What did Kojima mean by this?
In the current sea of debate between Nvidia, Bethesda, and players on the upcoming DLSS 5 update, it’s a breath of fresh air to see Hideo Kojima remind everyone that he’s a vocal industry authority. The controversial DLSS 5 showcase puts developers in a bind: do they stay with DLSS 4.5 or older at the risk of obsolescence, or do they adopt the uncanny valley yassifying filter that is DLSS 5?
The Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding creator uses social media to aggregate a wild mix of inspirations and objectively correct takes on art, whether it’s on movies, music, or global issues (and yes, reblogging Ocelot x Snake fan art is an important issue).
Kojima is Not Impressed by DLSS 5
Hideo Kojima retweeted a post highlighting that you don’t need generative AI to make realistic faces, using the Death Stranding games as an example of games released with absolutely gorgeous graphics without resorting to that technology. Death Stranding sometimes gets heat for being too much like a movie, but it does have a very realistic, eerie feel, thanks to how the game is designed and executed.
Generative AI still has a long way to go to even get to proper faces that don’t look like the people in the cul-de-sac from Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun video, with a blurry filter to fit into today’s beauty standards. I don’t really feel like every game would benefit from the same weird faces, either, if we somehow ignore all the other issues with generative AI.
Generative AI still has a long way to go to even get to proper faces that don’t look like the people in the cul-de-sac from Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun video
While of course not every studio has the unlimited budget of Sony and the power that Hideo Kojima has, it doesn’t excuse the use of generative AI or cutting corners on creativity. The idea of being able to create within one’s means, or even having the ability to create at all, is part of the human experience. If we look at AI, we have a quick process, and the result isn’t exactly unique either. We’re cutting the creative part in an intrinsically creative field, leaving nothing to be looked at.
Hideo Kojima has always been critical of many aspects of our society and where we are heading with it, or how the past has unfolded. With any knowledge of Metal Gear Solid, one can see this. And yet, we still get people who think Kojima games are not deeply political. Maybe there is a correlation there between those who miss such obvious things and the people who cannot tell a quality face model from Nvidia’s newest Snapchat beauty filter.
