As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more popular and sophisticated, AI-based software that plays video games in place of humans, more commonly known as bots, will also become more prevalent and advanced. Although some bots are still repetitive and easily predictable, advanced bots use machine learning to dynamically learn their opponent’s patterns and adapt accordingly. This becomes an issue in 1 v. 1 games where a player thinks they are playing against another flawed human being but is actually against a bot that perfectly responds to their every move. In 2023, AviaGames, a mobile board game app developer and publisher, was accused of fraud and sued by its players in a class action for using “unbeatable” bots against players in its games. Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent playing AviaGames’ games, which the publisher advertises as “skill-based”. Users believe AviaGames’ usage of bots is denying them a fair chance of winning after they bet real money. AviaGames is also accused of using “shark robots”, bots that specifically target players who have earned a lot of money playing its games. On September 5, 2024, AviaGames failed in its attempt to compel arbitration from its players involved in the class action.
This is not the first time AviaGames has been accused of using bots in its games. In 2021, AviaGames was sued by its rival, Skillz, for patent and copyright infringement. According to Skillz, AviaGames’ use of bots enabled its players to find matches a lot quicker, which resulted in Skillz losing some market share to AviaGames. The District Court for the District of Northern California determined that the evidence (internal communication between AviaGames executives) suggested AviaGames’ use of bots. AviaGames Founder and CEO Vickie Chen has denied using bots in its games. After the jury found for Skillz this February, the two parties subsequently settled.
When used correctly, bots can add value to games by enhancing the user experience. Playing against bots can allow users to control their experience and have fun without getting too competitive. Players who are new to the game can try out new characters or tactics without being harassed by other players. However, problems arise when bots are disguised as human players. Regardless of the result, playing against bots takes out the spirit of competing against other humans. It makes winning less rewarding and losing more frustrating.
Problems also exist in games where humans and bots are not directly playing against each other. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are video games where players role-play as their characters in an immersive world full of other players. MMORPGs often have carefully designed in-game economies where players can trade resources for cosmetics or items. By exchanging resources for rewards, in-game economies balance the profit game developers receive from their games and the in-game satisfaction of their players. Using bots to collect resources continuously and trade them destroys the economy and creates inflation. The decrease in the real value of resources leads to developers receiving less profit while the increase in their nominal value creates a barrier to the enjoyment of other players.