A zero-player game or no-player game is a

simulation A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model. Sometimes a clear distinction between the two terms is made, in ...

game that has no

sentient Sentience is the ability to experience feelings and sensations. It may not necessarily imply higher cognitive functions such as awareness, reasoning, or complex thought processes. Some writers define sentience exclusively as the capacity for ''v ...

players.

Types

There are various different types of games that can be considered "zero-player".

Determined by initial state

A game that evolves as determined by its initial state, requiring no further input from humans is considered a zero-player game.

Cellular automaton A cellular automaton (pl. cellular automata, abbrev. CA) is a discrete model of computation studied in automata theory. Cellular automata are also called cellular spaces, tessellation automata, homogeneous structures, cellular structures, tessel ...

games that are determined by initial conditions including

Conway's Game of Life The Game of Life, also known as Conway's Game of Life or simply Life, is a cellular automaton devised by the British mathematician John Horton Conway in 1970. It is a zero-player game, meaning that its evolution is determined by its initial ...

are examples of this.' ''

Progress Quest ''Progress Quest'' is a video game developed by Eric Fredricksen 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 t ...

'' is another example, in the game the player sets up an artificial character, and afterwards the game plays itself with no further input from the player. '' Godville'' is a similar game that took inspiration from ''Progress Quest''. In the game, the player is a god that can communicate with a

non-player character A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...

hero. However, the game can progress with no interaction from the player. Incremental games, sometimes called idle games or clicker games, are games which do require some player intervention near the beginning however may be zero-player at higher levels. As an example, '' Cookie Clicker'' requires that players click cookies manually before purchasing assets to click cookies in the place of the player independently.

AI vs AI games

In computer games, the term refers to programs that use

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

rather than human players, for example some fighting and

real-time strategy Real-time strategy (RTS) is a Video game genre, subgenre of strategy video games that does not progress incrementally in turn-based game, turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time." By contrast, in Turn-based strategy, tur ...

games can be put into zero-player mode where multiple AIs can play against each other. Humans may have a challenge in designing the AI and giving it sufficient skill to play the game well, but the actual evolution of the game has no human intervention.

References

{{Reflist Game theory game classes Game artificial intelligence

Types

Determined by initial state

AI vs AI games

See also

References