How to "Strike it rich" in the Game Industry

[Thunderfall]

Want to "strike it rich" in the video game business? If your answer is yes, industry pioneers Sid Meier, Nolan Bushnell (Atari founder), John Romero, and Kenzo Tsujimoto (Capcom founder) have some advice for you in this Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? article over at GameDaily. Below is an excerpt from Sid Meier's comments:

To really achieve success too, you also have to be careful to stick with what you know. Tempting as it is to consult at this point or run a company, I found what I enjoyed most was making games, not managing people. I like to think that's reflected in my work. I always think about the audience I'm designing for (say, for handheld platforms versus the PC) and the technical capabilities of the medium as well, so I can deliver a compelling experience that's an interesting fit for the system. I'd like to think that you can't go wrong with this approach.

The key thing to remember though is that every game we make here is fun and accessible, even those based on deep or complex topics. You want players to feel good about themselves at the end of the day. If they're able to jump right in and have a good time with a game, it's a good sign you're onto something special.

 

[Ranbir]

I haven't read the article but I'm just going to come out here to say I totally agree with whatever Sid Meier says. Totally. I'm such a borg to him.


Anyway, sure it's good advice for whoever.

 

[HypnosTene]

I wonder if John has anything to say on Dai Katana ; )

 

[Charles 22]

Man, is this hilarious or what? Check the article out on the first page. Just make over-priced expansions like Warlords since chumps will gobble it up anyway. Unfortunately one of those chumps was me, but no longer.

I had a late game CTD after I had laumched all my ICBM's at Russia, to which the Ottomans didn't appreciate and the dropped a number of agreements with me. I presume they were also declaring war and launching their whole arsenal at me, but I never got the chance to see, when CTD. I have seen this happen before in this situation and when Sword brings the late game out in people (I play with no time limit and the year was approxiamtely 2200) oh the howls we are going to hear! I bet they don't fix it either.

The article is real rich considering the announcement of Sword. Could they possibly be laughing any harder at us?

 

[milan]

i found smth. in the article that i completely agree with:
"Companies often mistakenly make technology the focus of a product – cool tech is a great way to support great gameplay, but without the latter aspect there, titles just won't resonate as well with players or be as long-lasting".
unfortunately there's a tendency for game companies to focus too much on the outer appearance instead of the games themselves . Heroes V is a perfect example of that. i for one still prefer playing Heroes 3, although it may lack the 'overfanciness' of the 5th part.

 

[ollj]

practice: http://www.experimentalgameplay.com/dl.php?type=1&id=409&f=tagd.zip

 

[Powerslave]

Has Sid Meier actually designed a game since the 80s? I don't think so, but I could be wrong. I think he just gives interviews, speaks at conventions, and acts as a figurehead.

Civ II and SMAC were designed by Brian Reynolds, and Civ III and IV were designed by Soren. What does that leave? The Pirates! remake? I don't think he designed that, either.

Peter Molyneux is my idea of a great designer. Or Brian Reynolds. Or maybe Will Wright. These guys aren't just figureheads. Of course, back in the 70s and 80s, there were some insanely talented guys, but you'd have to be 30+ years old to have heard of them. I doubt Dan Bunten means anything to you guys, unless you owned a Commodore 64 in the 80s.

 

[botur2young]

Hey! You forgot about SimGolf!

 

[Olleus]

He still designs the main concepts of the game, he just doesn't do any programming. I might be wrong, but isn't Sorren the lead programmer rather than the lead designer?

 

[Kael]

He still designs the main concepts of the game, he just doesn't do any programming. I might be wrong, but isn't Sorren the lead programmer rather than the lead designer?

Soren was the Lead Designer on Civ4 and the Co-Designer on Civ3 (with Jeff Briggs).

 

[MarkM]

Has Sid Meier actually designed a game since the 80s? I don't think so, but I could be wrong. I think he just gives interviews, speaks at conventions, and acts as a figurehead.

Civ II and SMAC were designed by Brian Reynolds, and Civ III and IV were designed by Soren. What does that leave? The Pirates! remake? I don't think he designed that, either.

Peter Molyneux is my idea of a great designer. Or Brian Reynolds. Or maybe Will Wright. These guys aren't just figureheads. Of course, back in the 70s and 80s, there were some insanely talented guys, but you'd have to be 30+ years old to have heard of them. I doubt Dan Bunten means anything to you guys, unless you owned a Commodore 64 in the 80s.

Yes I know who Dan(ni) Bunten is (was). though I did not have a C64, I had a sinclair zx81, 1100, and then an atari ST.

For someone who claims to be so familiar with the history of the game industry, I'm surprised you have to ask if Sid Meier has done anything since the 80s. Ever heard (for example) of a little game called Gettysburg???

Also, if you old and wise I'm sure you zppreciate that when mature creatively/professionally, maybe you don't want to be the one in there micromanaging every detail of a project, spending all hours of the day slaving over code. Maybe you want to take on the more bigger-picture control of multiple developments, not only is it a better use of your talents (jock programmers are a dime a dozen, but game strategy game designs with a big picture "feel" of game playability are not), but it also leaves time to go to your kids' events (grandkids? Sid is old enough!)