Professional Documents
Culture Documents
100 Things Every Game Student Should Know
100 Things Every Game Student Should Know
shouldknow
OrThingsthatreallyirkedmewhilemarking
KayeElling
twitter@K_0
2013
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
Vertex(Singular)
Vertices (Plural)
OrVertexes(Plural)
NOT:vertexies,vertise,verities,
verticy,vertisee,vertexs,vertees,
virtons orvirgins.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
Quad:facewith4sides
Triangle:facewith3sides
Polys:canrefertoeither
Polycount:themaximumnumberof
trianglesallowed.Evenifquadsareused.
(Thisisaninitiativetest:RollaD20now.Bonuspointsifyou
knowhowmanytrianglesareinaD20.)
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
Yourportfolioisonlyasgoodas
the
worst pieceofworkinit.
Ifindoubt,leaveitout.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
Polycount:Itsatarget,notalimit:
Ifthebriefrequires15,000
triangles,youwontwinthe
AMAZINGFRUGALITYAWARD
with1500.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
Youmaylovetoplaygames,butthat
doesntmakeyouadeveloper.
Ilovetoeatdinner,butthatdoesntmakemeachef.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
Developersdontsaymobs.
Theysay:
NPC
Enemy
AI
Bot
UnlesstheyreNotch.
AreyouNotch?
Noyouarenot.
OK,developersofMOBA/arena/MUD/dungeongamessaymobs.ButitsnotusedinconsoleorPCdevelopmentsodontuseitthere.
Also:Oneofyouis@notch.**waves**Ihaveatweettoproveit!
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
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
Gamedevelopmentisateamsport
forGeeks.
Thismeanscommunication.
WithgrammarNazis.
thedifferentwaystheydoneitlikeinthe
gameplayandthescenesadtheprops
isnotcommunicatingandwillincurtheirwrath.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
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
Donotmakethe
viewerdothiswhen
lookingatyourwork
online.
16
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
Yourfirstyearatunishouldbereallytough.
Thisiswhereyoulearnhowtolearn,howto
selfmotivate,andgenerallygetyour****
together.
(makesureyouhaveyour****togetherbytheendofthisyear,or
repeattheprocessatsignificantfinancialcost).
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
17
CROPPING
IS REALLY
IMPORTANT
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
18
Understand
Brightness
&
Contrast
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
19
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
20
IFYOUARENT
CONFIDENTIN
YOURWORK,
ITSHOWS.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
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
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.
DESTROYALDERAAN
BUILDDEATHSTAR
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
34
Nobodygetseverythingright
firsttime.
Noonelikestodoworkmorethanonce,butthatstheonlyway
youcanimproveit!
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
35
<<<Expandyourhorizons>>>
JustbecauseitdoesnthavethewordGAMESinit,doesntmean
itsnotgoingtoinspire,informorbeusefultoyoueverydayfor
therestofyourcreativelife.
Thisisespeciallytrueofnonelectronicinformationsuchas:
Books
Museums
Art
History
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
36
Agoodruleofthumbforselectingworkforyour
portfolioisthis:
Ifsomeonewhodidntknowmesaw
thiswork,wouldtheythinkIwasa
serialkiller?
Somegamesstudiosmakeextremestuff.Byallmeanstargetthesestudios,but
dosoinfullknowledgethatitmightturnotherstudiosoffcompletely.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
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
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SCOPE
Sometimesyoujusthavetoreduceit.
SCOPE
Butbesuretodosoinascalableway.
Otherwiseyouendupdelivering
SCOPE
Whichiscrud.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
48
Ifyourgameideastarts withthestoryitsnot
agameidea.Storiesingamesareoptional.
THEWORLDISADARKPLACE.THE
GOVERNMENTCONTROLSOUR
EVERYMOVE!WHEN
OVERCROWDINGHITSCRITICAL,
THESECRETPOLICEJUST
DISAPPEARUS!ANDALLTHE
WHILEIFEELLIKEIMFALLINGINTO
THEVOIDOFDISPAIR
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
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.
Teamsport,remember?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
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
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Your
degree
Your
Portfolio
Knowwhereyoureaimingyoureffortsatanygiventime.
Ideallyitshouldbehere.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
62
Your
degree
Your
Portfolio
Butyoushouldaimhereifyouarenearingthejobinterviewstage.
Especiallyasyourinterviewermaynothaveadegree.
Someofusarewaaaaaayolderthangamedegrees,ordidntwantorneedadegreetoget
wherewearetoday.
AndthatsOK!
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
63
Your
degree
Your
Portfolio
Ifyoureaiminghere,thatmeansyoudontknowenoughaboutthe
industrytogetajoblater.Andyoureprobablyjusttryingtopass.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
64
Ijustwanttopassthis
Assessmentsarenotkidneystones.
Ifyouthinkaboutthemintheseterms,maybeyoureonthewrongcareerpath?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
65
ONTIME
Means5minutesearly.
Unlessthestakesarereallyhigh,inwhichcaseitmeans24hoursearly.
Oraweekearly.
Pssst.Sometimesdevelopersmakefalseinternaldeadlinestoavoidcalamitysuchasmissed
milestonepayments.Maybeyoucoulddothesameifgraduationisatstake?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
66
m
To:Recruitment@AGamesStudio
CC:Everygamesstudiointhenation
Subject:Ilovewhatyourcompanydoes,and
amaperfectfitforyourstudio.
ORLY?Ifeel*sospecial*
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
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
Creativitycounts!
Ifyoucantbebotheredto:
becreative
strivefororiginalityevenwithinestablishednormsorconstraints
lookbeyondyourinitialidea
actuallyenjoyandactivelywanttodotheabove
Thengetusedtothephrase
Wouldyoulikefrieswiththat?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
75
Denialisnotalearningtool.
Sodontlieinreports.
Wecantell.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
76
imwillingtoprovidemyservicestoimprove
theanimationindustrylevel
Youdorealisethisimpliesyouthinkyourebetterwith0yearsof
experiencethantheyarewithyears?
Thatsnotjustignorant.
Itsdownrightinsulting.
Andgrammaticallywrong,too.
Theaboveremainstrueevenifyouwerekiddingandwaspostedonyoursocial
networksite.Becauseprospectiveemployerscanseethattoounlessyouvesetyour
privacysettingsaccordingly.Well?Haveyou?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
77
Actuallythisisreallyimportant:
Manageyourpublicprofile.
ProspectiveemployerswillGoogleyou.
Whatwilltheyfind?
WhileitisnotpossibletocompletelycontrolyourGoogleresults,youcanhelp
yourselfbykeepingyourpersonalandprofessionallifeseparate.Useprivacy
settingsonyourFacebookpagesandpicturetagsbyfriends,andkeepyourTwitter
trailprofessionalormakeitanonymous.
Neveruseyourpersonalsocialnetworkprofileasa
portfolio:Noonewantstotrawlthroughembarrassing
nightclubphotosofyouwhilesearchingforyourwork.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
78
Observationistheoriginofalllearning.
Playlikeadeveloper
Observe,analyseandinterpretgamesyouplay:
Reverseengineervisualinfluencesintheartdirection
Deconstructanyingameeconomies
Evaluategameplaysuccessesandfailuresobjectively
Analysebugswhenyouencounterthem
Whatdotheyrevealaboutthewaythegamewasmade?
Howcouldtheybeimproved?
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
79
Pre
Production
Production
Youhavetounderstandaprocessbeforeyoucanimplementitproperly:
Relyingontutorialstogetyouthroughproductionmeansyouhavent
finishedpreproduction.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
80
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
SIGNPOSTEVERYTHING
Notliterally!Butingameplayterms,playersneedcues.Soputthemin.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
85
Inindustry,howmanychancesdo
yougettosucceed?
Thetruthis,nobodyknows.
Butitssafetoassumethatevery
chanceistheonlychance. Soact
accordingly.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
86
SpecialistVs.Generalist
Theindustryhasplacesforboth,
butindifferentcontexts.
Whichoneareyou?
Hint:Ifyoudontknow,youarenotaspecialist.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
87
Mathematics:
Notjustforprogrammers!
Geometryismathstoo.Asarestatistics.Andprobability.Andproportion.
Andevenprojectmanagementandbudgeting.Mathsiseverywhereandit
isnthard.Especiallywhenitsapplied.Soletsdebunkthatmythrighthere.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
88
GoingIndieisnteasy.Dontthinkitsthe
shortrouteifyougetrejectedfromalarger
developer.
**triestoquellthetideoffuryfromhardworking,highlyskilledindiedevelopers**
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
89
Youcanneverknowtoo
muchabouthowtouse
Excel.
Becauseitspoweris
ORSM!
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
90
Canyouarticulatethegameplay?
Canyoudoso:
Simply?
Effectively?
Intuitively?
Orisyourtargetdemographicclairvoyantgeniuses?
Ifthatisyourtargetdemographic,adjustyoursalesforecastsaccordingly.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
91
Healthybody
Cleanmind
Tidycode
Onlyoneoftheseismandatory.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
92
Allplayersarealigned
ChaoticEvil
Theywillgleefullyandwilfullybreakeverything.
Onceyouembracethis,itssurprisinglyeasytoreduce
yourgameplaybugcountduringBeta.Especiallyifyouve
letthemdothistoyourpreciousbabybeforeAlpha.Or
evenbetterattheendofeachSprint.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
93
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
94
Yourcolleaguesandfacultywill
mostlikelybeyourdoorwayinto
theindustry.
Whatdotheythinkofyou?
Leaveaprofessionalandlastingimpression.
Theyreyourfirstreferees,eitheronpaperorviawordofmouth.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
95
CurrentEvents
Willimpactyourworkonewayoranother.Knowwhattheyare.
Strivetounderstandtheworldandusethatunderstandingto
makeyourgamesmoreinteresting,accurate,insightfulor
challenging.Amyopicworldviewlimitscreativity.
KayeElling@K_0,Spring2013
96
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
102
Thankstothefollowingpeopleforaddingtheirthoughtstohelpthis51things
become100thingsandhopefullyevenmorehelpful.SorryifIvemissedanyone!
@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
103