So here's a story that I have to admit is a bit sad for me to report on. It's also a bit surprising and definitely hits close to home for me!

The other day when I visited Playground.com I was greeted with the following message which was displayed at the top of their artist's feed page:

"The community feed is going away Nov 17th as Playground is now focused on graphic design instead of art. We want to extend our deep appreciation to our community—so long, and thanks for all the fish."

Pretty straight forward message. Playground was giving a very pleasant "F-U" to all the folks who had been financially supporting them for months/years, and also who helped train their AI models for their latest business ventures through the artwork they created. The "thanks for all the fish" comment comes from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a fantasy novel where dolphins used the phrase as they left Earth just before it was destroyed!

I can't help but wonder... Is Playground foreseeing their own destructive future? Are they now the dolphins of AI, using the same phrase  just before their 'earth' is destroyed?! I guess we get to wait and see. It's certainly very odd though, shitting all over the kind and creative people who've been supporting you all along, and then thanking them for their 'fish'! Yes, ODD, and perhaps even INSULTING.

MY PERSONAL LOSS

Really, I have no personal loss with this developement. I currently use Playground.com to make my 'rough copies' of artwork, then I usually take those rough copies elsewhere to fine tune and upgrade them. I don't publish my unfinished images publicly at Playground, and don't use the public feed at all, so no real biggy for me...at least not YET!

I contacted Playground to see if I'd still be able to use their platform to create with and was assured that I would be, "for now", but it sounds like I will eventually have to find another spot to do this work at as well. It's a shame that I'll have to move sometime in the future, as I've been using Playground's format for over a year now and it's been working out really well for me, and how I create with AI. There are plenty of other fish in the sea though, and maybe that's part of the problem.

SO WHAT HAPPENED TO PLAYGROUND.COM?

Why did Playground AI shut down the community feed where the artists published their worX for others to see? A reason wasn't given, other than they are now focusing on graphic design instead of the artwork, but we can speculate as to why.

The first thing I wondered is why they wouldn't keep BOTH things going? Why wouldn't they keep it as it currently is set up, with the graphic designs and merchandise area located on the front landing page and the artist's feed area in it's own 'hidden' spot from the rest of the site? After all, they appear to have a thriving community with dozens of dedicated artists in it. Many if not most of them are probably paying customers, so why shaft them all in this way?

The only thing that comes to mind is that it just can't be a profitable venture for them. In fact, it's likely losing money for them if they're just chucking it all away like this.

The very best thing about the site for me was the near unlimited amount of renders they gave me when creating. It was a huge selling point for me when I was looking for a new place to create at. But maybe this great feature was one of the things that made Playground's model unsustainable in the long run? All those renders cost a lot of money!

A SAD SO LONG

So as I type this it's the morning of the 17th of November, the last day Playground says they will have the artist's feed page up and running, and it's really very sad when going through all the pictures posted there and their messages.

There's lots of what you'd eXpect to see, folks talking about their YouTube channels and DeviantArt accounts so their friends can still find them. I've seen many messages from artists trying to get others to meet them at Night Cafe or on Discord to play with Midjourney. Desperate scrambling really! Just imagine yourself in their shoes, on your last day with your artistic community. It's downright depressing and I really feel for them.

It kind of makes me sad that I didn't become more involved in the community and publish there, but really, in the long run, I'm glad I never did! It's saved me a bit of heart break and it's always best to view these types of events from a bit of a distance!

These folks will find their new places to create and their new friends in their new communities. All will be fine! And ME, poor poor ME?! I guess I'll be OK too! I'll keep using my tools and endless renders until they tell me I can't and I'll have to go shopping around once again!

It's just very sad though to see this turn of events. ALL of the hard work that Playground put into their AI Art section, it's pretty much just gone now. All the work that the artists put into their accounts and getting to know others and their worX, all for not...a waste of time.

I suppose in such an oversaturated market, these types of happenings will be the norm in the future and not that unusual at all. The ART aspect of AI, and the galleries and communities that support it, will likely continue to be thinned out as time progresses.

Only the strongest and most popular (and profitable) AI art creating websites will survive. 

Good luck to Playground.com on their new adventure of selling AI designed merchandise, and good luck to Playground's artistic community that now must find a new place to display and show off their artwork!

"X"

November 17th, 2024