On October 6, the AI & Gaming Nexus, co-hosted by Game Mine Alliance (GMA) and TechFlow, took place in Singapore. The event brought together professionals from AI, gaming, Web3, investment, and entrepreneurship to discuss how AI is transforming game production, experience, and business models. Over 600 participants registered online for the summit, with support from PumpSnake, the9bit, 0G, Waterdrip Capital, IOSG, AZverse,
Support from multiple institutions such as Miuro.AI, Cddjap, and Bifire Investment, as well as media partners including Foresight News, Shenchao, and PANews.
GMA is positioned as a DAO organization in the Web3 gaming and AI sectors, continuously deepening its engagement in the gaming ecosystem through multi-level collaborations with high-quality games and upstream and downstream projects.
The sessions focused respectively on "The Retreat of the Bubble: Investing in Games in the AI Era" and "Survival Strategies for Projects in the AI Era," reaching a shared conclusion across investment logic, product experience, community, and economic models: AI is significantly lowering the barriers to game development and content creation, but the true competition in gaming still comes down to playability, user retention, distribution efficiency, and long-term relationships.
After the bubble bursts, game investing returns to fundamentals.
In previous market cycles, Web3 games experienced rapid growth due to strong narratives, tokenomics, and high valuations, but many projects failed to validate their product and business models. During the live discussion, several panelists emphasized that enthusiasm for "AI + gaming" cannot replace answering fundamental questions: What value does the product actually create for users? Are users willing to continue using it? Can the project establish a sustainable revenue stream?
The most direct impact of AI is cost reduction. Tasks that once required dozens of people can now be accomplished by smaller teams using AI. However, increased supply does not mean demand grows proportionally. Players still have limited time each day, and attention remains scarce.
Therefore, in the AI era, the focus of competition for gaming projects is shifting from “whether it can be built” to “whether it’s worth playing continuously.” Gameplay, retention, community, and distribution capabilities are becoming more important criteria for evaluation.
AI is not just a tool—it could also become a new character in games
In the roundtable on "Survival Strategies for Projects in the AI Era," the discussion expanded from productivity to the experience and economic relationships within the game itself.
In the future, AI NPCs may no longer be mere characters following fixed scripts, but rather game participants capable of long-term interaction, collaboration, and even co-development with players. Players may train their own AI characters, equip them with abilities, and involve them in in-game tasks, competitions, or economic activities—potentially emerging as a new gameplay direction.
Such changes mean that players' roles may no longer be limited to consumers. Through the integration of AI and Web3, players may simultaneously participate in creation, production, community collaboration, and value distribution. In-game assets, time investments, and community relationships also have the potential to establish more enduring connections.
From content overload to relationship scarcity
At the end of the event, the discussions from both panels converged on a deeper question: When AI makes content creation easier, what is truly scarce?
The answer may not be more content, but more valuable relationships.
For gaming projects, the moat is no longer just about technical capability—it also includes the ability to retain players, attract creators to co-create, build community trust, and align business models with real needs. AI can enhance productivity, but it cannot automatically deliver playability, community认同, or long-term sustainability.
The AI & Gaming Nexus aims to continuously connect builders, creators, and investors in the fields of AI, gaming, and Web3. Amid rapid technological change, the gaming industry still needs to return to the most fundamental question: how to create products that people truly want to play, want to stay with, and want to participate in together.
