Since the inception of AI generated content, the debate of its ethical impact on art and creation has dominated the gaming space. Studios, marketplaces and even individual creators are forced to pick a side of the argument. While some have embraced AI tools as a way to streamline processes, speed up workflows and even cut unnecessary costs such as more workforce, others see them as a very existential threat to the lived creativity and labor.
August 27 marks one of those days, where the gaming industry has put its foot down and joined one of those camps firmly, making the stance of the community quite crystal. The GameDev market will become a 100% no AI, zero tolerance platform.
What that means? Every pixel, every sprite, every sound effect and 3D model has to be entirely made by an actual human.
This stance isn’t just about branding and positioning within the market, it’s more about trust.
This latest chapter comes as the gaming industry shows resistance to AI, such as Candy Crush developer King refusing to adopt Microsoft’s mandate of an 80% AI workflow.
Indie devs even more than others rely on the platform to find authentic assets for their games, so in not giving into the AI craze, GameDev Market positioned itself as the one true marketplace for devs who believe that the human element can never be replaced by artificial intelligence.
How Does GameDev Market’s AI Policy Actually Work?
According to GameDev Market’s statement, their stance covers every single aspect of the extensive catalog, so sellers must certify that their work contains zero generative AI.
At the start of 2023, the platform stopped stop accepting generative AI based assets onto the store in an attempt to protect creators.
Previously uploaded assets that used generative AI were initially granted permission to remain on the store, if clearly labelled as AI. However, GameDev Market have now decided to “make the move towards becoming a fully generative AI-free marketplace”.
The site will therefore implement stricter vetting processes, as well as random checks and a “cheater-like” reporting system to enforce the policy, but when this process is being implemented isn’t explicitly mentioned.
For creators that means a level playing field, whereas the buyers can rest easy in knowing, that what they purchase is 100% legit.
The Community Rejoices
As you’d expect, the reaction to these changes have been overwhelmingly positive, and devs all over the globe have been flooding diverse media channels to voice their support.
In a landscape where many marketplaces don’t give a second though about the consumer or the art, while chasing profit over ethical principles, this move has been declared brave and refreshing.
On the flip side, there are those of the opinion that this is a ‘yesterday’ mindset, believing the next logical step in game development is the inclusion of AI generated content.
Others have called the move overly political, where GameDev Market’s decision to exclude AI content is more a PR stunt to gain the media’s favor, rather than an ethical move towards the preservation of human generated art.
A Decision Fit For a Gamble
And a gamble it is, since the strict positioning did indeed lure the critics out of their holes, but alienating a few customers/devs in order to take a stance against AI content is definitely a choice. For devs who value authenticity, human input and ethics, it is exactly what they were hoping and waiting for.
This is a time of change and AI is arguably going to render a lot of industries redundant in some way or another, but GameDev market has made its choice clear. If you agree with them or not, in an increasingly ambiguous industry, taking a decision like that can only be commended.
