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The world of video games is slowly coming to a full circle. Before and in its earliest beginnings, we had to program AI and set boundaries for it inside a game. AI today has evolved past that, and it can generate video game content, dialogues, characters, and more, enhancing and personalizing a game. While we are still not at a point where AI can make entire games, such a possibility is on the horizon.
Global Generative AI was worth $922 million in 2022. Its rise is predicted to be 23.3% between 2023 and 2032, and AI will change how we look at games. Gaming today is different from how the industry looked in 2010, and even more so before that, as VR, AI, advanced haptics, eye tracking software, and quantum computing are available.
Strapping on a VR headset lets players experience a new dimension of playing, immersing themselves in a digital landscape. Popular games like Skyrim have already made VR+AI tech a possibility with generated content, and the industry will only grow from there.
Modern gaming technology may replace how we view, interact, and make games in the future, but it will also save plenty of lost and old favorites. Putting a fresh coat of paint, revitalizing, and introducing previous hits into a modern era with AI tech is possible, as the foundations exist and only need to be brought into a modern age. Consider the best Plinko gambling sites, which show that old games can still thrive with a few upgrades for modern gaming audiences, or Nintendo offering a growing library of classic Super NES games (from the 90s) on its Switch console (from 2017).
Our world is not exempt from changes and the influence of gaming technology. Augmented reality allows users to game in real life, enhancing our surroundings with game avatars and icons. Pokémon Go is a landmark success in the field, showing the tip of the iceberg of possibilities.
With the option to layer and combine our world with any gaming one, the possibilities for growth and innovation become endless. Seeing as the global VR gaming market was worth $27.80 billion in 2022 with predicted growth of 36% by 2030, it’s easy to see why the industry is rapidly adopting the tech.
Neural links technology can enhance even classic games like Space Invaders. Its modern counterpart: “Invaders Reloaded” allows players to play the game using their concentration and feelings, which are detected by the NeuroSky MindWave headset.
Games always strive to deliver a personalized experience, telling stories that appeal to their target audience and sharing their content accordingly. Sometimes, a game would resonate with its audience, but it alienates others who don’t find the appeal. Machine learning with generative AI can create personalized games based on player input and previous history. Combining and utilizing all that information, AI technology can process it and assist game developers in making the ideal game for their players, or even generate entire game sections.
Because games are a multimedia experience, graphics and sound must work together. Sound files and content are usually large and difficult to record and cover for all game aspects. With spatial audio, sounds, music, and dialogue are generated automatically for the game and its parts, eliminating the need for manually recording each sound.
Finally, quantum computing can bring all of the aforementioned aspects together. Generating images, graphics, processing worlds, and creating AI that can challenge the player requires processing power. The technology behind video games has always been a driving factor for upgrading graphic cards, but games can only advance with the tools they have at their disposal.
Quantum computers offer incredible processing power, which can utilize modern technologies and give them the means to achieve their full potential. One concrete example is a holodeck simulation, where VR and AR/AI combine in real space to bring the most immersive gaming experience available. Players can move in real-world space and interact with their game world, via peripherals, voice commands, or movement.
All individual techs are currently in their infancy but rapidly heading toward maturity. As gaming technology progresses, more parts will connect and click, working in synergy to enhance and create a new breed of games. Ones that will be more impressive, personal, and everything we imagined. Indeed, those games will bring our wildest dreams to life.
