Artificial intelligence is a hot topic across various industries. Writers Association of America and SAG-AFTRA Strike The use of AI in film and television production in 2023; New York Times lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft for using material owned by news organizations to train AI, AI is viewed by many as a morally gray area. One industry that has seen a surge in its use in recent years is the video game industry.
The use of AI in video games is nothing new. Programmed AI for combatants and ally non-playable characters (NPCs) in games has been used since the industry's inception in the 1970s. AI is also being utilized in non-generative forms, such as at Mass Effect: Legendary Edition developer BioWare. AI upscaling increases texture resolution for all three games in the bundle. When it comes to generative AI such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, GitHub Copilot, and Adobe Generative Fill, developers and players alike are at odds over its general use and incorporation into development.
“I think it's almost a pseudonym to call this artificial intelligence, because most of the time, it's not intuitive,” said Tom, an assistant professor of 3D digital design and VFX at Northern Kentucky University. , said Ash Neiman, former freelance gamer. The developer has this to say about his stance on generative AI in game development: “You just take what you need and create something out of it.”
Nieman also talked about how AI can and should be used more like a tool for creative work, rather than simply replacing actual human developers.
One of the biggest criticisms of AI is that it often takes existing works of art or literature and uses them to generate artwork or text without the knowledge or consent of the original owners, which could lead to moral and raises ethical issues.
Annual Survey of the current state of the game industry The 2024 Game Developer Conference (GDC) study surveyed more than 3,000 game developers, from independent developers to those working in large AAA development studios, to find out how they feel about using generative AI in the gaming industry. was asked if he was concerned about the lack of ethics. Of the approximately 3,000 developers surveyed, 84% expressed concerns about this aspect of AI.
Nicholas Bloomer, DFX assistant professor and freelance game designer who works in illustration, animation, and 3D modeling, expressed concerns about theft and plagiarism due to the use of AI in game development.
“It's well known that AI doesn't create something out of nothing by itself,” Bloomer said. “It's basically generated based on a large field of stolen assets.”
While Blumer was critical of AI being used for unintentional and intentional art theft, he said AI is not without merit.
“In my opinion, if you're using it to jump-start a project, you should generate a reference that's unique to you. But it doesn't make it 100% unique to you. , and use that as a kickstart to start producing actual art…that this is probably the most ethical way to use AI, and the most acceptable way that large companies can use AI. I think so,” Bloomer said.
Meanwhile, Neiman expressed how AI is a “lawless” frontier when it comes to laws and regulations surrounding its use.
“This is new enough that no one knows how to deal with it yet,” Neiman said. “So [people are] “Well, we can try all of these things and steal these things and still get away with it, because there's no law that specifically covers that.”
On the other hand, AI can make repetitive and arduous tasks more bearable or less boring. But on the other hand, as Neiman points out, especially with generative AI, the final product, whether it's artwork, text, or voice acting, has a synthetic and lifeless quality. There is a tendency. Humans working on something artistic have a special human touch to their work, and AI doesn't have that.
“I think you quickly realize that even if you don't let humans input their personal ideas and opinions, they have a soulless nature,” Neiman says. “Many people, even if they don't consider themselves artistic, can look at something and know if someone made it and where they made it.”
Apart from AI, one of the biggest concerns in the gaming industry is a wave of mass layoffs. Last year was one of the greatest in gaming history with Baldur's Gate 3, Hi-Fi Rush, Starfield, Spider-man 2, Lies of P, Final Fantasy XVI, Street Fighter VI, Alan Wake 2, and The Legend of Zelda. It was widely recognized. : Many games were released in 2023, including Tears of the Kingdom and Armored Core 6. But the year was also notable for the number of developers laid off. As many as 10,000 developers were laid off in 2023. By January 2024, the number of layoffs will have already reached half of last year's..
When asked about the possibility of AI replacing various artists and programmers in the gaming industry, Bloomer was skeptical that it would happen anytime soon. He believes that because there are so many details involved in creating a video game, replacing key personnel like programmers with AI is better than hiring programmers who don't understand a specific coding language. He explained that it would have a negative impact on development.
“I don’t think we’re at the point right now where we can just reach out.” [AI] Game documentation is all you get for the game. ”
Unionization has been talked about in the games industry for years, but the voices have gotten louder, especially in the wake of mass layoffs and the rise of AI across all industries, including the successful Writers Union strike in 2023. There is.
“There were various stories [the gaming industry]…especially the world of CGI and game art.[s]” Bloomer said. “[CGI artists] Depending on the project you're working on, jobs that last 3-6 months or even a year tend to be unstable anyway. Then you get laid off until the next project comes along, which is already a big problem. The writer's section is pretty broadly against AI. ”
Niemann also shared similar sentiments about developers forming unions to negotiate the use of AI in the games industry.
“I have always been positive about having some level of union representation. [the gaming industry]'' Neiman said.
One group of people who should not be silenced are the gamers themselves, and they are the ones who are buying and playing these games. Gamers are fiercely opposed to the use of generative AI in game development.in 2024 New Year Letter to Industry and Shareholders, Square Enix President Takashi Kiryu wrote that Square Enix's development studio will “aggressively apply AI to both content development and publishing functions.” Kiryu's New Year's letter came under global condemnation from both game developers and the broader gaming community.
NKU students have been especially vocal about the use of AI in game development. Caleb Fidler said the reason company leaders are likely pushing his AI in game development is because it provides “an avenue to reduce overhead” when cutting development budgets. Ta.
Another student, Layne Patton, was concerned about the quality of video games when AI is involved in their development.
Brummer explains that developers need to focus on what they can do to incorporate AI into existing technology frameworks, rather than simply using AI as a creative be-all and end-all.
“Technology will always evolve. What we have to do as creators is focus on the parts of the problem that we can control. Although we cannot control the evolution of technology, , you can decide how to incorporate technology into your workflow and evolve with it, rather than just shouting into the wind and fighting against it. Traditional, true passion and true skill. Psychic Mediums The chances of dying are very low. You know, people have been painting in oil for 500, 800 years, and we're still painting in oil today,” Bloomer said.
