Evolution in Virtual Worlds

TL;DR

This paper explores the design of virtual worlds capable of supporting evolution and natural selection to create complex ecosystems, discussing components, challenges, and frameworks for such systems.

Contribution

It proposes a comprehensive framework for designing virtual worlds with evolving organisms, environmental dynamics, and interconnectedness to foster ongoing evolution.

Findings

Identified key components for evolutionary virtual worlds

Discussed challenges in enabling structural evolution

Outlined a framework for ecosystem design

Abstract

This chapter discusses the possibility of instilling a virtual world with mechanisms for evolution and natural selection in order to generate rich ecosystems of complex organisms in a process akin to biological evolution. Some previous work in the area is described, and successes and failures are discussed. The components of a more comprehensive framework for designing such worlds are mapped out, including the design of the individual organisms, the properties and dynamics of the environmental medium in which they are evolving, and the representational relationship between organism and environment. Some of the key issues discussed include how to allow organisms to evolve new structures and functions with few restrictions, and how to create an interconnectedness between organisms in order to generate drives for continuing evolutionary activity.