Generative AI always sparks a huge backlash online, but those wanting to use it in the development of their games may be pleased to hear it seems most Steam users don't really care whether AI is included in a game they're looking to buy. A new study has found that only 31% of users have a negative reaction to AI, but just 8% of them wouldn't buy a game because of it under any circumstance.
This research comes from GameDiscover.co, showing responses to the question "what's your view on buying Steam games that have any kind of 'we used AI' disclosure?" Steam will always tell users when AI has been included in game development, with the developer being given the chance to explain further on a game's store page. 23.4% said they have absolutely no problem with it, 19.6% were fine with AI use, and 25.6% were neutral on the matter. 23.3% weren't "super keen" on AI in their games, but only 8% made the statement that they'd not buy a game under any circumstance that had used AI.
The sample size for this study was around 3,800 Steam users, a minute fraction of the players on Valve's digital platform. But, it could show wider trends among gamers as AI becomes more commonplace in our games. Even big hits like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Crimson Desert have been found to have used generative AI for placeholder images, and while those issues did bring up a lot of controversy, they didn't stop those games from selling millions of copies.
It's probably music to the ears of developers and publishers who want to push further into generative AI content to hear about these figures, as they show despite a small percentage of gamers making their voices heard about being anti-AI, a large portion of players are either fine with it or don't care.