Artificial intelligence has completely transformed the digital media landscape, taking every corner to offer useful, functional, and high-quality solutions. Thanks to this advancement in the last years, navigation in different atmospheres has significantly improved, allowing users to access more exciting and satisfying experiences.
In this regard, the world of video games has not been an exception, as artificial intelligence has intertwined itself in every space, enabling more realistic, thrilling, and entertaining games. This makes it a fertile ground for enhancing the capabilities that artificial intelligence has to offer. Yes, there is a lot of potential in artificial intelligence tools, and we are probably just witnessing the tip of the iceberg to prepare for all that is to come.
One of the first applications of artificial intelligence in video games took place in 1997 when IBM developed Deep Blue, an AI system designed to play chess. None thought what was going to happen at that moment. With this application, Deep Blue won a match against the world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, marking a decisive moment in bringing visibility to artificial intelligence in games. It demonstrated its ability to compete equally with human winners in a complex strategic game. This undoubtedly paved the way for new advances in artificial intelligence applied to video games.
At present, Artificial intelligence is helping the entertainment world in general and its players to improve. Sectors such as casinos are a good example. For some time now, players have been able to access to casino reviews in India and see all the advantages that each of them has, from games to bonuses offered. Now, taking a step forward, artificial intelligence helps the casinos choose to know the tastes of the games so that users do not waste their time.
Artificial Intelligence has significantly increased user retention and satisfaction on casino platforms since implementing artificial intelligence-based systems. These platforms leverage these technologies to enhance user engagement and improve long-term retention. This approach not only saves users time but also provides more personalized experiences from the outset, enhancing the operational efficiency of online casinos.
Although we may not always be aware of the active presence of artificial intelligence in games, it is already integrated into them innovatively, introducing advanced technologies that go beyond the simple simulation of players without human control.
There are many ways in which artificial intelligence can be used in video games, so in this instance, we will delve into some innovative and interesting ways in which artificial intelligence is used in the world of gaming.
One application of Artificial Intelligence in video games is reinforcement learning. This involves training an agent to improve its reward function and performance in an assigned task to increase the chances of winning the game. In this context, one of the pioneers was Deep Blue when it defeated the world chess champion AlphaGo, which demonstrated the potential of artificial intelligence in strategic games.
Other examples, Dota2, where OpenAI Five defeated expert players, or Agent57, which excelled in various Atari console games, showcase the ability of artificial intelligence to learn and adapt in complex environments.
Combining exploitation and exploration techniques with deep reinforcement learning algorithms is decisive for agents to improve through the accumulated experience across different gaming situations.
Another application of artificial intelligence in video games is image processing techniques to enhance the experience. Artificial intelligence is not just a tool limited to winning games; it has tremendous potential to improve various areas, helping achieve a better visual experience for players.
An example is NVIDIA, which uses artificial intelligence techniques like “Deep Learning Super Sampling” (DLSS) to improve image quality and performance substantially. DLSS is based on an autoencoder model, a neural network with encoding and decoding stages. This image scaling method allows deducing how the target frame should look from a lower resolution, offloading processing load on the GPU and increasing frame generation speed.
There’s also a growing application in recent years known as NPC Non-Player Character Intelligence. In many video games, artificial intelligence is manifested through Non-Player Characters or NPCs. In these cases, algorithms like decision trees are used to define NPC behavior. These logical models help NPCs interact with player actions in a coherent manner. The evolution towards more complex models, such as reinforcement learning, allows for more natural and human-like behavior.
The use of algorithms like random forests that combine multiple decision trees has become quite common in developing predictive models in different fields.
In the case of Procedural Generation in video games, it enhances the player’s experience by automatically creating parts of the game, such as levels, characters, and music, in a random yet controlled manner. This type of artificial intelligence application involves establishing rules and procedures to guide the algorithm’s behavior and thus avoid inconsistent results.
The content generation process uses Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) technology, where the generator creates “fake” images for the discriminator to distinguish between real and fake. This approach is demonstrated in No Man’s Sky, which automatically creates a vast and diverse universe.
Artificial intelligence has transformed the development of video games, becoming a constant driver of innovation. Reinforcement learning strategies have led to more complex and customizable experiences.
At the same time, image processing technology has improved visual quality, resolution, and graphics performance for greater realism in every single video game developed. Meanwhile, procedural generation, driven by technologies such as generative adversarial networks (also known as GANs), has aided content creation, enabling more dynamic and personalized gaming experiences.
In addition, the impact of artificial intelligence in video games has gone further, helping to continuously evolve and not only enhance the gaming experience but also pave the way for further improvements. The combination of these artificial intelligence tools not only transforms the way users relate to video games but also helps to achieve a broader culture of creativity and advancement. This undoubtedly means a trajectory that ensures that the gaming experience will continue to advance, setting new standards for realism, interactivity and overall user satisfaction.
