On the art part at least, there's an analogy to Unity. No one liked low effort asset-flip games, and they gave Unity a bad name because they all showed the logo on startup due to using the cheapest license. But no one noticed or complained when good games were made with Unity, or even when they selectively used off the shelf assets. Similarly, we're going to go through a period where every terrible game is going to be full of assets with the stable-diffusion slop look, but no one will notice the AI-generated textures in good games that have actual standards for art.
On the other hand, I think I'd personally vote "somewhat negative" on quests and dialogue. Many games have too much pointless filler dialogue and unmemorable sidequests. Maybe if you don't care enough to actually write it, it shouldn't be there at all.
>no one will notice the AI-generated textures in good games that have actual standards for art.
I don't know. Clair Obscur is about as good as it gets and gamers notice. or at least, other devs who are also gamers notice it.
The community was always a much more "hyperactive" scene, and it doesn't seem like AI is an exception. Thing that may blow over in other industries will be eviscerated here, especially in a time where there's more cynicism than ever among the gaming community and the AAA industry.
True, I'm thinking more on the indie level. And "won't notice" is my hyperbole, of course sharp eyed people who use games and software are always noticing small technical choices even when you forgot them yourself. But it shouldn't dominate the impression of the product unless it's poorly done.
>But it shouldn't dominate the impression of the product
Well we're not exactly in normal times in the industry nor society at large. Deserved or not, the industry is in a hypervigilant state right now as a sense of preservation. We're even seeing serious unionization for once, that's how far it's been pushed back.
On the other hand, I think I'd personally vote "somewhat negative" on quests and dialogue. Many games have too much pointless filler dialogue and unmemorable sidequests. Maybe if you don't care enough to actually write it, it shouldn't be there at all.