In Gamasutra's latest installment of The Designer's Notebook, Ernest Adams writes about how professionalism outstrips passion as a requirement for game developers -- despite what the job ads say.
"Art requires passion. True art comes from the soul, and the artist must believe passionately in what she does. Someone who makes passionless art is a hack. Art also requires passion because art is even more badly compensated than the game industry is," Adams writes.
"The game industry doesn't produce works of art for the most part, and for every visionary who insists on following her own dream regardless of where it leads, the industry needs about 200 worker bees who actually make the products that sell."
"Professionalism is about knowing your job, doing it well, and being proud of it even if you wouldn't buy the resulting product. As the markets for games expand, fewer and fewer of our customers will have the same demographics, and interests, as game developers," writes Adams.
This last point echoes a recent talk given by iWin VP Laralyn McWilliams at GDC Online, in which she told developers "Don't change your games; you need to change yourself -- the way you look at games and game development."
The full feature, in which Adams picks apart the issue in greater depth, is live now on Gamasutra, where The Designer's Notebook column has been running since 1997.
What if you work on something that isn't your passion, then what? Do you quit? Maybe you don't give a rat's ass about Shopping Spree Tinkle Town or The Masogynatron...then what?
Implied in your argument is the need for an artist to pour their soul into their work...then what? sell it?
Passion and professionalism need to coexist though. Laralyn McWilliams' article explains it very well (the way she gets involved in the companys' projects is admirable). If I don't like what I do I won't care about the final product, I'll just finish what I have to do and go home at 6:00pm. If you don't have passion for your job you won't be taken as a serious professional.
Harvey Smith actually had a similar experience with DE:Invisible War:
Whenever I see the word "passion" I read it as, "expect to be underpaid." I enjoy my work. I feel fortunate that I get paid to do what I do. But it is a profession, not a wife, not a calling. It doesn't take passion to design an efficient system. It takes experience and a professional attitude to deliver a quality product. Even in the best relationship passion is hard to maintain, but my professionalism is there every day. Many people in the game industry are passionate about their work. How do I know that? The pay sucks, the hours are terrible and the managers are often closet psychopaths. You have to be passionate to keep going. Unfortunately, companies leverage that passion to underpay their staff. It was the same when I worked in the film business. So, the issue to me is not that we need more professionalism and/or passion from the worker bees, we need more professional and fewer exploitive managers.
well said Robert and I agree until you a passionate studio without a passionate leader is pointless. nothing worse then putting blood , sweat, and tears into a product only to have a head consider your efforts just a part of the job description.
I am quite certain Ernest Adams means well, however i vehemently disagree with the paraphrased statement "Professionalism is ... being proud of it even if you wouldn't buy the resulting product". I understand his desire to contrast against the context of passion (especially as it relates to how this is exploited by less scrupulous folk), however professionals in all disciplines are intimately tied to the outcomes of their profession.
When the product of our efforts is no longer a thing we personally value (be that a cured patient, vindicated litigant, or piece of entertainment) it is time to take a break or find another profession. To do otherwise is simply not professional.
Posted on actual article.
@Phil
What if you work on something that isn't your passion, then what? Do you quit? Maybe you don't give a rat's ass about Shopping Spree Tinkle Town or The Masogynatron...then what?
Implied in your argument is the need for an artist to pour their soul into their work...then what? sell it?
Harvey Smith actually had a similar experience with DE:Invisible War:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGIdYl2oN74
When the product of our efforts is no longer a thing we personally value (be that a cured patient, vindicated litigant, or piece of entertainment) it is time to take a break or find another profession. To do otherwise is simply not professional.
~ Chris