Disgaea creator says he sees AI’s benefit as a tool but has ‘absolutely no interest’ in using it to write stories
Sohei Niikawa says it’s not fun or interesting to have AI create characters and plots for him
The creator of Disgaea says he isn’t interested in using generative AI to write stories for him, but can see its benefit in other areas of development.
In an interview with Dengeki Online, Sohei Niikawa – who created the original Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure before that – was asked whether he saw AI as a threat or a powerful partner.
Niikawa replied that while he could see how AI could help in some aspects of game production, he wasn’t interested in the creative aspects of it, especially if copyright infringement is possible.
“My stance is clear,” he explained (via machine translation). “It’s fine to use parts of AI wherever it can improve productivity, but copyright infringement and other criminal activities are off-limits. I see AI as merely a tool, so I don’t see it as a threat.”
Niikawa said he doesn’t expect in his lifetime to see AI reach a stage where it can be left to finish a work without without any human input, but he also questioned why people would want that anyway.
“I suppose there’s a method where you just create the plot, feed it to AI, and let it finish the work, and I think some people are already doing that. I don’t deny that at all, but personally, I can’t help but wonder ‘is that really interesting?’
“It might be good for mass production, but that’s not my goal. My underlying motivation is to create the stories and characters I want, so it just isn’t fun unless I shape them by hand myself. It’s not enjoyable unless I weave together every single word myself.
“That’s why, for now, I don’t use AI when writing. If I were to use it at all, it would be just to suggest names for characters or titles, or to use it as an assistant by asking ‘look this up for me’, but I have absolutely no interest in having it write the story for me.
“For example, I wouldn’t ask an AI to ‘list 10 stories that might sell well’ and then choose a topic from that list to write about. I find value in choosing themes that I personally find interesting and writing about them myself, so I don’t think that kind of creative approach suits me.”
Niikawa was also asked which skills he believes young game developers should focus on honing, in a world where AI is increasingly being used for many aspects of development.
“I think it’s ‘the human heart’,” he replied. “I think the ability to create concepts or game experiences that resonate with people’s hearts, that leave a lasting impression, that stick with them, that resonate with them, is incredibly important.
“I think it’s perfectly fine to rely on AI to give those ideas form, but ultimately I believe it’s absolutely necessary to be able to keep your eye on the core of the game and to have the ability to judge which of the various options AI has produced is the best. So I think that’s the key.
“‘The ability to create something that resonates with people’s hearts’ and ‘the ability to judge’, I think these are the two key elements. Moving dramas are like that, and I believe horror games also move people’s hearts, so I definitely want to continue prioritising that.”
