The Three Things I Learned from Working with Other Departments in Game Dev

1) Don’t be Dr. No

If you are working with just one other developer or in a studio of hundreds, being the person who says ‘No” to everything is a sure path to causing damage to the game you are making. Now you might be thinking that you are protecting something, like lore or gameplay mechanics, but in reality you are making things worse.?You are slowing down development and are fast becoming the jerk no one wants to work with.

How do I know this? Because I did it a long time ago when I was a dumb junior dev. Thankfully, a senior dev took me aside and steered me in a smarter direction. He was kind enough to give me a few tips which I still practice to this day:

* Never halt the conversation. Always try to build on what was said. In improv circles, this is known as a “Yes, And” technique.?

* Keep an open mind. Sure, you never thought about your enemy faction as performing a sacrifice in a volcano, but hey maybe you can swing some interesting plot point why they have to use an active volcano. Say you are interested in the idea, but you need to workshop a good reason story wise… could you get back to them in a day or so? And really think on it; don’t just ghost them.

* Offer alternatives. Sometimes the team will come up with something they are excited about, but it clashes hard with lore. Do what you can to keep the spirit of the pitch alive, but contribute other ideas tactfully.

“Jesse, I really like the volcano as a set piece, but the Ice Brigade never steps foot out beyond the Blood Glaciers. Having them so far south in the Caustic Crest seems like a stretch. What do you think about the Infernal Speakers here perhaps posing as the Ice Brigade?”

At the very least, you are showing you are with the team, but offering a solution to a potential lore issue. You might not win every discussion, but you aren’t causing more problems.

2) Respect the Labor

Let’s be honest, you are going to be working with people. You’ll see them everyday. It’s common decency to take an interest in what the people around you do. You can’t exist in a silo, only thinking about yourself. Do yourself a favor and connect with your colleagues.

One of the most valuable lessons I first learned in the gaming industry is how to see and understand what all the other studio departments do and how to best communicate with them. Take time in talking with these other departments and learn how they do their job, how their job impacts yours, and what you can do better work with them on projects.?You'll learn how to speak their language. You show you are listening, which is huge in social dynamics.

Learning about how different departments work not only creates goodwill, but also informs you how to smartly approach those departments for future tasks. You’ll know what stresses they are under and won’t be ignorant of potential landmines when submitting requests. You'll be smart, prepared, and a friendly face. Bring doughnuts once in a while and you'll be golden.

3) Get your Picard On

I’ve had the good fortune to see good leads in action and what they have in common is being good listeners and diplomats (like a certain bald starship captain), representing their teams but also being open to negotiation. They know how to give and take. They know when to cede ground for the greater good.

Example: when I was a story director, I would meet regularly with the art team to check on asset progress. Sometimes, a pipeline would clog: an artist was out sick, the boss pushed a priority on them that took them away from my project… I quickly learned how to best triage the change without causing static. “Okay, we wont have this character’s art for next weeks release. I’ll move a couple story elements around. Will that give your team enough breathing room? If so, when do you think you can get to it?"

Usually, other teams remember when you are a team player and will sometimes work a miracle for you in return. I had an art lead personally carve out time to work on a request because I swerved narrative asks out of his hair for two weeks. He was grateful and was returning a favor. The shadow economy of resource trading in studios is a real thing, but it’s only accessible when you stay calm and work together on a solution to everyone’s benefit.

Bonus!

Do not give into trash talking your co-workers to your co-workers (you idiot). If you have a beef with someone in another department, try to work it out privately with them. If you are stonewalled despite your best efforts, discreetly talk to your boss about it. Do not air your dirty laundry in public. Do not cause drama.?Criticize in private, celebrate in public.