Zero-player game
Encyclopedia
A zero-player game is a game that has no sentient players.
In computer games, the term refers to programs that use artificial intelligence
rather than human players.
Conway's Game of Life
, a cellular automaton
devised in 1970 by the British mathematician John Horton Conway
, is considered a zero-player game because its evolution is determined by its initial state, requiring no further input from humans. In addition, Some fighting
and real-time strategy
games can be put into zero-player mode by pitting one AI
against another.
A World of Warcraft
bot named Glider
is able to "play" the game in the stead of a real player, rendering parts of the game where only a single player is involved as zero-player. In 2006, Blizzard Entertainment
filed a federal lawsuit against the developers
, claiming the bot violated their Terms of Service
.
In computer games, the term refers to programs that use artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
rather than human players.
Conway's Game of Life
Conway's Game of Life
The Game of Life, also known simply as Life, is a cellular automaton devised by the British mathematician John Horton Conway in 1970....
, a cellular automaton
Cellular automaton
A cellular automaton is a discrete model studied in computability theory, mathematics, physics, complexity science, theoretical biology and microstructure modeling. It consists of a regular grid of cells, each in one of a finite number of states, such as "On" and "Off"...
devised in 1970 by the British mathematician John Horton Conway
John Horton Conway
John Horton Conway is a prolific mathematician active in the theory of finite groups, knot theory, number theory, combinatorial game theory and coding theory...
, is considered a zero-player game because its evolution is determined by its initial state, requiring no further input from humans. In addition, Some fighting
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
and real-time strategy
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
games can be put into zero-player mode by pitting one AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
against another.
A World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
bot named Glider
Glider (bot)
Glider, also known as WoWGlider or MMOGlider, was a bot created by MDY Industries, which interoperates with World of Warcraft. Glider automates and simplifies actions by the user through the use of scripting to perform repetitive tasks while the user is away from the computer...
is able to "play" the game in the stead of a real player, rendering parts of the game where only a single player is involved as zero-player. In 2006, Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded on February 8, 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by three graduates of UCLA, Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham and Frank Pearce and currently owned by French company Activision Blizzard...
filed a federal lawsuit against the developers
MDY Indus. LLC v. Blizzard Entm't, Inc.
MDY Industries, LLC v. Blizzard Entertainment, Inc and Vivendi Games, Inc., No. 06-2555, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 53988, 2008 WL 2757357 , is a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona...
, claiming the bot violated their Terms of Service
Terms of Service
Terms of service are rules which one must agree to abide by in order to use a service. Unless in violation of consumer protection laws, such terms are usually legally binding...
.
See also
- Single-player game
- Two-player gameTwo-player gameA two-player game is a game played by just two players. This is distinct from a solitaire game which is played by only one player, or a multiplayer game played by more than two players. Two unofficial but logical ways of grouping and categorizing games could be by Type and by what it is Based In,...
- Multiplayer gameMultiplayer gameA multiplayer video game is one which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time. Unlike most other games, computer and video games are often single-player activities that put the player against preprogrammed challenges and/or AI-controlled opponents, which often...
- Progress QuestProgress QuestProgress Quest is an application created as a parody of EverQuest and other massively multiplayer online role-playing games. It is loosely considered a zero-player game, in the sense that once the player has set up his artificial character, there is no user interaction at all; the game "plays"...