Pong
Version 3: Pong Made Entirely by AI
During my development, I came across a website called MuleRun, which is an all-in-one AI office platform. By simply providing a natural-language description of the desired game, the platform can automatically generate the code, create appropriate assets, and rapidly produce a fully playable game prototype.
Motivated by its introduction, I decided to further investigate the platform’s capabilities by conducting my own experience, examining the quality of game it could generate when provided with requirements. Based on my experience communicating with ChatGPT, I once again made sure to describe my ideas as clearly and in as much detail as possible. I defined the game as follows:
Hello, there 👋
Working late? I'm here to help.
Create a game with gameplay similar to Pong. Players move paddles to hit the ball, and a point is scored when the ball passes beyond the boundary of the opponent’s side.
The game includes two modes—a "1 Player mode" where the player competes against the computer, and a "2 Players mode" where two players compete against each other. In both modes, the first player to reach 5 points wins the game.
The main menu should display the game title “Pong” and include three buttons: (1) A button to select "1 Player mode"; (2) A button to select "2 Players mode"; (3) A "Help" button.
Clicking the "Help" button opens a help screen with the following instructions:
(1) Move your Paddle to hit the ball. The first player to score 5 points wins the game!
(2) 1 Player Mode: Use ↑ / ↓ to control your Paddle. Challenge the computer and fight for victory!
(3) 2 Players Mode: Player 1 - W / S; Player 2 - ↑ / ↓; Face your friend in an intense battle — no mercy allowed...
(4) Controls: SPACEBAR — Pause / Resume Game; ESC — Return to Menu
The game should include: (1) background music; (2) sound effects for hitting the ball; (3) sound effects for scoring points; (4) when the game ends, display a “Victory” or “Defeat” message along with two buttons: a. Return to Main Menu; b. Restart Game
During gameplay: press SPACEBAR at any time to pause/resume the game; press ESC at any time to return to the main menu.
In about three minutes, the platform generated a simple but fully playable game. With the exception of the absence of background music—potentially due to copyright constraints—and the lack of progressive ball acceleration during gameplay, which may have resulted from the omission of this requirement in the prompt, all other game mechanics functioned as intended.
The result was promising yet frustrating. The same type of game that I spent a significant amount of time learning and developing could be generated by an AI-powered tool in just several minutes. At the same time, this contrast was also quite thought-provoking: in an era where AI capabilities are so powerful, how should game developers continue to develop their own skills in order to leverage AI without being replaced by it?
