Building Better Games

Steve Bromley, a games user research consultant, joins Ben and Aaron to discuss the importance of user research in game development. He emphasizes the need for teams to understand their target players and their needs, and to integrate player insights throughout the development process. He also highlights the value of early playtesting and the benefits of engaging with real players rather than rely...

Paul Gebel, a product leader with over 20 years of experience, joins Aaron and Ben to discuss the importance of product management in game development. They explore the difference between good and bad product managers, the challenges of the role, and the impact a great product manager can have on a team. They also touch on the need for empathy, communication, and a focus on value in product manage...

Join us in this enlightening episode where Serge Knystautas, a seasoned technologist with extensive experience in the gaming industry, dives into the art of crafting outstanding live services and assembling stellar technology teams. As a leader in game development, Serge brings a wealth of knowledge to the table, discussing the intricate challenges unique to game development, the necessity for ong...

Communication challenges are a common concern in game development studios, but are they the real root issue? In this episode, Aaron and Ben argue that the crux lies in collaboration and the intended outcomes of communication. It's not just about relaying information; it's about the response and actions it triggers. The hosts caution against an excess of documentation and unproductive meetings and...

In this episode, Aaron and Ben address the prevailing frustration and cynicism within the game development industry concerning Agile methodologies. They stress the importance of acknowledging the evolving landscape, characterized by a shift from defined to empirical work methods. To facilitate this transition, they introduce the concept of the Six Parameters: Innovation Needed, Uncertainty, Rate o...

In this episode, Aaron and Ben delve into their winning model for exceptional game production, highlighting the skills that define successful production. Their perspective: leadership, influence, and systems building are the pivotal yet often overlooked skills to acquire for the "Game Producer" role.   Discover the essence of production, which extends beyond mere planning, focusing on force multip...

In this episode, Ben and Aaron delve into the critical role of game production and shed light on common misconceptions and pitfalls often encountered by producers. The discussion uncovers three distinct categories of production traps: suboptimizers, unskilled supporters, and the actively dangerous. Ben and Aaron underscore the importance of steering clear of these pitfalls and emphasize the signif...

Aaron and Ben discuss the challenges of poor management practices in the gaming industry. They explore the lack of transparency, the flawed promotion system, and the need for managers to prioritize their role as people managers. They introduce four principles of being a good boss: growth, integrity, accountability, and advocacy. They emphasize the importance of investing time and effort into effec...

Ben and Aaron discuss the importance of understanding where your game falls on the live service spectrum and how that impacts your development process. They emphasize the need to build live service stewardship into the culture of your teams and train new employees to think about the live service. They also stress the importance of setting clear expectations with players and communicating openly wi...

"Most of the failures in any project that I've ever been on have been due to lack of communication, lack of coordination, lack of respect for other people, overemphasis on procedure, as opposed to being able to react elegantly to changes in the situation that you're in." - Jim Benson   This quote is from our guest on today's episode Jim Benson, who has extensively studied why people struggle to co...

When it comes to saving money, working efficiently or creating value for players, what should take priority in game dev? No matter what your opinion is, tools are a possible solution to all of these problems.   In this episode, we're joined by Jean-Eric Khalife, product manager at Hypixel Studios, to talk about what happens when tools are overlooked or used poorly, and when they shouldn't be used....

There was an unusually high number of low-quality games released in 2022, and we think we know why.   The disconnect between the money and development sides often lead to rushed deadlines and games that don't live up to their promises, resulting in an oversaturated market and subpar products in competition with each other. That's why we have Joel McGinnis on this episode to help us discuss this to...

Is your organization struggling with making decisions, from a lack of consensus or clarity on who the key decision makers are, or something else entirely? The RAPID decision-making framework might be your solution.   Joining us on this episode to discuss the RAPID Decision-Making Matrix is Linda Fane, a consultant, coach and organizational expert in games. We start by going over the scale of decis...

Having opposing views from your team or struggling to communicate with senior leaders and stakeholders are just a couple of common issues game producers have when trying to make changes to improve the game dev process. That's why it's crucial for leaders to understand what it takes to drive change in a positive direction, and to make sure everyone is on board.   First up in this episode, senior ga...

AI is on the tip of everyone's tongue right now. You've probably seen headlines in the news, on social media, maybe even heard conversations in the workplace. So, what's the big deal with AI, and how does it affect game dev?   In this episode of Building Better Games, AI expert Bill Frischling defines AI and what it's currently capable of doing. He also explains the limitations of artificial intel...

What defines cheating in games? Is it exploiting existing bugs, using automation or macro tools? What about installing third-party mods that unlock special features in the game?   Building Better Games is joined by game developer and anti-cheat expert, Paul Chamberlain, on this episode to discuss cheating and creating an anti-cheat strategy. Cheating is inevitable, but there ARE ways to mitigate i...

Things like meetings, reports and team structure are in place to help the game dev process go smoother, and create cohesion among team members. But are these work systems actually having a positive effect? If not, you probably have an alignment issue.   In this episode, we dive into this topic and offer tips to build a system that inspires autonomy, creativity, and effective decision making. You'l...

The truth is, most people underestimate how long a task will take. This is especially true in game dev, where new developments and problems are inevitable even with the guidance of a roadmap.   During this episode, the hosts of Building Better Games dive into the misuse of roadmaps and 5 key areas leaders should focus on more. We discuss prioritization, rate of discovery, managing expectations of...

"It's cheap to have opinions. It's hard to have informed opinions. It's really, really hard to be an expert who's researched something."   This episode of Building Better Games concludes our two-part series on Web3, wrapping up our conversation with game dev leaders Susan Cummings and Ryan Scott. Along with hosts Ben and Aaron, they highlight the importance of exploring the value of Web3 for games...

Web3 is the next generation of the internet, and it's already having an effect on the gaming industry. There's a lot of opinions floating around, but one thing the hosts of Building Better Games and today's guest can agree on is that player value needs to be leading the conversation.   Joining Ben and Aaron on the show today to discuss Web3 is Susan Cummings, CEO of Petaverse, and Ryan Scott, a ve...

What does it mean to really drive change? How do you effectively bring up problems with leadership? How do you say no when others want too much from you? What do you do when no one cares about the issues you bring up?   Get answers to these questions and MORE in today's episode! In addition, you'll hear our advice on being an active leader, rather than a passive leader that lets problems go unsolv...

Choose any issue, and you'll find people with differing perspectives. This is inevitable but yet, in the gaming industry, having an opinion that's not in line with current workplace trends is condemned. But why can there only be one way to do things?   Discussing this topic with us today is Joseph Kim, a longtime gamemaker and leader with a resume that includes Sega and Leila Games. He shares his...

Game development is defined by creative work, and for leaders, sometimes that means ditching the old framework and coming up with nuanced approaches to common issues. This is especially true when it comes to estimations.   During this episode, we'll answer these key questions on this topic: How do you explain estimation to your team, and give them confidence that it's actually useful? How do you k...

If you've listened to episode 21, How not to Lose Your Game Vision on the Altar of "Getting Shit Done," then you've heard us talk about the pressure on teams to rush through the game development process.   This is just one problem that arises when game dev leaders try to adopt the system development life cycle method without leaving room for the creativity and flexibility the industry requires.  ...

Remote work has completely transformed the way we work on teams and communicate with each other. Leadership still has many of the same responsibilities, but the way they can successfully accomplish them has changed.   During this final part of Building Better Games 's series on remote work, you'll learn the necessary skills remote work leaders need to keep company culture at the forefront of an or...