Elon Musk's AI Games: A Game-Changer for the Gaming Industry and Web3?

Elon Musk, Elon Musk, Elon... He has to be everywhere. Just a few hours ago, Elon Musk posted on his X profile that he plans to restore the greatness of the gaming industry by establishing his own development studio focused on creating AI-powered games. What could this mean? There are two possibilities: either it will succeed, or it won’t... Knowing Elon, it will succeed. But knowing gamers opinions on AI – well, not necessarily.

How is Artificial Intelligence (AI) taking over every aspect of our lives?

Let's talk a bit about history. Artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed from a academic concept into a driving force behind the technologies shaping our world today. Its journey began in the mid-20th century with theoretical frameworks and early algorithms, but progress was slow due to limited computing power. In the 1990s, such as IBM's Deep Blue defeating chess champion Garry Kasparov, reignited the field. Fast forward to the 2010s, machine learning and neural networks exploded with applications, driven by advancements in hardware and massive datasets.

Today, AI is everywhere.
In healthcare, it powers diagnostic tools and drug discovery. In finance, it prevents fraud and optimizes trading. In retail, it drives personalized shopping experiences. AI assistants like Siri and Alexa simplify daily tasks, while autonomous vehicles and smart cities are on the verge of revolutionizing transportation and urban living. AI help me with this article... Yes, ChatGPT.

As of 2024, ChatGPT has gained immense popularity, with millions of users across the globe. It is estimated that ChatGPT has around 130 million visits per month. This rapid growth began shortly after its release in late 2022, quickly gaining 1 million users in just five days and reaching 100 million monthly active users by early 2023.
How Do We Use This Blessing? – That might be a question for a different article and perhaps a different author. But here, we are focused on games... and Elon Musk.

How does Elon Musk and AI relate to games?

Not everyone may know, but Elon Musk was an avid StarCraft player during his younger years. Musk has openly discussed his passion for video games, in various interviews. He often credits strategy games with shaping his approach to business and technology. His love for competitive gaming helped develop his problem-solving skills, which he later applied in his ventures with Tesla, SpaceX, and other technological innovations. Musk’s gaming interests have been well-documented, showing how his experiences with these games contributed to his later successes.
Well... In that case, I’m happy to hear that Musk is planning to create games, because strategy games are exactly what keep me up at night. There’s just one problem... he won’t actually be creating the games himself, but rather, AI will be doing it.

I don't know about you, but when I read player comments on the idea of introducing AI into games, I don't just get the sense that no one wants it – it feels like players consider AI to be the worst thing ever. I especially notice this among traditional gamers (who make up the majority), since those from the Web3 space tend to associate AI with crypto (whether rightly or wrongly), and for them, anything connected to crypto is GOOOOD (god damn, I’m a Web3 gamer myself!).

For all the traditional gamers out there, it’s important to note that AI has been a part of video games almost from the very beginning. Early examples of AI in games date back to the 1950s and 1960s, when simple AI was used to control the behavior of enemies or opponents in early arcade games and board games like The Scepter of Goth (1983), Space Invaders (1978), and the Pac-Man series (1980). These early AI systems typically used basic algorithms that controlled movement patterns and decision-making based on limited predefined rules. Checkmate!

To Be Honest - AI Gaming

Alright, let’s be honest – we’re all gamers here, whether we’re traditional gamers or part of the Web3 community. Let’s not split this up. I know that we're talking about games being created 100% by AI, not just having AI as a part of the game as it has been until now.

Let me think about this for a moment. You know, first, let's outline the current state of the gaming industry, and right now, it’s in a pretty dark place. Ubisoft is getting criticized left and right, and honestly, even in Web3, it’s struggling. The company has released another game that’s nowhere near the quality of its previous titles. Blizzard continues to take heat over Diablo and CD Project RED (my beloved CD Project RED, ohhh) without The Witcher, wouldn’t even exist in the eyes of many gamers. Apologies for not mentioning any Web3 game titles here - though I love this industry, it’s still in its infancy, with most large and promising titles only in beta or alpha stages.
And now, here comes Elon Musk with his AI, starting to heal the gaming industry. You know, players often accuse developers of just chasing money, and games no longer seem to be made out of passion.


This could be the solution to one problem. Games created by AI might be cheaper - at least in theory - because AI doesn’t need your money like an entire development team does.

The second issue is the look and quality of the gameplay. It’s clear that AI-generated games won’t be perfect right away, but AI has this inherent ability to learn... quickly. Not now, but imagine in 10 years when you sit down at your computer or Oculus, type in exactly what kind of game you want to play (a Witcher-style game, but instead of Geralt, you’re Cleopatra), and AI generates the entire world you imagined. Right now, Elon and his team will be doing this, but let’s face it - soon, more "developers" will emerge, and competition will lead to AI tools for creating games landing in the hands of players.
Does it really bother you that AI is the one doing this? Of course, let's set aside the existential issues - some might get lost in their own created worlds - but when it comes to entertainment, the human mind and its capabilities have limitations. AI, ultimately, doesn’t.


I also see hope for the entire Web3 gaming segment here. We’ve long known about Elon’s affinity for cryptocurrencies (like Doge), and now America has a pro-crypto president! All of this makes it clear that good times are finally ahead for Web3 (and we’ve managed through the bad times, heeeeheh). Thanks to Musk's recent announcement about games, we can confidently think that Web3 games will also be in the spotlight.
Mr. Musk, I believe in you... We already have some great developers, but a boost from a powerful new player in the Web3 games market would be much appreciated!

AI Gaming - Yes or No

When I first read Elon Musk’s post about his plans for AI in gaming, I was a bit scared. Maybe not as much as most gamers who heard the news, but still. I tried to break down the information and that calmed me down, and in the end, I actually liked his idea. You know, we can’t criticize everything AI creates just because it’s AI... but that’s exactly what players are doing here. AI is a program that is meant to serve us, so let’s allow it to do so, because no one does it better. As I mentioned earlier, let’s set aside existential concerns for now, because that’s not what this article is about. AI is smarter and more hardworking than we are, and it doesn’t need any extra motivation to do its job as best as it can. Isn’t this the kind of future we envision as humanity?
In the end, this was bound to happen eventually - AI in gaming...

I'm really curious to hear your thoughts on this topic. Leave your comments below and don't forget to react to the article!