No, really!
Paul Barnett, whom I had very little dealings with when I was at Mythic, mostly yelling at him THE CHAOS FACTION BETTER BE DONE RIGHT! his first week from another table over at a Mongolian grill – something his tired, weary reaction told me happens to him quite often. Anyway, he has a blog (or rather, a Myspace, because he’s British and thus very emo), and he posts what he expects from designers as a creative director.
Creating systems that are hard to explain to normal people
If you can’t explain it clearly, quickly and to people with different skill sets then you are not going to get your idea realized. It really isn’t important if you have a great idea if you can not express it. Coders are dumb on design, same with artists. Producers? Real dumb. Studio heads, boy you talking about big dummies and as for publishers they don’t understand the word dumb. So add all of that together and you are faced with a harsh reality. You need to explain your great design in a way that all these dummies can understand so it can get in the game and the players can see it.
I have to say in response – Paul, that video. It’s made my life hell. Ever since it made it out to the net, everyone expects me to be as charismatic and flat out funny an evangelist when talking about my own project. Thanks a lot, bucko.
Psychochild on the other hand hasn’t posted any videos to Youtube making all of us look bad, but he still tells me how to do my job too!
The primary job of a designer is communication. This means you need to get used to doing a lot of writing, meeting, and explaining. Your ideas are actually secondary to the main focus of explaining those ideas. A designer with mediocre ideas and great communication skills is better than a designer with super ideas and no communication skills in a project of more than one person. Given this focus on communication, it should come as little surprise that people who design tend to write a lot and have blogs.
Why is communication so important? If the designer cannot communicate those ideas, then the ideas are stuck in his or her head. Other people working on the project need a guide for how to implement the project, which is the purpose of the game design document. Without this central focus, the project is hard to hold together. And, the implementors will have their own issues to worry about: the designer should be able to communicate details that the implementors do not think about. If the designer provides inadequate documentation and then gets angry when the final result is not what he intended, it’s not good for anyone involved.
So basically, designers need to speek gud, because if the most brilliant ideas ever concieved remain in their brain, it’s not going to do anyone any good at all, is it?
This is something I’ve been struggling with at work as well. I can write up a storm, but put me in front of a dozen people and tell me to explain something and I go “fum fuh fuh” a lot. Because as Barnett expressed so perfectly in his infamous E3 video, the best designers are evangelists – not only do they come up with Keeno Ideas, but they are the keepers of the flame for their team – inspiring everyone that what is pouring out onto design docs and spreadsheets and visio charts and what have you actually is going to turn out to be something fun, really, and all this work is worth it.
It takes charisma, basically. Which is scary, because that’s not something historically I’ve thought I was good at. But it’s something I *will* be good at, because that’s what it’s going to take to get all this Keeno Idea stuff out of my brain and implemented. And I may not think myself that charismatic, but I am very, very stubborn!
#1 by TPRJones on January 20th, 2007
You can do it! You just need to learn how to stop being scott in front of a meeting and learn to be Lum in front of a meeting. You know; loud, opinionated, and passionate. A little split personality can go a long way.
#2 by Daztur on January 20th, 2007
Just call everyone 바보, it works wonders.
#3 by Apache on January 20th, 2007
just respec your starting points into chr, lum.
#4 by J. on January 20th, 2007
I actually had coffee with a game developer friend last weekend where this was a topic. This friend of mine, who shall remain nameless and genderless, was sort-of-complaining that he/she had to work with many so-called “designers” at his/her job that couldn’t be bothered to write down their designs. “Some can’t even use e-mail.”
Said friend said the coping strategy that grew out of this is my friend sitting down with a notebook and making the designer talk his/her fool head off and then presenting the notes to the designer with the closer, “This is what you should have given me.”
That people like this have jobs working in games is unconscionable to me, and I told my friend this.
If you can’t communicate, you’re not a game designer. You’re a mental masturbator.
If you can’t explain in detail the wonderful systems and content that are in your head to someone else, you damn well better be able to do it all yourself, otherwise you are useless.
Thinking up wonderful game designs is not work. I repeat, IT IS NOT WORK. If that’s all you do as a designer, quit now and go bag groceries.
Seriously. Communicating is work. Writing is work. Having conversations that end with a mutual understanding and direction for all concerned — that’s work.
If you can’t be a working professional, you don’t deserve a dime from the game industry and I furthermore hope you get hit by a bus so your company your great brainful of wonderful ideas becomes so much meaty salsa and thus your former co-workers will come to realize they could probably finish their game without you and have a much better or at least more pleasant time of it.
I do not expect to see Scott’s brainmeats anytime soon, for he is a working man and he can speak well when he wants to. He just doesn’t want to enough and thus isn’t practiced enough at it.
But there’s hope.
#5 by Psychochild on January 20th, 2007
It takes charisma, basically.
Well, fuck; I’m screwed. Although, some people say I’m charismatic in that “he might kill me and eat me if I don’t pay attention” way.
I’m rarely seen as bubbling over with natural charisma in the offline world, either. Luckily I’m doing most of my work remotely, so I can rely on text to appear smart and stuff.
Charisma is important for a people management positions, including designers. This helps you convince other people that your crazy ideas might actually work, and it can help you influence the people working for you, too. I think what Mr. Barnett also has is enthusiasm, which is also important. Without enthusiasm, you’re just putting your time and aren’t likely making the best product possible. So, while a good game designer could design any game, it’s better to work on something you actually care about.
But, anyway, thanks for the compliments.
I do look forward to hearing more about what you’re working on when you can announce it, Scott.
#6 by Freakazoid on January 20th, 2007
The irony, of course, is that you eventually will need to spill tons of detail to keep the hardcore players happy. And housing.
Also, that video of paul made me want to punch him in the face.
#7 by grant on January 20th, 2007
I had no interest in the Warhammer MMO before watching that video. Now I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
#8 by tide on January 20th, 2007
Lum I’ve seen you speak. Your problem is that you are not gesticulating enough (cf. Barnett) . You need big arm movements to suggest very big ideas. Those big arm movements can also double to be very threatening, in a pinch. Elsewhile, you can use calm logic and evidence and argue from experience. That registers with me. FWIW, that video made me want to punch myself in the face.
#9 by MrOrange on January 20th, 2007
I am the most charismatic fucker in existance…but i do not know the 1st thign about the lay end of games
SKILL!
COMMITMENT!
IMAGINATION..er…..OBSESSION !
Watchign the guy made me want to slurp saliva.the whole time he sounded like he was dying to spit…i would have had to spit. Shock value gets more done than a smile these days anway.
And ,for god’s sake, dont bash americans in such a subtle way, jsut out right say “the American game companies dont have a clue, dont give them money” but anyone with a wit of sense knows all of them are out to create an obsessive game, not a fun game. Neopets is fun. its a distraction for people who like puzzles as is yahoo games and most console games.
MMOS are not fun. they are exciting,frustrating and then obsessive. So, i guess lying or hiding the truth is key to being a good producer….but then who are you lying to if everyone already knows….its so confusing….i will wait for Barbies Playhouse Online.
#10 by MrOrange on January 20th, 2007
“Those big arm movements can also double to be very threatening”
hehe, i cannot imagine the guy being threatening
Look out hes being thraetening ! ! No wait, i think hes gonna fall !
#11 by Moorgard on January 20th, 2007
“If you can’t communicate, you’re not a game designer. You’re a mental masturbator.
If you can’t explain in detail the wonderful systems and content that are in your head to someone else, you damn well better be able to do it all yourself, otherwise you are useless.”
Let’s not forget the corollary: if you’re a great communicator with bullshit ideas, you’re not a game designer either. You’re a salesman, a shyster, a charlatan. And believe me, there is no shortage of people in this industry who have padded their resumes with great jobs which were landed by virtue of their charisma and lost due to their incompetence.
#12 by Mr. Poppinfresh on January 20th, 2007
Does online charisma count for anything? You come off excellently in written form- does that help?
And no, that’s not a facetious question. I’m aware that being a white-toothed, Tony-Robbins god in business meetings is better, I’m just wondering what sentence-stringing counts for.
#13 by blachawk on January 20th, 2007
That video made me NOT want to play Warhammer.
Hell, just the first two minutes gave me pause. The best things about Warhammer are that they’ve got a defined look and good reasons for the various fictitious races to be at war?
#14 by Martin on January 20th, 2007
Go Lum Go Lum! You can do it! You can do it! ^_^
#15 by Freakazoid on January 20th, 2007
You have to understand, blachawk, that video was made to communicate with dumb people. Dumb people will fall for empty words and social commentaries. They aren’t really interested in combat mechanics or class balance, something which would actually reflect the quality of the product.
#16 by Rich Weil on January 21st, 2007
I guess it’s sounds pollyanna-ish, but it’s never too late to learn new things. A friend of mine is brilliant at the keyboard, but was horrible presenting ideas at his workplace (not gaming industry).
He took a couple of informal classes in public speaking and joined a local Toastmasters group. It really did help him a LOT. I could hardly believe it was the same person when I saw him give a presentation. Didn’t take him that long, either. Six months, tops.
#17 by Baroo on January 21st, 2007
http://www.toastmasters.org
#18 by Andrew Crystall on January 21st, 2007
It works both ways.
Coders, it’s helpful if I get:
(a) Build notes
(b) Explinations of things like “we need (2 coder weeks) to move to a fully defered rendering system”, in terms someone NOT a coder (but who understands the basics) can understand.
Where I work tends to be fairly…coder-drivern in terms of engine design, and the above are longstanding issues.
I personally don’t have a problem with public speaking. When I was a teenager, I did drama classes and acted in several plays. This…helps.
#19 by Paul Barnett on January 21st, 2007
Thanks for the mention. I find your stuff to be a jolly good read. I don’t agree with everything you write and I think that’s why I bother to read it. As long as you have the energy for your job then I think your 80% there. I’m dyslexic myself so I basically have the opposite problem to you. And it’s why I can appear a tad hyper on video.
Best
Paul
#20 by MrOrange on January 21st, 2007
heh same scenario. I was looking forward to WAR but after seeing the interview i decided to actually go look at the game and ATM it looks like a WOW clone. I say WOW since it set a new standard in game presentation and while i think WOW is a monster that needs its head lopped off, it is still what will set the standard for the next gen games.
Oh,anyone says LOTR,vanguard,etc,etc, let the subs tell the tale . After playing beta in both i was left with a yucky Deja’Vu-Mythic-esque feeling. If someone comes up with a better char model and interface they might do the do but noones gonna give the beast a serious run for the money for at least 1-2 years.
#21 by MrOrange on January 21st, 2007
Paul, i did nto see it as hyper activity, i saw it as a man who has a serious problem conveying the exhilleration he felt about something hes a part of
) will find themselves floundering for words after the 1st sentance.
Articulation is rough for anyone who feels a joy. The best way to offer a compairison is …define how you feel about your better half, explain and put in words the love you feel. Anyone who truely loves thier partner ( I am trying to be politicly correct here which is not something im good at
I love Lum, lum loved me, even when i said jenny Craig
BTW lum, i alwayes wanted to ask, wtf was up with the pic of neo anytime you made fun of me ?
#22 by Cael on January 22nd, 2007
Andrew:
In many cases, the code is the heavy lifting. If you want to really be a part of those projects, you have to learn to understand what the programmers say. Also, it’s not like drawing a picture or writing a document. Sometimes, delays happen not because anyone is lazy or anyone was incompetent in estimates timescales but merely because this shit can be reeeeaaaaalllllyyyyy fucking hard. So hard it can make you hate your job or weep at the desk or work all night and still not solve it.
And that doesn’t mean your firm needs to “upgrade” to “better” programmers – in game terms especially, it’s frequently because nobody ever did this before so there is literally nobody who’s “better”.
What it means is, everyone else better have something productive to do while this gets solved. And i think i can suggest a fine use for all those Gantt charts….
#23 by Andrew Crystall on January 22nd, 2007
Cael, this is stuff which I go over and in a 15 minute conversation pry details I can understand out of them, and summarise for the other designers in 1-2 paragraphs. Which would take them 5 minutes to write, max.
It’s not about delays, it’s about documenting what you do. In one case, a useful feature sat on a list for 3 months after it was done, because the coder who had done it had not TOLD any designers that he had. (And by then was mostly redundant, since we’d spent a lot of time doing workrounds)
#24 by Ajeba on January 22nd, 2007
I am very much looking forward to what Scott will announce. I’ve read his blog enough to know he can pull off a new reiteration of elf pr0n.
Communication is key. I agree with the comment, “Be Scott on paper, Be Lum in person.” People follow evangelists; Fanatical leaders that their truth is the right one.
#25 by Oliver "kfsone" Smit on January 22nd, 2007
He’s not British. You can tell by his funny accent. He’s probably Cornish*. Pfft. You yanks know nothing.
(* Or at the very least, a southerner of some description. It’s all very much the same)
#26 by Paul Barnett on January 22nd, 2007
I’m from Lancashire. that’s why I understand the Dwarfs in Warhammer. I am not a soft southern sissy.
#27 by Oliver "kfsone" Smit on January 22nd, 2007
Ok – joking aside – I’m amazed: I’m usually good with accents and I would have sworn yours was from somewhere between Portsmouth and Weymouth. The three years I’ve been here, I slowly get more and more people asking if I’m Australian – I work with one and I probably hear his voice more often than the rest of the company put together – or German – my nasal/gutteral Lincolnshire ‘u’ sounds starting to stand out, bit like Dr Bartle.
#28 by Jayce on January 23rd, 2007
Not charismatic? How many people can say that they started a website/forums that now has its own Diaspora?
Just askin’.
Sure, it might not effortlessly map to in-person communication, but talent is talent.
#29 by IanB on January 25th, 2007
Just tone down the testosterone a bit if you do go off Warhammer-style, I know of a couple female gamers who were pretty turned off by the rant.