Album art of "The Notorious Byrds Brothers" whom I quote in the title
It feels weird to call myself a leader, but here I am. Recently, I started a review club dedicated to reviewing the indie games that get submitted to a forum I use. As such, I found myself answering questions, making decisions, keeping track of members, and listening to a lot of criticism. It isn't new, after all, I've been the project leader for Paper Soul Theater for what will soon be four months. Today I want to give advice, as well as share some of the experiences I've had as an indie game project leader, now with seven people working under me.
Knowing Myself - As a leader, I've found that I need to acknowledge I am not only a regular person but a regular person who knows failure all to well. I cannot avoid errors, all that I say is not entirely true, all that I do is likely not the best decision, my virtues are twisted, my abilities finite. I ought to wonder why anyone listens to me, why anyone cares about the things I do. Though I will never know this for certain, I choose to have faith in the idea that God helps me to do what I shouldn't be able to do: lead well. The way I see it, to make an incredible game, I have to able to see where I end and where my goal is, relative to there. I know I need to keep my goals somewhere reasonable: however, because I have faith, I choose to go beyond my limits and find a balance between having a semi-reasonable goal and trusting that I can do more than I think I could on my own.
Looking Straight Ahead - When making a game that takes months or even years to make, a person should look to the end goal. If one look down at one's feet, you can't see how to get to the goal, and yet, if all one does is stand there, how will one ever get to the goal? Recently it felt like we were walking in the wrong direction, am I'm glad I finally had the sense to correct our path. It was as though my eyes were closed and I was seeing myself stand at the end of the road while standing still. It was embarrassing to come to the realization that I needed to get myself and the team back in production again; I had been wasting away talking about how great our game will be while they pretty much stood waiting for something to do. I was doing nothing as one member almost faded away from the team. To reach the end, I need to make sure everyone is active when they want to be, I need to make sure things are getting done, and I need to make sure that what I am doing is one baby step in a larger plan to walk a mile to a very specific destination.
Being an Example - I've found that some of the members I work with look up to me a little bit. I wouldn't be surprised if that is a small reason why some of them choose to keep working so hard and choose to stay. When I talk to them, I always make sure to act ready to work, and I stay positive. They see that I am passionate about slogging through the work to get to the goal and they follow suit. Is it because of me in any way?
Breath In Breath Out - Determination is having faith that things will work out. Perseverance is doing what it takes to reach a goal. Self-control is doing something right, not doing it quick. It does not matter how often I mess up, I need to keep trying; I know I will fail from time to time anyway so I can't let it put me down. Conversely, I need to know when to back down. If Paper Soul Theater is not destined to become a completed game, then I will accept that when it is time to face the music. Until then, I'll act as though I literally will be at my goal one day.
So Tell Us: What might help gain your trust in this game's completion?
It feels weird to call myself a leader, but here I am. Recently, I started a review club dedicated to reviewing the indie games that get submitted to a forum I use. As such, I found myself answering questions, making decisions, keeping track of members, and listening to a lot of criticism. It isn't new, after all, I've been the project leader for Paper Soul Theater for what will soon be four months. Today I want to give advice, as well as share some of the experiences I've had as an indie game project leader, now with seven people working under me.
Knowing Myself - As a leader, I've found that I need to acknowledge I am not only a regular person but a regular person who knows failure all to well. I cannot avoid errors, all that I say is not entirely true, all that I do is likely not the best decision, my virtues are twisted, my abilities finite. I ought to wonder why anyone listens to me, why anyone cares about the things I do. Though I will never know this for certain, I choose to have faith in the idea that God helps me to do what I shouldn't be able to do: lead well. The way I see it, to make an incredible game, I have to able to see where I end and where my goal is, relative to there. I know I need to keep my goals somewhere reasonable: however, because I have faith, I choose to go beyond my limits and find a balance between having a semi-reasonable goal and trusting that I can do more than I think I could on my own.
Looking Straight Ahead - When making a game that takes months or even years to make, a person should look to the end goal. If one look down at one's feet, you can't see how to get to the goal, and yet, if all one does is stand there, how will one ever get to the goal? Recently it felt like we were walking in the wrong direction, am I'm glad I finally had the sense to correct our path. It was as though my eyes were closed and I was seeing myself stand at the end of the road while standing still. It was embarrassing to come to the realization that I needed to get myself and the team back in production again; I had been wasting away talking about how great our game will be while they pretty much stood waiting for something to do. I was doing nothing as one member almost faded away from the team. To reach the end, I need to make sure everyone is active when they want to be, I need to make sure things are getting done, and I need to make sure that what I am doing is one baby step in a larger plan to walk a mile to a very specific destination.
Being an Example - I've found that some of the members I work with look up to me a little bit. I wouldn't be surprised if that is a small reason why some of them choose to keep working so hard and choose to stay. When I talk to them, I always make sure to act ready to work, and I stay positive. They see that I am passionate about slogging through the work to get to the goal and they follow suit. Is it because of me in any way?
Breath In Breath Out - Determination is having faith that things will work out. Perseverance is doing what it takes to reach a goal. Self-control is doing something right, not doing it quick. It does not matter how often I mess up, I need to keep trying; I know I will fail from time to time anyway so I can't let it put me down. Conversely, I need to know when to back down. If Paper Soul Theater is not destined to become a completed game, then I will accept that when it is time to face the music. Until then, I'll act as though I literally will be at my goal one day.
So Tell Us: What might help gain your trust in this game's completion?