Category: General Game Development

In the perfect world there would be no reviews. With games specifically it’s rather easy to tell which ones are going to be good or bad. All you have to do is read the description to tell if the game is the genre that you like. Watch the gameplay videos and make sure that the game seems fluid and not choppy. If the game is choppy you should automatically be warry of the game. Either the developer did not take the time to polish the game or potentially the graphics are too powerful for the system.

One of the most important steps is to actually play the demo! Games are meant to be played. Your final judgement should always be based on the demo. Watching videos on the New Super Mario Bros is rather boring but when you sit down and play the game you’re probably playing the most fun video game in years.

1. Instant Messenger
2. Forum
3. Email

These are the best ways to stay in touch with your members. Remember that if there is no communication going on between members, your game isn’t going to be finished. As a Producer it is your job to keep the project organized and your members informed. Sending out Weekly/BiWeekly/Monthly Newsletters is a great way to do this. Setting up dates for Instant Messenger meetings is useful but can sometimes get out of hand or stray from the point.

Happy 4th! 🙂

And that brings me to my next tale… Dedication.

On your way to becoming a famed developer you’re going to have one tough time finding people who are as dedicated to the project as you are. If you don’t pay your teammates, finding volunteers in itself is a painfully slow process.

The best way to go about this is to complete as much work on your own as you can. Write the story, do some priminary artwork, write the Design Documents, etc. From there you’ve showed people that you are serious and dedicated to the project.

Some of the best people to work on volunteer projects are either students or grad students. These are the people who want their resume to be full of as many things as possible and will work for free as long as they get credit. Obviously if you sell the product in the end you should pay them royalties.

No member on your team should be working for the prospect of receiving a handsome amount of cash. It probably won’t happen. The best way to see if you found a good teammember is to put them on probation for a month. Give them a good amount of tasks and make sure that they complete every single one. This way you’ll be able to see if they are serious and can devote enough time to the project to be a good asset.

Unlike other industries, in the game world games can go from crappy to spectacular. As long as you have the time and money you can make your game as good as you want. During the crunch period time games can evolve to become masterpieces. At this point in time developers needlessly exhaust themselves as they try to wrap up the game. Why do developers wait till the last minute to make sure everything is good to go? Some blame could go to poor planning but most developers go through this phase so what exactly is the problem here? Is there a solution?  

This industry is all about risk taking. Whether it be designing a new form of gameplay or hiring team members. Take the dive and hope for the best. At the indie level it’s all about trial and error. As long as you have the patience to last through the many hardships you’ll face, you maybe able to complete your game.

Good luck! 😉

The question that I sometimes find hard to answer is what makes creating a game so much fun that I want to spend the rest of my life in the industry? So many people burn-out after a couple of games. I often think what if this happens to me.

So I would like to hear from you, why are you so interested in the gaming industry? How long will you keep on making games?

Another entertainment industry that I’m really interested in is movies. Making a film compared to a game is so much easier and quicker.

Today I went in for a casting call (extras) for the upcoming Transformers movie. I must say that it was a pretty good experience. Waiting in line for 2 hours to fill out a piece of paper and have my picture taken. If I do get the “part” of being one of the many high school students maybe I’ll finally be able to draw the line.

Of course the good thing is that maybe there is no need for me to draw a line at all. If I can embrace both film and games I think I’ll be happy with my job.