This image cannot be protected by copyright. Independent creators seem to prefer weaker intellectual property (IP) protections until it comes to AI. We can forgive a certain amount of hypocrisy here, since the original stance on IP probably wasn’t well considered, but it does make it hard to take these claims seriously. Saying “we should … Continue reading What are we trying to protect with IP?
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
Creative success must be built, not regulated. This idea is simple to agree to in principle but proves difficult to apply in practice. Creators in nearly every sector face a competitive environment, and it can be tempting to find some kind of edge. Most people involved in creative fields are also expected to be active … Continue reading No Stolen Bases
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
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?
Unity’s recent layoffs are the result of a shift in the company’s strategy. This strategy will mean fewer features and improvements to the engine than before, and, like the adjustments to the pricing change, it will favour large developers more. Unity has a product to sell, and that product has been fairly consistent throughout its … Continue reading The Unity We Asked For
The last time inflation was unusually high, the economist Robert Lucas wrote a paper criticizing policy evaluation by performing statistical analysis on historical aggregates. It is now known as the Lucas Critique (not to be confused with the more common Lucas Critique concerning the Star Wars prequels). The paper (“Econometric Policy Evaluation: A Critique”) does … Continue reading Use Designers in Data Analysis
Tech has seen waves of layoffs in 2023 and gaming is no exception. While the two might seem related, the stated reasons are quite different. Tech CEOs have not made it a secret that they feel emboldened by each other’s drives for efficiency, while announcements that tie layoffs to profit margins are the exception in … Continue reading Money Trouble
The MBAs are at it again. I, for one, am tired of suits creating problems that don't exist and devalue the work of writers. Games need good writing, and writing is a specialized skill that should be compensated. Hiring talent creates value well in excess of the extra cost over hiring an average writer. Yet … Continue reading ATMing Writers
This article is a companion to its predecessor that described gaming's productivity problem but did not identify causes. Here we will focus on a subset of potential causes that are the most informative and deal with why we may be experiencing the problem now. The productivity problem is a natural consequence of the growth of … Continue reading Why is There a Productivity Problem in Gaming?
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