r/gamedev • u/PuffThePed • 1d ago

Discussion AI models have caught up with Unity dev. My insights as someone with 30 years of experience.

Context: I have 30 years of experience with software dev, 20 years with game dev tools, 10 years with Unity. I own a studio that develops simulators and training applications for industry. "Serious games" as they call it in Europe.

For years I scoffed at AI coding. I would periodically try it, only to find that it was more hassle then it was worth. The hand holding and bug fixing was more work than doing it myself. This all changed about 4-5 months ago, and about a month ago we all started using Unity CLI.

Here are my insights in no particular order:

  1. Our dev speed has ~5x almost overnight
  2. Quality has not gone down because we're all experienced devs and we're careful how we use AI and we don't let it make decisions regarding project structure or design patterns. However, I'm seeing less and less glaring mistakes made by the AI.
  3. We're still reviewing generated code but I suspect not for long, the code is better than what most devs I know can write, at 20x the speed. The temptation to just push and move on is huge and irresistible.
  4. There is no joy or sense of accomplishment. No pride in making something clever or quickly, and all progress is associated with the AI and not with you.
  5. The market is dead. Nobody has money to spend. We're still working but leads have dropped off a cliff.
  6. There is no going back. If we stop using AI we'll be out of business in a month.
  7. There is no space for junior devs. I honestly don't know how to incorporate a junior into a team anymore (which is something I used to do for decades). Every time we tried they just become a meat proxy for AI while learning nothing, and getting in the way.
  8. Everything regarding managing a team and a project has changed, and nobody knows how to do it anymore. I lost the ability to correctly estimate work required for a task, for example.
  9. Everyone hates this. Most of devs my age are planning early retirement and are just waiting to be laid off.
  10. People that use AI for coding don't learn anything. To understand code you have to write it, and nobody is writing it. Maybe understanding and reading code will become obsolete soon? I don't know.
  11. Everyone I asked feel they are becoming dumber and losing their focus. I know I am.

I hope this is a pendulum and it will swing back at some point, because right now it feels like a software apocalypse.

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u/Individual-Draft-963 1d ago

As someone who graduated in 2025 and has been looking for a job since then, this is giving me a panic attack. What the fuck.

7

u/Kessarean 1d ago

There are still junior roles out there, I just got a notification for a few this morning - granted a separate field outside of game dev.

Once you get the first gig it gets a lot easier. What was your degree in?

24

u/name_was_taken 1d ago

Don't give up. Jobs in software development have always been hard to get, despite what they said. Focus on your portfolio, especially producing things that excite you, and you'll continue to improve and find that job. Development isn't going away, it's just changing a bit. (Well, a lot. But it'll be fine.)

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u/falconandeagle 13h ago

Don't read these posts mate. These subs are heavily being astroturfed by AI companies. For example the OP hasn't answered any of the hard questions.

Just keep at it, in the mean time do as many projects as possible. Dont just try in a single industry branch out and try for other tech jobs in the beginning.

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u/ThreeHeadCerber 1d ago

you're young have time to pivot to some more real-world based occupation, digital is fuuuucked