Will Wright on the Rise of Game Mods
"Because now it's the fans out there that are entertaining us, the developers, with their creations!"
Hiroshi Yamauchi Defines the Success of Playstation
Following the Nintendo 64 loss in the console wars to the original Playstation, Nintendo Co. LTD President Hiroshi Yamauchi claimed to know why sales of Sony's first foray into the video game console space was so much more successful than that of Nintendo's third home console. Despite the...
Tim Schafer on Building a Team
Tim Schafer, the man behind Psychonauts developer Double Fine Productions, is a man of many talents. His most important talent, however, is building a team. He knows exactly how to do it and how to keep it together. "If you're not loyal to your team, you can get...
Imre Jele on Quality Vs. Success
Imre Jele is a man who knows what it takes to build a business. Having co-founded Bossa Games, the studio responsible for Lost Skies, and now heading up Runescape, he knows what success is. Success, however, as he states, is not defined by the one who creates the...
Cliff Blezinski Offers Words of Affirmation
On November 1, 2022, famed Gears of War creator, Cliff Blezinski released his autobiography, Control Freak, to the public. In it, Blezinski shares his life journey (so far) and shares many great stories about his time in the industry. In addition, he relates a lot of lessons learned...
G-Man from Half-Life 2 Gives Serious Life Advice
During the opening scene of Valve's Half-Life 2, the mysterious G-Man, while explaining the story of the title, incidentally spewed life advice to gamers. "The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world." Sometimes someone is in a position they'd rather not...
Reggie Fils-Aimé Makes His Debut
In 2004 Nintendo was in a bit of a rut. Sales of its Gamecube console had been less than expected, and Nintendo had begun to build a reputation as a company that makes games for little kids. When Reggie Fils-Aimé was hired as Executive Vice President of Sales...
John Romero Illuminates the Idea of Ideas
On July 18, 2023, famed game designer John Romero released his autobiography Doom Guy: Life in First-Person. In it, he offers advice to those who are full of ideas, but never seem to believe they can succeed with them. “Execution is everything: Success is not defined by an...
Henk Rodgers Teaches Nintendo How To Sell
Prior to the release of the Nintendo Game Boy in 1989, Henk Rodgers was simply a game developer and salesman. A salesman who knew how to get his foot in the door of major developers from whom he wished to acquire rights to titles. One of those developers...
Todd Howard Explains the Rules
In an interview with MTV at the 2009 D.I.C.E. Summit, Todd Howard listed the three principles that every game designer should have: 1) "An ability to leave even their favorite ideas on the cutting room floor." 2) "The capability to think smaller and keep things simple." 3) "Being...