GENETIC

ALGORITHMS AND
THEIR IMPACT IN
VIDEO GAMES
ABHAY ZALA
PANTHER CREEK HIGH SCHOOL
 GOALS
• Develop a deeper understanding of how Genetic
Algorithms work and how they can be applied
• Find out if Genetic Algorithms can be applied to a
video game to make the AI more enjoyable and
realistic
• Develop an actual AI to test whether or not the
Genetic Algorithm actually posses the abilities to
self-learn

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The Problem

Single Player Cost of

Replayability Developing AI

Players tend to want Multiplayer more than Single AI can be expensive to develop. Will implementing
Player because Single Player becomes predicable a new way be worth it? Or will game development
and repetitive companies end up spending more money for little
gain?
Single Player Replayability

• Gaming AI has become static over the years

• Not only within games does AI become predictable and repetitive, but the techniques that games use to make
their AI has remained the same

• If many games uses the same development techniques then the AI in the games becomes predictable and
repetitive everywhere, which hurts the game and takes much of the fun out of playing against AI

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 Unique Cost
Advertising Point for If the developers make an
companies because not AI that can teach itself then
every game is built using companies won’t need to
GAs hire more developers.

POSSIBLE
SOLUTION More Player Enjoyment More Replay Value
SELF-LEARNING GENETIC AI
Players will have more during More people will be
single player portions. Player playing the game longer,
fun should be the goal of a video Which companies want.
game company.

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What is a Genetic Algorithm ?
A metaheuristic inspired by the process of natural selection that belongs to the larger class of evolutionary
algorithms. Can be classified into a Self-Learning Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) Genetic Algorithm (GA)

 Development of computer
systems able to perform
tasks that normally require
human intelligence
 Human Like Vision
 Human Like Hearing
 Human Like Interpretation
 Giving a computer Human
Like Qualities
 Based off the natural  Based off the Theory of
processes Natural Selection
 Mutations  Most common form of an
 Selection Evolutionary Algorithm
 Uses genetic crossover
 Generalized class of
Algorithms  Based Primary off Genes
and Genetic Breeding
 Genetic Algorithm
 Differential Evolution
 Neuroevolution

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Components of a Genetic Algorithm

Population Mutation
Provides closer representation
Every Genetic Algorithm
to real life and can potentially
requires a population for any of
allow faster learning
its other functions to take place

Crossover Breeding
Is the main part that allows the Allows crossover to take place and
self-learning aspect to happen creates a new population that starts
with prelearned information

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TESTING THE
SOLUTION

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Testing Process

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

Build Game Engine Make a Game and AI AI plays the game

Have to be able to test Make a game with the See what happens if the AI
using an actual game. engine and then a AI using plays the game
a Genetic Algorithm.
Can’t nesserary reprogram
AI of exisiting games

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Testing Timeline

Game Engine Start AI Dev. Started Game Production

Jan, 2019 Feb, 2019 Mar, 2019

Jan 25th Feb 16th Feb 26th Mar 10th Mar 11th Mar 25th

2019

Game Engine Done AI Completed Testing/Evaluation

Feb, 2019 Mar, 2019 Mar, 2019

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Geometry Dash

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Results of the Testing

Obstacles Population Size : Mutation Completion Time

Rate

Test 1 1 18 : 5% < 1 min

Test 2 3 18 : 5% 1 min

Test 3 5 18 : 5% 2 min

Test 4 10 18 : 5% 5 min

Test 5 15 18 : 5% 8 min

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What do these numbers mean ?

• The obstacles represents the players skill in the game

• Population size represents the number of times the AI is played against

• Mutation rate is the chance of a random piece of data to be changed

• The completion time represents how long it would need to play against the player to adapt.

Based off of these numbers. We can prove that it only takes a short while for the AI to adapt to the player. The quick
adaption time would allow players who would typically get bored of the AI quickly, to keep playing the AI and
continue to have fun.

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Demo

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• Videos games lose replay value in their single
player content
• Based off actual testing, the Genetic Algorithms
SUMMARY
are viable solutions that both benefit companies
and players
• I learned how to build a Genetic AI and a Game
Engine and be a better engineer

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One Last Thing

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THANK
YOU
Abhay Zala
aszala@students.wcpss.net