Gamers at Work: Stories Behind the Games People Play

by Morgan Ramsay

There are few companies in the video-game industry that have withstood the test of time; most startups exit as quickly as they enter. In Gamers at Work: Stories Behind the Games People Play, the countless challenges of building successful game developers and publishers in this unstable industry are explored through interviews containing entertaining stories, humorous anecdotes, and lessons learned the hard way.

Gamers at Work presents an inside look at how 18 industry leaders play the odds, seize opportunities, and transform small businesses into great businesses. Here, in Gamers at Work, you will find their stories replete with their personal struggles, corporate intrigue, and insights into strategy, leadership, and management.

Genres: Video Games, Games, Game Design, Nonfiction, History, Business, Gaming

356 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 8, 2012

About the author

Morgan Ramsay is the bestselling author of the critically acclaimed books "Gamers at Work" and "Online Game Pioneers at Work" which have been hailed as "extraordinary," "astounding," and "a critical resource" by some of the world's most successful technology and entertainment leaders.

Considered one of the game industry's top interviewers, he has interviewed a record 53 CEOs, such as private astronaut Richard Garriott, Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen, and DeNA chairwoman Tomoko Namba. Simon Carless, chairman of the Game Developers Choice Awards, described his work as "some of the most interesting and methodical interviews I've read."

For nearly 20 years, Morgan has worked in a diverse range of disciplines, including serving as Producer and QA Director at Pixelmage Games, a studio founded by the creators of EverQuest, until its acquisition by Amazon Game Studios. Previously, he was President & CEO at Entertainment Media Council, the association for game industry leaders; and Managing Director & Chief Brand Architect at Heretic, where he led communications for small business and Fortune Global 500 clients.

Reviews

[Eric Mesa · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the negative side, I didn't realize beforehand this was written by a venture capitalist guy from the point of view of running companies. That made it less fun than if it'd been about the amazing and revolutionary games these companies made. However, it still ended up being pretty interesting in two main ways for me. First, seeing how much money was needed to start up changed through the decades. Second, seeing that there is no one right way to run a company. Some were family-friendly and others were time-sucks. But all of them made innovative games and were successful. One other takeaway is that some companies lasted a long time and others were closer to one-hit wonders before they either closed or were bought.

I'd say if you're interested in business and like video games, it's a nice way to combine the two. I wouldn't have minded reading this book for an MBA. If you're looking for a history of the key games in history and the studios that made them, it'll be less fulfilling.

[Andrzej · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quite unique book. I can't think of another position focused so much on the business side of making games and trying to show us the paths of many great studios in the industry. Saying that, it is probably not the most exciting read if you want to finish it quickly. I'd rather take those stories one by one with some breaks in between. It's valuable, but not redefining how one should approach game business.

[Zeh Fernando · Rating 3 out of 5]

More about running a company rather than game development, but still a good, inspiring read.

[dp · Rating 1 out of 5]

Exemplo cristalino de como tornar um livro de entrevistas com gente interessante tedioso e letal.

[fonz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una serie de entrevistas con los fundadores de varias compañías de videojuegos norteamericanas desde inicios de los setenta hasta principios de los dos miles, desde Nolan Bushnell, fundador de Atari, a los primeros pasos de empresas como Bethesda, Insomniac o Naughty Dog. El libro está planteado como manual para emprendedores del sector, así que el enfoque se centra principalmente en la gestión empresarial, quedando lo creativo y, sobre todo, el proceso de desarrollo, en muy segundo plano. A ratos interesante, sobre todo si el entrevistado tiene una fuerte y particular personalidad como Wild Bill Stealy, cofundador de MicroProse con Sid Meier, o el creador de Oddworld, Lorne Lanning ("desarrollar juegos es todo menos divertido y el que diga que es divertido, miente") pero que acaba por resultar bastante repetitivo. Para muy cafeteros.

[Rene Signoret · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was really interesting. but the author can improve the way he does questions. sometimes he suddenly changed the topic or asked about something previously answered

[Michael Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gamers at Work is a collection of interviews with top people from the video and computer gaming industry. The interviews are loosely structured around the establishment and challenges of gaming studios, the creative processes, and the struggle to remain afloat as the industry changes.

I really loved this book. The people interviewed here are usually heads of game studios or leads of the creative part of the business, but otherwise span a broad range of interests, backgrounds, and capability. There are many excellent interviews, including of: Wild Bill Stealy (the business side of MicroProse); Tony Goodman (the process guy at Ensemble Corp/Studios and Robot Entertainment); Feargus Urquhart (great interview on processes, Interplay/Fallout, etc.); John Smedley (EverQuest); Lorne Lanning (a bit shambolic but overall great stuff, Oddworld); Tobi Saulnier (client-centric game developer); and Christopher Weaver (Bethesda Softworks, The Elder Scrolls + professor at MIT).

Here are a few things I've learned:
* The gaming industry is only for people who love games. The high risk and relatively low return of this hit-driven market are otherwise not worth the personal investment.
* The size of a sustainable studio is 40-50 people, with 3-5 production pipelines active at all times. Anything above 100 people is bound to crash as the industry twists and turns.
* Gaming studios must consider all possible valorization channels, including leveraging their technology in serious gaming and technical simulators, and doing games that extend somebody else's franchise.
* Intellectual Property (IP) really counts. Building and populating entire worlds is preferable to creating small games that are independent of each other.
* Building strong portfolios and strong IP protect a studio from poor contracts from publishers.
* The game designers and producers rarely win as much as publishers and other channel owners.
* Publishers and distributors have a stranglehold on industry and even creativity: their choice decides the going of the industry.
* Indie gaming is tough, running a studio is tougher. Giants like EA and Sony Online Entertainment produce mostly games in long franchise lines.
* etc. etc. etc.

Overall, a must-read for anyone interested in the gaming industry, especially wannabe indie game developers.

[Devin Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I initially read the first interview with Trip Hawkins (Electronic Arts) and put the book down. He came across as an arrogant egonomaniac with his "look how awesome I am and all the things I did all by myself" shtick. Still, I couldn't abandon a book mid-read, so I picked it back up later and charged through. And I'm glad I did.

The interviews are very insightful. Morgan Ramsay does his best to stay on point with all of the questions. Each chapter is a different industry leader from various eras. Many of them have similar perspectives. The one common thread I found was having a certain amount of naiveté mixed with youth and enough knowledge to be dangerous. That potent combination is what led many of these people to become trailblazers and industry leaders.

I particularly enjoyed the chapter with Nolan Bushnell. He comes across as less of a hard-nosed businessman and more of an explorer in the field of entertainment with a childlike curiosity. Being one of the principal founders of an entire industry hasn't gone to his head.

The middle chapters of the book were like taking a trip through my childhood playing video games, especially those with Ken Williams, Doug and Gary Carlston, and Wild Bill Stealey. It was fun reading each of their own stories behind how they got started because they were so different. It really was like a Wild West time, right up into the early 90s, when budgets and teams got larger and more formalized management systems had to be put in place to meet deadlines. In fact, most of the interviewees compare and contrast what it was like then versus now, especially in the AAA title realm, with an almost misty-eyed longing for the good old days.

This book covers a wide time period ranging from the 1970s up to around 2012. If you are someone who really wants to know more about what was going on behind the scenes of the video game industry during those times, you can't get a better source than those who actually forged it.

[Andy Parkes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad..could have been so much more.

Was very interested to hear from the people who have been involved in the creation of some of the gaming industries successful companies.

This book focussed on the business side of things and while there were some interesting stories a lot of it felt repetitive (even within specific interviews. It felt like the same question was being asked just in a slightly different way)

If you're purely just a gamer then you'll get bored of it pretty quickly as there is lots of talk about founders, venture capitalists, exit strategies, corporate culture and the like.

That doesn't mean it's a total loss. There were some really good stories in between the business speak so I'm glad I persevered with it. I just wouldn't be in a rush to read it again.

[Craig Cecil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book continues the 'At Work' series, in a series of interviews with notable game authors, project leaders, etc. Many of the topics have been covered repeatedly in the past, with a few new additions.

[Justin Liew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great interviews, but overall it was a bit uneven. The interviews with Nolan Bushnell, Wild Bill Stealey, Tony Goodman, Warren Spector, Ken Williams, Jason Rubin and Ted Price were informative and/or entertaining.

[Todd Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

17 interviews with people who started game studios and rode the wave. Just awesome. This was an inspiring read.

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply amazing! Stories and history about people that has shaped the industry so far

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

very informative and filled with worthwhile advice and experiences to serve as examples for aspiring game developers.