Unformed Reality

with Seamus Blackley

Unformed Reality

Why Are We Here?

Unformed Reality

Where Are We going?

Unformed Reality

How Do We Know When We Get There?

Unformed Reality

What the Hell is going on Anyway?

State of the industry

• NOT as big as Hollywood– 2002 US domestic game sales: $5.5 billion– 2002 US domestic box office: $9.1 billion

• 2002 US Music Sales: $12.2 billion• 2001 NAB/TVB data: $54.4bn US advertising

revenue• 2002 US Leisure/Entertainment Book Sales:

$9.5 billion• We are still a niche medium

– 2002 US domestic games units: 162.7MM– 2992 US domestic movie tix: 1.9 BILLION

State of the industry

• Not creatively driven– Technology and market driven

• Marketing people approve projects• Programmers tell Artists what can be done

– License driven• Becoming the marketing arm of the other media• “Only way to generate awareness”

• This means we’re driven by Pop culture– Not driving it

State of the industry

• Not able to determine what’s really happening– What metrics should we use to guide the

business?– Why do certain types of games sell well?– Why do consumer tastes change?

• Why are licenses suddenly working?

– etc.

• Classic case of knowing what but not why

Who the Hell Am I to Say??

• Started life as a musician– Mainly to get girls

• Theoretical High Energy Physics– “Academic dues paid in full thank you very much”

• Design– Success, failure, and purgatory

• Xbox– 847,000 frequent flier miles

• CEG• Bad Attitude

– Jason thought would be amusing to you

What’s your point then?

It’s Time for Us to Get Some Tools

Example: My Philosophy of Physics

• Physics allows you to be master of your universe– Physics allowed my professors to avoid being

drafted for the Vietnam War

• Physics allowed the design of the 777 that brought me to London to be done entirely digitally– Theoretical tools in aerospace are outstanding– Allowed Boeing to be masters of their medium

We Are Not (yet) The Masters of Our Medium

• It is our master

• This is why other media own our asses

• We have to change this

Keeping the Industry Down?

• The lack of “theoretic armaments” is keeping us down…

– Let’s look at some of the ways

Publishers are Scared

• No idea how to do “Development”– Therefore must seek “McValue meal deals.”

• No idea how to understand the potential of new ideas– And getting worse

• No idea how to even categorize new concepts– Idea of standardized submission scares me

Developers are Pussies

• No understanding of the business of publishing– Yet willing supplicants of the publishers– Not the case in other media

• Little understanding of the consumer– This is an academic area

• No understanding of ways to systematically innovate– Nor any ideas on how to train people how to do this

Audience is Confused

• Look at the randomness of reviews– I’m not offended by the lack of “critical press” of the

literary type.– Though I do feel the strong need for a “professional

critical corps” because…

• I’m worried that we’re not consciously training our audience– This is critical for the future…

• Ratings responsibility• Cultural “placement”• etc.

Seamus is Confused

• Xbox

• CEG

• My own games

Xbox Experience

• What are the major problems faced by games?– From the Audience and the developer?

• That can be solved with technology?– And what should be addressed in other ways?

• That can be solved by business practices?– And how can you measure success?

• That can be solved by Microsoft?

CEG Experience

• How can the production process be enhanced?

• How can the distribution process be enhanced?

• What is the real potential of Online Distribution?

Looking Glass Experience

• Why do we find ourselves in a blissful state of gameplay angst?

The Answers Exist

• One finds them in random places

Develop: “Mind Your Language”

• A great article by Ben Cousins of Big Blue Box– Jump times– Level sizes

• Interesting analogy to battlefield measurements• Transit times• Understood as a very valid military academic

subject

• Randomly came across it– Friends are using it now

IGDA, GDC, MCV, etc.

• Busy developers browse programs– See copies of magazines in the lobby

• Hear about panels and talks from friends– Most developers don’t get to go to shows

• Hit and Miss– It’s no good if good research and results exist

in places only those of us who are actively interested can find them!

So…The Knowledge is There, How do You Make People

Care?• Disconnect as usual between academic

and commercial worlds– This is nothing new, exists everywhere

• Must show actual benefit to the commercial world– In an easy to understand, “executive

summary” kind of way

• Must do it in a way that is easy to access from the real-time commercial world

How to Show Benefit

• Increase profits– Obvious, but do you add this analysis to your

work?

• Increase predictability of performance of novel ideas– Hits Business means innovation=success

• Not be freaks– Physics “personal hygiene code”

• Not talk like outsiders…

Become part of the Development Culture

• If you do not work in the industry, find a way to live in the industry as much as possible– Learn the “realpolitik”

• If you do, be careful not to go on “theory rants” that put off your peers– At this point, you are an ambassador to an important

new world– But a world that most industry people don’t

understand the value of (yet)

Let’s get it together

• I don’t have the answers

• The more I think about it, the more stupid I discover that I am

• Therefore it’s your problem

• So go work!– Why are you sitting there?

Questions

?