Graham Nardone · @SimGuruGraham
18th May 2012 from MetroTwit
.@swwSims Thanks, I meant to watch this awhile ago and completely forgot :) It's accurate in many ways, but I do disagree with a few points. One thing they nailed is that production is different at every studio... I've heard this especially in relation to EA, where we're less schedule focused and more closely tied to the design side. He said producers would balk at the idea of not being emotionally invested in the product, and he was right ;) I'm absolutely emotionally invested; I care a *great* deal about the quality of games we put out. I think the point he was trying to make was right, it was just worded poorly... you can still be emotionally attached while recognizing the need to make the right decisions to keep a project on budget and within scope. He talks a lot about production being a connection between other disciplines, and being the person that enables other developers to have the right info to do their jobs efficiently, and that's totally correct. The other aspect that's just as important to me though is being an advocate for our consumer, and making sure that the game we release as a whole is held to a certain quality standard, in addition to being on time and on budget. That might very well mean cutting a feature we all really love because we know we can't deliver it in the way that we should. Those decisions have to be carefully made to do what's best for the project as a whole, and not from the perspective of features you're emotionally attached to, and that's the point I'd distinguish. Overall though I absolutely love being a producer. It's challenging work, it's constantly engaging, and it allows me to be involved in all sorts of different aspects of development rather than one specialized niche. The point about not just loving games, but loving game development really struck home as well. I'm fascinated by the industry and the overall process; I can't get enough of it. One thing that's really striking to me though, is that five years ago before I'd worked professionally in the industry, I had zero concept of what a producer actually does in game development. None. And this coming from someone who had made it a goal in the previous 15 years to learn and read and work in this industry one day. It really is one of the least understood roles of development amongst the general public. RT @swwSims @SimGuruGraham Does this describe your job well? http://t.co/O42w6Ner I cant imagine the gurus not being emotionally involved with the game!