🐻 ThePuppetMasteeer 😈

Back in the 8-bit and 16-bit days, we used to code our own tools and editors to speed up development. Then game engines came along, handling much of the groundwork and allowing us to create games faster and more efficiently. Now we have AI assistance, which is simply the next step in that chain. Whether we like it or not, it's here, and choosing to use it should come down to personal preference. Nobody should be criticised simply for using AI, just as nobody should be criticised for choosing not to. There's a big difference between using AI to assist development and expecting to create an entire game through a series of prompts, and that difference often shows in the final product. Ultimately, the quality of a game should influence whether someone chooses to support or buy it, rather than assumptions about how it was made. The growing hostility surrounding AI isn't helping the industry, especially when even developers who don't use it are being accused of doing so. Regardless of the tools you use, spend time refining your game, developing your own artwork, or creating and using tools, including those built with AI, to improve your workflow and bring your ideas to life. Most importantly, learn from the process. Copying and pasting code without understanding it is no different from blindly accepting AI generated results. Both might get you somewhere initially, but they'll only take you so far. Understanding the terminology, the systems, and how the different aspects of game development work together is what ultimately makes you a better developer and helps you create better games. Game development has always been risky. You can spend years pouring your time, effort and creativity into a project, only for it to flop almost overnight. Not every game becomes a success, and for some developers, a disappointing release can be enough to discourage them from ever making another. That's why tools that reduce development time, costs and unnecessary workload can make a real difference, particularly for indies. AI is another time saving tool, much like the custom editors and game engines that came before it. It can help us work more efficiently, overcome technical hurdles and spend more time focusing on the parts of development that matter most. But it shouldn't replace creativity, knowledge, originality or the willingness to learn. It should support those things, not substitute them. Will AI eventually push game development beyond the limitations we face today? Only time will tell. Technology will continue to evolve, just as it always has, and developers will continue to adapt in their own ways. One thing hasn't changed, and probably never will: the more you understand what you're creating, the better equipped you are to make something truly worthwhile.