The future of Game Programming and AI

– This is certainly a hot topic, not only for programmers but for all disciplines within game development, and many other jobs in general. I can't speak to other jobs, but when it comes to game programmers, I certainly believe there's still a place for human programmers in game development. I wouldn't say I'm anti-AI, but I'm sceptical regarding the quality of content that an AI can produce. As of now, and for the foreseeable future, when we talk about AI, what we mean is LLMs. Without getting too technical, LLMs process an incomprehensibly large amount of data (usually acquired from the internet) and produce an output. The problem is that the internet is filled with crap, so what we often get from these LLMs is a rather bland and not very inspired result, hence the term "AI slop".

– The way I see it, the only way an AI can move beyond the level of "AI slop" is if the problem of general intelligence is solved (i.e., we invent something that actually "thinks" and generates new ideas), which still seems far off. But if that happens, then all bets are off, and the world will likely change in more ways than a shift in game development. Regardless, much of the code modern AIs produce is simply not high-quality. It's easy to think that AI always produces something optimal, but I've seen many examples of the opposite. Much of the output of these LLMs simply isn't as good as all the AI hype lets you believe.

– Another reason I think game programmers will be useful going forward is that an AI doesn't really know what a game is. For instance, let's say you ask an AI to produce a "game free of bugs". How do we explain to the AI what a bug is? Instead, we would have to describe to the AI exactly what the game should contain and how it should react to player input, and what it shouldn't contain and how it shouldn't react to player input. But that's practically an endless list. My point is that even if you ask an AI to remove a specific bug, you can never be sure it won't introduce another in the process. This kind of problem-solving is still done better by human programmers, since we have a clearer understanding of what is acceptable behaviour in a game and what isn't.

– It definitely will affect it somehow, but exactly how is still a big unknown. Some studios already apply a "no-AI" work ethic, and in those spheres, game programming could be somewhat unaffected. But I still think that AI will stick around, even if the industry decides to go against it. AI will likely, at the very least, become yet another tool that becomes a natural part of our daily work and our craft. It might completely write code for us, or it might be more of an "assistant" kind of thing, helping us filter through documentation. I bet if old-school programmers were exposed to modern (but still pre-AI) coding tools when they were learning to code, they would perhaps view those tools as "too much help," just as we see with AI now. So all in all, I think the profession will change, but whether it will replace programmers or stick around as a coding tool remains to be seen.

– I can think of two big reasons. The first is that every programming student at TGA develops the base of their own game engine. Then, in the 2nd year, 5-7 programmers collaborate to further develop one engine with other disciplines. This is a hugely rewarding and valuable experience, and as far as I know, no other game development school does this. The second reason is that if you are a self-taught programmer, you can definitely come a long way, but cross-disciplinary work is so important to game development that you can be a great coder, but if you can't communicate well with designers, artists, animators, etc., then you likely won't be able to work in the game industry. This is something that TGA also teaches very well, I believe. We work extensively on constructive feedback and teach students how to communicate their wishes, needs, and feelings to other team members. This isn't something you can learn by programming at home.

– For a while, I tried to no-hit Dark Souls 1 and managed to complete the game in 6 hits. I cried the last time I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey because it's so good. I think rats are adorable and probably the cosiest pet; they don't deserve the hate. I love riding motorcycles. Music might be my favourite hobby, and I play many instruments, such as banjo, guitar, and synthesisers.