> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.verticalslice.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Game UI Database considering drastic countermeasures in fight against AI scraping - URL: https://www.verticalslice.news/there-will-definitely-have-to-be-some-sort-of-restriction-game-ui-database-considering-drastic-countermeasures-in-fight-against-ai-scraping/ - Published: 2026-10-21T10:26:21.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-21T15:51:43.000Z - Description: Generative AI bots are hammering the platform, causing debilitating downtime and leaving founder Edd Coates facing an uphill battle. - Author: Chris Kerr - Tags: Originals, News, Generative AI "All content present on this website is explicitly prohibited from being employed in any manner pertaining to AI asset generation, machine learning or cryptocurrency initiatives." That's the message you'll find planted at the bottom of the [Game UI Database](https://www.gameuidatabase.com/index.php?ref=verticalslice.news), a free educational resource created by Edd Coates that currently contains 78,563 screenshots and 2,554 videos from almost 2,000 video games. The platform is billed by Coates as the ultimate reference tool for UI, UX, and game designers—or anybody who's curious to learn how complex works of digital craft are distilled into readable, user-friendly experiences. It has quickly become an invaluable resource for professionals across the game industry. It is also, increasingly, becoming a priority target for generative AI bots with an insatiable appetite for plagiarism. During a recent conversation with Vertical Slice, Coates explains AI scraping has always been a challenge. In fact, [we spoke about it two years ago during my time at Game Developer](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-this-was-essentially-a-two-week-long-ddos-attack-game-ui-database-slowdown-caused-by-openai-scraping?ref=verticalslice.news). Since then, the scale of the issue—and the solutions required—has grown exponentially. "Two years ago, the solution to preventing these 'attacks' was fairly simple: look at the logs on Cloudflare, identify any spikes in traffic from a single source, then block that source," Coates explains. "However, last year, I noticed that these spikes were getting much more difficult to detect. The logs show that I'm getting millions of (fake) visitors in the space of a day, but delving deeper, it actually shows a healthier distribution across multiple sources—600k here, 500k there—essentially making it look less like an 'attack' and more like a sudden boost of popularity across the board." The Game UI Database is certainly popular, but Coates stresses it is not attracting 1 million users a day. "The logs also show all sorts of nonsense database searches being hammered hundreds of times per second. Behaviour that was very clearly not human. So the biggest change I've noticed in the last two years is that, despite the obvious pushback, they've gotten reallygood at hiding from us," he adds. The sheer volume of scraping can result in the Game UI Database being knocked offline without a moment's notice. [In a recent post on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/eddcoates.bsky.social/post/3mwvnqjt2r22e?ref=verticalslice.news), Coates said he "just wanted to create a resource for real designers," but has now unwittingly been dragged into an existential battle between man and machine. "I'm getting so fucking sick of this," he added. During our chat, Coates describes the situation as "miserable" and notes that attacks can happen at the most inconvenient times, forcing him to abandon personal plans to make sure the site is up and running. The most devastating part? Seeing the direct result of that scraping being plastered across the internet. "\[I've seen\] paid mentorship schemes promoting the use of AI in workflows, design tools like Rive incorporating agent support which can also generate UI, studios now using AI as part of their UI workflow to 'unlock the abilities of their humans.' Before the database came along, no resource classified or defined UI so clearly," he says. "We had a few blogs, the occasional gallery, that's about it. These companies wouldn't be able to benefit from that knowledge without my dataset, which explicitly labels and describes what Game UI actually is. This resource that I built to help people in my community is now being used to train the tools to replace them. It's sick, there's no other word to describe it. They'll vouch for AI as a helpful 'tool,' while completely ignoring the theft that has taken place—not just from me, but from the work of their peers." ## "The games industry used to feel like a friendly, collaborative place" Coates says the UI/UX community has been incredibly supportive, offering some solace and giving him the motivation to soldier on. "I do sometimes wonder whether it's even worth the hassle, but then I'll get a message in my inbox from somebody thanking me for being so outspoken, and it lights a fire in my belly again," he says. Notably, Coates says the situation hasn't scared contributors away, either. Developers are still eager to support the platform and its goal of democratising knowledge. Accessing that know-how could soon require more hoop-jumping, though, with Coates suggesting a login system might be the only option left in his battle against the bots. It's not a decision he would take lightly. "I've already maxed out the settings for showing captcha challenges (which are incredibly annoying for real users), blocked entire countries out of desperation and limited the number of filters that can be enabled at once," he says. "Real users have also reported that they've been 'blocked' once or twice because these systems aren't perfect—so basically, each layer of protection has a cost to the user experience. Cloudflare also offers an all-else-fails 'under attack' mode, which is designed specifically to counter DDOS attacks. Last weekend, even this failed to stop them. So yeah, there will definitely have to be some sort of restriction coming at some point, because the situation is getting ridiculous, and it's only going to get worse." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/83/ae/83ae1391-311e-4ba5-a8ec-7a0ea72ef568/content/images/2026/10/image_04042026-042443_1893.jpg) A painfully appropriate UI morsel Coates says the notion of a login system always felt like a "pain in the ass" and something intrinsically at odds with the spirit of the database, which is currently open to anybody with internet access. He had been planning to implement an account system for users who wish to access the platform's moodboard tools and hopes that will make the idea an "easier sell." Even so, it's a drastic solution that Coates has been forced to consider under the duress of generative AI corporations who continue to pilfer and plunder with impunity in a [seemingly futile attempt](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/10/20/anthropic-loses-80bn-six-months/?ref=verticalslice.news) to hock the tepid simulacrum of 'creativity' to those who salivate at the prospect of outsourcing their own imagination. That's the bigger picture here. Coates says anybody looking to support his work can [throw him a few quid by gifting him the promise of caffeine](https://buymeacoffee.com/gameuidatabase?ref=verticalslice.news). He stresses, however, that his fight is merely the tip of the iceberg. "As much as I hate what's happening with the database, my larger concern is with the future of this field and our art form. So if you enjoy my work, I have a plea: if you have *any* sort of voice in this industry, please use it to boycott, campaign and criticise. Use it to speak up for those who can't," he says. "I get that it's a stressful time for everyone right now, but when I see graduates and juniors bravely speaking out against generative AI, and seniors/leads standing idly by (or even using it themselves), it just doesn't sit right with me. The games industry used to feel like a friendly, collaborative place, but now with this technology in our hands, there's simply less of an incentive to work with others or afford opportunities to those who might really need the income or experience. "Despite what anyone says about AI being a 'tool' or helping us to build 'more and better stuff,' the industry is shrinking, and people arebeing replaced. The only way we can protect our workers' rights, the integrity of our field, and the value of our skills is by speaking up and rejecting generative AI wherever possible." If you value quality reporting, support Vertical Slice today by becoming a paid subscriber for less than £1.50/week. 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