As a game producer, it can be easy to fall into the trap of micromanagement. When producers are dealing with so many aspects of a game's development, they often get far too involved in the minutiae the project, and end up slowing down their entire team.
League of Legends lead producer Travis George has seen that scenario play out many times, and at last year's GDC Online, he shared some advice to help producers break their bad habits and become a better resource for their teams.
As he sees it, a producer's job isn't to manage other developers, but to empower them.
"And what does empowerment mean? Empowerment is the ability to create a team or an organization or an individual that feels ownership and is actually driving the results for you," George said. To create that sense of empowerment, George said producers should look to find a healthy middle ground between directing their team members, and giving them the freedom to accomplish their goals on their own.
Throughout his talk, George went in-depth on the numerous other challenges and obstacles facing modern game producers, and you can check out his full presentation in the above video, courtesy of the GDC Vault.
About the GDC Vault
In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent GDC events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers. Those who purchased All Access passes to events like GDC and GDC Europe already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription Beta via a GDC Vault inquiry form.
Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company. More information on this option is available via an online demonstration, and interested parties can send an email to Gillian Crowley. In addition, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault admins.
Be sure to keep an eye on GDC Vault for even more new content, as GDC organizers will also archive videos, audio, and slides from upcoming 2012 events like GDC Online and GDC China. To stay abreast of all the latest updates to GDC Vault, be sure to check out the news feed on the official GDC website, or subscribe to updates via Twitter, Facebook, or RSS.
