A recent patent filing by Microsoft has drawn the ire of Xbox fans due to some questionable wording found within it. The first issue arose when the potential for in-game advertisements came up, which would see them inserted after key moments of a given gameplay loop. A secondary finding raised an even bigger alarm when the technology in question would see games rewritten based on player habits thanks to generative AI.
I’m Always Watching You
First spotted by CNET, a filing back in June ties Microsoft back to a system that would let generative AI change a game based on what individual players do within it. This system would hone in on how the player explores the world, what they interact with, and the characters they meet throughout their journey. Generative AI would then go on to rewrite or morph the game to favor those interactions, essentially giving the player more of what they want. But if content fails to hold the players’ attention, it would then be cut from the game entirely.
Microsoft goes on to mention that capturing players’ facial expressions and reactions would also be measured to further refine the experience. “Players have the potential to become co-creators of the game as a result of their exploration of and interaction with the game,” Microsoft says in the filing. “The game may allow for very different gameplay per player and session.”
A Dystopian Future in Gaming
Within most modern games, there is always room for choice and freedom for the player to exist within. These confines are normally dictated by a dialog tree that allows the player to take different paths forward based on their responses and choices. This would then culminate in a unique ending for the character, which adds further replayability. But when we start to outright cut content from games that was purposefully placed there by the developer, we start to venture into the territory of defacing the art the developer put out into the world for the player to openly interpret and explore.
