Not so much a game

As a level. Being a big fan of algorithms I've been reading up on this new class of functions called genetic algorithms and I think to myself, "A genetic algorithm would make for an exceptionally dynamic level tool." The first (and most obvious) example that came to mind would be a Zelda type game, where the player has to navigate a dungeon full of doors. The doors only appear after the player has slain all of the monsters in a room (giving a lot of freedom in making puzzles). But the same doors don't always appear, or even lead to the same places. No, in truth, the performance of the player as he defeats each puzzle will determine which doors he is presented with. So think of it this way, each puzzle/monster has a standard that it perscribes, be it how quickly it is defeated, how many moves it takes to defeat, or how much damage is dealt before it is conquered. After all of the puzzles/monsters have been beaten, the puzzles/monsters with the higher/lower scores are "mated" via genetic algorithming. One or more doors are then created from their offspring, leading to rooms that are not precomputed, nor computed at random, but contain different variations of the puzzles/monsters from the previous room.

Another example might be an RTS with a similar idea. Each "stage" has certain foes, maybe each of them has a different ai or some different strengths/weaknesses. Whichever foes seem to be the most effective against the player will have their AIs and or strengths/weaknesses crossbreaded with others that show similar strength. Or let's even forget about the player altogether and assume the enemy has some goal that is not to destroy the player, the player is just sort of a nuisance that gets in the way. Maybe a simple turn based strategy where the enemy is trying to reach a certain point and the player's job is to stop them. In this case the enemies would keep coming, but the more successful ones would mate, lending them more powers to trick the player with.

Yes, I do believe this genetic algorithm stuff holds some interesting developments in game mechanics. It kind of takes the idea of emergence out of the player's hand and puts it into the computer's fist.