100thingseverygamestudent

shouldknow
OrThingsthatreallyirkedmewhilemarking
KayeElling
twitter@K_0
2013
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 1
Vertex(Singular)
Vertices (Plural)
OrVertexes(Plural)
NOT:vertexies,vertise,verities,
verticy,vertisee,vertexs,vertees,
virtons orvirgins.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 2
Quad:facewith4sides
Triangle:facewith3sides
Polys:canrefertoeither
Polycount:themaximumnumberof
trianglesallowed.Evenifquadsareused.
(Thisisaninitiativetest:RollaD20now.Bonuspointsifyou
knowhowmanytrianglesareinaD20.)
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 3
Yourportfolioisonlyasgoodas
theworst pieceofworkinit.
Ifindoubt,leaveitout.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 4
Polycount:Itsatarget,notalimit:
Ifthebriefrequires15,000
triangles,youwontwinthe
AMAZINGFRUGALITYAWARD
with1500.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 5
Youmaylovetoplaygames,butthat
doesntmakeyouadeveloper.
Ilovetoeatdinner,butthatdoesntmakemeachef.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 6
Developersdontsaymobs.
Theysay:
NPC
Enemy
AI
Bot
UnlesstheyreNotch.
AreyouNotch?
Noyouarenot.
OK,developersofMOBA/arena/MUD/dungeongamessaymobs.ButitsnotusedinconsoleorPCdevelopmentsodontuseitthere.
Also:Oneofyouis@notch.**waves**Ihaveatweettoproveit!
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 7
Usetheopenbriefsinyouruniversity
modulesstrategically.
History&Conventions:TheHistoryoftheJRPG
EnvironmentDesign:JRPGCathedral
TechnicalSpecialisation:WeaponeconomiesinJRPGs
IndustryAnalysis:RPGDevelopersinJapan
CharacterDevelopment:RPGSamurai
WorkingGameDemo:theRPG
Electivemodule:JapaneseLanguage101.
Ifyourportfoliolookslikethis,howmanyentrylevel
jobsareyouqualifiedfor?Inyourcountry?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 8
Gamedevelopmentisateamsport
forGeeks.
Thismeanscommunication.
WithgrammarNazis.
thedifferentwaystheydoneitlikeinthe
gameplayandthescenesadtheprops
isnotcommunicatingandwillincurtheirwrath.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 9
Studyinggamedevelopmentat
universityisstilluniversitystudy.
(citationneeded)
Damnrightitis(Elling,2013).
UsingtheHarvardMethod.
Elling,K.,NThingsEveryGameStudentShouldKnow(4thed),UniversityofBradford,2013
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 10
Dontbreakthefourthwallin
assessments.
ButIthinktherewillbeenoughmaterialonthe
webtousetogetadecentamountofinformationto
produceanessaytoahighenoughstandardtopass
this.
Thedevelopmentequivalentofthisis:
DearSony,wethinkwecanfindenoughideas
fromothergamestopassyoursubmission
requirements.
saidnosuccessfuldeveloperever.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 11
Everyonelovescreativitybytypo
Youcancustomiseyourcharacterwith
scaring.
Toscareyourcharacter,press!Trololol!
laughthedevelopersatyourjobapplication.

KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 12
Thethingsyousay,maysaymore
aboutyouthanyourealize.
ThereismuchgreaterdepthinAlice:
MadnessReturns thanintheoriginalAliceIn
Wonderlandby LewisCarroll.
0_0
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 13
Ifanapplicantsportfolioisbadenough,developers
willsavetheworktoaGALLERIEABOMINATI*.
Whentheyneedcheeringuptheywillgatherround
tolookatitandlaugh.
DoNOTbethatapplicant.
*Dontbetooputoffbythis.Itsjustablooperreelfordevelopers.Devs savetheirownmishaps
intothesegalleriestoo.Itsallpartofcuttingedgetechandthelearningprocess.Butplease,please
donotputsuchworkinaportfolio!Ever!
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 14
Readthebrief.
No,seriously:
READ.
THE.
BRIEF.
Alreadyreadthebrief?READITAGAIN!
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 15
D
o

n
o
t

m
a
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e

t
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e

v
i
e
w
e
r

d
o

t
h
i
s

w
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e
n

l
o
o
k
i
n
g

a
t

y
o
u
r

w
o
r
k

o
n
l
i
n
e
.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 16
Yourfirstyearatunishouldbereallytough.
Thisiswhereyoulearnhowtolearn,howto
selfmotivate,andgenerallygetyour****
together.
(makesureyouhaveyour****togetherbytheendofthisyear,or
repeattheprocessatsignificantfinancialcost).
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 17
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
CROPPING
IS REALLY
IMPORTANT
18
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
Understand
Brightness
&
Contrast
19
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 20
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
IFYOUARENT
CONFIDENTIN
YOURWORK,
ITSHOWS.
21
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 22
Beinclusive:Dontassumethedeveloper
reviewingyourportfolioismale.
Orwhite.
Orstraight.
Avoid:Pornelves.Undressedorunderdressedwomen.Unfeasiblylargeorgravity
defyingbreasts(onanyone).Knickershots.Brutalizedordehumanizedwomenwith
sexualovertones.Homicidal8yearoldgirls(especiallyinghostorAIform).Anyandall
overused,limitingandfranklyborderlineraciststereotypesofcriminalmenfromnon
whiteracialbackgroundsincludingtriads,yakuza,mafia,bloodsorcrips (especiallyif
theyarealsorappers),insurgentsand/orterrorists,middleclassBritishvillainsasvoiced
byAlanRickman,workingclassBritishvillainsasvoicedbyJasonStatham,Frenchmimes
asvoicedbynoone,impoverishedMexicanvillagerswithstrongregionalaccentsand
apparentlimitedaccesstogroomingproducts,educationoranykindofempowerment.
Alloftheabovestillappliesifthecharactersareinzombieform.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 23
Basicterminology.Youreallyshouldknowthis:
Q&A:
Questionsandanswers
QA:
QualityAssurance
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 24
Also:
UsabilityTesting:
Gettingtargeteduserfeedbackand
playerresponsestogameplay.
QualityAssurance:
Bughunt.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
h
25
Also:
QualityAssurance:
Acompletelyviablewaytogetyour
footinthedoorinagamescompany.
Butbeawarethatnotallcompanies
haveapathtodevfromQA.
Askfirst.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 26
Yoursecondyearatunishouldbereallytough.
Thisiswhereyoulearnthemajorityofthe
requiredskillsforyourdiscipline.
Knowwhatthatdisciplineis.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 27
Ifyourworktakeslongertoload
thanitdoestoview,youre
wastingeveryonestime.
Includingyourown.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 28
Mostdevelopersworkinshared
spacesanduseheadphones.
EvenLeads&Managers.
Keepthevolumeonyourshowreel
consistent.
Andtrynottoassumethateveryone<3s Skrillex.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 29
Havingoneof
theseisa
minimum
requirement.
Atalltimes.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 30
Attentiontodetial.
Itmatters.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 31
Imreallygoodatideas.Thats
whatIwanttodointheteam;be
theguywhohastheideas.
Jointhequeue.
Attheback.
Behindtheguywhocandraw,thegirlwhocancodeand
theoneswhocanwrite,plan,create,evaluate,debug,
submitanddeliver.
Theyvegotideas,too.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 32
Yourfinalyearatunishouldbereallytough.
Ifitisntalmost
breakingyou,
yourenotworkinghard
enough.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 33
Dependenciesare
important,sodontpretend
theydontexist.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
DESTROYALDERAAN
BUILDDEATHSTAR
34
Nobodygetseverythingright
firsttime.
Noonelikestodoworkmorethanonce,butthatstheonlyway
youcanimproveit!
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 35
< < < E x pa nd your hor i z ons > > >
JustbecauseitdoesnthavethewordGAMESinit,doesntmean
itsnotgoingtoinspire,informorbeusefultoyoueverydayfor
therestofyourcreativelife.
Thisisespeciallytrueofnonelectronicinformationsuchas:
Books
Museums
Art
History
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 36
Agoodruleofthumbforselectingworkforyour
portfolioisthis:
Ifsomeonewhodidntknowmesaw
thiswork,wouldtheythinkIwasa
serialkiller?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
Somegamesstudiosmakeextremestuff.Byallmeanstargetthesestudios,but
dosoinfullknowledgethatitmightturnotherstudiosoffcompletely.
37
Whenopportunity
knocksdoNOTignoreit
becauseyourecatching
uponcrapyoushould
havedoneagesago.
Thatshowregretsare
born.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 38
Projectmanagement:
Notjustformanagers!
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 39
Tokenism:thepracticeorpolicyofmakingnomore
thanatoken effortorgesture.
Tokeneffort.
Tokenfemale.
Tokenchanges.
Tokencomments.
TokenQApractice.
Tokendocumentation.
Doesnotbelongindevelopment
practiceofanykind.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 40
Atajobinterview,rememberthatyoure
beinginterviewedbyaprofessional<insert
disciplinehere>,notaprofessional
interviewer.
Youcandistractthemfromany
awkwardmomentswithshiny
work!*
*Thisdoeswork.Ivebroughtmysketchbooks,wouldyouliketoseethem?islikebaublestokittens.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 41
Changerequestsrequirechange.
Youmaygetaskedtochangesomething
many,many,many,many,many,many,
many,many,many,many,many,many,
many,many,many,many,many,many,
many, times.
Dealwithit.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 42
Duznotlukgudonurwork.
Likeeva.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 43
Allnightersmaymakeyoufeellikeareal
developer,buttheymakeitlesslikelythatyour
workwillbegoodenoughtobecomeone.
Getsomesleep,youllneedit.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 44
Whenyougetsomefeedback:
Heedit.
Actonit.
Dontaskformorefeedbackuntilyouveactedonallof
thelastlotyoureceived.
Otherwiseyourealltalk.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 45
Getusedtobenchmarkingyourwork.
Yourtargetis:
INDUSTRYSTANDARD

KNOWEXACTLYWHATTHATMEANS.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 46
DearSirorMadam,
Imarecentgraduateandamverykeenongettingajob
inthegames,animation,visualeffects,previsualisation
orwebindustries
Signedbyreject#732
Targeteachapplicationtothatjobonly:
Coverletter
CV/resume
Showreel
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 47
SCOPE
Sometimesyoujusthavetoreduceit.
SCOPE
Butbesuretodosoinascalableway.
Otherwiseyouendupdelivering
SCOPE
Whichiscrud.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 48
Ifyourgameideastarts withthestoryitsnot
agameidea.Storiesingamesareoptional.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
THEWORLDISADARKPLACE.THE
GOVERNMENTCONTROLSOUR
EVERYMOVE!WHEN
OVERCROWDINGHITSCRITICAL,
THESECRETPOLICEJUST
DISAPPEARUS!ANDALLTHE
WHILEIFEELLIKEIMFALLINGINTO
THEVOIDOFDISPAIR
49
Youdon'tneedanyone'spermissiontomakegames.
Youdon'thavetowaitfor"anassignment"to
learnsomething.
Golearnsomethingnow.
Well?
Goonthen!
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 50
Theofficeisnotliketheinternet,nomatterhow
relaxedtheofficeenvironmentmayfeel.
DONOT:
Troll.Lookatporn.Talkaboutporn.Bringpornin.Talkabout
anyoneasiftheywereinporn.Usepornterms/slang.Talk
aboutyoursexualconquests(realorimagined)inshared
spaces.Createrandomsexuallyexplicitcontent,eveninlunch
hoursorovertime.Displaynudiecalendars,ladmagsor
page3onyourdesk.Display,discussoradmittoowning
tentaclepornactionfigures.
Manygamedevelopersfindtheirlifepartnerin
theoffice.Justthinkaboutthatforaminute.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 51
Aimhigh.
Stayhumble.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
Teamsport,remember?
52
Thereisonlyabout1degreeofseparationbetween
prettymuchallgamedevelopers,worldwide.
Dontbadmouthanyone.
Itwillcomebacktobiteyou.
Even**years**downtheline.D:
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 53
Personalhygiene.
Isnotalifestylechoicewhenworkingin
teams.
BodyodourisNOTaviablewayofkeeping
managersawayfromyourdesk*.
*Nomatterhowtemptingthatcanbeduringcrunch.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 54
EasterEggs:
NotjustforEaster!
Portfolioitemscanhavethem.ButlikerealEasterEggstheyhave
tobeveryhighqualityandnotsomanytomakeyousick.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 55
<3whatyoudo
whatevergameitsfor.
Allgamesarevalidgamestoworkon.Youcanlearnjust
asmuchworkingonanadvergameforcatsasyoucanon
thelatestbazillion$megatitle.
Eachtitleshippedisonestepclosertoyourultimategoal
ofdreamgameawesomeness.
Ifanadvergameforcatsisyourdreamgame,thencongratulations,youregoingtoachieveyourdreams
muchquickerthanmost.AlsothinkoftheLOLcatopportunitiesduringusertesting!PeoplegetPAIDfor
doingthis!
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 56
Learntotellagood
employerfromabadone.
Allgamescompanieshavegoodtimesandbad
times. Thetrickistoworkoutthedifferences
betweenBadtimesandBademployer.
Thisiseasierwithhindsight.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 57
Gamedeveloperscomeinmanygenders,
shapes,sizes,nationalities,ages,bodytypes,
colours,subcultures,sexualpreferences,
religiousbeliefsornonreligiousphilosophies.
Somearenotablebodied,somehavephysical
ormentalillnesses.
Allofthesearevalidthingsforagamedevelopertobe.Andif
youareastudent,chancesaremostofthemwillbemore
experienceddevelopersthanyouarerightnow.
Respectthat.Onlineandoffline
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 58
Thelone,auteur
gamedeveloperisa
myth.*
*UnlessyoureNotch**.
AreyouNotch?
Noyouarenot.
**orCliffyB.
Areyouhe?
Didntthinkso.
WehaveestablishedthatoneofyouisNotch.Sooneofyou(presumably)isCliffyB.**waves**
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 59
Sharewhatyouknow.
Thatshowcommunitieswork.
Trustme:Nooneisgoingtostealcontent fromyourmailedportfolio,and
goodpracticebelongstoeveryone.Stealingtheworkofothersisthemark
ofanamateur.Noprofessionalwouldeverstoopthatlow.Forshame!
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 60
Thereisnoshamein
freelancing.
Aslongasyoureworkingongames,youreagame
developer.Evenifyoureanimpoverishedfreelance,
outsourceorindiedevwhoisntexactlylivingthe
dreamrightnow.Yourestilloneofusandwe<3you.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 61
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
Your
degree
Your
Portfolio
Knowwhereyoureaimingyoureffortsatanygiventime.
Ideallyitshouldbehere.
62
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
Your
degree
Your
Portfolio
Butyoushouldaimhereifyouarenearingthejobinterviewstage.
Especiallyasyourinterviewermaynothaveadegree.
Someofusarewaaaaaayolderthangamedegrees,ordidntwantorneedadegreetoget
wherewearetoday.
AndthatsOK!
63
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
Your
degree
Your
Portfolio
Ifyoureaiminghere,thatmeansyoudontknowenoughaboutthe
industrytogetajoblater.Andyoureprobablyjusttryingtopass.
64
Ijustwanttopassthis
Assessmentsarenotkidneystones.
Ifyouthinkaboutthemintheseterms,maybeyoureonthewrongcareerpath?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 65
ONTIME
Means5minutesearly.
Unlessthestakesarereallyhigh,inwhichcaseitmeans24hoursearly.
Oraweekearly.
Pssst.Sometimesdevelopersmakefalseinternaldeadlinestoavoidcalamitysuchasmissed
milestonepayments.Maybeyoucoulddothesameifgraduationisatstake?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 66
To:Recruitment@AGamesStudio
CC:Everygamesstudiointhenation
Subject:Ilovewhatyourcompanydoes,and
amaperfectfitforyourstudio.
ORLY?Ifeel*sospecial*
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
m
67
Ifyourshowreelusesanobscurecodecand
cantbeviewedbyadeveloper,doNOT
replythefollowing:
ItworksfineonmyPC
Ithoughtacuttingedgetechnology
companywouldhavebeenableto
overcomeaminorissuelikethat
What'sacodec?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 68
@$!!#
Profanityisapreciousandpowerfultool.
Useitwisely,oritwillloseitsmagic.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 69
Youfoundaworkaroundforyourdesign
flaw?
Yayforyou.
Youraudience'sworkaroundwillbe
tonotplayyourgame.
Sojustfixit,OK?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 70
mailto:ilikeboobies@email.com
Doyoureallywantthisasyour
identifierforjobapplications?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 71
Doyourworksubmissionslooklike
this?
SceneWip5.mb
Snddnsjsj.mb
Crap.mb
Final.mb
Finalfinal.mb
Finalfinalfinal.mb
Finalfinalfinal2.mb
Lookatthisone.mb
Log.mb
RandongcrapIhatethis.mb
Dog.mb
Randomsomethingelse.jpg
File.txt
Becausetheyreallyshouldnt.
Professionalism oralackofit shinesthroughineverythingyoudo.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 72
Ordotheystartwith:
Imsorry,but
Becausethatdoesnthelpeither.
Tutorsdonothavearemorsemodifierforsubmissionsto
mitigatefailingmarks.
Althoughwecouldgamifythatwithpoints,andhandoutaRemorseReward eachyearforthestudentwiththehighestscore.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 73
Wordcountsmatter.
Theyarethereforareason.
Usethemwiselyandavoid:
Padding
Goingofftopic
Repeatingyourself
Paddingbystatingtheobviousinawaythattakesquitealotofwords
butreallyisntsayinganythingnew
Repeatingyourselfbutinadifferentway
Padding,wadding,lining,extemporising,extraneouscontentorgoingon
anyotherkindofSynonymSafari
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 74
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 75
Creativitycounts!
Ifyoucantbebotheredto:
becreative
strivefororiginalityevenwithinestablishednormsorconstraints
lookbeyondyourinitialidea
actuallyenjoyandactivelywanttodotheabove
Thengetusedtothephrase
Wouldyoulikefrieswiththat?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 76
Denialisnotalearningtool.
Sodontlieinreports.
Wecantell.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 77
imwillingtoprovidemyservicestoimprove
theanimationindustrylevel
Youdorealisethisimpliesyouthinkyourebetterwith0yearsof
experiencethantheyarewithyears?
Thatsnotjustignorant.
Itsdownrightinsulting.
Andgrammaticallywrong,too.
Theaboveremainstrueevenifyouwerekiddingandwaspostedonyoursocial
networksite.Becauseprospectiveemployerscanseethattoounlessyouvesetyour
privacysettingsaccordingly.Well?Haveyou?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 78
Actuallythisisreallyimportant:
Manageyourpublicprofile.
ProspectiveemployerswillGoogleyou.
Whatwilltheyfind?
WhileitisnotpossibletocompletelycontrolyourGoogleresults,youcanhelp
yourselfbykeepingyourpersonalandprofessionallifeseparate.Useprivacy
settingsonyourFacebookpagesandpicturetagsbyfriends,andkeepyourTwitter
trailprofessionalormakeitanonymous.
Neveruseyourpersonalsocialnetworkprofileasa
portfolio:Noonewantstotrawlthroughembarrassing
nightclubphotosofyouwhilesearchingforyourwork.
Observationistheoriginofalllearning.
Playlikeadeveloper
Observe,analyseandinterpretgamesyouplay:
Reverseengineervisualinfluencesintheartdirection
Deconstructanyingameeconomies
Evaluategameplaysuccessesandfailuresobjectively
Analysebugswhenyouencounterthem
Whatdotheyrevealaboutthewaythegamewasmade?
Howcouldtheybeimproved?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 79
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 80
Youhavetounderstandaprocessbeforeyoucanimplementitproperly:
Relyingontutorialstogetyouthroughproductionmeansyouhavent
finishedpreproduction.
Production
Pre
Production
Dontaskforfeedbacklessthan24hoursbeforea
deadline.Yourenotgoingtolikewhatyouhear,and
youcertainlyarentgoingtotakeactiononit.
BECAUSETHEREISNTTIME
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 81
Teamwork:Makesureyourteamisfunctionalatleast
24hoursbeforeadeadline.
Yes,thisistotallyrelatedtothepreviousslide.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 82
Seriously:
Artist=someonewhomakes
thingsLOOKPRETTY
Designer=someonewho
makesthingsFUNTOPLAY
Ifyouusethewrongtermyoulooklikeadweebandwillenrage
artists,designersandyourtutorsalike,whocanmakea
formidablemobwhenunited.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 83
Butbewareregionaldifferences:
UK:Developer=anyonemakinggames=
artist,animator,designer,programmer,
audio,projectmanagement.
USA:Developer=softwareengineer=
programmer.
Iwasonceataconferencewherethisdisputenearlyledtoafistfight*.
Weacademicsarebad@ss!
*Iwouldhavewon,BTW
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 84
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 85
Notliterally!Butingameplayterms,playersneedcues.Soputthemin.
SIGNPOSTEVERYTHING
Inindustry,howmanychancesdo
yougettosucceed?
Thetruthis,nobodyknows.
Butitssafetoassumethatevery
chanceistheonlychance. Soact
accordingly.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 86
SpecialistVs.Generalist
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 87
Theindustryhasplacesforboth,
butindifferentcontexts.
Whichoneareyou?
Hint:Ifyoudontknow,youarenotaspecialist.
Mathematics:
Notjustforprogrammers!
Geometryismathstoo.Asarestatistics.Andprobability.Andproportion.
Andevenprojectmanagementandbudgeting.Mathsiseverywhereandit
isnthard.Especiallywhenitsapplied.Soletsdebunkthatmythrighthere.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 88
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 89
GoingIndieisnteasy.Dontthinkitsthe
shortrouteifyougetrejectedfromalarger
developer.
**triestoquellthetideoffuryfromhardworking,highlyskilledindiedevelopers**
Youcanneverknowtoo
muchabouthowtouse
Excel.
Becauseitspoweris
ORSM!
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 90
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 91
Canyouarticulatethegameplay?
Canyoudoso:
Simply?
Effectively?
Intuitively?
Orisyourtargetdemographicclairvoyantgeniuses?
Ifthatisyourtargetdemographic,adjustyoursalesforecastsaccordingly.
Healthybody
Cleanmind
Tidycode
Onlyoneoftheseismandatory.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 92
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 93
Allplayersarealigned
ChaoticEvil
Theywillgleefullyandwilfullybreakeverything.
Onceyouembracethis,itssurprisinglyeasytoreduce
yourgameplaybugcountduringBeta.Especiallyifyouve
letthemdothistoyourpreciousbabybeforeAlpha.Or
evenbetterattheendofeachSprint.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 94
HUBRIS
Lookitup.
Because its a powerful word and just one of a great many in the English language that can
help you articulate yourself efficiently and effectively. But mostly because it is one of the
most repugnant qualities of many a games student or graduate and has no place in a team.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 95
Yourcolleaguesandfacultywill
mostlikelybeyourdoorwayinto
theindustry.
Whatdotheythinkofyou?
Leaveaprofessionalandlastingimpression.
Theyreyourfirstreferees,eitheronpaperorviawordofmouth.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 96
CurrentEvents
Willimpactyourworkonewayoranother.Knowwhattheyare.
Strivetounderstandtheworldandusethatunderstandingto
makeyourgamesmoreinteresting,accurate,insightfulor
challenging.Amyopicworldviewlimitscreativity.
Alwaysknowwhichaudience
youredevelopingfor.
Preferablybeforethegame
conceptisfinished.
Otherwiseyouwillhaveahardtimemarketingyourgameandearning actualmoney.
Asopposedtotheoreticalmoney.
Whichonlyhasvalueifyoualreadyhavevastquantitiesofactualmoney,apparently.
ThatsCapitalismforya.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 97
Ifyouarentfailingatleasta
portionofwhatyoudo,thenyou
arentpushingyourselfhard
enough.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 98
Whatisyourgreatestweakness??
Badanswers:
Ihaventgotany
Iamaperfectionist
Youare!
Chocolate*
Goodanswer:
Fromyourperspective,IguessitsthefactthatIdont
havemuchworkexperience.Butletmetellyouaboutthe
projectsIhaveworkedoninandoutsideofuniversity
*Iseriouslyusedtosaythisininterviews.Butitwasalwaysfollowedbysomethingrealand
relevanttotheinterviewer,thatallowedmetoshowhowIwasgrowingprofessionally.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 99
Shutupandlisten.
Reallylisten.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 100
Ifgamedevelopmentisn't
YOURPASSION
andyouthinkit'stediousandboringafterall,
pickanewindustryimmediately.
Wewontjudgeyou.OK,wellmaybejustalittlebit.
Buthonestly:Itsyourlife.Youneedtoliveit.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 101
My name is Kaye Elling, Im a grizzled veteran of nearly 13 years of game
development in the UK. Ive developed on pretty much every game console
from the PS1 to the Xbox 360, as a Character Artist, Art Lead, Art Manager, and
Project Manager. Some of the companies where I have worked include Gremlin
Interactive, Sony Computer Entertainment, and Blitz Games Studios where I
shipped many games in the Premier Manager series, the Bratz series, helped
out on Formula 1 and had a whole ton of games canned before release
including some **really good ones I still cant tell you about**. In 2008 I got
tired of the volatile nature of the industry and went to teach at the University of
Bradford. Shortly afterwards the coalition government was elected and started
to decimate that sector too. I am very sorry about this, and it is probably not all
my fault. The games courses that I run at Bradford University cover games art
and game design, and many of the survivors of these courses go on to lead rich
and fulfilling lives. Some of them even in the games industry at places like
Frontier, Climax, Ninja Theory, Jagex, Lionhead and EA. If you are interested in
studying on one of our games courses at Bradford (we have games code courses
too but I dont do code), you can contact ugadmissions@scim.brad.ac.uk,
because direct contact with me is best avoided unless you can appease my
capricious nature with chocolate, LOLcats or live puppy webcams. Especially
when marking.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013 102
@sinisteragent
@JurieOnGames
@infoxicated
@caiitlinz
@one_page_design
@barog
@Er0_0
@asianastroboy
@BaronLez
Andrew Crawshaw
Davil Wilson
@notch
@jsummers79
Kim Pallister
RL Mllenkramer
Tyler Coleman
John Harris
Ernest Adams
@EdStern
@aa_miller
@Ozmills
Beau MeloRobinson
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
Thankstothefollowingpeopleforaddingtheirthoughtstohelpthis51things
become100thingsandhopefullyevenmorehelpful.SorryifIvemissedanyone!
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