Let’s Talk Games: An Expert Exploration of Speech Interaction with NPCs

Recent years have witnessed significant advances in speech recognition and language processing technologies, enabling natural language conversations with computers. Concurrently, the gaming industry seeks to heighten immersion as one of the leading mediums for entertainment. This work investigates the potential and challenges of using speech interaction in single-player video games, particularly for interactions with NPCs. We conducted an online survey with video game experts (N=20) alongside in-depth interviews with researchers specializing in conversational user interfaces and game user research (N=16). Our findings emphasize experts’ recognition of the considerable potential of speech interaction in games, fostering increased immersion, engagement, and entertainment. Additionally, experts address pertinent concerns like privacy issues and play environment limitations. Drawing from our findings, we provide practical recommendations for integrating speech interaction in single-player games. These encompass potential benefits, challenges, accessibility, and social implications. We further address potential regulatory requirements and offer implementation tips to enhance player experience. Human-centered computing → Natural language interfaces; Applied computing → Computer games.