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Tag: design

Respect your Creativity

Published by Paolo on 06/11/2024

Yesterday in a post I shared a GDD of a personal project. I found the right collaborators for my case, I thank all the people who helped me.

I edited the message and removed the link, it is no longer necessary to share. You can write to me privately if you are interested, no problem.

I work in this sector with great passion. But one should not confuse passion with professionalism. I love my job, but it is still work, the way I support my life.

I say this because some people wrote me quick messages like “Hi, I use Unreal Engine, I would like to help you with the game. I’ll do it for free.”

I respect everyone’s will to make it out there, but I would never dream of putting someone to work for free on a commercial project.

  • You didn’t tell me who you are and what you do and what you have done
  • You didn’t ask me for details about the project
  • You offered to collaborate for free, giving me a “cheap” image of you.

This is one of the problems of our sector, and if we want to improve it we have to do it “from the bottom”. That’s why I see smart people accepting “technical assessments” that are nothing more than unpaid jobs, in the hope of a position. Then we end up working for companies that don’t respect our work, on projects that don’t go anywhere.

Let’s be serious! I have experienced first-hand the frustration of not having a job and not seeing opportunities. I also cyclically find myself having to review my strategy. But we must never lose sight of the great creative capacity that we all have.

It’s better to work on your shitty project than to work for free for anyone.

It’s better to send a message of “Look what I did, can you give me your opinion?” rather than “I’m looking for a job, help me”.

It’s better to focus on improving your knowledge than showing unfinished projects to others.

I’m the first to not follow this advice. Human consciousness works unpredictably. But it’s still important to share them. I am not a master here, I am just a voice.

Virality, Virulence, Infectiousness

Published by Paolo on 04/11/2024

A new team of ex-<FamousCompany> wants to “create games worth sharing, with two core pillars – socially engaging games with a word-of-mouth-worthy brand.“

This reminds me of a study I did with two colleagues when I was working at Digital Chocolate. A study on a made-up and also widely abused word: virality.

Virality is a term that doesn’t exist in any dictionary, but two words compose it:

  • Virulence: the strength of the thing’s ability to cause disease
  • Infectiousness: the capability of a thing to spread rapidly to others.

Most of the efforts towards this dream concept, virality, focus only on infectiousness. Invite friends, guild systems, and leaderboards. There are many best practices around that topic and it’s easier to find experts to help you.

You need to focus on virulence to create something innovative. If it were up to me, I would add a weekly internal playtest and a monthly external one. Clear heuristics to measure progress from an engagement perspective.

Again, SDT is the way.

Creativity and productivity

Published by Paolo on 31/10/2024

A common misconception in this age is that creativity means productivity. But creativity doesn’t mean completing things and shipping them.

I am very creative, but I am unproductive with most of my own projects. You know, those books I want to write and indie games I want to make. The intention to change that is always there, but it is what it is.

If you want to increase your chances of financial success you need to be productive, or “lucky”. But you can always choose creativity, it’s free.

Indie, AA, and AAA fundamental questions

Published by Paolo on 30/10/2024

The 3 main markets on PC and Console are indie, AA, and AAA. The discussion around them focuses on things like budget, scope, and quality.

I would like to propose two questions to address each of these three challenges. The first will be around our ambition (why), while in the second one, we will use the lens of the art (what).

Indie

Indie games for me are a message to the world. The message can be important on a personal level and an exercise of talent. You can want to change the world or show that we are here. So let’s ask ourselves:

1. Ambition: why do I want to say this to the world?

2. Art: what does the world should have the courage to listen to?

AA

These games come from companies who want a commercial product, doing a few things well. Let’s ask ourselves.

1. Ambition: why are we focusing on these 1-2 mechanics?

2. Art: according to current and past trends, what will be trending in 2 years?

AAA

These are spectacular games and full of things to do. We can consider these games like monuments, and the mental effort of the team is enormous. Let’s ask ourselves:

1. Ambition: why do we want to build a monument that big?

2. Art: what will make this work a masterpiece?

Do well the easy things first

Published by Paolo on 28/10/2024

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?

A console concept for Netflix

Published by Paolo on 25/10/2024

After the shutdown of a Netflix studio, I read the opinions of many experts. One of the most common ideas is that Netflix needs its hardware to create a healthy games business.

To sketch up this idea, I also used LLM platforms. I will not publish any images, because they are based on stolen copyrights, but still, I want to admit that I used them for inspiration.

Netflix can reinvent the concept of the console, as they reinvented the business of VHS renting years ago.

Audience

The core audience is, of course, people (like myself) who have a Netflix subscription and who love video games. People that probably have kids, and work using technology.

We love to jump from series to series, we are nostalgic about the old days when games were simpler and gamepads had fewer buttons!

Features

The new console should:

  • Use common smartphones both as screens and controllers
  • Load games from fast support with no extra connections required
  • It will work as a “radio”, with knobs and everything, but for podcasts!
  • Once you own it, you are part of an ecosystem where you can also stream to others and create your program

Games

The games allowed on the platform should follow these rules:

  • The Player will be able to play opting out completely from micro-transactions
  • Every game must have a single-player experience and the content length will be public
  • Games can come with physical support that should contain the whole game and that will be played forever
  • Games are owned by the players forever and can be played on that console forever

Mood

The console can have a retro look but its colors and curved lines will attract new audiences.

The gamepads will have fewer buttons than new consoles. Every game should be simpler than competitors. Also, they can “wrap” a smartphone inside.

For a brighter future for games

Published by Paolo on 24/10/2024

The YouTube channel of popular game director Masahiro Sakurai has come to an end.

This will remain an outstanding document that hopefully will teach basics to generations to come. Thank you Masahiro San!

Regarding this last video above, I am impressed with the work ethic and discipline. I couldn’t never have this level of mastery because I have a different background and life. Still, there are something to learn not just on video production, but on content design in general:

  • Everything was planned right from the start: outline, scripts, footages. Everything.
  • Focus on 1 task at the time and cover the entire content length
  • Keep everything extremely organized in folders and find name conventions for easier queries
  • Collab with external partners only when everything is well defined, because you will have management overload
  • Use the email with bullet points for feedback and general comms.

Masahiro San says that he invested around $630k and got $0 as revenue. He did this just for the improvement of our beloved industry. I would like to see more Masahiros around here…

The important moves

Published by Paolo on 22/10/2024

It always makes me smile when a team member says in a meeting “I don’t know what to do right now…”

I think about the luxury that underlies this expression. A farmer or a factory worker could never say something like that!

One thing I communicate is the importance of being professional. Game design is about identifying the systems and timing to make certain moves.

Systems, timing, moves.

The moves can go well or badly, it doesn’t matter. I mean, of course, it does, but even if they go badly, it is important to do them on the one hand and learn on the other. A client last year told me: “Look, I accept bad news. What I don’t like are surprises”.

Examples of moves we can make when we don’t know what to do:

  • plan
  • look for player insights
  • try to understand the why of certain systems and define the problem
  • understand and outline business goals
  • measure what has already been released
  • share insights with the team
  • plan experiments and playtests

It’s up to you to identify the systems and the timing, and now I hope you have something to do!

Improve your communication

Published by Paolo on 15/10/2024

A programmer introduces bugs into the code. An artist creates assets that perhaps go a little outside the visual style of the game. A game designer explains himself poorly.

Communication is where we make the most mistakes in our work as designers.

So don’t say:

  1. this is not my job
  2. it’s in the GDD
  3. No, you don’t understand
  4. Players don’t want this

Even when you’re asked for something that is outside your duties. You’re sure you wrote it in the GDD. Even when your colleague doesn’t seem to understand. You’ve been in contact with players and you know for sure that they don’t want it.

Communication, unlike bugs and visuals, can create friendships and enmities. Every misunderstanding is an opportunity to strengthen a creative vision.

Do this:

  • Open paint/gimp/… and use simple shapes to explain live how things work (recording a video and sending it counts)
  • Record yourself miming certain situations, even if it seems ridiculous
  • create one-page briefs where necessary.

Playing with my Dreamcast

Published by Paolo on 12/10/2024

Sometimes I dust off my old Dreamcast, connect it, and replay Crazy Taxi, Soulcalibur, Frame Gride, and Chu-chu Rocket. I feel like they are gifts that I sent to myself from the past.

Before, the support contained the entire game, not just a license. You bought it and they lasted “forever”.

The market has evolved, and commercial expectations have changed. In the last generations, you can play a game you bought until it is removed. There are many reasons for this, but in the channels I follow to get information I often read the frustration of many people. Games are perceived as something expensive (it is not true, they are not) and uncertain. You buy the license, but you do not know if it will last.

Game-as-a-service has added limitations on top of that for this specific audience: they are always connected games, potentially infinite.

In summary:
– it is not clear whether the game belongs to you or not
– it is not clear how long you will have access when you buy it
– it is not clear why you have to wait for connections to servers and login to external services
– it is not clear who’s this guy on the other side playing with me and what are his real intentions
– it is not clear if and when you can beat the game
– it is not clear what will happen if you miss some event

In this, frankly, I prefer the old style, where the only thing that was not clear was how the game itself worked. Onboarding to games has improved a lot, but before you just had to press a button and you were in a few seconds.

Not anymore. Today, pressing a button makes us feel a bit spied on by systems that want to figure out how to get more money out of us.
It is very true that the industry has matured, that it employs many more people, and that these are increasingly sophisticated games. However, the player experience for this specific audience (which is a big audience) has worsened in many ways.

And I see a business opportunity there.