Christopher Dürrschmidt, founder of Crazy Viking Studios and creator of the Volgarr the Viking series, recently discussed the controversy surrounding AI in games. He argues that concerns about stores like Steam being flooded with low-quality AI content are reminiscent of past panics in the gaming market, which ultimately weeded out mediocre works.
On the Joy-Con Versations podcast on November 12, Dürrschmidt noted that when console platforms opened up to small teams, major publishers dismissed indie titles as garbage and worried consumers would struggle to find blockbuster hits like Call of Duty amidst the flood of smaller projects. Similarly, established mobile game companies once despaired when the early iPhone market allowed anyone to become a developer for just $100, leading to an influx of apps.
He believes that while AI-generated content will also appear in large quantities, good games will gradually emerge while poor ones will quickly be forgotten. Players still crave human connection, so they may pay more attention to specific creators they trust; individual names could become quality signals, much like the Capcom or Konami logos of the Super Nintendo era.
Dürrschmidt also admitted to using AI tools, such as accelerating 3D modeling based on his own sketches and writing server code. However, he criticized the lack of creativity in attempting to remake Grand Theft Auto III solely through text prompts and condemned some companies for failing to disclose their use of AI on Steam store pages. He does not oppose all AI tools, distinguishing between those that assist creation and those that replace creativity, believing that the market and author reputation will serve as effective filters.