The Battle of Game Director to Create a Good Game: Exploring Fun and Managing Anxiety

The Battle of Game Director to Create a Good Game: Exploring Fun and Managing Anxiety

Creating a good game is no easy feat. It takes years of dedication and hard work to bring a vision to life. But even after all the effort, will the creator be able to embrace the final product? And if the game becomes a hit, how should they feel about it? In almost every production, there will be a need for revisions. The easiest way to alleviate anxiety is to surrender control. Being a game director is a profession that involves battling uncertainty. To create an entertaining game, one must confront the trade-off between fun and anxiety.

Contrary to the common image of directors as individuals who make decisions through discussions and determine specifications, the reality is that they must constantly make decisions based on detailed plans, of which about 30-70% will fail. They must then decide how to proceed after each failure. The role of a director is to make uncertain decisions while fighting anxiety. They must always present a premise of success to reassure their team members as they navigate through the foggy marshes as a team. However, when plans fail, team members inevitably question whether sticking with this director is the right choice. It is incredibly challenging to address this aspect.

It has been discovered that the Japanese people have a predisposition to be anxious compared to people from other countries. This may explain why the Japanese have a strong affinity for cute things, as it provides an escape from anxiety. On the other hand, Westerners may not seek cuteness as much because they have less of a need to address that level of anxiety.

The "MDA Framework" is a method that divides the essence of a game into three stages: "Mechanics" which represents the fundamental mechanisms of the game at the algorithmic level, "Dynamics" which represents the unfolding resulting from the mechanics, and "Aesthetics" which represents the emotions experienced by the players. By verbalizing and modeling each stage, the MDA Framework can be utilized for evaluating, analyzing, and researching game design.

To create something entertaining, there is a need for multiple iterations, but too many iterations can render a team, including yourself, unstable, leading to the collapse of the project. The key is how quickly you can approach the essence of fun within a short period of time. If you happen to stumble upon an invention that is sure to make the game more enjoyable, but it means discarding the already commissioned design, what would you do? Would you abandon the invention or sacrifice the design (along with the budget and timeline)? Sometimes, directors are faced with such decisions. What would the designers and external team members think upon hearing these decisions? There is no perfect answer to encompass all aspects.

Even Disney and Pixar, although not the most efficient in their approach, have created projects that could potentially blow away entire projects. In game development, if you want to create a good game, you cannot escape from this problem. The better the game, the higher the percentage of discarded content, which can reach anywhere from 95% to 60%. Building products based on false information hinders the approach to the essence and leads to failure. Therefore, it is crucial to face reality as a team, rather than attempting to deceive. This is why it is necessary to create a tough team that can collectively see the purpose and reality.

In another article, it is mentioned that our abilities have "activation conditions." Our abilities do not exist absolutely but are greatly influenced by the combination and compatibility with the environment. Even talented individuals may lose their brilliance when the environment changes. This is because our abilities have activation conditions. The concept of being universally talented does not exist. To achieve results in a new environment, tuning is necessary, but past experiences can also hold us back. In such cases, intentionally unlearning becomes crucial.

Organizations can support individuals in bringing out their best by focusing on two pillars: "supporting their activation" and "matching the right person to the right place." Here are some important factors to consider in one's career:

1. Understand the activation conditions of your abilities.
2. Choose the right environment.
3. Continuously evolve and adapt.
4. Be cautious of over-adaptation.

In conclusion, creating a good game requires a battle against uncertainty and a trade-off between fun and anxiety. To navigate this battle successfully, it is crucial for game directors to address the anxieties of their team members and create a tough team that can collectively confront reality. Additionally, individuals must understand the activation conditions of their abilities and choose the right environment to thrive in. Continuously evolving and adapting while avoiding over-adaptation is also important for personal growth. By incorporating these actionable pieces of advice, game directors and individuals alike can strive to create and excel in their respective fields.