What I Learned Trying to Make a Game with AI — Only Half the Truth About 'Claude for Game Dev'

I initially wanted to **make a side-scrolling game like MapleStory**. YouTube was flooded with "I made a game with AI (Claude)," so I thought it would be easy. But when I tried it myself – it turned out that **people with existing game development knowledge were just using AI to improve quality and speed**, not that you could just "make it for me" without any knowledge. In the end, what I completed wasn't a playable game, but an **"auto-battle" spectator game** (like raising a mushroom) that you just watch. This post is about that **honest journey** – where I got stuck, why I pivoted, and what I learned. (And you can try out the completed version via the **🎮 Play Now** link below.) I'm a developer in Korea building an AI chatbot alone. I only write about things I've **actually tried and experienced**.## 1. The First Wall — AI-Generated Characters Can't 'Walk' **Moving characters** are essential for games like MapleStory. So, I first tried **AI image generation (gpt-image) to create chibi characters** and then generated walk cycles (4 frames of walking animation) for them. This is where I got stuck. **With each frame, the character subtly became a different character** – the color of the clothes, the proportions, the face all changed slightly between frames 1, 2, 3, and 4. When stitched together in a game, the character wouldn't walk; it would just **tremble erratically.** The Ceiling of Character Animation — AI Generation vs. Pre-made Sprites ❌ AI-Generated Characters (Re-imagined each frame) 🧍1 🧎2 🕴️3 🧍4 → Clothing/proportions wobble each frame = 'Trembling' instead of walking ✅ Pre-made CC0 Sprites (Hand-drawn sheet) 🏃1 🏃2 🏃3 🏃4 → Consistent frames = Smooth walk cycle This is **exactly the same ceiling** I hit in Making AI Videos (Dev Log #3) – AI image generation **cannot create consistent character animation (multi-frame movement).** The same wall in videos, the same wall in games. 2. Pivot ① — Abandoning AI Characters for Pre-made Sprites So, my first surrender