AI-NPC in game
- My graduation project about how AI-generated NPC dialogue shapes player experience in narrative games.
1.Research Overview
Introduction:
Independent research project based on a controlled between-subjects experiment (N = 84).
Research Question:
Does AI-generated NPC dialogue increase immersion compared to scripted dialogue, and is this effect driven by social presence?
Context:
With major studios adopting AI NPCs, understanding how players actually perceive them is an urgent question.
Method:
Online between-subjects experiment — participants watched a 60-second AI-generated NPC scene or a scripted version and rated immersion + social presence.
Results:
I validated all measurement scales (Cronbach’s α ≈ .83) and checked randomization, attention, and manipulation accuracy. Using independent-samples t-tests, I found that AI-generated dialogue significantly increased perceived social presence (medium effect size, d = 0.56, p = .012), but did not directly raise immersion. I then ran a mediation analysis (PROCESS Model 4), which revealed a clear indirect effect.
Key Insight:
AI dialogue doesn’t directly boost immersion, but it significantly increases social presence, which then leads to higher immersion.
AI’s power in narrative games lies in making NPCs feel socially “real,” not just more technically advanced.
