Move over Twitch plays Pokemon - Gemini is now playing, and it's panicking

People enjoy tuning into platforms like Twitch to watch playthroughs of various video games, especially older and beloved titles. A popular part of this has been Twitch Plays Pokémon, which places the chat audience in control of the game on screen, allowing everyone to simultaneously control movement and more. It was something that went viral among game communities, who were intrigued by the idea of seeing a playthrough of an older game that was so dramatic to watch. Twitch Plays Pokémon led to other spins on the concept, including other types of games for Twitch to play together as a collective. But since the surge in popularity of that, other aspects of livestream gaming have appeared online, including some that utilize AI models to play.

To many, AI has been a controversial topic of debate in many sectors. Different people have various views on it, depending on the application and relevance of AI to certain industries. But while companies continue to duke it out for dominance in the tech space, some people are using AI to play through older games like Pokémon. As is the case with an AI model known as Gemini. Even though it's trying to accomplish a feat that many people did when they were younger, Gemini has struggled with panicking during gameplay. Whether that's a good or bad thing is subjective, but it's been drawing a lot of attention from everyone.

AI playing games

The curiosity around it

Gemini is Google's AI model that was recently studied, along with Anthropic's AI model Claude, on how it approaches playing through early Pokémon games like Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue. A report done by Google DeepMind found that Gemini 2.5 Pro goes into a simulated state of panic at certain times, specifically when the lineup of Pokémon are in critical health. This leads to the AI having a noticeable drop in the quality of its reasoning abilities, which results in bad decisions during gameplay. Some might compare it to when a person begins to get worried and makes rash choices when they're about to lose a Pokémon battle during the game. This happened a number of times before it was finally noticed by the developers who started the stream, which led them to look into it more.

To some, this sounds interesting, while others find it to be more humorous than anything else. For most people interested in AI, these types of studies don't seem to offer much useful information. But for another group of people, it can be a big source of entertainment. This is why two developers unaffiliated with Google and Anthropic set up two Twitch channels that let the two different AI models play through Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Red. The two streams, Gemini Plays Pokémon and Claude Plays Pokémon, go live for everyone to watch in real time as the AI models navigate their way through the games. At one point, Gemini was able to finish Pokémon Blue by reaching the end of the Elite Four battles back in May, while Claude continued to struggle through Pokémon Red for a time.

It's a bit different

The audience just watches

Part of the attractive nature of the Gemini Plays Pokémon stream is how different it feels to watch over Twitch Plays Pokémon. While the latter gave control to a large group of people struggling for priority over everyone else, the Gemini stream is a lot more passive for viewers. The audience can see the reasoning process of the AI model as it approaches each new challenge within the game, and displays how it comes to a conclusion. This is all done in real time, so there are no cuts or tricks to the gameplay, and every accomplishment and failure by Gemini is shown in full.

This has fascinated viewers for better or worse, especially when Gemini goes into a panicked state during the game. Although the AI model doesn't feel anything like real humans do, it tries to simulate the state of worry or flight response that happens to some people when in a stressful situation. At the same time, Gemini also requires some external help at various points in the game to get around certain challenges it would otherwise be unable to solve. For this, various harnesses developed independently help the AI model navigate portions of the game when necessary, including when certain areas within a given location are unpassable or not. Some of the harnesses that get applied to Gemini even cover terrain that is outside the current screen of the game, almost like map recollection, as Gemini continues to play and gather more information.

A future with AI gaming

Different kinds of let's plays and video game live streams appeal to various online audiences, and it seems like a new one is emerging. With AI constantly being developed further and applied to various things, AI gaming could be something that goes even further in future years as the technology continues to evolve. For now, everyone will have to settle for seeing AI models play through older games like Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue, but there's a possibility that this could change very quickly, extending beyond just Pokémon games. Would it be appealing to watch an AI model play through a more complex game like Street Fighter or Call of Duty for a live stream? These are things that people might be asking themselves at some point, sooner or later.