By Charles Perrin
Artificial Intelligence has permeated across many areas of society, and in mobile gaming, it has been a game-changer. Software developers have harnessed the impact of AI to imbue games with more intricate levels of gameplay, and this in turn, has improved the user experience for the most ardent gaming fans.
Indeed, mobile gamers have reaped the benefits, and it is perhaps no surprise that mobile gaming is fast catching up with, and in some cases, it has overtaken traditional video gaming. Anyway, how has AI changed the face of mobile gaming, but what can we expect from this technology in the future? This will be explored in further detail in our piece.
The trickling-down effect
AI has played an instrumental role in streamlining development, and they have helped to make mobile games more realistic than ever before. It is best to think of AI within the realms of machine learning, and with machine-learning algorithms, they have been able to recalibrate and pivot to make themselves versatile to meet the needs of players, which is something that will be examined in the following section.
Indeed, AI has been able to manifest itself on mobile devices, and the types of algorithms that are formed are incredible, especially when you consider the amount of information that AI has to analyse and crunch through.
With greater game streaming and 5G connectivity becoming more accessible, the AI advancements that have been made over the past few years are very telling.
Customising experiences
Data collection is central to the rise of AI in mobile gaming. After all, game designers want to know what dictates the behaviour of gamers, and within that, determine how players intend to interact with the games they have produced.
In essence, AI is utilised in mobile gaming to bring certain in-game behaviours to life. The AI algorithms are based on a few broad principles which are outlined below:
- Finite State Machines (FSMs): The FSMs will define a finite set of states for game characters or NPCs (Non-Player Characters), as well as the transition between these states based on specific conditions or events. These will be highly dynamic as they will react to player actions, and invert more appropriate behaviours.
- Pathfinding Algorithms: Such algorithms will help NPCs navigate their way through certain gaming environments by finding the most efficient paths, while simultaneously avoiding tricky obstacles.
- Decision Trees – These pertain to the decision-making processes for NPCs, and help them to make better choices when presented with certain challenges.
In terms of user experience, however, there are a few contributing factors in terms of how AI has been tailored and customised to meet the needs of players:
- Adaptive difficulty – AI is very adept at adjusting the gameplay’s difficulty level based on a player’s skill and behaviour, and by blending these two functions, it has helped to create a more personalised experience for mobile gamers.
- Profiling of Players – Machine learning models will detect patterns in the player’s demeanour, and from there, they can create a gaming experience that is targeted towards their specific needs.
- Content Generation – With AI and other machine learning algorithms, they are best placed to generate game content, such as levels and quests, which again, will be tailored to the demands of individual players.
Having an understanding of key AI elements has ensured that mobile gaming developers have fulfilled a purpose, and they have continued to transform the mobile experience of all players.
Importance of OCR
OCR, which is short for Optical character recognition, is a form of technology that is used to digitise text and it began to gain traction in the world of gaming in the early 1990s. Before OCR, all textual information was manually typed, which by all accounts, was rather cumbersome.
But it’s not just in mobile gaming that the importance of OCR has surfaced. No, OCR is at the heart of everything that is good about live casino games. Indeed, in the context of live games, OCR will capture everything that happens in the gaming studio, and this will then be streamed in real time to a player’s mobile screen.
OCR is able to convert all kinds of analogue information and live casinos rely on it for its accuracy, and it is deemed to be more efficient. This will be the case for most UK online casinos on your mobile device that rely on OCR for their live casino product, such as All British Casino and Hot Streak. Here, you will find an extensive range of live casino games in their libraries, such as roulette and baccarat, but innovative thinking will be applied with OCR in terms of design and lighting to make games more appealing for players.
Monetization tweaks
From a financial perspective, AI has forced mobile gaming developers to make tweaks to their business model. In what is a performance-driven industry, most of the costs associated with using AI in mobile gaming have naturally been related to performance.
Now, advertisers are perhaps a bit more reluctant to spend big on a longer-lasting campaign where inevitably there are higher learning costs. To combat this, mobile gaming developers have tried to find a middle ground, and they have had to scale things in a way that is more sensible.
For example, in some cases, user acquisition processes can last between two and three weeks. But by experimenting with new ways, mobile gaming companies have been able to reduce their ad spending, which also includes the production of the adverts themselves.
Looking to the future
We are only at the beginning of the AI curve for mobile gaming. The initial signs, however, are very promising and with more money being invested in AI technology, the sky could be the limit.
New technological trends have crept into the industry, and over time, this has enabled developers to be more creative and innovative in their approach to mobile games. Perhaps the main key takeaway from this guide is that infusing AI into mobile gaming products is supposed to customise the experience for players, and their opinion matters the most. We can’t wait to see how things develop in the years to come.
