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Vibe Gaming
Unlocking new gaming experience with agentic AI
Microsoft VEGA Team<br>Microsoft Research & XBOX
What if, instead of controlling every move your game character made, you could tell them what you wanted and watch them live, act, and connect with others on their own in the changing game world?
This is the idea behind VEGA , our exploration of vibe gaming powered by agentic AI. Characters can act on their own, pursue goals, react to a changing world, and make decisions independently while remaining connected to the player. Instead of controlling every action, the player can offer guidance through natural conversation when they choose, and the character can seek or incorporate that guidance when appropriate.
That connection continues even when the player leaves the game. Characters can keep living in the world, send updates to the player, and ask for input when they need it. In a shared multiplayer world, they can also meet, react to, and talk with other players’ characters, allowing relationships and stories to emerge without continuous direction from their players.
We aim to design VEGA as a flexible agent framework for 3D embodied games, where characters can perceive, act, and interact in persistent single-player or multiplayer worlds. For the prototypes and demonstrations in this article, our testbed is Luanti (opens in new tab), an open-source voxel game platform.
Every Character Is Unique
In VEGA, every character begins with a soul shaped by its player. A soul is open-ended guidance about who the character is and how it might live in the world. It can be brief or detailed, follow any structure, or simply be written as free text. The soul does not prescribe every action. Instead, it gives the character a distinct perspective that influences what it notices, which goals it pursues, and how it responds to players and other characters.
That identity continues to develop through experience. As characters explore the world, interact with others, and overcome challenges, they accumulate their own memories and skills. Even characters that begin with similar souls can grow in different directions, shaped by where they have been, what they have learned, and the relationships they have formed.
In the examples below, we describe each soul through an identity, personality, behavioral tendencies, communication style, and long-term dream, but these are possibilities rather than predefined categories. Choose Nova , Milo , or Ares below to see how a distinct soul becomes the foundation for a unique journey.
Living on Their Own
Once a character enters the world, they do not wait for the player to direct every move. They observe what is happening around them, choose what to do next, turn broad goals into concrete actions, and adapt when a plan does not work.
This ongoing experience also changes the character. They remember meaningful events, learn reusable skills, and apply what they have learned to future situations. The following demo opens this inner loop, showing how a character moves from observation and intention to action, reflection, and growth.
Nova<br>Milo<br>Ares
Influence, Not Control
Living on their own does not mean living beyond the player’s reach. Instead of taking back direct control, players can influence their characters through natural conversation: asking what they see, suggesting a direction, pointing out a problem, or...