Game Development Communication in a Time of Pandemic
My Team Game Production class received word that we were switching to online right before spring break. Naturally, we were unsure what our class would look like when we were not all working together in the same room. How does a video game development team that has never worked online switch to virtual within a matter of days?
Team Game Production 2 takes place in the second semester of SMU Guildhall’s curriculum. The professors take around 50 grad school level designers, artists, and programmers and a handful of wet-behind-the-ears producers, and chuck them all into a room to see what comes out. Although we are graded on the work we produce, the main learning objective is to figure out how to work as a cohesive team.
Our team is developing an arcade racing game and I work as the producer for the track team. For the past couple of milestones, my team has housed twelve ambitious and hard-working level designers. When preparing for the switch to online development, my main concern was communication. Leaning into the stereotype of game developers, I was afraid that my wonderful bunch of nerds would struggle to share the idea and express opinions without the added aid of body language.
To help mitigate this risk, I compiled a list of communication norms for working from home.
Nonverbal
— When speaking through messaging assume ignorance before malice.
— When you miss out on tone and body language, the intent will likely be misunderstood. Give your teammates the benefit of the doubt and take the time to ask questions.
— Don’t be afraid to use gifs, emojis, and pictures to speak when messaging. It helps add a tone to your words and will help get your point across.
Any prolonged conversation should be moved to Zoom
— Use video chat as much as you can when sharing ideas and working alongside classmates.
— If you feel more people should be included in a video chat, invite them! This will cut down on miscommunication as they can listen to the primary source, rather than getting the information second-hand.
Feeling left out
— You will no longer be able to stay updated by osmosis and will miss out on decisions based on the fact that you are not sitting next to your team. Do not be afraid to ask for frequent updates from your producer, lead, and teammates.
Draw pictures!
— When words fail, draw and send pictures to help illustrate your points.
Let your team, producer, or lead know if you are feeling sick or down
— We can’t rely on visual cues to know how someone is feeling that day. If you are sick or are dealing with personal troubles, let your producer know so they can accommodate that.
Follow the pipelines
— Ask your producer if you are confused about the pipeline.
Small talk!
— Ask about your teammates’ lives and how they are doing. Everyone is feeling isolated right now and it is important to remember that we all support one another.
Celebrate victories together
— Let us know when you accomplish something great! Put the information in slack or share it in video chat.
It is important to remember that even though we are all working from home, miles away from one another, we are still a team. These norms help cement that fact and give guidelines to push through the communication barriers of online game development.
