Reality Panic

I had the distinct honor of being the opening keynote for the GAMEplaces conference, held in Frankfurt mid June. As it’s organized by Frankfurt’s economic development agency, there is a greater focus on the business side of things, and getting industry players to connect with each other, and with local stakeholders.

My lecture focused on the evolving ecosystem of games, from the market/player perspective, as well as the development and business models that are emerging. Also covered barriers to innovation, and how regions can accelerate the process via a tight collaboration between industry, academia and government.

This was my first time to Frankfurt (despite flying through the airport many times), and was surprised by its relatively small size. The massive airport gave me the impression of a similarly large and sprawling city. Anyway. I did get some time to be a tourist and even took in the “Making of Art” exhibition at one of the museums.

Frankfurt is also home to Crytek, which I had the pleasure to visit. Impressive offices, and lots of cool stuff going on! But, I’ve been sworn to secrecy.

Some photos from the trip…

Conference organizer Manuela Schiffner opens GAMEplaces 2009.

 

Nicola Beer, the state secretary for European affairs of the Hessen state government gave the introductory remarks.

 

Silja Gulicher discussed Nintendo’s outreach strategy via book stores…

 

…and Tupperware parties!

 

The Production Panel: Klaas Kersting (Gameforge), Andre Peschke (Krawall), Chris Schmitz (Ubisoft), Ed Zorbist (ASAP Games), Jan Jockel (Keen Games), GAF van Baalen (Ranj).

 

The modern sports stadium right next to the convention center.

 

Frankfurt deputy mayor Markus Frank makes some opening remarks at the dinner reception.

 

Carla Hoekendijk (Hogeschool van Amsterdam) and Eku Wand (Braunschweig University of Art) awaiting their food.

 

Main entrance to the train station.

 

Cool cylindrical building, the Westhafen Tower.

 

Along the Main river.

 

Skater trolls under the bridge…

 

The Dreikonigskirche church across the river.

 

In the Romerberg area (ie, the old city center).

 

More Romerberg.

 

The very old cathedral, under repairs.

 

The Schirn Kunsthalle art museum.

 

Art…

 

Art…

 

Art…

 

Art…

 

Art…

 

Art…

 

Art…

 

Art…

 

Outside the Crytek offices, right next to a McFit gym.

In two-birds-one-stone mode, I spent a week over in Pittsburgh to present at the Korean Game Academy and lecture during the Game Education Summit - both hosted by Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center.

Given the ETC’s relationship with Korea, they welcome a delegation of Korean developers each summer to spend a week of intensive game related training and learning. I did three sessions with them: design theory (covered LeBlanc’s MDA), user research and usability testing, and a serious games overview.

A few days later, the 2nd annual Game Education Summit hosted upwards of 200 faculty, researchers, students, developers and other industry folk. Session quality of high overall, though I did fall asleep in class at least once ;) My lecture was on the need to support a culture of risk taking and experimentation, tolerant to failure.

To kill a bit of time between the two events, I looked up a local Judo dojo and popped in to train. As a special treat, I got to spare with the sensei, a 6th dan black belt (ie, he can whup some serious ass). He mostly tossed me around like a rag doll, but I did score on him once. The experience served as a good personal anecdote of risking taking and failure!

Some quick shots from the week:

 

The ‘09 class of the Korean Game Academy.

 

 

Don Marinelli opens the Game Education Summit with a big ETC welcome.

 

 

Terrence Masson discusses the curriculum at Northeastern Univeristy.

 

 

A terminator bot was guarding the entrance to my lecture room.

 

 

Conference organizer Mark Chuberka welcomes folks to the post-day1 reception.

 

 

Attendees playing the “Irish game”…

 

 

Leah Smith (Texas Film Commission) and Kristy Bowden (Digital Media Council) play a session of Train.

 

 

Andrew Hieronymi (Savannah College of Art and Design) discusses his physical interface gaming projects.

I did a high-level overview of serious games during the MODSIM World Canada conference taking place in Montreal this week. Far from a pure video game context (with tracks on aeronautics, defense, biotech, etc) there was still plenty of gamey stuff on the scene.

My session discussed the social impact of games more generally, covered some of the misconceptions about games, discussed the audience and challenge, along with give a good dozen+ example of cool games with positive impact.

Quick snap of the expo floor with modsim heavyweights like CAE and Lockheed Martin.

 

Brian Bauer (Étape Partners) gives a case study the launch of virtual world technology in a corporate environment.

Sadly, I was too busy to stick around and missed all the other cool content.

I had the pleasure of participating in the 2009 edition of the Nordic Game Conference. While I didn’t have the unique experience of staying at Sten’s beach house like last time, it was great to return to Sweden and enjoy this regional event (with big world feel).

I wrote up a more formal summary of the event for Gamasutra. So, check there for my thoughts on the sessions, vibe, etc.

What I didn’t mention in the Gama report was that I visited the IT University of Copenhagen on my way through town (ie, easiest way to get to Malmo, Sweden is to fly into Copenhagen, Denmark and take the train across the water). Was great to pop into the ITU and check out their game lab, lecture to the students, etc.

Also, I did have a free afternoon before heading home after the conference. So, since I toured Malmo last time, I went back across to Copenhagen and did some speed-touristing (aka walk as fast as you can and see as much as possible in 2 hours!)…

Here are some random photos of the entire week:

Main entrance to the IT University of Copenhagen.

 

Inside the ITU. Very modern, funky. Also the site for the annual Nordic Game Jam.

 

Cool wall art was all over the ITU game lab.

 

Miguel Sicart and Anders Drachen solving complex problems at the ITU.

 

Hip student dorms across the street from the ITU.

 

Nice Euro-style view outside my hotel window in Malmo.

 

Passed what seemed to be a massive submarine building facility on my way to the convention center. Nice juxtaposition of old industry versus creative economy. [Update: This is actually a wind farm assembly plant.]

 

Ah, OK, now I knew I was heading in the right direction…

 

The Malmo convention center, with the awesome Turning Torso looming in the background.

 

Tom Felices (Nordic Game Program) opens the conference.

 

Malte Berhmann, Fred Hassan (Bedlam Games) and Guillaume de Fondaumiere (Quantic Dream) give an European Game Developers Federation update.

 

Per Juhlen (GRIN) covers the production goals of Bionic Commando: Rearmed.

 

Unity keynote: Nicholas Francis, David Helgason and dude with red shoes.

 

Tom Felices getting in line for food during the awards dinner.

 

Lars Gustavsson (EA DICE) accepts the award for Best Nordic Game for Mirror’s Edge.

 

Johan Kristiansson (Starbreeze) and Emma Mellander (Nordic Game Program) at the big party.

 

Funky lit bridge while walking back from the party…

 

Kyle Gabler (2D Boy) and Petri Purho (Kloonigames) field questions from eager students.

 

Closing panel moderated by Tobias Sjogren (DDM): Per Rosendal (Guppyworks), Jonas Antonsson (Gogogic), David Helgason (Unity), Karin Ryding (Ozma Speldesign), Jonas Eneroth (IO Interactive).

 

Train over to Copenhagen…

 

Large wind-energy farm along the way…

 

One of the new metro stops. I missed it, and had to walk a few kilometers from the (wrong) train stop to here.

 

Theater house.

 

Garden at Kongens Nytorv, and fancy hotel in the background.

 

Picturesque New Haven area.

 

Think it’s the architecture institute… Interesting blue hex structure towards the left…

 

Stock exchange.

 

All the streets had bike lanes in addition to pedestrian sidewalks. And, uh, lanes for cars of course.

 

Really old, textured warehouse style building. Hmm, interesting tower in the distance.

 

Church tower. Only found out later that you can actually climb the spiral stairs to the top!

 

Another old, textured building.

 

Parliament building.

 

Fortress of some kind.

 

Trees were in spring blossom.

 

Entrance to Tivoli Gardens, the second oldest amusement park in the world. Playful statue of the creator was not left alone for a moment, so I just snapped the shot with a random tourist in it ;)

 

I didn’t have a map, so I discovered that hotdog stands had maps on their side. So, I basically had to navigate from stand to stand…

 

City hall and square.

 

A remnant of the old city wall/mote structure.

 

Orstedsparken park tucked away in the middle of the city.

 

More park action.

 

At dinner with IGDA-Denmark leaders Jacob Buck and Gorm Lai.

 

Night shot of the Tivoli entrance.

Over the past weekend, I attended DigiPen’s graduation ceremony as a guest speaker. It was an honor to be invited to provide the commencement speech, though somewhat outside my usual lecturing comfort zone. The auditorium had about 1000 moms, dads, grandparents and other family/friends in to support the ~140 grads. And, admittedly, it was a challenge to say something that could both resonate with the grads, and the parents who supported (or not?) their journey into a game development career.

Here are some quick snaps from the ceremony:

The grads lined up, waiting to enter the auditorium.

 

Art grad Jenna Smith addresses her peers.

 

The 1000+ family and friends cheering on.

 

Members of the IGF winning Tag: The Power of Paint! team.

 

And, here is the text from my speech. It didn’t come out exactly like this since I don’t use/read the actual text itself… But, close enough.

 

Well, congratulations! After working so hard to pass the challenges of getting a degree, now is your chance to FAIL in the real world!

While the idea of failing may be scary to most of you, it is in fact extremely liberating. If you are failing, it means you are taking risks. If you’re failing, you are experimenting and innovating. If you’re failing, it means you are pushing the boundaries of what is possible. If you are not failing, it means you aren’t trying hard enough. If you’re not failing, it means you aren’t really learning anymore.

Games are constantly in a state of change, and today there are more opportunities to explore than ever. Now is when you need to take risks, to experiment and to fail. Don’t wait until you are 10 years into your career. The status quo will have gained too much momentum on you, and failing will be much more scary and costly in the future – way more so than today.

The game industry does not need an army of followers to slot in to the usual way of doing things. We need talented, courageous people to lead the industry forward. To take risks and to try new things – and to not be afraid to fail along way.

So, let me ask you who is passionate about games? Right, of course everyone is. Well, guess what? Passion is pretty meaningless. Everyone has that same passion. You cannot count on your love for games alone to get you very far in the game industry. OK, so, how about ideas? Who has a great idea for a game, for innovative new gameplay, or awesome tech? Right, of course, we are all bubbling with ideas. Well, this too is pretty meaningless. There is no shortage of ideas. In fact, there’s always way more ideas than the industry can possibly ever deal with.

What matters? Execution! It is the ability – and talent – to take action on those ideas and passion. So ya, getting an education at Digipen certainly helps in that regard, but ultimately the paper is worthless if you don’t take action. You must never develop a sense of entitlement on account of your education. It is toxic. And, you need to be mindful that the majority of people working in the industry today do not have a formal game education. They are sceptical. They are probably a little scared too. But, luckily, more so that any industry, game development is a meritocracy.  If you have the talent and skills to take action on your passion and ideas, there will always be a future for you in games.

And, by talent and skills, I don’t just mean coding or animation chops. A lot of what’s needed to be successful in games comes down to soft skills. It may in fact be the most surprising thing when you hit your first game industry job. Teamwork, communication skills, flexibility, prioritization, giving/taking criticism, continuous learning, focus, etc, etc. Leadership! You need to give these skills – and the people you work with - as much attention as your technical abilities moving forward.

I wasn’t always so attentive. I was a bit of a steamroller, and got fired from all my jobs prior to the IGDA. Too much pride. Too stubborn. Too much conflict with the boss, etc. It was only through my IGDA experience that I learnt the true value of soft skills – managing hundreds of people working and contributing on a voluntary basis will give that to you. You also learn about ideals and values and doing things for the good of the order. If I wasn’t scared of losing my job (i.e., to take risks, to fail) at least once a year, I knew I wasn’t trying hard enough. As it turned out, it happened way more often than that!

And, don’t be afraid to take the heat. It is part of failing. As recently as last month, I was on stage at GDC, during the IGDA’s annual meeting, in front of the board of directors and several hundred angry members asking why the org’s new technical/web infrastructure was over a year late. Without hesitation, I admitted to being at fault, for screwing things up, and took the blame. (I’m not kidding; it’s up on YouTube ;) That said, I also gave insight into why things were delayed and the plans to get things done right. But, anyway.

This speaks to the need for maturity. Yes, you need the passion and great ideas. You need to the technical talent. You need the soft skills. But, you also need to be taking this seriously. This is your career that you are embarking on, and you need to think deliberately and intentionally about your career path. And, I don’t just mean landing your first job…

Now is when the real learning starts! As you progress, be sure to keep your mind open. Be a sponge. Welcome diverse ideas and opinions. Don’t get stuck into status quo thinking. You need to get out there in the community to share your ideas and experiences, and to expose yourself to those of others. Despite its vibrancy, xenophobia is rampant in the game industry. Your goal should be to keep informed and be critical; not become jaded and cynical.

An important aspect of this all is taking the time to be professional. Consider this an official warning to not get stuck in the crunch trap. Working countless hours of overtime is not going to help your career – you’ll mostly produce crap work and burn out. You won’t have time to learn and grow. You won’t have time to get involved in the community, and share. You won’t have time to engage in other cultural activities that will inspire your work. You won’t have a life, period. Having good quality of life doesn’t mean you are being lazy. In fact, it is the exact opposite! It means you are making the effort and being deliberate about building a long-term career in games.

And, ultimately, that’s what we need. People who are committed to themselves and to games as an art form. People who understand the power of games to change and shape society. People who innately get that they are not just writing code, but that they are creators of culture. You are all artists – and I mean that broadly – artists that have the power to deeply affect the lives of millions worldwide.

If this was easy stuff, everyone would be a game developer. You should not take your responsibility as a creator of culture and designer of meaning lightly. And, as such, it is your duty to take the risks, to push the boundaries, to challenge the status quo. If you are not failing – and learning – along the way, then you’re just not trying hard enough.

Good luck and have fun!

 

And, indeed, while the initial mention of “fail” got a few chuckles and gasps, I did get several grandmas and moms and dads tell me, “Nice speech.” One dad even asked, So how soon should we expect our boy to fail? To which I replied that the key is to fail fast, fail early and fail often ;)

 

The Ludicine research team from the University of Montreal hosted an academic conference on horror games, titled appropriately “Thinking After Dark: Welcome to the World of Horror Video Games”.

I was able to pop in briefly to catch a few of the paper presentations. But, sadly, missed all the keynotes. Though, I did steal away keynote speaker (and Kaos|THQ designer) Richard Rouse for some crazy tofu lunch action!

Adrian Forest (Queensland University of Technology) explores the use of space relative to fear in the ‘Shock series of games.

 

Matthew Weiss (Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab) dissects the rules of the horror genre and adaption to games.