If you imagine a stereotypical economist, you’ll probably think of someone who assumes that people are rational and that firms maximize profits. This is one of those stereotypes that often turns out to be true, but creates all kinds of trouble because of assumptions about what it actually means. Profit maximizing is the less controversial … Continue reading Who’s a Profit Maximizer
Productivity should be seen as the birthright of the small studio. Instead, it has been neglected and creators have largely ceded these concerns to the kinds of people who attend investor relations calls. Productivity’s dim reputation is a result of this neglect, with unpopular corporate measures like return to office (RTO) and layoffs being top … Continue reading The Happier Side of Productivity
There was a summer of discontent with publishers this year. Reopening old discourse is not a path to serenity, but there are things that have been left unsaid that can help us navigate both the current moment and prepare for what could happen in the future. Fortunately, a better understanding of the problem uses simple … Continue reading The Price of Publishing
Games companies seem to dissolve or get acquired, and so Embracer's announced breakup is a unique case for a company people already have strong opinions about. Embracer made a name for itself with a remarkable string of acquisitions, then had an equally remarkable fall once a $2 billion deal failed to materialize. This, along with … Continue reading Who Should Break Up?
This article is about a search for a new model of game development. It will not deliver a model ready to go, or even a formula for finding a new one. We know the object of our search exists because progress exists, but practitioners are more likely to find it than authors. However, the previous … Continue reading Innovation in Games: Looking for the Future
Gaming isn’t as innovative as it seems. People like to pay lip service to the idea of innovation rather than the reality. The reality is difficult to define, difficult to do, and often involves working counter to popular opinion. This article focuses on innovation in the past while another will address the future. Why might … Continue reading Innovation in Games: The Old Model
Everyone is an ideas guy when it comes to money. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, a loose definition might be that an ideas guy is someone who comes up with lots of things to do, but offers nothing towards their implementation. Creative industries attract more ideas guys than most, but there are programmers whose … Continue reading The Ideas Guys of Money
Gamers are less willing to subsidize inefficiency in game production than they have been in the past. This is a product of independent gaming's success which has resulted in more developers being supported while simultaneously introducing more competition. This more competitive environment has been characterized through the discoverability problem, where games struggle to get attention … Continue reading Discoverability as a Productivity Problem
There is a thread going around about game budgeting that is getting some traction and, while I wish I could leave my thoughts to one tweet, there is a lot to get through. The thread concerns why large developers are not able to delay projects, and takes a frustrating reddit comment responding to an article … Continue reading A Note on That Twitter Thread
Quote tweeters have been amusing themselves with the Wall Street Journal writing that Diablo IV is “shaping up to be a surprise hit”. Or should I say that the entire internet OWNED the out of touch IDIOTS at the MURDOCH OWNED Wall Street Journal who thinks it’s SURPRISING the series that sells TENS OF MILLIONS … Continue reading Deals and Devils
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