The scarcity of players, known as “player liquidity,” poses several challenges for online gaming. These include long matchmaking times, suboptimal competitive experiences, and economic hurdles for game studios.
Addressing these issues goes beyond simply increasing player numbers, which is a slow process. A potential solution is to create AI avatars, which are digital representations of players’ skills.
These avatars could immediately improve player liquidity by seamlessly filling matches with competent players, even when human player counts are low. However, the use of AI avatars does not entail autonomous operation.
Instead, it involves careful calibration to preserve the human imprint on the AI, maintaining the nuances of player behavior. This approach ensures that the resulting AI avatars reflect their human creators’ skill level and strategic depth, maintaining the competitive integrity and dynamism of the game environment.
Introducing AI avatars also offers the concept of “parallel play,” enabling players to extend their presence across multiple gaming environments simultaneously. This not only provides more opportunities for players to compete and win but also enriches the gaming experience by ensuring more robust and diverse competitions.
There may be concerns about the impact of AI on human skill and competition, but examples, such as gaming studios using imitation learning to train AI fighters, suggest otherwise. For gaming studios, incorporating AI avatars promises a consistent, active player base, quicker matchmaking, balanced competitions, and new avenues for monetization.
For players, the benefits include increased engagement, potential for greater rewards, flexibility, convenience, and an enriched learning environment. Looking forward, the integration of AI avatars is expected to revolutionize the web3 gaming landscape by addressing the critical challenge of player liquidity and unlocking expansive new opportunities for engagement and monetization.
This transformative technology is set to make the next era of gaming more accessible, rewarding, and engaging.