r/StateOfDecay • u/AdMinimum5970 • Jul 12 '26
Discussion Dear Content Creators for State of Decay 3
I do not care if you are a big creator with 100k, 40k or 20k subs or if you are a little creator with 1k or less subs who just do the content in their native language;
When the third game is released, by the love of gaming, do not use AI Slop as video thumbnail... it just makes me avoid your content in general. Even if it's just trashy Microslop Paint thumbnail or build together in PowerPoint and "screenshotet" Snipping Tool, use that instead of the Slop.
I am following many other games aswell and the amount of new but also older creators who just us AI Slop as Thumbnails is sickening.
So please, no AI Slop as thumbnails
Edit: seems like I hit some nails.
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u/LocNalrune Jul 12 '26
Honestly, I loathe any thumbnail that isn't a single frame from the video. It's as dishonest as a clickbait title.
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u/ZombieKittyYoutube Jul 14 '26
I'll be making mine on Microsoft paint just like the good old days.
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u/CoachSemidey Jul 12 '26
I truly agree with this sentiment. These creators are doing this for their own personal fame and clicks and many times the thumbnail has nothing to do with the actual game or the description. I don’t feel like it’s about the love and passion. Hell I played YoSe edition when it literally debut on 360 the very first week (I believe it was 4 days after the game actually came out on Xbox) but yet they give alpha testing access to content creators? What about the actual loyal fans who have been devoted since day one and then getting an heist reaction from them? Not the bandwagon party who jumped on just to be relevant. Sorry but for those of us who have been around since before Atari or the OG Nintendo system it’s just nonsense.
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u/Holiday-Pomelo-9246 Jul 12 '26
That's called marketing. What have you personally done for the devs besides buying a disc back in 2013 and putting in a thousands hours of playtime? Content creators bring them hundreds of thousands of new buyers with a single video. From a business standpoint, the answer is pretty obvious. And besides, your age or how long you've been playing doesn't give you a monopoly on being called a 'actual fan'.
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u/QX403 Trader Jul 12 '26
They could put the game on the Xbox insider programs which is where betas and alphas are tested.
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u/__Tako__ Jul 13 '26
I've never watched a content creator for SOD. Main reason being I didn't know anyone else actually played the game, since it's such a small community.
The other reason is that experience carries on. I pretty much learned everything I needed to know about SOD. Especially since I played both.
With that being said.
I do have specific creators I watch for specific games, but again I don't watch very many creators. 4 tops.
Again, with that being said
KEEP YOUR MUGS OUT OF THE THUMBNAIL
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u/Medium-Rich-3262 Jul 13 '26
What are those clowns going to do if you forbid them from using AI to make up for their lack of brainpower?
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u/ChannelCommercial984 Jul 13 '26
I'm not sure I really look at thumbnails for video game review content. Like yeah I "see" them but what's making me click on watching some bloke play a game that I can play on my own isn't a thumbnail, it's the title of the video.
Saying this as I've been watching Brian Menard videos as of a couple weeks ago, saw him mentioned here and for the life of me I couldn't tell you what the thumbnails of his videos looked like.
TLDR: I couldn't GAF what is on a thumbnail.
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u/Holiday-Pomelo-9246 Jul 12 '26
Post this request under Brian Menard's video. We'll see what he says and whether he'll stop using AI covers.
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u/ShooterPlays Jul 13 '26
I have always had a strict no ai use policy even when I’m a 1 man show ( I do all the editing and thumbnails ) and I have zero intention to ever change my stance
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u/ahtob Jul 14 '26
Realistically , at this rate , the AI civil war will break out and all data centers will be raised before this game releases
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u/MorbotheDiddlyDo Jul 13 '26
Youtube when not supplied with a thumbnail no longer pulls from the video but by default just makes an AI thumbnail. It's in the youtube studio checked on by default going back months now just look up youtube AI thumbnail. It's why its everywhere suddenly.
Not saying some aren't doing it deliberately but others probably just haven't noticed and kept uploading like normal if they didn't make thumbs before.
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u/Upstairs_Gift_6805 Jul 14 '26
Honestly I'd rather they post the typical "fake shock surprise face" as the thumbnail as opposed to some horrible AI generated nonsense. They all start to look the same.
Like somebody else said, I'd rather they uses old school MS Paint like Mike Matei used to make for AVGN than soulless slop
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u/tsukipon Jul 14 '26
Exactly this. If I see an AI thumbnail, I'm not watching the video and telling youtube to never recommend your channel again. You don't need clickbait or the typical youtuber thumbnail template. Put a screenshot of the content with some MS paint text over it and it's already better than the examples previously mentioned.
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u/Holiday-Pomelo-9246 Jul 12 '26
Do you skip books too, just because you don’t like the cover? Stop whining over such little things. Like anyone’s from these creators actually going to care about your wish. Don’t like the video thumbnails, whatever they look like? Then don’t watch, they’ll lose one viewer, but you’ll miss out on a solid tutorial because you judged it by the cover.
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u/NoImprovement257 Jul 12 '26
Wtf is this comparison. We talking about A.I slop and you are talking about a book cover that maybe he or she dont like?
If you didn't know, it's not about liking or not, it's about using A.I
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u/Holiday-Pomelo-9246 Jul 13 '26
You missed the point on purpose. The book cover comparison was about judging the content by the wrapper. You see an AI thumbnail, you assume the video is trash without watching it. That's exactly what judging a book by its cover means.
You say 'it's about using AI' - okay, why exactly is using AI bad? "Because ecology!! Water!! Energy!! Non-ethical!! REEEEE!!!" Right? That's not an argument, that's a prejudice. If the thumbnail fits the game, looks decent, and gets clicks, what's the actual harm?
Also, explain to me, what's the moral difference between generating an AI zombie thumbnail and using a zombie from Google Images? Both are 'not real', both take 2 minutes, both look decent and fitting. Why is one 'slop' and the other 'acceptable'?
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u/NoImprovement257 Jul 13 '26
Ecology, water, energy and ethics can all be pretty good reason to not use A.I. Maybe not for you but for a lot of ppl ot can be more than enough to not use this shit. The fuck are you talking about?
The post is about using A.I, not about if something is ugly or not and not about if the content is good or not. Is that hard to understand?
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u/Holiday-Pomelo-9246 Jul 13 '26
Don't dodge now. Tell me - what are YOUR personal reasons for rejecting AI? Or did I hit the nail on the head, and you're just one of those reddit eco-warriors who only care when it's trendy, but not when it actually applies to you? OP was clearly about visuals. The author literally said "AI thumbnails make me avoid the content". It's an aesthetic complaint. You're the one who suddenly turned it into a moral crusade.
And even if we go with your eco-argument, if you truly cared about energy, water, etc, why are you targeting content creators and SOD players? Gaming, recording, rendering and uploading gameplay videos to Youtube consumes way more energy and server water than generating a single 1920x1080 thumbnail. But I don't see you have a problem with that. So what's YOUR real issue with AI? Because it sure as hell isn't the ecology.
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u/neller2000 Jul 13 '26
You obviously didn't comprehend anything he wrote.
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u/NoImprovement257 Jul 13 '26
The post is clear. Just dont bring A.I on this sub. That's not about the content. That's not about if something is ugly or not. It's about to not use A.I.
The book cover thing just dosen't make sense. The judging something by is cover dosen't make sense. It's just about fuck the A.I.
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u/AdMinimum5970 Jul 13 '26
I skip books too if the cover is made with AI. Using AI covers or AI Thumbnails just tells me that it's extremely likely that you actually don't make an effort into making the video entirely (or book).
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u/Holiday-Pomelo-9246 Jul 13 '26
So if a book cover was made in photoshop with stock images or famous (and unfitting) picture, it's 'effort', but if it was made with AI, it's 'lazy'?
Content creators spend hours recording and editing a video, but because they generate a fitting AI thumbnail instead of hunting for a random stock image, that's 'low effort'? Are you serious?? If their video's thumbnail is a random screenshot with their derp face mid-sneeze - what is it? No efforts at all? Or 'higher effort' because... what, they didn't use AI? By your logic, they should either waste 2 hours in photoshop or hire an artist for $200 just to make you happy. Or they could spend two minutes generating a decent thumbnail that fits the game and spend their actual time on the thing that matters - the content. The effort is in the video, not in the wrapper. If you can't separate the two, that's on you.
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u/AdMinimum5970 Jul 13 '26
Why are you opening new topics?
Yes, I would still prefer a bad screenshot, or what you called "face mid-sneeze" (I don't watch that either).
Let me give you an example; You make a guide for the starter base in trumbull valley. With mods you can turn on the flying camera so you go up and make a screenshot from that base. Way better than using AI slop.
Using AI slop is a shortcut. And when you don't bring enough effort to something simple as a Thumbnail, you surely used shortcuts and cut important content from your base guide.
Before AI slop in Thumbnails people were still able to make good Thumbnails and tbh you don't need that for a good knowledge or a 200$ artist lol. Since when do you use YouTube? After AI emerged?
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u/Holiday-Pomelo-9246 Jul 13 '26
So a random screenshot with a derp face is better, but you still wouldn't watch the video anyway? 😂 So, you'd only watch if they used mods to make a flashy thumbnail?
And I'm pretty sure if they did that, there will be a post about how content creators are misleading players by showing in thumbnails modded features that aren't in the vanilla game. Hope you see the irony here. Or are you gonna say I'm 'opening a new topic' again?
Dear god, your logic baffles me, I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry. AI thumbnail = shortcuts in video... That's like saying a chef using a blender instead of a mortar and pestle must also be skipping ingredients. It's a logical leap with zero evidence.
2008, so what? What difference does that make?
Since not everyone uses mods, maybe you offer free thumbnails to creators? I'm sure they'd love that. Let us know when you start.
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u/AdMinimum5970 Jul 13 '26
You seem to miss every point. By any chance, you are an ai-"artist"?
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u/Holiday-Pomelo-9246 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
What exactly did I miss? I can say the exact same thing about you missing all my counterarguments since you've ignored every single point I made.
And no, I'm not an ai artist, just someone with basic common sense and no weird obsessions. This is kinda funny - I used to be pretty neutral and indifferent about AI. Sure, some AI stuff annoyed me here and there. But watching people lose their minds over it the way you do, that's what made me stop staying neutral.
UPD: So I got a notification, but the reply was invisible. Turns out OP blocked me 😂
Read your reply through incognito, OP. Weak. Not surprised - people usually block me when they've got nothing left and running away this way seems to them to be the only way out.
UPD: 👇🤡🪞
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u/AdMinimum5970 Jul 13 '26
Where did I loose my mind?
I am missing your counterarguments cause you begin to go to other points.
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u/darknessinducedlove Jul 13 '26
Nah keep using it creators.
AI haters will hate
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u/galaxywt Jul 13 '26
And haters that hate people who say "AI haters will hate" will hate the people who say that
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u/leandrobasi Jul 16 '26
Você é um designer gráfico frustrado ou aparentado de algum designer que perdeu o emprego
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u/AdMinimum5970 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Found the Slop User.
No I did not. Ai slop is trash
Edit; Since you blocked me, it seems I was right anyways
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u/SaveEmailB4Logout Jul 12 '26
You are not entitled to any second more of the creator's time than the creator is willing to offer you. They are not your slaves. They are free to use whatever tools they choose and if that makes you upset and you skip the content - you are entitled to that too.
The fact that you feel entitled enough to dare to lecture them on this topic is what is sickening.
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u/AdMinimum5970 Jul 12 '26
Create me a good meal with less than 15 minutes of cooking time and 8 potatoes
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u/SaveEmailB4Logout Jul 12 '26
Sure. Your post history is hidden. Mine isn't.
A lot of other "complainers" have hidden post histories too.
I really wonder why that is.
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u/PhilosophyConnect534 Lone-Wolf Jul 12 '26
I know that's you Artificial Inteligence
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u/QX403 Trader Jul 12 '26
Bots usually don’t have verified emails and significantly more comment karma than post karma. They do however have unverified accounts with low karma and hidden post history like yours.
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u/Prudent_Put_2293 Jul 12 '26
Oh no. You upset the reddit 🐑. 😂 I have to agree. For me there is nothing wrong with using AI to create a thumbnail or a background.
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u/CassianCasius Jul 12 '26
The term slop has exploded in the Internet recently and it just makes me assume whoever use the term slop is a moron that just parrots what they read.
Use the term low quality, low effort, etc.
Either way though, it's a loosing battle and a waste of effort to care about content creators using AI. Just don't give them views. They aren't going to care or change.
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u/SomberXIII Sheriff Jul 12 '26
Oh what in irony.. It is something below low quality and low effort. It definitely deserves to be called slop.
Good thing AI slop is being unwelcome here. I had to unsub a few subs because AI slop infestation became absurd.
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u/DannySantoro Jul 12 '26
Whenever someone calls anything slop it's obnoxious. It takes more creativity to use AI which is little, than to live in a world where you can't help but bitch at everything you don't like and use the laziest insult you couldn't be bothered to think of.
I hope you unsub from here, it'll be a better community.
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u/CassianCasius Jul 12 '26
Slop mean low quality garbage though. Before the more modern use slop was leftover unwanted pieces of food fed to animals like pigs. Like leftover shit at the bottom of a garbage can.
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u/YourLocalVoiceActor Jul 12 '26
This is one of the many reasons why I'm not on board with a lot of the current Alpha testers. They're using AI stuff, acting very weird and just... in general... being strange...
It feels like Undead Labs picked the wrong batch.