Interlopers or Catalysts? Dissecting the Impact of Incorporating AI Players on Multiplayer Online Games

Abstract

As AI becomes increasingly embedded in multiplayer online games, AI-controlled players are frequently deployed as opponents to human players. Whereas this practice is becoming increasingly common, its impact on player engagement, social interactions, and the broader game ecosystem remains unclear. Our study investigates the effects of introducing AI players using a natural experiment from a popular multiplayer online game. We find that AI players significantly increase player engagement and encourage players to team up with friends more frequently. These effects are driven by enhanced self-efficacy and perceived team responsibility. Moreover, the positive effects are particularly strong among novice players and among players who previously preferred teaming up with strangers. Our findings offer valuable insights for game developers seeking to enhance player engagement and foster social interaction, highlighting the potential of carefully designed AI participants to strengthen online communities and improve player retention.The rapid evolution and extensive application of artificial intelligence (AI) have generated a distinct form of human-AI interaction in multiplayer online games. Using a policy in a popular online game that incorporates AI players as opponents to human players, we investigate how this policy influences player engagement, friend team-ups, and the broader game ecosystem. Our findings indicate that introducing AI players significantly increases game engagement and encourages friend team-ups. To uncover the underlying mechanism, we perform a mediation analysis to examine the roles of self-efficacy and team responsibility. AI players are intentionally designed to be less skilled while being difficult to distinguish from human players. Our mediation analysis suggests that this design can allow successful outcomes to be interpreted as signals of players’ own competence and team contribution. These interpretations imply stronger perceived self-efficacy and team responsibility, which can lead to greater engagement and more team-ups with friends. Finally, our analysis indicates that the impacts of AI players are moderated by player skill levels and teammate preferences. In particular, the positive effects of AI players on both player engagement and friend team-ups are stronger among novices. Players who initially prefer random teammates experience greater social benefits, as they become more likely to team up with friends after the introduction of AI players. Our research offers valuable implications for game developers who seek to enhance player engagement and foster social interaction in the rapidly evolving landscape of multiplayer online games.History: Juan Feng, Senior Editor; Ling Xue, Associate Editor.Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2024.0996 .