Do well the easy things first

I write for the Internet a lot, sometimes much more than I would. I feel an unstoppable desire to share my thoughts, especially on my beloved games industry. That has consequences, as you can imagine.

One of the bland consequences is that some people, usually more inexperienced, believe that I am “successful”. Meaning I make a lot of money. Well, my friend, in this age of Feudalism 2.0 I am struggling just like you. Thank God I can maintain my family with my work, but I have also the support of my parents often.

I have periods with 0 clients and 0 incomes, but I was born on the richest side of the World. You may want to say that I am very passionate, and I really am. But if you believe that I am economically successful, I am afraid you are in the wrong direction.

What I really achieved in the last 10 years was to not add problems on top of systemic ones. The fact that we live in a gig economy, that the job market is unstable, that the games industry is built too often on pure dreams… I cannot control that. What I can control is my way of being a professional.

• I show up on time
• I put the time in my tasks
• I work towards making a difference on a small scale (you never work on the next Zelda as a freelancer)
• I am not looking to work on good games, I am looking to make important work. Work that matters to SOMEONE.

When I say that I work in creative direction, vision, and so on, someone will probably imagine Hideo Kojima at work. That is not the case. Most of my job is to:

• Create detailed tasks for coders and artists
• Review builds and write notes
• Review visuals and send my feedback
• Write down or create content that sets up a direction. It can be a pitch, but also a level design.

Important to note that I am always working, as a freelancer, on projects ideated by others. I do not agree with the basis of many of them, but those pay my bills. I am appreciated because I deliver and I speak clearly. I do not fight for my ideas, because I know that the more I am in the industry, the more I am biased as well as experienced. So who knows in the end?