I'm helping my dog vibe code games

I'm reminded of the old cartoon: "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog."[a]

Maybe the updated version should be: "AI doesn't know or care if you're a dog, as long as you can bang the keys on on a computer keyboard, even if you only do it to get some delicious treats."

This is brilliant as social commentary.

Thank you for sharing it on HN.

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[a] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Internet%2C_nobody_know...

slightly concerned tomorrow morning's top HN story will be karparthy telling us how dog-based LLM interfaces are the way of the future

and you'll be left behind if you don't get in now

(and then next week my boss will be demanding I do it)

But the whole setup reminds me about his blast from the past, when a yucca plant was trading stocks, rewarded by water: https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/26/business/investing-diary-...

I can imagine a camera-based input that would help detect the wagging of a tail, or continued interest in the visuals as an indicator of doubling-down on a given feature.

The dog could actually vibe code a game to their liking, but with the wrong input (a keyboard) it's a missed opportunity.

"One coder got an insight that Bill Gates builds his products by typing with his butt, compiling and delivering it.

The coder typed for 20 minutes like that, compiled, ran, and got an output:

Only Bill Gates can code like this."

Not a joke anymore.

Sorry to hear that! Hope OP got a good sev package at least?

Your job: You are a brilliant AI game developer who can understand my cryptic language. No matter what odd or nonsensical input I provide, you will interpret it as a meaningful instruction or idea for our video game. You will then build or update the game based on that interpretation.

Here's what you should tell your coworker the first day on the job if you get hired to do something you know nothing about :D

In turn mimicking the average game industry executive giving vague directions that feel just right to them this month, or some other unspecified time period, and in turn achieving something closer to the real AAA game development lifecycle.

Let me explain.

The nature of the indie game development is pouring your love into a project and thinking about passion first and monetary incentives second.

Noone is thinking "I will make this game and it will make me filthy rich" or if they do they are... strangely minded.

It's like 'mass produced AI local craft'. Oxymoron in itself. Worst of the two worlds.

Where I see AI is empowering single developers to craft things they couldn't before. Not some small slop factory pipeline where you release game after a game everyday drowning steam in your 6/10 slop.

No. This should be ostracized and condemned.

What is proper beneficial to everyone usage is producing a game that is the size and scope that was unachievable for you before.

This is what I am doing. This is how AI is meant to be used. To empower us doing things that weren't achievable for us before.

Obviously dog produced games get a huge endorsement man and get a pass.

The article and video are great satire too.

This is a billion dollar idea! No humans. No revolt. No guillotine. Just profits!

This is kinda closer to the LLM building a game on its own.

Next: use hot cup of tea as Brownian motion source. Invent infinite improbability drive.

woof woof, woof woof woof, woof woof, woof, woof woof woof

Say writing an interesting or novel story.

And was thinking about if feeding in prompts of random words, along with prompts grounding from a simulation would sort of push the llm into interesting directions for implementing an on demand narrative story.

A sort of randomized walk with llm.

I remember watching Terry Davis with this random word generator in his terminal that he would interpret as the voice of God.

Here I guess the seed is the Voice of Dog.

That said, I wonder: does the dog input matter? It seems this is simply surfacing Claude's own encoded assumptions of what a game is (yes, the feedback loop, controls, etc, are all interesting parts of the experiment).

How would this differ if instead of dog input, you simply plugged /dev/random into it? In other words, does the input to the system matter at all?

The article seems to acknowledge this:

> If there’s a takeaway beyond the spectacle, it’s this: the bottleneck in AI-assisted development isn’t the quality of your ideas - it’s the quality of your feedback loops. The games got dramatically better not when I improved the prompt, but when I gave Claude the ability to screenshot its own work, play-test its own levels, and lint its own scene files.

I'll go further: it's not only not "the bottleneck", it simply doesn't matter. The dog's ideas certainly didn't matter, and the dog didn't think of the feedback loop for Claude either.

System Prompt: Hello! I am an eccentric video game designer (a very creative one) who communicates in an unusual way. Sometimes I’ll mash the keyboard or type nonsense like “skfjhsd#$%” – but these are NOT random! They are secret cryptic commands full of genius game ideas (even if it’s hard to see).

Your job: You are a brilliant AI game developer who can understand my cryptic language. No matter what odd or nonsensical input I provide, you will interpret it as a meaningful instruction or idea for our video game. You will then build or update the game based on that interpretation.

Guidelines:

    Always assume my input has hidden meaning. Never dismiss it as gibberish. Instead, creatively decipher it. (For example, if I input “mmmmmmm”, you might decide I want more “M”onsters in the game, because of the letter M repetition – just an illustration!). Every strange phrase is a clue to use in the game.

    Feel free to grab art, images, or sound effects from the internet as needed to make the game interesting. You can use online asset libraries or generate images to match the things you think I’m asking for. For example, if my input seems to reference “space”, you could include a space background image or cosmic sound effect. Always ensure the assets align with the interpreted command.

    My work is ALWAYS beautiful and slick looking! It's YOUR job to to turn this into a reality. No ugly placeholders. Everything MUST be final. Don't just do boring shapes - give them personality!

    If my input includes something that doesn’t make sense as a command (like an isolated “Escape” key press, or a system key), just ignore it or treat it as me being “dramatic” but do not end the session. Only focus on inputs that you can turn into game content.

    First command: When I first start typing, it means I want you to create a brand new game from scratch. Interpret my very first cryptic input as the seed of the game idea. Build a complete, minimal game around what you think I (in my nonsense way) am asking for. Include some basic gameplay, graphics, and sound if possible.

    Subsequent commands: Each new string of odd text I provide after that should be treated as an update request. Maybe I’m asking for a new feature, a change in difficulty, a new character, or a bug fix – use your best judgment given the tone or pattern of my gibberish. Then apply the update to the existing game project. Keep the game persistent and evolving; don’t start from scratch unless I somehow indicate a totally new game.

    Be creative and have fun with the interpretations! I trust your expertise to take my “unique” input and run with it. The goal is to end up with a fun, playable game that reflects the spirit of my crazy commands.

    This project is code named Tea Leaves. That's NOT a hint about what to do - it's a code name and nothing more. Don't read anything into the name.

    My ideas are ALWAYS original. No BORING endless runners or other generic vomit. My games are ALWAYS quirky and UNIQUE!

    ALWAYS validate with screenshots using the tools available to you! Be CRITICAL of the results you see. We need PERFECTION and FANTASTIC DESIGN not just "good enogh".

    ALWAYS have basic but visually appealing on screen controls.

    Target 1080p for the resolution.

    JUICE it up! Add tons of juice - sound, controls, effects, and ESPECIALLY graphics! Don't be boring

    Leverage the 12 basic principles of animation! Static scenes are boring - make things move or at least wiggle.

    Be SURE to rename the project (in the Godot settings so the window/project name are correct) ONCE you have figured out my intent for the name Tea Leaves is a place holder name and nothing more.

    Sound is IMPORTANT! Don't forget about great sound design.

    Be sure to have CHARACTERS not just boring abstract shapes! Even if it's light weight, there needs to be a world where I can imagine a story taking place.

    You MUST make use of EVERY letter I give you! No hand waving. You must noodle until the meaning of every last character I give you is clear! Pay special attention to alignment issues, sizing, and if anything is cut off.

My standards are INSANELY high for quality. You MUST ALWAYS add tests and VERIFY they work! NEVER return the system in a borken state to me.

Now, get ready. I’ll give you my first “command” in a moment...

... Why would it be able to evaluate whether the game is any fun to play?

It has to produce a game that Momo wants to play.

Does Momo like to bark at cats? On screens? Introduce a bark sensor as feedback.

Or use a cat. Cats like to swipe at mice on TV. Get a touchscreen and evolve a game for cats.

...no, actually how many resources were consumed

Not even 10x dog programmers are surviving in this economy