I don't disagree that AI in gamedev is ethically dubious in the context of developing something that leans more artistic versus interactive, but the entire premise of an article like this is that you're supposed to spill the beans and tell us the dubious opinions.

I don't disagree that AI used to develop artistic assets should be grounds for an entry to be barred from the IGF. I think the code portion, however, requires some specificity.

To me, it's not ok if the code that powers gameplay or artistic rendering of assets is AI generated. That kind of code carries human intent and is part of the art of game development: the dev wants a player to encounter a certain kind of experience.

There's no point or meaning if there's no developer dictating the experience by hand, if you're prompting this you might as well just admit you're trying to make a gimmicky asset flip "object simulator" to make a quick buck.

On the other hand, I think it's ok to use it as a tool and as tooling: trivial tests at all levels should absolutely be automated, figuring out engine quirks or getting second opinions on architecture with AI assistance is fine, figuring out your build and deployment pipelines.

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Another point that I want to mention: there's a strange form of writing prevalent among both software devs and those in the art space that's stilted; a mishmosh of Tumblr rantposting and slashdot/IRC snark and sarcasm, signaling that they've the mental maturity of a junior in American high school. It's all about emotion (this sucks!) rather than addressing the root of a problem.

This type of person is extremely difficult to deal with as they're the same type of person who encounters a brownfield codebase and immediately spends their time afterward whinging about how "the codebase must be burned and rewritten"; they must be micromanaged lest you set them off.

The author mentions freelancers and such, and how there's a lot of "lip service about how [they're] 'all in this together'" but frankly what I see in the case of House House is a team who wants to keep things within the team.

Regardless of their size, House House is a team on a timeline and budget, why should they be subjected to scrambling budget and conducting an interview process for someone who may or may not be a "brownfield rager"?