Practical utilization of game technology

Game technology has became very capable during last two decades, utilizing advanced machine learning and AI, running complex simulations and rendering gorgeous envinroments, and most importantly, affordable. Even during last... [ view full abstract ]

Game technology has became very capable during last two decades, utilizing advanced machine learning and AI, running complex simulations and rendering gorgeous envinroments, and most importantly, affordable. Even during last decade (and before that for some pioneers), AI has been utilized, complex simulations were run and vibrant environments rendered, yet we rarely see game technology and knowhow of their makers being utilized outside the field gaming. So it's good time to talk about what practical utilizations game technology can already have on built envinroments. Not about some vague distant future, but what can be done NOW.

Lets start from the easiest: Game technology has untapped potential in terms of marketing and selling new homes and offices, when potential buyers can visit them with their browsers, and see (and feel) the apartment/building in full with it's ambiance, with different time of day and weather. Even taking the concept further, to decorate and customize them. Especially the ambiance, with all of it's surrounding sounds, is important aspect of decision making. Virtual envinroments tell far more than videos and images. Especially beneficial for upper value projects, where you need to convince critical buyers, suspicious politicians and resisting neighbors, long before project is started. This all is already very straightforward and quick to accomplish with game technology, especially if architects have provided 3D models.

To take that into larger scope. What if we we're to build virtual version of a planned city district, with simulated traffic and transport, and allow citizens to roam freely in it, and to comment and suggest changes, while their position and actions in the virtual world are being logged, that would provide valuable information for designers and buyers for optimizing pathways and transit routes and finding potential hotspots to set up business. As cities have already started building and publishing 3D models of themselves and planned districts, this is also already very possible. And few years into future, i can see there being open full virtual high-detail version of cities, where architects and construction companies submit their proposals and projects for the public to visit, and many currently not very known potential uses for one will arise.