Session Name: | Taking It Personal: The Emotional Toll of Being Indie |
Speaker(s): | Christian Allen |
Company Name(s): | Serellan LLC |
Track / Format: | Business, Marketing & Management |
Overview: | Many developers are becoming aware of the often toxic situation in game communities and social media. While the biting criticism can certainly affect developers at any studio, the situation becomes magnified when developers step away from the established origination and support that AAA studios and publishers offer. As more and more traditional developers move to small teams, crowdfunding, and increasing interaction with social media in order to support their projects, they expose themselves to more emotional and psychological risk. Christian Allen, a veteran game developer who has shipped multiple major titles, shares his experience shipping a small title from an independent studio he founded, and the emotional and personal toll it took on him, the devastating impact of which the former Marine was wholly unprepared for. Attendees will take away information on the risks for themselves and their teams, and mitigation that they can take to avoid them. |