Mastering the Crisis Game

The first advice I received when starting my path in game development was ‘Fail hard and fail fast’. I also saw it being taught by other great professionals over the years. It seems like an odd advice to give someone, especially extraordinarily excited game developers, ready to conquer the world. However, it is absolutely the best tip I have ever received. Not only because failing fast saves you time and money, as well as a ton of heartache. But because you will learn your most valuable lessons from your failures. Nick Lauda, F1 champion, once said

‘From success, you learn absolutely nothing. From failure and setbacks, conclusions can be drawn. That goes for your private life as well as your career.’

We are clearly facing moments of crisis in the games industry. The negativity and tension are palpable in every event and conversation. We are all doing our best to push forward and many companies have refreshing success stories. Nevertheless, it is hard to turn a blind eye to the environment of uncertainty surrounding us all. This is not the first time the games industry has faced troublesome times, and I am quite sure it won’t be the last either.

As the best lessons we will ever learn come from crisis and failures, I thought this is a great occasion to discuss the insights I have acquired from other wise professionals, in order to better navigate the current turbulence. Hopefully it will shed some light in these obscure realities we are facing. We might even be able to turn some challenges into opportunities. So, let’s get into it.

Water rising…

Knowingly or not, we all suffer of the normalcy bias: a tendency to believe that the future will be similar to what we have experienced in the past. By expecting certain results, individuals and companies tend to continue in the same familiar route. It is only when faced with the brutal reality that things are far from normal and the results are unknown, forcing them to a reaction, only then they change their course of action. It is important to highlight that the reaction, as an outcome, might be somehow visceral and disproportionate, depending on the acuteness of the information and the signals received.

Another interesting insight is that human beings are more likely to change their behaviour to avoid negative outcomes than to gain positive results, a phenomenon called prospect theory. This is particularly interesting for organisations aiming to simulate urgency. They are more likely to obtain immediate action from negative threats than from positive opportunities. Nevertheless, keep in mind that the reaction obtained might not be what the organisation expected. E.g. employees in a company might not work better in light of a promotion, but they will surely search relentlessly for better opportunities if they feel they are under threat. ?

One of the aspects in crisis that drive innovation and positive action is the sense of urgency that it creates. Being put against the wall, with no scape, activates our fight or flight syndrome, pushing us to think outside the box and take more risks. It also forces us to focus on one priority, one target.

A rise in the community

Moments of crisis bring the best out of the community, as people get together to support each other and tackle larger issues as a group. We can clearly see it in the games industry, where professionals from all over the world are doing their best to highlight, mentor and support the individuals who were laid off during this crisis. ?

This might be equally true in a company or organisation, provided that the business entity creates a creative space for their internal community to grow. It is possible to witness how some teams, specially in start-ups, are joining forces to navigate these complicated periods and survive this storm together.

But survival might not be enough. It is important to search for opportunities to thrive, so that companies not only navigate these difficult times, but also grow and support more professionals.

Calculated risks

Most companies, in moments of crisis, take a defensive position. They retrieve and do their best to protect themselves, avoiding unnecessary risks.

Although I understand this behaviour, I somehow wonder if this approach is not more hurtful than the risks it is trying to avoid. Highlight ‘trying’, as taking a protective stance is not a guarantee that one will be able to bypass the danger.

There is a cognitive bias, called The ostrich effect, originally described by Galai & Sade (2006), which estates that individuals tend to close themselves and negate potentially constructive information in order to avoid potential negative situations. This bias was tested by neuroscientists, who found that individuals presented with negative information were more likely to accept and avoid updating their beliefs.

Nevertheless, risk management is always better than crisis management. Being proactive and creative, taking calculate risks to dare and try new things might be the push your business requires to grow in these difficult times. Endeavours that would otherwise not be tried for fear of losing the ongoing, stable flow of work and income suddenly become great solutions to overcome crisis.

One big push

As crisis is (usually) temporary, it allows for higher intensity efforts for a shorter period. And together with the sense of union discussed before, it becomes a strong pulse of action.

On the other hand, when the crisis period becomes extensive, as we saw with the pandemic and we see now in the games industry, the strength of individuals and companies for dealing with challenges tends to level over time. Therefore, it is important to keep the growth efforts steadily and constantly, without being dissuaded by the environment.

The risk of a new status quo

As the difficult times linger for longer than most of us wish to accept, there is always a risk of their negative effects to become the new status quo. It is a defence mechanism of most living creatures: we tend to get used to even the most uncomfortable realities.

It is important to remain positive and keep pushing for better results.

Lessons (to be) learnt

Through my personal experiences, I have learnt that being proactive, positive and keeping a growth mindset are the best tools I was able to muster to deal with difficult times. As I wrote on my article about the development of ideas, focusing on the things I can change and acting upon them allowed me to pivot from uncomfortable situations and rediscover myself and my career in unusual ways. I hope this article and my newsletter in general can help you find the light at the end of the tunnel.

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