AI Gaming Hype Backfires: Investor’s “Amazing” Demo Dubbed “God-Awful”

A prominent tech investor’s enthusiastic declaration about the future of artificial intelligence in gaming has sparked widespread derision, following the release of an AI-generated “demo” of a bewildering first-person shooter. The video, intended to showcase the potential of AI games, instead highlighted the current limitations and incoherent nature of AI-driven game creation, drawing sharp criticism from the online community.

Tech Investor Matt Shumer’s Bold Claim and Bizarre Proof

Matt Shumer, CEO of HyperWrite – a company known for AI tools like “Team Member Praise Generator” – took to X (formerly Twitter) to assert, “AI games are going to be amazing.” To underscore his vision for AI-powered video game development, Shumer posted a gameplay mockup. However, what viewers witnessed was far from “amazing,” quickly being labeled an “embarrassingly incoherent” and “god-awful” demonstration of an imitation shooter.

The video, touted with an optimistic “(sound on),” presented a disorienting visual experience, described by some as a “moving kaleidoscope of AI sludge.” It rapidly became a focal point for critics arguing that the biggest proponents of artificial intelligence in gaming often operate with vastly different standards for creativity and quality.

A Journey into AI-Generated Confusion: Breaking Down the “Gameplay”

The alleged “gameplay” began with a soldier rappelling from a helicopter onto a Manhattan street, inexplicably landing with a shower of glass shards. The weapon, a nightmarish MP5, featured two sets of iron sights, firing rounds that produced sparks inches from the barrel, as if shooting directly into a wall.

• Incoherent Environments: As the squad advanced, tracer rounds flew by with no visible source. Buildings sported nonsensical signs, morphing from “DELI” to “DELE” or “DEE,” while a “Sublone” entrance featured stairs leading upwards.
• Non-Existent Choices: The player was presented with a “choose your own adventure” prompt, offering options like “dive into the Uptown subway” or “push up Broadway.” Yet, upon selection, none of these actions occurred; instead, the character ascended stairs to an open-air subway platform where Times Square once stood. A bus transformed into a train, which was then fired upon by masked gunmen ignored by the squad.
• Disappearing Acts & Logic Gaps: Inside the train, objects blurred past erratically. A squadmate’s veiny forearms appeared hauntingly vascular. An item on the floor—a hybrid of an incendiary grenade and a fire extinguisher—melted and reformed in a character’s hand before being replaced. The scene culminated in a character launching a bolt of fire from their hand, inexplicably bursting against the train wall.
• Reality Shatters: Subsequent choices led to further bizarre sequences. Exiting the train transformed the car into a platform, and the player entered a different train through its side, where a sedan and a man awaited. Firing the re-shaped MP5 resulted in self-inflicted damage, and the subway train itself shattered like glass.
• Rooftop Oddities: Transitioning to a third-person view on a rooftop, the player fired a warning shot at an enemy, only to then aim at conjoined wall-mounted air conditioners. A radial menu offered perplexing options like “Condemt” before the player fired a shotgun blast (from an MP5) at an HVAC unit for “cover.”
• The Grand Finale: After witnessing a fellow combatant ejecting spare magazines from his armpit, the player’s gun mutated further. A final choice to “Escape into the sewer” was achieved not via a manhole, but a ladder that materialized under a van, leading to a channel where people were imprisoned behind a barred gate in a “grey void.” The video concluded with a radio voice stating, “they’ve got a chopper on us.”

The “Glimpse” vs. The “Finished Product” Debate

The deluge of negative feedback, which saw users bluntly stating, “Dude this f***ing sucks,” prompted Shumer to clarify his intentions. He argued that “people miss the point” of such demonstrations, asserting they are not “finished products” but rather “glimpses of what’s coming.”

“Is this an AAA game today? Of course not,” Shumer conceded. “Will AI-powered games be incredible in 5 years? Definitely.”

However, critics contend that a “glimpse” should ideally offer a compelling vision, not merely “incrementally prettier nonsense.” The incident reignites ongoing discussions within the gaming industry about the practical applications and ethical implications of AI technology in creative fields, with many questioning whether current AI advancements truly lead to sustainable innovation or just more cash-grab attempts.