Bots have now become a common term among those who take part in online games. The term actually means robots, programs made using artificial intelligence which perform tasks, both simple and complex, without needing the help of humans. These programs are downloaded from vendors free of charge, while others require the users to pay monthly subscriptions.
Since their first development, bots have been used in video games to perform a number of tasks. Some of these include:
- Enabling familiarisation with the gaming environment – especially for new players, the bots have been used to assume characters in games, thereby teaching the potential players how to play some particular games and how to abide by the rules. The potential players are also able to learn gaming concepts such as the position of weapons, map layout, the points of cover, and the general game outlook and feel.
- Enabling the formation of complex gaming environment – bots can be used to enable the development of a deeper and more confused gaming situation
- Performing certain tasks in video games – aside from repetitive functions, bots have also been used in farming and helping characters to level up
In general, the bots do what humans can do, but within the software environment. This means that when humans are present and are available to do what bots initially did, then they lose their usability. This is contrary to a situation where human beings rise up to take the functions that were initially performed by bots and not bots taking up the positions and duties initially performed by the humans.
The contradiction indeed holds, but only for the gaming industry. Because they are games to be played by humans, it becomes more interesting to engage with a fellow human. This is evidenced by the reduction in the use of bots with the continued popularity of online games.