Exclusive interview with Karl from TrueLab about using AI in slot production

Karl von Brockdorff, CMO of TrueLab Game Studios, thanks for joining us today to talk about your upcoming game, "Guns, Love & Therapy". Can you give our readers some backstory on the game itself?

Thanks for having me. ‘Guns, Love & Therapy’ is a slot game set on Valentine’s Day in 2023, in a future where hardline conservatism reigns supreme. Players follow the story of Big D Straddler and Midnight Cowboy, two bounty hunters fighting for love and survival in post-apocalyptic LA, as they take on the evil cult leader Reverend Mercury and his followers who use conversion therapy as a form of mind control. The game features 6 reels and a dynamic ways payout mechanic, with randomized rows per round, which means that each spin can actively change the potential ways to win and the resulting payout potential. This is our first title where we engaged AI to help in the creative development of the game and served as a testing ground for its implementation going forward.

So what kind of role did AI play in its development? Can you expand on it?

Sure. Our team at TrueLab Game Studios is constantly seeking out new and innovative ways to push the boundaries in game development. That's why when it came to developing ‘Guns, Love & Therapy’, we knew that involving artificial intelligence in the process would be the perfect opportunity to do so. We wanted to utilize its cutting-edge capabilities and explore what kind of impact it could have on the creative process.

To begin, we fed the AI with a general outline of the game's setting and characters. We provided it with the basic details, such as the post-apocalyptic world and the central figures, Big D Straddler and Midnight Cowboy, and the villain, Reverend Mercury. From there, the AI utilized its natural language processing capabilities to generate ideas and suggest plot points, character traits, and backstories. This helped us to expand upon the original concepts and flesh out the setting of the game.

The AI also played a critical role in ensuring the narrative was cohesive and engaging. It was able to analyze the information provided and highlight inconsistencies that needed to be addressed. This allowed us to fine-tune the game's story and ensure that it was both well-crafted and captivating for players, particularly since the intention is to involve the characters, world, and backstories in spin-off titles down the line.

In addition, AI was also used to analyze existing media and gain a better understanding of the current political climate, cultural attitudes, and public sentiment on relevant topics. This helped us to craft a story that was both a bit controversial and thought-provoking, while still staying light-hearted.

How did you go about working with the AI to refine and expand upon these initial ideas? What’s the process like?

It was actually quite easy. We just had a series of back-and-forth conversations with the AI, much like we would with any human collaborator. It was able to draw upon its vast knowledge base and suggest creative ideas that we may not have thought of on our own, or at least would have required a lot more time.

That sounds like a really seamless process. Was there anything that surprised you about working with AI in this way?

The biggest surprise was just how easy it was. It really just came down to having these conversations with the AI and seeing what ideas it was able to come up with. It was a really collaborative process, and we feel like the final product is all the better for it.

Considering the game's somewhat controversial plot, how did the AI navigate the circumstances and working process?

When it comes to controversial plots, AI can play a critical role in ensuring that the content is appropriate and sensitive to the issues being explored. In the case of ‘Guns, Love & Therapy’, it analyzed existing media, including news articles and social media posts, to gain a better understanding of the current political climate, cultural attitudes, and public sentiment on topics such as LGBTQ rights and political extremism.

But it's important to note that AI is not capable of making subjective decisions and must be guided by human developers and creators; both to encourage it to ‘go darker’ and at other times to take a step back - real back. The team behind "Guns, Love & Therapy" carefully built the story and plot to strike a balance between humor and sensitivity, while still addressing the issues at hand. The AI then refined the narrative and ensured that it was both coherent and consistent with the overall message of the game, and we were actually surprised with how witty it can be as well as its general grasp of humor.

So to summarise, while AI was used as a tool to help create "Guns, Love & Therapy," the ultimate responsibility for the content and message of the game rests with the humans feeding it data.

‘Guns, Love & Therapy’ sounds like a really unique and innovative game. Can you tell us a little bit more about what players can expect when it's released on Valentine's Day 2023?

In short, we are incredibly proud of what we have been able to achieve with the help of AI in "Guns, Love & Therapy". The final product is a unique and innovative slot game that promises to be a standout in the crowded market in Q1. Players can expect a superb audio/visual experience, with an engaging storyline, powerful musical score, deep characters, and a unique blend of dark humor and political commentary. We can't wait for everyone to get their hands on it and see for themselves what "Guns, Love & Therapy" has to offer.

Thank you for your time, Karl!

Thank you for having me!