The original video games didn’t have much of a storyline. If you look at Pac Man, for example, the only goal was to eat through all the little dots until you got to the end. But we are living in an entirely different era of gaming. These days, storylines are the guiding force of many games. And they are getting more and more intricate all the time.
Believe it or not, generative AI can be an excellent tool for game storyline creation. It can both create stories from scratch, and expand upon existing ideas to branch out into whole new directions. And you can find your own AI story maker online.
Now, let’s take a look at what goes into all this.
How does it work?
Programs use generative AI to come up with all manner of narratives, whatever the user chooses. Aspects include:
Procedural narrative generation. As players within a storyline develop, AI can create a story around them. This allows for emergent narratives and the possibility for games to move in all different directions. In analyzing a player’s performance, AI can generate events around it. This could include increased obstacles, a natural disaster, or entrance into a new universe.
Adaptive storylines. Different players have different interests when it comes to games. If a given player is really interested in being challenged, an AI can throw storms, villains, or other obstacles at them to make the challenge of winning even greater.
Dynamic characters. Generative AI can work with players to create and develop non-player characters. And not only can it develop these characters, it can enable them to interact with players in a detailed and sophisticated way that makes players feel like non-player characters are real, living beings. This makes games even more exciting.
AI text adventures. Some games allow players to provide input into their games, upon which the system will create text-based simulations. This can take the game in whole new directions and allow players to feel as if they really have a role in shaping the game.
Dynamic voices. AI can also create super realistic-sounding voices for non-player characters. Supernatural creatures can sound like they have really descended from the heavens, whereas wizards can be given the voices of lofty wise men. Whatever the role, AI can bring it to life.
How is this affecting the industry as a whole?
The rise of generative AI is truly revolutionizing the world of gaming. And we are still only at the beginning of the revolution. Changes can be seen across every aspect of the industry:
Players feel more involved. When players feel like they have control over the actual design of the games they play, their enthusiasm never stops growing. The use of generative AI helps players explore their wildest fantasies and bring them to life as they make commands to the system.
Greater capacity for total immersion. When players are able to create adaptive narratives, interact with NPCs on a detailed level, and personalize their character development, they get more and more immersed into the world of gaming.
Development is becoming streamlined. Along with the increased creative capacity for game development, it is also becoming increasingly streamlined. The creation of basic story elements and certain dialog patterns is easier to create, and this allows game creators greater freedom to focus on details.
Development is open to more people. AI is not only spectacular, it is easy to access. For developers that work independently or don’t have huge resources, generative AI makes the world of complex development wide open.
Things to keep in mind
For all the amazing things that generative AI can accomplish, there are certain things that we should keep in mind. One issue - as is the case with all AI programs - is ethics. Developers need to take copyright concerns into consideration, and this area gets fuzzier and fuzzier as AI becomes more complex. And, of course, there is the potential to have damaging psychological effects on players. If they are able to create realistically dark and evil worlds to play in, it is all the easier to get sucked into them.
There is also the question of quality control. AI is not perfect, after all, so developers need to ensure that storylines are consistent and still make sense. And in general we should be wary of giving AI too much control as we never know what it could come up with. We shouldn’t neglect the importance of human oversight in the creation process.
Get your generative AI tool today
Despite these concerns, generative AI remains an amazing tool with untold potential for game storytelling creation. With it, you can create everything from fantastic narratives to realistic non-player characters to all new universes that can serve as the backdrop for games. You can tweak storylines in different ways to produce a variety of outcomes, and you can play an active role in the creation process as a game goes along. And this is just the beginning. With the capacity that generative AI has to bring whole new worlds to life, there is no telling what it might come up with in the future. We just need to be sure we stay on top of things so that we can continue to direct it in the way that we want.
