GitHub Spark & the Possible Ramifications for Game Development
The ‘noise’ of the recent US elections meant that many interesting tech stories got somewhat drowned out. ChatGPT Search, for instance, dropped with little fanfare, which was arguably the first time OpenAI released a new product that didn’t dominate the headlines. Google found itself in the strange position of being fined over 20 decillion dollars (a figure more than 400 trillion times greater than the value of all the cash in the world) by a Russian judge. However, one interesting story that may have escaped the usual notice involves GitHub Spark.
What is GitHub Spark? It’s an AI app development platform, one that can build apps – micro apps called Sparks – using only natural language. Of course, it’s not as if GitHub Spark is the only no-code app builder in town, but it’s certainly one of the most ambitious. GitHub Spark stands out because it leverages AI to an unprecedented degree, turning simple natural language descriptions into functional applications, a feat that most no-code platforms can't achieve.
While other platforms still rely on drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built templates, Spark is pushing the boundaries by making app creation almost conversational. Just as we type commands to ChatGPT or other LLMs, GitHub Spark allows developers (and non-developers) to simply describe what they want their app to do, transforming complex concepts into working code with minimal input.
Interesting possibilities for game development
This opens up a fascinating array of possibilities, particularly in game development. Traditionally, even “simple” game mechanics require a foundational understanding of programming logic and UX principles. With GitHub Spark, much of this complexity is not necessary. Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: it’s unlikely you could use Spark to build a JS13K game as the 13 KB file size limit in the JS13K competition demands a level of optimization that GitHub Spark isn’t designed to handle. Spark focuses on ease of use through natural language and AI-generated code, which generally results in larger file sizes and less control over byte-by-byte optimization.
However, it has to be said that it does have some fascinating possibilities in simple gaming app development. You could imagine something like a slot machine game being easy to build with natural language. Certainly, there might be some struggle when describing the modern slots bonus features or other auxiliary features that modern slot games have, but a fairly simple set of commands could easily create a slot machine app.
What about other games? Text-based adventure games, relatively simple puzzle games, quiz games, simple arcade-style endless runners, and card games could all be described quite easily with natural language. It’s unlikely that Ubisoft or Konami bosses will be losing much sleep over Spark, but it does open up interesting possibilities.
A flood of poorly designed games?
Indeed, GitHub has been keen to trumpet Spark as an entry point in its mission to enable one billion developers around the world. Its focus is on fun and creativity, allowing anyone to code an app. Developers can still look under the proverbial hood and play with the code, but this is very much targeted at those who have no coding experience yet may be interested in building apps, including gaming apps.
How far this goes is anyone’s guess. As mentioned, GitHub did not create the idea of no-code app building, but in the AI era Spark offers a little taste of what might be coming later down the line. To be sure, there are drawbacks for gaming, including the potential of a flood of poorly-conceived homogenized titles, but the possibilities of GitHub Spark are certainly interesting. GitHub Spark remains in an “experimental” stage. GitHub has reached out to select users for testing.
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