The future of video games is unknown, but with years of precedent and insight into emerging technology, we can chart what the future will look like — analyze its likely direction, explore its changes, and get a sense of what's to come.
At SAGE 2024, a panel of games industry experts from across South Australia and New South Wales discussed the future of video games, addressing the many complex challenges ahead and the technological changes on the horizon.
On the plate it was Ron Carey (Egea), Arthur Ah Chi (cerulean creative studios), Chantal Ryan (We have always lived in the forest), and Jeremy Kelly Packer And Tom Phillips From We Made a Thing Studios, with supervision by Patrick Webb (South Australian Film Company).
What is most evident from the discussion is that while change is inevitable, the Australian games industry is prepared to weather the storm – even as technologies such as AI and VR/AR/MR change development practices and player engagement.
Artificial intelligence in video games
As you might expect from a timely panel, the main focus of the discussion centered on artificial intelligence (AI) – which remains a multi-faceted and layered technology with as many concerns as there are positives.
“There are a lot of interesting conflicts and issues in space right now,” said Chantal Ryan, discussing her work in horror adventures. darkwebSTREAMER And its use of artificial intelligence. “There's a lot of interesting movement going on right now within the space — where creativity meets AI. Things like language generation, art generation.
“I know a lot of people are curious – what He is What will the future of gaming look like, with all these incredibly new and changing technologies? Where is the right place for artists, writers and designers?
As Ryan explained, AI has its place as a tool to help creators, and to make video game worlds more immersive. However, before it can be accepted, she believes there are several issues that need to be addressed – most notably the need for ethical AI systems where data sets are not stolen wholesale from their creators.
“We're still navigating this space of what's legal, what's fair use — how do we engage with these technologies in a professional environment and with respect for the people who work under us, and the creative professions that we employ?”
By putting AI to good use under these circumstances, Ryan sees a future in which there could be “self-aware” games that can respond to players, acknowledge them, and “talk to both the player and NPCs in the world.”
“We can basically create living worlds,” Ryan said. “I truly believe that the future of gaming will be radically different with the advent of responsive AI – with new games being able to sculpt themselves in reaction to what is happening in the game.”
Ryan also believes that AI has the potential to create a sense of digital personality, to connect with players on a stronger emotional level, and thus encourage immersion and engagement. While Ryan acknowledged that there is some way to go before we get there, issues such as technology addiction – as portrayed in popular media – Ha (2013) – must be fully addressed before meaningful progress can be achieved.
is reading: Valve announces new disclosure rules for AI content in Steam games
Before we get there, many questions also need to be asked about AI itself. Its ethical application and, perhaps most importantly, its role in a world where gainful employment is a prerequisite for a healthy and functioning society.
In discussing the topic, Jeremy Kelly-Backer pointed out the importance of smart, fast data sets – and the need to “debug” AI before implementing it.
“Data sets that will respond to player input — the big thing is to organize them, so they can appropriately monitor for mental health deterioration or addiction… I feel like there's a real risk to the human interaction that it can provide,” Kelly Packer said.
“The challenge we face is that this technology is moving very quickly,” Ron Carey said. As part of IGEA, he works daily to advocate for the video game industry, informing the government of its successes and challenges.
“In general, the people who make the rules don't move that quickly… There are some real challenges around who controls what the future looks like, and what job we all do to provide education and comfort to people, so we're not doing that.” Don't get that backlash.
There is a viable future in artificial intelligence, but it is a future that requires great ingenuity.
Change reality
Beyond AI, the session also focused on the proliferation of other newer video game creation technologies – virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). Despite entering maturity with generally lukewarm enthusiasm, the panel expressed its belief that the technology still has the potential to be transformative, with the right application.
“The most immersive way to tell a story is video games,” Carey said. “I think when we overlay AR/VR on top, that way we can get a deeper, more immersive experience.”
Ah Chi was particularly excited about the potential of augmented reality to transcend cultural barriers, allowing people to understand language in real time – to connect people through a virtual world. However, like AI, there are still barriers to perfect implementation: form factor, price, and the weirdness of VR headsets.
“It's just alienating to have a device [strapped to your face] – Face to face communication is a really big problem that people face. “Until we can somehow bridge this gap… it will be difficult for people to adapt to using technology,” Ah Chi said.
Once these barriers are addressed, a brighter and more inclusive future becomes possible.
“The idea is that [with these technologies] “You're really present in the world, in a really physical, embodied way,” Ryan said. “You're moving, and it's moving in the world. Other people see those movements. You're in a very real virtual space, in a way that feels real and physical. It's socially relevant.”
Long strides have been made in this field to create these immersive virtual worlds, but there are many more steps until the technology becomes affordable and accessible to everyone.
Looking back
For now, discussions about the potential for future technologies to change video games and immersion are pure speculation – but the reality is that change will come, and it will be technology such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality that will have a major impact on the industry. .
While both face significant obstacles to ethical and well-designed implementation—barriers to access, legitimacy, and social acceptance, for starters—as these technologies advance, we are likely to see them become a larger and more influential part of our daily lives. Our lives and our playing habits.
Questions remain, but as developers and supporters demonstrated at SAGE 2024, these technologies are set to have a major impact on our future.
