Game Design & Interactive Media

AI has been part of game design for decades - non-player characters, procedural level generation, and adaptive difficulty systems all predate the current AI wave. What is new is the scale and sophistication of what AI can now contribute. Generative AI can create game assets like textures, character designs, and environments, potentially reducing the enormous cost and time involved in modern game development. AI-driven non-player characters can now hold more natural conversations, respond more dynamically to player behaviour, and create more believable game worlds. Procedural content generation powered by modern AI can create vast, varied game environments that feel less repetitive than earlier algorithmic approaches. For indie developers and small studios, AI tools lower the barrier to creating polished games without large teams. The concerns are about homogenisation - if everyone uses the same AI tools, games may start to look and feel similar - and about the impact on the artists, designers, and writers who currently create game content. Interactive media beyond gaming, including interactive fiction, educational simulations, and virtual experiences, is also being reshaped by AI's ability to generate responsive, adaptive content in real time.