Studio Visits

On the 12/12/19 I visited three studios in London with the chance to talk and ask questions to the founders and staff on their experiences while working in the professional context. Ustwo Games, Moving Brands and Sennep. It was eye opening to see the relaxed, creative atmosphere and the passion for their work showed brightly.

What I learned from this trip is that I shouldn't be too precious with my ideas. That holding onto my idea as being the best can cause trouble within a team and that everyone else is likely to be feeling the same way about their ideas. So it is good to use a system where everyone can bring their idea and lots more extra forward, one at a time with a chance to voice those within a set time. Without any feedback until everyone has voiced their ideas, only then it might be best to discuss which ideas individuals like best. Everyone has a chance to involve their ideas and this allows for better ideation and creativity on the project.

I also learned that figuring out what the USP is about the game and maintaining a focus of design around that. Prototyping should also be focused on explaining and showing the USP. It is plain and simple to show a character moving around in a space as a prototype, but what is important about moving around in that space? It should be that which is prototyped.

For my own sake, I should blog my design process and prototypes. Have a digital log of my work that the world can see. This can improve my learning while also recording my ideas and work that could help promote my skills to possible employers. Creating a blogging schedule should keep my work current and fresh, while maintaining me to keep working on something, even if it doesn't completely relate to a game project.

Visiting Moving Brands highlighted the importance of branding in a smart way. To look at what the USP is for our project and mould the brand around it. It also made me think how we might brand the essential experience for the game. What it means to be mindful, seeing one of MB's projects for Treehouse, creating a mindful space and using the cultural aspects of pebbles and sand gardens that relate to being mindful, highlighting that technology might remove us from a mindful attitude.

It was also made aware to me that a very efficient way of working is to quickly create a concept, pass that over to the developer to build upon that concept and have something tangible to test that concept. While testing that, a new concept can be brought to life and handed over to be built while testing and iterating begins. This should all happen within a schedule too, to have everyone on board and understanding who is doing what and what should be coming up next.