"A New Golden Era" or "Slap Comps": How Non-Profit Driven Indie Game Developers Perceive the Emerging Role of Generative AI in Game Development

Abstract

While the boom in generative AI technologies continues to transform modern creative work, it also introduces new and urgent risks. We endeavor to unpack these complicated phenomena by focusing on how non-profit driven indie game developers perceive the opportunities and challenges of using generative AI for their creative practices. Based on qualitative analysis of 1,540 posts and comments from online forums dedicated to this creative community, we provide early empirical evidence of the potential for generative AI to shape the trajectory of creative technology communities such as non-profit driven indie game developers. These insights may inform future research regarding AI's impacts on the nature of creative work and the growth of creative workforces in technology, which may also help design future AI technologies to support rather than harm these creative communities.