Artificial Intelligence. esports. The combination of the two can be seen nowadays since the competition to be the best gaming company has already begun. Player’s experience, more engaging game, interesting characters, these things now can be altered or developed with the help of AI.
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What’s AI?
Intelligence shown or displayed by a machine is called artificial intelligence. It is an area of research in computer science that produces and studies ways and software that empowers machines to apprehend and understand their environment and use learning as well as intelligence to act upon something that maximises their chances of achieving specific goals.
A machine having artificial intelligence should be able to solve several problems of different types, like human intelligence. The role of AI in eSports is not limited to one. It can enhance the skills of a user; by conducting a coaching process, it can automatically enhance the user experience by offering a real-time process.
Virtual reality is now a hot topic for months, transforming the gaming field at a big level and getting great support from artificial intelligence. Characters are now getting more realistic, thus making the user experience more engaging.
Esports betting requires AI as well, as a huge amount of data must be arranged and managed, which can be accomplished by AI by training it and making it understand the algorithm and formulae.
Relation of the Two
Artificial intelligence and esports have a very simple relationship. When you see a game character on screen, you can’t tell whether it is AI-powered or not, but you get engaged. This is what AI does, enhancing your gaming experience.
AI also has some key responsibilities, which enhance the overall skills of players, like enemy AI, rival AI, etc. Knockout is the closest meaning to understand eSports, so players emotions may become unfavorable. It affects other players also, thus overall hindering the smooth flow of the game.
Take GGWP. It is a system that helps in finding the solution for the negative behavior. It just replies to the complaints for negative behavior in the game, thus reducing the obstruction in the flow of the game.
AI can improve the experience by making the levels harder, using the concept of finite state machines, which create highly competitive NPCs. Games like Assassin’s Creed Rogue and Middle Earth Shadow of War use this type of concept.
A recent case is of a very famous game, CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive). A player of it has invented an AI-powered tool called Hestia. Net, as it has identified thousands of cheaters in CS:GO.
Focusing more on making characters close to real-life characters, tech company Nvidia is using AI-powered upscaling to enhance the image quality of games, making games look sharper by running them at a higher resolution than a monitor can handle.
Generating interactive game content is also a big responsibility for the gaming companies, like take AI Dungeon 2, the story game that they offer is completely AI-driven, adventures, infinite possibilities wherein players can direct AI to create unlimited content for their character to connect with.
Impact of AI
The race to be the best has begun. Gaming companies are now leaving no string of pearls to be at the top; each company is developing their own AI. Well, it can be seen that the world of eSports, which used to include a LAN party sitting in a room, now has reached the level where competition to be the best game is taking place.
According to https://swisscognitive.ch/, in 2019, 198 million fans and 245 million occasional viewers spent several billions of hours watching esports events and streams.
A statement was passed by Chong Geng Ng, of Singapore Association, stating “ till now 12 sensors might be needed to record motion capture into a system, but with AI, you maybe able to the same thing with only 5 sensors.”
Recently, LootMogul has given fans the power to create, engross, and monetize their own sports observation. LootMogul gives power to Vertical AI to provide fans with intuitive tools that were previously inaccessible without technical knowledge. It is designed in a way that it gives similar experiences that resound fans in deep.
However, we cannot ignore some negative impact of AI on eSports.
Dark Pattern. According to www.sportslitigationalert.com, these are design choices in software and online platforms designed to manipulate players, making decisions that may not be in their best interest. Some common examples of these patterns are gamification and obscenity.
Economic factors also reflect the growth of AI in esports.
A substantial growth, worth of USD 36.7 billion is projected by FY 2033, thus mirroring a powerful CAGR(Compound annual growth rate) of 30.3% from 2024 to 2033.
Software segment has now become a pivotal part of integrating AI into esports. It has captured 72% of the total market share, as AI-powered software solutions are helping in analysing data for improved athletic performance and strategy development.
It is expected that AI-powered virtual reality(VR) training simulations for athletes will become mainstream by end of 2024, as we can see that in 2023, AI-powered coaching applications for coaching applications for personalized training programs are gaining adhesion.
Optimization of sports venues through AI, including positive changes in crowd management and energy efficiency, could see an increase of 30% in 2023.
Future of AI in Esports
There is not even a single doubt of AI fully empowering eSports. From characters to the level of hardness, from user experience to betting, everywhere AI is giving some help, and in the coming years
Economic factors also tell that AI has changed the way Esports used to be. According to Omnic Blog, a machine learning approach was used to outsmart the esports market, attaining a return rate of around 14% for Dota and around 98% for CS: GO.
It is clear that future of esports in future is marked by technological advancements, increased inclusivity, champion matchups, objective spawns, and vision control, and expansion into new markets and demographics.
Role of AI will increase further, as it more progressions will be there, it can facilitate more additions, like more realistic and advancing NPCs, that grow, learn and adapt throughout the game.
