Procedural Generation and Games at the Dawn of Fault Tolerant Quantum Computing

TL;DR

This paper explores how fault-tolerant quantum computers could revolutionize game development by applying procedural content generation, proposing quantum algorithms that may offer computational advantages over classical methods.

Contribution

It introduces quantum algorithms for procedural content generation and discusses their potential advantages in future quantum-enabled game development.

Findings

Quantum algorithms could enhance procedural content generation.

Potential exponential speedup in computing complex invariants like the Jones polynomial.

Framework for integrating quantum computing into game development processes.

Abstract

Quantum computers have long been more of a toy for researchers than a tool for solving complex problems. However, recent advances in the field make exploiting the advantages of fault-tolerant quantum computers feasible in the next 5 to 10 years. It is now time to begin imagining how such devices could be used in practice for game development and deployment. In this work we identify procedural content generation as a very promising area of application and exploration. We examine a selection of algorithmic approaches used in classical procedural content generation and propose promising quantum algorithms that could provide an alternative approach or a computational advantage. We then end with a hypothetical game that exploits a recent quantum algorithm for computing the Jones polynomial exponentially faster than classical computers could.