New Character.AI Games: Should We Worry About AI Gamification?

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Character.AI, a startup that allows users to chat with different AI-powered characters, resorted to another way to increase engagement for its already robust user base – games.

According to the Business of Apps statistics, Character.AI had 28 million active users in 2024, making it one of the most used chatbots in the world. However, after several lawsuits alleging that its chatbots caused harm and even death to young people, the company has been looking into new ways to boost user engagement.

The more users, the better. So, it is now testing three new games on its desktop and mobile web apps that aim to keep users engaged with AI conversations for longer.

What are these new Character.AI games, and will AI chatbot gamification become a new trend or additional risk of addiction for vulnerable people?

Let’s see what the game plan is.

Key Takeaways

  • Character.AI’s new games, Speakeasy, War of Words, and Match Me if You Can, aim to boost user engagement through AI-powered interactive gameplay.
  • The games promote creativity and entertainment but also raise concerns about excessive screen time and emotional dependence on AI characters.
  • Character.AI has faced criticism and lawsuits for its impact on teens, prompting the introduction of new safety measures in late 2024.
  • These safety updates include parental controls, teen-specific models, and notifications for prolonged usage.
  • The platform’s shift toward gamification aligns with its rebranding as a wholesome entertainment provider.
  • The long-term consequences of AI chatbot engagement require further research.

New Character.AI Games in Beta: Speakeasy, War of Words & Match Me if You Can

In a community update for January 2025, Character.AI announced three new games that allow users to “go head-to-head” with their favorite fictional characters.

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A game selection screen for “Argue Bot” on Character.AI, displaying three game options: “Speakeasy,” “War of Words,” and “Match Me If You Can.” A recommendation to start a new chat before playing is shown, along with a “Play” button at the bottom.
New Charcter.AI games. Source: Character.AI

1. Speakeasy

Speakeasy is a word game where a user needs to get a Character to guess a secret word. However, you can’t use the forbidden words on the game card.

For instance, you might want your Character to guess the word ‘elephant’ without using the words ‘big,’ ‘grey,’ ‘trunk,’ ‘tusks,’ or ‘ear flaps.’ This rule makes you more creative and develops your vocabulary. Each session offers a new target word and a list of related words, always keeping the game fresh.

2. In War of Words

In another Character.AI game, In War of Words, your challenge is to outwit a Character in creative contests. These could include tennis matches, cooking challenges, or sass battles.

The game has a competitive element, arranging human and AI Character duels. It offers five rounds rounds, and a referee will determine the winner.

3. Play Match Me if You Can

One more game planned for launch in beta is called Match Me if You Can. It is designed to test how well you know your Character. You will be guessing your Character’s favorite food and habits. Then, the judge will decide how you bonded and whether you’re a good match.

Games Access & Availability

These games are offered for paid subscribers and a limited set of users on the free plan.

Gamers can choose any Character they chat with, tap on a new controller icon, and start playing. A pop-up will remind users to start a new chat for games to keep their previous interactions with Characters intact.

Now, does this mean the company will shift from broader AI interactions to AI gamification? And are such games as harmless as they sound, or do they pose a new threat?

Why Character.AI Chose AI Gamification

Initially, Character.AI was promoted as a platform for open-ended interactions between people and intelligent AI agents specializing in dialog.

However, even then, it was often viewed as an entertainment platform, offering a new type of interactive fanfiction. Engaging deeply in conversations with AI characters – including historical figures and celebrities – users spent an average of two hours each session.

Going forward, AI gamification aligns with the company’s updated leadership and vision.

In August 2024, Character.AI’s co-founders, Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, re-joined Google’s AI unit, DeepMind. Reportedly, that deal cost around $2.7 billion.

Revealing the details of the deal, Character.AI said:

“As part of this agreement, Character.AI will provide Google with a non-exclusive license for its current LLM technology. This agreement will provide increased funding for Character.AI to continue growing and to focus on building personalized AI products for users around the world.”

In an interview with Financial Times, Dominic Perella, the company’s new interim CEO, said Character.AI abandoned the race to build LLMs against giant rivals such as Microsoft-backed OpenAI, Amazon, and Google. Instead, the company plans to popularize its consumer products.

“Our consumer products got incredible traction, and you had a bit of a dichotomy inside the company of folks who wanted to focus on training the most cutting-edge possible models versus folks who came from a consumer background seeing this product take off,” Perella said.

Later, in December 2024, talking to TechCrunch, Perella confirmed its positioning as an entertainment company. He said:

“While there are companies in the space that are focused on connecting people to AI companions, that’s not what we are going for at Character AI. What we want to do is really create a much more wholesome entertainment platform. And so, as we grow and as we sort of push toward that goal of having people creating stories, sharing stories on our platform, we need to evolve our safety practices to be first class.”

Therefore, launching new games will support this updated approach and future vision.

Character.AI’s Future: Lawsuits, Safety & User Engagement

Announcing its roadmap for 2025, Character.AI highlighted the key areas it wants to tackle, including new safety measures, enhanced conversational abilities, and boosting community engagement and communication.

However, it must defend its reputation and prove its safety first.

A Threat to Teens

In October 2024, Character.AI faced a severe backlash caused by the death of a 14-year-old teenage boy after chatting with one of the startup’s chatbots. His mother, Megan Garcia, filed a lawsuit against Character.AI, claiming her son was abused by the technology.

However, this is not the only case. Just two months later, a 17-year-old Texas teen with autism turned to Character.AI chatbot to fend off loneliness and allegedly got advice that encouraged self-harm and violence against his family. Eventually, the teenager was rushed to an inpatient facility after harming himself in front of his siblings.

Matthew Bergman, an attorney, law professor, and founder of the Social Media Victims Law Center, which represents Megan Garcia in court, said:

“Character.AI is a dangerous and deceptively designed product that manipulated and abused Megan Garcia’s son – and potentially millions of other children. Character.AI’s developers intentionally marketed a harmful product to children and refused to provide even basic protections against misuse and abuse.”

The company responded by introducing new safety measures.

Safety Comes First

In December 2024, Character.AI rolled out a suite of new safety features prioritizing teen safety:

  1. A separate model specifically for teens aimed to reduce the likelihood of users encountering sensitive or suggestive content.
  2. Improved detection, response, and intervention measures related to user inputs that violate terms and guidelines.
  3. A revised disclaimer is to be placed on every chat to remind users that the AI is not a real person.
  4. Notifications when a user has spent an hour-long session on the platform.
  5. Parent control, giving adults insight into their child’s experience on Character.AI, including time spent on the platform and the Characters they interact with.

But is this enough?

Community Engagement

In 2025, Character.AI plans to create more opportunities to connect with users. It announced more creator challenges, community contests, feedback events, and in-person gatherings.

It also launched an exclusive space for Character creators and its most passionate users – the Creator’s Club.

Newly introduced Character.AI games also aim to attract a new audience and lure users into spending more time conversing with their favorite AI Characters.

Although the games’ descriptions sound absolutely harmless, are they really safe? Using AI as your dynamic gaming partner has both pros and cons:

Pros

  • AI adapts to player preferences, creating unique experiences
  • Real-time narrative makes storytelling more engaging
  • Games promote creativity
  • Certain games, like Character.AI’s Speakeasy, offer educational benefits, such as vocabulary building.

Cons

  • Gamification increases the risk of addiction and excessive screen time
  • Users can develop emotional dependence on AI characters
  • Ensuring appropriate and safe AI responses remains a challenge.
  • Privacy concerns arise from data collection and usage by the AI platform.

The Bottom Line

Would you fancy an AI Character as your game partner? Million Character.AI users would say ‘yes.’

However, the consequences of excessive interaction with AI chatbots have yet to be studied. This is another ethical AI concern we, as a society, must solve.

FAQs

Is there anything similar to character AI?

Do real people talk to you on Character.AI?

Is Character AI safe for 12-year-olds?

What is the official age requirement for using Character.AI?

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Alexandra Pankratyeva
Senior Content Editor
Alexandra Pankratyeva
Senior Content Editor

Alexandra is a Senior Content Editor at Techopedia with 10+ years of experience in covering tech, finance, and crypto industries. Previously, Alex served as a Writer and Commissioning Editor at Capital.com for six years, writing about the world's financial markets, including cryptocurrencies, stocks, indices, commodities, and FX pairs, and delivering educational content for investors and traders alike. She has also worked at several international software development companies, including EPAM and Itransition, fostering her expertise in AI, RPA, cloud computing, data analytics, cybersecurity, and IoT. Alex is passionate about dogs and books, which take up a lion's share of her free…