With so many leaders struggling to comprehend the size and magnitude of AI and what it could mean for their sector, certain companies are embracing and using the technology to their advantage. Finding utility in such new technology can be daunting, but it could be a short-term gamble that pays off in the long run. Today, we will look at how far-reaching the tentacles of artificial intelligence could stray into gaming and what it means for you as a gamer or game developer.
When discussing a massive industry such as gaming, it is crucial to distinguish the dimensions and details involved. It doesn’t matter if you’re a console gamer, a PC gamer or whether you play games on your mobile phone, AI is going to change your experience, but by how much?
AI making gambling safer
The gaming industry is renowned for consistently working with new technology and using it as a springboard to facilitate the release of some of the biggest names, which have dominated the landscape. Arguably, the best example is casino gaming, where online casinos are starting to dominate as the number one form of gambling.
There are several reasons that casino players have cited as reasons that they prefer digital gaming.
Convenience is one; the variety of excellent promotional offers you can take advantage of that you won’t see in a land-based casino is another. In addition, many gamblers prefer that they can withdraw their winnings quickly and don’t have to worry about taking cash to a bank, as it’s available almost immediately, and it’s easy to see why people are moving towards this avenue.
Online casinos recognised the immense potential of the internet early on, with many setting up their business models in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The simultaneous enhancements helped them with internet connectivity, widespread availability and the mass production of smartphones, all of which attracted millions of customers to their websites.
With the rise of AI, many casinos have already started to use technology to help streamline virtual games such as poker and roulette. AI can also track customers to see how they gamble, what games are popular and how they can assist their customers in providing a much better, more rounded experience.
Enhancing in-game experience
While AI will change games of all genres and sizes, large multiplayer roleplay and NPC games could be the first of many to implement this phenomenal technology. Regardless of whether they are fantasy games or games with a semi-fictional element set in a more conventional gaming map, AI will be able to create characters within the game, generate more potential responses and even create imagery and music.
Game developers will be keen, for now, not to leave too much in the hands of AI but given that there is so much scope with this technology, it would be counterproductive not to use it in some capacity. We have seen the incredible imagery AI generates and the vast, detailed blocks of content that could be used to build virtual worlds or write detailed game scripts, saving gaming companies time and money.
AI could program characters within these games to create off-the-cuff responses and provide a more unique and tailored version for those looking to immerse themselves in these all-encompassing and vast gaming landscapes.
Better data collection
For the world’s biggest gaming companies, performing research about gamers’ behaviour and attitude can be costly and time-consuming. AI will be able to scan data at a much faster speed, with even better accuracy than the human eye and will be able to relay this information back to the game developers so that they can enhance their product as they move forward.
Other industries, such as healthcare, have tested methods involving mass data collection to improve overall patient outcomes. This will likely be one of the critical use cases of AI.
With more capital flowing into this sector and colossal entities such as Microsoft giving such strong financial backing to AI, data collection will be one of the most influential and lowest-risk methods where AI will become more commonplace in our society.
Conclusion
Microsoft’s investment has kickstarted a chain of events whereby the world’s greatest tech minds are ploughing their considerable time and resources into AI. Likewise, ChatGPT rivals are now generating colossal investments of their own. As these businesses square off against each other, this guarantees that momentum and innovation will accelerate within the sector.
The gaming industry is uniquely positioned as it has multiple arms in the internet and technology sectors. AI interweaves between both sectors, and gaming developers could find themselves in a unique position where they can use AI to bolster the online and offline gaming experiences, resulting in a completely new, fresh and innovative product.
