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Tag: professional

How to find a new job

Published by Paolo on 12/07/2023

I’ve been reading about a lot of layoffs in the industry lately. Many people give advice on finding a job and share their experiences. It’s great to see everyone working together.

Someone is capable of arming a portfolio to make the leads of the most renowned companies envious. Someone else manages to work in a bar gradually creating his game in his spare time. There are people who are very good at making new contacts and making themselves known. Others prefer to write or record videos. There are many ways and there is no need to get anxious and try to cover everything.

  • Do you have anything to say?
  • do you have something to show?
  • Do you have the opportunity to meet someone?
  • do you want to earn money doing another job at least for a while?
  • do you have the possibility to keep yourself without entrances for a while?
  • have an idea for a game?
  • Do you know which companies you would like to work for?
  • Do you have any idea of the specialty you want to acquire?

As far as I’m concerned, it’s hard to find universal advice to give to everyone. Each person is a world, everyone lives in a different context. Make contacts, have a portfolio, be kind, learn something every day, and dedicate yourself to a small project every month. They are all valid advice, but also very general. The human being is not a machine that receives instructions and executes, there are many factors at play.

Here’s what worked for me:

  1. think about making contacts rather than making a portfolio.
  2. be omnipresent at local events and always try to help before asking for help.
  3. ask for help.
  4. immediately move away from realities or people who don’t want me.

I don’t have an online portfolio, except an old link. I prefer to have a blog where I show my thoughts. And I do it because I don’t care to be evaluated for my technical skills. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, least of all skills that can be acquired in 10 minutes of a YouTube tutorial.

The right context for the right ideas

Published by Paolo on 10/07/2023

A short while ago I met a friend who holds a manager position in one of the companies in my city. He told me that new ideas are one of the hardest things to come by.

Starting from that sentence I began reflecting on innovative ideas’ meaning. And I have to say that if I meet this person again, I would have my answer instead of listening as I did.

Every day on the various channels I frequent online and offline I am exposed to so many ideas. Some seem brilliant to me. Others, at least at first sight, do not surprise me. But then I didn’t read well or that person didn’t express well what he had in mind.

Ideas are not lacking. So what is missing from many companies that want to innovate? More ability to discern is lacking.

Discerning which ideas are the best is what is missing. To do that, you need to establish a process. Most games fail because they have no audience. But how come they have no audience?

Very often it’s because we put the workforce on things they either don’t care about or don’t have the skills to do.

We all know that match-3 puzzles are a bottomless pit. These are games that can earn a lot of money. But do we have the ability to create and operate such a game? Does our clique like to do this? Or would they rather make a graphic adventure but are forced to make candies that explode?

  • Discernment means the ability to make decisions in n informed and aware way.
  • Awareness means not neglecting the intentions and abilities of our team.
  • Good marketing and game design is not enough, you need everything in the right context.

Weird recruitment practices

Published by Paolo on 06/07/2023

There’s a weird trend lately.

I receive messages from companies looking for talent. They find my profile very interesting and that they have a great opportunity to show me.

I say that I work as a freelancer but listen to everything. If an interesting project comes out why not? Every game designer wants to do something great.

We organize a call and they start questioning absolutely everything. Some don’t even read my resume well. The other day: “So you started working as a game designer last year?”

Someone asks me for absurd specializations. “Are you a JIRA specialist?”.

JIRA? JIRA is a tool, not a technique! What the heck does it mean to be a JIRA specialist?

I describe my experience in detail, I am 40 years old and also have some white hair. And some companies give me homework to do as if I were a kid! Unpaid work. 10 days assessments with pitches, feature briefs, configurations, flowcharts, wireframes, asset lists… what? Are you looking for talent or for free work?

And then you see that job offers there forever. They cannot find the right fit. If we start treating people like professionals, not kids, talent will emerge.

Try this instead:

  1. look for interesting profiles and treat them like true experts, not someone to filter out. Start your relationships by giving people an A, the world will change.
  2. make meaningful questions with the purpose to start a professional conversation. In the real work environment, there is interaction, not solutions coming from one single person.
  3. if you find the person convincing, hire the person for a trial period. Only by working together, you will find the right fit.

I am sure you will also save a lot of time and money.

The first step for a good prototype

Published by Paolo on 04/07/2023

Imagine you have to inform programmers about the development of a new feature. For the first iteration, it is always better to think of a single use case.

We game designers think in systems. Some go so far as to say “Game design is system design”. A system means having actors in a relationship, creating a space of possibilities.

For a new feature, it’s best to think of a single path to implement first. Someone talks about MVP, a minimum viable product. I have always preferred the expression “prototype”.

Without losing sight of the vision, respect the steps necessary for its development. The first step is best to be on the direct path.

More creative less product

Published by Paolo on 03/07/2023

Product managers are a type of profile centered above all in business. It is true that many have design knowledge, but their role requires identifying and mitigating risks. When a new project is led by product managers, it is much better to dedicate oneself to making a +1 game, that is, a game that improves a few things on some other successful game. In this way we will avoid all the frustrations that come from the personal anxieties of those at the top.

A creative director, on the other hand, is naturally inclined to be open to exploring all the ways to arrive at a certain type of experience. When a game is run by a creative director who does his job well, the initial part is fun. In that case it is good not to forget the Pareto principle. Take 80% from something that already exists and create a new 20%. It’s not a norm, there are so many creative directors who have amazing ways of handling a project and inspiring the fantasies that need to be recreated. Some take from other sectors, such as cinema, theater, but also martial arts and so on.

I would like to see more new titles in mobile managed by creative directors and not by product managers. I miss the weirdness, the silliness and all the surprises that games that come from more creative minds give me. I’m sure features like shops, daily bonuses, achievements and special offers could come out of the pop-up hell they’re relegated to. Creativity should not be underestimated.

Gamelab day 1

Published by Paolo on 29/06/2023

Yesterday I went to Gamelab Barcelona, an event dedicated to the video game industry. This year is a more intimate version and better focused, in my opinion.

Regardless of the type of business, the size of the company, its mission, or its artistic style, one thing is clear to me: the vision remains the most important part.

If you have to present your next indie game, or if you are thinking of being acquired by a big corporation. Whether you work as a consultant or want to land your first job in the industry, it’s all the same. You have to be “like a sniper” (quoting one of the speakers).

The video games industry doesn’t stop growing, more and more products are marketed and more and more different realities enter the scene. The only way to stand out is by getting straight to the point. Your vision must be absolutely clear for everyone.

It applies to the motivation of your team. It applies to the peace of mind of your bosses or your customers. It is to convince investors and publishers. It is used to show your value to a possible employer.

It can be done! The possibilities are many! But you have to clarify yourself and you have to focus all efforts to target exactly the weak point of the Death Star. The keyword is vision.

Second day today!

Genre, target and quality

Published by Paolo on 27/06/2023

Genre

style or category of art, music, or literature.

target

a person, object, or place selected as the aim of an attack.

quality

the general excellence of standard or level.

(oxford language)

Often times I have a discussion around the concept of game genre and game target audience. Usually, the people involved with the business side change the cards on the table. But game design has its literature and history. This post is to clarify two simple concepts.

The game genre

The easiest way of thinking in the game genre is to look at yourself when you are looking for a game to play.

  • Do you want to relax? run a puzzle game on your mobile phone
  • Do you want a great story? You have the new JRPG available for your console
  • Do you need some challenge? A racing game can do the job.

The genre of a game defines its style or category, not its business model or the time to complete a session.

The game target

Everyone knows that we make games for an audience. The world of marketing and advertisers classifies that audience demographics. As game developers, instead, we focus more on behaviors and needs. One point of touch is the time we expect our Players will have to play the game.

  • If the players will have very little time, to relax: casual games
  • If the players want to release some stress for 40-60 minutes, also engage with other people: mid-core games
  • If the players want to escape reality for a while and focus on a set of challenges: hardcore games

The target of a game defines the motivations and time that the Players should spend in it, not its genre.

The game quality

According to the scope and the context, we can afford to make games of a certain quality standard. The quality of a game is often the point of touch between the industry and its players:

  • mobile game: they need to be lightweight and very accessible, so they often present pizzazz UI and simple visuals
  • Indie games: they are an achievement to show to the World. They don’t need super high production, also if visuals are very important for their success
  • AA games: they come from independent studios that have been backed by a bigger publisher.
    • AAA games: produced and distributed by major-sized publishers, Players expect very high quality.

The game quality defines from one side the context capability of the development team. On the other side, the standard of excellence that Players have come to expect. Players have concrete expectations of quality and quality is not comparable. You cannot compare indie with AAA, there is nothing to compare. You can compare AAA with AAA and have meaningful conversations. Every quality has its own set of standards.

Conclusion

The top companies I see out there specialize in a single genre and a single target. When they grow, they may want to expand to other qualities.

  • Your Players will never look for a “hyper casual game”. They will look for “something to play while I am on the bus”.
  • Players may want to know about the next AAA games coming out. The new Zelda game came out. Oh, but I have no time for such a big game right now.
  • Players don’t care if the menus of that mobile puzzle game have basic colors. But they can quit if the loading times among levels are too high.
  • If your AA game has not the right standard, some Player can complain that looks like a mobile game!

Vision notes on FFXVI

Published by Paolo on 26/06/2023

This weekend I downloaded and played the new Final Fantasy XVI demo on PS5.

I’m not going to give spoilers or give my opinion, because it’s not interesting. I am a gamer like many others, and working as a game designer I am certainly full of prejudices that limit my vision.

What I have noticed, however, is that the vision for the future of the saga includes:

  • Combat systems that focus on spectacle over strategy
  • Less depth in the characters’ stats and more depth in their profiles
  • Make life much easier for those who want to know more about the game world

Ultimately Final Fantasy has always been this: a rich world in which to immerse yourself. An epic adventure with very distinctive characters. And a lot of not-always-exciting fights.

With the arrival of Genshin Impact and Asian RPGs with massive audiences, in my opinion the creative directors of the saga are wondering how to make the series more modern. I must say that I like these types of experiments, beyond the final result.

It is a path that can lead to new masterpieces in the future, even if it is a difficult and so unpredictable path.

Kids are the base of your tree

Published by Paolo on 22/06/2023

When you think about your new game’s target audience, think about its childish version, too.

Many people consider video games something childish. Data shows that adults play video games. Children are the people who have the most time to play. They can become attached to the intellectual properties we create.

When we design a new game, we tend to think about people who are like us: adults. In case we have to design a game for children, it is more natural to think of a child audience.

If we design for the mini version of our players, too, we have the chance to create a more accessible and memorable experience. Some say we have to think of our audience like a tree. The target audience is the branches, but the trunk is very important.

The players of our products have all been children. Some of them have children. When we design our games we always think of children as well. This is how memorable intellectual properties are created.

Adults become attached to characters and worlds based on elements they can associate with their own life and context. Children do it experientially.

If we make an effort to always think of a child playing our game, the experience itself will undoubtedly be better. That is valid for any kind of game. Yes, also gambling.

Always a game designer

Published by Paolo on 21/06/2023

A lot of game designers when entering the world of games as a service become product managers.

They then go from working “in the product” to working “on the product”.

Probably in this way, they can access better salaries and not have to go through too many filters to see their ideas realized. Being a game designer in an industry where everyone interprets data in their own way is a big challenge. It takes a lot of patience and really trying to adjust to one’s view, even if it’s totally wrong.

I like to focus on the craft of game design. While I have my own way of looking at the data, I recognize that it is likely clouded by personal bias. So I prefer to focus on grounding ideas and bridging teams.

When a product manager tells the team that “we need to put our efforts into improving D1 retention”, the effect is like an orchestra of monkeys with trombones and drums. It means nothing in the mind of anyone who wants to know where to put the effort. The technical artist or programmer wants to know what they have to do, the numbers don’t make sense.

A game designer, on the other hand, knows that the product manager is referring to having a clearer core loop and a more powerful hook. Therefore, I will create a list of assets needed to unlock that technical artist. A series of configurations and flows to unlock the programmers.

For me, the step forward is not to become a product manager. The step forward for my career is dedicating myself to better games. But I will always remain a game designer.