I asked Gemini to play a text-based adventure game, and the AI ​​blew me away with word-based fantasy.

Gemini, Google’s AI chatbot running Flash 2.0, is well-equipped to handle complex conversations, generate instant images (“I need a picture of someone working on their computer on the weekends”), and handle tricky math equations. I know all this, and yet, sometimes, I find myself talking to the thing, and when I do, I often discover hidden possibilities, like classic video game play.

remember I visited youIn 1977, three MIT researchers created the first text-based adventure game for the DEC House of Representatives and eventually ported it to older computers. I discovered the game in 1980 in my high school math lab, home to the school’s only computer. The game gives you descriptions and choices as an intelligent narrator narrates through the story. Your decisions determine your experience and your game. It was hard and obnoxious, but I loved it.

BFFS

The topic of the game came up by chance during a casual conversation with Gemini.

I started using Gemini more after I found that I could put a Gemini widget on the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s lock screen. Now, LLM is one click away. As with most AI conversations, it follows a somewhat random stream of consciousness. I started by asking Gemini what AGI (artificial general intelligence) was. Gemini spelled it out for me and admitted that she doesn’t have an AGI yet.

The conversation felt rushed, so I asked Gemini, via voice, to make her responses more casual as if she were my best friend. I heard “casual” as “coffee” and then playfully mixed coffee references in her now-friendly banter.

Gemini asked about my weekend plans, then asked if she would like to play games. One of the responses she gave was that she enjoys text games. Gemini then asked what games I would like to play.

I explained my love of chess and my poor modern video game skills. Then I described playing “one of the oldest video games where there was just text, and you’d kind of go on an adventure and you’d get a prompt, and then you’d know what you were supposed to do based on some choices.”

Gemini was clearly intrigued by this description, and asked if I would like to talk more about these classic games, play chess, or run a text-based adventure that I would create.

I remembered Zork, which Gemini described as a “legendary game,” and gave me some details about its history.

Gemini then offered to create a little “Zork-inspired adventure.”

Do you want to play a game?

Don’t worry; this isn’t a tale where an evil computer offers to create a game that opens up geopolitical implications and potentially ends the world. Gemini isn’t that AI. But I will say, the game that followed was impressive, if a bit pricey.

Here's how it started:

“You find yourself standing at the edge of a whispering forest. The air is thick with the smell of damp earth and old trees. A narrow path snakes its way deep into the forest, disappearing into your shadows.

What do you do?

Options:

1 Follow the path into the forest.

2 Stone wall inspection.

3 Follow the flow.

4 Listen to the sounds of the forest.

Enter the number corresponding to your choice.

Mostly, I chose numbers that I thought would keep the adventure going. The descriptions were rich and often well-written. If I closed my eyes, I could picture the scene. I was entertained and curious enough to keep going.

The game’s story led me through a path in the woods, of course, to an old moss-covered cabin. Inside was a “character” eventually described as “Edler.” At one point, Gemini took to calling the figure “them” and “them,” which could mean the figure has no gender or that Gemini has lost a bit of the thread.

Over the course of a dozen prompts, we explored the forest, retrieved a magical key, and examined the contents of a mysterious box. Perhaps my favorite part of the game was how we tied it all together, retrieved the key from a magical stone, and then realized that it was also the key that opened that special box.

The game went on for so long that I had to take breaks. When I got back to Gemini, I thought I had lost the game, but Gemini keeps track of all the quick conversations in the chat icon in the upper left corner of the app. Once I opened that prompt, we were able to pick up where we left off.

Gemini's idea of ​​a big reveal fell a little flat. We found a box containing photographs of Edler's parents. Their tale of love and loss wasn't magical or even dramatic, but Edler's obvious sadness didn't touch me.

However, once the Sheikh shared the “secret” of the charlatan, I was no longer interested in the Sheikh’s story or the hut, so I chose the option where I said goodbye and left the hut.

Here was the final playthrough:

“Thank you for sharing your story, elder,” you say, your voice soft and respectful. “I’m glad I could help you recover this precious keepsake.”

You rise from your chair, ready to take your leave. “I have to go back now. The sun is setting, and I don’t want to get lost in the woods.”

The old woman nods slowly, her eyes full of gratitude. “You are a kind and brave traveler,” they say. “May the forest guide you safely on your journey. And may you always remember the power of love and memory.”

You turn and walk towards the door, the hinges rattling in the quiet room. As you step out into the twilight, you peer into the cottage. Flickering candlelight casts a warm glow through the window, illuminating the figure of the elder, still holding the silver dagger.

You turn and walk away, the sounds of the forest closing in around you. The path back to the edge of the forest seems clearer now, as if the forest itself is guiding you.

the end."

Gemini wasn’t great at raising the stakes—a key component of the best gameplay—but I was engaged, and I think the game could have been more interesting if I made some different choices or got more involved in the game’s development. I’m sure Gemini will let me fine-tune some of the mechanics.

It’s another reminder that we’re far from discovering the full depths of these chatbots’ capabilities. We need to be prepared to look beyond the obvious, choose our own path, and take the AI ​​adventure.

• I've experienced the most realistic AI voice companion ever.
• I Became a ChatGpt Expert by Settling My AI Claims
• Whatsapp has made it impossible to avoid AI – but at least…