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AI is a powerful yet dangerous tool. Yet today, I’m not here to talk about how we’re slowly heading to a dystopia, how many people are going to lose their livelihoods, or how the creation of AI is highly unethical. No, I’ll limit myself by talking about AI in video games and the gaming industry. After various dramas and incidents caused by AI, I fully believe that this new technology has no place in video games.
Made by Humans for Humans
There has been this ongoing debate about whether video games can be considered art or not. Most people believe that video games are art. Many years ago, many looked down on video games, believing them to be childish or even dangerous. They view video games as something not worth paying attention and only recently did the mainstream started to pay attention to games.
Sadly, with the arrival of AI and its addition to video games, I feel like this argument become even more important. I believe that video games are art, but I cannot see games made with AI as such. This is because art is something that can only be made by humans. We make art because there is something that we want to express to the world. It could be ideas, opinions, or feelings. Video games are essentially one of many ways that humans use to express themselves.
I’m primarily drawn to video games with deep stories. I want to be engaged and immersed in these fictional tales that make me see the world in ways that I haven’t before. One of the games that deeply touched me was Red Dead Redemption 2. This game made me fully believe that video games are art. I can still vividly remember the feelings that I experienced as I followed Arthur’s journey, the tears that I shed when I realized the cruel fate he had to face. It’s a very human tale of broken dreams, betrayal, and the world’s unfairness.
No AI can write such a profound and touching tale, and that’s why I’m so insulted whenever I hear someone try to sneak AI into video games (or any art, actually). I feel like it’s a slap to human creativity and individuality. After all, AI is nothing more than a machine that spits out patterns after consuming stolen art made by real humans.
A Hollow Product
I’ll not deny that AI could be a useful tool. It certainly has many utilities in the fields of research and medicine, but I can’t see any proper and good use for it in the gaming industry. Currently, AI is a tool that lazy people use to make a half-assed product that they claim to be video games. It would be one thing if this new technology is used to make something impossible possible. Yet the only thing it has made possible is to make scammers flood Steam with copycats and shovelwares.
Big gaming corporations also don’t want to miss out on this race to the bottom. They see AI as another way to improve their bottom line, like firing employees and replacing them with AI. It’s even more heartwrenching, considering those AI art models are made from stolen art from real artists. The flood of AI slop has gotten so bad that many people have become hyperaware and extremely skeptical toward any art they encounter online; I certainly am.
So many people and companies are so focused on only making more money. Many don’t care about actually creating art and only want a product they can shove into customers’ throats. You know what? If they can’t be bothered to put effort into making their own video games and using AI, why should I care about their creation? Why should I spend my money and time on a hollow, mass-produced product?
I haven’t played any AI games, nor am I interested in trying one. Most developers don’t dare to jump into fully using AI, but many have used this technology to avoid hiring artists and just generate an image for their promotional material or in-game art. Just go to Steam, and you can find various games that use AI-generated artwork. Frankly, if they can’t be bothered to make original art for their project, I don’t see why I want to buy their video games.
If we want to talk about video games that actively use AI and not hiding it, then Cygnus Enterprises is one of those rare projects. Its main gimmick is that you can chat with AI-powered NPCs. While the premise is somewhat interesting gameplay-wise, I do not believe the game can develop a deep story using AI. Although you can interact with the NPCs, they’re not truly fleshed-out characters with hand-crafted story arcs. The fact that they use AI-generated voices prevents me from building a bond with them.
Ultimately, video games are a luxury product. Unlike basic necessities like food and clothing, we can afford to be more picky about games. Unless you want the future of video games to be filled with AI slop, I suggest you start fighting against its use in any project. We need to start to care about this. If you believe that video games are art, then you should be wary of the use of AI. Should we keep going like this, video games won’t be made by humans for humans, and they will become made by AI for greedy corporations.
