What Role Will A.I. Play in the Future of Video Games?

A lot of media has a very similar vision of what the future of video games will look like. The Star Trek series has the Holodeck, Ready Player One depicted a perfect immersive VR experience, and Black Mirror saw it as a neurological experience. All of them have one thing in common. An adaptive, responsive and intelligent A.I. that can create unique and realistic gameplay. As crazy and farfetched as some of the ideas may seem, there is an old adage to keep in mind: ‘Science Fiction begets Science’. And in this case, it may very well be true.

Artificial Intelligence and video games are not a recent marriage. It can be safely said that without A.I., video games would either be extremely dull or not exist at all. Though crude and simplistic in its design and application, Pong, one of the first video games ever released utilized A.I. to control the opposing paddle. Or Pac-Man, where the A.I would attempt to corner and seal in the user as the ghosts.  If you have played any video game that has ever come out, then you have interacted with A.I. on some level. 

However, it is a common misconception to put video game A.I. in the same boat as the A.I. that is used in other more academic fields (e.g. medical, self-driving cars, military etc.). The main difference between the two distinctions can be simplified to two key points: The former focuses on gameplay and user interaction and experience, while the latter utilizes machine learning and pragmatism. But this divide is closing between the two types. And that means great things for video games and players.

As mentioned previously, video game A.I. has already been developed that utilizes (to greater extents daily) the practice of machine learning and applied knowledge. Shadow of Mordor Developers, Monolith Productions have created an A.I. specifically for the video game aptly named “Nemesis System”. The A.I. monitors all NPC’s that the main character interacts with on a battlefield. Those not killed, survived interactions with player, killed or wounded the player and so forth are specifically monitored. Those NPC’s would then be promoted, given strength or armour upgrades, and would hunt out the protagonist with vengeance and purpose. Although this system was only used for the Shadow of Mordor series, its existence is conceptual proof that deep learning and applied knowledge not only benefited the gameplay but enhanced the users' interactions.

The unification of the two ideas of game experience and deep learning is now becoming more common in video games. As these two ideologies form into a singular vision, the gaming industry is set to optimize its further utilization of A.I. This can be done in a programing level as well as player interaction. As of right now, most game developers utilize multiple A.I. systems for each game. To make it simple, one controls such matters as NPC’s and the game atmosphere. The other is based more on the actual gameplay; the puzzles, combat and such. With both A.I. systems working independently of each other and solely for one game. However, if both systems were married into one, and the applications of machine learning and problem-solving were applied, a unique and challenging experience could unfold in each game.