Latest news with #BenKim
Forbes
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
How Agent-Native Gameplay Can Blur The Boundaries Between Reality And Fiction
Ben Kim is the cofounder of Nitrode. Every few years, the video game industry invents what many people expect to become the future of play—VR headsets, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and currently, non-player characters (NPCs) powered by large language models (LLMs). I've observed that these waves tend to dominate conversations for a year or so, then settle into a niche because players lack interest, usually due to high costs or because these technologies don't fundamentally change how they interact with games. LLMs are redefining both how games are built and what games can be. It's important for developers to look beyond AI-powered NPCs and more intelligent matchmaking between players in-game. In my experience working in the space, agent-native gameplay, which refers to titles that run on autonomous AI agents, can deliver new possibilities and create new experiences for players. Agent-native gameplay is possible now due to technological advancements, but take a look back, and you'll see early examples that echoed elements of what is possible today. Previous Attempts At Creating Ultra-Immersive Games There have been several previous attempts at creating ultra-immersive games, such as Façade and Evidence. One notable one? EA's Majestic, which was released in 2001. According to The Obscuritory, a blog centered on obscure games and software, players gave information including their fax and phone numbers, email addresses and instant messenger names. The Majestic team then interacted with players to 'guide them through the game's available 'episodes.'' However, The Obscuritory noted that the game ultimately fell short for various reasons, including poor timing, a lack of technical breakthrough and ultimately insufficient user interest as a result. How The Technology Has Caught Up Up until recently, the technology stack wasn't robust enough for developers to build true agent-native games. However, in 2025, researchers studying machine learning explored what web-browsing AI agents could achieve. The researchers presented WebGames, 'a comprehensive benchmark suite designed to evaluate general-purpose web-browsing AI agents through a collection of 50+ interactive challenges.' They found that 'a substantial capability gap, with the best AI system' only attaining a 43.1% success rate. By contrast, human performance had a 95.7% success rate. However, in my view, that 43.1% is still significant—it's close to 50%. The technology stack has caught up in several ways. There are now fully autonomous agents that show that LLMs can reliably chain together dozens of steps. Cognition's Devin is a well-known example of a fully autonomous agent currently on the market—it can read documentation, open terminals, fix bugs and ship pull-requests without any human input. With fully autonomous agents, video game developers can create email agents that send players unique messages and clues as part of the gameplay experience. The web automation tools available today, such as Browser Use and Browserbase, enable web agents to seamlessly execute tasks on websites, such as making purchases and booking services. What this translates to is that agents can be leveraged to deliver real-world products and experiences that enrich gameplay. There are various solutions on the market, such as ElevenLabs and Cartesia, that can not only handle text-to-speech but can also emulate specific voices. Video game developers can leverage this technology by incorporating voice agents that can call players, sounding identical to their favorite in-game characters. What Agent-Native Games Can Do Combined, the capabilities mentioned above enable developers to create agent-native video games where players aren't just immersed in a game, but in a new world. There are various possibilities. For example, with voice agents, developers can create an adventure game that, with the consent of everyone involved, clones your friend's voice. Then, your real phone would ring, and you pick up and are offered to go on a journey. The way you respond would dictate the outcome of the game. With web agents, one example of a game could be one where an agent organizes a select number of packages to be delivered to your door, or sets up a short trip (within a pre-selected distance constraint). Your actions would determine what happens next in the game. As for email agents, imagine a whimsical role-playing game (RPG), in which each agent-drafted email is a combat move, replies from humans branch the narrative and sentiment analysis feeds a meter that could lead to clues being revealed to players. Gameplay agents present another opportunity. For example, imagine agents becoming your game buddies. Your job is to outperform the agent in the game you're playing. When you're not there, the agent pushes you ahead. Ambient life simulations are possible, too. A farming game, for instance, could tie its weather to real forecasts in your city, while a browser agent sells surplus crops on an actual e-commerce site to fund in-game upgrades. However, with these possibilities come risks. Agent-native games could go too far, putting players in dangerous situations. Developers must be mindful of maintaining player safety, getting consent when it's called for and providing warnings when needed. They should also build in-game mechanisms that enable players to quickly and safely stop playing. Agent-Native Games Can Ultimately Blur The Boundaries Between Reality And Gaming Agent-native games invite players into worlds where AI agents can weave their actions into plots. Because agent capability is continuously improving, developers nowadays are limited less by production constraints and more by the scope of their imaginations. Today's autonomous agents supply video game developers with the missing gears that enable them to blur the boundaries between reality and gaming. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Business Insider
29-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
OverProtocol partners with Pocket Network to supercharge growing South Korean Web3 industry
Partnership will see OverProtocol contributor SuperBlock become Korea's first Pocket Network gateway OverProtocol, a Layer-1 blockchain designed to enable full node operation on personal devices, has partnered with decentralized infrastructure protocol Pocket Network to make Web3 infrastructure higher-performing, more cost-competitive, and accessible to all. OverProtocol aims to democratize infrastructure participation by minimizing system requirements, and is building an ecosystem that includes OverFlex, a real-world voucher marketplace, enabling both Web3 and non-crypto users to not only participate, but benefit from real-world utility. Securing Unstoppable Infrastructure for South Korean Web3 Companies Pocket Network and OverProtocol are both seeking to democratize node participation through building a highly decentralized, secure, and accessible network. The partnership will see the integration and promotion of Pocket's decentralized RPC layer to support both OverProtocol and other chains. The Pocket Network Foundation will provide a subsidy for gateway throughput in the form of a token swap with OverProtocol – providing technical support as required and introducing both SuperBlock, and Over Protocol to the Pocket Network Ecosystem. 'Our goal is to make Web3 infrastructure accessible to everyone. Partnering with Pocket creates powerful synergy — enabling us to deliver decentralized, reliable services and empowering users to become active contributors,' said Ben Kim, CEO of SuperBlock and Founder of OverProtocol. Paving the Way for Korean Blockchain Innovation The partnership will see SuperBlock, which builds products, tools, and applications for OverProtocol, become the first Pocket Network gateway in Korea, helping subsidize Web3 startup infrastructure costs in the country – similar to how AWS gives away free cloud credits. SuperBlock will ultimately serve as the gateway to take advantage of the progress made by public Layer-1s in the region like Kaia. Furthermore, Pocket Network and OverProtocol are partnering to develop a KRW stablecoin distribution framework aligned with Korean regulatory standards. Pocket Network will enhance access and network stability through its decentralized RPC infrastructure, while OverProtocol will drive adoption by integrating the KRW stablecoin into real-world use cases—bridging core blockchain infrastructure with practical financial applications. OverProtocol's global DAU has topped 150,000, and it's deployed over 3,400 personal nodes across 143 countries using its dynamic lightweight infrastructure. It will leverage this experience to provide efficient and scalable RPC endpoints to Pocket Network. Long-term, OverProtocol envisions a standalone dApp architecture hosted entirely on personal nodes without centralized servers – a truly decentralized application. The Pocket Network x OverProtocol collaboration could evolve into decentralized Content Delivery Network (CDN) capabilities for dApps via RPC endpoints within the Pocket Network, further strengthening decentralized infrastructure. For additional information about OverProtocol, users can follow on Twitter, YouTube, Discord, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, and Medium About OverProtocol OverProtocol is a Layer-1 blockchain network committed to fostering a truly decentralized ecosystem, allowing anyone to serve as a validator by empowering individuals to run full nodes on personal computers. Its vision is to create a global peer-to-peer network that welcomes contributions from individuals worldwide, enhancing its security and stability through collective collaboration. Pocket Network is a decentralized blockchain data platform that provides access to blockchain data for Web3 decentralized applications (dApps). It acts as a relay network, connecting applications to full nodes (which store and process blockchain data.) Pocket uses a native cryptocurrency, POKT, to facilitate this process, creating a marketplace where node providers can earn rewards for servicing application requests. Contact
