If there’s one thing that game development certainly is not, it’s an assembly line. . . know that things are going to change along the way and be prepared for them as best you can. Consider Vegetius: “Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum” (He who desires peace, should prepare for war). A producer needs to adapt so others don’t.
Ernst ten Bosch (Blizzard)
COMMUNICATION
Good communication from the producers to the team and from one producer to the next, is key.
Ernst ten Bosch (Blizzard)
Never have issues on your project. Issues are talked about. Only ever have problems. Problems are solved.
John E. Williamson. (Video game producer/writer/designer)
Game producer is also a bridge builder, accommodator and facilitator. A common thing that happens is that a producer is confronted with a problem that he himself cannot fix. It then becomes his job to find the person who can fix the problem. This may require him to attend meetings, email his contacts or literally get out of his chair and walk around in person until he finds his answer.
Ernst ten Bosch (Blizzard)
A producer is a jack-of-all-trades and no task should be outside his scope or potential responsibility, as long as it benefits either his flock, the greater team at large or the final product.
Ernst ten Bosch (Blizzard)
Filling In: Any time we are shorthanded, the producer should fill in or be able to get someone to fill in. On my first few games, in addition to my role as a producer, I made 3D models and textures, designed the menu and the interface, designed and constructed the missions, wrote the manual, wrote, edited and directed the videos, and even did some voice acting.
John E. Williamson. (Video game producer/writer/designer)
Ernst ten Bosch (Blizzard)
The producer is the beacon of stability and consistency, ever keeping the greater good at the forefront of his thoughts while putting his own, personal interests aside.
Ernst ten Bosch (Blizzard)
ASSIGNING TASKS, SCHEDULING, and MEETINGS
Lead from the front, that one I learned from Dick Maricinko. Too many game producers and executives don’t play, understand, or even like games. They simply work off a set of checklists/project files/calendars, and they could be building mini marts or a new brand of soap as far as they care. Business decisions have their place, but Games are an art form, and they should be nurtured and respected as such by teams who want to make games.
John E. Williamson. (Video game producer/writer/designer)
Don't be afraid to ask questions: Better to waste one person’s time and suffer the shame of potentially looking silly, than to have the whole team suffer. A game producer should learn to swallow his pride and stick his neck out when needed.
Ernst ten Bosch (Blizzard)
It’s not just a job, but a way of looking at things in a different way to optimize for efficiency and scheduling. Just the other day I was updating our launch master schedule, and had to stare at it for a minute to find my place. It’s intricate, detailed, full of bold colors and dates, details on builds, bugs, and optimal publish windows. It’s the lifeblood of what we’re doing because it’s where multiple departments go to see if we’re on track, what dates/milestones are coming up, and what we’re looking at in the next days or weeks.
Chris Hager, Producer (TERA)
John E. Williamson. (Video game producer/writer/designer)
A producer should ask himself: Do I understand this task? Is it reasonable to expect the desired outcome? Could I describe it in non-technical terms if someone asked about it? If he can honestly answer yes to those questions, he’s doing a great job.
Ernst ten Bosch (Blizzard)
A game producer, like any meeting organizer . . . make sure there is an agenda, that someone is taking notes, that it starts on time and doesn’t last too long, that the right people are present and that any action items are followed-up on. This may sound easy, but it’s practically impossible to do consistently.
Ernst ten Bosch (Blizzard)
Communication: making sure everyone is on the same page. Lots and lots of detailed lists that everyone signs off on is the best tool. Sometimes my day is spent just making sure that people 2 desks away are working on the same solution to the same problem.
John E. Williamson. (Video game producer/writer/designer)
A good producer understands the schedule. . .He knows what the milestones mean, why they are on that particular date and what will happen when they aren’t reached. He also knows which forces have played a part in determining that a date for a milestone is reachable; who’s working on what, who’s on vacation, who’s out sick and which teams are understaffed, on track or delayed.
Ernst ten Bosch (Blizzard)
Don’t create unnecessary work. . . on occasions where opinions can be voiced with an eager audience, like in a meeting, an idea might sprout into a concrete task. This is where a producer needs to be wary. Just because one person thinks doing something would be cool, doesn’t mean it should be done, particularly when they themselves wouldn’t be the ones doing the ‘doing’.
Ernst ten Bosch (Blizzard)
GO ABOVE AND BEYOND THE JOB
Every game I make, I go out and buy a retail copy and play it. At least the first few levels. Typically it can be 6-12 weeks since I last played the game in-between when we send the game off and when it shows up on the shelves (or ready for download). Or if it is a multiplayer game, I’ll go online and see what people are doing and if they are having fun and what we can do better next time. I also check to see what last minute changes may have been made to the manual, see if our names were spelled correctly, etc. This was driven home to me when one of the games I worked on was released with blank CDs in the box. I bought a copy and tried to install it, only to find out the disc was blank, despite the silkscreen label. I returned it and got a new copy, same thing. It took me 48 hours to convince the publisher to look into the problem. Sure enough, every disc they sent out was blank.
John E. Williamson. (Video game producer/writer/designer)
THINGS TO LOVE (AND HATE) ABOUT BEING A GAME PRODUCER
Another thing I love? Helping something move through the design process. It’s truly amazing to watch and be an integral part of a product going from inception to concept, concept to design specs, design specs to implementation, and on and on through testing, and all the way to having a final product in your hands. To use the car analogy again, I got to see TERA go from sketches and blueprints to the showroom floor.
One “blueprint” I’m proudest of was the concept of a new, action-packed prologue—something early testers told us TERA needed. We brainstormed the idea for the “rainy beach” prologue, fine-tuned it countless times, and then tweaked it even more once we saw the response from players. Now the new prologue is TERA’s test-drive experience, and I like how fast it gets up to top speed.
Chris Hager, Producer (formerly Tera now Riot Games)
It can be hard to work on a type of game you are not a fan of. . .You know you have that dream game you’d do anything to work on; the next AAA blockbuster or the next iteration of your favorite series. But what happens if you have to work on a type of game you don’t really like? It can be a genre that doesn’t interest you, a device you don’t want to use for gaming, or a business model you’re not a fan of. The sad part? It's bound to happen sooner or later.
It can be frustrating and your motivation may drop, especially if you choose to work development because you’re passionate about games you enjoy playing. Imagine being a fan of Uncharted or Metal Gear Solid and having to work on My Babiez Adventure Day; or being a Bejeweled diehard and then having to test Medal of Honor. Ideally, a mismatch of interests and motivations wouldn’t exist but like in other industries, not everything in game development is an ideal scenario.
Gerard Cueto (Former Developer now on http://www.gamesradar.com)
___________________________________________________________________
Gerard Cueto (Former Developer now on http://www.gamesradar.com)
http://www.gamesradar.com/six-things-you-may-not-know-about-game-development-former-game-developer/
John E. Williamson. (Video game producer/writer/designer)
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/09/29/so-you-want-my-job-video-game-producer/
Ernst ten Bosch (Blizzard)
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ErnstTenBosch/20130912/200168/What_Makes_a_Good_Game_Producer_Part_1.php
I got this blog site through my friends and when I searched this really there were informative articles at the place.http://toomkygames.com/download-free-games
ReplyDelete