90°

'Games made by soulless machines': Tech sparks debate over AI stories in video games

Is the future of artificial intelligence in video games playing out in a cyberpunk ramen bar? Tech companies would like you to think so, but game writers aren't so sure.

Profchaos92d ago

From witnessing countless ai generated articles and content it's clear ai is not very creative and often produces nothing but word soup so I'd like to keep ai away from storyline or side quests as much as possible

Where does ai have a place I think ai can be used effectively in upscaling technology or the remastering process for older games touching up assert etc however it must be done with human supervision ala GTA trilogy where it was used but clearly not vetted before being included in the game

anast92d ago

You have a point, but it's not going to stop. We will either play AI games in the future or not play them at all.

Vits92d ago

I mean the core issue with AI is exactly what it's substituting. Generating visual art is a perfect example of this. Currently, if you want to use AI to generate anything short of a background, you are going to deal with numerous drawbacks. From anatomy issues in humans and animals to completely broken fonts for logos and visibly recycled styles.

But when it comes to writing, things are a bit messy. There are indeed extremely talented writers out there working on video games. But there are also a lot of them who really aren't, and we all know it. Take games like the recent Suicide Squad or Starfield; those game scripts could very well have been done by AI.

Another issue with AI writers that is often pointed out is the ludonarrative issue. Basically, AI, by its very nature, wouldn't be able to write within the context of the game mechanics and scenarios, which would lead to a lot of ludonarrative problems and break immersion. However, against that argument, one need not look further than The Last of Us Part II. That game is a embodiment of ludonarrative issues and is still considered by many as one of the best games and game stories out there, so it's clear that for the majority of the market, that would not be an issue.

So AI, with all its limitations right now, probably wouldn't hurt game stories as much as the writers would like gamers to believe. I doubt that it would improve what we have now, but given what we have now, I also doubt that it would be measurably worse.

PitbullMonster92d ago

Games made by Ubisoft, Activision, EA and Bathesda already feel soulless.

calactyte92d ago (Edited 92d ago )

As it stands right now, AI is really good at taking existing concepts that a human imagines and then organizing them into a coherent story. You still need creativity, but I think having a "room of writers" is probably no longer necessary. So in that regard AI is taking jobs. For instance, let's say I provide AI with a number of characters and what their personalities are. I might say, (if making a murder mystery) the Butler who seems like the protagonist is actually the killer. If you try this, AI will do a pretty fantastic job of writing dialogue between characters that would lead you, as the reader, not to suspect who the killer is. Normally a writer works with other writers and breaks a story down into parts where the characters motives start as unclear and then progressively become revealed. AI does a really nice job with foreshadowing also. You can also tell AI to incorporates symbolism, and misdirection. TLDR; I'll never not use AI when writing a story. It's just a tool that when used properly will make good writing great.

S2Killinit91d ago

Horrible future awaiting us all.

40°

Gamescom latam 2024 has just announced its dynamic lineup of talks and discussions

"gamescom latam, the first Latin American edition of the biggest gaming event in the world, today is thrilled to unveiled its comprehensive program of speakers, marking a monumental milestone in Latin America's gaming landscape." - Gamescom.

230°

There's No Place For AAA Exclusivity In Gaming Industry Anymore

Exclusivity is no longer the golden goose it used to be, making the multi-platform strategy way more appealing.

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tech4gamers.com
Jin_Sakai1d 4h ago

I disagree. Then we’d have one console rule them all with no competition.

-Foxtrot1d 1h ago

No competition means no one will push themselves

Everything will feel super safe

StormSnooper1h ago

no exclusives means no competition to provide outstanding games. It means rehashed releases that will be up to a certain standard, and take no risks because no risks are necessary or justified.

It means, games pass, and services, and microtransactions, and parceled out gaming.

darthv721h ago

There is not really a lot of differences in the platforms as it is. Except for Nintendo who is doing their thing in the hybrid market... both Ps and XB are virtually the same. Its like Toshiba vs Panasonic for VHS VCR... both played the same tapes but one had slightly better features when it came to recording settings. Then later it was DVD players and then bluray players. all of which can play the same stuff... what sets them apart is the brand, the price and the bells and whistles.

Competition is still there. In fact, most have more than one. Maybe more if there are more people in the house.

just_looken18m ago

@jin

True but xbox might not be around console wise next gen this gen they have shown 0 reason to buy there console so next gen going game only would be in there wheel house.

Nintendo just hangs out back with crap hardware but alot of sales.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 18m ago
piroh1d 3h ago

Yes, lets play Gran Turismo 7 on PC and Xbox... or Demons souls remake, or FF7 Rebirth, or FF16, or Spider man 2, or Rise of the ronin, or Stellar blade, or Astros playroom, or Bloodborne, or Horizon call of mountain, or Astro bot

Lets play Zelda TOTK on PC and Xbox... or Mario Kart, Mario party, Pokemon games, Donkey kong, Kirby, Super mario games...etc

Some journalists tend to defend Microsoft decisions with illogical arguments to show us the Xbox as a competitive platform on the demand of Mr. Spencer

Xbox - literally zero exclusives, all games on PC day one. Some of them later ported to PS, Switch

Playstation - some games ported later to PC

Switch - all first party games are exclusives

Do you see the difference?

Lightning771d 1h ago

"Playstation - some games ported later to PC"

Try most of their games on PC right now.

piroh1d ago (Edited 1d ago )

More likely most of PC games on PS5 right now. PC started this leakage of exclusives during PS3 era with the games like Diablo 3, TES, Doom, Wolfenstein, Half life orange box etc.

Lets play GT7 on PC while i wait till the new Doom come out day one on PS5

Lightning771d ago

"More likely most of PC games on PS5 right now."

Ok that's been a thing for awhile, you're deflecting. Most of Sony's games are on PC right now, these are just the facts. Fight the facts not me.

I think GT7 is one the few games that's not on PC right now. Doom is a known multiplatform game.

piroh23h ago

Yes, for me as a customer its a good thing Sony putting some of old games to PC when the games stop selling. You just act like Sony going the route MS does, you dont want to hear the truth i guess. Xbox have zero exclusives and even first party Doom coming to PS5 day one, its not multiplatform developer anymore

mkis0071h ago

Most games starting from what generation? There's a lot of ps5 games and a few ps4 games...

Lightning7723h ago(Edited 23h ago)

" you dont want to hear the truth i guess."

You're talkin to the wrong person.

Idc I have both platforms. Xbox games on PC doesn't bother me I don't play PC I play them on consoles. I'm not bothered by stuff like that, like you are.

"its not multiplatform developer anymore"

Wut....

piroh21h ago

I own PS5, XSX and even Switch, doesnt change the fact Xbox collecting dust since i finished Forza motorsport which will be on PS5 later i bet, as every Xbox game

Lightning7719h ago

Every Xbox game? Then why release a new gen Xbox? Why release a new console if everything's goin over, that's what I wanna know.

piroh2h ago

Trust me, either MS doesnt know why release a new console.

Lightning772h ago(Edited 2h ago)

"trust me"

Someone on N4g? Yeah how bout not.

Naw that's not a good reason. What you said doesn't make sense. Halo, Gears Fable etc main headliners won't be on PS. They need to sell the new console still.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1h ago
Einhander19721d 3h ago

Wow how surprising, no call for Nintendo to put it's games on xbox or PlayStation, or xbox to put any new games on PlayStation. And no, games from publishers they bought that were going to be on PlayStation anyway don't count.

And xbox putting games on PlayStation and Nintendo works because they have market share and their owners still buy games.

There is zero point to putting games on xbox where people don't buy anything and they only have ten percent global market share.

Third party games sell less than 20 percent of total units versus PlayStation, even less when a game is on all three platforms.

Lightning771d 2h ago (Edited 1d 2h ago )

Shawn Layden put it best. The big tent pole games are at their significance at the beginning of a gen, but a little less near the half way or end of a gen because you set the sales momentum with the best games.

That's why Xbox had momentum at the end of 2021 with Halo and Forza. All got lost in 2022 with the delay of Redfall and Starfield. While PS released Horizon and GoW in 2022 which pulled them waaaay ahead of Xbox.

The ones who say exclusives don't matter anymore are seriously wrong, dead wrong. As I said they shift the console sales momentum in your favor especially when you couple it with a major third party release l like COD. That's why in 2022 COD leading the charge that holiday for PS along side Gow an established IP was a deadly combo. Something MS did during the 360 days. Cod on top of whatever game Xbox was releasing that holiday also.

That's why they've been having tug of war with COD because it brings in money and console sales.

In all honesty Sony will see those Switch sales and probably put smaller family friendly games on the platform when they see more green from Switch, expect more of that. This is exactly how it started with Xbox. PC first, then Switch with games like Ori, 007, Cup Head, Banjo etc now PS will follow suit.

But their big game system selling games will remain exclusive (so they can sell consoles) then come to PC year later or so. Basically they'll have timed exclusives.

-Foxtrot1d 1h ago

I hope it hypothetically Sony did make their games multiplatform there’s a massive outcry for Nintendo to make their games third party

Ohhhhh…yeah, they won’t will they

Whenever Microsoft does something it’s only Sony that needs to then do the same.

Bathyj1h ago

It's only when Xbox does something out of desperation that games media acts like this is the way the industry should be heading. There loser should set the agenda.

Why is that?

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50°

The Next DLC For Total War: Warhammer 3 Will Center On The Ogres, The Greenskins, And Khorne

A fantastic update is on the way to Total War: Warhammer 3 – which will have Khorne, Ogre Kingdoms, and Greenskins taking center stage, set to release later this year.

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everyonegaming.com