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6 books on AI for Games [PDF]
March 06, 2025 | 15 |
These books explore AI applications in gaming: pathfinding, behavior trees, decision-making algorithms, and procedural content generation, illuminating the ways in which AI can enhance gameplay, create lifelike non-player characters, and optimize game design.
1. Artificial Intelligence Video Games: Fundamentals and Applications
2023 by Fouad Sabry
In "Artificial Intelligence Video Games: Fundamentals and Applications," Fouad Sabry takes us on a delightful tour through the curious world of AI in video games, where non-player characters (NPCs) do their best to act human—or at least convincingly enough to fool your grandmother into thinking she's playing against a real person. Since the pixelated dawn of video gaming in the 1950s, AI has been quietly doing the heavy lifting, not in the academic sense of figuring out how to solve world hunger, but in the far more important task of making sure that every game you play feels more like an adventure and less like getting lost in IKEA. From the classic arcade villains of yore with their predictable, yet oddly endearing, movement patterns, to today’s cunning opponents that can outmaneuver you faster than you can say "game over," Sabry covers it all. He also uncovers the secret tricks of modern gaming—pathfinding that’s basically GPS on steroids, decision trees more complex than your last existential crisis and AI so sneaky it mines data and generates entire worlds without so much as a beep—all of which ensure you're hopelessly, joyfully lost in the game.
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2. General Video Game Artificial Intelligence
2022 by
General Video Game Artificial Intelligence is a book about the audaciously complicated idea that artificial intelligence, rather than solving world hunger or cracking the mysteries of the universe, should instead be laser-focused on beating every conceivable video game ever made. It introduces a framework—because every good idea needs one—called the Video Game Description Language, which sounds a bit like a thing you’d want to avoid at parties, but is actually the backbone of a global competition that’s been running since 2014. In this noble contest, researchers pit their AI algorithms against a mind-boggling variety of games, hoping to create something that doesn’t just stumble through Tetris but can triumph over an entire arcade. Naturally, educational institutions saw this and thought, “Aha! Homework!” Now students from undergrads to PhDs are sweating over it. Written by the masterminds who created this delightful torment, the book offers a glimpse into the endless research, quirky solutions and a glimpse into the dazzling, algorithm-packed future of video games.
Download PDF
3. Artificial Intelligence in Games
2022 by Paul Roberts
Imagine a universe where your games don’t just react—they think, plan and occasionally, make questionable decisions about whether to zig or zag. Artificial Intelligence in Games is your Hitchhiker's Guide to the wildly improbable galaxy of game AI, whisking you through a cosmos of foundational mathematics, terrain analyses and decision-making algorithms, with the occasional detour into a pub-like chapter where code examples mingle freely with your imagination. Split neatly into two parts (like a well-designed sandwich), the book delivers a mix of lighthearted theory and hands-on C# wizardry, perfectly calibrated for Unity enthusiasts and aspiring architects of digital genius. With downloadable games to poke, prod and politely interrogate, it’s a delightful romp through the intricate mind of game AI—ideal for students, developers and anyone who's ever wondered what it feels like to create an NPC capable of both navigating a maze and existential crisis.
Download PDF
4. Artificial Intelligence and Games
2018 by Georgios N. Yannakakis, Julian Togelius
In the grand tradition of making the incomprehensible sound not only comprehensible but oddly delightful, Artificial Intelligence and Games might well be subtitled How to Build Robots That Cheat Better Than You. Authors Georgios N. Yannakakis and Julian Togelius embark on a brave and slightly bewildering journey through the space-time continuum of gaming and AI, starting with the basics—like explaining why games are more than just shiny distractions and why AI might someday take over the job of being your dungeon master. From there, they hurtle through the wild frontiers of AI gameplay, algorithmic content conjuring and player modeling, which is either a harmless exercise in psychology or a sinister prelude to Skynet designing your next Tetris level. This indispensable tome is perfect for anyone from students attempting to pass their courses without succumbing to existential dread, to industry professionals trying to outsmart their own creations. And because no self-respecting guide to the universe would be complete without a digital hitchhiker’s map, there’s a companion website with exercises, lecture slides and enough recommended reading to make Marvin the Paranoid Android feel slightly less alone in the vast and uncaring cosmos of knowledge.
Download PDF
5. Artificial Intelligence for Computer Games
2011 by Pedro Antonio González-Calero, Marco Antonio Gómez-Martín
Picture, if you will, a book that takes the bewildering complexities of Artificial Intelligence in gaming and whittles them down into something marginally less likely to explode in your face. Artificial Intelligence for Computer Games is a cheerful foray into the world where academic cleverness collides with game design, producing everything from pathfinding algorithms that don’t get lost (unless that’s funnier) to AI agents that can convincingly pretend to care about your feelings. Along the way, it dares to suggest that game designers, who may be somewhat allergic to code, can still cobble together AI behaviors by borrowing patterns like a particularly resourceful magpie. There’s talk of turning bland, pre-written game plots into dazzling, interactive epics—because who wouldn’t want an NPC with “beliefs” and “intentions” complicating things? Toss in some learning-by-watching-human-players techniques (because humans can be very instructive when they’re not being utterly baffling) and a smattering of neural networks, genetic algorithms and reinforcement learning and you’ve got yourself a book that practically oozes academic charm and industry utility. Warning: may induce sudden urges to rewrite every game you’ve ever played.
Download PDF
6. AI for Game Developers: Creating Intelligent Behavior in Games
2004 by David M Bourg, Glenn Seemann
In a universe not entirely unlike our own, where digital worlds teeter on the edge of chaos, AI for Game Developers arrives like a towel-wielding hitchhiker, ready to decode the mysteries of artificial intelligence for bewildered game designers. This book boldly ventures into realms of finite state machines, fuzzy logic and neural networks (none of which are as scary as they sound), sprinkling delightful C/C++ code snippets along the way, like breadcrumbs in a particularly nerdy fairy tale. From teaching NPCs to chase and evade with the grace of a Vogon poet avoiding criticism, to herding virtual flocks that could pass for sentient, it introduces both old-school determinism and the wibbly-wobbly wonder of genetic algorithms. There's even a chapter on A* pathfinding that’s worth its weight in improbability drives. Practical, accessible and cheekily clever, this book is the guide you didn’t know you needed to bring life to your games—and, more importantly, to make them so much fun that even Marvin might crack a smile.
Download PDF
How to download PDF:
1. Install Google Books Downloader
2. Enter Book ID to the search box and press Enter
3. Click "Download Book" icon and select PDF*
* - note that for yellow books only preview pages are downloaded
1. Artificial Intelligence Video Games: Fundamentals and Applications
2023 by Fouad Sabry
In "Artificial Intelligence Video Games: Fundamentals and Applications," Fouad Sabry takes us on a delightful tour through the curious world of AI in video games, where non-player characters (NPCs) do their best to act human—or at least convincingly enough to fool your grandmother into thinking she's playing against a real person. Since the pixelated dawn of video gaming in the 1950s, AI has been quietly doing the heavy lifting, not in the academic sense of figuring out how to solve world hunger, but in the far more important task of making sure that every game you play feels more like an adventure and less like getting lost in IKEA. From the classic arcade villains of yore with their predictable, yet oddly endearing, movement patterns, to today’s cunning opponents that can outmaneuver you faster than you can say "game over," Sabry covers it all. He also uncovers the secret tricks of modern gaming—pathfinding that’s basically GPS on steroids, decision trees more complex than your last existential crisis and AI so sneaky it mines data and generates entire worlds without so much as a beep—all of which ensure you're hopelessly, joyfully lost in the game.
Download PDF
2. General Video Game Artificial Intelligence
2022 by
General Video Game Artificial Intelligence is a book about the audaciously complicated idea that artificial intelligence, rather than solving world hunger or cracking the mysteries of the universe, should instead be laser-focused on beating every conceivable video game ever made. It introduces a framework—because every good idea needs one—called the Video Game Description Language, which sounds a bit like a thing you’d want to avoid at parties, but is actually the backbone of a global competition that’s been running since 2014. In this noble contest, researchers pit their AI algorithms against a mind-boggling variety of games, hoping to create something that doesn’t just stumble through Tetris but can triumph over an entire arcade. Naturally, educational institutions saw this and thought, “Aha! Homework!” Now students from undergrads to PhDs are sweating over it. Written by the masterminds who created this delightful torment, the book offers a glimpse into the endless research, quirky solutions and a glimpse into the dazzling, algorithm-packed future of video games.
Download PDF
3. Artificial Intelligence in Games
2022 by Paul Roberts
Imagine a universe where your games don’t just react—they think, plan and occasionally, make questionable decisions about whether to zig or zag. Artificial Intelligence in Games is your Hitchhiker's Guide to the wildly improbable galaxy of game AI, whisking you through a cosmos of foundational mathematics, terrain analyses and decision-making algorithms, with the occasional detour into a pub-like chapter where code examples mingle freely with your imagination. Split neatly into two parts (like a well-designed sandwich), the book delivers a mix of lighthearted theory and hands-on C# wizardry, perfectly calibrated for Unity enthusiasts and aspiring architects of digital genius. With downloadable games to poke, prod and politely interrogate, it’s a delightful romp through the intricate mind of game AI—ideal for students, developers and anyone who's ever wondered what it feels like to create an NPC capable of both navigating a maze and existential crisis.
Download PDF
4. Artificial Intelligence and Games
2018 by Georgios N. Yannakakis, Julian Togelius
In the grand tradition of making the incomprehensible sound not only comprehensible but oddly delightful, Artificial Intelligence and Games might well be subtitled How to Build Robots That Cheat Better Than You. Authors Georgios N. Yannakakis and Julian Togelius embark on a brave and slightly bewildering journey through the space-time continuum of gaming and AI, starting with the basics—like explaining why games are more than just shiny distractions and why AI might someday take over the job of being your dungeon master. From there, they hurtle through the wild frontiers of AI gameplay, algorithmic content conjuring and player modeling, which is either a harmless exercise in psychology or a sinister prelude to Skynet designing your next Tetris level. This indispensable tome is perfect for anyone from students attempting to pass their courses without succumbing to existential dread, to industry professionals trying to outsmart their own creations. And because no self-respecting guide to the universe would be complete without a digital hitchhiker’s map, there’s a companion website with exercises, lecture slides and enough recommended reading to make Marvin the Paranoid Android feel slightly less alone in the vast and uncaring cosmos of knowledge.
Download PDF
5. Artificial Intelligence for Computer Games
2011 by Pedro Antonio González-Calero, Marco Antonio Gómez-Martín
Picture, if you will, a book that takes the bewildering complexities of Artificial Intelligence in gaming and whittles them down into something marginally less likely to explode in your face. Artificial Intelligence for Computer Games is a cheerful foray into the world where academic cleverness collides with game design, producing everything from pathfinding algorithms that don’t get lost (unless that’s funnier) to AI agents that can convincingly pretend to care about your feelings. Along the way, it dares to suggest that game designers, who may be somewhat allergic to code, can still cobble together AI behaviors by borrowing patterns like a particularly resourceful magpie. There’s talk of turning bland, pre-written game plots into dazzling, interactive epics—because who wouldn’t want an NPC with “beliefs” and “intentions” complicating things? Toss in some learning-by-watching-human-players techniques (because humans can be very instructive when they’re not being utterly baffling) and a smattering of neural networks, genetic algorithms and reinforcement learning and you’ve got yourself a book that practically oozes academic charm and industry utility. Warning: may induce sudden urges to rewrite every game you’ve ever played.
Download PDF
6. AI for Game Developers: Creating Intelligent Behavior in Games
2004 by David M Bourg, Glenn Seemann
In a universe not entirely unlike our own, where digital worlds teeter on the edge of chaos, AI for Game Developers arrives like a towel-wielding hitchhiker, ready to decode the mysteries of artificial intelligence for bewildered game designers. This book boldly ventures into realms of finite state machines, fuzzy logic and neural networks (none of which are as scary as they sound), sprinkling delightful C/C++ code snippets along the way, like breadcrumbs in a particularly nerdy fairy tale. From teaching NPCs to chase and evade with the grace of a Vogon poet avoiding criticism, to herding virtual flocks that could pass for sentient, it introduces both old-school determinism and the wibbly-wobbly wonder of genetic algorithms. There's even a chapter on A* pathfinding that’s worth its weight in improbability drives. Practical, accessible and cheekily clever, this book is the guide you didn’t know you needed to bring life to your games—and, more importantly, to make them so much fun that even Marvin might crack a smile.
Download PDF
How to download PDF:
1. Install Google Books Downloader
2. Enter Book ID to the search box and press Enter
3. Click "Download Book" icon and select PDF*
* - note that for yellow books only preview pages are downloaded
