The Story of How I Asked an AI 'Can You Make a Game?' and It Actually Worked [AI Game Development Log #2]
Hello, this is Legend. Thank you for opening this article again today. This is #2 of a 7-part series.
In #1, I wrote about how I was saved by the game 'Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo'.
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#1
Even after I finished playing that game, the feeling of being 'saved by a game' stayed with me. However, my life didn't change overnight. I didn't suddenly start making anything the next day.
For me, games were strictly 'things to play.' Things to enjoy the stories someone else had created. Things to enter the worlds someone else had built. I hadn't even imagined that I would ever be on the side of creating them.
I saw people making games with AI
It was about two years after 'Paranormasight' was released that I came across a somewhat strange post.
One day, a post appeared on my X timeline claiming that someone had made a game using ChatGPT. Othello. A shooting game. Something like a simple RPG. There were people using AI to write code and create all sorts of games.
When I saw that, I thought, 'Can you really make a game with AI?'
At first, I was skeptical. I had always thought that game development was a more specialized world. People who could program. People who could draw. People who could compose music. People who could write scenarios. I thought games could only be made when such people gathered together. At the very least, I didn't think it was something you could do all by yourself.
But there were people on my timeline actually making games with AI. If that was the case, maybe it wouldn't hurt to try it myself just once. With that thought, I opened ChatGPT.
The first thing I tried to make was an animal-themed falling block puzzle game.
As a test, I asked ChatGPT: 'Can you make a falling block puzzle game where animals like pandas, dogs, tigers, and rabbits fall down and disappear when four of them line up vertically or horizontally?'
ChatGPT replied quite easily: 'I can. I will generate the code.' And in less than a minute, it generated the code.
Of course, I was still skeptical at that point. 'Will this really work?' Thinking that, I pasted the finished code into an editor and opened it in my browser.
Then, blocks of pandas, dogs, tigers, and rabbits started falling slowly from the top of the screen. When I moved them left and right, they moved properly. When I lined four of them up, they disappeared as they should.
Of course, it wasn't a perfect game. The design was simple, and the fine movements were a bit awkward. Even so, at that moment, only one thought crossed my mind.
'...It worked.'
What had been just text a few minutes ago was now moving as a game on the screen. It was a very strange feeling.
The gateway to game development suddenly appeared before my eyes
To repeat, in my mind, games were 'things to play that someone else made.' But at that moment, the way I saw things changed a little.
Something I requested in my own words was moving on the screen. It was still rough, but it was actually playable. It wasn't perfect, but it had the form of a game. This was a huge shock for me.
It wasn't that I was amazing. What was amazing was that AI lowered the barrier to entry for game development all at once.
I'm sure you, reading this article, might also be thinking, 'Making a game must be difficult.' I felt exactly the same way until this moment. Even though I loved playing games, I thought making them was something for people in a different world. It required specialized knowledge. It required a sense for design. It took time. I had convinced myself somewhere along the line that it was a world I had no connection to.
Of course, at this time, I had almost no knowledge of game development. Honestly, I didn't really understand what the code meant either. Even so, I thought, 'Alright, let's try making a more interesting game.'
Looking back now, that first step was huge. I didn't try to make a masterpiece from the start. I didn't try to make a perfect game either. I was just happy that it moved. I was happy that my idea had taken shape, even just a little. That small surprise led to the next stage of development.
Before I knew it, I was hooked on the game development rabbit hole.
From there, I became completely immersed in the game development rabbit hole. What kind of game should I make next? What kind of theme would be interesting? How much can I rely on AI? The time I spent thinking about such things kept increasing.
When people talk about game development, it seems like you have to think about grand world-building or epic systems. But if you're making it with AI, you can start from much smaller ideas. Things you saw in daily life. Words that flowed by on social media. Jokes that make you laugh a little. Those kinds of things can be the entry point for a game.
And while I was looking for ideas like that, a unique idea suddenly caught my eye. It was a hashtag on note called '#TissueCalligraphy'.
Posts of people writing characters on soft tissues kept appearing one after another. Writing beautiful characters on a tissue that is soft and tears easily. Just imagining it, it seems strangely difficult.
In that moment, an idea popped into my head. 'This would definitely be interesting if I turned it into a game.' The moment I thought that, a fire was lit in my heart.
And so, I decided to make a 'Tissue Calligraphy Proficiency Test Game'.
……That said, can a game about writing characters on tissues really work? With half-doubts, I would take my next step.
I will write the rest in the third article.
I made today's game.
Thank you for reading this far.
As I wrote in today's article, the trigger for me getting hooked on AI game development was the small surprise that 'it actually moved'.
Having continued to make things little by little since that '...it moved,' I can now even make things like this.
Today's game is a management simulation where you grow a small bookstore into a 'bookstore that is the talk of the town' in 30 days. (This game is for PC only. Please note that it cannot be played on smartphones.)
Stock books, recommend them to customers, and read books yourself at night. The trick is to balance not just money, but also regulars, reputation, and the comfort of the shop. Try to turn your small bookstore into 'someone's place' over the course of 30 days.
I created this game inspired by Yoko-san, who is active as a Kindle author and book cafe clerk. When she actually played it, she enjoyed it very much, saying, 'This... is going to make time melt away' (laughs).
Living in a Bookstore
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How to play 'Living in a Bookstore'
What is this game?
It is a game where you grow a small bookstore.
Aim to become a popular bookstore in 30 days by selling books, talking to customers, and improving your shop.
Goal
Aim for the following three things by day 30.
Increase money
Increase regular customers
Raise the shop level
If you grow it well, it will become a 'bookstore that is the talk of the town'.
Daily Flow
Each day is divided into three time periods.
Morning
Prepare the shop.
Clean up
Organize shelves
Rest a little
In the morning, let's clean the shop and recover your energy.
Daytime
Open the bookstore and welcome customers.
Serve first-time customers
Wait for potential regulars
Stock up on books
Upgrade the shop
Daytime is an important time to increase your money and gain regular customers.
Nighttime
Read books or end the day.
Read a book
Organize reading notes
Go to sleep and proceed to the next day
Nighttime is the time to grow yourself and your shop.
What is 'Serve first-time customers'?
Recommend books to customers who have come for the first time.
If it goes well, the book will sell and you will earn money.
Choose this when you want to increase your money.
What is 'Wait for potential regulars'?
Wait for special customers with names to arrive.
If you provide good service multiple times, that person will become a regular.
Choose this when you want to increase your number of regular customers.
Stocking books
You can stock books during the day.
If you don't have books, you can't sell them to customers.
When your inventory gets low, make sure to stock up on books.
Upgrading the shop
Once you have saved up enough money, you can upgrade your shop.
Upgrading will:
make customer service more likely to succeed
make it easier to gain regular customers
make it easier to recover energy
increase your reputation
and make it easier to progress through the game.
The upgrade option is at the bottom of the screen, so if you can't see it, scroll down to find it.
About energy
Performing actions will consume energy.
If your energy is low, there are some actions you won't be able to perform.
When your energy is low, you can:
take a short break
brew some coffee
Sleep
and recover.
Tips for clearing
At first, it is easy to understand if you play following this flow.
Clean in the morning
Serve customers during the day
Stock books
Read books at night
Sleep and move on to the next day
Once you get used to it, wait for potential regulars or upgrade your shop to grow your bookstore.
Important things
This game is not a game where you rush to win.
It is a game where you grow your bookstore little by little every day.
Sell books, make friends with customers, and build your own bookstore (This game is for PC only. Please note that it cannot be played on smartphones.)
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About the content of the third installment
In the third installment, I will write about the secret story behind the production of the 'Tissue Character Test Game,' which I announced publicly for the first time on note.
When you release something to the world for the first time, anxiety is greater than joy. What I was thinking at that time, and what kind of reactions I received. I will deliver the story of that first step of 'showing what you made to others' next time.
See you in the third article!
Thank you for reading to the end!!!
!