Position: Interactive Generative Video as Next-Generation Game Engine
This is a foundational position paper that could revolutionize game development by introducing AI-powered generative systems to reshape how games are created and experienced.
The paper tackles the challenges of creativity and cost in modern game development by proposing Interactive Generative Video (IGV) as the foundation for Generative Game Engines (GGE), which enable unlimited novel content generation in next-generation gaming.
Modern game development faces significant challenges in creativity and cost due to predetermined content in traditional game engines. Recent breakthroughs in video generation models, capable of synthesizing realistic and interactive virtual environments, present an opportunity to revolutionize game creation. In this position paper, we propose Interactive Generative Video (IGV) as the foundation for Generative Game Engines (GGE), enabling unlimited novel content generation in next-generation gaming. GGE leverages IGV's unique strengths in unlimited high-quality content synthesis, physics-aware world modeling, user-controlled interactivity, long-term memory capabilities, and causal reasoning. We present a comprehensive framework detailing GGE's core modules and a hierarchical maturity roadmap (L0-L4) to guide its evolution. Our work charts a new course for game development in the AI era, envisioning a future where AI-powered generative systems fundamentally reshape how games are created and experienced.