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我所学到的关于游戏开发的20件事

发布时间:2017-01-10 17:37:54 Tags:,,,,

作者:Laralyn McWillams

每一年当福布斯的《30位30岁以下名人》的游戏行业专版发行时,便会有各种各样围绕着这一内容的评论出现。我认为不管是一般名单还是特殊名单都不错,但是我更想看到该列表中包含所有年龄层的各种不同人士。而这也让我不禁好奇“50位50岁以上的人士”列表会是怎样的,即有多少像我这样的人还留在这个产业中继续热衷于创造游戏。

Forbes(from weixin)

Forbes(from weixin)

在自己的52岁之际,我很高兴仍然留在这里,不管是在游戏领域还是这个世上。而作为一个游戏开发领域中已经年过半百的人,我不禁想要和你们分享我在过去这些年里所学到的20件最重要的事。

所有的这些教训都是来自我所犯的错以及从中吸取的经验教训(有时候不止一次)。

1.在你的公司中发行你一开始所创造的游戏,至少要发行一款游戏,除非你所面对的情况是真正难以承受的。

2.紧随市场的脚步。这非常有帮助。去尝试不同类型的游戏,不要只是玩那些你喜欢的类型。观看视频并浏览游戏新闻,如此你便能够更加熟悉那些你没有机会玩的游戏。

3.紧随工具和技术的更新,即使这只是你的业余爱好。即使你是负责管理也不要让自己的创造技能生锈。

4.游戏产业很有趣也不那么正式。这里很重视热情。但同时也不要忘记这也是一项业务。不要因为老板的三言两语而忘记这一点。

5.不要让更高的薪资或有名的项目成为你的唯一动力。人生苦短。如果你有机会带给自己乐趣,就一定要去把握这一乐趣。

6.不要被独立开发所诱惑,除非你确定自己真能发行一些内容,或者你拥有关于某一工具或技术的宝贵经验。如果你没有任何可展示的内容,那么要想从失败的独立开发中脱身是很困难的事。

7.你所热衷的项目可能会被砍掉。这可能伤透你的心。你可以想办法去挽留它,但如果实在没有回旋余地的话要学会放手。毕竟你也会重新热衷于你的下一款游戏。

8.从“我创造的是我所感兴趣的游戏”变成“我对创造游戏感兴趣”。热爱你的创作。这会让你变得更加灵活且更愿意去接受那些特殊的游戏和机遇。

9.清楚自己的优势和劣势,当面对选择时,即使它并不有趣也能够想办法完成它。始终将任务分配给最擅长该任务的人,最终你将能够获得一款更出色的游戏。

10.游戏产业并不鼓励将个人成就置于团队意识之前。但同时也不要低估你自己的贡献与价值。

11.至少一年创造一款游戏。尝试游戏jam或Ludum Dare。

12.每一年都通过玩你的10大游戏列表中的一款游戏去庆祝你的游戏开发周年纪念日,始终牢记自己为什么在这里以及为什么热爱游戏。

13.找到或创造一个关于志趣相投的开发者社区。如果你较内向,也可以尝试Skype聊天,论坛或Slack等平台。但千万不要始终坚持一个人待着。

14.说出你的理念和计划。即使你的理念遭到攻击也不要扭转枪头,但不管怎样也必须确保这些理念符合逻辑且足够客观,并支持最优秀的理念(游戏邦注:不只是自己的理念)。

15.不要否认自己的犯错。公开承认它们,即使是在访谈中。错误是值得我们学习的。所以不要避开它们也不要否认它们,否则你将只会停滞不前。

16.如果你是管理层人员,不要为了提高自己的拥有感而抢占别人作品的所有权。这么做最终只会让你们双方都受挫。

17.永远都不要觉得自己是个专家,即使你真的是专家。我们的工作总是包含许多创造性。你需要不时提醒自己真正认清自己在说些什么。

18.拥有自己的兴趣爱好,即使那只是关于游戏开发。当你的项目进入白热化时,转身去做自己感兴趣的事。将游戏项目想成是自己可以100%控制的东西,但是千万不要想着完全控制项目中的一切事宜。

19.每一年都要使用自己的带薪休假。即使是在忙碌的时候,并提前做好计划。这不仅能让你好好休息,也能让你在之后更有动力地继续执行工作。

20.明确问题并专注于解决方法。如果你比起解决方法你更关心问题,你的工作,团队以及你对于自己职业的看法便会遭受到负面影响。

只列出这20点内容其实有点困难,因为在过去这些年里我犯过许许多多错误。我也从中获得了学习,但说实话我其实也在面对着更多全新的错误。也许我能够带给你们的最大建议便是:不要害怕尝试。你应该开放自己的心灵并永远不要停止学习与进步。

本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转发,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

Twenty Things I’ve Learned About Game Development

by Laralyn McWillams

Every year when it’s released, there’s a variety of commentary around Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for games. I think lists in general are fine and that list in particular is also fine, but I’d love to see a greater variety of folks of all ages highlighted in lists and articles. It prompted me to think about what a “50 over 50″ list might look like, and how many of folks like me are still left in the industry, actively making games.

I’m looking ahead at turning 52 this year, and all things considered, I’m glad to still be here–both here in games, and here on earth. Thinking about what it means to be over fifty in game development prompted me to tweet a list of what I consider the twenty most important things I’ve learned over the years.

All of these lessons came from making mistakes and learning from them–sometimes more than once. They are in no particular order.

1.Ship what you start, and at least one game with a company. Never leave without shipping a game unless the situation is absolutely unbearable.

2.Stay current on the market–constantly. Yes, it’s a lot of work. Play all kinds of games, not just your favorite kind. Watch videos and read game news so you’re familiar with games you haven’t had a chance to play.

3.Stay current on tools and technology, even if it’s at home and as a hobby. Don’t let your building skills get rusty even if you get into management.

4.The game industry feels fun and informal. It focuses on passion. Never forget that this is a business. Don’t let your bosses convince you that it’s not.

5.Don’t let higher salaries or famous projects be your only driver. Life is too short. If you have an opportunity to be happy, seize it and never let go.

6.Don’t be seduced by the siren call of going indie unless you’re certain you’ll ship something, or you’ll gain valuable experience in a tool or technology. It’s hard to come back from a failed indie endeavor if you have nothing to show for it.

7.A project you love will get cancelled. It will break your heart. Fight to try to save it but when push comes to shove, let it go. You’ll love the next game too.

8.Make the shift from “I make games I’m interested in” to “I’m interested in making games.” Love your craft. It makes you more flexible, more open to unusual games and opportunities.

9.Be very aware of your own strengths and weakness and, when given the choice, take the task you can knock out of the park even if it’s less interesting. Always give tasks to the person who’s best at them, and you’ll end up with a better game.

10.The game industry discourages individual pride in your work in favor of team recognition. Don’t undervalue your own contributions and worth.

11.Make your own games at least once a year. Try a game jam or Ludum Dare. There’s no substitute for going hands on, solo, on a time limit.

12.Celebrate your game dev anniversary every year by playing a game in your top 10 list. Remind yourself why you’re here and why you love games.

13.Find or develop a community of like-minded developers. If you’re introverted, it can be a shared Skype chat, a forum, or on Slack. Don’t go it alone.

14.Speak out with your ideas and plans. Stick to your guns when those ideas come under fire–but be logical and objective about ALL ideas and back the best, not just your own.

15.Don’t hesitate to own your mistakes. Talk about them openly, even in interviews. Mistakes are how we learn. Dodge or deny them, and you’ll stagnate.

16.Don’t ever take away someone else’s ownership in their work just to increase your own sense of ownership–especially if you’re a manager. You’ll disenfranchise that person and probably drop the ball anyway. You’ll both end up frustrated.

17.You’ll never feel like the expert in the room, even when you are. Our work involves too much innovation to get comfortable even in your own experience. Remind yourself sometimes that you really DO know what you’re talking about.

18.Get a hobby, even if it’s solo game dev. When things get tense over the direction for your project, dive into that hobby. Embrace it as something you can control 100%, and let go of that urge to control everything for the project.

19.Use all of your PTO, every year. Insist on it even in busy years, and plan ahead. Take it in big enough chunks that it gives you a break, so you can come back and view your project and work more objectively.

20.Identify problems but focus on solutions. If you become more about problems than solutions, that negativity infects your work, your team, and how you think about your career.

Paring this down to just twenty items was challenging, because I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years. Yes, I learned from them, but the honest truth is that I simply moved on to all sorts of new mistakes. My biggest piece of advice not on this list: don’t be afraid to take chances. Keep your mind and heart open, and you’ll never stop learning and growing.(source:gamasutra

 


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