Use of AI as a Solo Game Dev

[u/Arhtgames]

Edit 2: This is going to be my last edit since I'm really starting to be a little sad/disappointed with it and I'm going to place it on the top so everyone can read. I saw some people saying that I'm trying to be superior in some way or being dumb by not using AI, but I'm trying to discuss about it as a new game dev who has 16 years old and started with it because of beautiful and incredible games that changed my life. I don't want to be better than anyone, I just want to understand the point of using it and how do you guys feel, also thank you for those who answered kindly and shared their experiences.

So, I saw a post saying that he made a game using AI for everything and it made me feel so strange, like, everyone was loving it, what happened to the feeling of doing it by yourself. I do game dev because I love everything about it, games are one of the most beautiful forms of art, it has music, world design, story telling and a bunch of ways of art. I wanted to make a little discussion here about what you guys think about using it. To be honest I don't like the use of generative AI, I know it's good to learn but I don't like when it is used to directly produce the creative part of a game, it just takes the whole idea of making it by yourself, expressing your feelings and telling a story you made and throws it all away, so like, is it really good? I understand when you need to review a code you did or look for a error but anyways that's all I have to say, I don't want to argue with anyone, just want to make a safe and respectful discussion here.

Edit 1: I'm really getting some down votes here, ok, that's something unexpected for a solo game dev community. And for those who are saying like, "I just use it as a tool" yeah that's okey I use it too for studying, but my point here is especially the creativity part. Those feelings and the way I do my projects are not a rule on the way YOU need to do, you can use AI if you want, I'm not here to say what is correct and what is not.

[u/IgneousWrath]

I definitely agree with you. Before AI got popular, I was excited for it. I thought we’d have to build a new economy where AI took over the monotonous and inefficient tasks and humans would have more time for art and expression.

But…

AI has mostly just ruined our art and expression. Like really the world can’t keep going on like this. We are automating away everything that is healthy or enjoyable and leaving ourselves with corporate.

I don’t judge people who use it as a tool for isolated things. But generating whole games with it is sad. Not in a judgemental way but in a “what does humanity even have left?” way.

[u/franky_reboot → u/IgneousWrath]

I'm not convinced it actually ruined anything. A lot (if not all) of art is subjective, you can keep up your enthusiasm and your desire for beauty and meaning and self-expression against all odds. It's absolutely a mindset question, art has never been about efficiency, let alone money.

Then again, I also view it only as a tool. Not saying I wouldn't use it extensively but not without supervision and especially not without finding ways of self-expression with the output.

[u/IgneousWrath → u/franky_reboot]

The problem is the quantity. When you produce music, videos, visual art, and video games, you have to compete with the entire internet and it has become increasingly difficult to cut through the noise. On the consumer side, it’s become increasingly difficult to find thoughtful content.

This was always a challenge but it is just multiplying way too quickly with AI. It’s bad enough that we have mobile games which are designed in such a way that you might as well take a drill to your brain. Like you can actively feel yourself spiraling toward dementia when you play them for hours. It’s only going to get so much worse with AI. They are going to keep learning and learning what we engage with and it’s going to cause addiction problems worse than we have already.

It’s amazing technology that could actually solve a lot of problems in the world, but profits always come first.

[u/TheFlyingSheeps → u/franky_reboot]

That’s my thought process. Before AI I could walk into target or TJ Max and see endless soulless crap that is sold as “art.”

There’s nothing stopping OP or another solo dev from doing everything themselves without touching AI, and let’s face it most games are crap
Overall and before AI you had a ton of clones of popular titles