I need your help! I want to hear your story about an experience with a producer, either good or bad. Also, if you're a producer with a story to tell about success or failure, let me know. UPDATE: links added so you can submit stories from this post.
What This is All About
A few months ago I posted the results of a survey about game development from the perspective of production personnel. I had invited all manner of group managers, producers, and production coordinators to participate. The results of the survey were very intriguing, but the comments and discussion that ensued after publishing the results were even more interesting. Many people from a spectrum of industry backgrounds had opinions to share about their experiences with producers. These commenters also had questions about the meaningfulness of the survey results, largely due to their aforementioned experiences. “I’ve suffered at the hands of a bad producer, I consider your survey one-sided, and I question the value of its results,” was a common theme. Fair points, I thought, so as a follow-up to the survey I’d like to collect information from developers in general for articles I'm writing on these two topics:
If anyone in a producer-like role has left you with a bad experience (or – unusual as it may seem – a good one), let me know. Are producers just useless middlemen? Is each one of them just an extension of The Man? Have you known a producer who was genuinely helpful? Good or bad, now’s the time to share the gory details.
Producers – How do you measure success in your role, what enables you to succeed, and what hinders you in your work? Maybe it’s processes, maybe it’s people, but whatever it is here’s your chance to provide stories that share your perspective. Have you been wrongly demonized in the past? Tell your side and let everyone know why you’re not actually the devil.
I realize that it’s all too easy to hide behind the inherent anonymity of the internet and sling mud, but I suspect I won’t get very many responses if I require contact information. Therefore I’ll be providing links to open-ended questions that can be answered anonymously. It seems likely that there may be some great questions to ask that I haven’t thought of yet, so feel free to post comments here with recommendations for either topic, the Good/Bad Experiences or Producer Stories.
My intent is to submit articles on Gamasutra on both of these topics using as much developer input as possible. Share your stories with me -- work within the confines of NDA's and anonymity -- and help me paint the full picture about the role producers play in the industry.
How To Participate
Keep an eye out for a news story associated with these requests – it will have information telling you how to participate on either of these topics. Thanks in advance for your help in shedding more light on the realities of game production!
Links
Either good or bad, do you have an experience with a producer you'd like to submit?
If you are or have been a producer, do you have something to share?
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