If 2024 has had a technology that defines the year it is definitely artificial intelligence. Some people think of the last year or two as the time when AI finally made its biggest breakthrough. Technology, once reserved for books and science fiction films, has become available to more people around the world, and some of it is even free.

Some surveys have shown one in five people already use AI in their daily lives for things like work or even things like meal planning.

AI could definitely transform one industry in particular; gaming. Games have already started to experiment with AI and it is one of the areas where we have considered AI to be part of the equation for decades. Some players choose to play “against the AI” in these kinds of games. That may not strictly mean the same thing as ChatGPT or Claude, but it shows gaming’s propensity to use these new terms.

Detailed Simulations and Strategy

Some genres have more of a call for data-driven simulations than others. Extremely popular simulations such as F1 manager games aren’t really about the graphics but they are definitely about the more advanced areas of management and use a lot of different statistics. F1 Manager games work in slightly different ways but they are generally about managing a team of drivers and engineers and trying to navigate through Formula 1 seasons and win the most races and titles.

These games are already immensely detailed but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for even more detail to enter the equation, AI can potentially give other teams and competitors in the games more of a realistic feeling of making decisions, plus simulate what could happen in real life with a lot more detail.

Football Manager is one of the very biggest games in the world of strategy and simulation such as sports sims. In this, people take on the role of managing a team such as recruiting players and setting up the tactics. Machine learning and artificial intelligence can drive the decisions of other teams and managers as well as players in these games and generally provide a more immersive experience.

People who play other simulation games like the Sims may also be thinking about the future of these games based on more sophisticated AI. These games already make use of sophisticated algorithms that give the characters in the game a more realistic way of interacting with their surroundings and making autonomous decisions. The Sims could become eerily similar to another version of real life.

Storytelling Through AI

Storytelling in games is one of the many ways that we keep the human connection but it could well be that AI is likely to take over. Most games follow a linear narrative, or at best, offer a few branching choices that eventually converge on similar outcomes. But what if a game could craft a unique story based on each player’s actions?

AI could make that possible. By analyzing how players interact with the game – what choices they make and how they solve problems. Even which characters they talk to could be dictated by storytelling – AI systems could generate personalized stories that feel truly unique. A player’s decisions could impact the entire world. Suddenly, no two playthroughs would ever be the same.

A Streamlined Process of Making Games

AI tools are already making some industries easier and providing a faster way for developers to create something new. Video editing is an industry where we are seeing AI already playing a part in the process and taking some of the work out of human hands. It is not yet perfect but as time goes on, video editing will likely become much more sophisticated.

AI tools could help developers by taking over more repetitive tasks like bug fixing or optimizing code. This could free up time for creative work, leading to more innovative and polished games.

AI can even assist in testing. Instead of relying on human testers to find every glitch or balance issue, AI could play through the game countless times and potentially identify problems that might take human testers weeks or months to catch. This could lead to games that are more stable at launch, without those annoying bugs that often plague new releases.

Conclusion

Ai doesn’t need to replace creativity in the process. Not many gamers are hoping for a world where AI is telling them what to do or dictating what games are like. We definitely know that it can make the process more streamlined in terms of making the games and developers may find that AI is a useful accomplice. On top of that, the detail levels in the game and the AI characters and NPCs will become far more advanced in the near future as AI changes the game. Literally!