Sycophancy, Simulation and Spectacle: AI’s Role In the Future of Interactive Gaming
Abstract
This study discusses the evolution of interactive media from scripted narratives to artificial intelligence (AI) driven, user-specific, and personalized experiences within a theoretical framework. The study specifically focuses on the concept of “sycophancy,” which defines the tendency of AI models to constantly affirm user desires. Taking the potential of data-rich platforms to integrate user data with game mechanics as a contextual framework, this study situates this transformation within a broader lineage of innovation in game design history. It examines the technological progression from a historical perspective, ranging from the improvisational storytelling of Dungeons & Dragons to the text-based AI mechanics of AI Dungeon; from procedural world-building (No Man’s Sky) and real-time asset generation (Genie 3, MetaHumans) to large language model-driven NPC systems (Skyrim, Fortnite, Minecraft). Drawing on Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation theory and Kriss Ravetto-Biagioli’s concept of the “digital uncanny,” the research argues that AI-driven sycophancy can generate hyperreal and highly addictive loops by instantaneously reconstructing the “challenge” element in Mihály Csíkszentmihályi’s Flow theory according to user expectations. Ultimately, the article posits that personalized simulations could produce hyperreal experiences that may increasingly compete with lived reality, thereby reconfiguring the nature of interactive media.
Keywords
Sycophancy, Digital Uncanny, Simulation, Hyper-reality, Interactive Gaming
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