Sony has filed a patent for an auto-play feature that allows AI to take control of the monotonous, grinding moments in video games.
The patent falls in line with the trend of other companies moving to AI as it becomes increasingly integrated into business models and has the potential to revolutionize the way gamers play.
According to Sony, the goal is not to fully automate gameplay or make it easier to win challenges. As stated in their patent, Sony intends the AI autoplay feature to serve as an alternative for gamers who prefer to bypass “grinding content.”
Despite developers’ efforts to create exciting video games, certain players may find certain stages less exciting, especially when tasked with repetitive actions or when attempting to complete quests that they dislike and find mundane.
Therefore, they add in the patent: “Each of these scenarios can have a negative impact on a player’s enjoyment of the video game. In this context, embodiments arise.”
The Japanese company says the new mode will use user data to copy the player’s style of completing tasks. Each player’s automatic game mode is expected to be personalized and mimic the player’s control.
After Sony’s Auto-Play mode completes its intended tasks, the player is prompted to resume manual control of the game. At this point the player can choose whether to dive back into the action or continue the automatic play in the game.
A patent application doesn’t necessarily mean it will be integrated into Sony hardware, but it may later be implemented in multiplayer games.
Player reactions to Sony’s AI autoplay mode
However, some players found the move controversial and “absurd,” equating it with cheating.
“If you really want to experience the plot and atmosphere of the game but don’t want to get bogged down with the gameplay and don’t want to bet on watching a streamer play it, then this is something like that,” one person said on Reddit thread.
Sony patents the “Auto-Play” game mode
byu/Diamond_Guy_666 ingaming
Another person replied: “30 years ago we had a similar system called ‘cheat codes’.”
Conversely, one user said it could be viewed as a “supported game mode” that allows non-gamers to “enjoy a game like a movie without just watching it.”
The general theme of the Reddit discussion revolves around concerns about games becoming too easy.
So far, Sony has not publicly announced any details about Autoplay. Their plans to develop and integrate such a feature remain secret.
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