Love it or loathe it, Artificial Intelligence is creating a substantial shift in the digital gaming landscape. Rapidly ascending from a fringe technology, AI is now actively redefining how games are built, played and even monetised. Whether you’re navigating sprawling open worlds or fine-tuning strategy in a competitive setting, AI is quietly orchestrating more of your experience than you first thought.
From procedural content generation to hyper-personalisation, AI’s fingerprints are everywhere. Microsoft is just one of the gaming incumbents to experiment with generative AI in development processes, while Ubisoft is making tackling toxicity in the gaming community a priority with its transformer algorithms. But, where is all this heading and what does it mean for the wider digital gaming industry?
The End of Repetitive Grunt Work?
The process of developing video games has long been a balancing act between creativity and technical labour. Developers pour countless hours into meticulously writing code, crafting assets and refining mechanics - even for the most lightweight of indie games. Now, AI is cutting through the inefficiencies. Take Roblox’s recent open-source model, which can generate 3D assets from text prompts. This groundbreaking technology could eventually allow creators to build entire game worlds with a fraction of the effort.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is integrating generative AI to assist developers in coding, asset creation and even narrative structuring. Its newly-launched World and Human Action Model (WHAM), aka Muse, aims to help studios produce more polished games at a faster rate by automating the repetitive tasks involved in generating visuals and game controls.
The implications could well kickstart an evolution in digital game development: fewer bottlenecks in development cycles, reduced production costs and a general democratisation of the industry. Smaller teams, even solo developers, may soon be able to craft games at a level and quality that was once only possible with a large studio.
Innovations for Developers and Gamers Alike
If you’ve ever laughed at an NPC running into a wall or pulled your hair out over the obtuseness of an AI opponent, you’ll understand why AI-driven behaviors have historically been underwhelming. That’s right, artificial intelligence has long been a part of video game development, just in its less-sophisticated form.
All that’s beginning to change. Razer’s laid its stake in AI-supported development with the launch of WYVRN. This brand new developer platform contains a suit of development-focused automation tools, including the innovative AI QA Copilot: a cloud-based plug-in for game engines that aims to improve efficiency in quality assurance testing.
The platform isn’t all industry-facing though - there’s even an AI tool for gamers (Gamer Copilot) that delivers real-time tips via voice assistant during play.
Meanwhile, the overall experience of multiplayer and live-servies games is going through a period of transformation. AI moderation tools can detect and counteract toxic behavior in real time.
Imagine a function that doesn’t just mute troublemakers but dynamically alteras matchmaking algorithms to prioritise community safeguarding. Ubisoft is just one company experimenting with such tech to stamp out toxicity in online gaming spaces.
AI in the Online Casino Industry
While video gaming is exploring AI’s creative potential, other digital gaming sectors are leveraging AI for an entirely different purpose. Case in point: AI-driven personalisation in the online casino gaming industry.
The sector itself has firmly taken root in mainstream gaming over the decades, with players from all sorts of demographics heading to online platforms to get their fill of digital versions of casino classics. Titles in the online slots category, in particular, appeal to video gamers, with the vibrant visuals and compelling gameplay providing a lightweight alternative to mammoth gaming sessions. However, while video gaming is mostly focused on the role of AI in game development, in the iGaming realm, the focus is 100% on player experience.
According to industry insiders at the recent ICE conference in Barcelona this Jan, AI is now being deployed to create hyper-personalized gaming experiences. Moving beyond “one-size-fits-all” gaming, AI tools can track player engagement, pinpoint trends in user behaviour and dynamically adapt recommended gaming content and promotions in real-time.
The advantages of this approach are twofold: consumers receive tailored recommendations for games and offers based on their unique interests, while operators feel the benefit of increased customer retention.
The AI Dilemma
With AI advancing at a rapid pace, the industry nevertheless faces a dilemma.
Will this increased use of AI tools rapidly diminish originally in gaming sectors? While the tech itself is certainly impressive, nevertheless, even the most sophisticated AI model still struggles with nuanced creative processes. Moreover, will automation eventually lead to human designers having to take a backseat?
Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a passing trend, it’s an evolving force that will continue to shape digital gaming sectors well into the future. What’s crucial to remember, though, is that we humans are the ones who can decide how far we’re willing to let it go. AI may be fast, but it lacks the human touch that makes gaming a truly memorable and resonant experience.
