Ask HN: Is it worth avoiding AI while making a game?

4•2muchclout•1h ago

Hi HN, I have been learning Godot while making a game which involves pixel art, music, etc. While learning, I have been discouraged about strictly making everything by hand because of the influx of content about just vibe coding or AI-assisted everything. There also seems to be a stigma attached to using AI in games versus general software engineering (Steam’s AI generated tag, for example).

In conclusion, I guess my question is if it is a good idea to use the AI generated assets and such, or should I just learn all of the skills and if that will be beneficial in the long run. I enjoy game development, I’m just feeling discouraged towards the learning process.

Comments

cheevly•1h ago

It's best to avoid using tools and innovations that maximize your productivity.

2muchclout•59m ago

While I get where your sarcasm is coming from, you either didn’t read the post or are ignorant to the point. AI is severely different in the gaming industry, where the goal isn’t to make a software where “maximized productivity” is the most important metric. Also, you seem to ignore the point that it is looked down upon whether you agree or not.

verdverm•45m ago

It's a transformative technology, you should definitely try it at a minimum, and long enough to get a feel for it. It takes time to learn what/where they are good/bad at and how to interact with them to get the most of out them.

I saw a GameDev talk on Ai where they showed a virtual pile of trash. It cost more than $10k, what if we go photograph trash piles and use Ai to turn them into assets?

The Steam label, maybe it means something now, but longer I think it fades. For me personally, if there is a good game than looks nice, I'm not really going to care how much Ai they used. Be mindful of where you derice industry sentiment from, and that sentiments are changing.

2muchclout•31m ago

Yes I agree for the most part, I do wonder about the customer sentiment. Maybe it is a vocal minority, it would be interesting to see the impact on sales.

verdverm•2m ago

There could be a difference depending on the game dev, eg. AAA studio versus solo-indie

Also, if the Clawd Spam hasn't reached Itch, there will be a backlash after it does, trend to keep an eye on

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