More than half of board game designers have used generative AI in their work, according to a new survey from the Tabletop Game Designers Association. But dig into the numbers and the picture gets more complicated than the headline suggests.
The TTGDA, a professional body for tabletop creators in North America launched in 2024, polled 171 of its members on how they use AI tools. About a quarter said they had used AI to brainstorm game ideas or mechanics, though more than half of all respondents were "strongly opposed" to that kind of use. Designers who did try it called the output "derivative" or "slop," with the occasional "nugget of useful ideas."
AI-generated art was the most divisive topic. Roughly 80% of respondents were strongly opposed to AI art in finished products, and only two out of 171 said they regularly or occasionally kept AI-generated art in their published games. Placeholder art during development was more acceptable, with about 30% open to it, but 39% opposed even that.
The one area where designers showed the least resistance was editing and proofreading. About 28% use AI tools for that purpose occasionally, though hallucinations and tone problems were flagged as ongoing concerns.
The survey lands at a charged moment. Awaken Realms recently pledged to use only human-created artwork in its Concordia: Special Edition after community backlash and BGG review bombing. The TTGDA findings suggest that while designers are experimenting with AI behind the scenes, the community's tolerance for AI in the final product remains very low.
The biggest shared concern? AI models trained on copyrighted work without consent.
Sources: Board Game Wire