Neil Druckmann, the influential director of the memorable The Last of Us franchise, recently expressed ambitions which caused heated controversy, particularly among players in the video game industry.
According to the mind behind the poignant stories of The Last of Us Part 1 and 2, Naughty Dog’s next game could change everything for video games through the use of artificial intelligence. Neil Druckmann believes that this technology would be a tool like no other for “ attempt riskier projects and push the limits of video game narrative experiences “. An opinion which is clearly not shared, particularly by his peers.
Ambitions of the director of The Last of Us which provoke strong reactions
The meteoric rise of artificial intelligence arouses both excitement and concern in many areas. While giants of the video game industry like Square Enix intend to push the use of this technology, many players are wondering about the future. The latest example of a deep interest in AI therefore comes from Neil Druckmann, director of The Last of Us and co-president of Naughty Dog.
He believes that AI could change everything for video games, particularly when it comes to offering more in-depth and nuanced narrative experiences than ever, while reducing costs and technical constraints. His statement caused a lively controversy, particularly in the circle of developers and screenwriters. Dragon Age screenwriter David Gaiger had this to say about the ethical aspect of using AI: “ This completely obscures the idea of collaboration. This will prevent people who love telling stories and games from working under a director and being underpaid in favor of a Blessed AI. […] I hope Neil Druckmann is more sagacious than that and doesn’t see AI as some kind of magic wand “.
A deep controversy surrounding artificial intelligence
Others like Nessa Cannon, head scriptwriter for the game Star Trucker, for their part question the effectiveness of artificial intelligence to do better than humans in order to offer an advanced and nuanced video game narrative experience. “ I’d love to see a video of Neil Druckmann trying to use AI to ‘push the boundaries of how to tell a story,’ as he claims “. According to her, content generated among others by ChatGPT in “ mixing cliché elements of novels and stolen works » therefore does not fit with the ambitions of the director of The Last of Us.
Some finally do not go to half measures in showing their indignation. On X.com, Jessie Lam, concept artist at Brass Lion, was particularly scathing. “ Naughty Dog has one of the highest concentrations of overqualified developers and talented artists in the industry. This is an insult to the media “. Unfortunately, the highest levels of the video game industry apparently don’t view the use of AI in the same way. Should we be worried or happy about it? The future will tell.