Högskolan i Skövde

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is becoming rapidly more popular and used in game development due to its promises of increased efficiency and reduced costs. However, this also raises some ethical concerns about creativity, fairness, and trust in companies. This study explores how two main groups, producers and consumers, perceive these ethical concerns. In this study, producers are represented by game development students, and consumers are represented by gamers. Through semi-structured interviews, participants reflected on their subjective experiences and concerns. Transcripts were then analyzed using thematic analysis, centered around themes such as creativity, fairness, and trust in companies of GenAI usage, with the possibility of risks as an additional theme.

Key findings reveal that there is a difference between the consumers and the producers. Game development students focus on how humans are central in creativity, and GenAI cannot properly replicate passion and intent. They warn about how overreliance on GenAI could lead to degrading artistic values. Game development students see fairness as rightfully, ethical labor, and ensuring the GenAI will not replace workers, as well as being trained responsibly with consent from artists. However, gamers evaluate GenAI mainly by its outcome. They are willing to accept GenAI content if it enhances gameplay, creates content faster, and remains unseen. Trust for game development students depends on transparency from companies around GenAI usage, while gamers focus more on the company's communication and engagement.

Ultimately, this study should be seen as a reminder that creators are not the consumers, and game developers should take extra care to understand how GenAI is being experienced and perceived from both angles. Consumers still care about authenticity, emotional engagement, and fairness in labor, even if their perception is different. Bridging this gap in perspectives could be essential for a further understanding of how to ultimately create a responsible GenAI practice.