Game Mechanic Studios' Art of War
As the changing economy sends ripples throughout the industry, one group affected but often ignored by the media are the families of those individuals negatively impacted by economic downturn. Likewise, buffeted in the wake of members undeterred by a studio closure or job loss, family has an equal stake in the success or failure of a start-up as those behind a desk. Certainly this delicate balance of family and work life is not the exclusive domain of the video game industry, but as Corredera tells us, that conceit does not make the reality any easier.
"I have not found great success leaving the weight of the office out of my home," confessed Corredera, who added that "to be honest I have not really tried." He openly called his family his "greatest asset," but admitted that "it may be impossible and even unwise" to leave the stress of operating a new company in the game industry at the office when he goes home.
"Talking to them about what is happening at the office helps all of us," he said. "They are as tied to the success and failure of the studio as anyone; they want to feel informed." As for how Corredera deals with it all, the vet commented that "in addition to simply involving my family through conversation; family dinners, weekend outings to nowhere special, and movie nights at home often have a dramatic impact on my ability to cope with, and dismiss the stress from the office."
"Studios are going to have to make tough choices about upcoming games." |
"I am always at work, even when I am at home," he admitted. "That's just what it takes when you're starting something like this." Unlike Corredera, however, Alejandre looks to more physical activities to help burn off stress from the office. "Basketball and the gym are the only things that I can do that completely get my mind off work and allow me to chill," he said. "Every once in awhile a few matches in Street Fighter IV go a very long way!" (Ken, Ryu, is there anything you can't do?)
In the wake of Ensemble's much publicized closure, Bill Jackson noted that Bonfire "focuses on family life," a statement he seemed particularly proud of.
Offered Jackson, "We always try to keep the pressure of game development at a reasonable level and give ourselves ample time with our families so that we are refreshed and able to devote ourselves to the game when we are at the office."
The key, according to Jackson, is to "maintain a work environment that is creative and rewarding," something he claims the studio has already learned in its short existence, and is likely a holdover from the team's former life as Ensemble. "That type of environment is not about free sodas and pinball machines; it's about allowing people to express themselves through their work and keeping them informed about the higher level goals of the studio."
He added: "That culture allows our studio to keep stress under control and keeps us focused on what counts: The games."
This sense of importance with company culture resonated throughout our conversations with all three gentlemen, each of whom seemed to draw on experiences having worked in larger, more established companies in the industry before striking out on their own. Of course, recent history has proven that size does not equate to immunity from financial turmoil as companies like Microsoft, Electronic Arts and Midway have learned all too well.
Still, we were curious if the size of start-ups gave these newly established companies a certain agility and clarity to help them navigate the downturn in ways not possible for their neighboring giants. Focus, in particular, is an area that Richard Corredera feels his company looks to in order to help developers achieve their goals. It's also something that he feels is "sometimes very hard to do at larger organizations."
"A creative culture allows our studio to keep stress under control and keeps us focused on the games." |
"In this case," he added, "the small game studio may have an advantage. It is much easier to focus a small organization since everyone at the company is so important to our success."
With high media praise for Halo Wars, his final release beneath the Ensemble banner, success was also on Jackson's mind, who called his studio's mission to "make great games that are fun, accessible and deep," something he admitted "isn't the easiest thing to achieve."
Looking ahead, Jackson predicted that "studios are going to have to make some tough choices about the scope, budget, and market for upcoming games. The truth is that all these things may have to shrink a little bit."
Much of this realignment we're seeing in the industry, like so much in life, boils down to cost, though to Alejandre, this represents a potential opportunity for smaller developers like Game Mechanic Studios. "The great thing about the larger companies is that they want to see the smaller studios succeed. They want and need a broader base of developers that they can trust to work with."
"Games cost a lot of money to make and they need developers that can produce quality work and can execute against deadlines," he offered. "Our goal is to build great relationships that then lead to long term partnerships." Relationships, says Alejandre, that are built upon "chemistry and trust" between the publisher and developer. "Everyone knows each other's strengths and weaknesses and you play off those with an unspoken word that allows everyone to own their responsibilities. This puts the developer in a position to create the highest quality of work on any given project."
Even more than that, start-up companies bring an important element of creativity to the game industry, even in a difficult financial climate. We salute individuals like Bill Jackson, Jason Alejandre, Richard Corredera and others like them, who against all odds refuse to flow with the current; who instead, swim upstream in the name of contributing to the video game industry. For them, it isn't just a hobby, but a way of life, and wish them the best. Our hands depend on it.
