I’ve seen two or three obviously AI projects on kickstarter recently and what bothers me about them is that of the three I’ve seen. two are using ai images as placeholder but in the campaigns themselves they clame that they have assembled or will assemble a team once they get funding.

To offer my take on AI, As it stands, and assuming I haven’t missunderstood how it works, AI art is theft, and enviromentally harmful, AT BEST.

I’m less bothered by the use of AI art as placeholder for personal projects becasue at least nobody is trying to make money off of it. 

But in the cases I’ve seen they’re using AI as a pitch deck of sorts for their project that they intend to use humans for later which bothers me becasue if you know you’ll need human labor why not get it now?

There are plenty of legitimate reasons as to why they might not be able to get assets made right this moment, but the strat at that point is to wait until you can get assets that you can actually use, that are indicitive of the final product you want to make.

So yeah…learn to draw, learn to write, hire people to do the jobs you don’t want to do.

That's kindof it.

Normally I’d do a whole list of detailed reasons as to why but this is a short little excercise so that I don’t forget how opinions work.

I do see people argue about the artistic merit of AI and I think it’s an important argument to have but most of the people I’ve seen argue about it. At least anecdotally are bad it it.

The key issue is that people don’t want to call people that use AI art artists. and I understand that desire to keep out those that don’t do the same labor as you. 

But most of the arguments I’ve seen for what does and doesnt constitue art, from these AI art people excludes digital artists.

I’ve only got two minutes left on the clock so I won’t elaborate much further but if you’re concerned about how you’re arguing with AI bros on the internet. First, don’t do that, Second I suggest foccusing on the theft and enviromental harms element of AI art use as to force these people to reconcile the terrible terrible things they’ve done.

The end of the world bit has no bering on this short peice I just thought it would be a cool title for this thing.

This will be left up with spelling errors and all as a testimate to my shame and inability to write.

timer went off as I wrote that last line I’m so good at this.

This is a good question that I didn't really see a good answer to in the replies, and since I'm procrastinating I figured I'd supply it.

An objective review would entail all of the indisputable non subjective info about a game.

Average frame rate, The mechanics, The plot if the game has one. The genre* etc.

*(what a genre is/can be, also be a matter of dispute, an objective means of categorizing it would be using the developer's self identification of the game and/or gauging public consensus.)

A review like that would be useful for people who only play games if their personal criteria is met.

eg,:

this game is only running at 15 frames I’m not playing it

This game has match 3 mechanics I don't like match 3 mechanics.

this game is a role playing game, I don’t play roleplaying games.


I do know weirdos in real life that live this way, as dumb as I think it is for them to do so.

But they would and do, derive value from “objective reviews".

The Jimquisition has a pretty good (if not a bit factious) example of an objective review here if you're so enclined.

Now the keen eyed among you will have noticed the air quotes around objective reviews last section.

That's because what objective means is subjective.

There are people who are legitimately just interested in basic information about video games with no interest in the reviewers response to said information. I think most outlets know that, which is no doubt why game at a glance sections exist at most outlets. Those interested in basic information about a game with no means of easily accessing this information would be valid in my eyes in complaining a lack of objectivity. (I assume these theoretical people are blind and/or don't have internet connections, but even then their request would still be reasonable.)

There are other people that simply didn't like what a reviewer said about a game in their review, and because they can't or won't, communicate that fact, they'll tell that reviewer to be more objective mixed in with some slurs(we are dealing with gamers after all).

Now gamers are my people. I won't defend their actions, but I do want to try and make it a bit easier to understand how they can get their mindstate so clapped.

A lot of gamers identify with the games they play, so an attack on their game is an attack on them. So they yell at the reviewer.

a lot of gamers might not see a particular point about a game talked about in a review and see the reviewer as a shill or sellout for the publishers of said game. So they yell at the reviewer.

A reviewer might make a legitimate error in their coverage of a game, and since reviews can be a big part of a games exposure to the world, some gamers might see that failure and yell at the reviewer.

And sometimes gamers are just terrible and yell at reviewers because of a bunch of stuff that happened in 2012 that I'm not gonna get into right now.

Assuming we believe in common decency, gamers yelling at reviewers is bad. How do we fix that?

I personally think gaming news outlets are dumb, I don't go to news aggregators or large gaming outlets for reviews, I'm either reading player reviews are hearing about games via word of mouth.

No Austin I still haven't played crosscode yet.

I don't go to companies I go to individuals,

Greg Millar, Dunkey, Philip Defranco when he occasionally mentions a game, Ragnarrox, Grimbeard,  civvie, Jorelle, Kenny,etc.

I might disagree with these individuals on a take that they have, but they've earned my trust to the point where I'll seek them out over an outlet. cause I know them and they haven't laid off people after getting bought out by a larger new outlet.

so yeah everyone needs to go looking for their own people to listen to. that's the cure.

Here's dunkey's video on game critics.

So now what?

I dunno bro.

I gotta get back to work tho.

Goodbye.

Sometimes you can't finish stuff by yourself. In that case you need a team. Here I get into how you make one.

If you want to make something great. You have to start where ever you are. Take notes, apply them, and get better

I got you a pitch template since I'm nice.

It's widely based on Jim Zubs pitch template with a couple added thingies.

Here.