Children use AI to speak video games into existence

It sounds like fun — the cacophony of dings and pings, revving engines, and other video game effects punctuated by the occasional cheer or groan as children play.

But this is no arcade. These Bundaberg children, aged eight-13, are taking part in a new gaming development workshop.

You would be forgiven for thinking they had undergone extensive coding training to create these video games.

Instead, they talked the games into existence using artificial intelligence (AI).

The children's creativity was boundless, producing racing, quest and trivia games. 

Bailey Francois, 13, said AI made their ideas come to life.

"Basically you can either speak to it [the AI language model] and it converts that into text," she said.

"Or you can type it out, which I find a bit difficult, if you want to create a long paragraph."

Gaming protégés

Bailey was one of about 20 young people who took part in the games development workshops in Bundaberg last month.

Participants used 3D printing to produce a console and learned how to wire a controller, before brainstorming their game idea and instructing the AI.

"Game design is game design. Game design isn't animation or coding or these other things. It's its own discipline," organiser Don Meadows said.

"They're at that super special age where they don't know they can't do this, so they just do it."

Mr Meadows grew up in Bundaberg but moved overseas to pursue his passion for game development.

"There's not a games industry [in Queensland]," he said.

"You move overseas and you don't come back. I'd love to come back and I'd love to start an industry here."

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) senior lecturer Cody Phillips said the Australian industry generated about $600 million in revenue each year.

"Australia is definitely punching above its weight in terms of global industry presence," Dr Phillips said.

"But we're not really seeing too many titles coming out of regional Australia."

Dr Phillips said AI was "a new frontier" in creating opportunities.

"A lot of people are building and creating games without being formally employed within the games industry," he said. 

"There are virtually no barriers to somebody publishing their own game." 

But he also believed the technology needed stronger safeguards.

"There's a lot of copyright legislation that still needs to be worked out," Dr Phillips said.

Imagination comes to life

Alekai Sprague, 11, said it was incredible to discover what AI could be used for.

"It just shows how much a simple AI can do, instead of having to learn to code and do everything yourself," he said.

"It's quite a wonderful thing, watching your imagination … come to life in a game."

Chase McGibbon, nine, said he was keen to keep developing games as he grew up.

"I really want to try to build a game when I'm older," he said.

The workshops were the brainchild of Mr Meadows and Bundaberg creative David Quarrell.

Mr Quarrell said with creativity the main driver of game design, AI made it accessible to everyone.

"It removes all of the inhibitors like understanding code,"

he said.

The idea started with Mr Quarrell's 16-year-old son, Oscar, who cannot read or write — but was able to talk to AI.

"The AI didn't stop. It didn't get confused. It took everything that Oscar had said as a prompt and it filtered through all of these 'ums' and 'ahs' and it got the core substance from it and it created something," Mr Quarrell said.

"We've removed the need for reading and writing and we've just allowed his imagination to be captured."

Industry incoming

The pair dream of creating a games industry in Bundaberg and garnering a community that can take it into the future.

"It's not one of those champion activities in our community at the moment [but] there's no reason why it can't be," Mr Quarrell said.

Dr Phillips said it was positive to know initiatives like this workshop were being established in regional areas.

"The local games industry needs people participating, and the more people that can participate, the better,"

he said.

"Anything that can help support young people to get a bit of a spark and an idea of what's possible in this area is extremely worthwhile."