What distinguishes video games from other visual media like cinema or television is the interactive “game” component. The plot is advanced through a player’s active participation in fun, whether just browsing chat trees or taking on challenging bosses.
But when tackling a challenging computer game, gamers are often compelled to hone their skills through several hours of trial and error.
Games like Dark Souls or Elden Ring include this gameplay, where players commit themselves to defeat challenging bosses one try at a time.
However, not all players will like this gaming style, notably those with impairments or those who cannot fully dedicate the time needed to master a monster’s moveset.
These gamers could benefit from a recent patent submitted by Sony for an AI training model that analyzes the player’s gaming style and the current game’s sequence to teach them to become better at the game.
Since 2019, Sony has made improvements to this specific AI patent, and the most recent improvement has increased the customization of the AI training model.
Before any special accessibility features are included, the patent aims to improve player accessibility for all games.
The beneficial ghost runner technology from Titanfall 2’s narrative campaign, which enables the player to see the proper path through the game’s many platforming sequences, may function similarly to Sony’s AI patent.
Sony’s patent may help PlayStation players to activate comparable ghost models in whatever game they are playing to provide them with guidance through a particularly challenging region or battle strategy advice.
Many players would welcome this type of hands-off accessibility feature since it preserves the player’s direct control over the game while also saving them the time necessary to discover the same knowledge via trial and error.
Trial-and-error gameplay loops are standard in video games because they give players a task to conquer and the freedom to do it at their own pace, giving them a more incredible feeling of satisfaction when they succeed.
However, this may not always be the most effective technique to instruct players on becoming better at games like Elden Ring.
In no other media outside video games are struggling users expected to keep trying things until they eventually work.
Since the release of Dark Souls in 2011, gamers who asked for assistance with challenging games were often met with the unhelpful generalization “git gud,” without any specific guidance on what exactly gitting gud at a match like Elden Ring would entail. However, Sony’s AI patent may be able to assist these gamers from inside their games more directly.
