  Large language models (LLMs) hold interesting potential for the design,
development, and research of video games. Building on the decades of prior
research on generative AI in games, many researchers have sped to investigate
the power and potential of LLMs for games. Given the recent spike in
LLM-related research in games, there is already a wealth of relevant research
to survey. In order to capture a snapshot of the state of LLM research in
games, and to help lay the foundation for future work, we carried out an
initial scoping review of relevant papers published so far. In this paper, we
review 76 papers published between 2022 to early 2024 on LLMs and video games,
with key focus areas in game AI, game development, narrative, and game research
and reviews. Our paper provides an early state of the field and lays the
groundwork for future research and reviews on this topic.
