[aerique]

One never knows what could come out of it. At the least they sell a couple of hundred or thousand extra accounts.

People are ingenious. I can imagine bot hunting parties or a person trying to crash a bot. It would be extra time spend in the game for the companies.

edit: btw good question, thanks!

[possibilistic]

I really like this idea. I don't have much time for gaming anymore, but something like this would be a selling point for me. I could write such a game off as an academic exercise.

There are a lot of AI/ML techniques you'd have to know or become familiar with. I imagine the competition to build the best bot at any given task, or best all-around bot, would be quite intense.

Someone please make this game.

[iambot]

I reckon Notch's games[1] would be the perfect fit, for zones like the OP mentions. A place for the "little Coder" to learn ML/AI etc

[1]: Minecraft or 0x10c etc.

[mukyu]

Having actually played games where bots are not allowed, I have done both of those things or similar (killing bots, making them get stuck in loops, getting the killed, teleporting them or otherwise making them get stuck, .. just about anything to screw with them) and seen plenty of people doing them.

I do not see how making bots legitimate would really be a factor in this type of behavior.

[famousactress]

Agreed. I don't really play games anymore, but this is something I'd do. Also, I'd imagine it's possible it'd help the companies with things like their bot detection schemes.. the checkbox gives them something of a control group.

[millzlane]

someone could make a Game specifically for bots.