D&D Using AI Is More Proof That Hasbro Doesn't Understand Dungeons & Dragons Fans

Highlights

  • The problem, though, is that for most players, imagination and creativity are half the fun of D&D. At the end of the day, a D&D campaign fills the same niche as an impromptu playground game. The only difference between running around the schoolyard playing cops and robbers and a high-level D&D campaign is the scant structure provided by the latter's rules - and most DMs are even willing to bend those in favor of the rule of cool. The most delightful parts of every D&D session always hinge on players' creative solutions to a campaign's conundrums, and the most exciting parts on a story's carefully crafted twists and turns.
  • Relying on generative AI sucks all the fun out of these best aspects of a D&D campaign. Even the worst player-made art is a source of joy and inspiration; AI-generated portraits are sterile by comparison, lacking the character of a shoddily-drawn Microsoft Paint portrait. Even the most contrived plot twist can provoke gasps from a sufficiently invested table; AI-generated emergent storytelling is cheap by comparison, and that's assuming it's even capable of coming up with sensible plots. Even the most cliché D&D character idea can serve as a jumping-off point for a complex arc filled with deep, emotionally fraught character development; AI-generated characters are distant by comparison.
  • Ultimately, Hasbro overestimates the importance of D&D's rules to the average player's enjoyment. If all the official and officially licensed D&D tools like Roll20, Avrae, and Beyond become laden with useless AI tools that clog up their interfaces and stifle player creativity, many will choose to look elsewhere. After all, the one thing every tabletop RPG has in common, from high fantasy alternatives like Pathfinder to complete genre upsets like Call of Cthulhu or Deadlands, is an encouragement of creativity. And players who appreciate that won't hesitate to look elsewhere.
  • Executives in every quadrant of the gaming industry continue to insist that AI is here to stay. But a large segment of players have consistently made it clear that they don't want generative AI in games. When used in the actual process of development, it decreases the quality of art and writing, and takes lucrative work opportunities away from talented artists. When used in the creation of homebrew tabletop content, it's simply not as fun. Whether each individual player decides to use Dungeons & Dragons' AI features will come down to personal preference, but Hasbro may be overestimating the number of players who will opt in.

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