- By Jane Wakefield
- Technology Reporter
image source, Promethean Developers
Andrew Maximoff has been working in the computer games industry for 12 years, but even with all that experience, he's still amazed at the amount of money that goes into making the biggest titles.
“I used to work for PlayStation and the last game I worked on cost us $220 just to produce. [£176m]And then you double that for marketing, and you're at half a billion dollars for every game you put out there, which is a little unsustainable for most companies.”
He believes that artificial intelligence (AI) will play an important role in keeping down the rising costs of game production, and will save video game designers significant time by automating repetitive tasks.
His company, Promethean AI, offers developers a set of tools to create their own virtual worlds. Mr Maksimoff hopes that the preparations for the Games will be disrupted at that time.
“What we're trying to do is replace that with a system that can learn directly from artists, so that artists can be the authors of their own automation.”
Humans will still play a key role in the production process. AI will work alongside humans and enable them to be more creative.
“We can create a vision for a game and then the artist can click a button and ask an AI for feedback. They'll then pull in examples from their library of concept art and digital ideas to create their project. are related,” says Mr. Maximoff.
Sometimes AI comes up with amazing ideas.
“I remember one time we were trying to build a police station and we asked the AI to populate it, and it came back with donuts on every table.
“Another time, we were building an apartment and he kept putting a sock under the coffee table. We wondered if it was a bug but found out we labeled it a bachelor apartment, so I guess “It was somewhat logical,” he says.
image source, Getty Images
Californian software firm Inworld is also employing AI to create elements of computer games.
It has created an engine that allows developers to add realism to game worlds and emotional depth to characters. The firm is also working on what it calls Narrative Graph, developed in partnership with Xbox, which will use AI to help create storylines.
Chief executive Kellan Gibbs told the BBC that he believes AI will allow developers to “dream bigger than ever”.
“The engine allows developers to add AI agents that can see, feel and sense the world around them, as well as interact with players and perform in-game actions. “When you can imbue virtual characters with advanced cognitive abilities, it opens up a whole new paradigm for storytelling and gameplay,” he says.
Nick Walton is the chief executive of gaming firm Latitude.io, and he believes AI has the power to personalize the gaming experience.
“We're early on with AI and as it progresses we'll see very dynamic, adaptive worlds where the characters feel alive, with story arcs where you as the hero are doing unique things and have a very unique impact on the world. Making an impact.
“You can play a game where you get a city that no one cares about and no other player has spent time in, and you really invest in it,” he tells the BBC. can and build relationships with all of its characters.” .
image source, Getty Images
His firm developed AI Dungeon, a game that lets players choose from different worlds and create their own stories within it.
“It's like those old text adventures where you type an action and then the game determines what happens next.
“But the key difference is that instead of a developer pre-imagining everything he can do, AI can dynamically decide what happens next. So any action is possible.”
He said he was surprised by the success of Dungeon, the first version of which was launched in 2019.
“It started as a side project that I just put on the Internet and within a week 100,000 people had played it,” he says.
“I think there's just a lot of replayability because the story is different every time and you can take it in any direction. And it's that ability to make the right choices that's always been the goal of a lot of games.”
Over-reliance on AI could have a knock-on effect on humans in the industry.
Andrew Wilson, chief executive of computer games giant EA, recently told delegates at a conference that about 60 percent of a game publisher's development process could be influenced by AI tools. The firm recently laid off 5 percent of its staff, about 670 jobs.
Mr Maximov doesn't necessarily see AI replacing humans but rather allowing humans more “creative dignity”, something that's been lost at some of the big game publishing houses where developers are tasked with doing too much repetitive work. is given
“There are a lot of developers who saw Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and were inspired to go and do something good but have been spending their days putting rocks outside the castle for a year now,” he said. “
“There's a lot to be said for recapturing the true purpose and value of these jobs, giving every artist a chance to say 'I can make my game now'.”
Mr. Gibb agrees. “We've heard from narrative designers and developers that our platform adds maximum interactivity and engagement to games, but requires deep and thoughtful inputs from humans. To create the illusion of intelligence, Inworld Characters with rich backstories, memories, knowledge, and goals — all designed by an author. It's about expanding human creativity.”