Is middleware replacing talented, creative developers? Is everything becoming mass produced?

Echo’s of this are happening now. Game Engines like Unreal Engine 3 are the Victorian machines, drone artists who can produce 3D facsimile of concept art, level designers following tried and trusted methods, managers who follow methodologies, anyone being trained in how to do one specific interchangeable job without thought. It’s an easy life but ultimately there’s a lot of people who can get that far up the career ladder very quickly, and for much less pay.

If there’s one thing I hate, it’s receiving an automated reply from a small business, in particular one that’s supposed to connect with me as a person. OK, I’ll confess I’m having a rant about recruitment agencies, which is a pretty dangerous thing to do when you’re looking for work.

I have a special hatred for ones that pretend to be from a person. I know you’re not there due to the nature and content of your email so the “personal touch” is just lost. There’s no name, there’s nothing.

Also, PLEASE don’t direct me to a web-site to fill in my details. If you’re too busy to even bother to talk to me in the first place and find out about me then I know for definite you won’t “process” my CV in a meaningful way and you definitely won’t find me something that’s relevant.

There’s one fundamental point, I know you only get paid when I find a job! In the modern world I have many means of finding work but I recognise that the recruitment role is important and can make a real difference.

My point is, there are recruiters out there who maintain the personal touch and they succeed and get my vote every time.

When I get back to recruiting, which I will, I will absolutely focus on the agencies who I had the best experience with from both sides.

Make it personal, make the candidate feel like you have their best interests at heart and you’re not just looking  for your next 10%.

What’s your experience been like? Recommendations? Story to tell? Keep in touch.

Has your business hit a glass ceiling?

Business roles arise and distil over time placing more specialised demands on your skills.  Operations Manager, Creative Director, Technical Director, Art Director, Finance Director, Development Director, Managing Director, Business Development, Human Resources, IT, Marketing etc. all grow in significance as your business grows.

What happens later is that the business demands more than one person’s potential enables them to deliver and the business hits a glass ceiling. Your business can only be as strong as that of the weakest link in the chain.

Here at @Gamelinchpin we like to clear some of the fog surrounding the more complex business of making games.

Negotiating contracts can be tough, and there’s a lot to think about but don’t let some of the most important elements slip you by. Getting these right can make the difference between scraping by and living well and it’s not easy if you lack experience but we’re here to help.

I’ll start by going through some common elements of royalty clauses.

Every new project starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point-really hard, and not much fun at all. And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle.

Are you a finisher?

You’re probably at Alpha and the hard work really starts now, it’s time to stop tinkering, tweaking and adding features and it’s time to ship it. Remember, the later in the project you add a feature the more it costs and the riskier it is. Remember that feature that you added in Month 1? It’s been well and truly tested against everything else in the game, the new feature you added this morning is just waiting to explode.
Post Alpha – resist change. Test it, fix it, balance it, polish it and you’re done. Save your ideas for the next one, it’ll be bigger and better anyway.

Send me a link to what you’re passionate about, your game, business or anything! I’d love to know what you’re working on.