Working Nowhere and Everywhere

The Zen of Running a Virtual Studio

Christopher NatsuumeCreative Director, Boomzap Entertainment

Who Are You, and Why Should I Care?Chris Natsuume: In game industry since 1991• Over a dozen products shipped• Millions of units sold• In over a dozen languages• From companies around the world

Boomzap: Casual game developer since 2005• Scrappy, profitable little indie studio• 8 games shipped so far• Currently developing for PC, Mac, and Wii• Virtual office, worldwide development• Key developer in Southeast Asia.

Quick Boomzap Snapshot

USAOutsource Sound

USAAccounting

PhilippinesOutsource Art

Outsourcing PartnersWhere/Who is Boomzap?

PhilippinesDevelopers

JapanDevelopers

MalaysiaDevelopers

SingaporeDevelopers

USALegal

SingaporeOutsource Art

Why Run a Virtual Office?

• Access to the Best Developers in the World• Lower Labor Costs + COLA = Happy Developers• Lower Support/Overhead = Higher Salaries• Efficient Use of Time• Work/Life Balance + $ = Loyalty & Dedication• I am a very happy man

Tip #1: We Never Track Hours• I don’t care how many hours you worked.

– I care how much you got done.

• I *hope* they are working less than 40 hours.– The “reward for crappy work” paradox

• Reinventing the Employee Agreement– Quality & Quantity = Constants– Time = Variable

Tip #2: Daily Builds, Reports, and Testing• We have a new, working daily build. Every day

– Breaking that build is capital crime– Work not in build = Work not done– Our publishers get this build. Every day.

• Our staff submits a daily report. Every day.– Failure to submit a report is a capital crime– Basecamp – Each week is a new message– Reports go to the whole team– Samples are non-optional

• Daily testing of the build. Every Day.– 2-3 times a week, online team testing– MSN, Skype, and ingame chat– Publishers welcome

Tip #3: Full Time + Project Specialists• Some work is best left inhouse

– Game programming– Prototyping art and effects– Project management

• Some work is best done by specialists– Sound and Music– Bulk Art Assets– Middleware-friendly code– Concept Art

• Develop a network of outsource partners• Don’t outsource to find cheaper staff

– Outsource to have ‘easy-fire” staff

Tip #4: Hire for Virtual Character• Hire for demonstrated self-management

– Small studio experience– *completed* home projects – not just games!

• Interview and test for virtual work character– Online interviews – interview like you work– Involve other staff in online interviews– Testing and Probation periods

• Some great people just can’t work like this– Get used to letting them go.

Tip #5: A “confederation” of teams• “How do you get everyone on the team to do

*exactly* what you want?”– I don’t. In fact, I prefer they don’t.

• Freedom + Power = Responsibility– Also = Happy staff and worried managers

• Learn to accept good work you didn’t expect– Now they can actually *exceed* my expectations– And now they are truly empowered

• Delegation is not just delegation of work– It is the delegation of responsibility and power– It is also the delegation of the ability to fail

• “Is this what I wanted” is not the question– “Is this something the customer would love” is.

Tip #6: Managers must actually do things• Everyone contributes in an empowered, confederated

development structure:– Asset and code production– Testing and real, actionable feedback– Design people can actually use

• The daily reports and daily builds make it impossible to hide non-contributors.– When you are judged by your output, you produce– Those who don’t do lose influence/power quickly

• Managers in this structure are forced to work– Managers who work understand their workers– They remain in tune with challenges and issues– This is really, really hard on managers

Tip #7: PowerPoint, Prototypes & Photoshop• Nobody reads design documents.• Most studios solve w/meetings. Lots of them

– We can’t do that.• Our design docs are PowerPoint walkthroughs

– Lots of Google images and game references– All major screens mocked up– Gameplay described in notes

• We Prototype as soon as possible– Ugly grey boxes and cutouts from PowerPoint– Online working and 10+ daily iterations

• Then we Photoshop what we want it to look like– This is usually enough to get publishers hot and wet– If not, it’s the quickest way to a better demo

Tip #8: Producer Programmers• Designers make lousy producers.

– I know, I am one.• Programmers make great Producers

– They actually know how to architect a project– They can make much better estimations of work

• On a daily basis, they are responsible for the build– So they are forced by definition to know who is doing what– When things are going to be early/late/broke… they’ll know first– When things are bad “bang for the buck”… they’ll know first

• Designers are humbled and strengthened in this model– Not being god is good for them – and for the design– They produce more, and better assets– They get technically proficient very fast – Useless designers are “found out” very quickly

• Your artists will love you for this. Trust me.

Questions?

Christopher NatsuumeCreative Director

Boomzap Entertainmentnatsuume@boomzap.com

Bonus Tips – 10 Tools for Virtual Studios

1. Basecamp2. CVS (or another online source control solution)3. MSN Messenger4. Skype In/Out5. Earth Class Mail6. MyFax7. Paypal8. HSBCnet9. Your Mailing List Provider10.Portable Equipment