When one looks back at the history of video games, they think of the 1980s, when the industry was a niche in entertainment. Arcades housed rows of heavy, bulky machines, their bright screens displaying titles like Metal Slug, Street Fighter II, or Pac-Man. Around them, groups of excited youths gathered, eager to spend their small allowances with friends and enjoy the few novelties available at their local arcade. By 2024, the video game industry has reached $272.86 billion, surpassing the combined volume of the film and music industries. We are no longer in the arcade.
Like any other cultural product, rising living standards, demand, and rapid technological advancements have accelerated production processes in this industry. Games are now expected to be bigger, with more content, appealing to a broad audience while maintaining their unique identity. This whirlwind, akin to a steam engine increasingly hungry for coal, has led executives at major companies like EA, Ubisoft, and Amazon Games to turn their attention to the new technology everyone is talking about: generative AI.
A Double-Edged Sword
The promise of mass production, shorter deadlines, and virtually infinite content tempts many CEOs, who see AI as a new way to increase profits without the traditional investment required to achieve those goals. The capabilities that AI tools offer in video game development encompass all aspects, from map design to dialogue and NPC (non-playable character) interactions. These ever-expanding abilities are a double-edged sword for the industry. On the one hand, they could be the key to ending abusive practices like "crunch," which is deeply rooted in companies like Rockstar (creator of the GTA series). On the other hand, they could deal a blow to creativity, a quality that has undoubtedly led the industry to its current dizzying heights.
A technology like generative AI represents a turning point for the sector, something that could give it wings or trap it in a prison of prefabrications. As a result, various industry figures, from studios to actors, are already taking sides, waiting to see what the outcome will be.
Studios Divided
Companies embracing full AI integration tend to focus on open-world projects. These games are characterized by a vast array of mechanics and content (maps, missions, characters, dialogues, enemies, etc.), a sort of puzzle that requires significant resources and time to fit together seamlessly.
Ubisoft, creators of franchises like Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed, has begun delving into this technology with tools like Ghostwriter, an AI capable of writing dialogue for secondary NPCs inhabiting their open worlds (which can number in the hundreds). These types of characters often lack interesting lines due to production time constraints, limiting investment. Seeing the same villager repeat the same line three times can reveal a game's "seams." Ubisoft aims to fix this by handing over the writing of these ambient dialogues to Ghostwriter, something that has not been well-received by the gaming community, which believes the money should be spent on hiring more writers, not developing this technology.
In contrast, other companies take the opposite stance, rejecting this trend to "preserve their creativity." This is the case with Nintendo, creator of famous franchises like Super Mario and Zelda. Shuntaro Furukawa, the company's CEO, categorically rejected the adoption of AI due to the risks it poses to intellectual property. He also emphasized, with a subtle jab at competitors, that the company values the originality and integrity of its creations. Nintendo's decision to protect its creativity was well-received by the community, something that contrasts with recent scandals involving the company for copyright infringement claims against third parties.
Actors on Strike
Video game actors in Hollywood, represented by the SAG-AFTRA union, began a strike in response to the lack of agreements on the use of artificial intelligence in the industry. The strike began at 12:01 a.m. on Friday after nearly two years of negotiations with major companies like Activision, Warner Bros., and Walt Disney Co.
While progress has been made on issues like wages and job security, the two sides remain divided over the protections that should be implemented for performers. One of the main concerns is that AI could replace voice actors by being trained to replicate their voices, eliminating the need to hire them again. However, sources within the union assure that motion capture and animation actors (those who wear the characteristic suits) are less likely to be affected due to the difficulty of these technologies replacing their work.
The renowned voice actor Chris Judge, famous for portraying Kratos in the God of War series, has voiced his displeasure with recent comments from Christoph Hartmann, CEO of Amazon Games, regarding the implementation of AI. Hartmann claimed that "there are no performances in video games," minimizing the role of professionals in the sector.
Judge, who won the BAFTA Games Award for Best Performance for his portrayal of the famous Greek character, responded with irony to the CEO's comments. Through X, he cited an Ashley Johnson performance in The Last of Us Part 2, praising her work and making a clear reference to Hartmann's controversial statement. "Thank goodness there’s no acting in video games," Judge wrote sarcastically, concluding with "absolutely brilliant." Although he did not directly mention Hartmann, the context of his response makes it clear that his tweet was aimed at the executive's remarks.
Thank goodness there’s really no acting in video games…
Absolutely brilliant ❤️ https://t.co/tDG4doKFtf— Christopher Judge (@iamchrisjudge) August 25, 2024
While SAG-AFTRA remains firm in protecting performers from potential AI abuses, other video game companies are embracing the technology. Square Enix, for example, has announced its intention to intensify the use of AI in its titles, something that has put actors and the gaming community at odds with these new tools.
The Users: Engaged
Generative AI, tied to the current advances of companies like X, Amazon, and OpenAI, worries much of the sector, as it sees it as impossible to compete against companies with unreachable production rates unless originality is sacrificed. However, there are initiatives from the modding community (individuals outside of a studio who create free content for video games) that include this technology in a positive way.
For instance, a user known as Art From The Machine created Mantella - Bring NPCs to Life with AI, a mod for Skyrim that integrates ChatGPT into character dialogues, allowing for more dynamic and realistic interactions. This curious addition uses Whisper (OpenAI's voice-to-text model) and xVASynth (text-to-speech synthesizer), enabling characters to listen to player requests and respond with voice. Moreover, these characters can have memory, recalling previous conversations and enhancing immersion.
Here we see a difference from Ubisoft's "Ghostwriter" project. While the company seeks to reduce cuts by scripting thousands of finite dialogues, users like Art From The Machine put generative AI in the hands of players to enrich the gaming world without replacing original writers.
What Comes Next?
The gap created by the introduction of AI in the video game sector is far from closing, and the variety of positions from industry members reflects this. However, when thinking about this technology, it's easy to forget that AI has been present in gaming long before programs like ChatGPT or MidJourney emerged. When a character or enemy reacts to a player's actions, there is already AI programmed for that, or when a game generates new dungeons "randomly," there are algorithms designed to create a believable environment.
As this technology continues to evolve, companies and the community are refining their positions, making it clear that the battle for creativity has only just begun. For now, we can only wait to see how this conflict unfolds and whether generative AI will expand the potential of video games or undermine the very qualities that make them unique.
