SIGGRAPH's Dunniway: Many Current Game Production Models 'Totally Broken'

Author: by Staff

Making a video game, fundamentally, isn't all that different from making a movie, manufacturing a computer, or even constructing an aircraft – they're all collaborative efforts that involve partners who, in ideal scenarios, all come together to create a cohesive product. That's according to games industry vet Troy Dunniway, who penned a new Gamasutra feature published today about the globalization of video game production. His experience comes from working with companies including Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Insomniac, and Midway, among others. Currently he is helping as Director of Gaming for SIGGRAPH 2010, and is VP at MMO developer Globex Studios for his day job. "A video game is really no different to develop than these other industries, but we seem to treat it like it is highly unique, and therefore because of that we can do whatever we feel like," he said. "The game industry is beginning to learn that making games is hard, and that the process involved in making games is now often as important as or more important than the ideas themselves." He added, "Game developers, like these other more mature industries, need to learn that distributing their workload and partnering with other companies to create a better product is not only okay to do, but actually the best possible solution." In sum, Dunniway said "It is time for us to admit that most companies' current production models are not sustainable or are completely and totally broken." Dunniway said part of fixing this model is working closely with capable overseas partners. Outsourcing has become more prevalent in past years as a means to reduce costs of game development, but not everyone has been sold on the practice, at least outside of making "cheap art," Dunniway said. But it's all about who you partner with, he claimed. "There is a perception with a lot of teams that any work done by someone else is inferior," he said. "So, some may argue that outsourcing really doesn't save you money. This can easily be true for projects and teams which don't understand how to manage and direct their outsourcing partners, or for teams who have chosen bad partners. For most people, however, outsourcing even their artwork is a positive experience and a huge cost savings overall." A new approach to outsourcing is just one major component of production globalization. "Production globalization isn't just about making games cheaper, but about restructuring your companies, teams, and methodologies to be more flexible as needed and to allow you to use the best possible talent for the job when you need them and to not have to continue to pay them when they aren't needed," he said. "It is about making your teams much more scalable and adaptable to the projects needs from day to day and month to month, and not having to keep a large internal team around which is only productive part of the year." For Dunniway's extensive write-up, read the full Gamasutra feature, available now (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from other websites).