They Mashed Up GTA and Minecraft… Gaming’s Singularity Has Arrived
An era of making and sharing games to suit our own tastes, much like videos on YouTube
AI-generated case illustration · Game modding examples from Terraria, AoE2, GTA and Minecraft, and Halo · A comic-style reconstruction of a publicly documented example.
Seeing people add new weapons to Terraria and connect GTA with Minecraft made me think: for players, gaming’s singularity has already arrived. An era is opening up in which we can shape games around the fun we want and share them with people who have similar tastes.
“I wish this game had a weapon like that”
AI reconstruction · A reconstruction based on actual Terraria gameplay · Reconstructed using the supplied gameplay image as a reference.
When you play a game, you sometimes find yourself wishing a weapon were a little stronger or a stretch of the game a little less tedious. A ridiculous boss you could fight with friends and laugh about might be fun, too. Seeing the recent Terraria project made me feel that turning those wishes into something playable is coming within reach.
Creator Rehan Sheikh used AI to help add new weapons and enemies to Terraria. Missiles chase enemies, explosions tear up the ground, and a drone mothership appears as a boss. He has shared records of preparing the artwork, defining how the weapons behave, and checking that they work in the game.
A change to an existing game like this is called a mod. Players have a long history of changing rules or characters and sharing the results. AI has now begun helping with the work of reading code, making artwork, and fixing things that do not work properly.
As a player, this feels like a major change to me. A feature I used to request from a developer and then wait for is now something I can try building myself, or work on with people who want the same thing. The wish that someone would make a game like this can become a concrete project idea.
Related sources: Terraria mod development notes
What if we made and shared games like YouTube videos?
AI-generated concept illustration · Sharing our own games and choosing ones that suit our tastes · Imagining a future in which people share games they have made.
On YouTube, anyone can turn their interests into videos and upload them. One person talks about fishing, another introduces their neighborhood, and someone else explores a single old game in depth. Viewers find channels that match their tastes.
I think a similar change has begun in games. The publicly available AI tools help examine how a game works, change its features, prepare the artwork it needs, and check the results when it runs. AI can now help with tasks that once required one person to learn several different skills.
It is fun to imagine what could follow: a game modified for a relaxed ten-minute session after work, one with difficult sections made easier so you can play with your child, or one filled with jokes that only your friends understand. Even when they start from the same game, different people can create very different kinds of fun.
We could make a game for ten people in our group, or one that attracts a hundred people with similar tastes. Just as a YouTube channel can grow around a very specific interest, games could reflect smaller and more varied tastes.
The change I look forward to is a wider range of people making games. Alongside studio releases, more versions that people have customized and more small games could be passed around. Changing just one weapon in an existing game can be a starting point.
Related sources: universal-modder: tools, workflow, and existing modding tools · Terraria mod development notes
Robotaxis in a medieval town, and two games combined
AI-generated case illustration · A robotaxi civilization replacing an existing AoE2 civilization slot · A comic-style reconstruction of a publicly documented example.
The Age of Empires II project makes the idea easier to picture. Robotaxis travel through a medieval town while delivery drones fly overhead. The creator reworked an existing civilization into a new one that uses these units.
It has the spirit of a playful thought you might have while playing a historical game: what if a futuristic city appeared here? The creator gave that idea the artwork, movement, and rules it needed to become something playable. To me, that kind of eccentricity is part of the appeal of games shaped by personal tastes.
AI-generated case illustration · An explosion event passed between GTA V and Minecraft · A comic-style reconstruction of a publicly documented example.
There is also a project connecting GTA V with Minecraft. It runs both games together and links their visuals and in-game actions. When TNT explodes in Minecraft, an explosion happens in GTA. It also shows structures made from blocks appearing in the city landscape.
If you enjoy building with Minecraft blocks and exploring GTA’s city, that is likely to catch your attention. It is an attempt to bring together the fun of two games you would normally enjoy separately. I expect more experiments to begin with the thought that you would like to combine two things you love.
Terraria and these two projects are experiments by the same creator. Seeing one person explore different games and bring several ideas to life makes me wonder who will make something next, and what their tastes will lead them to create.
Related sources: AoE2 civilization development notes · GTA V and Minecraft connection notes
Playing old games on today’s devices
AI-generated case illustration · The creator’s account of fixing Urban Terror’s web launch · A comic-style reconstruction of a publicly documented example.
The way we return to old games on the devices we use today could change, too. One developer working to run Urban Terror on the web says AI helped find and fix an error that had long resisted a solution. In his account, he resumed the stalled project and got the game running in a browser.
For players, that means another way to launch the game. If getting an older program to run requires less technical setup, returning to an old favorite becomes easier. I think changes like this could extend the life of a game.
AI reconstruction · A reconstruction based on actual Halo CE gameplay · Reconstructed using the supplied Halo CE gameplay image as a reference.
There is also a public project bringing Halo: Combat Evolved to different environments, including PCs and Android devices. Fans are continuing to work on a game they love so they can keep playing it on newer devices.
Now imagine adding personal customization to that. You could launch a childhood favorite on the device you use today and change its difficulty or rules to make it more fun with friends. Years later, a game you once enjoyed could offer a new way to play.
Related sources: levelsio’s post about running Urban Terror on the web · Halo CE decompilation repository · Halo CE port for Windows, Linux, and Android
The Urban Terror example is the creator’s account. This research did not establish which tasks, if any, AI contributed to in the Halo CE porting project.
For players, gaming’s singularity has already arrived
AI-generated concept illustration · People enjoying games that fit their tastes · Imagining people enjoying games that fit their tastes and everyday lives.
To me, these examples are enough to say that gaming’s singularity has arrived for players. People who once chose the games they liked from finished releases now have more ways to add the fun they want and enjoy versions that other people have changed.
I think we will pay more attention to a creator’s tastes when choosing a game. We might seek someone out because their versions always appeal to us. Just as we wait for a favorite YouTuber’s next video, we could wait for a favorite creator’s next mod or short game.
This change could threaten established game studios. A new release that a company has spent years preparing must compete for a player’s evening with a game that a small creator has quickly modified. If people find the fun they want elsewhere, a large budget and a famous name alone will have a harder time holding their attention.
Studios will also try to use the same AI tools to make games faster. Beloved characters and worlds, communities of players, and experience in running games reliably remain strengths. There could also be a growing business in giving fans tools to customize games and bringing good mods to more people. Studios could develop their own games and help players’ creations grow alongside them.
Some examples already point in that direction. According to Epic Games’ review, games made by outside creators accounted for 36.5% of all Fortnite playtime in 2024. In February 2026, Roblox announced a beta AI feature that turns written requests into in-game objects such as working cars. These companies are providing spaces and tools that let people create their own fun.
Fortnite’s 2024 review reports that creator-made games accounted for 36.5% of total playtime. The remaining 63.5% is calculated as 100% minus 36.5%. The discussion of future roles for players, creators, studios, and platforms reflects the author’s outlook.
Fortnite’s official 2024 creator ecosystem review
As this transition unfolds, finding games that suit our tastes will become more important. With more games being made, good work can get lost among the rest. I think creators we trust and services that help us find good games will play a larger role. If a few platforms decide what gets recommended and how revenue is shared, more people may be creating even as their routes to players narrow again.
I expect major studio releases and small games by individual creators to compete side by side, with a growing business connecting creators and players. Studios will need to give people reasons to keep spending their time and money. Players gain more choices, and small creators gain opportunities. This is also why I feel the singularity has arrived: both the way we play games and our relationship with the people who make and sell that fun are beginning to change.
Related sources: universal-modder: tools, workflow, and existing modding tools · Terraria mod development notes · GTA V and Minecraft connection notes · Fortnite’s official 2024 creator ecosystem review · Roblox announcement of AI for creating functional 3D objects