A member of a British Army eSports team experiences a game via a virtual reality headset. (Photo by … [+]
I was sitting on the couch, half-watching my partner play Dota 2, the frantic clicking of his mouse filling the silence of a wintry midnight hour in December. His eyes were fixated on the screen, his voice sharp and measured as he coordinated with friends, rallying them to victory — or at least a good fight.
In between the chaos of battle, there were moments of quiet where his character, the Dragon Knight — a mythical warrior with the ability to transform into a powerful dragon — would stand still in a jungle, surrounded by the pixelated ruins of a once-thriving world. Notably, in that rare stillness, he would find a second to rest at the sacred “fountain of healing,” its waters offering a brief respite from the pain of battle.
Amidst the split-second clicks, hard-earned victories and brutal losses, it became clear how these games — this immersive tension between real and virtual, ‘us’ versus ‘them’ and the pursuit of something greater — mirror broader trends about the socio-technological world we live in.
As artificial intelligence, virtual reality and immersive experiences take center stage, the landscape of gaming is shifting dramatically. These worlds — where survival, cooperation and competition are key modes of engagement — are becoming metaphors for our complex realities as technology continues to reconstitute the human experience.
In Dota 2 and its kin, players face a world where survival isn’t guaranteed, and every choice has profound consequences. As advancements in haptic feedback, AI-driven non-player characters and virtual landscapes that respond dynamically to player behavior continue to unfold, the line between truth and simulation becomes harder to discern. As the characters in these games struggle to fathom and predict the unknown, we may, too.
Utopia Versus Dystopia
Survival games, once straightforward narratives of “stay alive at all costs,” have evolved dramatically. Powered by advancements in AI, VR and Web3 technologies, they are now viewed less as mere entertainment and more as burgeoning markets and industries.
But this genre has always reflected societal fears. Early titles like The Oregon Trail dramatized — often in racially inappropriate ways — the perils of westward expansion, and by the 2000s, apocalyptic narratives, driven by real-world concerns such as environmental collapse and resource scarcity, gained popularity.
According to research published by the University of Ontario’s Institute of Technology, pessimism about future generations coincided with the rise of survival games in the early 2000s. Around 2009, rates of pessimism regarding future generations began increasing while rates of optimism began, with rates of pessimism surpassing optimism in 2013.
“During this same time, according to player-labeled genres for games that we reviewed, the number of survival games on the market increased dramatically compared to the ten years prior to this period, i.e. 1999 to 2009,” the researchers note in their 2018 paper titled “Survival Themed Video Games and Cultural Constructs of Power.”
On average, previous generations of video games, both single and multi-player, maintained a focus on players becoming more than themselves within the virtual realm, and popular in this era were utopian set environments. Meanwhile, contrary to these optimistic, questing and achievement-centered environments are the current fatalist, post-apocalyptic and survival-themed video games of the last decade, the researchers argue.
“Categorized more as dystopian environments, these (contemporary) games often represent a world created around the embodiment of fears and anxieties existing in the present culture. These genres reflect a fatalistic mentality creating survival-based experiences where death is immanent,” they note.
Now, AI and VR are transforming the genre further, making survival even more personal, real and immersive than ever before.
The Forest, for instance, uses AI to create NPCs that not only respond to player actions but also exhibit emergent behavior, such as forming alliances or ambushing players when least expected. Other games employ procedurally generated worlds powered by AI, offering unique experiences for players as they explore an infinite universe.
Meanwhile, VR-centric titles like The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners place players in post-apocalyptic environments where every decision — whether to scavenge, fight or flee — feels intensely personal due to the medium’s immersive nature. A collapsing building or a hostile NPC in a virtual world can feel as real as actual danger — and for players, that realism can be a game-changer.
The AI Supercycle: Games That Think and Feel
According to Ilman Shazhaev, founder and CEO of blockchain-based shooter game Farcana, gaming will enter the “AI Supercycle” in 2025.
“We’ll see a surge of games that no longer rely on pre-written scripts but instead respond dynamically to players’ actions, decisions and even emotions in real time,” says Shazhaev.
When it comes to gamers’ fears and hopes, AI introduces unpredictability, echoing the fear of the unknown, while simultaneously fueling hope by empowering players to overcome challenges, says Shazhaev. “VR amplifies this emotional connection, immersing players in scenarios that evoke both isolation and triumph.”
These “living games” echo humanity’s fears of an uncertain future while empowering players to overcome challenges.
AI is reshaping survival games into adaptive ecosystems where every choice matters, and NPCs now mimic societal dynamics: desperate survivors vying for resources, opportunistic allies with their own agendas. The result is a deeply personal gaming experience that taps into the human psyche, keeping players engaged in what Shazhaev calls “a dopamine loop.”
AI also introduces complex in-game economies, particularly in Web3 environments. Players can own digital assets and identities, seamlessly transferring achievements across games, creating what Shazhaev describes as a “unified digital identity.” This convergence of AI, Web3 and immersive gameplay could transform survival games into cultural movements transcending entertainment, he adds, with AI-powered avatars serving as extensions of their digital identities.
“By 2025, digital ownership will no longer be optional — it will be a core expectation. Players will own their in-game assets and identities, transferring achievements seamlessly across games while participating in economies that mirror real-world markets. For example, imagine an avatar from one game carrying its skills, history, and assets into another.”
Brain Boon or Bane?
Survival game design derives from fundamental human impulses, notes author and psychotherapist Eloise Skinner, “It draws on our need to survive, our desire to separate good from bad and the reward systems that activate in our brain when we seek and achieve a defined reward.”
Andrew Hogue, co-CEO of wellness tech company NEUROFIT, notes their role as emotional outlets. “It’s a way for consumers to release the emotional pressure and stress underlying [the] uncertainty [of our times], which would otherwise build up in the nervous system as allostatic load.”
Robin Arnott, founder of digital therapeutic game SoundSelf, says immersive gameplay engages multiple regions of the brain.
“On the positive side, they promote neuroplasticity, our brain’s capacity to adapt and form new pathways — especially in games that require strategic thinking and rapid decision-making like survival games,” says Arnott, adding that this could translate into better cognitive flexibility and resilience in real-life scenarios.
At the same time, the risks associated with survival games, particularly with the integration of AI and VR, are significant. Issues such as addiction, escapism and the potential desensitization to violence are among the most prominent concerns. “Prolonged, intense gameplay can sometimes overstimulate the brain’s reward systems, making everyday activities less satisfying,” says Arnott, adding that moderation and mindful engagement are key.
The immersive nature of VR heightens these risks. When players are transported into hyper-realistic survival scenarios, the lines between reality and virtual can blur, leading to unhealthy escapism, where players find it difficult to re-engage with their physical environments. Similarly, AI-driven games that adapt to a player’s behavior could exacerbate compulsive play by providing endless, personalized challenges and rewards, creating addictive loops.
Furthermore, the psychological intensity of survival games, with their simplified but high-stakes goals like finding food or avoiding danger, can both attract and overwhelm players. While these mechanics offer a psychological balm in a chaotic world, they might also encourage a binary view of success and failure, which could have unintended impacts on mental health.
The ethical implications of AI-enhanced NPCs in these games are another concern. With NPCs that exhibit lifelike behavior, including complex personalities and social dynamics, younger audiences might struggle to differentiate between virtual and real-world interactions.
A New Genre of Digital Anthropology
Whether through AI-driven NPCs, immersive VR environments, or dynamic in-game economies, survival games are redefining consumer technology and interactive entertainment. As AI, VR and Web3 advance, these games may continue to push boundaries — and the success of this genre could depend on responsible innovation balancing inspiration, creativity and ethical accountability.
From a developer’s perspective, survival games are becoming experiments in “digital anthropology, says RTB Ruhan, CEO at 3D animation studio Null Station. “Survival games aren’t just about staying alive anymore; they’re shaping how we process the concept of survival itself in a tech-driven world.”
