So. How’s your last three years been? When I accepted a full-time role at BonusXP in April 2020, I’d just returned from a family trip to Florida, including a somewhat ill-advised trip to Disney World the week before all the theme parks shut down for COVID. I had no idea what was about to unfold […]
In these confusing, complex, and scary past few weeks, I’ve been constantly reminded of just how fortunate game developers are. We’re comfortable working remotely and operating, if not at 100% efficiency, something like 70-80%. We can hold online design meetings, write code, and make art. We can move our work forward – and with digital
It took me a few days to fully process my thoughts on the recently-announced sad changes at Playful – “changes” being a polite euphemism for “a bunch of people just lost their jobs.” While layoffs aren’t unusual in the game industry, this one hit uncomfortably close to home. Before I became a freelancer and started
Back in September, I wrote about how the business plan for Scree Games changed over the course of the first year. I spent the recent holiday reflecting further on my long-term goals, the state of the game industry, and the viability of smaller games in the current market. The environment for game developers is constantly
2020 and the Road Ahead Read More »
My first job in the game industry – a contract assistant design position – consisted of six months of heavy crunch on a project that was overdue and over budget. It ended in a no-notice layoff that eliminated not just my position, but the entire team, including veteran producers and engineers. Welcome to the game
The Right Investment Read More »
Kids today grow up surrounded from birth by electronic entertainment of all sorts. They have a myriad of TV shows available on demand, on their schedule. They have vast libraries of music at their fingertips. With social networks and text messages, they can connect with their friends at all hours of the day. And they
Feels Like the First Time Read More »
Once you’ve been in the game industry for a decade or more, you’ll start to recognize certain patterns. In fact, at times your career can feel like you’re just repeating the same project over and over again. Never fear! You’re not caught in a weird game industry version of Groundhog Day (unless you’re working on
The Five Types of Projects Read More »
I’ve been making games of one sort or another since I was six years old. About a quarter century ago, people started paying me to do it. Over that time, I’ve seen a lot of former co-workers exit the game industry entirely. The largest percentage burned out after years of dealing with crunch and other
Sticking Around: Longevity in the Game Biz Read More »
Despite the title, this post is about game design, not politics. Specifically it’s about a topic I’ve spent a large portion of my career pondering: how to deliver meaningful, engaging narratives in games. For some genres the answer is clear. Linear adventure games and other experiences where narrative is the primary focus can lean on
Here’s a clickbait thesis, but I think it rings true: the majority of gaming blogs aren’t worth your time. Pick a controversial issue. A quick Google search will turn up a hundred articles treading the same ground – from the evil of loot boxes, to the cycle of regular yearly layoffs and studio closures by