Ben Batstone

There's no single right approach to a feature or a game. I learned this lesson early on at Playrix. Years ago, I reviewed a new feature prototype for Fishdom. It was complex, experimental, and heavily inspired by another game. After playing, I felt the prototype missed the mark. The feature didn't evoke the desired emotions like its reference. So, I prepared detailed feedback: • Pointed out the flaws and differences • Suggested changes to align it closer to the reference I was confident my feedback was perfect. I thought I found the only "right answer," as if it was a math equation. Later on, my mentor looked at my feedback and said: 💬 "Anton, your feedback boils down to remaking everything from scratch to get closer to the initial reference. While that may be valid, did you consider finding something that works well and could be developed in a new direction, even if it’s not like the reference?" 💬 I was stunned. I hadn't considered another way except following the reference. And in the end, the team indeed found a different path for the feature. Since then, I've always reminded myself: There are always multiple paths to solve the problem. None are absolutely right or wrong.

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Creating games is very difficult. And building games is challenging. The process of build requires to compile the code and all the data required in the game in a specific sequence involving many dependencies. As such monitoring the outcome is essential, but not sufficent. What if we were able to predict the outcome of a build ? What if we were able to decrease the required computing resources while increasing our iteration capability ? #Ubisoft #Ubisoftlaforge #innovation

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I think one of the things that's so frustrating about Xbox's recent studio closures is that it is stark contrast to the things they *say*. They say they want original, interesting games, but then they shutter Tango. They say they want to take big swings at live service stuff, but then release Redfall in a disastrous state and don't have the bottle to fix it before shuttering the studio. They say they want interesting, original content, but then close studios working on original content to bolster Call of Duty. Xbox needs platform-defining exclusives. But they've also shown they don't have the understanding to ship stuff that can legitimately compete with what Sony's doing with Playstation's first parties. What happened to Starfield? Redfall flopped. Halo Infinite's SP "infiniteness" faceplanted. Halo Infinite's multiplayer took years to sort out a fatally awful progression system, and it still mostly sucks, but who cares because no one's playing it. Forza Motorsport bombed. Where is Gears? Where is the next thing from id? From MachineGames? When it's one studio flailing around, maybe it's the studio. When it's ***everything*** under the Xbox Game Studios banner, it's a different situation entirely. What the hell are they doing over there? But the point is, when you see closures of studios when the platform is totally failing to deliver anything of meaningful, differentiating value to players... it's time to call it. Phil Spencer's driven the Xbox into irrelevance. How you could spend hundreds of millions of dollars to achieve *so little* is genuinely shocking to me.

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One phrase that keeps coming up from big game publishers when trying to justify their layoffs and cuts is this, "the market is oversaturated." They're intelligent enough to identify that fact and blame it on enhancements to technology and accessibility, but they don't appear to have been intelligent enough to acknowledge that their habitual hiring/firing practices have contributed directly to the market's oversaturation that is now harming their growth. I can almost guarantee that every one of you reading this knows multiple people who have started their own indie studios, joined an indie studio, or become solo developers following the disillusionment they experienced due to the current widespread job insecurity in AAA games. These companies have identified the problem while simultaneously contributing to the problem, because the ability to think in terms of short-term financial gains does not equate to the ability to think in terms of human behavior. Unless employment in AAA becomes truly equitable - and I'm talking about what will take years of shows good faith, of creating and maintaining steady full time employment for everyone across the board (that means doing away with a lot of temporary contract work), that means no more leaving the creators out to dry - the future of games will belong to Indie developers. There will at some point be a decisive shift in power if there is not active, intentional, and equitable change made by the people in positions of power. I'm not saying this with hope that the indie devs will win out above AAA. Not at all. I want both to thrive, and to everything there must be a balance. I've been far more enmeshed within and therefore very hopeful about the future of AAA games throughout my career, and I still dream of a world in which AAA game devs on every rung of the ladder have steady and unshakable lifelong employment within that world. It IS possible, and it HAS been possible. But as long as greed is at the wheel, that dream will not become a reality outside of independent studios. And that's just the truth of it. What can you do? In whatever capacity you are able, do what you can to create a more honest, decent, and equitable world. You can do this in your company, you can do this in your personal life with the people you meet. Take every little opportunity to do something good, because every good act plants a seed. We simply haven't had enough little good acts, and that shows up in in society in big, big ways. Peace to you. -B

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Don't want to bum you out but I know I'm not the only one who has noticed the same layoff cycle on LinkedIn over and over. I can tell your future... 1. Studio is shut down, all the devs become active on LinkedIn maybe for the first time in years and do their looking for work posts. People reach out with connections and support emojis. 2. The outpouring of thanks to the wonderful gamedev community. Amir Satvat and other full time LinkedIn influencers are tagged. 3. Nothing comes of all the LinkedIn support. Devs post frustration posts about how hard it is to be laid off and the injustice of the game industry. Many people will later delete these posts when they start to realize studios still aren't hiring them. 4. The reality step. Months pass and prominent veterans are still unemployed, let alone those "juniors" with a mere 5 years experience. At this point, people either give up and disappear, get a job and disappear (rare), or become a chronic disillusioned LinkedIn user. This last one either requires wearing a mask or ranting about capitalism more and more. 5. The laid off devs watch this cycle repeat for a whole swath of suffering people every couple weeks/days. And that's the step I've been on for a few months. But hey I've been working hard on my family and my solo projects. Magehunter coming soon, and AAA Simulator devlogs will be in production even sooner! Make art for yourself and those you love. Don't make my mistake - look for happiness outside this Microsoft product called LinkedIn.

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Play the game in your head before you code a single line. You must imagine every detail: gameplay, flow, visual style, UI, etc. ↳ The clearer your vision, the smoother the development. ↳ If you can't picture it distinctly, development will be chaotic. Because every new game starts in your head, in your imagination. So push it to the limits before spending any resources on development.

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I was asked, "How will Simply Sweet Games raise the bar for the industry?" The challenges are clear: frequent layoffs, inaccessibility, and a significant lack of diversity. Too often, games are just a side note in business strategies focused on short-term gains at the expense of passionate, underpaid newcomers. That’s why at Simply Sweet Games, we are committed to creating change. Our motivation stems not from greed, but from a vision to transform the gaming industry to include more diverse perspectives. We are actively addressing the diversity gap by creating games that cater to and celebrate women, who represented nearly half of all gamers in the U.S. in 2023. This market isn’t a niche—it’s a major segment that deserves better representation. I wake up and feel amazed at how this has become my full-time focus. We uphold sustainable hiring practices and foster an inclusive environment where everyone can contribute and succeed. We aim to redefine industry standards with principles of honesty, respect, and support—not just for our products, but for our people too. #DiversityinGames #Equity #InclusiveHiring #GameIndustry #WomenInGaming #womenwhowork #SimplySweetGames

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Practice interviews can be incredibly valuable. Especially after you've been through something traumatic like a layoff or a toxic work environment. Find someone you know well, someone you trust; if you don't have anyone like that, reach out and find someone (www.amirsatvat.com has resources). It's important that you pick someone who can give you critique and someone you can hear it from. One of the things that we do in every interview, whether we're conscious of it or not, is to frame our own work in relation to the experiences we have had. There are a lot of potential pitfalls in that beyond the obvious bad-mouthing of people and companies. For example, I've interviewed a lot of senior production leaders over the last few years. Several of them have related situations where they were not able to get higher-level alignment among stakeholders - this is extremely common in game development. But, how you relate that experience makes a tremendous amount of difference. If you focus on how frustrating it was, how blocking the stakeholders were, how impossible it was to make progress because of that issue, that doesn't put you in the best light. As a production leader, I expect you to resolve issues like that. If, on the other hand, you focus on how you got the team to work around the blocking issue, how you got the stakeholders into alignment, how you forced accountability into leadership on the lack of alignment - now we're talking. Every story you tell in an interview gives the people you are talking to a window into what working with you is going to be like. If you're not aware of your own unconscious framings when you're telling these stories, you may be putting their focus on the wrong places. Practice telling those stories with people who have the right ear to call out the false notes that are coming up. Again, especially after a highly emotional event, you're likely bringing emotional contexts to your stories without even being aware of it. You wouldn't walk up to the mound at a baseball game without having practiced your pitch. Get your reps in on interviewing, and it will pay off.

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I'm always slightly amused when game design discussions get heated, because it betrays a perception gap between What We Do (incredibly difficult technical art) and What We Offer (entertainment). For example, how long did your team spend on fine-tuning the animation design and player feel of hero movement? How many rigorous debates were had over the balance of animation expressiveness versus input responsiveness, and how that weaves into the overall user experience and product promise? Add those hours up, and multiply by the emotional intensity of said conversations. Now compare the size of your playerbase to that of a game where you click a banana. (spoiler: your game has less players 😅 ) Maybe you're overthinking it. Maybe most of us are! Embrace the jank. 🍌 Have a banana.

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🌟 Difference between Particle Systems and VFX 🌟 Today, my friend Shekhar Ali asked me to explain the difference between particle systems and VFX, and I thought I'd share it here in case anyone else has the same question! 🎮 Particle Systems: Imagine you're playing your favorite video game, and you see a blazing fire, swirling smoke, or glittering sparks. Those effects are likely created using a particle system! It's a tool in game development that generates and animates small particles to simulate various visual effects, adding realism and immersion to the game world. #GameDev #IndieDev 🎥 VFX (Visual Effects): Now, let's zoom out a bit. VFX is a broader term encompassing a wide range of techniques used in filmmaking, gaming, and other media to create captivating visual elements. While particle systems are a crucial component of VFX, the field also includes CGI, compositing, matte painting, and more. It's the magic behind those jaw-dropping explosions, fantastical creatures, and breathtaking landscapes on the big screen! #VFX #Filmmaking So, in a nutshell, while particle systems are like the building blocks for specific effects within a game, VFX is the whole playground where those effects, along with many others, come to life. Both are essential tools in the creative arsenal of developers and filmmakers alike! 💥✨ Got any more questions about game development, VFX, or anything else? Feel free to ask! Let's keep the conversation going. 🚀 #GameDevCommunity #VFXArtist #CreativeTech

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Do you want to level up your game dev team? Do you want to learn some of the magic that makes some of the greatest games? Alex's course is a great place to start. And if you have designers on staff you think would benefit, I highly recommend this bootcamp. #bootcap #gamedesign

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Invest in yourself daily. But success is about consistent, small steps. How to level up with microlearning: 3 simple steps. Every day, I commit to these habits: • 10 pages of reading • 15 minutes of a video • 2 hours of a course weekly    Why microlearning? It fits into any schedule. It allows continuous growth without overwhelming you. Here’s the impact over a year: • 6-9 books read • Dozens of videos watched • Several courses completed    In today’s fast paced world, staying ahead is essential. Success is built on daily, small actions. PS: What’s your favorite microlearning method?

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This pragmatic approach is the right mind set to have for ethical and responsible discussion from disruptive technology. As mention from this post this is not the first time we are facing polarizing situations and strong debates about creative process.

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2nd Book Progress – Be so good they can’t ignore you   This week has been great. I have been fleshing out my other significant character in the development team: an ambitious Senior Level Designer from Italy who is free-climbing in her free time. She is going to have a major story arc in the book. On her journey to becoming a team leader, she has faced several difficult problems in the past that carry over to our current project. She has a reputation of focusing mostly on herself and her own achievements. She is very controlling and wants to get into higher positions for the privilege and power they offer. This is also the main reason why her former team leaders had kept holding back on giving her more responsibilities, especially with regard to leading other team members. Naturally, this made Simone feel somewhat bitter to the point where she feels the company owes her a promotion. At this stage she joins project leader Angelo and his team to lead the level design department there. This is a great opportunity for her, and with Angelo’s guidance, she starts to thrive. A few key things he tells her are that your leaders need to understand what kind of leader you would be if they were to give you this chance. Therefore: 1️⃣ Focus on others and elevate your team members over your own achievements. 2️⃣ Lead before you officially are a leader. 3️⃣ Do remarkable things for the project. 4️⃣ Be so good they can’t ignore you. Once she internalizes these points, she starts changing her behavior and immediately sees success and recognition from the team. When the pandemic hits she really begins to shine. Her wits and adaptability ensure a great working environment despite the new challenges of working from home. She even surpasses Angelo in making sure everyone feels valued, cared for, and able to perform at peak efficiency. This, truth be told, is the best compliment you can get as a leader. When someone in your team becomes better than you.   #gamedesignimpossible #writing #gamedevelopment #gamedesign

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Dear Games' Industry, I've had enough of remaining silent, and you should too. If there's going to be any change in the way our community does things, it needs to start with us. THE PEOPLE. 👏 How many layoffs is it going to take? How many people have to uproot their entire lives, only to have it ripped from them right before they even start? How many more IPs, corrupted by microtransactions are we willing to put up with?? Is this the Industry we want to leave behind for the next generation??? As someone who's had friends give up on their dreams because of the sheer hopelessness they felt, I already know my answer. I'm sure these Indies do too. Cave Bear Games Digital Scorpion Interactive DigiPen Institute of Technology WTTW Games Kyrie Studios Steelion Studios Serious Point Games Dontae Phillips Willem Delventhal Kat Craig Raftur Games Dinobyte Softworks LLC Indie Game Academy Things need to change. And I want to help dedicate my platform to accomplish that. #IndieRevolution #GameIndustry #GameDev #IndieDev #Games #Change #Movement #EnoughIsEnough #Indie #OpenToNetwork #ProjectManager #Community #Networking

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I found a question on Reddit about "How to go from highly technical career game programmer to solo dev game designer?." This subject fills me with interest because both areas of video game creation are presented so differently even when they are forever intertwined. How many times you have played a video game with perfect gameplay mechanics that it's boring as hell? This was my answer to the question from this programmer. I'm going to tell you what works in my case, but have in consideration that every path can be different. I started studying and reading a lot of content related to games and level design. Yes, I know that there are many YouTube tutorials, but I went back to the previous technology: Books. What is important in any type of learning is the structure methodology. Try to avoid leaving holes without explanation. That's a killing approach when you're learning new basic concepts. Remember, you don't know about this, or even worse, you still don't know how much you don't know. This is my recommendation based on books I've read that help me understand the intricacies of video game design and level design. From the most essential to the less, here's my list: - The Art of Game Design - Jesse Schell - An Architectural Approach to Level Design - Christopher W. Totten - Level Design for Games - Phil Co - Level Up - Scott Rogers The other part is to try to connect with your gamers of the game genre you're creating. Start building a relationship so they can provide you with some feedback and ideas to improve your game. Be open to listen and to test ideas. Post Saturdays on Twitter (X) using #screenshotsaturday and ask for feedback. This will help you build a fan base and get ideas/suggestions for free. Finally, to continue my education in that area I listen to podcasts related to game design. Perspectives from other designers will help you big time. One more little thing I purchased, was the Master Class of "Will Wright - Teaches Game Design and Theory." He's a master of the art of game design. To close this post, remember that I'm creating an educational program with live sessions to mentor and teach people about how to become a successful video game creator. You can't be only a game developer, a game designer, or a level designer. You need to build your career with intention and follow a path and a strategy. If you're interested in becoming part of this project, I'm doing a group of interviews to collect information and design the content of this educational program. Reserve your time to talk with me here: https://lnkd.in/gPYJeadb Have a great journey! Tony #GameDesign #GameDevelopment #SoloDev #IndieGameDev #GameProgramming #LevelDesign #GameDesigner #GameDevCommunity #GameDevTips #LearnGameDesign #GameDesignBooks #GameDesignLearning #GameDesignJourney #GameDevResources #MasterClass

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Tip for publishing consideration submission to Midwest Games... tldr - Send info through our portal (https://lnkd.in/gWtKgpuU), not through email (or LI). I get that it's a little counter-intuitive...you might think you want to put your info right in front of the sourcing decision influencers' faces. But it's actually a disadvantage - especially those of you who are agents throwing multiple titles at us at once. The submission portal goes right to our database, and that database is there for a reason: to keep an organized and consistent record of all submissions in one place. I look through there all the time. I'm reminded of titles I may have overlooked or need to go back to consider as circumstances change all the time. We rarely, if ever, make immediate decisions or even quick deep review/consideration. Our factors for consideration shift regularly. I do not review your particular email regularly, or at some point even remember you sent one. I go to the database. Connection via other channels is good. Discussion about your game over other channels is good. But having your core game info in those channels is not good. Please use the submission portal!

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