Television is one of those inventions that owes its genesis to more than a single person, so while Baird was by no means the only one inventing in the field, he was the first to demonstrate a working system. With mechanical scanning and just 30 lines, it’s hardly HD or 4K, but it does have the advantage of being within the reach of the constructor.
Perhaps the saddest thing about Baird and his system is that while he was able to attract the interest of the BBC in it, when the time came for dedicated transmissions at a higher resolution, his by then partly mechanical system could not compete and he faded into relative obscurity. Brits instead received EMI’s 405 line system, which persisted until the very start of the 1980s, and eventually the German PAL colour system in the late 1960s.
In my previous posts about the use of generative AI tools in the video game industry, I have tried to drive home the point that a nuanced conversation is needed here. Predictably, there were many comments of the sort of stratified opinions that I was specifically attempting to avoid, but I always knew they’d be there. And that’s okay. Where there is novelty, there is disruption and discomfort. And, frankly, some of the dangers here aren’t unfounded.
But in the end, I remain of the opinion that generative AI will be a tool used by game developers generally in the future, if not the present. I also still firmly believe that the conversation we should be having is not whether AI should be used in games, but how it should be used.
And people like the CEO of Shift Up in South Korea sure aren’t helping when they insist on the need to use AI by trotting out the Chinese boogeyman.
Will gen AI be part of Stellar Blade 2‘s development? It doesn’t sound entirely outside the realm of possibility after recent comments from developer Shift Up’s CEO. The South Korean game studio is currently working on a sequel to the 2024 sci-fi action game and its boss thinks AI is the only way to compete with the massive development teams coming out of China.
“We devote around 150 people to a single game, but China puts in between 1,000 to 2,000,” Hyung-tae Kim, who also served as director on Stellar Blade, said during a recent conference briefing according to GameMeca (translated via Automaton). “We lack the capacity to compete, both in terms of quality and volume of content.”
Where do I even begin with this nonsense? First, it’s completely devoid of the nuance I was asking for in these kinds of discussions. This is essentially stating that developers can make up for China’s massive human assets it can throw at game development by using AI to make up the difference. 1 employee using AI, doing the math, can be the equivalent of 100 or so Chinese workers. That sounds like you’re looking to stave off hiring by using AI and you aren’t helping!
It also fails, somehow, to recognize that generative AI can be used in China as well. China isn’t exactly ignoring AI tools, you know, so this arms race makes no real sense.
Finally, it’s just kind of bullshit. Chinese studios have certainly produced some games, some that have been quite successful. But when we think about the major players in the video game industry, especially in terms of quality and revenue, China is but a fairly average player on the world scene. Tencent, NetEase, and MiHoYo all crack the top ten in revenue, but the rest of the longer list is filled with American, Japanese, and South Korean studios, among some other countries. They’re a player in the industry, to be sure. But they aren’t some dominant force that requires special tactics to compete with.
But despite all the above, Shift Up has been both successful and has committed to retaining and treating its staff well.
Was Kim actually worried about rising competition from China, or was he just flexing his geopolitical muscle as Stellar Blade‘s popularity catapults Shift Up into the big time? After all, that game sold millions of copies across console and PC without the help of AI, even as Tencent, Net Ease, and other major Chinese publishers flood the market with AAA free-to-play games.
For now at least, Shift Up employees are being well taken care of. Seoul Economic Daily recently reported that all 300 employees at the studio were given AirPods Max, Apple Watches, and a bonus $3,400 to celebrate the company’s profitable 2025. Why no video game consoles? It already gifted PS5 Pros and Switch 2s last year.
That sure doesn’t read like a studio in dire straits due to the scary Big Red Machine or whatever he’s trying to pitch. How about you keep making good games and all will be fine?
Then we can get back to the real, more nuanced conversation about just what place AI has in video game production.
Abyssal Acres is a pixel art roguelite strategy game where you command a demon settlement in Hell, processing sinners’ souls, building infrastructure around the seven deadly sins.
In Abyssal Acres you manage the four remaining circles of Hell through rounds of growth and defense stages. Catch sinners and process them to extract sin and soul fragments or create new demons. Infrastructure is organized around deadly … Read More
DEEPFANG is a tough side-scrolling action roguelike set in underground caves where animal factions vie for resources, treasures, and secrets in a world of danger and intrigue.
In DEEPFANG you explore incredibly deep caves as a bold adventurer, wielding over a hundred unique weapons – automatic pistols, shotguns, cannons, massive axes, great swords, daggers, magic wands, and even a giant carrot. You’ll battle through diverse … Read More
Dans un courrier adressé à l’union régionale de la CFE-CGC, l’intersyndicale gironde demande à ce que son président en Gironde « ne participe plus aux échanges et aux rencontres » entre les 10 organisations. Motif : la candidature d’Olivier Martinez aux élections municipales à Ambarès-et-Lagrave, avec le soutien du Rassemblement national.
Le syndicat Asso a rencontré une dizaine d'employés des Jardins de la Montagne Verte en souffrance. L'inspection du travail s'est rendue sur plusieurs sites de cette structure d'insertion fin 2025 et début 2026.
L’Association pour les rencontres philosophie-psychanalyse de Strasbourg appelle le grand public à venir échanger vendredi 30 et samedi 31 janvier à la Haute école des arts du Rhin sur la question de l’effondrement, qu'il soit clinique mais aussi écologique ou politique.
Les Voies lyonnaises ont-elles apaisé la ville ? À Saint-Fons, les travaux de la « VL 7 » sont finis depuis un an. Sur place, des cyclistes, de plus en plus nombreux, affichent leur satisfaction quand les commerçants se montrent plus réservés sur le nouvel aménagement. Reportage.
Le syndicat Asso a rencontré une dizaine d’employés des Jardins de la Montagne Verte en souffrance. L’inspection du travail s’est rendue sur plusieurs sites de cette structure d’insertion fin 2025 et début 2026.
L’Association pour les rencontres philosophie-psychanalyse de Strasbourg appelle le grand public à venir échanger vendredi 30 et samedi 31 janvier à la Haute école des arts du Rhin sur la question de l’effondrement, qu’il soit clinique mais aussi écologique ou politique.
Connexion
