GameDev Protips: How To Assemble The Perfect Game Development Team

The perfect game development team doesn’t really exist. But hey, we can all try to at least shoot for the stars, as a project is only as good as the people who work on it. That’s why you need to be super critical of the people you decide to work with. Everyone needs to be on the same page in regards to what needs doing, their role, and the schedule. It’s good to have a snapshot of everyone’s work ethic before jumping into something. Don’t be afraid to test this out with smaller projects before committing to taking the plunge.

When building a team, there are many things to take into consideration. Personality, relative experience, mutual goals and interest are some of those things. Make sure your goals are in alignment. However, sometimes you just have to build the prototype yourself before trying to recruit others to join you. Make sure that your teammates share in your vision and believe in your cause.

Once you’ve gotten a fit for a few potential teammates, get started working right away. Assign or pick tasks, and get busy! With the right team members, it can be easier to pool resources. Maybe one of you knows a graphic artist or musician that can produce these two things for a great price. Perhaps one of you has experience with 3D art? Perhaps someone on the team is a wizard when it comes to procedurally generating dungeons. Working with team members can afford you so many more opportunities than working by yourself, so don’t be afraid to take the plunge.

Actionable Takeaways: Don’t onboard people without strenuous rounds of vetting. I can’t stress this point enough — work with them on a small project prior to the main one, or make sure that you know them well enough. Make sure to test their work ethic to determine whether they’re a good fit for your team. Ensure that everyone is working towards the same vision with the same end goal in mind. Working in a team is much better than working by yourself, so always be looking to partner up with the right people. As someone notable once said, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.”

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Thank you so much for reading my article! I’m Daniel Doan, the Co-Founder of Black Shell Media. We're a publishing and marketing firm dedicated to helping indie developers succeed.

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