The use of AI is one of the most controversial subjects in the gaming industry. This year's research from the Game Developers Conference shows that developers will be able to rely on more and more on new technologies to generate content.
However, the subject of AI draws a fierce social media backlash, as both gamers and some developers condemn the use of tools, such as fraud and anti-consumer. A GDC survey found that 30% of developers think that generation AI is bad for the industry.
Game developers who have embraced the use of AI in their work believe there is a way to manage social media backlash. That is to be positive and honest about whether or not you're going to use it.
“You have to be direct about that,” Goat Gaming founder Simon Davis told the Fortune Brainstorm AI Singapore Conference on Tuesday. He explained that Goat Gaming wrote an article on the use of AI, which would help prevent accusations of “art theft” and help maintain customer trust. As a result, he says the rebound is minimal.
Thun Ng Ngwen, founder of Vietnamese game developer Sky Mavis, admitted that he was “previously skeptical of AI content generation.” However, the high quality content that AI can provide to players has changed his mind.
Davis said that AI quickly became an established part of the game's situation, and previous transformations like the rise of additional content paid for the game have elicited their own internet rage.
And he made bold predictions. For years, the industry will build the first billion-dollar company by just one person.
Reduction costs
According to Play Ventures general partner Phylicia Koh, who had “a 15-person and maybe a 9-month team,” the non-technical “Vibe Creators” can do it in just six weeks.
That may be welcome news for the gaming industry, but it is already struggling with balloon development costs. AI can help game studios lose overhead costs for teams of 100 or more who keep their games up to date. However, new technologies can also create content at a scale that humans cannot match.
Graham Uden for good luck
Davis said his team could use AI to create 25 million characters on his platform. Such work, done without AI, would have required jobs in the “army of people for decades,” he said.
Still, the impact on AI staffing could hinder the population of developers who are already worried about layoffs. A GDC survey said one in 10 people reported being subject to employment cuts over the past year.
The best thing a large corporate game developer can do now is to build an AI project every spare time [they] Davis said.
“It's going to be painful and some jobs will be lost,” Koh admitted. However, AI could be a way to speed up industry timelines and bring costs back to more manageable levels.
