[Click.]
What transformation do we want to create with Click. Bam! BOOMđ„? The most succinct way to explain is to paraphrase my old boss, Trip Hawkins:
"We make 0 billion dollars on games we don't ship."
Trip's words are eye-opening. Let's go even deeper! We can expand on Trip's insight by also asking:
What is the purpose of a game?
The purpose of a game is to be played. (it's certainly not a spreadsheet, right? :)
Therefore:
"Zero billion players play a game that doesn't ship."
Click. Bam! BOOMđ„ is here to help you shift your identity, build habits and create systems that make shipping inevitable. We'll look at strategies, tools, disciplines, approaches, and practical hands-on how-to's. We'll build that stamina and muscle so that when you do tackle the marathon of your dream game, you won't even break a sweat.
In this issue:
The Three Pillars
Who is this guy?
And who are you?
So, be sure your tray tables are in the upright and locked position, buckle up, and let's go!
Check this out
Atomic Habits by James Clear
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It really helps out! đđŒ
I am late to the Atomic Habits game. I've seen videos and blog posts about it for years, but it wasn't until I actually bought a copy and read it that the potential to fix my poor procrastination and debilitating distraction habits became possible. I still have a long way to go, but step 1 of the journey was to acknowledge my negative habits and start to shift my identity to what I want to be. We will talk a lot more about this in the future.
Remember: "Identity shift" is the mindset change that helps you achieve who you want to be. It is critical to become who you want to be. James Clear helps with a plan.
We will reference this book a lot, as we grow and learn. James Clear's approach of identity shift coupled with incremental, repeatable habit improvement really works. And it is so much more palatable than setting Big Audacious Goals and failing to accomplish those BAGs due to a lack of systems to improve outcomes.
[Bam!]
The Pillars of Shipping
Briefly (don't worry, we will get into lurid detail in the coming weeks), our approach is centered on three pillars:
MINDSET: You must identify as a game shipper, not only a game maker. It is amazing what a difference this makes.
CLARITY: You must understand the scope and requirements necessary to achieve the goal of shipping your game. You must have systems to mitigate risk, scope features, and track progress.
ITERATION: Just like working out, or learning piano, or tennis, or learning a new language, etc, you build skill and muscle through proper form and repetition. Shipping small games with a clear, repeatable methodology is an excellent way to do improve your skill as a game shipper.
These three pillars, Mindset, Clarity, and Iteration, map directly to the Psychology, Process, and Practice of shipping games.
Who is this guy?
Hi! đđŒ I'm Karlo. I started out my career as a game programmer on The Case of the Cautious Condor (shipped in 1989!), and then had a great time building and shipping games for Acclaim, Activision, 3DO and THQ. This journey culminated as the Executive Producer of THQ Wireless (many, many mobile games, wayyy before the iPhone even existed), where we shipped literally dozens of games every year on 382 distinct cellular devices.
Needless to say, I learned a lot about feature creep, scope, risk mitigation, critical path, setting expectations and how to ship games. After THQ, I spent many years in the wilderness of freelance and indie-land, doing mostly mobile application development, forgetting and relearning all those hard lessons. And now, I am excited to start a new chapter! My ultimate goal is to make my dream game, because no one else has so far.
Who are you?
I have a friend. Let's call him.... um... Olrak. Olrak has some solid game dev and production experience, probably even shipped some games for other people. But when it came time to ship his own games, Olrak stumbled repeatedly. It wasn't for a lack of ideas, or skills, or motivation. But it was due to the lack of consistent, repeatable systems that provide focus and clarity, overcome the procrastination, and yes, overcomes the fear of moving forward.
So Olrak sees a way forward! And that way involves you. Together we can learn together, be accountable to one another, learn from each other, and achieve our goals. Olrak would love to be surrounded by like-minded people who, in a weird way, like the process of making games maybe even more than the joy of playing games. :)
If youâve ever shipped other peopleâs games but canât ship your own, youâre in the right place! Join us... me and Olrak, and let's see what we can accomplish together!
[BOOMđ„]
I always like to share people, tools, games or publications that I admire and that have inspired me, so here are some interesting items to check out this week:
For those of you who have not heard of Hugo Cardoso, better known as Unity Code Monkey, I encourage you to check out not just his amazing amount of award winning games, courses and resources, but also his pragmatic, grounded and insightful commentary on his YouTube channel.
I admit I am old-school, but foundations are foundations, and frankly, I'm amazed and grateful that Game Developer Magazine is still around, in any form. It is the OG of OG's.
And now for something slightly different: Marc Mencher has been around even longer than me, knows what he is talking about, and always has valuable insights.
Next issue we will dig deeper into:
What exactly is an Indie Game?
Influences and examples
Practical stuff: Step 1 into Clarity (there will be homework!)
Just Keep Shipping!
So there we are. Welcome to issue #0000! We've set the stage with where we're coming from and where we want to go. Feel free to reply to this email and let me know your thoughts, your goals, your struggles, and we can shape this journey together!
As simple (and as difficult) as Click. Bam! BOOMđ„