Artificial Intelligence in Video Games
Artificial Intelligence and Its Use in Games
Robert Beaird
10/10/08
As long as computer games have been made, there has been a desire and demand for smarter, faster, and better artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence, which is often referred to as “AI,” is “[…] the mimicking of human thought and cognitive processes to solve complex problems.” [1] In the case of games, this would mean various tasks involving problem solving and reacting to the input of the user in order to create a realistic environment. Many of the methods used to create the correct behavior of the computer involve the use of high-level artificial intelligence, also known as strong artificial intelligence. The purpose of strong artificial intelligence is to imitate more complex human thoughts and actions. These high-level artificial intelligence systems are used to create more realistic environments within games.
John McCarthy, who originally used the phrase in 1956, defines artificial intelligence as, “[…] the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. It is related to the similar task of using computers to understand human intelligence, but artificial intelligence does not have to confine itself to methods that are biologically observable.”[2] Artificial intelligence is a means for having a machine operate in a manner that would normally require a human to make decisions as the task is being done. The applications of artificial intelligence can range from the mundane, such as in manufacturing, to the very impractical, such as video games or theoretical and philosophical applications like the Turing Test.
The field of artificial intelligence first came to be in the early 1940’s, even though the phrase was not coined until later in 1956. Alan Turing, in his paper, “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem,” theorized that any form of computation,
Robert Beaird
10/10/08
As long as computer games have been made, there has been a desire and demand for smarter, faster, and better artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence, which is often referred to as “AI,” is “[…] the mimicking of human thought and cognitive processes to solve complex problems.” [1] In the case of games, this would mean various tasks involving problem solving and reacting to the input of the user in order to create a realistic environment. Many of the methods used to create the correct behavior of the computer involve the use of high-level artificial intelligence, also known as strong artificial intelligence. The purpose of strong artificial intelligence is to imitate more complex human thoughts and actions. These high-level artificial intelligence systems are used to create more realistic environments within games.
John McCarthy, who originally used the phrase in 1956, defines artificial intelligence as, “[…] the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. It is related to the similar task of using computers to understand human intelligence, but artificial intelligence does not have to confine itself to methods that are biologically observable.”[2] Artificial intelligence is a means for having a machine operate in a manner that would normally require a human to make decisions as the task is being done. The applications of artificial intelligence can range from the mundane, such as in manufacturing, to the very impractical, such as video games or theoretical and philosophical applications like the Turing Test.
The field of artificial intelligence first came to be in the early 1940’s, even though the phrase was not coined until later in 1956. Alan Turing, in his paper, “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem,” theorized that any form of computation,