How I Work with AI

Where I stand

AI is now part of everyday life. What it can do is amazing, and sometimes a bit scary. It is used more and more, including in video games.

It also has a human cost. Many people in the games industry have lost their jobs, partly because of AI. It's a reality we all have to live with, and it makes me sad.

There is no simple answer. Some people love AI, others refuse it, and both views deserve respect. I stand somewhere in between:

• For creative work, I don't use AI. A game should come from the people who make it: its art, music, words, ideas, and how it is designed, down to how its code is built.
• For technical work, I do, within a very limited scope that is detailed on this page. As a coding assistant, AI is a real help.

There are two ways to code with AI. The first one, often called "vibe coding", means letting the AI write the code without really checking it. I don't work that way. The second one means using AI as a tool, with the developer in control of everything. That's my choice.

I'm not a programmer by training. I taught myself C# over the last ten years. That's why I can stay in charge: I understand my code, I can review it, and I know exactly how I want it built. With AI, I can build my ideas further and faster, while every decision stays mine.

How I work with AI today

AI is a coding assistant, working inside rules I set. I'm in charge at every step:

• I write the rules. Each of my games has its own rulebook: architecture, coding style, what is allowed. The AI follows it. Only I can change it.
• I plan the work. Each feature is a task on my roadmap, written and ordered by me. The AI only works on the task I give it.
• I design everything. I decide how a feature works and how it is built. If the AI doesn't understand, it asks. It never decides for me.
• I review everything. Every change is tested, then reviewed by me before it's saved. If something is wrong, it gets fixed first.
• I decide what ships. Only I can publish my code and my games. Nothing reaches players without my approval.

As a solo developer, I always had to choose what to work on, and some features often ended up at the bottom of the list. Accessibility is a good example: comfort settings, readable menus on every screen, options to adapt the game to each player. With AI helping on the technical side, I can now give these features the time they deserve.

That doesn't mean adding features just because I can. Every feature is there because I wanted it and designed it.

My commitments

AI will never:

• Design my games. I come up with the ideas, the gameplay, the balance, the levels and how everything works under the hood.
• Create the visuals. All my 2D and 3D assets are made by hand: pixel art in Aseprite, 3D in Blender. Sometimes I may use free (CC0) or purchased asset packs, only ones that are not made with AI. This is rare, and mostly for prototypes.
• Create the music and sounds. They come from:
  • human composers I hire, as for Escape Space and Robot Arena Survivors, as long as I can afford it,
  • professional audio packs, bought with a license, sometimes edited by me,
  • sounds I make myself.
• Create voices. If my games have voices, they will be recorded by real people.
• Write the words. I write all the text: stories, dialogues, menus, Steam pages and news. The English and French versions are written by me, never by AI. I only use AI to fix typos and to translate into other languages I don't speak, like DeepL or Google Translate would. If my games ever earn me a living, I'll hire professional translators.
• Create my marketing. Key art, store images, trailers and social media visuals are all made by hand. AI may help me plan when and how to share things, but it never creates or controls the content.
• Create content while you play. Everything in my games is made before release.

I will always:

• Work with people. When a game needs skills I don't have, I'll work with human artists, as long as I can afford it.
• Stay in control of the code. No vibe coding, ever. Every line is planned, guided and reviewed by me.
• Be transparent. I follow Steam's rules on AI, and I'll answer any question honestly.
• Keep this page up to date. If the way I work changes, this page changes first.

Questions?

Ask me on Discord or at shidygames@gmail.com. I'm always happy to talk about it.