Ahead of its yearly event, Game Developers Conference established a 2024 State of the Game Industry survey. The use of AI and growing number of layoffs were the main points of concerns, results showed.
On Jan. 18, GDC shared results of a survey on the industry that collected over 3,000 answers, as reported by PC Gamer. The developers gave quite strong answers regarding AI, especially. 31 percent said they use generative AI in their work, while four out of five worry about “ethical use” of the technology.
Studios that use AI are also mostly indie studios as opposed to AAA and AA studios, mainly in fields of Marketing and Business—although some big studios do use AI still. 75 percent of them also answered they thought that generative AI would have a mixed to negative impact on the video games industry, as opposed to 21 percent thinking that the impact will be positive.
Most of quotes provided by the CGD survey indicated that developers who worried about the use of AI were afraid that it’s used to reduce the workforce, especially artists, and asked for regulation.
The other main point of concern of developers, as shown by the survey, was the growing number of layoffs. A third of the developers said they’ve been impacted by them, and half of them are concerned of seeing more of them in the near future.
The feedback claimed the market grew too quickly and it was going through a phase of readjustment. Developers expressed hopes of seeing more efforts towards unionization and innovation as something to take away from this.
The 2024 GDC is a video games professional event that features conferences and networking facilitation. It will take place from March 18 to 22 in San Francisco.
