I was randomly thinking of the players' reaction when they encounter a bad game/level, feature, etc.

Usually it goes by: "What were they thinking?" & "Didn't they realize it was shit before they shipped it?"

1. Obvs they thought it'd be cool
2. Most of the time, very much yes
A. The decision (of when) to ship is usually out of our hands 💔
B. Devs are usually brutally critical of their own game (a byproduct of what could have been), probably unfairly so
C. Shit happens 🤷🥹🙃

What you deliver does not have to be perfect for you or the team to be proud of it.

Look back on the context and all the challenges you went through - you'll most likely be surprised at how much you managed to accomplish!

#gamedev

Ok so in the past months I went through an international move on my own (the feline declined to help out with anything but giving cuddles), leaving a Mediterranean climate to arrive in Stockholm just as fall was settling in 👍

I’m still absolutely exhausted from the whole thing, and despite this I’m looking forward to resuming posting here & talk about art direction & gamedev in general 🌈

So tty soon & if you have thoughts for topics or questions I could answer then now is a good time :)

As an ex-expert in one’s field & the accountable leader for art delivery, it’s not rare for some art directors to feel the pull of trying to answer: “How will we do this?”.

But restrain yourself; your job is to state What you want/Where to go & articulate Why.

Let your experts find the solutions.

Art Direction Tip of the Day!

Use (and iterate on) word clouds as you work to define where you want to go.

I have a very intuitive process & find that using precise, expressive words to convey what I really mean:

1. Brings clarity of mind
2. Helps with research
3. Gives you content to use almost as-is once you build your art direction document

This is your friendly PSA especially for new #gamedevs and equally bright-eyed people aspiring up:

Being a director often is much less about deciding what you want and where to go than it is about politics.

This can be extremely draining. Just something to think about.