{"id":44105,"date":"2018-02-04T01:13:51","date_gmt":"2018-02-04T08:13:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.taterboy.com\/blog\/2018\/02\/working-in-games\/"},"modified":"2018-02-04T01:13:51","modified_gmt":"2018-02-04T08:13:51","slug":"working-in-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taterboy.com\/blog\/2018\/02\/working-in-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Working in Games"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Artwork by Kinman\u00a0Chan<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Interviews from seven designers and artists working in the game\u00a0industry<\/h4>\n

As a young designer, I am always curious about the role of design in the ever-evolving landscape of games. While the resources on this subject matter are lacking, it is something that I think certain key designers are attempting to\u00a0change.<\/p>\n

In the pursuit of answers, I was fortunate enough to have talked to seven designers and artists who come from all over the game industry. From working at indie game studios to mobile and PC, I asked them about their experience in games, how it compared to working outside of games, and what keeps them going\u00a0today.<\/p>\n

What makes the games industry\u00a0unique?<\/h3>\n

There are nuances to every industry that help define their experiences accordingly.<\/p>\n

John Treviranus, a game designer behind Duelyst<\/a> at Counterplay Games<\/a>, says one of the biggest differences that helps the game industry stand out is the large media focus. Many forms of secondary content have popped up around games, such as the growing stage for e-Sports, forums and sites dedicated to game content, and media coverage specifically for game releases.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, Twitch<\/a> UX Designer Sang Lee says that a major contributing factor is the customer that you\u2019re serving. \u201cGamers as a demographic are more technical and detail-oriented,\u201d he explained. \u201cThey get really invested in a particular niche and have a lot more passion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGamers as a demographic are more technical and detail-oriented,\u201d he explained. \u201cThey get really invested in a particular niche and have a lot more passion.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Gamers in the world that have invested hundreds of hours in playtime?\u2014?developing guides and techniques to conquer content?\u2014?demonstrate this very well. Often times, because of their constant proximity and interaction with the product, the player ends up gaining more familiarity with it than some of its creators.<\/p>\n

But what about working for the industry as an employee? I discussed four key aspects of work with the designers: culture, process, priorities, and the\u00a0network.<\/p>\n

The Culture<\/h3>\n

Unsurprisingly, culture was the biggest point of discussion. The most pointed-to benefit of working in the game industry (as someone who identifies as a gamer) was being around other people who play games. These days, it\u2019s rare to find someone working at companies like Riot or Blizzard that does not share some form of appreciation for\u00a0them.<\/p>\n

Alicia Loring, UX Designer at Riot Games<\/a>, explained that they build a very specific culture. Riot seeks to actively hire people who are both passionate about games and are core gamers, which she defines as people who intentionally make time to play games. As a result, people bond over shared experiences, a common ground that guarantees having memories of playing similar titles and facing the same problems.<\/p>\n

One of the memorable highlights from my interviews involved Sean Chang from Pocket Gems explaining the story of having moved from Taiwan to work in America. He observed that working at an earlier Google-funded start-up, topics of conversation ranged from government and politics to TV dramas. After switching to work in the game industry, he was able to geek out with people who had played the same games as him, discussing game milestones and experiences. Having this common interest helped him feel significantly less isolated.<\/p>\n

Christina Nguyen, previously a designer for Blizzard Entertainment<\/a> and Twitch, said that being surrounded by people who play games just makes you feel more comfortable in general. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to have everyone have a shared passion. It\u2019s a true, discernible difference,\u201d she said. Not only does it help motivate you with your work, being able to align with people on common goals makes it easier to work together. This shared, unified vision is important towards getting everyone\u2019s buy-in for the final\u00a0product.<\/p>\n

John shared that when working for indie studios like Counterplay, each person participates in the process and is a game designer. Their creative agency empowers their work ownership, a huge point of satisfaction with the release of the final\u00a0product.<\/p>\n

Additionally, there is more room for creative freedom overall. \u201cI came from a place where people might find the products something they have to use to get something done. And that makes sense. But it\u2019s nice to know that you\u2019re designing something where you\u2019re bringing the delight. It\u2019s not just a service, it\u2019s something they truly enjoy,\u201d Christina said.<\/p>\n

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Sang added that because games are a form of entertainment, working in the industry also means being around a lot of personalities. These fun interactions filter down through the company, whether in chats or meetings. As a designer, you are encouraged to polish the creative details in your work?\u2014?small things like hiding memes in the source code for people to find. Whereas most businesses just want the product to work, the designer focuses on creating the delight within the product that players ultimately stick around\u00a0for.<\/p>\n

The Work\u00a0Process<\/h3>\n

Every company has their specific work process, so no studio operates exactly the same. Christina explained that on her old team at Blizzard, they relied on the traditional waterfall approach which evolves as different stakeholders become involved. Much of the user testing and user experience design is left to the team\u2019s discretion. On the other hand, she said companies like Twitch operate in an agile environment, relying on iterative design processes and user testing to inform much of their\u00a0work.<\/p>\n

Similarly, Riot also works in an agile environment as this is common to most modern software development teams. Alicia shared that the inherently interdisciplinary nature of the work creates the challenge of utilizing all of the different team players involved, and their talents. While the more granular processes are left up to each respective discipline, Riot operates in a way that allows them to pivot and move forward with\u00a0speed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe care about and obsess over every part of the player experience. From your first game to your thousandth win, from installation to player support to esports broadcasts?\u2014?every interaction point matters.\u201d?\u2014?Riot Manifesto<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At Counterplay, John explained that the high level workflow involves a weekly stand-up where everyone checks in with what they\u2019ve done and what they will do. This allows for productive meetings and room for autonomy, making work life balance great for him personally. He caveated this saying that although this structure benefits independent people, it is worse for junior designers who might need more guidance.<\/p>\n

From a design perspective, there is not as much room for UX in games yet since the traditional game development approach relies on all team members to collectively contribute to the user experience, regardless of their role. As game companies continue to grow, I hope to see more weight on defined UX\u00a0roles.<\/p>\n

Regardless of the method, these game companies are seeking the same thing: deliver what the users want. In these environments, employees must balance the encouragement for innovation and the clash of their visions defined in the name of the player. Because every employee has a hand in the experience and is a gamer themselves, teamwork and collaboration are the pillars for progression.<\/p>\n

The Priorities<\/h3>\n

Designers spoke to many different aspects of their work when it came down to the focus. But across the board, designer or artist, everyone seeks to make the end-product fun and enjoyable.<\/p>\n

Christina explained that factoring in a sense of delight matters in the industry. Players have built up certain expectations regarding the tone of gaming products. Little recognizable references to other game experiences go a long way. A couple great examples include products like Discord or Twitch\u2014 they inject personality into the tiny details that players are so fond\u00a0of.<\/p>\n

Blizzard and Riot incorporate this in their game development as well, making sure to spend extra time thinking through the little interactions and gearing up for major events like April\u00a0Fool\u2019s.<\/p>\n

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Blizzard\u2019s old April Fool\u2019s joke for Heroes of the\u00a0Storm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the Pocket Gem designers, a huge focus is on great ideas and responding to feedback. Senior Concept Artist Kinman Chan attributed Pocket Gems\u2019 success to their ability to respond well to player feedback and rapidly incorporate it into their games. He highlights that for them, teamwork is of utmost importance, and some of that collaboration comes from users. Sean added that that was how Pocket Gems eventually evolved their games into unique experiences, by constantly listening to the community and having great community managers to moderate the conversation.<\/p>\n

For John, the timeline is important because of their live servers. This means he works with a content release pipeline with a defined time cycle that then resets. In that four week time period, his job is to think through what new content can be added to the game that players will enjoy. He considers mechanics and the high-level aesthetic vision, but most importantly concentrates on the story of the experience, visualizing how a player will react after the first and following impressions. In designing new content, the goal is to get every person at Counterplay to share the same\u00a0vision.<\/p>\n

The Network<\/h3>\n

In such a competitive industry, networking is crucial. Pocket Gems UI Designer Cecilia Peng said, \u201cNetworking is very important because the community is very small.\u201d To some extent everyone knows each other, which is why internal referrals are the most common way roles are\u00a0filled.<\/p>\n

On a positive note, Christina said that for people trying to learn more about the industry, gamers are generally friendly towards outreach. Much of it has to do with the subject matter. Because people are passionate about games, it\u2019s easy to connect with others and talk about what they\u00a0enjoy.<\/p>\n

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The games industry also hosts a ton of events, one of the most well-known being the Game Developer\u2019s Conference<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s really cool to hear all of the things people are working on and how other studios do things,\u201d Alicia commented.<\/p>\n

Games as\u00a0Work<\/h3>\n

In speaking to all of these designers, one takeaway was certain?\u2014?working in games has been a truly fun experience for them. Not only that, being able to care about the products on a personal level and empathizing well with the end-user go a long way towards building great experiences. Working with other gamers in the industry means geeking out with them and sharing experiences outside of\u00a0work.<\/p>\n

But the darker side is that it\u2019s true working in games is extremely<\/em> competitive. The industry is littered with people who are truly passionate and care about their products. Game studios build world-class teams to create experiences that become hallmarks in game history. That means people are working around the clock to deliver quality on time. The amount of polish that goes into these products is no joke, and this often means going into overtime.<\/p>\n

Alicia gave a last bit of great advice for designers seeking entrance into the world of games in general that I want to pass\u00a0on:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Don\u2019t let the tools define you.<\/strong> You define the tools. Use what you\u2019re comfortable with, and learn to adapt when necessary. Take the time to prioritize what skills you will need for the job, how best to tackle it, and pivot when necessary. Don\u2019t be overly concerned with what you\u2019re using<\/em> to get there, but\u00a0how.<\/em><\/li>\n
  2. If you\u2019re just starting out, follow your passion but reject the notion that anyone has to specialize in anything.<\/strong> Try everything <\/em>out, see what works for you. While you\u2019re young and have time, it\u2019s better to be flexible and open-minded to new opportunities. Oftentimes the best fit for you can be elusive simply because you never knew of its existence.<\/li>\n
  3. Focus on your craft and people that you work with<\/strong>. Find that one skill that you are truly great at and work on honing it. Surround yourself with talented people that you can collaborate and throw ideas around with. That will be how you truly achieve measurable growth.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In terms of design growth, there has been increasing dedication to user experiences within games or around game-centered products. One of my personal hopes is to see more dedicated UX roles being defined at game studios, and more female faces in the largely male-dominated tech industry.<\/p>\n

    Being able to discuss the industry as a whole with these amazingly talented designers has only affirmed my love for it even more. If you\u2019d like to contribute your own thoughts on the matter, feel free to reach out to me at t tmea@teachang.com. I\u2019d love to grow the amount of resources out there for young designers looking into\u00a0games.<\/p>\n

    Get to know the names behind\u00a0games:<\/h3>\n

    Below you can find more information on the talented people I interviewed.<\/p>\n

    Alicia Loring<\/strong>, UX Designer at Riot\u00a0Games<\/a><\/p>\n

    Christina Nguyen<\/strong> (@stfu__christina<\/a>), Designer at Guilded<\/a> previously at Blizzard<\/a> and\u00a0Twitch<\/a><\/p>\n

    Cecilia Peng<\/strong>, UI Designer at Pocket\u00a0Gems<\/a><\/p>\n

    John Treviranus<\/strong><\/a> (@JohnVTrev<\/a>), Game Designer at Counterplay Games<\/a><\/p>\n

    Kinman Chan<\/strong><\/a>, Sr. Concept Artist at Pocket\u00a0Gems<\/a><\/p>\n

    Sang Lee<\/strong><\/a>, UX Designer at\u00a0Twitch<\/a><\/p>\n

    Sean Chang<\/strong>, UI Designer at Pocket\u00a0Gems<\/a><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \n

    Working in Games<\/a> was originally published in Cup of Tea<\/a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.<\/p>\n

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    Artwork by Kinman\u00a0Chan Interviews from seven designers and artists working in the game\u00a0industry As a young designer, I am always curious about the role of design in the ever-evolving landscape of games. While the resources on this subject matter are lacking, it is something that I think certain key designers are attempting to\u00a0change. In the… Read the full article…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":44106,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[174,377],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-games-media","category-gaming"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t