[game_edu] Brenda Braithwaite's game_edu rant at GDC

[William Huber]

I want to add one last observation to this thread:

The code-centric perspective on game design is very much a hangover of the
old AAA-title, retail-box, publisher-funded developer models of game
development. If I were going to make a recommendation to upcoming game
designers, it would be more in line with the observations of people like Amy
Jo Kim (with whom I have had the privilege of co-teaching a course on
multiplayer game design) - it is that innovation in game design needs to
include business models within it. The advice to build "on a foundation of
code" is useful only if you assume careers focused on being hired by
established development houses which continue to produce code-heavy titles
extending existing IPs, in which most of the fundamental design questions
are taken care of by the genre and the revenue questions by the existing
business model, in which the customer appears mostly to marketing
departments and customer service groups.

We know that this isn't the growing, dynamic sector in gaming. I would
rather our students understood the factors which inform gamification:
communicating with a customer base, interpreting metrics, developing revenue
models, designing features which encouraging virality and conversion to
cash; when micro-transactions are effective and when they are not, etc. One
thing that became clear over the course of the term, as we looked at case
histories and heard from guest speakers, is that the business model needs to
be considered initially - that there is no difference, ultimately, between
game design and business model design for this fast-growing part of the
industry. If we are interested in training future leaders and innovators,
and not simply rank-and-file workers who fill the immediate short-term needs
of companies in one of the slower-moving segments of the field, we should be
focusing on social psychology, psychology of attention, data analysis and
visualization, basic economics, market analysis etc., before shunting
students off to computer science classes. That is, if we are interested in
preparing them to be actual innovators and entrepreneurs, rather than the
rank-and-file workers who will, according to IGDA's own data, leave the
industry after about 5 years anyway.

William Huber


On Fri, Mar 4, 2011 at 12:13 PM, Steven Yau <mail at stevenyau.co.uk> wrote:


> I agree with the general notion that game designers should be capable

> of making a game to some degree. However, with all the tools out

> there, I don't expect them to be able to create a new engine or deal

> with advanced AI algorithms that a programmer from a CS background

> would be able to do.

>

> They have to understand the process and underlying theory of creating

> a game just like a furniture designer should be aware of the

> manufacturing process but I don't expect them to build the tools

> needed to create the product.

>

> As long as they are aware of the process and limitations, I can't see

> why they can't be a good games designer just because they can't

> program.

>

> Steven Yau

>

> On 4 March 2011 16:46, John Hopson <john.hopson at gmail.com> wrote:

> > (delurk)

> >

> > +1

> >

> > Erin's exactly right about the rising level of applicants.  My company is

> currently looking to hire a couple of games user researchers, and the

> quality of entry-level candidates we're seeing is phenomenal.  Between the

> general maturation of the field, improved games education (thanks, guys!),

> and the general economy we're getting some very impressive resumes even from

> new graduates.

> >

> > I get it that Brenda's rant may not be literally true, but it's still

> really good advice.  If a design candidate wants to stand out these days,

> programming is a really good way to do it.

> >

> > (relurk)

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