Characters Based on Generative AI Are Very Popular with Players, Study Shows

This concerns the characters in the game Dead Meat, developed by the independent studio Meaning Machine.

Meaning Machine is working on an unusual game project called Dead Meat — a detective game where players interact with non-player characters controlled by generative artificial intelligence. Unlike traditional dialogue systems, the characters here are capable of giving unique answers to players' questions, helping them investigate a murder.

The developers believe that this approach can change interactive storytelling. The studio's website states that "AI characters and quests have the potential to revolutionize interactive stories," but this is only possible if creative control is maintained by human authors. According to Meaning Machine, without human involvement, such systems quickly turn into meaningless content.

The project was tested in a study conducted by the University of Bristol. As part of the study, participants were asked to play two of the studio's projects — Dead Meat and Blood Will Out — for 20 minutes, after which semi-structured interviews were conducted with them.

The first part of the study focused on Dead Meat. 68 people participated in the testing. After the game session, they rated various aspects of the project on a scale of 1 to 10 and shared their impressions of interacting with AI characters.

According to the study, 96% of players found the gaming experience enjoyable, giving it a score of 6 or higher. Also:

• 90% of participants rated the "creative freedom" indicator at 5 points or higher
• 56% gave it 6 points or higher
• 87% of participants highly appreciated the degree of immersion

Some participants noted that the ability to ask their own questions to non-player characters makes the process more engaging. One player stated that he "really enjoyed coming up with his own questions", while another noted that the freedom of communication is both "captivating and can be a bit overwhelming."

However, the study has several limitations. The small sample size of participants and short 20-minute game sessions may have influenced the results. In addition, the work was carried out in collaboration with Meaning Machine, which is directly interested in the positive perception of AI characters.