Change Dwells In The Unpredictable

"Unpredictable times call for the reliable friend"
~CLUTCH: Crucial Velocity

Change by its nature carries a large amount of risk. Going against conventional norms, especially in a technology driven field like Game Design, can lead to heavy losses for those who stray from the well weathered path. Because of this risk, Change (as a concept) needs a strong, dependable, and reliably person to lead the way.

In this blog post I will be discussing the following:

• Highlighting why change agents (people who act as catalysts for change) are important
• Give you a story about a Videogame World and how it applies to the Real World
• Talking about emerging trends in Game Design, and technologies that help the small developer

Change Agents Give People Something To Believe In

People are less inclined to risk their paychecks on a project that has a risk of failure, and when dealing with cutting edge technology or radical new ideas, this risk is amplified. People need someone to believe in, to support them and motivate them. This change agent should be a strong, charismatic foundation, a person of dependability.

I personally have been a change agent before in many risky projects. People get worried and are less likely to change, and it takes a powerful projection of confidence to push people into a new direction. 

Championing Risky Projects and The Expense of R&D (A Minecraft Story)

This might, at first glance, seem like a trivial example of being a change agent, but one of the hardest things to do is have other people spend their weekends and days off for a project they don't believe in.
This is a story of a Minecraft server I was apart of.

This server was divided into multiple nations, each nation having a population of over 20 people. The server had an active population of close to 70 people, huge for it's time. Each nation has special permissions that made it impossible for outsiders to break down walls or damage houses, making it hard for small bands of raiders to do anything against the wealthy.

My nation were the new kids on the block, rookie barbarians who hid in the hills and used sword and axe to pillage small villages. In order to compete with the larger nations, and become a force to be feared, we as a nation would need to evolve beyond hitting things with swords.

I campaigned for the research and development of cannons to reach beyond the protection system's borders and attach larger cities. Please note that cannons do not actually exist in Minecraft, not officially; cannons require the leveraging of in-game physics, and the development of mechanical and electrical systems to operate. Anyone who has built a computer in Minecraft knows what I'm talking about.

"This is a game about mining???" (Yes, and this needs a lot of mining to build)

It wasn't just me who was putting time and resources into R&D, everyone was sacrificing their hard earned free time for this crazy idea of launching TNT across international borders. We all have jobs, some of us have children, so "Free Time" to play a game is as precious as diamonds. And cannons themselves are expensive to use, let along R&D. It takes a lot of manpower to gather TNT in Minecraft, especially for a rag tag group of barbarians.

People were not happy about the idea. Each time I tested a new cannon design, it would either under perform or blow up in my face (literally). Add to this the fact that I wasn't lifting a finger to gather the ludicrous amounts of resources need to fund such a process... and you can see why people were not happy.

The challenge of convincing hard working people to sacrifice their free time for a risky, untested, and ridiculous idea cannot be overstated. It took a lot of personal meetings, paying for peoples lunches, and networking to build people's confidence and persuade the nation to push toward my vision. I had to earn people's trust, and support them through encouragement and leadership.

"People will not want to grow if they do not trust the person that is pushing the change."
~George Couros: 5 Characteristics of a Change Agent

The more the TNT testing failed, the more we learned. After a long and difficult struggle we had cannon systems that worked. Soon after that we were attacking other nations, making allies and pulverizing cities to smoldering dust. Our little band of barbarians had grown into a titanic nation that was feared, and no one could challenge our cannon technology.

Today we dominate our server, and with our new TNT delivery system our work is more streamlined and efficient, allowing us to expand our efforts and influence.

"Back to Reality Sean... what does any of this have to do with the Real World?"

This story, while seeming silly, Did take place in the real world. These were real people, with real jobs and responsibilities, sacrificing their real free time without pay! Collecting gunpowder, refining it into TNT, storing it. Gathering red-stone for electrical wiring, stone and wood for construction. All of this for a risky, unheard of idea with no guarantee of reward in the future.

The environment might be a game, but the people are real. And it was up to me to support and convince people that this change was important.

Real world technologies that will change the Game Industry

Shifting gears away from playing games to developing games, building your own game engine is extremely time consuming and technical. Huge AAA companies can afford to put money and programers into building their own Game Engines from the ground up. To a AAA company like EA Games or Ubisoft, this R&D is not a risk at all.

For small indie developers, it's a whole other story.

Emerging, Prepackaged Game Engines

Unity is a game engine developed by Unity Technologies which offers small game companies and individual developers a cross-platform creation engine. This allows people to spend more time developing the actual game itself, and not spend time creating their own engine like AAA companies.

There are many game engines like this, and their existence lowers the risks that people need to take in order to build their dreams, and allows for new, innovative, and creative games to hit the real world market. The Indie-Game market is booming, and there is a growing demand for games that push envelope, and challenge what it means to be a "game".

Shifting The Burden of Risk

Before game engines like Unity and Unreal were available, change agents had to focus a lot of their energy on developing new engines and new technologies.

Before these game engines existed, Indie Games were rare and simple.

Now that these systems are widely and cheaply available, Change Agents are able to shift their persuasive energies away from developing new technology to developing new ideas. Reducing the risk of new tech, means you can focus that risk on new stories.

And it is these new available technologies are having a huge impact on the Game Industry, and will continue to have an impact as more and more developers gain new experience and resources to create their visions.