In recent years, there have been various discussions about which crypto niche will drive widespread adoption of blockchain technology. While some believe it could be supply chains, cross-border payments, or even music, others have long touted Web3 gaming as the catalyst for this new era.
More recently, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a hot topic, with AI-focused tokens experiencing significant price surges in 2023, even when the broader crypto market was relatively stagnant. While blockchain gaming has somewhat faded from the public eye, AI continues to be a prominent force.
One of the most notable applications of AI is generative AI, where the technology generates images, videos, text, music, and more based on prompts provided by users. OpenAI’s DALL-E popularized this concept in early 2021, leading to an explosion in the generative AI industry. Today, it’s nearly impossible to exist online without encountering some form of AI-generated content, whether consumers are aware of it or not.
Meanwhile, the gaming industry remains a multibillion-dollar market, and developers have been quietly working on incorporating blockchain elements into new games. Atlas, a startup, collaborates with many of these companies to bring generative AI to gaming. On a recent episode of The Agenda podcast, Atlas CEO Ben James joined hosts Jonathan DeYoung and Ray Salmond to discuss generative AI in gaming, Web3 games, the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, and more.
The future of Web3 gaming has faced criticism from traditional gamers who view the introduction of cryptocurrency and nonfungible tokens (NFTs) as nothing more than a money-making scheme by greedy gaming studios. It’s important to note that this criticism extends beyond NFTs and blockchain games, as gamers are also frustrated when traditional developers monetize games beyond the initial cost.
According to James, game developers have acknowledged the negative reputation associated with crypto and NFTs and have shifted their focus towards creating better games, rather than emphasizing the Web3 aspect. “A lot of game developers that are developing Web3 games have said they want to stop talking about Web3 versus Web2 gaming because they want the Web3 element to just make a better game,” James explained. “They want a better experience for the gamer to come from their use of the new technology, whether that’s blockchain or AI in our case.”
Generative AI can support the development and growth of Web3-powered games by enabling users to easily generate digital assets within the game. James stated that user-generated content fosters creativity within gameplay, resulting in more meaningful and interesting experiences for players.
Outside of the Web3 space, major game publishers like Square Enix have started embracing generative AI to increase productivity and speed up game development. Atlas’ technology promises efficiency gains of up to 200 times for such projects. James believes that large game developers can significantly benefit from this technology, as it allows them to keep up with customer demands more effectively.
However, indie game developers can also reap the rewards of these technological advancements. While there are concerns that AI will replace human jobs, James sees AI as a transformative technology that will automate repetitive tasks, ultimately making game development more efficient. He remains optimistic that AI will not entirely replace human game developers because AI lacks the creativity that individuals possess. Humans are still needed to guide AI, fine-tune game environments, and make games enjoyable.
To learn more about James’ conversation on The Agenda, including how musicians can utilize Atlas, how blockchain can combat deepfakes, and more, listen to the full episode on Cointelegraph’s Podcasts page, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Don’t forget to check out Cointelegraph’s lineup of other shows as well.
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Please note that this article is for general information purposes only and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph.