Sony Interactive Entertainment has made a new patent application that promises to change the way gamers play their beloved games. The patent, “Method and System for Auto-Playing Portions of a Video Game,” suggests a feature that computer intelligence will steer the game at those points when there is a higher abundance of tedium and repetition, for instance, grinding for levels or resources.
The Allurement of Sony Auto-Play
The technology is not new, as it exists in (MMORPGs), such as Runescape and others, where repetitive tasks can be made automatic. Nonetheless, the patent from Sony depicts the possibility of transferring this feature to console games where yet play by the auto-play rule has not been officially developed.
According to a patent, the automatic mode will use data received from the game style of the player to simulate the way the player interacts with the game. This would force the Artificial intelligence to copy the preferred playstyle of the player so that the playstyle of the player would be the playstyle of the AI, making the machine control smooth.
Challenging the grind
This feature is developed to target one of the primary complaints that the gamers have; repetitive tasks. The amount of time that a user needs to play a game can be minimized by activating the auto-play mode which will make the player be able to skip and avoid the parts that they do not like playing.
This has more advantages to game players who get bored while repeating monotonous steps, for instance, grinding for experience points or gathering resources. Auto-play would help players to rush through the boring parts of the game, which would leave more time to focus on the more exciting aspects.
Safeguarding the experience
On the contrary, Sony’s patent acknowledges the pivotal role played by the immersive element in the whole gamer experience. “Auto-play” mode will only be accessible during “face-non-critical events” and not let players breeze through the boss fights or pivotal story points.
Additionally, the patent is illustrated as a feature that will present a choice prompt to players if they would like to continue with automatic play or go back to the manual control by themselves. The goal behind this function is to bring about a balance between convenience and freedom of players while still allowing for the option of auto-play that suits their needs.
A divisive proposition
Letting AI control some part of the game, however, seems to be an enticing thing for some players, it raised many issues and arguments from within the gaming community. The critics think if a game commands the player to yield to an AI, it already implies that it either has a flawed design or lacks engaging content.
What about advocates who believe that auto-play is a life quality improvement scenario that serves either to reduce player frustration or save in-game time? The proponents view auto-play as a realistic option for the gamers who find the grind boring and are more inclined towards action-packed aspects of the game.
The future of interactive entertainment
In the same way, the mere fact of registration will not guarantee the presence of this feature in the future PlayStation games. On the other hand, it offers a small perspective on Sony’s continuous attempts to uncover new ways of improving the experience of gamers and meeting their requirements that vary.
Whether auto-play becomes a widespread feature or remains a niche offering, one thing is clear: gaming is a world that is always developing so Sony’s patent is an indication to the companies that there are active players who are looking to find the latest and more captivating things to keep players intrigued.
