Are game developers actually gamers?

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

"WTF KINDA QUESTION IS THAT?!" you ask, and let me explain.

Throughout all of the games I've played, many times I've dealt with things like escort missions, bad controls, stupid AI, irritating collectibles, and a bunch of other things that gamers seem to be sick of.

Sometimes I ask myself - "who's the idiot that put THAT in there?!" and that is exactly what got me here now.

I just want to say that I'm not "bashing" any game developers, but I am actually specifically asking this question here because there are game developers here, and I want to know how this process works, and I would love to know if it is possible for a game developer to be a gamer and a game developer. You know how when you get into say animation or sports, you see things differently? Instead of going "this cartoon sucks" you say "that's very fluid animation right there!" - maybe it's things like that which could make a game developer more lenient towards games or something like that.

I see people like Peter Molyneux, Gabe Newell and Will Wright, where their job is to talk, but then I see the people at Bioware being interviewed, or hearing a story about how a Gears of War 2 developer loves to play Killzone 2.

So is it possible for a game developer to be a "gamer" too or are there no real hybrids that are cut right down the middle?

I'm certain most of this goes into the "it depends" category though.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

My brother has been a gamer for a well over a decade and develops games for a company I won't name, but needless to say you would have been exposed to their games.
After talking to him it is obvious to me that the problem is that he is just a cog in a larger machine. His development team is comprised mostly of avid gamers, you visit their office and all their desks are littered with anime characters, video game models and posters, however these guys do what they are told. It's the people at the head of the totem pole who tell these people what they will and won't put in a game; it is simply their job to do it.
Now the people at the top have to answer to the bean-counting accountants that tell them what they can and can't spend, so they have to pretty much make what they know will sell. How do they know what will sell? They keep a keen eye on what people buy and sadly, there is a HUGE market for sequels.
My point is, most of the people who develop games really do care about games and the quality of gaming, however they are under enormous pressure to get games out the door and to have them sell well and even if they are handed a project they know will suck, they still have to do it.

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

Hmm, I guess it's as simple as that. I really don't know what else to say except thanks for the insight.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

Hmm, I guess it's as simple as that. I really don't know what else to say except thanks for the insight.

No prob. I was just talking with him over lunch before and he was telling me that the Global Financial Crisis has been REALLY bad for video game publishers/developers and has resulted in a lot of smaller, more original titles being sh1t-canned. He also told me some disturbing stuff about finance and getting publishers for games, but he tends to tell me these things in utter confidence so I shouldn't blurt it out over the forum.

 

[Diablini]

Game developers are strange creatures indeed.

 

[new_age_reject]

Yea if you want to find real hidden gems its often best to go indie. Everyone is an avid gamer and they don't have anybody telling them how to kill there dream. Believe it or not alot of online PC games are really good such as the Thing thing series.

Don't fool yourself, the Thing Thing series isn't good, it suffers at the hands of "SEQUELS NAO PLZ!" as much as the big dogs do

But I think the first reply really nailed it on the head, as much as they want to make a game for the gamer it really has turned into what will make as much money as possible... and that is really down to the gamer.
So basically, if you want more quality games with original ideas and such then stop buying all the crap sequels they squit out.

 

[Gruthar]

I know a couple of devs who work for Gearbox, who in turn are friends with a Valve employee. Yes, they are all gamers. It's kind of funny to hear the poor Valve guy get picked on when we play L4D and come across a glitch (although it's not clear to me what his actual role at Valve is.)

But, as has been stated, the employees don't get to call the shots, they just have to do whatever the design document says. Whether the designer runs a democracy or a totalitarian dev crew varies, but often the rest of the devs have little to no say.

 

[not a zaar]

Probably what you meant to ask is "are lead designers actually gamers", and well, that's a good question, cuz a lot of times there's really stupid shit in games. I chalk it up to lazy design, you just copy what another guy did or use an established cliche like escort missions or whatever. Not that I totally blame them, making a game is hard work and you can't be 100% original with everything. Still, there are some who go the extra mile, and their games stand out. Then there are some who just make one good game and then copy themselves ever after (i.e. Hideo Kojima).

 

[scnj]

I think it's a matter of these things simply being generic conventions of gaming. Like guns in an action movie or spaceships in a sci fi movie.

 

[Zand88]

Developers always prove that they don't know what makes a good game.. not that they care, when they can still make a profit of it. People will play anything as long as it looks nice and you can shoot things.

 

[Kif]

As a software engineer I'm gonna have to stand up for devs a little here...

Developers just write the code following documents like design specifications and functional specifications that have been around the designers for a long time and there's not much room for change in them. At least that's certainly the case where I work.

Edit:
I think I should point out btw that I'm not a games developer I work for a 3D mapping and navigation systems company. Very boring, C++ and SQL mostly. But I am reminded of something that happened to me in WoW once, I got into a friendly discussion with a games master about the code when a door glitched and he said something like 'I'm sorry but we are not allowed to discuss game code with potential rivals'... I found that amusing.