Can AI code Flappy Bird? Watch ChatGPT try

I asked ChatGPT to provide me with instructions on how to make Flappy Bird and it also wrote all of the code. I didn’t write a single line of code myself, all code was given to me by ChatGPT. Will this usher in an age of video game development in which hobbyist game developers can make a video game without needing to know how to program?

This was done using Chat GPT-4. I asked Chat GPT to make the game in C# using Unity. The results of this experiment are impressive, and there are other examples on the Internet of Chat GPT doing even more impressive things. For game development a lot of the impressive feats I've seen are based on ideas we already know. For example, Flappy Bird has simple game rules, and many tutorials on the Internet exist for it already. This means the Flappy Bird game is particularly well suited for Chat GPT to understand.

So what's next? Future tools are on their way (or already here) - most notably Microsoft Copilot. At a minimum an AI Copilot written explicitly for programming won’t make simple or obvious programming errors. Beyond that, having full knowledge of the game's codebase to help the AI understand how to extend an existing project will be a game-changer. Iteration is a crucial step in game development so true co-development with an AI won’t be possible until this integration happens.

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FAQ
How long did it take?
3 hours from start to finish, including art. The actual code was about 1.5 hours. You can see timestamps in the bottom right corner of my screen in the video if you zoom in.

Can I get the source?

Can I see the conversation?

Can ChatGPT make a game that didn't already have tons of references on the internet?
As others have pointed out, the standard implementation is to actually keep the bird stationary and move the pipes to the left. I chose to move the bird and camera right because that was ChatGPT's initial proposal so I wanted to see how it would go AND it shows that ChatGPT is being generative with code that does NOT already exist.

What did you use for the art?
Midjourney

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In my day job I serve as Game Director at Blizzard Entertainment. This channel is an independent endeavor and not related to my employer in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.

[liuruiyang]

Watching this makes me imagine rewatch this video 10 years later. Just imagine how primitive we will feel we are right now.

[miketacos]

Wow… an AI and a human fixing each other’s mistakes… I didn’t expect wholesome content!

[bigquazz]

This gives me hope for the gaming industry. Maybe future AI advances will finally allow developers to finish games before selling them.

[Psycandy]

this is insane. it's the natural language interaction that's most impressive, plus the tracking of the project. just mindblowing.

[NathanQuintanal]

This is seriously amazing. But yes, if you have never seen code before, you would have no clue how to ask the questions you did in order to get ChatGPT to fix the errors, let alone where to insert those fixes.

[Getfuckeddude]

The fact it can write code is already mind blowing to me but that fact it can write it to YOUR specifications is friggin sweet!

[lkofficial]

This video was the best I've seen in a long time! I'm not that interested in game making tbh but you made it interesting for someone whos never written a line of code in their life. Less is more they say and this video is a great example of just that. No distracting editing, superior audio quality, and your love for this kind of stuff really shine through! I hope to see more great videos from you :) subscribed!

[wtfduud]

ChatGPT coding seems like the first step towards a higher-level coding language, where the coding program interprets the intentions of the writer, rather than needing specific commands.

[leosc]

Your video was a random one that popped up in my feed, and I gotta say, only a few seconds in I became a fan. Your ideas, simple clean cuts, a well written script and beautiful sound quality are phenomenal! New sub here and I feel like you're gonna blow up once others become aware of your channel!

[publishing]

I have no coding knowledge, and like you said at the end, a person like me wouldn't be able to fix a lot of those errors and would either take too long or eventually give up, but it's a fantastic start!

[vv]

This is a super cool concept! I hope you can make a series with AI writing code for simple games.

[nonwibb]

I am a professional programmer but for some of my personal projects where I have to write basic html/css/js (i hate websites), I basically do this with chatgpt. Usually as the project grows it becomes less useful as there is more technical stuff and context, but it still helps hugely with certain implementation questions I have or providing code snippets. It basically starts as a programmer and becomes a concise google.

[zRedPlays]

It's crazy how it manages to correct itself after realizing the mistake, almost like an actual human

[DillandShaj]

Video popped out of nowhere but enjoyed watching this whole video! Awesome content! Excited to see what's in store for the future!

[Cy]

How is your channel not more popular this video was so insightful! Im a new subscriber!

[Shellll]

Such a quality video with such few viewers. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience

[PeregrineChurch]

Great subject, but I really want to say that this video was well edited and had great pacing! I never felt the urge to skip forward. I appreciated how you kept focused on the concept and always included visuals of what was happening while you were talking about it. Subscribed!

[WillKMB]

This is the best unity & chatgpt video I’ve seen yet, most just make a game with no art, but you actually finished it

[jonweinraub]

That is truly fascinating. I had only used it for rubber duck debugging. The code it gave me was wrong, but the back and forth dialogue got me to the correct answer, faster, which is neat.

[kevinphillips]

The main thing I enjoyed in this video is how polite the system was and how easily it fixed it's own mistake. What I wonder is if it learned from the mistake and would never skip those steps again?