The idea is simple: Feed the most iconic lines of dialogue in video game history into Dall-E Mini, an AI-powered image generator, and see what weird and whacky results we get. Expect to see a lot of images that might not make sense but somehow encompass the feeling and emotion you feel when you hear the quotes we’ve selected. At least, that’s what we expect and cautiously hope for.
Software like this leaves a lot of room for interpretation because of how the images are generated, but hopefully, we get some deeply symbolic results. Who are we kidding? Let’s see how weird Dall-E Mini gets. Warning: Some images are really graphical and may disturb sensitive readers.
Game quotes used in Dall-E Mini and results
“War is where the young and stupid are tricked by the old and bitter into killing each other.”– Grand Theft Auto IV
We start off in Dall-E Mini with a phrase so iconic, relevant and poetically poignant that it would be a top contender for the slogan of the decade if there were such a thing. This heartbreaking utterance slipped from the mouth of Niko Bellic in Grand Theft Auto IV. Niko dropped this philosophical truth bomb while discussing the ways of war and conflict.
It took Dall-E Mini 28.5 seconds to generate these 9 images. From a literal perspective, you can clearly see the conflict in every one of these images. I love that the software generates images in similar styles for each quote. These could quite easily be blown up and hung on a wall, accompanying the iconic quote. If you look really closely at each image, there are stark differences in the conflicts they portray. None of these AI-generated conflicts seem to be inspired by GTA IV though.
The second image is the most compelling in terms of the wording of the quote, in my opinion. It seems to portray young soldiers headed to battle, overshadowed by what looks like the ghostly form of an older general. You could also interpret this ghostly form as the expectations and pressures of the ‘old and bitter’ who Niko references in the quote.
“Hope is what makes us strong. It is why we are here. It is what we fight with when all else is lost.” – God of War 3
This was said by Pandora, yes, that Pandora. The one who opened that ancient box and unleashed all those terrifying goodies upon humanity. Hope is an incredibly powerful theme within the God of War franchise, with Athena even calling it ‘the most powerful weapon in the world.’ Athena continues by stating that Hope is powerful enough to kill any god, even Zeus himself.
She is the original custodian of Hope, which she placed into Pandora’s box in order to counteract the many evils already within it. Later, Hope landed up in Kratos’ possession, before being released to humanity due to his selfless sacrifice.
This Dall-E Mini grid took a lot longer to generate. At 39 seconds, we can safely say that this is one of the more difficult quotes to put into an image. That said, from an artist’s perspective, these are absolutely stunning images. Although canonically Hope appears to be blue within the God of War franchise, yellow is an apt-enough color given that it represents the sun and we often liken hope to the idea of a new day and a fresh start.
These Dall-E Mini images look like the kind you’d find on Pinterest after typing ‘hope’ into the search box, but that may be intentional. Looking closer at each of the images, they all seem to have a disturbing subject, whether it’s the contorted hand in image 5, or the spider-like creature in image 6.
However, this could speak to the transcendental nature of hope. It exists in all organisms, no matter their appearance, physical stature or origin.
“Men are but flesh and blood. They know their doom, but not the hour.”– The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
I wouldn’t class Elder Scrolls Online as the most feel-good, happy, or peaceful game, and these images certainly speak to that opinion. However, they are incredibly on-brand and compelling. This quote was uttered by Emperor Uriel Septim VII. The quote feels fairly innocuous at first, with Uriel simply pointing out that men can’t see when they’re going to die, they only know death to be an inescapable certainty.
As the rest of the scene unfolds, however, (Spoiler alert) it turns out that Uriel is about to be assassinated. He continues by saying: ‘In this I am blessed to see the hour of my death, to see my apportioned fate, then fall.’
As far as the context of the quote, the Dall-E Mini images seem to represent it perfectly well. Death is ever-present in every image, but while some seem to portray the actual assassination, others speak to the regal and authoritarian nature of the Emperor. Image number 8 stands out to me though. In this image, I can see the quiet resignation in the Emperor’s facial expression as he is relegated to death.
Since we’re on the topic, don’t forget to check out the new High Isles chapter in Elder Scrolls Online.
“No matter how dark the night, the morning always comes.” – Final Fantasy X
This is a quote by Lulu in Final Fantasy X. Lulu continues with ‘and our journey begins anew,’ but this first piece of the statement has become one of the most quoted lines from the Final Fantasy franchise. This quote has an intrinsic Instagrammablilty. By this I mean it, and the images that the AI generated from it look like the type to be plastered all over those motivational Instagram pages; for a good reason though.
Is there anything more motivational than the assertion that anything you may have experienced on a particular day doesn’t define your character. Instead, every day is a new chance to treat yourself and others better, be more productive, and contribute more to the general well-being of society.
Even though only one of the Dall-E Mini images seems to show a hint of a sunrise, these are still incredibly apt AI-generated pictures that would look right at home captioned by the quote in question.
“A hero need not speak. When he is gone, the world will speak for him” – Halo
This is a quote made in reference to Master Chief. It’s relatively short, as far as video game quotes go, but it speaks volumes. The presence of such uplifting imagery and messaging in a video game primarily designed as a means for people to relieve stress by shooting at virtual targets is proof of how essential video games are in the grander scheme of things. We need more people to believe that you don’t need to be vocal about your goodness for it to be noticed by others.
Master Chief, also known as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 in Halo Reach, is the mascot of the Halo brand and a man of few words. Thought to be based in part on Clint Eastwood and the characters he played, Master Chief isn’t boastful about the good he does. He simply sees it as his duty to leave the world a little safer than he found it. As you can see by the Dall-E Mini images, the generator did a good job of highlighting this hero.
“What is a man? A Miserable little pile of secrets!”– Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Castlevania is a gaming franchise that has gone down in history as having some of the funniest lines and best examples of goofy translations. The quote in question is a perfect snapshot of this. Even though this quote makes decent enough sense, it’s still a bit of a whacky thing to say. This line comes from a conversation between Richter and Dracula at the beginning of Symphony of the Night.
Most of the hilarity comes from the English text in the game being poorly translated from the original Japanese in which the game was written. This is true for phrases such as: ‘It was not by my hand that I am once again given flesh. I was called here by humans who wish to pay me tribute.’ The original Japanese text, properly translated, reads: ‘It is not by MY power that I am revived. It is because of the greedy humans that I live once more.’
However, in the case of our quote, the original Japanese wording is so far from what appears in the English game. Translated properly into English, the quote should have been: ‘Foolish drivel. I will prove to you which of us is right… with death!’ This is quite a deviation from the original script.
The Dall-E Mini software seems to have taken the words ‘man’, ‘miserable’, and ‘secrets’ and run with it. I don’t know if we’ve got a home run with this one. It doesn’t scream Castlevania, and it certainly doesn’t make me laugh like the text and the voiceovers in the game did. It looks more like someone attempting a live-action remake of the famous ‘The Thinker’ statue.
“FINISH HIM!” – Mortal Kombat
This is the phrase that either precedes elation or a relatively lengthy sulk while playing Mortal Kombat. I don’t think there’s even an in-between. You’re either the one who gloats or the one who sulks.
I don’t know what I was expecting for the Mortal Kombat-inspired AI-generated images, but it wasn’t this. Dall-E Mini seems to have gone in a different direction, likely taking the word ‘finish’ as a reference to marathons. Although, there are a few images that could be somehow inspired by Mortal Kombat. But overall, I see marathon runners and wrestlers at best. I suppose there’s a lot less specificity when the quote is only two words long.
“Sul sul!” – The Sims
This list would not be complete without the only quote from The Sims franchise to take on a meaning of its own. Apart from an in-game greeting that your Sims will use on occasion when greeting an NPC, Sul sul has become a greeting that Simmers and fans of the game use as well. The phrase doesn’t have much of a meaning outside of the popular life simulator gaming franchise, but it’s still a super fun thing to say!
I was expecting at least one truly odd set of images from the Dall-E Mini software, and it looks like Sul sul has not disappointed in the least. Not only do these images not seem to resemble anything from the Sims franchise, they don’t even resemble each other. I think we’ve found a way to thoroughly confuse this software to a point of little to no recognition; use made-up words from a video game that have little to no realistic linguistic relevance.
“Wasted” – Grand Theft Auto
This is not exactly a quote, but it is something that Grand Theft Auto players have seen so many times that it’s essentially become an honorary quote. This phrase makes me chuckle because my mind instantly goes to all the stupid ways in which I’ve died in Grand Theft Auto V.
I think every GTA player, no matter which game you play or which title is your favorite, has a reel in their mind of their favorite stupid deaths. Then, there are the most annoying deaths that spring to mind. Mine has to be constantly getting shot to death trying to find the control box at the docks with Ryder in GTA: San Andreas.
The images generated on Dall-E Mini from this prompt seem to represent the greatest hits of Grand Theft Auto but are skewed in the favor of San Andreas. They’re a massive hit of nostalgia though. From what looks like the parking lot under the Mulholland intersection in image 3, to the green Sabre in image 7, this grid really takes me back to the good old days.
“Waka Waka Waka” – Pacman
We end off with an interpretation of what it sounds like when Pacman chomps up those seemingly delicious ghosties. If you listen carefully to the world’s favorite yellow puck as he gobbles up the ghosties, you can almost hear him utter the words.
I had a slightly different expectation in mind when testing this phrase. Although, given that this is not a direct quote or canon interpretation of what Pacman sounds like, I can’t be too harsh. I will say that this last grid looks more like a Captcha image grid in which you need to select the image containing a boat. Except that all of them contain an interpretation of a primitive boat.
This does however give us a chance to address the sheer power of the Dall-E Mini software.
None of these images exist, they are purely composites, which is why if you look closely, they look like paintings. However, if you take a quick glance at them, they look like real boats. Dall-E Mini is an incredible example of how advanced technology has become over the last few years. And I’m so glad that I get to write about it.
