Pitfalls of the Working
Lead Designer
Michael Fitch
Pitfalls of the Working Lead Designer
So, who is this guy?
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Creative Manager at THQ
Previously at Red Storm Entertainment
Before that, at Atomic Games
A long time ago… a dreamer
Pitfalls of the Working Lead Designer
The Dream of the Designer
• Think up cool game ideas
• Make the games you want to play
• Become a game god…
Pitfalls of the Working Lead Designer
The Reality of Design
• Ideas are easy, design is work
– Coordinating all the pieces
– Respecting the budgets
– Solving problems two years before they happen
• Designers always work for someone
– Producer, studio, publisher, audience
• Results are what matter
Pitfalls of the Working Lead Designer
So, what’s in a pitfall?
• Structural problems
– It happens to everyone, sooner or later
• Issues of design process
– This is not about content
• Knowledge is half the battle
– It’s also only half the battle
Pitfalls of the Working Lead Designer
A few debts to acknowledge:
• Richard Dansky, and the entire design team
at Red Storm
• Keith Zabaloui
• Everyone who takes the time to publish their
own lessons on the web, in books, at events
like GDC
Pitfalls of the Working
Lead Designer
Failing to Define Design
Pitfalls: Failing to Define Design
Design is difficult to define
• Design is a creative process
• A lead designer wears many hats
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Storyteller
Visionary
Psychologist
Cheerleader
– Marketer
– Historian
– Mediator
– Psychic
Pitfalls: Failing to Define Design
Design is team and project specific
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There are no industry-wide standards
Every team is different
Designers have to be flexible
Deliverables can be difficult to sort out
Every game has its unique issues
So, what can you do?
Pitfalls: Failing to Define Design
Establish approval paths
• Consensus is great, but someone needs to
have the final say
– Not always the lead designer
• Approval is a gate
– Backing up will result in severe tire damage
• The shorter the loop, the better
Pitfalls: Failing to Define Design
Manage team input
• Make design a visible process
– Tell the team why, not just how
• Create specific times and deadlines for
feedback
– And pay attention to what you get
• Provide closure for the team
Pitfalls: Failing to Define Design
Schedule Design Tasks
• Set concrete goals
• Prototype design process, if necessary
• Periodically check your assumptions against
reality
• Make sure the team gets fed
Pitfalls: Failing to Define Design
Ad hoc design is
a recipe for
disaster!
Pitfalls of the Working
Lead Designer
Too Many Cooks
Pitfalls: Too Many Cooks
Ideas are great fun
• This is a problem
– There are always already too many
• Beware the two-man effect
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A is a great idea!
It is! And so is B!
Yes, exactly! A and B and C are great!
We need A, B, C, and D in our game!
Pitfalls: Too Many Cooks
Ideas are hard to resist
• Saying “no” makes you the bad guy
• Sometimes, you are the one you need to say
“no” to
• There are some people who won’t take “no”
for an answer
So, what can you do?
Pitfalls: Too Many Cooks
Capture the magic
• Don’t start with “no”
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Get the full picture
Collaborate; run with the idea
Clarify the goal
Find the motivation
• Give them what they want, not what they
ask for
Pitfalls: Too Many Cooks
Don’t be that guy!
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Make your approval gates reliable
When you get the urge, get a gut check
Separate enthusiasm from workability
You are not an exception to your own rules
Pitfalls: Too Many Cooks
Design is more about
eliminating ideas
than coming up
with them!
Pitfalls of the Working
Lead Designer
Believing the Hype
Pitfalls: Believing the Hype
Design takes marketing
• Bullet points on the back of the box
– First, you sell the people with the money
– Then, you sell the people with the skills
• Why it’s the designers that do the pitch
– Plotting the path
– The leap of faith
Pitfalls: Believing the Hype
Theory comes before practice
• It takes months of work to shape the game
– That’s a huge investment, and a huge risk
• Each feature locks you in more tightly
– There is always a limit to the budget
• What happens if the theory is wrong?
– There are no “takebacks” in marketing
– There are no changes without costs
So, what can you do?
Pitfalls: Believing the Hype
Build a solid sand castle
• Prototype, prototype, prototype
– Be prepared to throw out your work
• Assess your status with a critical eye
– If you’re too close, get an outside opinion
• Move from the center to the fringe
– There’s the core of the game, then there’s
everything else
Pitfalls: Believing the Hype
Make a contingency plan
• Build scale into the project
– Plan for adjustments; they always happen
• Know what can be cut before you’re asked
– Features and content
• Everything has a priority
– Last in, first out
Pitfalls: Believing the Hype
You have to create
the hype, but you
can’t let it blind
you!
Pitfalls of the Working
Lead Designer
The Devil’s in the Documents
Pitfalls: The Devil’s in the Documents
Designer → Writer
• Sooner or later, everything will be
documented
• Level of detail is a Catch-22
• You get what you ask for, not what you want
• Living documents require constant attention
So, what can you do?
Pitfalls: The Devil’s in the Documents
Target your audience
• Keep documents short and clear
– Only as much as is needed
• Adjust the language appropriately
– Marketing vs. Management vs. Test
• Avoid the monolith
– The era of big bibles is over
Pitfalls: The Devil’s in the Documents
Establish a standard
• Templates save time
– Consistent formats are easier to scan
• Use version control
• Put everything in plain sight
– Intranet, Wiki, network drives, etc.
• Work from the high level down
– Vision, approach, implementation, asset
Pitfalls: The Devil’s in the Documents
Work for the team
• Don’t assume that you know what works
– Use drafts to revise presentation as well as content
– Change your formats if needed
– Sometimes visual is faster than text
• Foreground goals and rationale
– Someone may know a better path to the prize
– Context clarifies key concerns
• Give the team what they need now
– You can only be so far ahead of the curve
Pitfalls: The Devil’s in the Documents
No document survives an encounter with
production
• Revise, revise, revise
– Highlight changes in the documents
– Keep what’s new front and center
– Push old information to the back
• Add specifics, but keep the logic
– Answering one question vs. establishing a method
• Avoid document fatigue
Pitfalls: The Devil’s in the Documents
The only useful
document is the one
that gets read!
Pitfalls of the Working
Lead Designer
Bright, Shiny Objects
Pitfalls: Bright, Shiny Objects
Developers play games
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Most of us are here because we’re gamers
Competitive research
The “wow” reaction
The transplant theory, or when
“This is cool”
becomes
“We need to do this”
Pitfalls: Bright, Shiny Objects
A single feature cannot be lifted
• Everything is connected
– Actions are defined by context
• Feedback is a loop
• The gun example
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Balance
Effects
Physics
Level Design
– AI
– Level Design
– UI
– Story
Pitfalls: Bright, Shiny Objects
Timing is everything
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You and everyone else on the planet
From you to the customer
You always remember your first time
Leader of the pack
Trends vs. watersheds
Pitfalls: Bright, Shiny Objects
Moving the goalposts
• Every change costs more than you
think
• Tuning touches all systems
• Something has to give
• Back to the stone age
• Is it worth it?
So, what can you do?
Pitfalls: Bright, Shiny Objects
Keep your eyes on the prize
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Know a convention when you see one
Insist on a zero-sum approach
Set a high standard
Protect the core
Use those approval gates!
Pitfalls: Bright, Shiny Objects
Games are not the
sum of their
features!
Pitfalls of the Working
Lead Designer
Conclusion
Pitfalls: Conclusion
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The focus of design is production
Best practices trump best theories
Every team and project is different
Know the red flags when you see them
Have solutions before you need them
It’s not about you; it’s about the game
Pitfalls: That’s all, folks.
Thank you for
coming!