AI and Machine Learning: Shaping the Next Generation of Mobile Games
The global gaming industry is witnessing a major transformation. Initially featured in simple games like Pac-Man with simple rule-based systems, AI in gaming is reaching new heights. Unleashing the human imagination, businesses are embracing cutting-edge advancements to craft experiences that are predicted to reach $5.45B by the year 2031.
During the COVID years, the online gaming industry witnessed a hike, forcing game enthusiasts to find new ways to satisfy their gaming needs. While that growth has normalized, AI holds immense potential to revolutionize the industry’s future.
Witnessing the unexpected growth and popularity, AI game development companies are proactively making an elective array of casual games, AAA games, and mid-core games keeping a massive audience hooked.
What is AI Gaming?
The Role of AI & ML in Shaping the Gaming Landscape
Remember the year 1997 the world chess championship that went on for nine days? The all-time chess champion Garry Kasparov lost to IBM’s Deep Blue Machine. Over 9 days, the world’s best chess player competed with a machine and the machine won. How?
Artificial intelligence and its ability to analyze millions of moves per second. Thereafter, the gaming industry has been experimenting with new things by leveraging machine learning and generative AI in businesses. Redefining the gaming industry, gen AI can offer exciting ways for game developers to craft realistic visuals and immersive gameplay experiences.
Simultaneously, many established businesses and emerging startups are stepping into this virtual realm. For instance,
- A gen AI company specializing in infinite stories in games - Latitude, has raised close to $3 million.
- With the main focus on analyzing gaming data, Gosu Data Lab has gained a noteworthy $5 million in funding.
AI in Gaming: Use Cases
Non-Player Character (NPCs) Behavior
Image Enhancement and AI Upscaling
It’s a technique that enhances low-resolution images into higher-resolution versions without losing quality. This use case is proven to give new life to classic games, allowing players to experience sharper, more detailed visuals. Cutting-edge visuals can also be used on older hardware enabling gamers to enjoy modern, high-quality graphics.
NVIDIA, a world leader in AI computing is using DLSS technology demonstrating an excellent example of AI in image enhancements.
Procedural Content Generation (PCG)
Machine learning in gaming has equipped video games with multitudes of 3D objects, characters, clothing, props, music, graphics, quests, maps, and more.
Investing a significant amount of resources and creating these assets can be a complex, time-consuming process that requires significant resources. By using AI-driven PCG, developers can create richer, more diverse game worlds at a faster pace. For instance, AI Dungeon 2, an innovative text-based adventure game uses OpenAI’s GPT-3 language model to offer infinite adventures.
Player-Experience Modeling (PEM)
Cheat Detection in Multiplayer Games
Cheating in video games has long been a challenge in multiplayer games. As cheating tactics grow every day, players worldwide face unfair issues against opponents. This has created a pressing need for advanced technologies to detect and prevent cheating. AI in video games is reducing such situations by analyzing players’ movement patterns.
AI in Gaming: Types and Applications
Machine Learning AI
Rule-based AI
Finite State Machines
Pathfinding AI
Arising AI Trends in the Gaming Industry
Blockchain & NFT
Gen AI
Cloud Computing
AR & VR
FAQs
List some examples of mobile games that utilize AI.
- Call of Duty
- Fifa Series
- AlphaGo
- AI Dungeon
What are the downsides to using AI in mobile games?
How does AI improve game testing and quality assurance?
Conclusion
All of these present and potential advancements of AI in gaming seem fascinating. It’s revolutionizing mobile games, making them smarter, engaging, and highly personalized. By offering dynamic gameplay, responsive NPCs, and adaptive difficulty levels to the players, these technologies create richer experiences. Additionally, developers are now able to generate vast game worlds, analyze player behavior in real-time, and enhance graphics, all thanks to the ethical implications of AI.
As mobile gaming continues to evolve, the next generation of mobile games will be defined by this intelligent, evolving technology, making each gaming experience more personal, interactive, and enjoyable.
