After my two previous posts, and especially after the release of the film "How the IT Capital of the World Works" on the Dudya channel, I am asked many important questions.
"How to become a game developer?" , “Can I enter a game dev if I was a salesperson?” , "How much can you earn on the game?" , "How to patch KDE2 under FreeBSD?" ...
The gaming industry is not only interested in avid gamers, 3D-shniki and programmers, but also people who previously played except in Tetris. Of course, the pandemic added fuel to the fire: many have lost their jobs and are now ready for radical changes in their lives.
I honestly would like to answer everyone on such important questions. Largely for this and run the book"Millions of billions" , which was written bit by bit "on the knee" for two years, and has been active for the last six months - and is about to come out. In it, I talk in detail about the gaming industry, the psychology of the gaming business and how to get there, about professions and earnings, about how to make a career in game development, how to work in the international market and, of course, about our 5518 Studios . its history, philosophy, successes and failures.
It’s almost impossible to make money on books (unless, of course, you are J. Rowling or Pelevin), but writing a book is a buzz and an opportunity to make a small contribution to this world. This feeling pays off all the time.
Unfortunately, because of the coronavirus, the output of the book was slightly postponed. Estimated date - the end of summer, publishing house "Peter". So for now, to ease the burden of waiting, I'll answer some interesting questions here.
How to make your team effective and happy at the same time? Is it real?
How to build relationships in a team
1. The main quality of a good leader is a deep understanding of the topic and the specifics of his industry.
A fan of “seagull-management”, who has little understanding of the specifics of work, but requires the implementation of KPIs and compliance with SLA, will rarely be visited by really cool specialists. Good artists, 3D-modelers, programmers - will most likely respect the leader "from the plow", who is aware of all the technologies, and he himself is a professional.
My career has been going on for 17 years - gradually, step by step. I started with 3D modeling, developed a skill, mastered the basics of programming; then I learned to build relationships with customers, then - to manage the same artists as me. And only on the basis of all this, I was able to become a co-founder of the company, a leader who is deep in the subject and always has his finger on the pulse.
2. Talk with each specialist in his tongue.
Apart from work, a person from St. Petersburg is important - the creative idea itself, some kind of moral and mental component in the business. A Voronezh resident (not everyone, but statistically, a spherical Voronezh resident in a vacuum) often needs a stable payment; ideology is usually less interesting to him. Accordingly, it is better to communicate with them a little differently.
Understanding the specifics of each region and communicating with a person in his language is a very important soft skill, and after a pandemic with a massive shift to remote control, it will be even more significant.
3. Employees and managers need a common goal.
In game development, you have to figure it out with all your might. You know it yourself, and stories about refining in the gaming industry are not uncommon. In order not to burn out, the whole team should have a common understanding of why they are here.
And these are not necessarily some high ideals. American culture, which all game development is focused on, has a great win project concept. This is when the main goal of the team is to make the highest quality product. Not "rip off" more from the client, but do what he wants, on time and conscientiously. After all, then he will be satisfied, pay bonuses, recommend us to others, and he will return with a new order. Both the client and the studio win - both the management and the employees.
But this rational approach may not spark everyone, and an experienced leader usually knows what goal to set for additional motivation.
A good option is to designate some kind of external “enemy”: for example, a hard deadline or a limited budget. Another good idea is the spirit of competition. It is possible and necessary to strive to overtake studios from Asia: for example, Indians and Vietnamese. Then focus on the fact that we must break competitors and get into the top 10 best outsourcing companies in the world.
So you become not just a "boss", but a leader, a leader in the fighting against ever-burning deadlines and poor quality.
4. In addition, the global negative trend in 2020 is defocusing.
Separating everyone according to their functions and putting them on the conveyor may seem effective. In game development, this is not always the case, because it is still, in many ways, a creative profession. The experience of our studio shows: if each specialist is immersed in a specific project and has his own focused and unique tasks, he will see where his contribution is in the overall cool result - it motivates him and has a good effect on productivity.
Therefore, for each project that is in progress, we form a separate team with our leader on a specific project. For example, if a person loves Borderlands, then projects in this style suit him more than in the style of Dark Souls.
Micro units are one of the ways to solve defocusing. Like Navy Seals, capable of quickly solving a specific small but important task in a cool way. A huge army, pounding in a discordant crowd, is usually less effective in such focus tasks.
How to interact with a client
About 15 years ago, it was possible to understand the wishes of the client and do what he needed on the basis of only a detailed technical specification, a few references and an oral explanation. It was possible to make a whole location at once or a set of 100 guns, send it for approval and calmly go to Starbucks.
This is hardly possible today. Especially when it comes to outsourcing in large projects, and even more so - about working remotely. And that is exactly what almost all our activity is built up.
The games have become very complex and detailed, with a lot of resources and time invested in developing their unique atmosphere and features. So the contractor "from the outside" has little chance to quickly feel all this and accurately understand the intention of the creators in a couple of meetings.
Therefore, the involvement of the client in the work process has become maximum: our studio and customers are now not just performers and bosses, but equal partners. We are constantly in touch, and edits and feedbacks for us, especially at the initial stages of the project, are not a duty, but the key to an excellent result.
1. Key, top-level strategic issues are best discussed in the mail.
For further ongoing communication within the project - messengers. We mainly use Slack, sometimes Discord and Skype.
For task management - Trello, Jira, Basecamp, Asana. We choose an application that the client is used to - the main thing is that he be happy. On the one hand, there is a lot of incoming information, on the other hand, managers' brains are constantly training to adapt to the new, so as not to get bored and not to become numb.
2. Often the question arises - whether to allow the production department to chat with the client.
Sometimes, after all, it seems convenient not to play the “broken phone”. This is based on the nature of the task and the client himself.
Some of the customers are rather sharp in communication. Personally, I like these: they speak directly. But the artist - a vulnerable creative person, can take this to heart. Therefore, we try to protect them from direct interaction with the client.
To know such features about everyone in the team is the task of the project manager and leader.
If it is important for the customer to communicate directly with the contractor - why not? But in this case, it is worth keeping an eye out so that your talented employee is not lured away. Although more likely to be affected by Russian-speaking clients, Americans usually have more reverence for corporate ethics.
And in general, we first of all see in the customer a partner and friend with whom we have common goals. If this is not mutual, it is easier for us to refuse cooperation.
Where to get money for your studio / project / dream
Many people know that investors are needed, and have already learned the word pitch, but the important question remains: how not to look during the presentation, as if you are begging someone?
In order for investors to give you money - first of all, they must believe in your project and in you. It's not enough to be just an enthusiastic dreamer. It is necessary to show the investor that you are really on fire - even realizing all the difficulties (and they will be 100%).
From experience, I can say that it usually takes about 3-5 years to bring a project from scratch to significant success. During this time, companies either become real businesses or die. In a business plan, you can focus on this "threshold of survival".
When I myself found myself in the role of an investor, I had to refuse companies and individuals who had a wonderful, high-quality, excellent presentation. Why? As soon as you asked the “burning” founder if he was ready to engage in the project, when (not if, but when!) The money suddenly runs out or something goes wrong - and many began to “float” a little and doubt.
An investor at this moment sometimes realizes: this is not a dream project of the founder, a person does not have enough fuse to bring the matter to the end, even with investor money. Then both the chances of success for a startup and the sense to invest in it are much less.
When I told Yuri Dudyu that Google is more likely to be interested in a person with five unsuccessful attempts to “take off” than with one successful case - this was exactly what I was talking about. In America, investors and employers are more interested in the one who is ready to give all the best for the sake of his project, despite the setbacks.
And how to determine that the speaker presenting an idea to you is the very locomotive?
You can rely on 5 of his diplomas and school letters, but it is better to study 3 points:
- Resume and portfolio.
- Recommendations from other companies and people (very important)
- The willingness of a person to do for a long time what he is hired for.
Higher education, if received in Russia, can only tell you that a person is teaching. Unfortunately, there are no specialties in our country that are suitable specifically for game development.
Much more important is the person's current experience. Therefore, take a closer look at his portfolio and CV, chat with his former partners and employers. Perhaps the candidate has not worked in the industry for the last couple of years, and his brain has adapted to surfing in Bali, and not to comply with deadlines.
The test task is a badly needed thing. At this stage, insecure partners will be eliminated by themselves, and the rest you will immediately check for the ability to ask competent clarifying questions, meet deadlines and adequately perceive feedback.
And the most important thing, of course, is the desire and ability to work long distances. For this game, nevertheless, it should be a pleasure for a person. This will not turn his work into a continuous holiday, but will provide a resource for development. Those who come to the game dev not "for love", but for the sake of quick profit - do not linger. And, by the way, they do not profit.
For those who want to start or continue building a career in game development. Where to start, what to expect, etc.
The coronavirus has moved the tectonic plate of those who were afraid to radically change their field of activity. For many, everything changed by itself - and they decided that gamedev was right for them. But. People rushed into this sphere, because there is money in it. Again, it doesn't work that way. Those who come to gamedev not because of the buzz can be seen right away.
Previously, I tried to help everyone who came with a desire to get a job in the industry: I threw off links to useful materials for them, I tried in every possible way to interest a person, throw up tasks.
But I quickly realized: you cannot "infect" another with your passion for game development if there is no fertile ground for this. Of 10 people, 9 burned out as soon as they realized that game development is a real job.
Now I make a selection for this criterion immediately. I borrowed the idea from the movie "Rocky" with Stallone. The first task at the start for everyone is to write out 100 points, why does a person want to gamedev, and 100 points, why not. Those who are ready to spend 8 hours, thoughtfully analyze their goals and priorities, share the honey and tar of the industry - most likely, they will be able to develop in it. Such - from the strength of 3%. Units. They are what we need.
In the first post on Habré, I took a closer look at most of the professions of gamedev: programmer, game designer, level designer, 2D and 3D artist, animator, QA, beta tester, art manager, project manager, producer and, finally, CEO and COO. Each needs specific skills, abilities and personal qualities. Before choosing a future fate, it is worth understanding about yourself - is there anything you need. Game dev is best approached seriously. These are not toys for you! :)
How to overcome the fear of not being capable of anything
If you have already decided on the direction, but are afraid that you were mistaken and could not cope. Here - as in sports: if you don’t try, you don’t know.
For many years they have been “modeling” situations and analyzing expected outcomes. But you cannot analyze what is not there!
Count to 10 in your mind, exhale - and start doing. At least something. And analyze the result for health. Even if you file the task at hand, you will at least get some real, empirically proven experience. Which is the most valuable thing!
In fact, I see both in myself and in my employees that practice in a chosen direction every day is the best thing for growth and development. It is worth moving gradually, not jumping over your head - focusing on what you can digest for sure. I started by drawing a tiny hut for a war game for 2 months. Then I did not even imagine how to make models that I came to after 5 years.
The easiest and cheapest way to gain experience is to participate in indie projects. Yes, and in commercial there are tasks that are cheaper to give to juniors than to employees with experience - the main thing is to be ready to learn on their own, help the team and not be toxic (read - listen more than talk).
How much can you earn at first
Described in detail the salaries of different areas of the gaming industry in a post about the profession. In short, with basic skills, you can start at $ 500 per month. If you develop and hone your skills, then in 5 years you can get 10 times more. It all depends on your persistence. For example, in programming today, the number one need is people who can write for the Unreal engine. Top programmers earn about $ 5-8,000.
For the curious
Insider Predictions - Going to VR?
I believe that gradually all game studios will take a step towards VR. The new Half-life has revived faith in virtual reality, including mine. The game is made at a very high level, this is one of the best projects of the year. And the main thing here is not graphics, but game design, unique mechanics. This is the new pillar.
Another thing is that a bar has been set that is difficult to surpass. Plus, the game showed what VR is capable of, minus - it still hasn’t paid off to the end. Alyx has done well, but there is no talk of billions of dollars yet. For many companies, this is a sign that VR is still a niche topic.
As for traditional console games, Unreal Engine 5 has shown itself to be the best, such graphics have not been available before. I expect a very rapid development of this engine in VR, although not in the coming months for sure.
Now in the States, all offices work remotely and many games have been postponed to a later date. Next year will give the world a huge number of new games, and there is an opportunity to run into this train.
If you did not find the answer to your question - write to me in the comments. I will answer as far as possible.
The book is already available for pre-order .
