Resources for video game production

Risk Management: What, Why and How

Risk Management: What, Why and How

Apr 23, 2019

Poor risk management is a common issue behind the three most significant problems facing the industry: crunching, projects going over budget and projects skipping deadlines. However, the use of formal risk management practices seems to divide the industry, with some producers even arguing that risk management does not apply to game development.

In this article, I will explain what risk management is really all about, why it is always necessary, and how to adapt it to your game project.

Producer Interviews – Executive Producer Bernard Yee (Oculus VR)

Producer Interviews – Executive Producer Bernard Yee (Oculus VR)

Jan 19, 2019

I recently had the opportunity to interview veteran game producer Bernard Yee, currently Executive Producer at Oculus and author of one of my favorite GDC talks: “My To-Do List: Organizing a Producer’s work”.

He shared some of his personal experience in the industry and his take on risk management and planning.

On joining the industry and becoming a producer

Leonard: When I checked your LinkedIn profile, it showed that not only did you study law, but you also studied political science. I guess the question is: why did you move to video games, and why game production? What attracted you to the industry and the role?

Project Plans – Why and How

Project Plans – Why and How

Dec 29, 2018

Proper project scheduling is underappreciated in indie and hobbyist developer circles. It is usual to read comments encouraging users just to get started and figure it out as they go. Many people also assume that a formal project plan means your team is going full waterfall – a term that carries some negative connotations in game development, which is one of the reasons behind the crunch culture still prevalent at some studios.  However, traditional project scheduling has an essential place for established game developers and hobbyist that want to take the step up to full-time indie.

In this article, I will explain why project plans, scheduling, in particular, are useful, how to integrate them with modern (agile) development practices, and finally, I will provide a template that readers can download.

Blizzard’s production methodology

Blizzard’s production methodology

Nov 15, 2018

I have just returned from Blizzcon2018, where I had the opportunity to ask a few questions to several Blizzard employees on how their teams work and what project management frameworks they use to develop their content. This article is my humble attempt to stitch their comments, publicly available information (other articles, job postings), my knowledge of modern development and a healthy dose of speculation to give you all a window into how Blizzard creates – in their own words – the most epic entertainment experiences ever.