In a recent survey, we explored gamers’ attitudes towards the use of Gen AI in video games and whether those attitudes varied by demographics and gaming motivations. The overwhelmingly negative attitude stood out compared to other surveys we’ve run over the past decade.
A Quick Note on the Survey Data
The Gamer Motivation Profile is a 5-minute survey that allows gamers to get a personalized report of their gaming motivations, and see how they compare with other gamers. Over 1.25 million gamers worldwide have taken this survey. The 12 motivations that are measured in our model were identified via statistical analysis of how gaming motivations cluster together.
See how you compare with other gamers. Take a 5-minute survey and get your Gamer Motivation Profile along with personalized game recommendations.
In an optional survey (N=1,799) we ran from October through December 2025 alongside the Gamer Motivation Profile, we invited gamers to answer additional questions after they had looked at their profile results. Some of these questions were specifically about attitudes towards Gen AI in video games.
Attitude Towards Gen AI is Very Negative & Highly Skewed
Overall, the attitude towards the use of Gen AI in video games is very negative. 85% of respondents have a below-neutral attitude towards the use of Gen AI in video games, with a highly-skewed 63% who selected the most negative response option.
Such a highly-skewed negative response is rare in the many years we’ve conducted survey research among gamers. As a point of comparison, in 2024 Q2-Q4, we collected survey data on attitudes towards a variety of game features. The chart below shows the % negative (i.e., below neutral) responses for each mentioned feature. In that survey, 79% had a negative attitude towards blockchain-based games. This helps anchor where the attitude towards Gen AI currently sits. We’ll come back to the “AI-generated quests/dialogue” feature later in this blog post since we break down the specific AI use in another survey question.
Women & Non-Binary Gamers Are More Negative Towards Gen AI
Female and non-binary gamers have a much more negative attitude towards Gen AI than male gamers do. Female and non-binary gamers are about 25-30% more likely to select the “Very Negative” option than male gamers.
Older Gamers Are More Favorable Towards Gen AI
We also found that older gamers are more favorable towards Gen AI while younger gamers are more negative. Among gamers age 13-17, only 3% have a positive (i.e., above neutral) attitude towards Gen AI. This is 7% among gamers age 18-24, and it rises to 22% among gamers age 45+. This aligns with survey data from Pew Research in terms of age trends in the broader population.
Gaming Motivations & Gen AI: Power Enhances. Story & Design Dampen.
Among the 12 motivations in our Gamer Motivation Model, we found that Power has a positive correlation (r=.15) with attitude towards Gen AI. The more a gamer cares about power progression (i.e., leveling up, upgrading gear, unlocking more powerful skills), the more positive they are towards Gen AI. Conversely, there is a negative correlation with both Story (r=-.12) and Design (r=-.12). The more a gamer cares about elaborate narratives, interesting NPC backstories, and customization, the more negative they are towards Gen AI. All other motivations had correlations < r=.10.
The more a gamer cares about storytelling and customization, the more negative they are about Gen AI in video games.
And these correlations aren’t just driven by the gender differences. For example, even within just female gamers, the correlation between Design and Gen AI is still r=-.11. And even within just male gamers, the correlation between Power and Gen AI is r=.15.
The Specific Use of Gen AI Matters
These motivation patterns align with an additional question we asked about the specific use of Gen AI in games.
Gamers were most negative towards Gen AI being used for artistic/creative purposes in games, such as using Gen AI for artwork, music/sound effects, and narrative/dialogue. This aligns with the Story and Design correlations we just saw. Gamers were more (comparatively) open to using Gen AI for dynamic difficulty adjustment (26% positive + 24% neutral). In short, attitudes towards Gen AI usage in video games become less negative as it moves away from artistic/creative features.
Gen AI Attitudes Among Gamers Have Worsened Over Time
In the earlier 2024 Q2-Q4 survey we mentioned earlier as a comparison, we had “AI-generated quests/dialogue” as an option where we saw a response of 46% negative. In the current survey, they are now 77% and 83% negative respectively. This suggests that attitudes towards Gen AI has significantly worsened over the past year among gamers.
Using AI in “Uncreative” Ways in Games
The comparatively more neutral attitude toward using Gen AI for non-creative features in games, like dynamic difficulty adjustment, hints at other, perhaps more palatable, opportunities for using AI in video games.
Over a recent lunch, Nic Ducheneaut mentioned that he was looking forward to trying out the new Europa Universalis V over the holiday break, but was wary of learning the new mechanics. We had been chatting about these Gen AI survey findings and wondered out loud how it would be a good use of Gen AI if the game asked you about your experiences with other specific 4X/Grand Strategy titles and dynamically generated a short tailored guide and tutorial for the new mechanics based on your existing knowledge–e.g., new feature X is like building wonders in Civ VI but you can pick a specific wonder variant with slightly different stats.
What Do You Think?
- Have your attitudes towards Gen AI in general and specifically in its usage in video games worsened or improved over time?
- Are there any uses of Gen AI in video games that you would be favorable toward?
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These results more or less align with how I feel about it – creative work and game balance needs to be done by people, but smart models could potentially create really interesting random events and dynamic difficulties. We already see something similar with the curated “storyteller” AI in Rimworld, although in that case they were custom-designed by the devs.
In general I’m going to prefer games without a lick of AI in them but I wouldn’t be upset if it was used for some minor dynamic stuff.
AI has a place within game design in terms of procedural map generation, NPC behaviour models and graphical assisted frame generation, but GenAI – as it is under current business models and legislation – is simply being used to bypass the normal creative process for the defining parts of game identity
There are already plenty of existing issues around the use of GenAI in general business usage – the specifics of the video game industry as a creative medium introduces further complications; game development is one of the last places we should be seeing it introduced