In what scenarios would it be beneficial to use a database, such as SQLite, in conjunction with PHP for storing game data in a project like the "Zombie Dice" game implementation?

Using a database like SQLite in conjunction with PHP for storing game data in a project like the "Zombie Dice" game implementation would be beneficial for maintaining player scores, game states, and other persistent data across sessions. This allows for easy retrieval and updating of information, as well as the ability to scale the game to accommodate multiple players and game instances.

// Connect to SQLite database
$db = new SQLite3('game_data.db');

// Create table to store player scores
$db->exec('CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS player_scores (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, player_name TEXT, score INTEGER)');

// Insert a new player score
$db->exec("INSERT INTO player_scores (player_name, score) VALUES ('Player1', 0)");

// Update player score
$db->exec("UPDATE player_scores SET score = 10 WHERE player_name = 'Player1'");

// Retrieve player scores
$results = $db->query('SELECT * FROM player_scores');
while ($row = $results->fetchArray()) {
    echo $row['player_name'] . ': ' . $row['score'] . PHP_EOL;
}

// Close database connection
$db->close();