 |
6 books on AI for Games [PDF]
September 10, 2025 | 15 |
Game AI emerged almost as soon as video games appeared, but was not the AI we know today. NPCs in games did behave intelligently, for example, they saw and recognized your character when they approach, started to combat or talk. However, the source of this intelligence wasn't in the NPC's program but in the main program, which had complete knowledge of the game world (so it doesn't need to see and recognize).
AI in games is a set of algorithms that dictate NPC behavior in different situations. It isn't capable of thought or creativity, its actions are predetermined by the developers. Despite these limitations, well-designed AI adapts to the situation and changes its behavior depending on the context. AI is needed to simulate NPC intelligence, but its purpose is not to outsmart the player, but to entertain them. Modern games use various approaches to create AI. But the underlying principle is the same: information acquisition → analysis → action.
In recent years, neural networks (that can learn) have appeared and are potentially leading to the development of game AI capable of creative problem-solving. However, this is still a pipe dream, as neural networks require extensive training before a game is released. Without this training, AI is unlikely to produce accurate results. Furthermore, the primary goal of a game is to entertain the user - not to outsmart them. All game elements must work within a clear and balanced game design. Neural networks, on the other hand, strive to find the best way to complete a task and often employ logic alien to human mind. When one neural network was trained on Road Runner, the AI's goal was to avoid defeat on the second level. The network discovered that it was possible to earn points faster on the first level, so it killed itself every time before advancing to the second level.
Neural networks are showing amazing results, but they are still poorly applicable to games. From an experimental standpoint, such AI seems exciting, but from a user experience standpoint, the benefit is questionable.
Here are some PDF books about AI in Games:
1. Artificial Intelligence Video Games: Fundamentals and Applications
2023 by Fouad Sabry
Download PDF
2. General Video Game Artificial Intelligence
2022 by
Download PDF
3. Artificial Intelligence in Games
2022 by Paul Roberts
Download PDF
4. Artificial Intelligence and Games
2018 by Georgios N. Yannakakis, Julian Togelius
Download PDF
5. Artificial Intelligence for Computer Games
2011 by Pedro Antonio González-Calero, Marco Antonio Gómez-Martín
Download PDF
6. AI for Game Developers: Creating Intelligent Behavior in Games
2004 by David M Bourg, Glenn Seemann
Download PDF
How to download PDF:
1. Install Gooreader
2. Enter Book ID to the search box and press Enter
3. Click "Download Book" icon and select PDF*
* - note that for yellow books only preview pages are downloaded
AI in games is a set of algorithms that dictate NPC behavior in different situations. It isn't capable of thought or creativity, its actions are predetermined by the developers. Despite these limitations, well-designed AI adapts to the situation and changes its behavior depending on the context. AI is needed to simulate NPC intelligence, but its purpose is not to outsmart the player, but to entertain them. Modern games use various approaches to create AI. But the underlying principle is the same: information acquisition → analysis → action.
In recent years, neural networks (that can learn) have appeared and are potentially leading to the development of game AI capable of creative problem-solving. However, this is still a pipe dream, as neural networks require extensive training before a game is released. Without this training, AI is unlikely to produce accurate results. Furthermore, the primary goal of a game is to entertain the user - not to outsmart them. All game elements must work within a clear and balanced game design. Neural networks, on the other hand, strive to find the best way to complete a task and often employ logic alien to human mind. When one neural network was trained on Road Runner, the AI's goal was to avoid defeat on the second level. The network discovered that it was possible to earn points faster on the first level, so it killed itself every time before advancing to the second level.
Neural networks are showing amazing results, but they are still poorly applicable to games. From an experimental standpoint, such AI seems exciting, but from a user experience standpoint, the benefit is questionable.
Here are some PDF books about AI in Games:
1. Artificial Intelligence Video Games: Fundamentals and Applications
2023 by Fouad Sabry
Download PDF
2. General Video Game Artificial Intelligence
2022 by
Download PDF
3. Artificial Intelligence in Games
2022 by Paul Roberts
Download PDF
4. Artificial Intelligence and Games
2018 by Georgios N. Yannakakis, Julian Togelius
Download PDF
5. Artificial Intelligence for Computer Games
2011 by Pedro Antonio González-Calero, Marco Antonio Gómez-Martín
Download PDF
6. AI for Game Developers: Creating Intelligent Behavior in Games
2004 by David M Bourg, Glenn Seemann
Download PDF
How to download PDF:
1. Install Gooreader
2. Enter Book ID to the search box and press Enter
3. Click "Download Book" icon and select PDF*
* - note that for yellow books only preview pages are downloaded
