Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:41:44 +0000

Those are not one and the same, unfortunately. Some games provide no listings due to publisher idiocy.

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:40:41 +0000

Yes and no. It depends on who the reviewer is and his or her opinion. What is a "finished game" to one may mean it is actually a finished electronic game.

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 14:04:04 +0000

Hi! I was reading an article( about game design portfolios and the use prototypes instead of design documents. I was wondering if scenarios/adventures for pen and paper roleplaying games count as prototypes when applying for a level designer position for example. The scenario is still on paper but have been playtested and improved through iteration. How about pen and paper role-playing games? Do they count as finished games too? Thanks!

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:52:39 +0000

I did a Mobygames.com search for Doom 3, COD4, Halo 3, and the latest Deus Ex. Some list "Lead Designer" or "Project Lead", some "Game Director", and some mentioned none of these. Are the above positions synonymous? Why do some provide no such listings? It's trivially easy to determine the visionary-(ies) behind a given book, movie, album, etc. It'd be nice if the videogame industry would (a) agree upon a common nomenclature and (b) put that person(s) name front and center, be it on the box or title screen or in the opening moments of the experience. :-)

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:39:01 +0000

Good for you! The reason I suggest learning to code is so you can create games with the aim of getting a job in design. This not only gives you experience, it raises your resume above 1000 others that come through the door. It shows an applied passion. When we were watching the movie "The Social Network", John turned to me and said, "See? That's the importance of programming." Mark Zuckerberg had been able to create the idea that the twin brothers merely dreamed of.

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:11:28 +0000

What's Nike's slogan again? How this could be applied to almost anything in life where thinking != doing. You need one of, if not both of, two things: money and vision. Sometimes, in the case of a true visionary, you are able to surround yourself with those who are capable of implementing your vision. More often than not, the crowd-forming of capables comes via the tool of money. But the most common is where vision and money intersect for anyone and that is with oneself proper. If you don't have the vision and dedication to make it happen yourself, how can you expect anyone to assist you? If you don't have the money to support yourself while chasing down this dream, how can you expect anyone to share in that dream? Great post!

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:57:11 +0000

It sounds like great advice and the reality is someone has to take things from design to execution. But what saddens me about this situation is I think there needs to be more of a balance somehow between passion and discipline (or skills in implementation). Many of the games I have played in recent years have been lacking in the imagination department. Of course this could have more to deal with publishers and inherent risk, but it's a shame the medium has become so watered down because we have to focus so strongly on the process instead of the core idea. The analogy to "doctors" is a great one, since it sounds as if all the trials surmounted in making games tends to turn one "clinical" about the whole exercise. As a gamer and long time consumer, I can only hope that designers and developers are focusing some effort on making tools which streamline the process. Because it seems to me, that all of this effort spent on the execution can often make one lose sight of the reason you got into the field in the first place, to tell a story, or to immerse a player in a hitherto unimagined place. The movie making process is full of similar hurdles and pitfalls, many which still persist even though that medium has had more time to evolve. But where they seems to differ is that many of those smaller details are handled by people that are qualified to do so. And the big picture is not always handled by a Director who has worked his way up building sets or putting makeup on the actors. What I'm trying to say is although I understand why being a coder is important to game design, I'm not sure that coders see the world in the same way that their audiences do sometimes to the detriment to the end product. What we need is a bridge from imagination to the end product, to me that is the goal.

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:40:37 +0000

Thanks for asking this question wgoodspeed. It inspired a great blog from Brenda and some good discussion. I like your reply too, which was very eloquent. I myself am in your category. Passionate about making games, and trying to find a way to share my creative vision with the industry I love. I am in the film/animation business, and finding the prospect of going back to the bottom as a QA to be an unexciting choice. I'd like to move sideways somehow, but I don't see many ways in. So, despite my main talents being in art and design, I have learned to code. (Encouraged by Brenda's point that this may help). Anyway, I have found the danger of coding to be that a) it leads you to be better qualified to enter in a coding job and b) jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none thing starts to happen, making you not suited to any posted job. I haven't given up though. I have released my first game this year on Facebook, called Nightmare Cove. I am proud to say I executed something. (Next time - smaller scope, and tighter design doc) :) I just wanted to both say good luck out there and to second your point on the blog - thanks so much Brenda! This blog has helped motivate and inspire me, as well as direct me to resources out there.

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 02:25:16 +0000

Somehow, the more starkly honest and frank you are about the industry, the more encouraged I am to keep working at being a larger part of it.

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 01:32:16 +0000

Interesting comments certainly. I am in fact the person that bothered Brenda with this question today. I can see where the thoughts are coming from for all of those who are in the games industry but I think there are two kinds of people who might send this sort of email. The first is someone with an idea they think is great because it's theres (everyone has an idea right). And the second is a person who has a desire to make games and thinks they have what it takes but just doesn't know how to penetrate the industry. I am the latter. What strikes me as interesting is that from the industry people you downplay ideas and talk up execution. But if we all take a reality check, walk into any games store and have a look at what games are on sale, what we will find is a lot of ideas clogged up with poor execution. Now there are game lovers, I think we are all in that category and we will happily play bad games just for the love of games. But if you actually speak to the regular console or PC user and ask them what games do you enjoy playing, what games do you find yourself playing again and again. I think what you'll find is all these games that are being produced have a shelf life of a month if you are lucky. The fact is the market is saturated with poorly executed games. And why? Because companies are willing to spend big bucks to push out games without taking the time to develop a concept from individuals with the passion for simply a making a great game that has some integrity. Now I am not in the Games Industry (hence my email to Brenda). I have been offered a job as a QA recently, sadly it is with a QA company not a QA department within a games company. The crucial difference being that it is a lot harder to get to where I want to be because I would have to establish myself and then move jobs as opposed to working my way up the company. The situation I am in is that I truly believe I have creative vision, communication, leadership and concepts not just on story line but across the board from game hud to mechanics to missions to skill tress etc. Why? Because like many of you games is my passion and I have played countless titles and over the years have developed in myself a sense of what ingredients you need for a good game. Now I know a lot of you will disagree with what I've said. But like any young writer, actor, designer, artist... If you don't strongly believe in yourself then you won't make it anywhere. And I'm sat here looking at my concepts contemplating what skills I have and I truly believe that the piece I am working on most recently is a game changer for the industry. And what makes it a game changer isn't the plot or genre it's the format of play. I believe this because I've spent years playing games with large communities and I've heard time and time again the complaints with release after release. And it's not about taste, it's about quality look in any genre racing, fps, rpg and you can pick a handful of great examples in a sea of failure. For me this year Skyrim has clawed back some respect and given players a reason to hand over their cash, very few games do that, most end in disappointment. Last think I've got to say is I love the blog Brenda, keep it up! :)