(eg. Volume production, mass production etc)
Production is measured in units, not volume or mass. (One board game = one unit.)

What suitable softwares (CAD) can be used to design graphics which will be present on the board game?
I already told you I don't know anything about Computer-Aided Design software. I imagine you could use any graphics/paint program. PaintShop Pro, GIMP, PhotoShop... Why not?

What materials are normally used to develop board games for children?
Why don't you buy a children's board game and open it? I think the answer would become obvious to you with this most basic research. (I assume the word "develop" in your question is replaceable with "manufacture"?)

In order for the board game to be sold in the industry, what requirements does the board game which i will be designing have to meet?
Requirements by WHOM? You still haven't explained what you have in mind. A parent has one set of requirements. A child has another set of requirements. A publisher has another set of requirements. A retailer has another set of requirements. And there may be other parties who impose requirements too - please narrow down the question, as I asked you before.

How will the board game be tested
Be tested by WHOM? What is it you have in mind? I still don't understand what you're asking. I know that new drugs have to be certified by government health organizations, that new houses and buildings have to be examined by local safety governments, that automobiles and aircraft have to be inspected regularly. I work in video games, and I know about tests that have to be performed on video games by the publisher and the platform holder and the rating organization before the game is released. But I'm not aware of ANY testing that has to be performed on board games - what is it you're thinking of? You still haven't explained your question clearly enough.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
June 7, 2008

Questions about board games, part 2

>From: Melisse Chee
>Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2008 7:13 PM
>Subject: RE: board game
>Thank you so much!
>It really helped me a lot.
>I am also required to interview an expert (U) about the board game i am designing.
>They are as follow:
>1. What are the possible colour schemes which will suit the board game teaching primary school children about road safety?
>2. What is the most appropriate scale of production for the board game as a whole and its individual pieces of components?
>3. What suitable CAD and CAM can be used to develop a board game as a reasonable price and yet with quality?
>4. What materials can be used to produce the board game suitable for children at the age of 5 to 12 and what are the precautions that needs to be taken into considerate with the selected materials?
>5. What are the important steps which needs to be fulfilled in order for the board game to be fulfilled in order for the board game to be sold in the market as well as the requirements which has to be met?
>6. What printing processes are required for the board game and it’s components a d for the packaging box throughout as well as the instruction booklets?
>7. What are the tests which the board game has to go through in order to proceed being sold in the market?
>8. What requirements are set in the market which the board game have to meet in order to be sold in the market?
>
>TQTQTQTQTQ
>Yours Faithfully,
>Mel.

Hello Mel, you wrote:

What are the possible colour schemes which will suit the board game teaching primary school children about road safety?
I imagine you'd want to include the colours used in road signs. Would you agree?

What is the most appropriate scale of production for the board game as a whole and its individual pieces of components?
It depends. "Appropriate" to accomplish what end and to satisfy what criteria?

What suitable CAD and CAM can be used to develop a board game
Why would you need to use CAD/CAM in developing a board game?

as a reasonable price and yet with quality?
I don't know anything about CAD/CAM software prices or features.

What materials can be used to produce the board game suitable for children at the age of 5 to 12
I am not an expert in such matters. Start with what materials you think you'd need for your board game, then look up the child safety requirements for the countries where you plan to sell your game. If a material is listed as unsuitable, look for a suitable alternate material.

what are the precautions that needs to be taken into considerate with the selected materials?
I have no idea.

What are the important steps which needs to be fulfilled in order for the board game to be ... sold in the market
The question is too vague. Please clarify, using examples. So far most of your questions are "lazy" - the questions are easy to ask, but to answer them requires the answerer to write volumes. Please make the questions more focused.

What printing processes are required
I have no idea what printing processes there are. What do you know about printing processes? I would simply take the game to an expert (a printer) and ask him what needs to be done.

What are the tests which the board game has to go through in order to proceed being sold in the market?
It depends. Who requires any testing to be done? What do you have in mind?

What requirements are set in the market
What do you mean by "in the market" - who is setting these supposed requirements?

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
June 7, 2008

Need more about classes for producers, part 2

>From: Coldpopo
>Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2008 4:25 PM
>Subject: A Second Try
>Perhaps my initial email was a bit vague to the point where you couldn't get some proper questions to answer. So I'll try in another format:
>
>1. Could you elaborate on the courses you've recommended and how they transition over to the role of a producer?
>
>2. Could you also elaborate a bit more on the role of a producer? I got the impression from you FAQ that the producer was to manage the project, but you seem to have rather quickly dismissed the idea of a "whip cracker" which I was simply exaggerating about. I don't expect a producer to be a power-hungry tyrant who decides what happens when and now.
>
>3. You said there really isn't no course to becoming a producer, so I'd like to know why a degree is so important in the process of becoming a producer. I got the impression that you regard non-degreed grads to be very unlikely to get a job, but if there is no definitive course I fail to see the great importance, so I'd very much appreciate some elaboration on this subject.
>
>4. Lastly, how important is public speaking for a producer? I'm a good public speaker in the sense that there is no hesitation to get in front of a room or hall and talk about something I love, which is games so maybe it could be deemed arrogant that I can talk about what I love, but I'm not quite sure how a course would better this. Could you shed some light? Also, yes I can use PowerPoint. In my high school, it would be hard to make through without knowing how to use it.
>
>Now there is no doubt where my questions are, so hopefully you can better answer them because the only thing I really got from you last response was go to college, which I did not find overly helpful in my current state, others may however.

Evan, you wrote:

Could you elaborate on the courses you've recommended and how they transition over to the role of a producer?
Yes, I could. Could you elaborate on your true reasons for being so resistant to going to college? In your previous email you just said you were bored with school - that you'd had your fill in high school, and didn't feel like going to no mo stinking school. Is that the totality of your reason for being so resistant to college? Be honest.

Could you also elaborate a bit more on the role of a producer?
I already have. Buy the book "Introduction to Game Development" and read the chapter on Production. I wrote it. You'd rather spend money on books than college, or so you said in your last email...

I'd like to know why a degree is so important in the process of becoming a producer. I got the impression that you regard non-degreed grads to be very unlikely to get a job, but if there is no definitive course I fail to see the great importance, so I'd very much appreciate some elaboration on this subject.
You're arguing against getting a measly bachelors degree, when I've strongly recommended that aspiring producers get an MBA. Producers are much more than project managers - they're businessmen. Do you disagree that a college education would be useful to an aspiring businessman?

how important is public speaking for a producer?
Don't get your panties up in a bunch! If you're already confident about public speaking, then skip the class - you don't need it.

the only thing I really got from you last response was go to college, which I did not find overly helpful in my current state, others may however.
You haven't explained your current state other than that you've just graduated from high school and are tired of school. I, frankly, have gotten tired of trying to convince those who are against advanced education that it's worthwhile. You can read dozens of threads on that topic at IGDA.org and GameDev.net - for instance, http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/forum.asp?forum_id=5 - see thread "Is college degree so important?" And that's just one of MANY such discussions. There's a lot of guys like you out there who don't feel like going to college. FINE. It's no skin off my nose if you don't go to college. All I'm saying is, if you try to educate yourself, it's going to take at least 6 years anyway (the length of time it takes to get a BA and then an MBA), and then you're likely to find resistance when you apply to the jobs and seek the promotions you want.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
June 7, 2008

Need more about classes for producers

>From: Coldpopo
>Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2008 1:42 PM
>Subject: Game Production Question
>Hey Mr. Sloper, I have read most of your lessons and I'd like to thank you for taking the time to write them out, they have been very helpful for one such as myself who was a bit stumped, but wanted to enter the games industry regardless.
>
>I've decided to pursue a producer role, and as recommended by other similar sites and this one, I've gone around and applied as a QA. However, in the sense of schooling, I'm a bit stumped. Although I'm not sure how much a lack of a degree would affect me in a producer role, since there is no real outside education that can help besides management of course.
>
>I stumbled into a generic game design course at my local college, it's not specialized and it touches in every technical aspect of games development. I was curious if such a course would be beneficial to an aspiring producer, as I'd know a bit more about the roles of each department in the industry before having to schedule a time-line to dictate them.
>
>Truth be told, I'm a bit tired of conventional schooling after high school (just graduated), and would prefer to stay clear of just going to school, to go to school. I'd rather something that is beneficial towards my dream career.
>
>The courses you've recommended in lesson #42 don't interest me terribly in the sense that I'd like to goto school. I'm already a fairly strong public speaker, doubly so when I am interested in what I'm talking about which in this case is games and I'm very passionate about games, and I'm not sure how film/art appreciation would be useful. I am aware I need to learn some basic management skills prior to this, but I believe that simple management for dumbies books and the like would be sufficient for outside education. I'd imagine I'd learn most of what I'd need from just being in QA and the games industry.
>
>Any advice would be greatly appreciated, especially in light of the games design course. It seems logical that it'd help to be knowledgeable in each field, so I would know when I'm asking too much and try to avoid it to not assign back-breaking amounts of work if not necessary. Basically, I'm aware it wouldn't make me a better producer in the technical sense, I'm just wondering if it make me a more LIKEABLE producer heh.
>Thanks in advance,
>-Evan

Hi Evan, you wrote:

I stumbled into a generic game design course at my local college, it's not specialized and it touches in every technical aspect of games development.
You "stumbled into" it meaning you're now in the class? Or you came across it in a course listing and you haven't signed up for it? And when you say "course," is it a class that runs for a single semester, or is it an entire 4-year program?

I was curious if such a course would be beneficial to an aspiring producer, as I'd know a bit more about the roles of each department in the industry
More than what you've read in my FAQs and in the IGDA's Career Paths page? I don't know if it will prove beneficial to you, but since you want to learn that, what's your question?

before having to schedule a time-line to dictate them.
You don't dictate that. Somebody gives you a deadline, you convey that info to the team, the team tells you how much can be done within that deadline. If it's not enough, you outsource some or all of that work. (I'm grossly oversimplifying.)

Truth be told, I'm a bit tired of conventional schooling after high school (just graduated), and would prefer to stay clear of just going to school, to go to school. I'd rather something that is beneficial towards my dream career.
Would you like some cheese to go with that whine? Look, kid, getting a bachelors degree is the most highly recommended step to take towards your dream career.

The courses you've recommended in lesson #42 don't interest me terribly in the sense that I'd like to goto school.
What? There's something wrong with that sentence. It doesn't parse. IOW, I don't follow your meaning.

I'm already a fairly strong public speaker
So you don't expect that a class in public speaking will teach you anything useful. That's a bit arrogant, but it's possible that you're right. So don't take that class, if you're so sure you don't need it. Do you already know how to use PowerPoint, by the way?

I'm not sure how film/art appreciation would be useful.
Of course you're not. You're just a kid. I have taken those courses, and I do see the value of them. Wouldn't it be better to ask why than to dismissively naysay?

I believe that simple management for dumbies books and the like would be sufficient for outside education.
OK, fine. Educate yourself, then. Go buy books on everything. Good luck convincing employers that you're worth as much as a degreed college grad by mentioning all the books you read.

I'd imagine I'd learn most of what I'd need from just being in QA and the games industry.
You will learn a lot that way, all right. That's why I recommend it.

...the games design course. It seems logical that it'd help to be knowledgeable in each field, so I would know when I'm asking too much and try to avoid it to not assign back-breaking amounts of work if not necessary.
While you're buying books to teach yourself everything, be sure to buy a book on "agile" production methodologies like Scrum.

Basically, I'm aware it wouldn't make me a better producer in the technical sense
And you still don't want to take it because...?

I'm just wondering if it make me a more LIKEABLE producer heh.
Producers aren't whip-cracking slavedrivers. Much have you to learn, young Jedi. To college you should go, hmm.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
June 7, 2008

Help me decide - followup

From: "S█████ M█████" dj_S█████@
Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2008 11:26 AM
Subject: Re: I need your help about deciding on this institute
> Namaste Tom,
> Thank you for your time.
> Could you please remove my name from the web page or
> replace it with a fake name?
> Thanks,
> S█████ M█████

It's really annoying when people do that.
I wish people would take the trouble to find out that their names are going to be used,
I wish people would not be so paranoid in the first place,
Else they tell me right up front in the initial email that they want their names not to be used;
And I wish when people make this shocking discovery and write me to excise their personal information that they at least tell me whether or not the advice I gave them was useful. :rolleyes:

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
June 7, 2008

Questions about board games

>From: Melisse Chee
>Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2008 7:24 AM
>Subject: board game
>Good evening Mr. Sloper. I am Melisse C. from elc international school and I am hoping you can help me with my work i am working on for Design and Technology. The topic is on board games and i have some questions i need help with in order to proceed. And they are as follow:
>
>1. What is the maximum and minimum size/weight/surface area of my board game?
>2. What are the anthropometric measurements of hand contours for gripping, length of fingers and length of reach of children at the range 5 to 12 years old (BSI standards)?
>3. What are the ways in which the board game can be made to a much more environmental friendly state?
>4. What are the ways the new board game can be advertised through when sold in the market?
>5. What are the ways to improve the board game structure wise and customer attraction wise?
>
>The information will not be used by third parties
>Thank you for your cooperation.
>Yours faithfully,
>Mel.

Hello Mel, you wrote:

What is the maximum and minimum size/weight/surface area of my board game?
I assume you're asking about the board or playing area itself, not the package? Game boards come in a variety of sizes. I recommend you do some research, study the sizes of other boards - after which you need to determine what size is best for your particular game.

What are the anthropometric measurements of hand contours for gripping, length of fingers and length of reach of children at the range 5 to 12 years old (BSI standards)?
You should try to find that information on the Internet. Use a number of different search strings until you find the information you're looking for. The word "ergonomics" would be good to use.

What are the ways in which the board game can be made to a much more environmental friendly state?
You can used recycled materials, and you can use recyclable materials.

What are the ways the new board game can be advertised through when sold in the market?
That's a problem! I'm a designer, not a marketer. You either get to learn about marketing, or have your game published through an established game company.

What are the ways to improve the board game structure wise
I don't understand the question, sorry.

and customer attraction wise?
Through good "product design" and "graphic design."

The information will not be used by third parties
I don't follow you. As you can see by this board, I give public information. Did you think I was giving private information, and that I don't want the information to be public?

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
June 7, 2008

Help me decide

From: "S█████ M█████" (dj_S█████)
Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2008 4:29 AM
Subject: I need your help about deciding on this institute
> Hi,
> Could you please take a look at the course structure
> at http://www.icat.ac.in/ug17_game_dev.asp and tell me
> whether I should join the institute or not?
>
> From what I have been able to find out so far, this is
> the only institute in India offering a degree in game
> development. They advertise it as a B.A. (Hons.)
> degree from the University of Wales.
>
> I want to add that they have three centers in India,
> but the center that people recomment, and the center
> which is mostly assosciated with their institutes name
> is the Chennai center (people call it ICAT Chennai a
> lot, instead of just ICAT) which is a good 29 hour
> train journey from my hometown. Their closest center
> (Hyderabad) is about 600 km from my hometown.
>
> The page http://www.icat.ac.in/company.asp tells me
> that their Hyderabad center (the closest one to me)
> has just opened up this year, which I assume means
> that the faulty is new, while the Chennai center (the
> one recommended to me by someone) has been running
> since 2004.
>
> Also, on the page http://www.icat.ac.in/library.asp it
> seems that the students of the Chennai center have
> more privilidges in terms of relations to libraries.
>
> My questions are -
>
> 1) Does the course structure look worth pursuing?
> 2) Should I take up admission in an Information
> Technology or a Computer Science course (B.A.) in some
> other college?
> 3) If the course structure seems worth pursuing,
> should I join the center closest to my hometown (600
> km) or should I join the Chennai center (more than
> 1000 km)
> 4) Does the relation to libraries (Chennai center)
> matter? Do you think that it would be better to get
> information from the internet instead?
> - S█████ M█████

Namaste S█████, you wrote:

Could you please take a look at the course structure
> at http://www
As it says above, you are asking me to do something I do not offer as a free service.

Does the course structure look worth pursuing?
Schools are like game ideas - they are all excellent - and they all suck. Any school you decide to go to is going to teach you a lot. And any school you decide to go to is going to disappoint you in some way. I didn't follow that link, but let me guess - this is a "game school"? If so, read my FAQs 34 & 44.

Should I take up admission in an Information
> Technology or a Computer Science course (B.A.) in some
> other college?
You should build a decision grid such as I describe in FAQ 25.

should I join the center closest to my hometown (600
> km) or should I join the Chennai center (more than
> 1000 km)
That's for you to decide, based on whatever criteria are important to you.

Does the relation to libraries (Chennai center)
> matter? Do you think that it would be better to get
> information from the internet instead?
Classic two-choices question (FAQ 52). As always, the answer to a two-choices question is invariably "neither" or "both" or "it depends." In this case, I like "both." I think it is useful to have a good library to use in addition to the Internet.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
June 7, 2008

Sent via GameDev.net Private Messaging system

>From: murdock   [ Add to Buddies ]
>Subject: Game development process question
>Date: 6/3/2008 3:49:47 PM  
>After you get a design document in place, what steps take place between that and the actual coding of the game itself?
>I think a technical document is needed in this intermediary step, but what all goes into it?
>Do you have any examples?
>Get to know murdock...
>Full Name Matt Weston
>Nickname murdock
>State/Province, Country TX United States
>GD Gathering City San Antonio, TX, United States
>Current Occupation
>Job Title System Analyst II
>Number Of Posts
>In our forums 156
>Member Since 11/28/2004 5:02:01 PM

Hello Matt, you asked:

After you get a design document in place, what steps take place between that and the actual coding of the game itself?
Read FAQ 10, above left.

I think a technical document is needed in this intermediary step, but what all goes into it?
Well, here's what I wrote about it in Introduction to Game Development:

The Technical Design Document

By this time, if the GDD is not yet fully complete, there should be enough from which the developer can begin work on the TDD. If one regards the GDD as a statement of the problem, the TDD can be viewed as a statement of the solution [Blair93]. The purpose of the Technical Design Document is to lay the foundation for the programming work. To identify the technical challenges and put into place a plan for dealing with them. To specify what technology will be used, what equipment is needed, and what personnel shall be employed in creating the game’s code. And most importantly, to make a detailed task list.

To some extent, there are interdependencies that make it difficult to create a detailed list of milestones without first having the TDD in place, so it may be that the detailed milestone descriptions are written after the TDD is accepted and the schedule is finalized. The exact order of events is subject to the specifics of the project, the concept, and the working style of the companies and managers involved.

I recommend you purchase a good book on the game development process. I've listed books in FAQ 8.

Do you have any examples?
No, but if you try you might find examples on GameDev or IGDA or by Googling "example game TDD" or "example game technical design document." Good luck.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
June 3, 2008

i play games most of the day and night and wounder if u have any information on becoming a game tester

>From: danny ritchie
>To: tomster at sloperama, com
>Sent: Monday, June 02, 2008 12:37 PM
>Subject: [blank]
>hi my name is danny i am wondering if u have any information on becoming a game tester as i play games most of the day and night and wounder if u know of any game developer's who are interested in game testers ???
>thanks
> danny

Danny, you asked:
i [sic] play games most of the day and night and wounder [sic] if u [sic] have any information on becoming a game tester
That's Frequently Asked Question #5, kid. Yes. I do have that information. Please read it. And if you write me again with a follow-up question (you're welcome to do so), please write the way they taught you to write in school (assuming you've been to school in an English-speaking country). And please read the rules of this forum (see above).
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
June 2, 2008

Advice about my board game invention

>From: MHHoward12
>Sent: Monday, June 02, 2008 8:53 AM
>Subject: Game Industry Q+A
>I understand that, in order for you to give me the best answer suited to my unique situation, you need to know that...
>My approximate age is: _60
>The level of education I've completed is: _Bachelor of Arts Business Administration
>My occupation (if student, enter 'student') is: former business owner (art), published writer, public affairs writer/communicator for non-profits, editor
>The type of game job I aspire to (if applicable) is: _board game (have designed and produced 6 prototypes, full-color and size; elements (cards), and directions); field tested
>My game biz question is: _
>Have talked with a retired toy inventor, and he recommends I sell the game now, as is. My research indicated a 5% royalty was standard, but what is a "normal" up-front price?
>Appreciate your input. MH

Hello M,
You mean the advance? I don't know. In my opinion, you should get an agent and ask him this. Or you could post this question to the board game design mailing list. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/boardgamedesign/
BTW, licensing it to a publisher is not the same thing as "selling it," in my opinion. (When you say "he recommends I sell it," I have a different thing in mind than you describe - no royalties if you self-publish.) Also: Have you looked at the color graph in my FAQ 20 (above left)?
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
June 2, 2008

Wanna immigrate to the USA

From: "ak k" (tidus.spiraz.hope)
Sent: Monday, June 02, 2008 1:13 AM
Subject: Hello Mr. Sloper
> Hello Mr. Sloper.
> My name is Akbar,i am 21 and living in India.I visiting your website
> sloperama.com and must tell you its the most extensive knowledge
> database related with games.
> Mr. Sloper, i've always loved video games and would love to work with
> studios in the USA in
> future.I have just graduated with a degree in "Business Commerce",but
> since i am more inclined towards making games, i have no interest in a
> corporate career.In a couple of months i will be enrolled in a 3d
> course in India as i cant afford to study abroad at the moment, and
> wanna work as a 3d modeller and texture artist.
>
> I have no language problems with english which i am sure will help me
> have a global career in Games.
> As i have no mentor here,maybe you can guide me about how can i make
> the studios in USA consider me for a position as i have a very huge
> passion for making games but at the same time fear that merely working
> on outsourced material here in India without any REAL challenges may
> gradually fade out my desire.
>
> I know you must be very busy with your work but a reply from you can
> be really helpful in getting me to reach my ultimate goal and achieve
> my dreams.
> THANK YOU

Namaste Akbar, you wrote:

maybe you can guide me about how can i make
> the studios in USA consider me for a position
There are two approaches I can see:

After you figure out how to immigrate to the United States (which I cannot help you with, and which I understand has become very difficult to do in the post-9/11 world), you shouldn't have too much trouble getting them to consider you. Not saying getting hired will be easy - just saying your application is less likely to go into the cylindrical file once you live in-country.

The other way to go is to get a job at the Indian office of an American company. Then make yourself so indispensable that they want you over here.

Those are the only 2 ideas I've got at the moment, Akbar...
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
June 2, 2008

The industry is growing here in Brasil

>From: Hélder Gomes
>Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2008 11:01 PM
>Subject: We are managing to do it! Creating a industry on a non-industry country!
>Tom Sloper,
>Today (saturday for those wondering) happened a IGDA meeting that had focus the students that aspire to one day create games, the meeting had presence of many students and some important people on the national industry, and we noticed that in fact we are managing to improve our national industy, obviously it is still not a great industry with gazillion of gazillionarie companies, but we already have three AAA game projects running, and several companies that are indeed having sucess creating smaller games (like casual games, advergames and serious games), and we noticed that without the IGDA we would never know how much people are around, we even discussed on how much we suck at talking to each other, it was so intersting that everyone knew your site and gamasutra, and few people knew that just 1km away there was a game company (there are a company 2km away from my current apartment :) They want to hire me wohooooo).
>Just do have a question: What do you think about the withdraws from ESA?

Héllo Hélder,
I'm glad the IGDA chapter is proving so beneficial to you and my other Brazilian friends. Keep it up! As for the ESA departures by Activision, Vivendi, and id, I don't know enough about why those related companies are doing this to comment at this time.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
June 1, 2008

Questions from Sweden

>From: Magnus Sjöstrand
>Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2008 4:37 PM
>Subject: Questions about Game Concepts and Educations
>Hi Tom Sloper
>I just find out about your site and it was really interesting to hear your story and advices. Im really into the whole design aspect of games. Let me tell you first about myself.
> I started out with interest in games. Now I am 21 and will begin my third year on a university in Sweden. I study game programming since all I knew before starting here was that programming is the funniest I could think of to study. But the more I have studied the more I have find an interest in game programming, and later on game design. This also made me understand that one of my strength is my analyzing ability and problem solving. I have also developed my creative sides through music, theatre and organising. (But my ability isnt the best in drawing, even though I have good since of art). But enough about my introduction.
>
> What I was wondering is a couple of things. One thing is a funny idea me and my friend had for a game design, it was about making a huge reality world, just like Second Life. But take it one step further where the players control the world but the only way to control it is through hard work and actions. Just like in real life. So it would be just like real life, but with minor restrictions to not let people run wild and kill everyone or something. What I then started to wonder was:
>"Is there any restrictions to how wide a game concept or game world can be?"
>And "Is there any studies or articles that you know of that handles the players oppertunity to affect the game world?"
> Another question since I am working towards a master degree in game programming. Could this lead me into game design from a company that I may work in the future, or do I really need to study the extra 3 years in another degree in game designing?
>Best regards. And thanks for all the motivational text on your site. It will remind of what my true goal is for the rest of my life. (sounded a bit dramatic).
>/Magnus from Sweden
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Vårkänslor? Hitta någon att dela dem med!

Hello Magnus, you wrote:

"Is there any restrictions to how wide a game concept or game world can be?"
No.

"Is there any studies or articles that you know of that handles the players oppertunity to affect the game world?"
Not that I know of, but there could be lots of stuff out there.

I am working towards a master degree in game programming. Could this lead me into game design from a company that I may work in the future
Read FAQ 50. The FAQs are above left.

do I really need to study the extra 3 years in another degree in game designing?
I think your masters degree will be plenty. How many of the classes listed in FAQ 3 are you taking in the meantime?

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 31, 2008

Game school in Malaysia? (part 2)

>From: muhammad ikmal rani
>Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2008 12:01 PM
>Subject: Thanks for the reply
> Dude thanks for the reply and sorry if it was somewhat stupid, now I know I should get a Computer Science degree and learn about computer programming...The question is should I just go ahead and focus more on game design or should I start off with programming....I like maths and that's sort of stuff but I'm more passionate about getting to design a game.....I'm afraid of my time unnecessarily used to learn programming when the thing I'm more kean to is design{I like both though(programming is a bit hard)}....maybe I should start off as a programmer before becoming a designer????....I just want to know your opinion. Sorrry if I MISSED this one out from one of yours FAQS
>P.S. If this is another stupid question you can start with "another stupid question by ikmal"

Hi Ikmal,
Sorry for calling you by the wrong name yesterday. Today you wrote:

now I know I should get a Computer Science degree and learn about computer programming
That should have been obvious since you said you wanted to program games.

should I just go ahead and focus more on game design or should I start off with programming
It's not up to me to tell you that. You have to let your passions and skills drive this decision. Read FAQ 40. And did you read FAQ 34 yet, like I asked you to yesterday?

I'm afraid of my time unnecessarily used to learn programming when the thing I'm more kean to is design
Read FAQ 51.

the thing I'm more kean to is design{I like both though(programming is a bit hard)}
You started this conversation by telling me that your career aspiration was "programmer/designer." I can only go by what you tell me. You can study whatever floats your boat. I'm serious. Study whatever you want!

maybe I should start off as a programmer before becoming a designer???? ... Sorrry if I MISSED this one out from one of yours FAQS
Did you read FAQ 14 yet? Re-read the paragraph entitled "Starting Out."

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 31, 2008

Game school in Malaysia?

>From: Muhammad Ikmal Rani
>Sent: Friday, May 30, 2008 12:05 AM
>Subject: Is it worth it......
>I understand that, in order for you to give me the best answer suited to my unique situation, you need to know that...My approximate age is: 17 The level of education I've completed is:high school(this year) _My occupation (if student, enter 'student') is: student_The type of game job I aspire to (if applicable) is: programmer/designer_My game biz question is: Be patience reading this......In Malaysia there's only one company that develope big games that is Codemaster Sdn Bhd, others only do small games, now is it worth to persue a video game development education here in Malaysia. Must I work in another country to develope high profile games, education is another problem there's no goverment universities that teaches the course, I don't mind studying overseas but i do mind working overseas(if there's a conference or something, then it's okay) what is the exact course should I take????, how fast can you start working????....help dude _

Muhammad, dude, you ask the worst questions! (^_^) You started off moaning about how many game companies there aren't in your country, when your real issue is education. And you entitled your email with the forbidden phrase "is it worth it" (FAQ 66, above left) when your real question is "what should I do?" Focus, dude! \(^_^)/

What's important for you first is whether to study, what to study, and where to study. You don't have to worry about where to work until about four years from now, so let's just focus, okay? (~_^)

For starters, read the post entitled "Where should I go to study game design?" (from: shashank wattamwar on Tuesday, May 20, 2008, below). Then read FAQs 34 & 44 - link to the FAQs above left - to read the Tom Sloper advice on the importance of degrees, what to study, and the "worth" of so-called "game schools."

Next, read FAQs 15, 14 to learn about programming and game design (since you say those are the two specialties you want to pursue). You absolutely should get a Computer Science degree, which you can study anywhere. And you should take courses such as those listed in FAQ 3 if you want to design games and not just program them.

Finally, read FAQ 25 and start making your own decision grid to pick what school to go to.

Standing by for follow-up questions anytime, dude.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 30, 2008

I'm that guy who you replied to in your March column and wrote to you on Friday, May 16

>From: Williams, Christopher
>To: Tom Sloper
>Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2008 6:10 PM
>Subject: RE: Hi Tom this is Chris from The Games Game March 08 Column
>Cool, thanks for uploading me on the bulletin!
>In answering your question, yes, I had the chance to speak with Scott. He let me know that if I had any further questions he would be happy to help me out. I also added him to my linkedIn page to keep in contact. I never really looked at the bulletin section of the site, I will start frequenting it from now on. At a quick glance there's some great Q&A going on in there.
>Thanks again for your dedication to helping us newbies out =D.
>Have a great weekend,
>Chris

Looking for hope

>From: flavio tona
>Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 9:10 PM
>Subject: a change in my life
> First, I want to introduce myself
> My name is Flávio T.S., ( I hate to write my name in the Internet, but this time its important )
>I'm 19, Brazilian, and cursing the 2th year of medical school.
> Last week my girlfriend questioned me if I'm happy. That's one of those questions that makes you think. I just answered " yes ! of course i am", but started thinking of my life, in all aspects.
>
> My carrier, as a doctor, would be great. Money and secure job till i retire, right ? yes.....but something doesn't fell right in me.
> I study A LOT, and try to learn everything as fast as possible, just to have free time to play video-games and my guitar
>. I'm not kidding, video-games are more than fun for me, they are a form of art. i love them !
> The really change ,that i don't have enough strength to make, is choose what gives me a safe future, to what i really like.
>
> And it's not only games that i like, i can make impossible things on a computer, without anyone ever taught me. Photoshop, rhinoceros, maya, all those programs appears to be very simple to me. I am very intelligent and smart, i really am, I'm just confused on my carrier.
> The big stone in my way is that i don't know much about my option. I live in Rio de Janeiro, and there are many good colleges here, but i want a security.
> All this is only to question one thing :
>
> If i finish a great college, work really hard , get a job and start living in USA, get some attention on the company i would work, I can make it to, let me see, Sonic Team or Capcom ??
> I know i don't have any reason to think that someone would respond this email, but please, I'm badly lost in this situation
> Thank you for reading
>Ps : sorry for some grammar mistakes, it's 2am and I'm very tired......

Bom dia Flavio,
You wrote:

My carrier, as a doctor, would be great. Money and secure job till i retire, right ? yes.....but something doesn't fell right in me.
Being a doctor is about MUCH more than money and security. It's about helping people. But it isn't for everyone. And if you'd prefer to work in games, that's fine. But games are certainly not about money and security. So if those things are what are important to you, then games might not be right for you.

I'm just confused on my carrier.
"Career." I recommend you have a look at my FAQ 25. In that article, I show you how to make a decision grid. Decision grids are very useful for making important life choices. The one in FAQ 25 is about choosing a college, but you are a creative person so you can adapt it to making a choice about your career. Decide what things are important to you, then rate them, then add up the numbers. Then modify the grid and play with it - you'll find it very useful for making decisions.

The big stone in my way is that i don't know much about my option.
If you want to know more about the game industry options, just read my articles. Click the links above left.

i want a security.
Then you don’t want to work in games.

If i finish a great college, work really hard , get a job and start living in USA, get some attention on the company i would work,
Those are some pretty big ifs, Flavio.

I can make it to, let me see, Sonic Team or Capcom ??
I don't think you will find working at the American office of a Japanese company to be as interesting as you think right now. I would find it very interesting, because I enjoy Japanese people and culture - but you probably think you would be designing or making graphics or programming...? Wrong. That's done mostly in Japan. (We're talking about Japanese companies' offices in America.)

But yes. It's possible. Read FAQ 50. And read FAQ 48, too.

I know i don't have any reason to think that someone would respond this email
Just scroll down. You'll see that you had very good reason to think that someone would - if you'd just looked here before you wrote to me. Good luck with your decision, Flavio. I'm always here if you have more questions about the game industry anytime.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 28, 2008

What will they think?

>From: "Hélder Gomes"
>Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 10:44 AM
>Subject: The question that I tought that I would never ask...
>>A company here, offered me a internship as a PHP developer to their website...
>> They done the interview and examined my resume, and went silent for 1
>> month, now they sent a e-mail asking me to "lock" the university (I do
>> not know if this exists in US, we like "pause" the course and we can
>> resume it later, altough sometimes there are a time limit on how much
>> time you can leave it paused) and join them as a full time programmer
>> on their MMO project.
>>
>> How future employers will act in case I end never finishing college
>> but has experience in a project? I know that there are several
>> possible awnsers, but I need a advice to help me think in how bad (or
>> good) idea is to lock the university to join them.
>>
>> Remembering that they never made a game before (they are a publishing
>> press company that started about a year ago their "eletronic"
>> projects, like their websites and this game, that is still in
>> pre-production phase)

Héllo Hélder,
Your last paragraph added absolutely nothing to your main question, which is:

How future employers will act in case I end never finishing college
>> but has experience in a project?
That's "stupid question #100." Okay, so I made up a number. But I answered this question in my November 2005 column...

http://www.igda.org/games-game - November 2005 is listed in Archives

It's not important what these "future employers" will think. (And you already know that I do not have a crystal ball, right?) What's important is what's the best thing to do for YOU. For your life. If you are able to continue your university studies, you should do so. I have nothing more to say beyond that.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 28, 2008

School interview project - Producing, part 2

>From: Daniel Kam
>Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 6:39 PM
>Subject: RE: questions
>thank you very much again. the guys at bungie wouldn't answer me, but i have more questions
>What is a good college to go to if i want to be a video executive game?
>I know that a producer isn't a entry level position, so what sould i do to work my way up the video game ladder?
>So if you could answer asap that would be very helpful
>Thanks again:)
>Daniel

Hi Daniel, you wrote:

What is a good college to go to if i want to be a video executive game?
They're ALL good. Read FAQs 25, 34, & 44 for help with choosing a college.

I know that a producer isn't a entry level position, so what sould i do to work my way up the video game ladder?
I have no idea, Daniel. I do not know what you are good at. YOU know you better than anybody. If you are artistic, perhaps you should go the art route. If you are technical, programming. (Etc.) Read FAQ 7 and pick your entry pathway. Have you read FAQ 42 yet?

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 27, 2008

Help me choose a direction, part 4

>From: R***** *******
>Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 11:13 AM
>Subject: Re: Help me choose a direction to take in the industry
>LOL i could not have imagined a better case to demonstrate the misunderstandings i get when talking in English
>
>quote
>"Besides, now you're telling me two opposing stories, so one of them must be a lie. First you say you have a job offer and/or have a high degree of certainty that you would. Now you say you'll probably run into a wall because you're not finished cooking yet. In my opinion, the latter is the truth."
>I never said i had any degree (or high school counts as a degree - i thought only college is one ?), I've completed high school for graphics editing/design - actualy i'm two weeks from graduation(we have a profession choice in high school in Croatia - i don't know if this is true in US). The yob offer is from a company i was an intern during high school (this is required in high school) and the other is from a game dev company I already worked with in spare time ...
>I said I would run in to a brick wall with when contacting the bigger gamedev company (which i had no previous contact with).
>See how I can turn out to be a layer because of a misunderstanding :) ... this is a harmless example but you see now why i keep my info private :)
>
>BTW. why would I lie when asking for advice, how would that help me ?

Hi R,
When I said "high degree of certainty," that meant "high amount of certainty."
And of course lying does not help an information seeker. I'm sorry I characterized the confusion that way. I get a bit carried away sometimes.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 27, 2008

Help me choose a direction, part 3

>From: R█████ ███████
>To: Tom Sloper
>Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 10:23 AM
>Subject: Re: Help me choose a direction to take in the industry
>Thank you for the reply,
>The reason i didn't want you to post my information/links is that i think it would be a permanent reference for a simple Google background check, and asking potentially silly questions now my undermined me latter :) (witch is often how my questions come out since my native language is not English so people often misunderstand me, and it's harder to express yourself in a non-native language)
>I thank you for respecting my privacy ...
>
>quote : "
>Holy cow! This is crazy. First, you haven't gone to college yet - dude, if you want to do well in life, or especially in the game industry, you need to go to college. Unless college is out of the question for you for some reason.
>Second, wow! Two job offers!?
>Third, I have to ask this. There was an accent mark in your last name, and this thing about getting job offers right out of high school sounds distinctly foreign. So I wonder if you live outside of the United States? I would have thought that was an important part of the equation. Oh wait. (I started writing this reply before I read your whole email - I have the possibly mistaken notion that it saves time.) I see that you mentioned the euro - and I see where the companies you mentioned are located.
>"
>for second - as i have stated later in the post - I've worked for both companies before and both saw me as a potential, plus the jobs are entry level. so imo it's not that surprising
>
>as for third it's actually not an accent mark, it's a unique letter and the country is Croatia (if your a soccer fan you will know where it is :))
>
>quote : "
>Please explain to me why you ask this. Forgive me, but I think it's not a smart question. You have to walk in the front door, not try to shyly knock at the back door."
>It's more practical nature than being shy IMO, if I use a standard approach I will probably run in to a wall before i even get the interview since I (as you stated many times) have no degree. If however i get some developer contact inside the company I may be able to overcome that and at least get a fair shot ... but thinking some more about it, your right it's not a good idea
>
>overall thanks for the advice, I think i will try to get a online degree i haven't considered this option jet (this is why it's usefull to get a second opinion :) ), and will still work on my free game since it is what i want to do (no matter if I'm getting paid for it or not)

Hello R,
You wrote:

I thank you for respecting my privacy ...
I don't like the extra work it causes me when correspondents share sensitive information and ask for it to be omitted. It's better for me if the seeker just leaves out sensitive information entirely. I work in this public space, I wish people would understand that before asking me for advice.

the country is Croatia (if your a soccer fan you will know where it is :))
I'm not a soccer fan. I already knew you were talking about Croatia, of course, and I know where it is.

if I use a standard approach I will probably run in to a wall before i even get the interview since I (as you stated many times) have no degree.
Even more reason for you to get more education. Besides, now you're telling me two opposing stories, so one of them must be a lie. First you say you have a job offer and/or have a high degree of certainty that you would. Now you say you'll probably run into a wall because you're not finished cooking yet. In my opinion, the latter is the truth.

If however i get some developer contact inside the company I may be able to overcome that and at least get a fair shot ... but thinking some more about it, your right it's not a good idea
Good, I'm glad you can see that.

I think i will try to get a online degree i haven't considered this option jet
It's not as good as a mainstream brick-and-mortar college campus, but it's better than no degree. Good luck, R.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 27, 2008

Oops

>From: R█████ ███████
>To: GD©Sloperama.com
>Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 8:51 AM
>Subject: I've sent an email to the wrong addres :)
>Sorry - i've never got to checking the : http://www.sloperama.com/advice/bulletinbd.htm, i've automaticaly assumed it was a forum ... i sent you an email to tomster©sloperama.com
>If you will publish my post i would like only that you remove direct links to company sites and my personal name (at least the surname) from the introduction, since i haven't seen that part about you publishing emails until I've sent it
>Here is the content of the original message
>[deleted]

Yeah, I already figured out that part, R█████. Your reply is below. And seriously - it doesn't matter what address you send your questions to. Good luck making your decision, kid.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 27, 2008

Help me choose a direction

>From: R█████ ███████
>Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 8:03 AM
>Subject: Help me choose a direction to take in the industry
>Hi,
>My name is R█████ ███████, and I'm an aspiring game programmer ...
>I'm sory to waste your time buth I've decided to contact you trough email directly since I've got some delicate questions i would not like to ask on a public forum. I will try to make it as brief as i can but (in my humble opinion) there are a lot of important details and a lot of questions i don't have the experience to answer ...
>
>I've just finished high school, and got an offer for a game programmer job and a job at a newspaper publisher (since I've completed graphics editor (designer) high school).
>First offer is from a startup indie company i helped out during the high school and i don't know if it's a smart move to take it since : I would need to relocate and I can't afford that (and i doubt any bank would give a loan to a 19-year old), the pay is miserable and the games they are making (2) are already in the finishing phase (they lack programmers badly tough) and it's a "drone work" (adding the menus and content integration). Company is btw. http://www.██████.com/
>The other job offer is a "safe" job - the pay is about the same as the one above, but i would not have to relocate and the work is extremely easy (undemanding).
>Other than that I'm considering to apply to another local game developer, http://www.███████.com/, which is needles to say a lot bigger than the first, but then i would take me at least another month to make a decent demo and there is the same relocation problem
>
>So here is the part where I actually get to asking you something :) ...
>Considering the "safe" job is easy and undemanding work (I have done it as a summer job 2 years, and i was there full time as a replacement for the workers on holidays, and I could easily code at work without anyone noticing since work is done only in certain periods) i could work games as a spare-time development.
>My "business" plan would be to release my games for free and include some form of pay per view ads in them (perhaps even video adds if i could negotiate it somewhere), but considering your experience do you think this approach would have the possibility of generating enough income for a small company. I was thinking after first two games it should be around ~ 2-5k€/month ? First game I plan to make would be similar to Nintendo's "Mario kart" (severely scaled tough) but still stylish enough not to look like a ripoff or a bad production (I completed graphics design/editing high school and have had successes on national competitions in graphics design so i think I'm competent to produce a graphically "stylish" game, and I also have a couple of friends in this field that would not mind helping me in their spare time). The focus of the game would be multilayer (online). I also consider my self competent enough to program this and I even have the access to servers/hosting trough some connections.
>Still this looks weary idealistic to me (I'm probably too optimistic), and I'm certain that I've missed some possible pitfalls and ignored some important questions - which i hope you will be able to point out.
>
>If i don't take this approach I'm considering to apply for the ███████ (the bigger dev. company) and i also have a couple of questions : is it likely that a dev company will help to relocate a entry level programmer (programmers are rather rare in this country, and they often move abroad so i think this increases the chance), and in what way do companies usually help with reallocation ? If i decide to contact them should i take a formal approach or should i try to contact some of the programmers first ?
>
>Sorry for the time taken and thank you for reading (hopefully you will reply with some useful pointers)

Hello R█████,
I don't know why you're so shy about asking this question in public, but like it says all over my site, I do not give free private advice. It may be selfish, but I want the time I spend giving advice to be shared as widely as possible. I won't tell anybody that your name is R█████ if you're gonna be paranoid about it. (^_^) You asked:

I've just finished high school, and got an offer for a game programmer job and a job at a newspaper publisher
Holy cow! This is crazy. First, you haven't gone to college yet - dude, if you want to do well in life, or especially in the game industry, you need to go to college. Unless college is out of the question for you for some reason.
Second, wow! Two job offers!?

Third, I have to ask this. There was an accent mark in your last name, and this thing about getting job offers right out of high school sounds distinctly foreign. So I wonder if you live outside of the United States? I would have thought that was an important part of the equation. Oh wait. (I started writing this reply before I read your whole email - I have the possibly mistaken notion that it saves time.) I see that you mentioned the euro - and I see where the companies you mentioned are located.

I would need to relocate and I can't afford that
Any job that requires you to relocate, and doesn't provide relocation expense, is out of the question for you if you can't afford to relocate. Forget those jobs right now. Based on what you told me, you are not ready to take those jobs.

The other job offer is a "safe" job
I thought you said it was a newspaper? Newspapers are definitely not safe. People are increasingly getting their news from the Internet, and newspapers are having trouble.

i could work games as a spare-time development.
I think a better use of your spare time would be to get a college degree. I mean "university" (I know that in England, "college" doesn't mean what it means here in America - I don't know about Europe).

is it likely that a dev company will help to relocate a entry level programmer
Here's a crazy idea. Why don't you ask them? Most companies here in America won't. But some companies might, if they see an opportunity. I can't make a generality about companies in ███████, either. You need to ask them, R█████. But I recommend you get a degree instead.

If i decide to contact them should i take a formal approach or should i try to contact some of the programmers first ?
Please explain to me why you ask this. Forgive me, but I think it's not a smart question. You have to walk in the front door, not try to shyly knock at the back door. I don't think you're ready to jump into adult life yet. I think you need more education. If you cannot afford more education, then take the newspaper job and get an online degree in your spare time. Then after you've gotten a degree and saved up money, then you can relocate and take a game job.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 27, 2008

School interview project - Producing

>From: Daniel Kam
>Sent: Monday, May 26, 2008 10:27 PM
>Subject: questions
>Hello i am a student in the 6th grade at heeia elementary school in hawaii, and i have to write a report about what i would like to be when i grow up, and i want to be a video producer. So i had a question for you:
>What classes should i take to become a video game producer?
>If you could please answer asap that would be very helpful
>Thanks,
>Daniel

Hi Daniel,
Would you believe nobody ever asked me this question before!? I get a kajillion emails like this about game design, but this is the first time anybody ever asked this about game producing. To expand on what I wrote in FAQ 42 (above left):

The classes you should take are first and foremost, classes related to communication, business, and management. For example:

Of course, you also need to learn how to use computers effectively. For example:

That last one crosses over into the third area of knowledge you should study: art and entertainment. For example:

Best wishes to you in your classes and your career, Daniel.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 27, 2008

Asking a question analogy (FAQ 3)

>From: Prakash
>Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 12:06 AM
>Subject: Alternate Analogy - TheGame Design Zone
>Hello Tom,
>I am a software engineer and has just developed the interest in the gaming industry and is working to get experience in it and was reading your lessons in that lesson i read comments on Bad Analogy [in FAQ 3] and i too want to comment on that:
>Here is my comment
>Asking a question is like building a railway track. If the railway engineer (Track developer or the advice seeker) keeps on building the track without being clear of directions could end up going the wrong direction, and would end up losing money, time and most of all the aim.(Equivalent of asking a vague question). And if he builds a good track then the train driver (Advice giver) will drive the train to its destination(Answers the question Exactly).
>By the way whatever content i had read was very good and inspiring.
>Thanks and Regards,
>Chandra Prakash Soni
>Senior Navision Consultant

Namaste Prakash,
Good one. Thanks, and best wishes for you in your game endeavours.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 25, 2008

Where should I go to study game design?

>From: shashank wattamwar
>Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 10:55 PM
>Subject: hi about career in game design
>Hello sir,
> I am Shashank. I'm from India.I have done graduation in Electronics and Tele-communication(12+4 years) i'm interested to do career in game design.In which
>country there are good courses available for game design.What is criteria for admission and do u know any institute in India whcih can provide woldclass education
>on this subject.
> Thank you

Namaste Shashank, you wrote:

I have done graduation in Electronics and Tele-communication(12+4 years)
I think you're saying you're a recent university graduate? That the 12 years is your pre-university studies?

i'm interested to do career in game design.
I know what I mean when I say "game design" but I don't know what you mean when you say "game design." Please read FAQs 7, 14, & 28 (above left) and please read the Career Paths pages at http://www.igda.org/breakingin/ and please read my May 2008 column at http://www.igda.org/games-game/ - then come back and tell me what it is you want to do exactly.

In which country there are good courses available for game design.
Not sure what you mean by "game design" but the answer is the US and the UK.

What is criteria for admission
The cost of tuition.

do u know any institute in India whcih can provide woldclass education on this subject.
I don't. But I recommend you read my FAQs 3, 34, & 44.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 21, 2008

Do I have an "ultimate idea"? - Part 2

>From: aronskis
>Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 9:56 AM
>Subject: Re: Help me decide if I have an 'ultimate idea'
>Well that was easier than I thought.
>To answer your question, what am I going to do about it:
> I guess I'll continue creating it then. I've already been working on it, and it's coming along well. Despite my lack of programming knowledge, which I'm rectifying, I'm still creating giant excel books of equations. When I get it to the point in which I feel its ready, I was going to begin creating a presentation, maybe a demo, sending out e-mails, mail, phone calls, and begin the other steps required for any financial venture. .
>PS: Is Sunshine the one between Inglewood and Grandview? The Spitfire is delicious, any time your up for it!

Hi Aron, you wrote:

I guess I'll continue creating it then.
That's always what I recommend. If you want to become a game designer, you should design games. The way to get your dream job is to just do it. Eventually if you do it well and long enough, somebody'll start paying you for it.

I'm still creating giant excel books of equations.
Why? I assume those are part of your GDD? I'm pretty sure I wrote in one of the FAQs that there's no need to write a GDD until you've got a team ready to start working on the game. (Or just to practice doing it, in order to learn how to do it.) Given what you said in this email, your energies would be better spent working on a realistic plan for how you're going to get a team working on the project. Plenty of time to flesh out the GDD details later.

sending out e-mails, mail, phone calls
For what purpose? To whom? You still haven't answered the question I asked in my first response. What is your plan for what to do with your "ultimate idea"? Lots of people send emails and letters and make phone calls every day - but that doesn't mean they're all getting a game made.

and begin the other steps required for any financial venture.
The first one being the Business Plan, I assume?

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 19, 2008

Do I have an "ultimate idea"?

>From: aronskis
>Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2008 6:17 PM
>Subject: Help me decide if I have an 'ultimate idea'
>Dear Mr Sloper,
> I have read nearly all your online lessons, and am confident I have an 'ultimate idea'. I have 'some' experience in the industry, having QAed at activision and been in market research groups at vivendi since theyre branch opened in the howard hughes center ( and before that at the private research group they used). I was wondering if you would be willing to listen to it, to help me decide if I'm wasting my time. I live in Mar Vista (90066) on the corner of inglewood and washington so I'm very close to you. How much would you charge to hear my idea, and will I need to prepare an NDA for you?
>-Aron
>PS: If I don't have that type of money, do you accept fresh baked goods?
>Just kidding, but if there's something you like I'm a mean baker!

Hi Aron,
Let's say you tell me your idea and I say "yes, it's an ultimate idea."
Are you with me so far? Yes. Your idea is an ultimate idea.

So what?

Still with me? What is your plan for what to do next, if I tell you your idea is an ultimate idea?

Because that's the important part of your question, as I wrote in FAQ 31. You say you've read "nearly all" my FAQs - but it sounds like you haven't read that one yet. You also need to read FAQs 16, 29, 60, 11, 50, & 62.

Your idea is an ultimate idea. They're ALL ultimate ideas. You don't need to hire me to find that out. But now what? After you've read all those articles, you can buy me lunch at Spitfire Grill on Airport (or if you prefer, the Sunshine? Grill? 1 block west of Inglewood on Venice) and I'll explain to you what you'd already read in those articles, and answer any other questions you have - all for the price of lunch. You don't need to tell me your idea. I don't need to hear it. I don't want to hear it. You're not allowed to tell it to me. No NDA necessary. It is an ultimate idea. What are you gonna do about it? That's the real question.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 18, 2008

What exactly does the designer do?

>From: SloJimFiz
>Sent: Saturday, May 17, 2008 10:07 PM
>Subject: Questions about Game Designers and Producers
>From: Jim Hall
>Age: 54
>Edu: HS Grad
>Occupation: not in game industry
>Hi Tom,
>Effusive thanks to you for sharing your expertise on this website! Plunging ahead with questions:
>
>1. Regarding FAQ/Lesson #62, Finances, Table 1, Developers Worksheet: the text below the table mentions the Line Producer working on the project for the entire 16 months, but 50% of his time is spent on this project and the reM█████ng 50% on another project; and I get that. Could you describe how Game Designer 1's time is allocated using the game development/production steps in FAQ/Lesson #10, The Process, parts A, 1, 2, 3, and Z? I'm interested in where the four months at 100% time and the six months at 50% time would fit in Lesson #10.
>
>2. I may be over-analyzing that FAQ #62 Table 1, and, if so, I apologize - but, would you describe the duties performed by Game Designer 1 in FAQ #62 (if any) in the Production Phase discussed in part 2 of Lesson #10?
>
>3. Would you describe the challenges you faced as a Producer for a software publisher in dealing with external developers and which personnel at the developers you would interact with?
>Thanks again,
>Jim

Hi Jim,
I found it very difficult to follow your questions. I can't promise that I've fully understood them but I'll give it a shot. BTW, I don't think you've read FAQ 14...?

Could you describe how Game Designer 1's time is allocated... in FAQ/Lesson #10, The Process, parts A, 1, 2, 3, and Z?
Part of why this was hard for me to follow is that you call the 5 steps of the production process A,1,2,3,Z - but I call them Concept, Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production, and Aftermarket.
First, you understand that that table in FAQ 62 is just a made-up example - it doesn't mirror the process used on any particular or typical project. Let's assume that this designer is a non-programmer and non-artist. He's strictly a game designer. So...

Concept - he's working very hard to create a design document that meets with the approval of the decision-makers. He may have to go through multiple iterations to accomplish this.

Pre-production - he's cooperating with the art team to create an art list, with the audio director to create a sound/music spec, and if he's not the dialogue writer, with the writer to create the voice-over script.

Production - if he isn't a level designer, he doesn't have much to do until significant parts of the game have been implemented. Once the game is playable, he might have to work to figure out how to fine-tune the fun with the programmers, and he probably has to work to review the art and sound assets as those come through. He's surely involved in lots of meetings, and if there are gameplay problems, he's involved in figuring out how best to solve them.

Post-production - not much for him to do except test, but he's surely not allowed to burn up the company's money doing that too much (cheaper testers are used for that function).

Aftermarket - The designer might be involved in online discussion forums to answer questions - or perhaps a PR person does that, or the producer. The designer may field questions from Customer Support about how certain features work. The designer may be monitoring online reviews and discussion forums, in order to plan for the sequel.

would you describe the duties performed by Game Designer 1 in FAQ #62 (if any) in the Production Phase discussed in part 2 of Lesson #10?
Did I answer this already?

Would you describe the challenges you faced as a Producer for a software publisher in dealing with external developers
You're asking me to write a book. Have you read FAQ 42? I recommend you buy Introduction to Game Development and read the lengthy chapter I wrote on Production.

and which personnel at the developers you would interact with?
If the external developer is small, I may be dealing directly with the company president. I might even talk directly to the programmer at times. If the external developer is larger (they have multiple projects going on), then my contact is the line producer.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 17, 2008

Please review my game, part 2

From: Isaac Barbosa
Sent: Saturday, May 17, 2008 10:49 AM
Subject: Re: about this word game (LOST WORD TEMPLE)
>Ok Tom,  
>I will try there.  
>Thanks!

Please review my game

>From: Isaac Barbosa
>Sent: Saturday, May 17, 2008 9:10 AM
>Subject: about this word game (LOST WORD TEMPLE)
>Hello Mr. Sloper,
>My name is Isaac, I live in Mexico, and I´m pursuing a dream that is becoming more and more hard to pursue: do a great game.
>I have been working in several projects (most of them with a playable protrotype) but nothing seems to be accepted for publishing.
>You may download my last game, that is a word game here: http://www.lostwordtemple.com/LostWordTempleInstaller.exe
>The game is plenty of action (for a word game!)
>We have 4 game modes, one with an interesting plot story.
>There are more than 82000 available on dictionary.
>And the music score is great and custom made for this game.
>The question Mr. Sloper is we can get some words from you to make this title better. We really hope you want to spare some time in our game.
>Best regards
>Isaac

¡Hola Isaac,
I'm really sorry, but I simply cannot afford the time to review and analyze everyone's games. But I guarantee that you'll find lots of willing and helpful people on the IGDA.org and GameDev.net forums.

I have been working in several projects (most of them with a playable protrotype) but nothing seems to be accepted for publishing.
Have you read my FAQ 21? Have you got an agent? Have you considered self-publishing? (See FAQ 60.) And have you read my FAQ 64 and my August 2004 column (http://www.igda.org/games-game/ - click Archives)?

I wish you well, Isaac.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 17, 2008

I'm that guy who you replied to in your March column

>From: Williams, Christopher
>Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 2:39 PM
>Subject: Hi Tom this is Chris from The Games Game March 08 Column
>Hi Tom,
>I wrote to you regarding break in advice and appeared in your March 2008 column "Stay Focused on A to Get to B"
>
>So as an update, I have stayed focused on A but also applied like crazy to get to B. The end results have been great! From the advice I took directly from your site and the contacts I met at GDC, I have landed a job for this summer as a Production Assistant/Design Intern at a small company here in Washington State. So I guess I didn't have to go through QA like I believed.
>
>One major concept that you have pointed out many times before that I am experiencing now is the fact that there is no perfect way to break into this industry. I found it to be completely happenstance that this internship opportunity popped up. Furthermore, I was able to show how my previous work experience was relevant to production in order to get the job.
>
>When I visited the company I gave off small hints to the producer that I was also interested in design. He later revealed that along with my production assistant responsibilities he would be placing me in the design team to aid in documentation creation. I am absolutely excited about this.
>
>Right now I am strategizing on how I am going be an excellent team member. I’d like to turn this opportunity into a salaried position because after June 15th I will have my degree. So it’s time to put in that 110 percent!
>
>Thanks again for your advice Tom; it has been greatly appreciated as well as helpful. I continue to visit the site because it remains to be a bountiful source of information that I know will aid me in my continued journey to becoming a Game Designer.
>Sincerely,
>Chris

Awesome, Chris. (^_^)
Sounds like you're on track. So did you ever hear from Scott Macmillan (scott©macguffingames,com) who wrote me on Tuesday (below) wanting to get in touch with you?
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 16, 2008

Los Angeles area board game designers group forming

From: "Matt Chapman"
> Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 9:16 PM
> Subject: board game designers group
> Hi Tom,
> Just found your website. Great stuff, particularly Lesson 20.
> I'm trying to put together a group of amateur board/table game
> designers in Los Angeles that would meet monthly to playtest each
> other's games and talk shop. If you or anyone you know might be
> interested, please contact me.
> Place & schedule to be determined, but one likely location is Knight
> Ware gameshop in Studio City. It will almost definitely be somewhere in
> the Valley.
> All the Best,
> Matt Chapman
> Email: Matt at ChapmannospamMedia dot com

IP ownership

From: "David ******" ©************:com
To: tsloper©sloperama:com
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 8:22 PM
Subject: A few questions about Video game IP
> Hello, let me introduce myself. My name is David ******, I'm currently
> involved with the following Fan Sites, [DELETED AT POSTER'S REQUEST] I have been running
> [DELETED AT POSTER'S REQUEST] for about 8 years and have been looking at the business
> side of things the last two years. I'm in the process of opening a
> startup that [DELETED AT POSTER'S REQUEST]
> I was wondering if you can help me with a few questions. 1) When you
> sign with a Publisher, do you basically give all original IP rights to
> them?
> An example
> 2)Who currently owns the right to monetize printed books/guides based on
> your games.
> 3) When a game is being made/released there is a large amount of digital
> media created, including Fan Sites. Fan Sites often host strategy
> guides, screen shots, movies and other works not exactly created by the
> IP owner, but is based on their game. These fan sites are generating
> income through advertising, donations, subscription services. In theory,
> who would these fan sites owe "royalties" too?
> Thank you for your time!
> David ********
> E-mail: david.******©********:com
> MSN: dave©********:com
> Aim: *******
> Niagara Falls, Ontario

Hi David,
I hope you weren't expecting free private advice [Apparently you were! Look, people - if you want free confidential advice from someone you find on the Internet, you absolutely have to research him (i.e. read his website) before contacting him, and for starters ask him if he's willing to give you free confidential advice, and don't tell him anything confidential without first executing an NDA!], because like it says above, I only give private responses to my consulting clients - or my students. Or journalists. ... Or my friends and family... Anyway, you asked:

When you
> sign with a Publisher, do you basically give all original IP rights to
> them?
You do if the contract says that. But of course it's up to you if you want to sign a contract that says that. It's called "negotiation." Everything is negotiable.

Who currently owns the right to monetize printed books/guides based on
> your games.
It depends on what it says in your contract (the one that you negotiated and signed).

In theory,
> who would these fan sites owe "royalties" too[sic]?
If a fan site dedicated to a particular IP makes money, then the IP owner has a right to want a piece of that. But read about machinima and fan fiction - sometimes an IP owner will let a fan site slide (especially one that doesn't make money), since it gives them good PR and doesn't steal from their own sales. And of course, YouTube (where a lot of machinima videos and fan films can be seen) doesn't exist solely on one IP. And they have rules about IP usage, and will take action if an IP owner complains about something on their site.

Niagara Falls, Ontario
No kidding! I lived right across the river from there when I was a kid - that's where I went to grade school and junior high. Small world, eh? (^_^)

Anyway, I recommend you get yourself a good book on IP, like the NOLO.com books I listed in FAQ 8 above left - and read FAQs 39 & 61 too. Oh - and read my November 2007 column, too. Go to www.igda.org//games-game, and click Archives.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 15, 2008

How do I get in touch with the guy who you replied to in your March column?

From: do_no_reply©igda,org
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 7:08 AM
Subject: The Games Game - Question
>A Games Game question has been submitted.
> Here are the details:
> Name: Scott Macmillan
> Email: scott©macguffingames,com
> Question:
> Hi Tom,
> If at all possible, I'd like to pass something on to Chris, the guy who wrote in for your March column. I've been in Production in the industry for about 5 years now, and recently left my job to start my own indie. I came at the process from the other way around - with degrees in Theater and History, I had to claw my way to whatever technical knowledge I now have. For my indie, I'm now teaching myself how to program.
> So - Chris has a great advantage in that comp sci degree, even if only that he knows how to "speak programmer" a bit.
> If you do pass this on, please feel free to give him my contact info - I'd be glad to discuss things with him if he's interested. Helping out new game makers is a hobby of mine - I had a hell of a time getting in via QA, and I like saving motivated people the time and energy my trial-and-error process took.

That's very nice of you, Scott. Chris' email address is willia19 at seattleu dot edu. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear from you.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 13, 2008

More questions from Steven

>From: Steven Tesarek (sirsantaofclaus)
>Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 12:36 AM
>Subject: GD Questions
>Hi Tom,
>I am a 17 year old currently working on a high school career report. My report is on Game Designers and I have a few questions.
>
>1. What values will a company come to expect from their game designer? Can these harm your creativity?
>2. Is there any incentive pay for working at a higher level?
>3. If you have the knowledge, can you temporarily work with people in different fields in order to help your game's progress? For example, if I'm a game designer who knows how to program, can I help out with some of the game's programming?
>
>I would also like to know if there are any commonly overlooked aspects of being a game designer. I appreciate any information
>that you can give me and I am very thankful for your website. I have found it to be very insightful on what being a game designer is all about.

Hi Steven, you wrote:

I am a 17 year old currently working on a high school career report.
Yes, I remember you from your last email. It was only 2 days ago ("What exactly do game designers do?," Saturday, May 10, 2008 12:31:55 AM, below). Now you make me wonder if you even saw my previous reply! It frustrates me when I give someone an answer, and then it turns out he never saw the reply at all.

What values will a company come to expect from their game designer?
I'm sorry, I do not have a crystal ball. I cannot see the future.

Can these harm your creativity?
I cannot imagine that anyone would intentionally heap new requirements on somebody, in such a way as to hamper his ability to do a job. Where does this question come from? If you read something that makes you think this is going to happen, why don't you just tell me what it is you read, so I can respond to it?

Is there any incentive pay for working at a higher level?
I don't understand what you're asking. Of course lead designers are paid more highly than junior designers. Is that what you're asking? You could read the latest game industry Salary Survey on www.gamecareerguide.com - that should be very informative for you.

If you have the knowledge, can you temporarily work with people in different fields in order to help your game's progress? For example, if I'm a game designer who knows how to program, can I help out with some of the game's programming?
Sure. In fact, if you're a game designer who knows how to program, your official job title is probably "programmer." You probably got into the game industry as a programmer, and later showed that you had game design talent. Now you make me wonder not only if you ever saw my previous reply, but also if you've ever read the FAQs I recommended to you last time. Please scroll down, find my previous reply to you, and read them.

I would also like to know if there are any commonly overlooked aspects of being a game designer.
I guess so. Please read those FAQs.

I have found it to be very insightful on what being a game designer is all about.
You're saying you have read the FAQs?

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 12, 2008

CLICK HERE to read older Q&A postings!