Companies Shifting Development Focus Towards AI Can Ruin Gaming As A Whole

AI in gaming and media is a sensitive topic. While audiences typically prefer handcrafted creations over generative AI, companies see AI as a cost-saving measure. Many AAA studios are increasingly adopting AI in game development and their content.

Using AI in game development seems to be the main discussion these days. But the real question is can AI benefit the developing process of a game or ruin it? A deeper look could tell us the answer.

AI-Generated Content’s Quality

Whenever AI is used to create art, we see it has a distinct look from other art styles. It is easily recognizable and has a lazy and unmotivated style to it. AI art is mostly bad and is only presentable if someone makes changes to it.

AI-generated voice lines feel emotionless and robotic. Most content creators would use this for comedic purposes but using it in something like a movie or a game feels out of place and does not suit the character whose personality has been established by the plot.

AI struggles to craft engaging plots due to its lack of creativity and understanding of emotional depth. The sequence of events may be disjointed, making it difficult for audiences to connect with the story emotionally. Since AI lacks human emotions and empathy, it’s challenging to create narratives that people can have an emotional attachment to.

While there’s hope for AI to match human creativity in the future, currently it lacks even the most basic elements of creativity and original thinking. AI-generated content often lacks quality and effort, failing to impress anyone.

Company Layoffs and Shift Towards AI

Recently EA announced that they will shift towards using generative AI for development. Before this news, they also laid off more than 600 employees which seems like they are replacing human jobs with AI.

Companies are hoping that AI will be able to replicate human creativity in games, but the audience will not take a liking to it. Beyond EA, numerous smaller and equally large companies are also adopting these shifts.

Games Will Suffer In Quality

Game’s quality could decline if major corporations used generative AI. Today, a game’s value is determined by developers’ creativity. With AI’s limitations in creativity, even novel games may not be fully appreciated.

We see games like Lethal Company being made by a small group of developers. But it succeeded because the devs were creative and thought of ways to make their game fun.

The enjoyable gameplay loop and immersive environments of a game stem from developers understanding their audience and understanding their reactions. This connection forms the foundation of game development, something AI cannot replicate as it merely follows instructions.

Every game’s visual would look the same if an AI was to generate it. No matter how much the generated content is changed or adjusted, it will still have that AI-generated look. Characters would sound emotionless and the plot, if written by AI, would be nonsense and unemotional.

Is AI The Answer Or The Problem?

AI services keep advancing and are used to help in many fields of work. To replace human efforts that make the games interesting and fun to play in the first place with AI, that generic content, will reduce the quality of games.

However, there are some great and useful applications of AI. Nvidia used AI Frame Generators to boost game framerates without compromising graphics quality. This advancement elevated DLSS technology to new heights, showcasing AI’s potential for enhancing gaming experiences.

I believe using AI to help in game development is a good way to increase overall quality. But using AI for the creative elements of a game is just going to make the games worse in quality and overall appeal to the audience too.

AI should be used very carefully, as it might ruin everything we know and love about games in the first place.