How online gaming industry is leveraging AI and analytics to be omnipresent

The year 2022 is shaping up to be an interesting one for the Indian online gaming industry. The online gaming sector has technologically advanced so widely with the help of artificial intelligence and scientific data analytics that there has been a massive increase in user interface growth. In fact, according to a study, the integration of AI and virtual reality in the global gaming industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12% during 2020-2025. Since the newer generation has started their interaction in this sector, the online gaming business has evolved and adapted to paradigm changes this year.  Features like full-featured smartphones and affordable data access have played a dominant role in overall technology growth. While the gaming industry is competitive, companies are rushing to attract and engage their audience with a variety of models which are in turn used to create profitable games and engage users. 

We live in a computer-driven world, so it’s no surprise that computers are at the heart of almost everything we see. One industry that has significantly profited from technology is the online gaming business. Online mode of gaming has opened doors to so many opportunities where people are now coming in experience with new tech-savvy trends such as Metaverse, VR and AR. AR uses a real-world setting while VR is completely virtual in nature. AR users can control their presence in the real world; VR users are controlled by the system. VR requires a headset device, but AR can be accessed via a smartphone. Hence, all of these are used to indulge in online gaming which is in turn looped to AI and data analytics. Given below are some pointers that explain how the online gaming sector is supported by both AI and Data analytics:

Role played by AI and data science

Due to technological advancements, various data sets can now be fed into AI and machine learning systems to provide gamers with unique information, which can then be used to better understand and personalize the users' journey across the platform using clickstream data in the future. Many companies also use data to detect cases of game fraud and cheating, and AI has come to the gaming industry's rescue in this regard. As a result, key data such as users' playing time, interaction time, quitting point, preference, outcomes, scores, and other data are becoming increasingly important in the user experience. 

How do gamers make use of artificial intelligence?

Game players find ways to apply math to billions of data points, especially in competitive fields. India had 400 million gamers in mid-2020, and this number is still skyrocketing as the industry is expected to reach a valuation of $3.9 billion by 2025, as per KPMG. Those who want to enter professional stadiums will record, review, and re-evaluate their games to find areas where they can improve, and data analysis has become the pinnacle of professional teams. For example, getting started in poker may be easy, but success at the poker table requires many hours of practice and learning, and various applications such as Poker Analytics and Poker Tracker are designed to assist in this process. All players track and analyse their game to find patterns that can help them in the future to break historical records. 

Benefits of AI and analytics in online gaming

Through behavioral data analytics, each and every gamer’s gaming records are tracked down to create a proper scientific data analysis which helps gaming developers get more insights into customer feedback and reviews. It also helps them in studying various people’s behavior and gaming patterns and also in learning what gamers enjoy the most and what features excite them the most. Understanding user behavior enables better user retention targeting at the product level. These feedbacks also help in further growth of gaming where more advancements can be made with the help of Artificial Intelligence. 

Players are also looking for AI integration as it gives them a sense of safety, security, and the guarantee that they will enjoy the game. Hence, when looked upon the future of this industry, there’s a lot more of advancements and creativity coming up for gamers- even more than one can imagine. This cannot be made possible without the  help of artificial intelligence and data science analytics. Hence, in the upcoming years, gamers can sign up for a crazy gaming experience that can boggle their minds up.

The article has been written by Yogvinder Singh, Head of Technology, Witzeal