Let's face it: doomsday scenarios about artificial intelligence, the workforce and pretty much any emerging technology certainly do what they were intended to do, which is bring clicks, not meaningful discussion, to blogs.
An attention-grabbing headline often is all you need to accomplish that, even if the reader gets nothing out of the content.
But there are real discussion points when it comes to artificial intelligence and whether it's a threat to your job, whichever industry you happen to work in. Today, we are going to focus on gaming and game development.
Will artificial intelligence replace gaming jobs? Well, the technology has been rapidly evolving and has already been used in many different industries, including game development.
The truth is, AI can be used to automate many tasks in game development, such as:
- Generating assets, such as 3D models, textures, and animations.
- Creating levels and game worlds.
- Developing AI-powered enemies and characters.
- Testing games and finding bugs.
So the data is already out there that shows AI will change jobs in gaming.
But asking “will artificial intelligence replace jobs” is an entirely different question, isn't it? Asking that simple question does not tell the whole story. Automation can free up human game developers to focus on more creative and strategic tasks.
For instance, let's take automation of certain tasks. With automation, game developers recover so much of their time, meaning they can focus on other tasks, such as:
- Designing the game's story and gameplay.
- Creating the game's art style and atmosphere.
- Balancing the game's difficulty and challenge.
- Marketing and publishing the game.
So, while AI is likely to automate some game development tasks, it is unlikely to replace human game developers entirely. AI will still need human guidance and creativity to create truly great games.
So if it’s true that it’s unlikely that artificial intelligence replaces jobs in gaming, how can it benefit, more specifically? Here are some of the ways that AI is being used in game development today:
- Generative AI is being used to create 3D models, textures, and animations. This can save game developers a lot of time and effort, and it can also help to create more realistic and varied assets.
- AI-powered enemies are becoming increasingly sophisticated. They can now learn and adapt to the player's behavior, making them more challenging and engaging to fight. Who wants a cakewalk anyway, right?
- AI-powered level design in gaming is being used to create more dynamic and interactive levels. AI can be used to generate levels tailored to the player's skill level and preferences.
- AI in gaming testing is being used to find bugs and other problems in games. AI can test games much faster and more thoroughly than human testers. Any major game developer now has huge machines that are capable of testing and replaying games thousands of times a day. That's a level of efficiency impossible for humans.
Photo by Florian Olivo on Unsplash
As AI continues to evolve, it is likely to play an even greater role in game development. However, it is important to remember that AI is a tool, and it is up to human game developers to decide how to use it. AI can be a powerful asset for game developers, but it is not a replacement for human creativity and ingenuity.
Here are some of the challenges that need to be addressed before AI can fully replace game design jobs:
- Creativity: AI is still not as creative as humans, and it is difficult for AI to come up with new ideas and concepts.
- Emotion: AI in gaming is also not as good as humans at understanding and responding to emotions. This can be a problem in games that require players to feel empathy for the characters or to experience a sense of suspense or excitement.
- Interpretation: AI in gaming can sometimes misinterpret the player's actions or intentions. This can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- Bias: AI can be biased, which can lead to unfair or discriminatory outcomes. This is a major concern in the gaming industry, where players often come from different backgrounds and cultures.
Despite these challenges, AI in gaming remains a powerful tool that can be used to improve the game development process. As AI in gaming continues to evolve, it is likely to play an even greater role in the industry. However, it is important to remember that AI is not a replacement for human creativity and ingenuity. Human game developers will still be needed to create the games of the future.
