The newest shot fired in the campaign to make you use AI is Playground, Google’s newest ‘make-it-yourself’ temptation. The product is “an experimental gaming platform that lets you create, play, and share custom games.”
If you can’t get enough of the same AI-generated faces in images all over the internet, you’ll probably be a fan of whatever Google Playground kicks out. If you’re planning on taking it all seriously, the internet giant also teased Unity Spark integration as a coming feature. That one will add “professional-level mechanics, high-fidelity 3D capabilities, and the flexibility of the Unity runtime.”
Playground hijinks
The idea of a conversational prompt for game development sounds cool enough, if you’re prepared for the flood of… well, competing slop. Google says “bringing game ideas to life can now be as easy as describing it through a few prompts — no coding experience required.” Hey, after a few hours of fiddling with it, you’d probably be qualified to start working at Insomniac.
Google’s concept trailer for the new feature looks pretty exciting, but there’s a caveat. Pause the video a short way in, and you’ll spot the disclaimer. It reads, in part, “Graphics and game mechanics are shown for illustrative purposes only; actual experience may vary based on user input and device capabilities. Screen images simulated.” In other words, you’re unlikely to turn your cat into an in-game boss with a well-crafted sentence.
As with all AI creation functions, users can hoard, share, or publish their ‘games’. There’s no mention of whether monetisation — the point of most video game development — is going to be possible. What is mentioned is that ” tiered creation access [is] rolling out based on your Google AI subscription.” In other words, Playground’s creative efforts will be pay-to-win.
It’s currently available to American users over the age of eighteen. Because Playground, despite Google’s assurances that “every published game undergoes safety screenings,” will mostly be used to create porn games.
