video games.

Why should artificial intelligence be used in making video games?

Improving game design and development is the most important advantage of using artificial intelligence in making games. As seen in the advances of Unreal Engine 5 and its capabilities, AI technology has the ability to automatically design vast and complex game worlds and functional levels. This will reduce the time and cost of developing the game-making process.

Artificial intelligence makes it possible to create non-player characters (NPCs) that can adapt and learn according to game developers' mental assumptions. These non-player elements interact with players during gameplay and offer them more dynamic and engaging experiences.

Automated testing and quality control is part of the final evaluation process in making games. Artificial intelligence can simulate thousands of test playthroughs and identify bugs, balance issues, and performance problems more efficiently than human testers. For example, in the game PUBG, machine learning algorithms are used to understand player interaction and optimize gameplay.

Analyzing player behavior and preferences regarding game difficulty and rewards, and also adapting them to the player's personal experience, is another AI achievement toward improving the user experience of games. Artificial intelligence can track and analyze player behavior to provide insights on how players interact with the game and, on the other hand, help developers improve design and user experience. These outputs help artificial intelligence create smarter and more unpredictable opponents and increase the challenge and enjoyment of the game.

These days, AI-based storytelling has gained considerable popularity. Artificial intelligence can create adaptive stories and dialogues based on player choices and deliver unique and replayable narrative experiences at any time in the game.

 

 

Preventing players' fraudulent actions and creating a fair and competitive environment is another application of AI in improving game mechanics. AI technology closely monitors players' activities during multiplayer games. This monitoring is such that players' cheating in games such as League of Legends and other online games is easily identified.

Game developers' trust in artificial intelligence

Above we noted that game developers have a strong desire to improve the speed of the game-making process using AI tools. In this regard, Andrew Wilson, president of the game company EA, has claimed that we will transform the game development process in the next five years.

EA's CEO said in this regard:

We believe that more than 50% of our development process will be positively affected by artificial intelligence. We will be able to build larger and more immersive worlds this way.

For example, this company in the game FIFA 23 had used 36 animations for football players running. In later versions of the game we saw that this number, with the help of artificial intelligence, has reached 1,200 animations.

In Wilson's view, the second stage of their mission is how they can expand their games further. How can they create larger worlds with more characters and more engaging stories?

On this matter Wilson also stated:

If efficiency is truly realized in the next 1 to 3 years, our expectation is that in the 3-to-5-year timeframe we will be able, as part of large online communities and bestselling storytelling titles, to build larger and more immersive worlds that uniquely attract more players around the world. And we have set a 3-to-5-year timeframe to achieve this.

Of course, gamers believe the main focus of these strategies is maximizing game companies' profits, at any cost. This very matter has worried players, because perhaps excessive use of artificial intelligence will reduce the quality of games and threaten the future of the game industry.

Building exclusive artificial intelligence for game consoles

In recent years the Microsoft company has been seeking to offer a capability for its game consoles so as to handle users' problems quickly. This company has recently developed the Xbox chatbot under the title Xbox Support Virtual Agent. This feature may soon be made available to all players. Tom Warren of the news site The Verge has explained in this regard that:

During the Xbox meeting held earlier this calendar year, Microsoft company managers outlined the plans and vision of Xbox Everywhere . This strategy included AI innovation as an important and key part.

It should also be noted that Microsoft is not the only company using artificial intelligence in the video game industry. According to news and reports, Sony is also trying to use artificial intelligence for the PlayStation 5 Pro console for image resolution and game frame rates and to improve their performance. Therefore, with significant advances in these technologies, it is expected that in the future the use of artificial intelligence in consoles, networks, and games will increase substantially.

Challenges of using artificial intelligence in making games

Using artificial intelligence in making and developing games requires up-to-date expertise and technical skills. Providing these opportunities is a major barrier for smaller studios. Ensuring that AI algorithms run efficiently without reducing game performance is also considered a major challenge in terms of technical complexity. Following these challenges, potential problems in cost management and resource allocation arise. The costs arising from AI development and the need for specialized knowledge and tools that can put companies' budgets and resources under pressure. AI infrastructure needs continuous monitoring, updating, and refinement to maintain its effectiveness.

Negative effects on how players interact with the game environment are another foreseeable challenge of artificial intelligence. Some players need time to adapt to game features that are based on artificial intelligence. Their resistance to these adaptations may seriously change the features of games. In another part, we see that AI opponents in games are highly challenging and matching them is sometimes frustratingly difficult. Failure to balance the difficulty level of games will have a negative effect on the player's satisfaction with the game

Collecting and analyzing data from players' activity to improve the performance of AI systems raises concerns about users' privacy and security. Over-reliance on artificial intelligence may also limit creativity in making games. Video game fans believe that the use of AI has made human creativity less visible in designing game environments, because machine development and automated systems can lack the subtlety of human design.

Closing remarks

With the advance of AI technology, it is expected that video game structures will use more complex, incredible characters, more immersive worlds, and stories personalized on the basis of individual preferences. These points show that artificial intelligence not only transforms the technical aspects of game development; it also improves players' experiences and will have a positive effect on the economic growth of the game-making industry.

Integrating artificial intelligence into video game development offers significant opportunities to improve game design, development, and the player experience, but it also faces important challenges related to technical complexity, costs, ethics, and player acceptance. Balancing these aspects is the key to using AI effectively in the game industry.