Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

212
Building Game Worlds 212
U L T I M A T E G A M E D E S I G N
TM: In your own experience, what are the positives and negatives to working in game
development?
MW: Positives … getting paid to make games … what can be better than that? I’ve worked a
number of different jobs both in and out of our industry and I’ve never had more fun than when I
was working for game companies. The people are great, the atmospheres are always creative, alive,
electric, and fun. And it’s a big rush to then be in a store and see something you helped create sitting
there waiting to be taken home and enjoyed. Likewise when you see a commercial or an ad for your
game, or you read a review. Its just always a blast!
Negatives … lots of those too. This is still a very immature industry. And by that I mean that we
are still learning how to run our businesses year in and year out, and through the constantly evolving
technologies. Game companies have to always be looking and planning years in advance and making
commitments of millions of dollars to gaming consoles, or broadband connections, or PC systems that
are sometimes still in the planning stages. That’s a crazy way to run a business! It can be done,
however, as the success stories of our industry show, but it sometimes takes huge sacrifices from
everyone involved and sometimes leaves even the best people behind.
MEGA TIPS
1. Do a thorough peer review (utilize a consultant’s experience if necessary)
of your technology foundation before committing to any kind of MMOG
development.
2. Consider in as much detail as possible the exact scope, scale, and complexity
your MMOG design will require. A fundamental miscalculation at the design
stage will plague your development team throughout the development
sequence should you choose to proceed with your design.
3. Be an MMOG analyst. Watch all of your competitors very closely. Troll
through the newsgroups and fan sites listening carefully for patterns in
player reaction to existing titles.