How Artificial Intelligence Powers Our Community’s Favorite Video Games
Teamwork, camaraderie, and spirit: These are the elements that capture people’s passions across the globe when it comes to both soccer and video games. In the spirit of this year’s UEFA European Championship, Tech Square ATL (TSQATL) Social Club member Donald Innocent-Ike hosted Plug + Play: FIFA Night at The Clubhouse last Friday afternoon. With his PlayStation 5 in tow, we helped set up Donald’s coveted video game console to create a shared experience among our community members (fueled by pizza and cold beverages, of course). In the midst of all the FIFA 21 Kick Off matches, we asked community members in attendance to share their most memorable video game moment.
To our surprise, the most common answers did not involve moments while playing a specific video game. Rather, they were the moments that community members got their hands on the following highly-anticipated games when they were released:
Though the premise of these two games are completely different, there is a common thread: The interactions between players in the game are informed by artificial intelligence (AI).
“Imagine this: While playing FIFA, you’re only controlling one person. When you pass the ball, there are ten other players on the pitch,” Donald explained. “So, while you switch to another player to get it closer to the goal, AI controls how all the other players react – including the team member you switched off from.”
The same goes for GTA 5: The reactions of people and elements you encounter in this role-playing game (RPG) are controlled by AI, whether you choose to commit the crimes that come with the heist missions or just cruise around in your newly stolen ride.
And to no one’s surprise, the advancements in and intersections between AI and video games are only becoming more fascinating. Ever heard of GAN Theft Auto? It’s a version of the GTA video game, but – wait for it – it’s created entirely by AI. According to EA Sports, FIFA 22’s “machine learning algorithm learns from over 8.7 million frames of advanced match capture, then writes new animations in real time to create organic football realism across a variety of interactions on the pitch.”
"Paying attention to the moves of the other players can make the game challenging enough," Donald expressed. With AI making the games smarter and more powerful with each version release, it’s no wonder that our community’s enthusiasm for video games hardly ever dies down.
And the curiosity for things like these is exactly why you should join in on our community activations or host your own. Whether it’s a conversation during video game play about the intersection of AI and gaming, or discussing whether robots should be taxed at a bar over drinks, we work with community members to create opportunities for connection in many different forms.
Feeling like you missed out on this interactive Atlanta tech community event? Look out for the next one here, and subscribe to The Weekly to stay in the loop.
DID YOU KNOW?
During World War I, the Germans, French, and English had an armistice just to play football (or soccer, as we call it here in the U.S.) on Christmas Day in 1914.
What’s your most memorable video game moment? Let us know in the comments below!