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阐述男女制作人各自优劣势及改进建议

发布时间:2012-11-06 17:21:46 Tags:,,,,

作者:Hannah Wood

性别差异一直是游戏行业的讨论话题,但这不是本文关注的重点。今天,我们主要调查男性与女性制作人在公司中的角色。普遍观念似乎认为男性比女性更加适应职场。然而,游戏行业有个玩笑却是制作人更像在托儿所工作,即主要扮演女性角色。

本文将讨论男制作人与女制作人各自占据的优势,以及我们可以从中受到哪些启发。

Man vs_ Woman(from alldayjokes.com)

Man vs_ Woman(from alldayjokes.com)

感性或冷漠

Marketing Professionals调查指出,女性在涉及工作领域的情感压力与付出水平远远高于男性。而男性的“冷漠”之情或对待工作与同伴的情感缺失则高于女性。总之,女性在工作与同事上投入的情感似乎多于男性。

该结论让我想起了GDC 2012大会Producer Bootcamp上的一些黄金建议。我们制作人被告知要友善对待团队中的每一位开发者,但不许要求友情回报。制作人应从个人的独特层面理解一起共事的开发者,同时,他们应秉持公正态度,维持自己的客观立场。

对男制作人的建议:让自己变得更加感性。愿意从普通人士与专业人士的角度考虑开发者的需求。

对女制作人的建议:虽然这听起来有点残酷,但有时,一定程度的冷漠之情是可以的,甚至有益!不要过分关爱开发者,否则,你们的关系会对你个人或事业带来压力。

通用建议:充分了解团队成员,将他们当作自己的好友,千万不要让个人情感影响自己的工作,或所作出的决定。

默许或自我

现代心理学指出,女性分泌的荷尔蒙会产生顺从行为。同时研究表明,雄性激素会促进被动行为的产生。另一方面,一般而言男性的特点是过度自我与更加自信。

游戏制作过程并不待见以自我为中心的自信,而默许可能会受到青睐。这让我再次想到了GDC大会提到的有关制作人的残酷事实:“当项目进展顺利时,那是整个团队的功劳。当项目失败时,那就是制作人的责任。”能够无怨无悔地勇于承担过错也许是种超能力。

显然,这并非意味着某个受委屈的制作人应保持沉默,或继续忍受责骂。这种情况下的默许对任何人都没有帮助。当制作人发现传递途径或沟通渠道存在问题时,被动的沉默是毫无帮助的。相反,制作人的职责是缩小并消除任何出现的问题——或者最好将它们扼杀在萌芽阶段。

对男制作人的建议:放下自我心理,在合理的情况下,予以开发者一些赞赏。

对女制作人的建议:相信自己的职权与专业能力。有必要时应大胆说出自己的想法。

通用建议:不要推卸责任。应自信满满地评估问题,快速地制定出决策,而后坚持自己的立场。但你应理解这并非为了自己,而是为了你所制作的游戏。

“通才”或“专才”

大量研究证实,女性更加具备处理多重任务的能力,男性则擅长精通某项任务(游戏邦注:关注单一任务,然后有效执行)。这也是为何通常认为女性更加擅长照顾孩子与处理家庭琐事,而男性则擅长开车这种任务。

制作人应具备处理这两种情况的能力。任何时候,制作人都需面对无数个未处理事件,而且还要解决当前问题。不断转换思想去关注即将发生的问题会分散他们的注意力,中断目前进展。即使这样,制作人还需要识别并记住未来任务。

对男制作人的建议:集中关注某个事项是个优点,但不要将自己局限在单一任务中,否则你会忽视或者遗忘其它任务。

对女制作人的建议:能够处理多个事项是个好事,但不要因此分心,否则你会忽视当前任务。

通用建议:为自己准备一个活期文件,记录下每天、每周等等需要着手进行的任务。在休息时刻,进行心理暗示哪些事情还未完成。但是,在执行每个任务时,应避免自己的“心流”状态被打断。

照料与友好 vs. 战斗或逃跑

众所周知,“战斗或逃跑”是任何动物面对害怕或压力时作出的反应。但我们鲜少知道,女性在面对压力时,可能会选择“照料与友好”这种反应方式。该机制来自于养育需求。通常,女性会倾向于保护身边的人,然后依靠保护性的社会群体对抗恐惧或压力。

在关键时刻,或充满压力时,人类表现出的战斗或逃跑行为其实非常危险。男性可能会更具侵略性,并且会迅速发怒(战斗),或者完全忽视问题(逃跑)。总之,这两种反应方式均不利于团队士气与工作。

女性“照料与友好”的本能反应可能更有利于压力时刻,此时团队成员可能更需要获得他人支持。但过度激烈的表现会产生相反效果。比如,对开发者的过度宽容对他们与项目均无好处。激发争吵的社会群体甚至更加不利于团队士气。

对男制作人的建议:冷静下来。尝试采取温和态度与柔和语气。解决自己面对的问题,引导开发者转移不良情绪,保持冷静。

对女制作人的建议:冷静下来。利用自己的照顾本性支持开发者,但记住,你的专业职责是推动项目进展。所以你应保持所有开发者处于同一标准心态。

通用建议:记住,制作人必须是团队的中流砥柱。尤其在充满压力与痛苦的时刻,开发者需要一位冷静且稳定的上司。即使你也感受到压力,你仍要继续支持团队的项目进展,打破逐渐蔓延的紧张感,缓和压力,不要为众人的紧张情绪增添个人压力。

间接性或言语挑衅

由于社会规范的长期存在,男性与女性会采用不同的方式表达愤怒、压力以及仇恨之情。健康的工作环境中不应该存在战争。然而,由于男性与女性对付愤怒与压力的方法完全不同,他们的冷静方式也大相径庭。

男性在挑衅中倾向直接性的言语攻击,即在工作室中提高说话音量,采用责备式口吻。女性则采用间接方式,即被动式的挑衅方式,比如散播谣言。

对男制作人的建议:应检查自己的说话语气,提高音量只会制造更多问题,而不是解决问题。

对女制作人的建议:应守口如瓶。必须让开发者们信任你。

通用建议:考虑下自己的言辞及音调会给交谈对象带来怎样影响。记住,这最先取决于制作人积极、热情、高效率的工作态度。你还应时常放下自己的负面情绪。

一个制作人的才能体现在他/她的社交互动能力。无论是女性,还是男性,他们并非天生具有管理或领导能力,但他们可以向对方取经。一个优秀的制作人应关于培养他人但不失严格,友好但不偏袒,自信但不自我。一个优秀的制作人应混合了男性与女性的理想特点。最重要的是,一位优秀的制作人应全心全意帮助优秀团队制作出杰出的作品。(本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

Men vs. Women in Game Production Roles

by Hannah Wood

Gender disparity in the games industry has created a long-standing discussion. But that’s not really what this article is about. Instead, let’s examine a much longer standing discussion on the disparity of gender in business roles. There seems to be a pervasive cultural assumption (whether consciously or not) that men are better suited to business than women. However, equally as long-standing is the joke that being a producer in the games industry is much like working at a daycare center, which is predominantly a female role.

This article will discuss the virtues of producers of both genders, and will include lessons for both.

Emotional Exhaustion or Depersonalization

In a survey of Marketing Professionals, women ranked themselves considerably higher in their levels of work-related emotional stress and exhaustion than men. Men ranked higher in levels of “depersonalization” or lack of emotional connection to their work and their peers. In short, women seemed to feel more emotionally attached to both their job and their coworkers than men did.

This conclusion prompts me to recall a bit of golden advice from Producer Bootcamp at GDC 2012. We producers were told to be a friend to every developer on our team, but not to require that they return our friendship. It is important for producers to understand the developers they work with on a personal and individual level, but simultaneously to stay detached enough to maintain their objectivity.

For Men: Allow yourself to become more empathetic. Be willing to account for your developers’ needs as people and as professionals.

For Women: Though the word sounds harsh, some level of depersonalization is okay – even healthy! Do not become so attached to developers that the relationship becomes stressful to you personally, or professionally.

The Main Lesson: Know the members of your team well, and treat them as you would your friends, but do not allow your personal feelings to interfere with your professional role, or your decision-making.

Acquiescence or Ego

Modern psychology suggests women are predisposed to submissive behavior in response to their hormones. Estrogen, studies have shown, promotes passivity. Men, on the other hand, have traditionally larger egos and are more assertive.

Egocentric assertiveness has no place in production roles. Acquiescence might. Again, I’m reminded of a harsh bit of truth for producers that was mentioned at a GDC talk: “When a project does well, it’s the team’s success. When a project fails, it’s your fault.” The ability to take blame without argument or complaint may as well be a super power.

To be clear, this is not to say that a producer who feels mistreated (or who sees others being mistreated) should be silent and allow abuses to continue.  Acquiescence in this sense is beneficial to no one.  Neither is passive silence helpful when a producer notices problems in pipeline or communication channels. On the contrary, a producer’s job requires fining and eliminating any problems as they arise – or better yet, before they begin.

For Men: Put aside your own ego, and give your developers credit where it’s due.

For Women: Be confident in your authority and professional ability. Do not be afraid to speak up when it is needed.

The Main Lesson: Never pass blame. Have enough confidence to evaluate problems and make decisions quickly, then stand firmly by them. But, understand that it’s not about you; it’s about the game you are making.

Multitasking or Task Mastery

Numerous studies have proved women to be more capable of multitasking, and men at task mastery (focusing on a single task and performing it efficiently).  This is why women are generally considered better at childcare and household responsibilities, and men at tasks such as driving.

Producers need the ability to do both. At any given time, producers can have a million things in their head and yet need to focus on current problem solving. Letting the mind wander to other upcoming tasks is severely distracting and will interrupt progress on the current pursuit. Even so, future tasks need to be recognized and remembered.

For Men: Focus is good, but do not let yourself get so caught up in a single task, that others get neglected or forgotten.

For Women: Multitasking is good, but do not become so distracted it prevents you from giving your current task the attention it needs.

The Main Lesson: Keep a living document for yourself that contains every actionable “to do” for the day, week, etc. Allow yourself to make mental note of all these during down periods. However, when acting on each task, do not allow “flow” to be interrupted.

Tend and Befriend vs. Fight or Flight

The “fight or flight” response is the term for a well-known cross-species mechanism for handling fear or stress. Less well known is the “tend and befriend” response that females are sometimes more likely to choose. This mechanism comes from a need to nurture. Females often become protective of those around them and then depend on protective social groupings in response to fear or stress.

During crunch time, or other stressful periods, human manifestations of fight or flight can be dangerous. Men may be more likely to become aggressive and quick to anger (fight) – or begin disregarding issues entirely (flight).  Both responses are extremely detrimental to morale and workflow for the team.

Women’s instinctive urge to “tend and befriend” can be more beneficial during stressful moments when members of the team probably need more support than usual. But such a response can become destructive if manifested too strongly.  For instance, becoming too lenient on developers helps neither them nor the project. Social groupings that stimulate bickering can be even more dangerous to the morale of the team.

For Men: Calm down. Try to adopt a soft temperament and a soothing voice.  Address problems as they come to you, and guide your developers with empathy and calm.

For Women: Calm down. Allow your instinctive need to nurture support your developers, but remember your professional duty to push the project forward. Hold all your developers to a consistent standard.

The Main Lesson: Remember that a producer must be a rock for the team. Especially in times of stress and panic, your developers need a calm and stable anchor. Even if you are feeling the stress (as well you probably should be) your job is to support your team, to break up growing tensions, and to ease the strain without adding personal stresses to the general tension.

Indirect or Verbal Aggressions

Thanks to perpetuated social norms, both men and women have adopted different means of expressing their anger, stress, and animosity. It goes without saying that aggression has no place anywhere in a healthy work environment. However, because men and women differ in the ways they cope with anger and stress, they must use different ways to keep themselves calm.

Men tend to be more direct and verbal in their aggressiveness, which in a studio can translate to raised voices and blameful accusations. Women tend to be more indirect, which translates to passive aggressive maneuvers such as spreading rumors.

For Men: Keep your tone in check. A raised voice will always create more problems than it solves.

For Women: Keep confidences confident. Your developers must be able to trust you.

The Main Lesson: Think of how your words and voice affect those to whom you are speaking. Remember that is first of all up to you, the producer, to stay positive, keeping morale and efficiency high. Always put aside your own negative emotions.

A producer’s talent lies in having skill at social interaction.  Neither women nor men are inherently better at managing or leading people, but each have lessons to learn from the other. A good producer is nurturing but firm, friendly but not emotionally attached, confidant but not egotistical. A good producer is a blend of the ideals of masculinity and femininity. Above all, a good producer is devoted to helping good teams make great games. (source:gamasutra)


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