Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48925888

Points: 103

# Comments: 28

Garry often describes the fast iterative development loop for startups. Launch, test and get user feedback, polish off the rough edges and then do it again. I believe the same process is necessary for excellent game development.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47979270

Points: 16

# Comments: 4

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47239042

Points: 279

# Comments: 77

However, I’ll say that as a result of their AI integration they are also doing way more human writing in the form of prompts and other procedural elements than if they just used old fashioned dialog trees.

I think AI can only be used as an enhancement in certain specific and controlled ways.

One mistake I see a lot right now is the assumption that you can delegate design and creative direction to AI. I think that generally yields slop. In fact I think the Creative Director/design role at a game studio may be the hardest digital job for an AI to replace. I had the opportunity to express that idea to Sam Altman once and he did refute it.

PG does say he actually looks for “naughty” founders as one of the key filtering traits. I link this essay in my post.

But you still have to be ethical and do what you say or it won’t be possible to grow your business long term.

The gamer in me wonders if the “ideal founder” can be described as “chaotic good”?

YC just so happens to invest super early in small teams.

So the overlap of YC and AI is inevitable. AI is not an investment genre per se but it can be used to accelerate or improve any ecosystem if used carefully and cleverly.

Since my Humble Bundle days, I’ve always been partial to small companies and small dev studios. Not all EGG companies use AI but they are all keeping tabs on the technology. Mitch Lasky has said that AI may have opened a window in which small studios may have their best shot at outsized success in recent history. Eventually the big dogs will catch up and adopt the new tech themselves but right now David has a shot at Goliath.

I helped Indie Fund Hollow Knight back in the day and look a them now!

But a few quick thoughts: Video games have always been about cutting edge technology. Because they are interactive, they are best positioned to leverage AI tech. (unlike static media)

Prototyping tends to be the most important but most neglected process for finding the fun. AI is a catalyst for rapid prototyping such that a studio can more quickly build and assess game loops and de-risk the rest of their dev cycle before staffing up or pulling team members off other projects.

AI may long-term create more leisure time macro-economically for everyone, meaning more consumer time that may be consumed playing games. (Owen Mahoney thinks the industry will soon triple in size)

I don’t believe that ultra-predatory mechanics are long-term sustainable. They usually yield a “ring of fire” effect that creates a growing ring of users for a while but really you’re burning out all your core users and will implode. This is how many describe the original Zynga model.

Supercell (founded around the same time) has cultivated longterm ecosystems and IP by respecting their players.

EGG takes a similar long-term perspective.

Namely, small, clever teams will be able to do big and entertaining things that were not possible before.

(But yes there will also be tons of slop.)

VC’s raised easy money (ZIRP era) and they wanted to deploy fast. Founders told VC’s what they wanted to hear to secure capital.

There are clever gaming platforms out there and the best games seem to turn into platforms effectively.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46501677

Points: 186

# Comments: 119