Creating through change: GenAI and the indie games industry
Generative AI - or GenAI, as it's known.
A blessing for some, a curse word for others. We all know what it is and how it has impacted the indie game industry. Down to the smallest processes involved with game development. Including my own field: Music and sound design.
For the last two decades, I have spent countless hours learning everything I can about my craft and honing those skills through thousands of sessions of trial and error. Because of this, I bring my own unique set of skills, knowledge, and expertise to the games that I get to be a part of creating. But now, GenAI can do everything I can do with no time spent learning or experimenting.
Because of this, I have seen my own clientele diminish. Not by a huge amount, but enough to be noticeable. Fewer DMs/emails, potential clients suddenly ghosting me, etc. It stung at first, and made me question if this was the end of the road for me. But I realized that if I'm being traded for an AI, then odds are these aren't people who were going to work with me in the first place.
This gave me the fuel I needed to keep going. I’m also just plain stubborn. I'm of the "I'm going to make it, or I'm going to die trying" mindset. My mind is made up, and I don't know when to quit. The jury is out on whether or not this is a bad thing.
That all being said…
GenAI: What do we do about it?
Well, for starters, change never comes easy. It always arrives unannounced and quite rude.
Say you plan a beach day, get all your stuff packed up, and halfway there, a thunderstorm hits that wasn't in the forecast. Do you turn around and go back home, sulking about your ruined plans? Or do you adapt and modify your plan so you still get that outing - just not in the same way you expected? Seaside café, anyone?
Different people will give different answers to this question, but I am directing it at my fellow creators. How do you handle the unexpected?
Whenever I start a new project, I always plan for things to go sideways before I even start. Why? Because nine times out of ten, something will go wrong. You can react and correct much faster if you plan for your plan to fall apart. It doesn't make you a failure; it makes you a realist.
None of us planned on GenAI challenging our livelihoods. But it's here to stay, so we can either give up and shake our fist at the sky. Or we can adapt, continue learning and growing in our craft, and continue pouring the love and passion into the things that we create. Not out of fear of irrelevance, but because we truly love what we do.
We need not fear change. We just need to have the courage to face it.
So, my fellow creators out there, tighten those bootstraps and buckle in for the long haul. We're in this together.
About the author: Steve (3rd Echo Sounds) | |
 age | Experimental music artist, indie game composer, sound designer, and professional dad-joke teller currently based in Las Vegas, NV, USA with my wife and 2 kids. I have a passion for music and sound design, and find great joy in using my skills to make indie games more immersive and memorable. Found sounds are my bread and butter, so you'll never catch me away from home without my field recorder handy! I never know what new sounds might be discovered, and I can't miss the opportunity to capture them. |
Comments