Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii says he’d like to add an AI chatbot into one of his future games
He says it would be fun to solve a mystery while chatting to a virtual partner
Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii says he’s thinking about possibly adding an AI chatbot to one of his future games.
Horii attended the G-Star game developer convention in South Korea last month, and his discussion there was recently covered by Famitsu.
While discussing the future of video games, Horii said he had recently become impressed by AI, specifically citing ChatGPT as one example, saying (via machine transalation) that it “handles all sorts of consultations in a very logical way”.
Noting that he uses ChatGPT personally, and that others use it as a casual chat partner or someone to talk to, Horii said he liked the idea of creating a quiz game or a mystery game where the player is aided by a partner whose dialogue is powered by AI.
“It would be interesting if we could use that kind of AI to, for example, play quiz games or mystery games where you have to find the culprit,” he explained.
“You could find the culprit while talking to your subordinates. Or the AI could do the interrogation and when you ask it, it could tell you ‘here’s what they said’. Actually solving the case through conversation, while chatting… if something like that were truly possible, it would be fun, wouldn’t it?”
As reported by Automaton, the interviewer than asked Horii if he was considering incorporating AI into his future games, to which he reportedly replied “yes”.
Horii then mentioned VR as another thing he was considering for future games, but noted that because it’s uncomfortable to wear he’s still not quite sure how to effectively use it.
“I think games will eventually step beyond the monitor,” he said. “Like the virtual world encroaching on the real world. Playing online games can change your life, right? You make new acquaintances, and some people actually get married to people they meet there. Having your life transformed by playing a game – that’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it?”
Last month Horii was recognized by the Japanese government in its autumn honours by receiving the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his work on the iconic role-playing game series.
Horii is the first game designer to receive the honour, which is awarded to those recognized for distinguished service to the state in various fields, except military service.
Horii has worked on every mainline Dragon Quest game since the 1986 original and, via his company Armor Project, co-owns the franchise alongside Square Enix.
