Theres a lot going on with video games and generative AI right now. Microsoft and Google have each created models that can dream up virtual worlds, with significant limitations. And people have been using Grok, the gen-AI chatbot from Elon Musks xAI, to make rudimentary clones of old arcade games.All you have to do is type write me Pong and AI (sort of) does the rest, albeit quite badly. On Feb 21, xAI employee Taylor Silveira claimed to have created an accurate version of 1980 coin-op Pac-ManThe takeaway is that AI can apparently write simple video games in seconds, so long as you have a good command of the software. But is that really true? How good are these Pac-Man clones, and how do you make one? Can anyone do it? Could I do it? I decided to randomly approach some people on X who had posted their own Grok Pac-Man clones to ask how they did it, and I then had a stab at it myself.Attempt oneJohn Hesters Pac-Man. Illustration: AI-generatedAuthor: John Hester, @HesterJohnTime spent: two hoursFirst up, welcome retired corporate software developer John Hester from California. Perhaps Hester can help explain why people are gushing over Grok. Grok is a large language model (LLM) that competes with other language models like ChatGPT or Llama, he says over Zoom. Grok 3 is the most advanced because its learning new things on a daily basis.So, is it as easy as typing: Hello, Grok. Please write me Pac-Man? (Manners are important. My mum still says please and thank you to Alexa.) Almost, says Hester. I asked: Can you create [a version of] Pac-Man that I can play on a Windows desktop? I didnt give much more detail. It chose to write it in [coding language] Python I got a pretty good approximation in seconds. It knew Pac-Man was yellow, a ghost was red, and the maze was blue, but my Pac-Man was square. I had to say: Make Pac-Man round with its mouth open. Get the ghosts to actually chase Pac-Man. I need to add more ghosts, the power pills, more levels. From my experience as a software developer where I was using AI to write half of my code Im extremely impressed with Grok. Id give myself three out of five.I dont know if youve heard, but now Musk has announced hes starting his own gaming company using Grok to develop games, says Hester. Isnt computers writing code how Terminator starts? The main worry with the AI doomers is once machines are able to improve themselves, humans are out of the loop. Im sufficiently concerned, but also cautiously optimistic that AI is not going to kill us all.Score: 3 starsAttempt twoSuperTruckers Pac-Man. Illustration: AI-generatedAuthor: Justin Martin AKA SuperTrucker, @supertruckerTime spent: One hourI wanted to make a game for my four-year-old son, says 41-year-old ex-truck driver SuperTrucker, from New Jersey. I took programming in high school, but Im not a coder. It was surprisingly easy. My first attempt, Pac-Man was a dot, there were no pellets, the warp tunnels didnt work, and the ghosts wouldnt move until you were in their line of sight, but then came screaming at you. You cant ask open-ended questions like: make Cyan a hunter and Red a scavenger. You have to be specific. Sorting out the bugs was frustrating. After an hour, I decided to make Tetris instead. Grok is great at making Tetris.When I was behind the wheel, there was a massive push to recruit. There was a skill bar, and everyone has to be able to drive to a particular safety level. So they made the trucks easier to drive. Now the pool of truck drivers has gone through the roof and wages are down. I see the same thing happening with AI.Score: 3 starsAttempt three8 Bits Pac-Man. Illustration: AI-generatedAuthor: Jimmy AKA 8 Bit, @0rdlibraryTime spent: 15 minutesI found an image of the original Pac-Man and dragged it in. Its pretty freaking awesome how quickly it broke it down, says 8 Bit, who also lives in New Jersey. (Ive no idea why all these AI-assisted Pac-Man cloners live in New Jersey, so I ask Grok: Theres no evidence that people who use Grok are concentrated in New Jersey, it answers, uselessly.) The sound and maze could be more accurate, but its got an actual server for high scores. Id give it four out of five, says 8 Bit.Score: 3 starsAttempt fourOxLnks Pac-Man. Illustration: AI-generatedAuthor: Stiven AKA OxLnk, @LnkWeb3Time spent: Five minutesI wanted to see what Grok could do, says 32-year-old OxLnk over Zoom, who is from Estonia and works in HR but dabbles in AI and crypto in his spare time. I asked it to write me Pac-Man. It was so fast Im very impressed. However, Im not sure hes got the colours, maze, ghosts or even Pac-Man right, even if it was only a five-minute jobbie.Score: 1 starskip past newsletter promotionSign up to Pushing ButtonsFree weekly newsletterKeza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gamingPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionAttempt fiveZasts Pac-Man. Illustration: AI-generatedAuthor: Stephane AKA Zast, @zast57Time spent: 30 minutesI loved Pac-Man when I was young, says Zast from France over DM. I found it very easy, but I had to correct the controls and increase the intelligence of the ghosts. When you ask for modifications, it often adds a few bugs, which is annoying. Im impressed by Grok 3. In the time its taken to answer you, Ive used it to create a version of Arkanoid. Its that easy.Score: 3 starsAttempt sixPhreakops Pac-Man. Illustration: AI-generatedAuthor: Matt AKA Phreakops @phreakopsTime spent: 10 minsSo far, most of these games do look like Pac-Man. But what of the crapper efforts? Over to Phreakops, from somewhere in the UK, who has summed up the mood of the entire country in one Pac-Man clone. Id noticed Musks engagement accounts gushing over their creations Asteroids etc and gave it a go, he says over DM. Pac-Man didnt feel a big ask for something as hyped as Grok 3. The results were a lot worse than I expected. I wont be a game developer anytime soon!Score: 1 starAttempt sevenlackthornes Pac-Man. Illustration: AI-generatedAuthor: lackthorne, @BtcBlackthorneTime spent: UnknownI knew that randomly approaching people on X would backfire sooner or later. All it takes is a two- or three-sentence prompt. But it was kind of a failure, as Grok couldnt be bothered to place the Pac-Man in a non-wall area, says lackthorne over DM. Unfortunately, my invitation to chat further over Zoom apparently means Im after his crypto. [Expletive] you, scammer, he says. I ask if it would help if I sent over my Guardian credentials. How about [Expletive] you? comes the reply. Shame, as this is definitely the best Pac-Man clone yet everything from the ghosts eyes and the extra lives to the maze makes it a five-star attempt. But after such an unsavoury exchange, I feel compelled to knock it down to three.Score: 3 starsAttempt eightRich Pelleys Pac-Man.Author:@richpelleyTime spent: All afternoonHaving dished out the criticism, its only fair to have at go at it myself. Ill assume you want an accurate version of Pac-Man based on the classic arcade game complete with a proper maze, four ghosts with distinct behaviours, power pellets, and smoother gameplay? says Grok. Yes, please. Unfortunately, the next steps are beyond me. I was hoping a pixel-perfect version of Pac-Man would somehow pop up on my screen. Instead, I need to open the Terminal to install XCode and then use Pip to install PyGame and I think I need some fresh air, so decide to dress up as Blinky and run around the maze at my local park instead.Score: 0 stars